Easter

[Anti Federalist]

Crucifixion

John 19:1-37

19 Then Pilate therefore took Jesus, and scourged him.

2 And the soldiers platted a crown of thorns, and put it on his head, and they put on him a purple robe,

3 And said, Hail, King of the Jews! and they smote him with their hands.

4 Pilate therefore went forth again, and saith unto them, Behold, I bring him forth to you, that ye may know that I find no fault in him.

5 Then came Jesus forth, wearing the crown of thorns, and the purple robe. And Pilate saith unto them, Behold the man!

6 When the chief priests therefore and officers saw him, they cried out, saying, Crucify him, crucify him. Pilate saith unto them, Take ye him, and crucify him: for I find no fault in him.

7 The Jews answered him, We have a law, and by our law he ought to die, because he made himself the Son of God.

8 When Pilate therefore heard that saying, he was the more afraid;

9 And went again into the judgment hall, and saith unto Jesus, Whence art thou? But Jesus gave him no answer.

10 Then saith Pilate unto him, Speakest thou not unto me? knowest thou not that I have power to crucify thee, and have power to release thee?

11 Jesus answered, Thou couldest have no power at all against me, except it were given thee from above: therefore he that delivered me unto thee hath the greater sin.

12 And from thenceforth Pilate sought to release him: but the Jews cried out, saying, If thou let this man go, thou art not Caesar's friend: whosoever maketh himself a king speaketh against Caesar.

13 When Pilate therefore heard that saying, he brought Jesus forth, and sat down in the judgment seat in a place that is called the Pavement, but in the Hebrew, Gabbatha.

14 And it was the preparation of the passover, and about the sixth hour: and he saith unto the Jews, Behold your King!

15 But they cried out, Away with him, away with him, crucify him. Pilate saith unto them, Shall I crucify your King? The chief priests answered, We have no king but Caesar.

16 Then delivered he him therefore unto them to be crucified. And they took Jesus, and led him away.

17 And he bearing his cross went forth into a place called the place of a skull, which is called in the Hebrew Golgotha:

18 Where they crucified him, and two other with him, on either side one, and Jesus in the midst.

19 And Pilate wrote a title, and put it on the cross. And the writing was Jesus Of Nazareth The King Of The Jews.

20 This title then read many of the Jews: for the place where Jesus was crucified was nigh to the city: and it was written in Hebrew, and Greek, and Latin.

21 Then said the chief priests of the Jews to Pilate, Write not, The King of the Jews; but that he said, I am King of the Jews.

22 Pilate answered, What I have written I have written.

23 Then the soldiers, when they had crucified Jesus, took his garments, and made four parts, to every soldier a part; and also his coat: now the coat was without seam, woven from the top throughout.

24 They said therefore among themselves, Let us not rend it, but cast lots for it, whose it shall be: that the scripture might be fulfilled, which saith, They parted my raiment among them, and for my vesture they did cast lots. These things therefore the soldiers did.

25 Now there stood by the cross of Jesus his mother, and his mother's sister, Mary the wife of Cleophas, and Mary Magdalene.

26 When Jesus therefore saw his mother, and the disciple standing by, whom he loved, he saith unto his mother, Woman, behold thy son!

27 Then saith he to the disciple, Behold thy mother! And from that hour that disciple took her unto his own home.

28 After this, Jesus knowing that all things were now accomplished, that the scripture might be fulfilled, saith, I thirst.

29 Now there was set a vessel full of vinegar: and they filled a spunge with vinegar, and put it upon hyssop, and put it to his mouth.

30 When Jesus therefore had received the vinegar, he said, It is finished: and he bowed his head, and gave up the ghost.

31 The Jews therefore, because it was the preparation, that the bodies should not remain upon the cross on the sabbath day, (for that sabbath day was an high day,) besought Pilate that their legs might be broken, and that they might be taken away.

32 Then came the soldiers, and brake the legs of the first, and of the other which was crucified with him.

33 But when they came to Jesus, and saw that he was dead already, they brake not his legs:

34 But one of the soldiers with a spear pierced his side, and forthwith came there out blood and water.

35 And he that saw it bare record, and his record is true: and he knoweth that he saith true, that ye might believe.

36 For these things were done, that the scripture should be fulfilled, A bone of him shall not be broken.

37 And again another scripture saith, They shall look on him whom they pierced.

[Anti Federalist]

Easter, also called Pascha or Resurrection Sunday, is a festival and holiday celebrating the resurrection of Jesus from the dead, described in the New Testament as having occurred on the third day of his burial after his crucifixion by the Romans at Calvary c. 30 AD. It is the culmination of the Passion of Jesus, preceded by Lent (or Great Lent), a forty-day period of fasting, prayer, and penance.

[Anti Federalist]

Is 'Easter' an English Translation of 'Ishtar'?

https://www.catholic.com/qa/is-easte...tion-of-ishtar

Tom Nash March 07, 2017

My daughter-in-law says the name of the pagan goddess "Ishtar" translates to "Easter" in English. How can she make this statement?

Answer:

Your daughter-in-law is mistaken.

