This is a very wide spread myth among the professing 'christian' community. People say when they celebrate Easter, they are celebrating Jesus' resurrection. But are they? In Exodus Chapter 12 we read about the Jewish celebration of Passover:
And the LORD spake unto Moses and Aaron in the land of Egypt, saying, This month shall be unto you the beginning of months: it shall be the first month of the year to you. Speak ye unto all the congregation of Israel, saying, In the tenth day of this month they shall take to them every man a lamb, according to the house of their fathers, a lamb for an house: (Exo 12:1-3)
And ye shall keep it up until the fourteenth day of the same month: and the whole assembly of the congregation of Israel shall kill it in the evening.And they shall take of the blood, and strike it on the two side posts and on the upper door post of the houses, wherein they shall eat it. (Exo 12:6,7)
And the blood shall be to you for a token upon the houses where ye are: and when I see the blood, I will pass over you, and the plague shall not be upon you to destroy you, when I smite the land of Egypt. (Exo 12:13)
Here we recognize the prophecy of the sacrifice of Jesus Christ for the sins of the world.
After passover, there was another week long event called the Feast of Unleavened Bread. We read of this still in Exodus Chapter 12: In the first month, on the fourteenth day of the month at even, ye shall eat unleavened bread, until the one and twentieth day of the month at even. Seven days shall there be no leaven found in your houses: for whosoever eateth that which is leavened, even that soul shall be cut off from the congregation of Israel, whether he be a stranger, or born in the land. Ye shall eat nothing leavened; in all your habitations shall ye eat unleavened bread.(Exo 12:18-20)
As we can see this feast continued until several days after the passover was finished.
Now, let's turn to Acts Chapter 12. Here we read of Herod's persecution and Peter's arrest: Now about that time Herod the king stretched forth his hands to vex certain of the church. And he killed James the brother of John with the sword. And because he saw it pleased the Jews, he proceeded further to take Peter also. (THEN WERE THE DAYS OF UNLEAVENED BREAD) And when he had apprehended him, he put him in prison, and delivered him to four quaternions of soldiers to keep him; intending after Easter to bring him forth to the people. Peter therefore was kept in prison: but prayer was made without ceasing of the church unto God for him (Acts 12:1-5, emphasis mine)
Let's examine these scriptures carefully. It says that Herod sought after Peter during the days of unleavened bread, which we already know takes place AFTER Passover. He put Peter in prison, but did not want to kill him till AFTER EASTER. Easter hadn't happened yet when Peter was arrested! Pasover was already OVER!
Another point is that we only read of HEROD putting Peter in prison until Easter was over. We don't read of any CHRISTIANS observing Easter. Herod was NOT a Christian, people! He was ROMAN; that is, a PAGAN! He was NOT waiting for a CHRISTIAN holiday to be over, but a PAGAN holiday!
Ask yourself this, people. Why do you celebrate a 'holiday' in Jesus' name that had NOTHING to do with Jesus OR Passover (as scripture clearly shows) and was celebrated by a pagan man who murdered an apostle and fully intended to murder another one? Consider these things carefully and pray about them. Let us all make certain, with fear and trembling, that we worship in spirit and truth.
