Easter,
It's the holiest day of the year
for hundreds of millions
of people.
In the northern Hemisphere,
traditions focus
on the coming of Spring.
Winter is over.
Fields and farms are alive
with color.
Trees and flowers
burst with new life.
And Easter traditions
are observed around the world.
The "Woman's Day" website
brings out some
of the more unusual examples,
like young boys
dousing young girls with water,
in Poland and Hungary.
According to the website,
this playful tradition has roots
in ancient fertility rites.
Other Easter traditions
are also linked to Spring-time
fertility rituals,
meant to ensure good crops.
In Florence, Italy,
for example,
they blow up carts
with explosives.
And in the Greek island
of Corfu,
they drop clay pots
out of second story windows.
If that sounds strange though,
how about American traditions,
like an Easter bunny
that lays eggs?
And what does this all have
to do with Jesus' resurrection?
You see,
many well-meaning people
practice these rather
unusual traditions
but also view Easter
as a time to honor Jesus Christ.
After all,
the Bible does say Jesus died
in the Spring.
And after dying
and being laid in a grave,
He miraculously revived.
He was resurrected.
But did His disciples
celebrate Easter
to honor His resurrection?
That's an
important question to ask.
And that's what we'll answer
on today's program.
So be sure and get
a pen and paper
so you can write down the number
to call.
In a few minutes
I'm going to offer you a free,
eye-opening study guide,
Easter, the Untold Story.
So join me on Tomorrow's World,
as we ask and answer
the question:
"Did Jesus' disciples
celebrate Easter?"
I'll be right back.
♪
Easter traditions are kept
all over the world.
In the Northern Hemisphere,
most of them center around
the new life of Spring.
Winter's over,
and trees and flowers
burst with blossoms.
But even "down-under"
--when March and April
bring autumn--
Easter is observed
but with a little twist.
Instead of eating
chocolate rabbits,
Australian children
eat chocolates formed
in a shape
of a mouse-like creature
called a "bilby".
When it comes to Easter,
it seems there's something
for everyone.
For many who attend church,
Easter is the holiest day
of the year.
And what could be more important
than celebrating
Jesus' resurrection?
Many sincere,
well-meaning people
seek to do just that.
But is Easter biblical?
Is the word "Easter"
even found in the Bible?
The answer is,
the word "Easter" is found
in one place
in the King James Bible.
If you have a King James Bible,
take a look at Acts 12:4.
It tells the story
of James being imprisoned
and then executed by King Herod.
Then Herod
arrested Peter as well.
And notice what it says next...
But look under the surface.
The word "Easter"
isn't intended there at all.
Theologian Adam Clarke
explains this in his commentary
on the verse.
He says:
He then explains that
the goddess Easter
--or Ishtar--...
So, the one place where the word
"Easter" is found in the Bible,
is a mistranslation.
Does that surprise you?
The Greek word translated
"Easter" in Acts 12:4 was
actually the word "Pascha,"
or what we say in English,
"Passover".
So, Acts 12:4
should have read...
What was Passover?
Passover was a festival
being kept by the Jews.
It involved eating a meal
of a sacrificial lamb,
slain just for that purpose.
It was in the Springtime.
Many Jews still keep
Passover today,
in one form or another.
So, the word "Easter"
is not found in the Bible,
and the one place
it seems to be
is a mistranslation.
If this is so,
why do so many observe it?
As stated already,
many people sincerely believe
they honor the resurrection
of Jesus by observing Easter.
And yes,
the resurrection is found
in the Bible.
All four Gospel writers
testified to it.
And we in this Work
have a profound feeling
and awe for what Jesus did
in dying for our sins.
We believe that through
His shed blood,
through faith in Him,
we can also attain
to the resurrection.
That's the wonderful hope
of every Christian.
But back to
the original question:
Did the disciples of Jesus
celebrate Easter?
If they did,
we should follow their example.
If they did not,
we must ask the question,
"Why not?"