In Jeremiah 44:15-17, the people of Judah reject the prophet Jeremiah’s message in preference to their idolatrous worship of an entity called “the queen of heaven”—apparently the pagan deity Ishtar. Commentators seem to be in general agreement that Jeremiah’s “queen of heaven” is “Astaroth” or "Ashtaroth"—“Astarte” in the Septuagint, which is the Greek Old Testament. Literally, “Astaroth” means “the moon.” The moon was a Sidonian idol worshipped by the Phoenicians and worshipped as Ishtar by the Assyrians, Egyptians and Babylonians. In nature worship, the sun and the moon were considered the king and queen, respectively, of the celestial heavens.

Some people have inferred that "Easter" is the English derivation of the Greek "Astarte," but there is no linguistic or historical basis for this. In addition, the English word Easter is said to have derived from an Anglo-Saxon pagan goddess named Eostre. This theory was based on an incorrect conclusion by St. Bede the Venerable about the etymological origins of the English month that coincides with spring and the celebration of Easter, "Eosturmonath." But, as Anthony McRoy, a fellow of the British Society for Middle East Studies, notes, there is no historical basis for this derivation. He notes that St. Bede himself said that his conclusion was based on his interpretation rather than a generally held position or proven fact.

Also, there is no doubt that the focus of Easter for St. Bede and English Christians in general, was and is Jesus, the Passover Lamb who died on our behalf and rose from the dead.

Indeed, in most European countries, the name for Easter derives from the Greek word Pascha, which itself is derived from the Hebrew Pesach, i.e., the word "Passover." Thus, the term "paschal sacrifice" refers to Jesus' one sacrifice, and "paschal candle" is another name for the Easter candle.

So where did the word English get their word for the celebration of Christ's Resurrection? McRoy notes there are two main theories, both of which are plausible: "One theory for the origin of the name is that the Latin phrase in albis ('in white'), which Christians used in reference to Easter week, found its way into Old High German as eostarum, or 'dawn.'" The other is that "Eosturmonath simply meant 'the month of opening,' which is comparable to the meaning of 'April' in Latin. The names of both the Saxon and Latin months (which are calendrically similar) were related to spring, the season when the buds open."

In either case, the claim that the English celebration is rooted in pagan goddess worship simply has no historical basis, even if some anti-Catholic polemicists have gotten a good deal of mileage out of it.

[pcosmar]

In either case, the claim that the English celebration is rooted in pagan goddess worship simply has no historical basis, even if some anti-Catholic polemicists have gotten a good deal of mileage out of it.

Actually It is the Fulfillment of the Passover.

It is the colored eggs, the rabbits, and other spring fertility rites that have been subtly been mixed in that bother me..

but they don't bother me enough to make a fuss of.

[Anti Federalist]

The Tomb

38 And after this Joseph of Arimathaea, being a disciple of Jesus, but secretly for fear of the Jews, besought Pilate that he might take away the body of Jesus: and Pilate gave him leave. He came therefore, and took the body of Jesus.

39 And there came also Nicodemus, which at the first came to Jesus by night, and brought a mixture of myrrh and aloes, about an hundred pound weight.

40 Then took they the body of Jesus, and wound it in linen clothes with the spices, as the manner of the Jews is to bury.

41 Now in the place where he was crucified there was a garden; and in the garden a new sepulchre, wherein was never man yet laid.

42 There laid they Jesus therefore because of the Jews' preparation day; for the sepulchre was nigh at hand.

[Anti Federalist]

Some Christians observe a form of the Jewish holiday of Passover. The practice is found among Assemblies of Yahweh, Messianic Jews, and some congregations of the Church of God (Seventh Day). It is often linked to the Christian holiday and festival of Easter. Often, only an abbreviated seder is celebrated to explain the meaning in a time-limited ceremony. The redemption from the bondage of sin through the sacrifice of Christ is celebrated, a parallel of the Jewish Passover's celebration of redemption from bondage in the land of Egypt.

[TER]

Is Easter (Pascha) a Pagan Holiday?

Many of us have read articles or seen memes floating around the internet that attempt to tie the celebration of Christ’s resurrection to some form of paganism. It seems to me that these rumors are perpetuated by a lack of knowledge regarding ancient Christianity, history, linguistics, and paganism.

THE ORIGIN OF THE NAMES

First of all, according to all ancient accounts of which I’m aware, Jesus Christ was crucified during the time of the Jewish Passover, which in Hebrew is called Pesach, and in Aramaic Pascha. The timing of the Jewish festival is tied to the cycle of the moon, but always lands somewhere in the spring. Christians from the most ancient times have seen Jesus’ death and resurrection as the fulfillment of the Passover holiday and have therefore kept the transliterated name for Passover, which is usually a derivative of the word “Pascha.”

Therefore, nearly every culture around the world (unless heavily influenced by German or American missionaries) calls this holiday something similar to “Pascha.”

So, why the name Easter? Is it a reference to some form of paganism? Sort of. To put it simply, the English language evolved from German. In ancient times, the month in which the Passover (Pascha) would occur was called Eostur-monath by English and Germanic peoples, which in modern English would be “Month of Eostur.” Eoster (also spelled Ēostre or Ostara) was a pagan goddess and her festival was celebrated during this month in the spring.

