An author, Mr. Chidimma Osuchukwu has described Easter as a pagan celebration without any basis in the bible.
According to him, Passover is the authentic redemptive work of God through his son and that is the feast that all lovers of God should celebrate.
Speaking at the launch of his book, I AM YESHUA, in Lagos on Monday, Osuchukwu insisted that the word Easter was not in the bible and that neither Yeshua (Jesus) nor his disciples after him celebrated Easter.
“The word Easter is not found in the bible. The closest to that in the bible is ishtar and ishtar is a pagan goddess of fertility and one of the reasons you can quickly identify this is that the universal symbols for Easter are rabbit and egg and you see that everywhere.
“In the book of John chapter 12, John recorded that ‘Yeshua was in Bethany six days before Passover’. In John chapter 2, the bible recorded that ‘Yeshua went up to Jerusalem for Passover’ and 1 Peter chapter 2 Vs 21 said that ‘he is giving to us an example that we should follow.’ So if we claim to love him we should simply do as he did.
“Neither him nor his disciples after him celebrated Easter. There is no history of anyone that loves God that actually celebrated Easter. It is something new which is brought from a pagan background. Passover is the authentic redemptive work that Yehova, the God of creation sent his son to the earth to die for us and that is the feast that all lovers of God should celebrate,” he said.
The author, who described himself as a Messianic believer in Yeshua, said he wrote the book out of love to reach out to people who are yearning for the truth. “Through my interactions and travels, I know people are yearning for the truth, but the people are also very busy to pick up the bible and read and the bible can be confusing at times. So it is written for people who want to understand what Yeshua came to do, who he was, when he was born, when he died, what his death means to us and why we should look forward to his coming.”
According to him, the 109 paged book published by SMP International, is also expected to lead it readers to understanding the expected time of Yeshua’s second coming. He said though the bible had made it clear that the day and hour of His second coming are not known to any man, the time of his return still remains an open secret in the bible revealed to those who love God and do his commandment.
Responding to a question on why Nigeria does not seem to be making much headway in spite of the religiosity of the people, Osuchukwu said; “In the book of Daniel, God tells us that the affairs of men are under His rulership. However, he gives the affairs of men to the rulership that they deserve.
“So people get the rulers that they deserve. So Nigerians may be religious, but it is what you then do that determines what you get. The word believe for instance has been bastardised. It is an action word, so if you want your roads to be good, for instance, you have to get out and do the work. It is only when you are doing the roads that we will believe that you want Nigeria to move forward. If you want people to drive properly, when you are driving, drive properly.
“That’s all that is required. It is not about religion because you have the same religion everywhere all over the world and in some other countries, things are a lot better. So it’s actually what those people do rather than what they sit in the church or mosque or temple and say. What we do determines how far we go.”
According to the book reviewer, Kunle Abrahams, the eight-chapter book presented in a dramatic and evocative tone is a wake-up call to every Christian.
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He said; “The presence is so pungent that each time a reader holds the book in his hand, it is like Yeshua himself announcing his presence, which has all along been deluded and beclouded by our fixation on wrong doctrines and beliefs.”
He noted that the first person narrative style of the writer makes the book a smooth read, “as it personalises the message, making it seem Christ himself is right beside you talking to you.”
Abrahams noted also that the book is coming at the right time when the core of the Christian faith is challenged by biblical false doctrines and beliefs to enlighten its readers.
His words: “At times too the proliferation of false doctrines that many have grown to embrace may not be due to wilful pursuit of it, but due to historical exigencies of translations and misinterpretation, which has distorted the truth in the Bible for most believers. Unfortunately, many including religious leaders have followed the complacent path of doing it as it has always been and that is why we are where we are today-a generation steamed in biblical false doctrines and beliefs, with untold toll on the core of our faith as Christians.”
Recommending the book to all who seek the truth, Abrahams however, added a caveat, “If you are not comfortable with the truth. If you would follow the crowd even if they wrong, this book may not probably be for you!
