What is Easter meaning to you?

Easter is not all about bunnies, egg hunting, and parades. Easter is one of the Christian’s important Holidays particularly for modern Christians. Christians celebrate Christmas for the birth of Jesus Christ and commemorate Easter for the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead. Perhaps, the meaning of Easter insures modern Christians that Jesus Christ is not just a man but He is in fact Son of God who had risen from the dead three days after his crucifixion. His victory over death and his resurrection symbolizes he is a living God and irrevocable proof of His message of eternal life. However, does Easter celebration represent true Jesus Christ’s resurrection? Or, is there another meaning that modern Christians do not know about?

Easter did not always celebrate for Christ resurrection from the dead and the meaning of Easter was quite different from what Christians commemorate today. According to allaboutjesuschrist.com “the feast day of Easter was originally a pagan celebration of renewal and rebirth. Celebrated in the early spring, it honored the pagan Saxon goddess Eastre. When the early missionaries converted the Saxons to Christianity, the holiday, since it fell around the same time as the traditional memorial 'Passover' of Christ's resurrection from the dead, was merged with the pagan celebration, and became known as Easter. The meaning of Easter was also changed to reflect its new Christian orientation.”

Some believe that Ester celebration is all antichrist activities. The meaning of Easter came from “Ishtar” which is pronounced “Easter” one of their gods from their mystery religion. Ishtar, who was now worshiped as the “Mother of God and Queen of Heaven”, continued to build her mystery religion. “Easter” was a day that commemorated the resurrection of one of their gods that they called “Tammuz” who was believed to be the only begotten son of the moon-goddess and the sun-god. The truth is that Easter has nothing whatsoever to do with the resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ. It’s everything to do with idolatry. The Bible tells us in John 4:24, “God is a spirit: and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth.” In fact, the truth is that the forty days of Lent, eggs, rabbits, hot cross buns and the Easter ham have everything to do with the ancient pagan religion of Mystery Babylon. (lasttrumpetministries.org)

According to the Encyclopedia Britannica, “There is no indication of the observance of the Easter festival in the New Testament, or in the writings of the Apostolic Fathers...The first Christians continued to observe the Jewish festivals (God's festivals of Leviticus 23), though in a new spirit, as commemorations of events which those festivals had foreshadowed. Thus the Passover, with a new conception added to it, of Christ as the true Paschal Lamb...continued to be observed.” (11th edit. Vol. 8)

Over the years, Easter has been commercialized and symbolized with colorful eggs, children’s dresses, parades, and bunnies without realization of the true meaning of the holiday why we celebrate. I wonder how many parents even think about the meaning of Easter while their children are wondering around wearing special dresses, carrying a basket of candies, and hunting for eggs. Since the eggs have always been associated with the Easter celebration, many cultures in the modern world joined in and have a long tradition of coloring eggs in beautiful and different ways. Unlike Christmas Holiday however, there are less objections for celebrating Easter from non-Christians because perhaps the overwhelming proof that God’s Holy Days, as early Christians kept the Passover, not Easter, listed in Leviticus 23, have continued by Christians today.

As a Christian, without knowing the true meaning of Easter I used to celebrate Easter with my non-Christian family members and share the feast with them only knowing that Jesus Christ gave them the opportunity one day to accept him. I also used think that Easter holiday should be for children to celebrate whether they know the meaning of the holiday. As Jesus said, “Let the little children come to me and do not try to stop them, for the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these.” (Matthew 19:14) I believe that as he taught and preached, he would have opened his arm to all children of both believers and non-believers giving them the opportunity someday they would come to him for forgiveness whether they know the true meaning of Easter.

However, knowing the true meaning of Easter didn't change the way of many Christians' belief of honoring and recognizing Jesus Christ's resurrection from the dead and observing His sacrifice for our sins and His glorious promises of eternal life for all who believe in him.