The oldest historical reference for this pagan goddess comes from a British Christian author named Bede who was born during the 600’s. He writes,

Eosturmonath has a name which is now translated “Paschal month”, and which was once called after a goddess of theirs named Eostre, in whose honour feasts were celebrated in that month. Now they designate that Paschal season by her name, calling the joys of the new rite by the time-honoured name of the old observance.

Outside the above quote, there is nothing known about the goddess Eostre. In fact, until a recent archaeological discovery that hints at the name of Eostre, some scholars thought that Bede invented this goddess. So, whatever you read in memes or various articles about her, know that most of it has been fabricated in the last couple of centuries.

In America, we celebrate the Fourth of July. The month of July was named in honor of Julius Caesar, but the American holiday has nothing to do with the Roman Emperor of ancient times. The name Easter is much the same and its celebration has nothing to do with ancient paganism, but it just happened to land during the same month as the pagan celebration was taking place. The Christian celebration gradually took the place of the pagan one since pagans could see that their ancient festival found its fulfillment in Christianity.

PAGAN SPRING RITES AND CHRISTIANITY

God created this world with a cycle of seasons that naturally teaches us about death and resurrection. As the Apostle Paul writes in Romans 1:20,

For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even His eternal power and Godhead, so that they are without excuse.

In other words, through nature God has always been teaching people the truth. Natural religions are often an attempt to honor the truth observed in creation (with a dose of hedonism thrown in there). Ancient Christian missionaries never tried to crush all forms of natural religion that they observed among pagans. Rather, they looked for truth within these religions and showed people how Christianity was the fulfillment of what they were already celebrating in nature.

The movement from winter to spring shows us the truth: that there is a resurrection from the dead. We find that truth coming to its culmination in the person of Jesus Christ. In Him, we allow our old selves to die off so that we may find resurrection in Him.

So, it is not that Christianity is copying paganism, it is that all of the truth in natural religion throughout the world was pointing to Christ, it was preparing the people and leading them to the truth revealed in our Lord Jesus Christ who, through His life-giving resurrection, brought all truth to its culmination in His own being.

LINK

[donnay]

Is The Easter Holiday Biblical, How Does God Feel About It?

By: Brandon T. Ward


Have you ever asked yourself the following questions: “Are the traditions of Easter Biblical? Why is the Resurrection of Jesus Christ called Easter? Are Easter rabbits and eggs mentioned in the Bible?“

It will shock most Christians to discover that none of the traditions of Easter are Biblical. As a matter of fact, Easter is the name of a heathen god and found in the Bible only one time in the book of Acts. Unfortunately, this word was placed in scripture by error, the word Easter is a mis-translation. Meaning it is not in the original manuscripts! The correct word is “Pascha” in the manuscripts, meaning Passover.

Before we start our Bible study, let us ask our Father for wisdom and understanding of His Word, in Jesus Name Amen.

Acts 12:4
4 “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.”

The word “Easter” as stated is a mis-translation. It is word 3957 (pascha) in your Strong’s Concordance, meaning “Passover”, not Easter. As a matter of fact, it was properly translated Passover (“Pecach” in Hebrew, 6453) 48 times in the Old Testament and 28 times in the New Testament (“Pascha” in Greek, 3957). Clearly, there has been someone fiddling with God’s Word. Remember, Christ never called Passover Easter, nor did the Disciples, nor did they talk about rabbits and eggs…

If we travel back in history to the time of Moses you will recall the first Passover where lamb’s blood was placed over the door posts in order to have death “Pass-over” the home of the Israelites (Exodus 12).

With that said, let us turn our Bibles to,

I Corinthians 5:7
7 “Purge out therefore the old leaven, that ye may be a new lump, as ye are unleavened. For even Christ our passover is sacrificed for us:“

When Jesus Christ died on the cross He became the sacrificial Lamb who shed His blood for one and all time, and in so doing He became our Passover (Revelations 5:8-9). We are now saved by His blood which He shed for us (John 3:16).

God’s Word is so easy to comprehend if we only read with understanding. We have documented the word Easter is not in the original manuscripts. We have also documented that Christ is our Passover. So where did Easter and all of its traditions come from? We will get there shortly. But first, let us see what Christ told us to do…

I Corinthians 11:23-24
23 “For I have received of the Lord that which also I delivered unto you, that the Lord Jesus the same night in which he was betrayed took bread:

24 And when he had given thanks, he brake it, and said, Take, eat: this is my body, which is broken for you: this do in remembrance of me.”

Christ made this statement. We are to break the bread which is symbolic of his body that was broken for us and eat it in remembrance of Him.

I Corinthians 11:25
25 “After the same manner also he took the cup, when he had supped, saying, this cup is the new testament in my blood: this do ye, as oft as ye drink it, in remembrance of me.”

The wine is symbolic of His blood that was shed in order to wash away our sins.

I Corinthians 11:26
26 “For as often as ye eat this bread, and drink this cup, ye do shew the Lord’s death till he come.”

Christ made it extremely clear we are to take the bread and wine in remembrance of Him. This is what Passover is all about. Remembering and honoring Christ for the wondrous act He performed, dying on the cross so that we through Him might be saved.

The highest Holy Day in Christianity, Passover is celebrated 15 days after the Spring Equinox (Ref: Exodus 12).

Now we may ask the question… Where did the traditions of Easter come from?