And we'll get to that
in a moment.
But first,
let me offer you
our free study guide,
Easter: The Untold Story.
In it,
Mr. Gerald Weston examines
the significance
of the name, "Easter,"
he looks at the ancient practice
of worshipping
the Queen of Heaven,
and he asks the question,
"could we be worshipping
Jesus Christ in vain?"
This issue strikes
at the very heart
of what it is to be a Christian.
If you've not read this booklet,
you need to order it today.
Request your free copy of
Easter: The Untold Story.
Don't forget, order online,
call on the phone,
or send us a letter.
Order now.
♪
Today's offer is yours
absolutely free
No Cost, No Obligation
Call toll-free now
...
Call toll-free now
or write to us
at the address
on your screen
or visit us online
at TomorrowsWorld.org
♪
Announcer: With this offer,
you will also receive
your free subscription
to Tomorrow's World magazine
full of timely articles
and unique insights
on today's important issues.
And be sure to go to
TomorrowsWorld.org/digital.
Have a digital subscription
sent right to your email inbox.
Faster than postal mail!
Visit us online, now!
In the first part
of our program,
we asked the question,
"Is the word 'Easter'
found in the Bible?"
And the answer is,
only in a mis-translation
of the King James Bible.
Now let's look at the examples
of Jesus and His disciples.
Did they celebrate Easter?
Let's find out what they did
and what they taught.
We'll break it down
into three points.
The first point is:
This point may seem simple,
but don't overlook the obvious.
Too often,
people base their beliefs
too much on tradition
and not enough on Scripture.
We think many of you
do read your Bible faithfully.
You want to be like the Bereans
of Acts 17:11, who...
During His ministry,
Jesus called many disciples.
He commanded them,
"Follow Me",
as in Mark 2:14.
This wasn't just an invitation
to walk with Him
to the next village,
and it wasn't just
a sentimental feeling.
In a very real sense,
He was saying,
"Look at what I'm doing
and follow My example."
He repeated this many times.
In Matthew 10:38 Jesus said,
You see, following
Christ's example and teaching
is what is expected
to be a disciple.
After the death
and resurrection of Jesus,
the apostles
followed the same pattern.
They urged the brethren
to follow their example
in practice and doctrine.
Notice what Paul
told the Philippians...
Notice what
Paul also told the young
evangelist, Timothy...
Did Paul mean that his brethren
should just blindly follow him?
No.
In 1 Corinthians 11:1,
he said...
Paul wasn't perfect.
Nor were the other apostles.
The New Testament is very honest
about their mistakes,
and yet Christ worked
through them,
so they could teach
by word and example.
Paul said,
"Don't just blindly do
everything I do or say.
Look at my example,
and if it measures up to Christ,
then follow it".
This is a consistent theme
in the entire New Testament.
This is what
should guide our life:
Following the example of Jesus
and the apostles.
That's why the New Testament
has been preserved,
so we can know what they did.
Luke wrote in Acts 16:4...
"...And as they"
--Paul and Silas that is--
"went through the cities..."
The brethren
in the first century
followed the teachings of Christ
and the apostles.
As Christians today,
we must live by the same rule.
Peter echoed a similar theme
in his second letter
to the brethren.
He said this:
Did Peter just make up
commandments for them to follow?
No, he taught them
what He had learned from Jesus.
And he lived it in
his personal example.
John also taught this.
In 1 John 1:2 he wrote...
John and the other apostles
were passing along
what they saw Jesus do
and what they heard Jesus teach.
Now, why is this important?
Because many traditions
of modern Christianity
simply go against the example
of Jesus and His disciples.
Mr. Gerald Weston
brings this out
in the free booklet,
Easter: The Untold Story.
We're offering
this publication today.
This booklet will help you
see that some
of the basic teachings
of mainstream Christianity
are not found in the Bible.
Take for example,
chapter four.
It's entitled: "Three Days
and Three Nights."
