Easter - Sermons, Bible Studies, Articles, and Essays

Was Jesus Resurrected on Easter Sunday?

'Ready Answer' by Staff

Easter is a day of worship that God never commanded, and the Sunday resurrection it celebrates contradicts Scripture. Jesus' one sign of messiahship was three days and three nights in the tomb (Matthew 12:40), a full 72 hours, as the twelve-hour day of John 11:9 shows. Rabbinical day-counting does not apply, because God the Father,

Why Passover and Not Easter?

CGG Weekly by Richard T. Ritenbaugh

Easter is a non-biblical substitute for the Passover that the New Testament church kept on Nisan 14. Paul's instruction in I Corinthians 11 is Jesus' command to observe the Passover on the night He was betrayed, not permission to take communion whenever one likes. The apostolic church kept all the holy days of Leviticus 23, and the

Easter 2017

Commentary by Richard T. Ritenbaugh

Easter, the world's commemoration of Christ's resurrection, departs from what Scripture teaches. Jesus rose three days and three nights to the minute after His burial, as He prophesied in Matthew 12:40, not after the invented one-and-a-half-day burial that treats "three days and three nights" as parts of three days. This distortion

The Plain Truth About Easter

Herbert W. Armstrong Booklet

Easter, as it is known today, does not carry a Christian origin but is derived from the name of the ancient Assyrian and Babylonian goddess Ishtar, also known as Astarte among the Phoenicians, the consort of Baal, the sun god. This name, slightly altered to Easter in English, stems from old Teutonic mythology where it appears as Os

Easter: Origins and Implications

Sermonette by Richard T. Ritenbaugh

Tomorrow is Easter, but for us, it is merely the middle day of the Feast of Unleavened Bread. Millions will wake up early, wear their finest and possibly new clothing, and attend Easter sunrise services. Some young girls might wear Easter bonnets. If the weather permits, children will participate in Easter egg hunts or Easter egg r

Bucking Tradition

CGG Weekly by Richard T. Ritenbaugh

For most people, it is a difficult undertaking to buck tradition, especially in holiday celebrations like Easter. As often and as forcefully as one might try to proclaim the inaccuracies inherent in Easter, the words seem to fall on deaf ears. Most people prefer to shrug off the inconvenient truth to avoid rocking the boat in the h

What Makes This a 'Good' Friday?

CGG Weekly by Richard T. Ritenbaugh

Easter Sunday is observed as a day of rejoicing over Jesus Christ's resurrection from the dead. However, the timing of this celebration raises questions when compared to the biblical accounts of His death and burial. Jesus Himself defined the period of His burial as exactly 72 hours, stating He would be in the heart of the earth fo

The Resurrection Was Not on Sunday

Herbert W. Armstrong Booklet

The Good-Friday-Easter tradition is unproven and contradicts Scripture. Jesus said the only sign of His Messiahship would be three days and three nights in the tomb, which the Bible defines as 72 hours. A Friday burial and a sunrise Sunday resurrection total only about 36 hours, so the tradition cannot stand beside His words. Becau

Did Christ's Resurrection Change the Day of Worship? (Part Two)

CGG Weekly by David C. Grabbe

The source never mentions Easter by name. It does address what Easter-keeping traditions rest on: the claim that Christ died on a Friday afternoon and rose on a Sunday morning. That claim is wrong. Jesus gave only one sign that He is the Messiah, the sign of Jonah: three days and three nights in the grave, or 72 hours (Matthew 12:3

Pagan Holidays

Bible Study by Martin G. Collins

The holidays of this world counterfeit God's holy days, but it is obvious that they are very different. God warns us not to be involved in them.

Raising Our Conception of the Resurrection

CGG Weekly by Richard T. Ritenbaugh

The day after the Sabbath during the Feast of Unleavened Bread is the day of the Wavesheaf offering, which typifies the resurrection and ascension of Jesus Christ. It coincides with the day many Christians observe Easter, celebrating His resurrection with sunrise services, joyous proclamations of His rising, and wearing fine spring

Presumption and Divine Justice (Part One)

'Personal' from John W. Ritenbaugh

Hardly anything more clearly illustrates the self-deceived perverseness of human nature than its presumptuous additions of the observation of Easter to the worship of the God of the Bible. Regarding Easter, Jesus was not resurrected on a Sunday morning, nor was He crucified on a Friday afternoon. It is impossible to squeeze three d

'After Three Days'

Booklet by Richard T. Ritenbaugh

The traditional Good Friday to Easter Sunday timeline does not align with the 72-hour period Jesus Christ specified for His time in the tomb. It is impossible to fit three full 24-hour days between Friday evening and a dawn resurrection on Sunday. The accounts in the Gospels indicate that He was buried at sunset, and if He remained

Does Paul Condemn Observing God's Holy Days?