No where in God’s Word will you find bunnies, eggs, lent or hot cross buns. So why do Christians celebrate Easter and where did the festivities comes from? The word Easter itself comes from the Old English word Ēastre or Ēostre referring to the Angelo-Saxon fertility goddess of spring. Easter is a pagan goddess and her celebration always takes place around the Spring Equinox when all life is re-newed. Thus getting her title, the fertility goddess of spring.

Easter has a multitude of names which span not just time, but many different cultures as well. She is also known as Ashtoreth, Astarte, Ashtaroth, Isis and to the ancient Babylonians as Ishtar (Webster’s New World College Dictionary). Yes, this goddess dates all the way back to Mystery Babylon itself. Is it any wonder?

The Encyclopedia Britannica states,

“Astarte/Ashtoreth is the Queen of Heaven to whom the Canaanites had burned incense and poured libations.”
Are your eyebrows raised yet? They should be. All false gods and teachings can be traced back to Mystery Babylon. Ishtar goes by many names, but she is the same, fertility goddess of spring.

Now that we have that documented, does God’s Word mention anything about this goddess? I am glad you asked.

God’s Word and Easter

Judges 2:11,13
11 “And the children of Israel did evil in the sight of the Lord, and served Baalim:

13 And they forsook the Lord, and served Baal and Ashtaroth.”

They did evil in the sight of the Lord, what evil? They worshipped Baal and Ashtaroth (Easter/Ishtar). This is serious friends. Let us document this further in the next verse.

I Kings 11:33
33 “Because that they have forsaken me, and have worshipped Ashtoreth the goddess of the Zidonians, Chemosh the god of the Moabites, and Milcom the god of the children of Ammon, and have not walked in my ways, to do that which is right in mine eyes, and to keep my statutes and my judgments, as did David his father.”

God would divide the 12 tribes because of Israel’s continued pagan worship of false god’s. Ashtoreth the goddess is also documented in: Judges 10:6, I Samuel 7:3-4, I Samuel 12:10, I Samuel 31:10, I Kings 11:5 and II Kings 23:13.

I hope you are starting to get the point… We mentioned Easter is also known as the “queen of heaven.” Let us document that as well.

Jeremiah 7:18
18 “The children gather wood, and the fathers kindle the fire, and the women knead their dough, to make cakes to the queen of heaven, and to pour out drink offerings unto other gods, that they may provoke me to anger.”

Easter is in fact the same Ishtar, Ashtoreth, Astarte, Ashtaroth and queen of heaven, she is the fertility goddess of spring! Maybe those hot cross buns are mentioned in the Bible after all… It does not sound like anything God would be proud of though does it? This verse gets it done for us, but I want to go two more to convey the point.

Jeremiah 7:19
19 “Do they provoke me to anger? saith the Lord: do they not provoke themselves to the confusion of their own faces?”

Ishtar worship does NOT make God happy, He says it is confusion. Instead of showing God their love, they went after false gods and practices. Just as today, people think the traditions of Easter are pleasing to God, but instead they provoke Him to anger.

Jeremiah 7:20
20 “Therefore thus saith the Lord; Behold, mine anger and my fury shall be poured out upon this place, upon man, and upon beast, and upon the trees of the field, and upon the fruit of the ground; and it shall burn, and shall not be quenched.”

If you think the celebrations of Easter made God happy then re-read this verse. He is disgusted by it. How sad to think the Highest Holy Day in Christianity, Passover has been replaced with the pagan festival of Easter which is embraced by people calling themselves Christians.

Symbols of Easter

Now let us take a look at some of the symbols of Easter. The rabbit and egg have been used for millennia as symbols of fertility. The rabbit is known for its ability to quickly reproduce, the egg is obviously a fertility symbol. Thus the two have been used in association with Ishtar the fertility goddess during Spring when all things are re-newed.

“The hare, the symbol of fertility in ancient Egypt, a symbol that was kept later in Europe…Its place has been taken by the Easter rabbit.” – Encyclopedia Britannica, 1991 ed., Vol. 4, p. 333

Now a quote concerning eggs.

“Eggs were hung up in the Egyptian temples. Bunsen calls attention to the mundane egg, the emblem of generative life, proceeding from the mouth of the great god of Egypt. The mystic egg of Babylon, hatching the Venus Ishtar, fell from heaven to the Euphrates. Dyed eggs were sacred Easter offerings in Egypt, as they are still in China and Europe. Easter, or spring, was the season of birth, terrestrial and celestial.” – Egyptian Belief and Modern Thought, James Bonwick, pp. 211-212.

The Easter egg or better said, the Ishtar egg goes all the way back to Mystery Babylon. How deplorable! This deception has been with us basically since the beginning and has been with mainstream Christianity for sometime now.

It is worth noting, Ishtar fell from heaven to the Euphrates River. Satan will soon be cast from Heaven to earth (Revelation 12:7-9) while there are four evil angels bound that will be loosened from the Euphrates River. (Revelation 9:14-15)… A lot of symbology is it not? If you have bought into the deception of Easter, how will you ever be able to stand against the deception of Satan when he plays the roll of Antichrist?

We have been foretold all things. Turn with me to,

Ecclesiastes 1:9
9 “The thing that hath been, it is that which shall be; and that which is done is that which shall be done: and there is no new thing under the sun.”