Was Jesus in the grave
a full three days
and three nights
or just parts of three days
and three nights?
Can you really know,
and does it matter?
In a simple
and straightforward way,
this booklet
will lay it out for you.
Use it side by side
with your own Bible.
Don't take our word for it.
Prove it for yourself.
Again,
this is a free publication.
It's already paid for.
The generous co-workers
of this Work have
"paid-it-forward",
for you.
They want you
to have this booklet.
So, go online
and order yours today.
Or call us on the phone,
or write us a card or a letter.
Do it now,
so you don't forget.
Announcer: Today's offer
is yours absolutely free,
no cost, no obligation.
Visit us online at
TomorrowsWorld.org.
Find us on Facebook,
watch us on Youtube,
and follow us on Twitter.
Welcome back.
In the last segment,
we saw that Christians
must follow the example
of Jesus and His disciples.
That should be our guide.
With that foundation,
let's go on to the next point.
Dr. Samuele Bachiocchi
is a noted church-history expert
who wrote the book
From Sabbath to Sunday.
On page 84, he said this:
You can search the New Testament
from one end to the other,
and you won't find the disciples
celebrating Easter.
In 1986, a book called
The Apostasy of the Lost Century
was written by a man
named S. Gusten Olsen.
Notice what he said:
Did you catch that?
Mr. Olsen said the idea
of the rising sun being symbolic
of Jesus' resurrection
--think: sunrise service--
was not part of the thinking
of the early disciples.
The tradition of the rising sun
representing
Christ's resurrection
didn't take shape
until the 2nd century.
Is this because
Jesus' disciples didn't care
about the resurrection?
Nothing could be further
from the truth.
When Jesus appeared
to His disciples
from the grave...
That's found in Luke 24:41.
They were amazed
and grateful.
And when Thomas
--who saw Him later--
realized what had happened,
how did he respond?
John 20:28 records,
The disciples had a deep respect
and sense of awe
for the miracle
of the resurrection.
But nowhere do we have a record
of their keeping a service
to commemorate it.
Even if they had celebrated it,
it would not have been
Sunday morning.
Where we find this passage
in John 20:1...
Verse 2 says...
Did you catch that?
Mary was at the tomb
before sunrise.
It was still dark
and Jesus was already gone.
Jesus did not rise
from the grave at sunrise,
as so many assume.
Did the early disciples
talk about the resurrection?
Yes, many times.
Paul, in his defense
before the Sanhedrin, said...
He wrote a whole chapter
about the resurrection
in 1 Corinthians 15.
And in 1 Peter 1:3,
notice what
the apostle Peter said...
The apostles were witnesses
of Jesus' resurrection.
And they were to tell
the whole world about it.
But nowhere in the New Testament
is there a record
of an Easter service.
It's just not there.
On the contrary,
the disciples were keeping
a different feast day
to honor Jesus Christ.
What was that different
feast day?
That brings us
to our final point
in this program.
As we saw earlier,
Jesus kept the Passover
with His disciples.
But during His last Passover
just before His death,
He assigned new symbolic meaning
to the bread and wine.
Notice how Mark describes it...
"And as they were eating...
[the Passover]
Jesus took bread..."
Jesus used
this ancient feast day
to institute new symbols about
His own coming sacrifice.
He explained,
"By taking these symbols,
you are entering
the new covenant".
He was explaining
how they could come under
His shed blood
and be forgiven of their sins.
The apostle John also noted
that same last Passover
but with other details.
He recorded
that Jesus washed the feet
of His disciples,
and notice what Jesus said,
in John 13:15...
That is a direct command
to follow in His steps.
Jesus commanded His people
to take bread and wine
as symbols of His broken body
and shed blood,
and He commanded them
to wash each others' feet as an
outward expression of humility
and Christian brotherhood.
He instituted
the Christian Passover.
This is very different
from what most modern Christians
observe today.
But there it is
--right in the Bible.
And He said we we'd be blessed
if we followed His example.
What about the apostles?
