Is Easter Really in the Bible

Her priests did violence to My Torah, and they profaned My set-apart things. They did not make known the difference between the set-apart and the profane, and they did not make known the difference between the unclean and the clean… (Ezekiel 22:26)

Introduction — A Season Wrapped in Sunrise

It’s a time of pastel dresses and pressed suits.

Of lilies on altars and halleluYah choruses rising with the sun.

Children chase eggs in green grass. Trumpets sound.

Church pews swell with faces not seen since December.

All of it—so we are told—is to honor the resurrection.

It feels sacred. It looks holy. It seems like the pinnacle of Christian worship.

But under the surface of sunrise services and spring sentiment… there awaits another story.

This is not a call to mock or to accuse. It is an invitation—to slow down, to search, and to see. To peel back the colored egg-shell of tradition and ask:

What does YHWH desire from those who claim to walk in His Truth?

Because sincerity does not sanctify. And joy, no matter how genuine, does not override obedience.

So, we begin. Gently. Not with rage—but with reverence. Not with condemnation—but with courage. We begin by testing what we have been taught—and returning to the Word that never changes.

The Name “Easter” — Where Did It Come From?

Not in Hebrew.

Not in Greek.

Not in the Scriptures in connection with the resurrection.

The word “Easter” traces its roots in English to the Old English month Eosturmonath. The 8th-century monk Bede recorded that this month was once called after a goddess of theirs named Eostre, in whose honour feasts were celebrated.

The origin of the English word “Easter” (and the German “Ostern”) is uncertain.  One older explanation, given by the 8th-century monk Venerable Bede, suggests it came from the name of an Anglo-Saxon goddess called Eostre (or Eostrae), who may have been linked to spring and fertility. However, modern scholars dispute how strong this connection really is — she may have been only a local protective deity rather than a major fertility goddess.

The Encyclopedia Britannica notes that the idea of Christians simply taking over a pagan goddess name for their most important feast seems unlikely, given how strongly early Christians opposed paganism.

Instead, there is now widespread consensus that “Easter” comes from a Christian Latin phrase: “in albis” (referring to Easter week), which was understood as the plural of “alba” meaning “dawn.” This evolved into “eostarum” in Old High German, eventually becoming the modern English word “Easter.”

For comparison, in most other languages the word for Easter comes from “Pascha” (the Greek and Latin word for Passover), as seen in the French “Pâques.”

Pagan Symbols of the Season – What Are We Really Celebrating?

Most who observe “Easter” do so with good intentions—celebrating what they believe to be the resurrection. But when we peel back the layers, we find ancient symbols tied to fertility, spring renewal, and practices from other nations.

Rabbits?

Rabbits have long symbolized fertility and rapid new life. They became part of European spring traditions and were later brought to America by German immigrants as the “Easter hare.”  Eggs are ancient symbols of new life and creation found in many cultures. Painted and decorated eggs were used in various spring rites.

Sunrise Services

Sunrise services involve gathering early and facing east. In Ezekiel 8:16–18, YHWH showed the prophet men in the inner court of the Temple with their backs to the sanctuary and faces to the east, worshiping the sun at sunrise — a practice He called detestable.

Hot Cross Buns

Hot cross buns are spiced buns marked with a cross. Similar cakes were condemned in Jeremiah 7:18, where the women kneaded dough and baked cakes for the “queen of heaven” and poured out drink offerings to other gods.

40 Days of Lent

The 40 days of Lent developed in the early church as a period of fasting and preparation.  These customs carry the scent of mixture — not the clear set-apart instructions of YHWH.

What Does YHWH Say About Mixing Holy with the Profane?

YHWH does not want our holidays mixed with the ways of the nations. He wants His Appointments—His moedim (Appointed Times)—to be kept, guarded, and honored without the mixture of pagan rituals.

The Counterfeit Calendar – Easter vs. Passover

 YHWH gave us a calendar. Rome gave us a different one.

The Biblical Appointed Times vs. Later Changes:

Passover (Pesach) became Easter; changed by the church.

Shabbat remained, but Sunday observance grew.

At the Council of Nicaea in 325 CE, church leaders ruled that the resurrection festival must no longer follow the Jewish calendar or align with Passover. Constantine stated that Christians should “have nothing in common with the detestable company of the Jews” in this matter. The date was set as the first Sunday after the first full moon following the spring equinox. This made Easter “float” each year, disconnected from the Aviv barley and new moon timing of YHWH’s calendar.

That which was fulfilled in the Spring Feasts became separated from its Hebrew roots.

Conclusion: Return to What Is Written

The world offers eggs, bunnies, and a borrowed name.

But YHWH offers something far greater: Covenant, clarity, and a calendar soaked in meaning.

We do not need sunrise services rooted in ancient pagan practices.

We need the Light of Torah Truth rising in our hearts.

We do not need borrowed traditions dressed in pastel.

We need obedience clothed in righteousness.

These are the appointments He set with His people—forever.

So let the traditions fall like broken idols.

Let the truth rise like the first light on the third day.

Come out of her, My people. Return to what is written.

And let your worship be clean, set-apart, and full of fire—not folklore.

Questions to Ponder

If the name “Easter” developed from a month possibly linked to earlier spring feasts, can it ever be made clean before YHWH?

No. A name or custom rooted outside His instructions calls us to examine what we bring into worship (Deut. 12:30–31).

Did YHWH ever ask His people to honor the resurrection with eggs, bunnies, and sunrise rituals?

Never. Eggs and rabbits have no place in the Torah. Sunrise worship is explicitly condemned (Ezekiel 8:16). He gave us His feasts—not theirs.

If Scripture tells us not to learn the ways of the nations (Jeremiah 10:2), why are we celebrating their holidays?

It is disobedience. Jeremiah 10:2 is not a suggestion; it is a warning. YHWH is jealous for His people and His worship.

Do we grieve over mixing the sacred with the profane—or do we defend it because it’s familiar?

Many defend it—few grieve. But those with a tender heart toward YHWH will feel the ache of compromise and seek repentance.

Is it more important to feel spiritual… or to be obedient?

Obedience is greater than sentiment. “To obey is better than sacrifice.” (1 Samuel 15:22) Worship is not about how we feel—it’s about what He wants.

If YHWH gave us Appointed Times to remember, what does it say when we replace them with man-made traditions?

It says we trust man’s calendar more than YHWH’s. He marked the seasons, appointed the days, and called them “forever” for a reason. To replace them is to rebel.

Would a Torah-keeping rabbi (Jesus) want to be remembered through pagan customs?

No. Rabbis walk in Torah and uphold the moedim (YHWH’s Appointed Times). He would never endorse worship laced with idols, rituals, and traditions from other nations.

As Blood is to the Body – So Too is Torah to the Soul