What has been will be again. We see that with Ishtar, how she has been handed down through the generations given a different name, but she is the same old goddess. Unfortunately, Ishtar has not only crept into Christianity, but her name has taken the place of our Highest Holy Day, Passover. In addition, all of her despicable practices have been brought into mainstream Christianity without as much as a question from our Church leaders as to where these celebrations originated from. Clearly, they are not Biblical in nature.

As you can see by now, Christ is our Passover, not our Easter. Ishtar (Easter) and her celebrations are not of God, but rather traditions of men. Traditions that date themselves all the way back to the darkness of ancient Babylon. Why would we want to cast out God and associate ourselves with this pagan founded tradition?

You might be thinking to yourself at this point, ‘well I don’t mean anything by my Easter eggs or rabbits. Surely God will understand.’ Will He?

Matthew 15:9
9 “But in vain they do worship me, teaching for doctrines the commandments of men.”

Our Father knew that His Word would be twisted into the traditions of man. Christ has truly foretold us all things.

You know, we often look back on the people of the Bible and think how stupid they were to worship a golden calf or believe in false gods and those examples go on and on. But are Christians of today any different I would ask? Not once have we read about Easter bunnies or eggs in the Bible, yet many openly embrace them and call it worshiping God.

We have thoroughly documented the true origins of Easter and they are not Biblical my friends, think about that… I hope this study has opened peoples eyes to the falsehood of Easter. We have something better, it is called Passover, the true Holy Day of Christ.

At this point, many might be thinking, but what would my family and friends say if I stopped celebrating Easter! I would ask, “What is more important, what man thinks of you or what God thinks of you?…” Ask yourself… “What is more important, my Easter basket or my Lord and Savior Jesus Christ?”

http://worldeventsandthebible.com/20...tml#more-13807

[donnay]

JAMES 1:5
5 “If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth not; and it shall be given him.”

Passover: Why We Should Be Celebrating It As Christians
By: Brandon T. Ward

– Revised: 3-26-2017
Many Christians are not aware, but the Highest Holy Day in Christianity is Passover. Not the pagan festival of Easter. The word Passover comes from the time of Moses and the last plague that consumed Egypt. When Christ died on the cross He became our Passover. In order to reveal this fact, we must search the scriptures where we can find light and remove the darkness that has clouded this topic for so man.

Before we start our Bible study, let us ask our Father for wisdom and understanding of His Word, in Jesus name amen.


Please open your Bible and turn with me to,

1 Corinthians 5:7
7 “Purge out therefore the old leaven, that ye may be a new lump, as ye are unleavened. For even Christ our passover is sacrificed for us:”

Did it say our Easter? Of course not. God’s Word said, Christ is our Passover. But what does that mean and when should we celebrate this Passover of the Lord? For the answer to that question, let us now turn our Bibles to Exodus chapter 12. Let us travel back to the time of Moses, the time of bondage when the Israelites served as slaves in the land of Egypt.

Before we start, I would like to make a note. In the chapters preceding this one, the land of Egypt was smitten with nine plagues which God brought forth. After each of the plagues Pharaoh refused to release the Israelites. But it was God Himself who hardened Pharaoh’s heart. Why would He do this? The Lord wanted to reveal Himself and establish to all of Egypt and through them, the whole world that He is the One True God and there is no other. The Egyptian god’s could not re-produce the plagues nor could they stop them as they were nothing more than statues.

Exodus 12:1-2
1 “And the LORD spake unto Moses and Aaron in the land of Egypt saying,”

2 “This month shall be unto you the beginning of months: it shall be the first month of the year to you.”

What month would this be? From Exodus 13:4 we learn it is the month of “Abib“ (also Deuteronomy 16:1). The month of Abib starts at the Spring Equinox (Websters Dictionary of American English, Published 1828) which is equivalent to our March 20th this year. Being children of light, we go by God’s Solar calendar of light, not a lunar calendar of darkness.

Exodus 12:5
5 “Your lamb shall be without blemish, a male of the first year: ye shall take it out from the sheep, or from the goats:”

God would say in the preceding verses that every household should take a lamb for the feast of what would soon be called passover. God instructs in verse five that the lamb must be without blemish, a perfect sacrifice.

Jesus Christ, our Passover Lamb was without blemish just as the passover lamb of old (1 Peter 1:18-19). Make a mental note through this study, Christ, ‘did not come to change the law, but to fulfill it,’ (Matthew 5:17). The only thing that changed was Christ became our Passover which did away with the blood ordinances. Today, we no longer sacrifice animals, that would be sacrilegious.

Exodus 12:6
6 “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.”

We have another time element here. The passover lamb was to be kept until the 14th of Abib and then killed in the evening. We need to understand that the Israelite day started at sunset. So the killing of the passover lamb would take place just hours before the 15th of Abib which was the High Holy Day (John 19:31). This equates to April 4th this year (2013). The easiest way to remember the date is to count 15 days from the Spring Equinox.

Jesus Christ, our Passover Lamb was slain at the same time as the passover lambs in the days of Moses. Christ died at the 9th hour which is equal to our 3pm (Luke 23:43-46). This not only documents the divine accuracy of our Father, but documents to us that Christ could not have partaken of the passover lamb at the last supper, as those lambs were being slaughtered when He died. The last super with Him was the night before He became our Passover.