'Ready Answer' by Earl L. Henn

Through the centuries, theologians have devised arguments to do away with the observance of God's holy days, proposing that certain scriptures obviate the need for Christians to keep these days. Among the pagan, idolatrous festivals and observances that the Galatian Gentiles had observed before their conversion, Easter is included

Chronic Difficulties

Sermon by Richard T. Ritenbaugh

Millions of professing Christians worldwide participate in Easter Sunrise Services to celebrate what they believe is the resurrection of Jesus Christ. Many of these same individuals marked His crucifixion during Good Friday services, adhering to a traditional timeline of a Friday crucifixion and an Easter Sunday resurrection. They

Satan's Pagan Holy Days

Feast of Tabernacles Sermon by Kim Myers

Easter, as celebrated by many today, is rooted in ancient pagan practices rather than the true worship of God. It is one of Satan's counterfeit 'holy days,' used to draw people away from God's commands through deception and tradition. In ancient Babylon, a day called Ishtar commemorated the resurrection of Tammuz, believed to be th

More on Tolerance

CGG Weekly by John W. Ritenbaugh

At one time, the Protestant world would not tolerate practices having their source in paganism to infiltrate their worship of God. Among these were Easter, as it is so obviously pagan, yet other pagan practices were also not acceptable. These observances began to be tolerated within their assemblies on a small scale, but today, Eas

Appointments

Sermon by Clyde Finklea

Many people regard Easter as one of the most significant holidays in the Christian world, often associated with the spring season. However, it is notable that Easter is not found observed anywhere in the Bible, despite its prominence today. In contrast, the Bible highlights specific holy days and festivals, referred to as the Lord'

He Lives, We Live

Sermon by Richard T. Ritenbaugh

Last Sunday, most of this world's Christians celebrated Easter with sunrise services or morning services. Many professing Christians attend church on Easter, often spending the day there with activities like Easter egg hunts for children, weather permitting. The name Easter, derived from the Germanic goddess Eoster, an anc

Are God's Holy Days To Be Kept Today?

Sermon/Bible Study by Martin G. Collins

The early New Testament church faced significant challenges regarding the observance of God's holy days, as attacks on these feasts were orchestrated by satan to distort and pervert them. By the 90s AD, Victor, the first bishop of Rome, threatened to excommunicate churches in Asia Minor for holding on to the Passover. By AD 154, Po

Consequences of Resurrection and Ascension

Sermon by Richard T. Ritenbaugh

Last Sunday, millions of nominal Christians celebrated their paganized version of the resurrection of Jesus Christ as the sun rose. Many attend a service on Easter Sunday, yet do not enter a church for much of the year until Christmas, believing that honoring Christ on these two days fulfills their duty. Dressed in their Easter bes

Remember: Truth and the Real Torch of Freedom

Sermon by Mark Schindler

Brethren, as we gather on this significant day, we must remain vigilant against the deceptions of satan, who seeks to divert us from the truth of God's Word. One such deception is manifested in the traditions of men, particularly through the celebration of Easter, which distracts from the commanded remembrance of Christ's incredibl

Foundation of Sand

Sermonette by Craig Sablich

Paul warned the Colossians of scholarly men who would try to mix God's truth with vain philosophy based on the tradition of men instead of Jesus Christ.

Christ's Death, Resurrection, and Ascension

Sermon by Richard T. Ritenbaugh

Tomorrow at dawn, at 6:51 a.m. here in Charlotte, many will celebrate Easter. For the past few days, local meteorologists have been announcing the sunrise time and will continue to do so until tomorrow. This is when they claim that Jesus rose from the dead. However, as we observe the first Day of Unleavened Bread today, we believe

Passover (Part Seven)

Sermon by John W. Ritenbaugh

Easter, known by various names such as Asherah, Ashtoreth, Astarte, Artemis, Diana, Ishtar, Isis, and Semiramis, is identified as a pagan deity worshipped by ancient Israel and Judah. This false goddess, often associated with reproductive energies and depicted with symbols of fertility, was central to rituals that coincided with si

Sackcloth: A Spiritual Tool

CGG Weekly by Gary Montgomery

This world's Christianity prepares to celebrate Easter, an observance that millions believe to be true, yet it stems from human interpretations of Scripture and tradition through their own reasoning. They disregard what God declares He desires for His people. The Creator God has set specific times and seasons, including the holy ti

Holy Days: Passover

Bible Study by Richard T. Ritenbaugh

The Passover, not Easter, is the festival God commanded and the early church kept. Some translations, such as the King James Version, grossly mistranslate the Greek word pascha in Acts 12:4 as "Easter," but this word always means Passover. Scripture knows nothing of an Easter observance. Instead, God instituted the Passove