This is the weekend we hear a lot of talk about good Friday, the resurrection of Christ, the passover week, Easter bunnies, Easter egg hunts, Easter dinner and the like, but what is of God and what is a counterfeit? Many folks are in confusion as to the meaning of all these things. What part does the passover have to do with our Christian faith today? Are Easter eggs and Easter bunnies part of our Christian heritage? Let us address these things with some clear answers from the Holy Bible so that none be led astray with devil’s counterfeits and risk forfeiting the favor of God in the great struggle between Truth and error in these last days.
Easter and its associated customs such as Easter eggs, Easter bunnies, and the like are clearly pagan in origin and should be shunned like a plaque by the God fearing Christian. Yet, despite the abundant evidence we do find some Seventh-day Adventist churches partaking in Sunday morning sunrise worship services in the popular trend of the Sunday keeping Christian churches. The author of this post once saw S.D.A. parents partaking in an Easter egg hunt with their children on the college campus of a noted S.D.A. institution. So it seems that the line of distinction between the church and the world (Egypt) has become increasingly blurred exactly as inspiration has predicted.
“The church has turned back from following Christ her Leader and is steadily retreating toward Egypt. Yet few are alarmed or astonished at their want of spiritual power. Doubt, and even disbelief of the testimonies of the Spirit of God, is leavening our churches everywhere. Satan would have it thus. Ministers who preach self instead of Christ would have it thus. The testimonies are unread and unappreciated. God has spoken to you. Light has been shining from His word and from the testimonies, and both have been slighted and disregarded. The result is apparent in the lack of purity and devotion and earnest faith among us.” — Testimonies for the Church, Vol. 5, p. 217.2
On the other hand passover is clearly part of the Old Testament and Jesus himself began the passover week that led to His crucifixion by eating the passover with His disciples. This much is certain, but how is it that we today as New Testament Christians relate to this spring festival? It clearly has much significance to our Christian heritage but most do not understand how it relates to our practice today. Some amongst us as Seventh-day Adventists are advocating that we must keep the ceremonial feasts of the Lord, including the passover in a literal sense in order to be saved and that they are part of the laws, statutes, and commandments that God requires for us to keep today. Is this part of the moral law some are asking? How do we relate to sacred feasts others are pondering? What is their application to us today? To answer these varied questions we can heartily recommend for all to hear what the Shepherd’s Rod message has to say because it provides the clearest answers and explains these many related subjects in such manifold clarity that all earnest seekers for Truth will shout “hallelujah, praises be unto the Lord!” to discover that God has not forsaken the earth and left us without a clear guidepost to understand this often confused subjects. Below is a summary list with links to the reading materials on the various related topics. May God bless your search for Truth as for hidden treasure.
- Were the Passover and the Burial on the Same Day?
- How Long did Jesus Spend in the Heart of the Earth?
- Are we to keep the ceremonial feasts, such as passover today? If so, how?
- How can I better understand the Hebrew New Year and the days of the sacred feasts in terms of our Roman calendar?
{ 0 comments… add one now }