Exodus 12:7
7 “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.”

God had instructed the Israelities to place the blood of the passover lamb upon their doors. In so doing, the last plague would have no effect on their household.

The Blood of Christ, our Passover Lamb redeemed us from our sins (Ephesians 1:7). His Blood was worthy, so we no longer have to perform those blood sacrifices. By His Blood, the “destroyer” who is Satan cannot harm us, as we have power over him through Christ (Luke 10:19).

Exodus 12:8,10-11
8 “And they shall eat the flesh in that night, roast with fire, and unleavened bread; and with bitter herbs they shall eat it.”

10 “And ye shall let nothing of it remain until the morning; and that which remaineth of it until the morning ye shall burn with fire.”

11 “And thus shall ye eat it; with your loins girded, your shoes on your feet, and your staff in your hand; and ye shall eat it in haste: it is the LORD’s passover.“

God had instructed the Israelities to eat the passover lamb that night (the sun is now down and we are at the 15th of Abib, starting the High Holy Day) and leave nothing until the morning.

Exodus 12:12
12 “For I will pass through the land of Egypt this night, and will smite all the firstborn in the land of Egypt, both man and beast; and against all the gods of Egypt I will execute judgment: I am the LORD.”

This would be the final plague that would smite Egypt, thus setting the Israelites free from bondage. But remember, it was God who hardened Pharaoh’s heart. The point was to prove to the inhabitants of the land that The Lord was the One True God of the whole earth. We will soon witness an event of this scale just before the coming of our Lord when hail the size of a talent (120-180 pounds) reigns down on the enemy (Revelation 16:21)…

Exodus 12:13
13 “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.”

In essence, the blood of the passover lamb on the door kept the “destroyer” (Exodus 12:23) from smiting that household with the last plague, which was the death of the first born. As stated, the “destroyer” is Satan, who is the spirit of death (Hebrews 2:14) and who better to work under the cover of darkness as he always does. Let us document that.

Revelation 9:11
11 “And they had a king over them, which is the angel of the bottomless pit, whose name in the Hebrew tongue is Abaddon, but in the Greek tongue hath his name Apollyon.”

“Apollyon” is word 623 in your Strong’s Concordance and it means “destroyer (i.e. Satan)”. Let us note, Satan entered into Judas who betrayed Christ by night (Luke 22:3-4).

Remember, we are called the children of light, we are of our Father in Heaven and abide in His righteous light, we are not of Satan and his darkness (1 Thessalonians 5:5)…

Now let us turn back to,

Exodus 12:14
14 “And this day shall be unto you for a memorial; and ye shall keep it a feast to the LORD throughout your generations; ye shall keep it a feast by an ordinance for ever.”

And so we remember the passover to this day. We remember what it meant during the time of Moses and we remember what it means for us today. Christ becoming our Passover removed the need for lambs blood, for as scripture so beautifully states, “Worthy is the Lamb that was slain“ (Revelation 5:12).

Going forward, Christ told us how we should remember Him, how we should remember Passover. To document what that is let us turn our Bibles to,

1 Corinthians 11:23-24
23 “For I have received of the Lord that which also I delivered unto you, that the Lord Jesus the same night in which he was betrayed took bread:”

24 “And when he had given thanks, he brake it, and said, Take, eat: this is my body, which is broken for you: this do in remembrance of me.”

Christ took the stripes and we get the healing (Isaiah 53:5). He is the bread of life and that bread is symbolic of His body that was broken for us. Take and eat ye all of it as He instructed.

1 Corinthians 11:25
25 “After the same manner also he took the cup, when he had supped, saying, this cup is the new testament in my blood: this do ye, as oft as ye drink it, in remembrance of me.”

Christ is the way, the truth and the life, without His Blood there is no life (John 14:6). So take the cup of wine which is symbolic of His Blood that is shed for the remission of our sins. Take and drink ye all of it as He instructed.

1 Corinthians 11:26
26 “For as often as ye eat this bread, and drink this cup, ye do shew the Lord’s death till he come.”

The 15th of Abib (our April 4th this year 2013) is our High Holy Day, Passover Day. This is how we remember and honor our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. By partaking of the unleavened bread, the wine and remembering what each one symbolizes.

The blood of the passover lamb of Moses time protected the Israelites from the “destroyer.” It caused him to pass-over their homes which enabled them to be free from bondage and led them to the promised land.