Do they tell us to observe
the Christian Passover?
Yes, Paul wrote about it
in 1 Corinthians 11:23...
Jesus instituted
new Passover symbols,
and Paul was teaching
exactly the same thing.
He goes on to say...
Paul was following
the example of Christ.
And Paul taught his brethren
to follow Jesus' example
as well.
In this light,
it's interesting to note
what Philip Schaff,
the 19th-century
early-church historian,
said about
the Christian Passover.
He said this:
In other words,
this was the earliest observance
of the Church.
Jesus and His disciples
kept the Christian Passover,
in commemoration
of Jesus' suffering and death.
And even after His resurrection,
there was no hint
of a sunrise service
kept by the apostles.
Notice what else
Mr. Schaff wrote:
Did you notice that?
The "Christian Passover
is the oldest
and most important
annual festival of the church".
That's quite a statement.
And yet,
how many modern Christians
keep the Christian Passover?
On today's program,
we've seen that
faithful Christians must follow
the example of Jesus
and His disciples.
We saw there's no record
of Jesus' disciples
ever celebrating Easter.
Instead,
we saw that they observed
the Christian Passover.
If you are a disciple of Christ,
shouldn't you be observing
the Christian Passover, today?
There's so much more
to the story.
We've only scratched
the surface.
But you can study it
in depth, yourself.
To do that,
you need our free study guide,
Easter: The Untold Story.
In this booklet you'll find
a wealth of information.
Chapter 5 discusses
the significance of Passover.
Chapter 6 explains the timing
of the events of the days
right after Christ's death.
And chapter 7 asks the question:
"What happened on Sunday?"
This booklet is absolutely free.
The truth is too precious
to put a price tag on it.
That's why
we don't ask for money.
Jesus said,
"Freely you have received
--freely give."
So, write down the address
and send us a letter,
or call the number
on the screen.
Or, order on our website.
Either way,
check up on what I'm saying.
You won't regret it.
♪
Today's offer is yours
absolutely free
No Cost, No Obligation
Call toll-free now
...
Call toll-free now
or write to us
at the address
on your screen
or visit us online
at TomorrowsWorld.org
♪
Announcer: With this offer,
you will also receive
your free subscription
to Tomorrow's World magazine
full of timely articles
and unique insights
on today's important issues.
And be sure to go to
TomorrowsWorld.org/digital.
Have a digital subscription
sent right to your email inbox.
Faster than postal mail!
Visit us online, now!
In today's program
we saw the Bible requires
Christians to follow
the example of Jesus
and His disciples.
We also discovered
neither Jesus nor His disciples
kept Easter.
On the other hand,
they taught and practiced
the Christian Passover,
with new covenant symbols.
When Christians observe
the Christian Passover,
they partake of bread and wine,
in commemoration
of Jesus' death.
They are expressing faith
in His sacrifice
to cover their sins.
If you'd like to learn more
about the Christian Passover
and its significance
in your life,
just let us know.
We have representatives
who can get in touch with you
if you ask.
The Living Church of God
has ministers
all over the globe,
committed and dedicated
to teaching God's truth
and working with those
who respond to God's call.
And don't forget to order
your free literature.
It's entitled
Easter: The Untold Story.
Learn how
mainstream Christianity
transformed the original
Christian Passover
to a day honoring
a pagan fertility goddess.
You may be shocked.
And thank you for watching.
Join us each week as
Gerald Weston, Richard Ames,
Wallace Smith, and I
bring you
the teachings of Jesus Christ,
and the prophecies
of tomorrow's world.
Jesus Christ is coming soon,
to set up His Kingdom,
and stop the misery
of this troubled
and confused world.
May God speed that day.
♪
Announcer: To take advantage
of today's free offer,
or view today's program
now or anytime,
go to TomorrowsWorld.org.
Find us on Facebook,
watch us on YouTube,
and follow us on Twitter.
♪
Announcer: The preceding
program is produced by
the Living Church of God.