Why God Hates Easter, One Of the Papal Antichrist's Obligatory High Holy Days (1/3) by Pastor Brian Schwertley (Free MP3)

Does Easter violate the first, second and fourth commandments? What are the origins of Easter?

"Easter is the principal feast of the ecclesiastical year. (Pope - ed.) Leo I (Sermo xlvii in Exodum) calls it the greatest feast (festum festorum), and says that Christmas is celebrated only in preparation for Easter. It is the centre of the greater part of the ecclesiastical year.  

- The Catholic Encyclopedia, "Easter" Article, emphases added

In 1899, the General Assembly of the PCUS was overtured to give a "pronounced and explicit deliverance" against the recognition of "Christmas and Easter as religious days." Even at this late date, the answer came back in a solid manner:

 

There is no warrant in Scripture for the observance of Christmas and Easter as holydays, rather the contrary (see Gal. 4:9-11; Col. 2:16-21), and such observance is contrary to the principles of the Reformed faith, conducive to will-worship, and not in harmony with the simplicity of the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

- From: Kevin Reed, Christmas: An Historical Survey Regarding Its Origins and Opposition To It, emphases added, free online here.

Why God Hates Easter, One Of the Papal Antichrist's Obligatory High Holy Days (2/3) by Pastor Brian Schwertley (Free MP3)

"Therefore Easter is not simply one feast among others, but the "Feast of feasts," the "Solemnity of solemnities," just as the Eucharist is the "Sacrament of sacraments" (the Great Sacrament)."  

- Catechism of the Roman Catholic Church, Second Edition, #1169, emphases added

"... a form and order of a reformed church limited within the compass of God's Word, which our saviour hath left unto us as only sufficient to govern all our actions by; so that what so ever is added to this word by man's device, seem it never so good, holy, or beautiful, yet before God ... it is evil, wicked, and abominable." - The Puritan Exiles at Geneva, The form of Prayers and Ministrations of Sacraments, etc., Used in the English Congregation at Geneva, emphases added.

Why God Hates Easter, One Of the Papal Antichrist's Obligatory High Holy Days (3/3) by Pastor Brian Schwertley (Free MP3)

"We are the Easter people."  - Pope John Paul II

"Inward and outward worship must be appointed by God, for who knows what will please God but himself? He is a glorious and holy spirit, infinitely and only wise, and that only must we stick unto as pleasing to him which himself appoints. Men's inventions and appointments in worship defile men's souls, and provoke divine Majesty; a godly man therefore is very tender in point of worship, and will practise nothing therein but what he has found a clear foundation for out of the Word of God." - William Greenhill, An Exposition of the Prophet Ezekiel, emphases added

Easter: Christian or Pagan/Papal? (Free MP3s)

"Christmas Day is a Holy Day of Obligation in the Catholic Church. It is the second most important feast in the entire liturgical year, behind only Easter. Therefore, it is important for Christians to gather as one body and to worship Christ on this feast of His Nativity. The Church considers this so important that Catholics are bound to attend Mass on Christmas Day, under the pain of mortal sin." - Scott P. Richert, Is Christmas a Holy Day of Obligation? (catholicism.about.com) emphases added

"For God is not worshiped of us, but when it is his will to accept our worship: and it is not his will to accept our worship, but when it is according to his will." - William Perkins (Puritan), A Golden Chain, or the Description of Theology

Christmas, Easter, Good Friday, Immaculate Conception, Ash Wednesday, Assumption of Mary, Are Unbiblical Roman Catholic Holy Days by Pastor Brian Schwertley (Free MP3)

This sermon sets forth the classic Puritan, Presbyterian and Reformation view of holy days against human inventions in the worship of God, including the liturgical calendar. This message also looks at and refutes some modern arguments by wayward Christians who try to justify what the Devil loves and Scripture condemns regarding holy days. It also upholds, based on the second and fourth commandments (or what is sometimes called the "Scriptural Law of Worship" or the "Regulative Principle of Worship"), the Lord's Day or Christian Sabbath. This MP3 also deals with the "adiaphora" or "things indifferent" arguments and demonstrates who is really legalistic when the issue of holy days is debated.

"All human inventions which are set up to corrupt the simple purity of the Word of God, and to undo the worship which he demands and approves, are true sacrileges, in which the Christian man cannot participate without blaspheming God, and trampling his honour underfoot." - John Calvin, Commentary on Philippians

Easter Is Not Biblical - It Is A Superstitious Pagan and Roman Catholic Holy Day (Free MP3s, Books, etc.)

A search for the word "Easter", using the Master Search index on the Puritan Hard Drive, brings up 7,325 results in 662 documents, all of which gives you the search term in the context of one line (under each book title in which they are found) -- and when you click on this line the Puritan Hard Drive opens the correct book, to the correct page, and highlights your search term. There are also 112 Reformed resources under the category "Holy Days (Lord's Day, Christmas, Easter, etc.)" and 25 resources with the word "Easter" in the title on the Puritan Hard Drive.

Against Pagan and Roman Catholic Holy-days (Holidays) Like Christmas, Easter, etc.(Free Reformation Resources)

"And next in particular, concerning festival days findeth that in the explication of the first head of the first book of discipline it was thought good that the feasts of Christmas, Circumcision, Epiphany, with the feasts of the Apostles, Martyrs, and Virgin Mary be utterly abolished because they are neither commanded nor warranted by Scripture and that such as observe them be punished by Civil Magistrates. Here utter abolition is craved and not reformation of abuses only and that because the observation of such feasts have no warrant from the word of God." - The Acts of the General Assemblies of the Church of Scotland, December 10, Session 17, 1638, pp. 37-38

Presbyterians Do Not Observe Christmas, Easter, etc. (A Reformation Argument Against Popish Holy Days) by Samuel Miller (Free MP3

Holy Days (Lord's Day, Christmas, Easter, etc.)