The Blood of Christ, our Passover Lamb protects us from that same “destroyer.” It frees us from the bondage of our sins, that through repentance we may be led to our promised land…

The Eternal Kingdom of our God who reins forever. Amen!

http://worldeventsandthebible.com/20...lebrating.html

[TER]

The Resurrection in the Orthodox Church

by St John Popovich

In the Orthodox Church, the Resurrection is not merely the ‘feast of feasts’, but the all-embracing feast, which is the soul of all the others and is always present in them. In it we find all the divine and theanthropic powers of the Saviour, which crush every sin, every death, every devil. Unceasing Resurrection, that is continuous Resurrection, is precisely what the life of all Orthodox Christians in the Church of the Saviour is: it is my life, your life and that of each of us. What is the Orthodox Church? It is the risen Christ Who lives forever. So we who live in it continually overcome sin, death and the devil through the Risen Lord. In this way, we raise ourselves from every grave, led and guided always in this task by the saints whom we praise every day These are the true victors over death, sin and the devil through the Risen Lord and are, at the same time, those who raise us from our graves. Because, what is the aim of our Christian life? To defeat sin, death and the devil and thus to guarantee immortality and eternal life in the heavenly kingdom of the love of Christ. Because victory over any one of our sins is a victory over death, since every sin is our spiritual death. By overcoming sin and death, in reality we defeat the devil, since the devil is a being in whom sin and death and identical. But we people are human only through the Resurrection of the God/Man, Our Lord Jesus Christ, and through His form of immortality.


With the Resurrection of Christ, the resurrection of each person, you and me, becomes reasonable and natural, because the human element is a constituent part of the Theanthropic Being. This is why, in the Resurrection of the God/Man from the dead, the power and truth of our own resurrection from the dead are included (cf. (I Cor. 15, 12-16). Indeed, all of us are included in the Lord’s theanthropic nature. And each one of us needs to be resurrected, because Christ rose, and all of us, from Adam to the last person on earth, are in Him, in a mysterious way. The Resurrection of Christ and the resurrection of the dead are both together a theanthropic truth. The dead are resurrected because Christ rose; Christ rose and this is why the dead are raised.

It is beyond doubt that Christ did not rise for Himself but ‘for our sake and for our salvation’. And also because the whole of human nature follows the human nature of Christ as its central core. By becoming human, the Divine Word demonstrated that we were created so that in Paradise, with a God-befitting life, there will be an incarnation of God, a body of God. Now the body of God will become really divine only if it is not mortal, if it does not strive to defeat death. But since, because of sin and through sin the human body has become enslaved to death and has become mortal, this is why the Word of God became a body Himself: so that He could save it from death, and save it from sin. This is the aim of the incarnation of the Saviour, which took place because of His love for us. This is why, through His Resurrection, the resurrection of all the dead has been ensured. The whole history of the human race proves and highlights beyond a shadow of doubt that the Lord Christ is a permanent necessity for us in all worlds. Why? Because He gives us eternal life, annihilates death and everything mortal. The mortal element within us is whatever comes from sin, from evil, from the devil.

Because He alone has and provides for us eternal truth, eternal justice, eternal love, eternal beauty and annihilates lies, injustice, hatred and ugliness.

Because He gives us Paradise, bliss, joy and the immortal, theanthropic meaning to life and to the world, in heaven and on earth, to us humans and to every creature.

Because He alone gives us that which ‘will not be taken away from us’, either in this world or the next.
Because sin, death or the devil cannot take Christ our God away from us, nor His justice, immortality and eternity if we ourselves consciously do not want this. That is, provided we keep Christ our God within us, with faith, prayer, love, fasting, patience, humility, and with the other Gospel virtues, the invincible ‘armour of God’ (Eph. 6, 11-18).

What is this freedom that Christ gives? Freedom from sin, from death and from Satan. This freedom is nourished by eternal truth, eternal justice, eternal love and everything that is in Christ, divine and theanthropic. This is why Christ’s freedom is the only true freedom that we can have in this world. All the other so-called freedoms are artificial, if they’re not freedoms from death. Because sin inevitably enslaves us to death and to Satan. The only freedom more powerful than death is the freedom of Christ, and all the others are powerless servants of death. The only freedom more powerful than Satan is the freedom of Christ, and all the others are directly or indirectly subservient to the demon.

Those who believe in the Risen Lord Jesus with all their heart, with all their soul and with all their mind do not fear death, do not fear sin and, according to Saint John Chrysostom, ‘are outside the sway of Satan’. Not only this, but they scorn death, scorn the demon, because, within them, they have Christ, our Lord and God, the only victor over Satan and the only One Who raises us from all deaths.

Sin is within us and, behold, we’re distorted into monsters. The God-like being in sin! Is that not hell and horror? From the time when our ancestors were expelled from Paradise, that is from a life that was holy and free from sin, we’ve become the willing foundries of iniquity. And what is a foundry of iniquity if not a small-scale hell? The large-scale, eternal hell is merely the confluence of all the small hells which flow from us people, bearing us away with them. Sin is nothing other than life apart from the Sinless One, from God. And this is precisely what death is: first the death of the spirit and then that of the body. Or, to put it better, sin is life lived continuously in death. Because sin and death are one and the same thing. Where there is sin, there is death. And again, where there is death, there is sin. But both of them derive from the creator of sin and of death, from the devil… So sin is never alone, but always has death and the devil with it, around it and behind it. And the devil is never alone; he always has death and sin before him. He’s ever-present in every sin and every death. This trinity is inseparable. This is why freedom consists of liberation from this thrice-cursed trinity of sin, death and the devil. It was precisely because of this that Our Lord Jesus Christ became the only Saviour of the human race, because, through His Resurrection from the dead, He saved us from sin. The Resurrection is the victory over death, and hence over sin, and over the devil. Because the Resurrection is the victory of the Sinless One over sin, of the Immortal One over death; of God over the devil. Who else could have defeated death, except the Immortal One, or the devil if not God?

