BBTS 2024 SPRING LECTURE SERIES

On Friday, April 12, 2024, the Lord blessed with a wonderful

VOLUME 15, NUMBER 8

and wet day for the Bible Baptist Theological Seminary Spring
Lecture Series. Ten of the Lord’s Baptist assemblies were represented
by 93 church members and pastors from CT, MA, ME, NH, NY, and
Dr. Thomas M. Strouse PA. Pastor Stephen Hinebaugh of Galilean Baptist Church in Stafford
Springs, CT, hosted the Bible Baptist Theological Seminary Lecture
Series. Dr. Thomas M. Strouse dealt with suffering within the Lord’s churches for
various reasons, some for good and some for evil. Dr. M. Ryan Strouse dealt with
suffering in families and especially in Christian families because the feminization of
Christianity in the west, and the so-called “toxic masculinity” foisted upon society and
the Lord’s churches. The messages seemed to be well received as biblical solutions were
posited for Christian families and Baptist Churches. The luncheon consisted of turkey,
mashed potatoes, green beans and salad. We are thankful for these sister churches which
pastors and members fellowship around the truth of the Word of God.

APRIL 15, 2024

“For it is better, if the will of God be so, that ye suffer
for well doing, than for evil doing.”
1 Peter 3:17

Page 1
 WARNING ABOUT “WASCALLY WABBIT” DOCTRINE AND PRACTICE

The Ishtar Heresy: Good Friday, Easter, Bunny Rabbits and Easter Eggs!
Scripture:
1. “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” (KJV Acts 12:3-4).
ARTICLE

2. “In the fourteenth day of the first month at even is the LORD'S passover. And on the
fifteenth day of the same month is the feast of unleavened bread unto the LORD: seven days ye
must eat unleavened bread” (KJV Lev. 23:5-6).
3. “And when he saw that it pleased the Jews, he proceeded to arrest Peter also. This was
during the days of Unleavened Bread. And when he had seized him, he put him in prison,
delivering him over to four squads of soldiers to guard him, intending after the Passover to
bring him out to the people” (ESV Acts 12:3-4). Herod had a mockery pascha called Ishtar—
how is the mockery working out among Christians?
Then Luke added even more details about Herod’s plan that he was “intending after
Easter to bring him forth to the people.” The KJV translators derived much of the phraseology
of the NT from the Tyndale NT (1534). As the Tyndale translated the Greek pascha as “Ester”
some twenty-four times including Acts 12:4, the KJV rendering followed the Tyndale only on
2

this one verse as “Easter.”

Since Luke was instructing the Gentile Theophilus about the account, the latter would
have understood the obvious chronology in this order, “the days of unleavened bread” and then
to pascha, whatever it meant. A Jewish audience may have excused the “unlearned” Gentile
Luke in seemingly confusing the order since they “know” the Torah. However, Luke wrote
under the influence of the Spirit of inspiration, and the KJV translators, believing that, were
sensitive to the order of the wording. Moses gave the inspired order as “Passover” on the
DR. THOMAS M. STROUSE

Nisan 14 and “the feast of unleavened bread” on the Nisan 15 through Nisan 21(Ex. 12:3-9;
Lev. 23:5-6). Luke revealed however with specific wording and parenthesis that Peter was
captured during “the feast of unleavened bread,” and then “after Easter” Herod would kill
Peter. Luke’s rendering should make the exegete have pause in attempting to explain what the
writer was saying. The KJV translators gave pause and rendered to pascha as “Easter” and not
as “Passover,” as almost all modern translations posit.
Continued on next page
 WARNING ABOUT “WASCALLY WABBIT” DOCTRINE AND PRACTICE
Continued from Page 2

The KJV translators recognized the chronological discrepancy and rendered to

pascha as “Easter” to denote possibly that this referred to a pagan holiday that Herod desired
to celebrate. Since the KJV translators were cautious about Luke’s chronology, they
apparently recognized that the celebration of to pascha was not the “Passover” but Herod’s
pagan day of worshipping “Eostre,”1 the goddess of love and fertility. Later, the dimly