Easter, likewise, has an equally unsavoury origin and is derived from Aristarte or Ashtaroth (Judges 10:6, "And the children of Israel did evil again in the sight of the Lord, and served Baalim, and Ashtaroth, and the gods of Syria, and the gods of Zidon, and the gods of Moab, and the gods of the children of Ammon, and the gods of the Philistines, and forsook the Lord, and served not him."), the Babylonian queen of heaven in whose honour an annual festival was held in April. Hot-cross buns and dyed eggs are of Chaldean religious origin yet quite easily assimilated into Roman Catholicism though not compatible with Biblical Christianity.

 

Even if the pagan associations of the past or the current association with Roman Catholicism in the present were absent, the very fact that the Bible does not teach the observance of Christmas or Easter should be enough for us to avoid it. In the Old Testament, when God told the people of Israel exactly how to worship him, including the special days they were to observe, he also said, "what thing soever I command you, observe to do it; thou shalt not add thereto, nor diminish from it". (Deut. 12:32 cf Lev. 10:1-2) In the New Testament Christ taught the same thing: "In vain do they worship me, teaching for doctrines the commandments of men. For laying aside the commandment of God, ye hold the tradition of men" (Mark 7/7-8). The Apostle Paul also warns against "will worship" (Col. 2:22-23), that is worship that originates in what man wants to do rather than what God requires him to do. We may like to say to others, "you worship God your way, I'll worship him mine", but God actually requires us to worship him neither your way nor my way, but his way. The "church calendar" was never appointed by God. ...

 

This scriptural teaching that whatever Scripture does not warrant is to be excluded from worship is known as the "regulative principle". The exclusion of the church calendar, uninspired hymns, musical instruments, vestments and unscriptural ceremonies as well as more modern encroachments such as drama and dance, all stand on this same principle. Acceptance of this principle is a mark of a Reformed Church.

 

"Doing our own thing" in worship, even in observing Christmas and Easter, if followed through to its full conclusion, is subversive of only one thing -- the Gospel (because it removes ultimate authority from Scripture and God and places it the hands of sinful fallible men, as is best illustrated in the Papal Antichrist - ed.). - David Silversides, Why No Christmas Or Easter?, emphases added

Remember the Sabbath Day (5/5) On Christmas, Easter And Other Pagan And Roman Catholic/Papal (Antichrist) Holy Days - Flee Idolatry! by Greg Price (Free MP3)

HISTORY OF HOLY DAYS (CHRISTMAS, EASTER, CHRISTIAN SABBATH, JEWS, etc.), IDOLATRY, ICONOCLASM, etc. by Dr. Steven Dilday (SWRB blog listing 7 free MP3s)

Easter: A Satanic, Demonic, Pagan, Roman Catholic Holy Day Which God Abhors (A Violation of the Second and Fourth Commandments) by Dr. C. Matthew McMahon (Free MP3, 26 minutes)

"...which I commanded them not, neither came it into my heart."

"...God here cuts off from men every occasion for making evasions, since he condemns by this one phrase, "I have not commanded them," whatever the Jews devised. There is then no other argument needed to condemn superstitions, than that they are not commanded by God: for when men allow themselves to worship God according to their own fancies, and attend not to his commands, they pervert true religion. And if this principle was adopted by the Papists, all those fictitious modes of worship, in which they absurdly exercise themselves, would fall to the ground. It is indeed a horrible thing for the Papists to seek to discharge their duties towards God by performing their own superstitions. There is an immense number of them, as it is well known, and as it manifestly appears. Were they to admit this principle, that we cannot rightly worship God except by obeying his word, they would be delivered from their deep abyss of error. The Prophet's words then are very important, when he says, that God had commanded no such thing, and that it never came to his mind; as though he had said, that men assume too much wisdom, when they devise what he never required, nay, what he never knew." - John Calvin, Commentary on Jeremiah 7:31, emphases added

Easter: The Devil's Holiday by Dr. C. Matthew McMahon (Free Online Article)

Easter: A Satanic, Demonic, Pagan, Roman Catholic Holy Day Which God Abhors (A Violation of the Second and Fourth Commandments) by Dr. C. Matthew McMahon (Free MP3, 26 minutes)

One should not desire to carry parts of the package of Romanism following papist theological ideas with Lent, Good Friday, Palm Sunday, Easter, etc. The Romanist Holy Week is the culmination of events marking the final days of Jesus before Easter Sunday. These are the days:

Palm Sunday - The Sunday before Easter Sunday recalling Jesus' entry into Jerusalem a week before dying on the cross.

Holy Monday - Jesus' cleansing of the temple and turning over the tables of the money changers to purify the house of worship.

Holy Tuesday - Jesus' talk with his disciples on the Mount of Olives about the soon to come destruction of Jerusalem.

Holy Wednesday - The day Judas decided to betray Jesus in exchange for 30 pieces of silver.

Maundy Thursday - The Last Supper of Jesus and his time in the garden with his disciples who would not stay awake before his arrest.

Good Friday - The day Jesus died on the cross.

Holy Saturday - The final day of Lent and the Holy Week.

Easter Sunday - The resurrection of Jesus.

 

However, we have been delivered through the Scriptures from following such man-made things.

 

- Dr. Matthew McMahon, Easter: The Devil's Holiday, emphases added