ARTICLE
illuminated Roman Catholics amalgamated the pagan Eostre/Easter celebration with the
resurrection of Christ in the month of April.2 Today, through the syncretism of the Roman
Catholic Church passed on to Protestants and eventually to the majority of Christendom,
Easter with all of its pagan accouterments remains a Christian holiday somehow associated
with Christ’s resurrection!3

1
Cf. the worship of “the Queen of heaven” (i.e., Ishtar, Anat, Ashtoreth), the eastern worship
of the sun, and the worship of “Tammuz” (Dt. 12:30-32; Jer. 7:18; 44:25; Ezk. 8:13, 14, respectively).
The name “Esther” (‘ester [55x]) was the paganized name Ishtar. One should notice Esther = Ishtar =
Easter.
2
The Roman Emperor Constantine called for the Nicene Council of AD 325 to settle the Arian
controversy (was Christ true God?) and the date of Easter. He did not want the “Christian Easter” to
fall on the Jewish Passover. The Council determined that Easter was to be on the Sunday after the first

3
full moon following the spring equinox, or between March 22nd and April 25th.
3
Cf. “Easter. [Gk. pascha, from Heb. pesah] The Passover...and so translated in every passage
except the KJV: 'intending after Easter to bring him forth to the people' [Acts 12:4]. In the earlier
English versions Easter had been frequently used as the translation of pascha. At the last revision
[1611 A.V.] Passover was substituted in all passages but this...The word Easter is of Saxon origin, the
name is eastra, the goddess of spring in whose honor sacrifices were offered about Passover time each
year. By the eighth century Anglo-Saxons had adopted the name to designate the celebration of
Christ's resurrection.” Merrill F. Unger, “Easter,” The New Unger’s Bible Dictionary, R. K. Harrison,
ed. (Chicago: Moody Press, 2006), loc. cit.

BBTS 2024 COMMENCEMENT

2024 GRADUATION
On the weekend of May 18-19, BBTS will have the 2024
Graduation Banquet and Commencement. The six candidates
for commencement from BBTS are the following: Mr. Aiko
Tinte (Certificate of Theology), Mr. Dileshu Edwards
(Master of Biblical Studies), Pastor Mike Johnson (Master of
Biblical Studies), Pastor Alexei Jusev (Master of Biblical
Studies), Mr. Mark Edwards (Master of Divinity), and Pastor
Stephen Hinebaugh (Master of Divinity). Dr. Jed Raquintan,
Dr. Jed Raquintan, Pastor of Cornerstone Baptist Church, Quezon City,
Philippines, will give the commencement challenge to the candidates. Both the
Graduation Banquet on Saturday, May 18, 2024 and Sunday Services on May
19, 2024, will be held at the Courtyard Marriott in Cromwell, CT.
PHOTOS
BBC EXTRAS

The attendees listen intently to the lectures.

TITUS PROGRAM
Mr. Tommy Young men are the
Thompson taught future of our churches
from Mark 7:13
during Sunday
School
4

Mark and Amanda talk with Ryan Everyone enjoyed the delicious Bill Gagnon manned the
during the break. catered lunch. book table.

BBC/BBTS 2024 SCHEDULE

SCHEDULE

May 18 July 22-26 October 20-23

Bible Baptist Church Plymouth, NH Willow Grove Baptist
Graduation Banquet TBA Church
Waynesburg, PA
May 19 Timeless Truths Bible
Bible Baptist Church August 12-17 Conference
Commencement Service Indonesia Module and
Commencement October 27
May 27-31 Calvary Baptist Church,
Ireland Module Mannington, WV
Greek and Acts III September 23-27 TBA
Bible Baptist Church
June 3-7 Nashua, NH
Community Baptist Church TBA
Coopersburg, PA
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