[Dr.3D]

Going by the way God instructed the Hebrew people, to find the beginning of each month, the following dates are correct for this year.

These Holy Day dates are for Israel and regions westward to the International Date Line.
This may be Year 6021 After Creation.

Date Sunset Moonset Illum. Sun's [Moon's at Sunset] Sun's Visib Visible?
(Evening) % Azimuth Azimuth Altitude Alt(M) Number
27 Mar 5:55 5:18 0.33 93.34 92.99 -8.25 7.71 -65.91 Not Visible
28 Mar 5:56 6:24 0.50 93.80 90.36 4.84 -5.92 57.48 Not Visible
29 Mar 5:57 7:30 3.46 94.26 87.56 18.1 -19.4 225.4 Visible
Abib 1 is Thursday, 30 Mar 2017 CE
The Passover sacrifice is Wednesday, 12 Apr 2017 CE
The Feast of Unleavened Bread begins on Thursday, 13 Apr 2017 CE
and ends on Wednesday, 19 Apr 2017 CE
The Wave Offering (the First-fruit) is Sunday, 16 Apr 2017 CE
First-fruits (Pentecost) is Sunday, 4 Jun 2017 CE
Date Sunset Moonset Illum. Sun's [Moon's at Sunset] Sun's Visib Visible?
(Evening) % Azimuth Azimuth Altitude Alt(M) Number
20 Sep 5:38 6:01 0.29 91.00 89.75 3.81 -4.84 44.69 Not Visible
21 Sep 5:37 6:36 2.39 90.54 79.75 11.4 -12.6 146.5 Visible
The Day of Trumpets is Friday, 22 Sep 2017 CE
The Day of Atonement is Sunday, 1 Oct 2017 CE
The Feast of Tabernacles (Ingathering) begins on Friday, 6 Oct 2017 CE
and ends on Thursday, 12 Oct 2017 CE
The Last Great Day is Friday, 13 Oct 2017 CE

[Anti Federalist]

Resurrection

John 20

20 The first day of the week cometh Mary Magdalene early, when it was yet dark, unto the sepulchre, and seeth the stone taken away from the sepulchre.

2 Then she runneth, and cometh to Simon Peter, and to the other disciple, whom Jesus loved, and saith unto them, They have taken away the Lord out of the sepulchre, and we know not where they have laid him.

3 Peter therefore went forth, and that other disciple, and came to the sepulchre.

4 So they ran both together: and the other disciple did outrun Peter, and came first to the sepulchre.

5 And he stooping down, and looking in, saw the linen clothes lying; yet went he not in.

6 Then cometh Simon Peter following him, and went into the sepulchre, and seeth the linen clothes lie,

7 And the napkin, that was about his head, not lying with the linen clothes, but wrapped together in a place by itself.

8 Then went in also that other disciple, which came first to the sepulchre, and he saw, and believed.

9 For as yet they knew not the scripture, that he must rise again from the dead.

10 Then the disciples went away again unto their own home.

11 But Mary stood without at the sepulchre weeping: and as she wept, she stooped down, and looked into the sepulchre,

12 And seeth two angels in white sitting, the one at the head, and the other at the feet, where the body of Jesus had lain.

13 And they say unto her, Woman, why weepest thou? She saith unto them, Because they have taken away my Lord, and I know not where they have laid him.

14 And when she had thus said, she turned herself back, and saw Jesus standing, and knew not that it was Jesus.

15 Jesus saith unto her, Woman, why weepest thou? whom seekest thou? She, supposing him to be the gardener, saith unto him, Sir, if thou have borne him hence, tell me where thou hast laid him, and I will take him away.

16 Jesus saith unto her, Mary. She turned herself, and saith unto him, Rabboni; which is to say, Master.

17 Jesus saith unto her, Touch me not; for I am not yet ascended to my Father: but go to my brethren, and say unto them, I ascend unto my Father, and your Father; and to my God, and your God.

18 Mary Magdalene came and told the disciples that she had seen the Lord, and that he had spoken these things unto her.

19 Then the same day at evening, being the first day of the week, when the doors were shut where the disciples were assembled for fear of the Jews, came Jesus and stood in the midst, and saith unto them, Peace be unto you.

20 And when he had so said, he shewed unto them his hands and his side. Then were the disciples glad, when they saw the Lord.

21 Then said Jesus to them again, Peace be unto you: as my Father hath sent me, even so send I you.

22 And when he had said this, he breathed on them, and saith unto them, Receive ye the Holy Ghost:

23 Whose soever sins ye remit, they are remitted unto them; and whose soever sins ye retain, they are retained.

24 But Thomas, one of the twelve, called Didymus, was not with them when Jesus came.

25 The other disciples therefore said unto him, We have seen the Lord. But he said unto them, Except I shall see in his hands the print of the nails, and put my finger into the print of the nails, and thrust my hand into his side, I will not believe.

26 And after eight days again his disciples were within, and Thomas with them: then came Jesus, the doors being shut, and stood in the midst, and said, Peace be unto you.

27 Then saith he to Thomas, Reach hither thy finger, and behold my hands; and reach hither thy hand, and thrust it into my side: and be not faithless, but believing.

28 And Thomas answered and said unto him, My Lord and my God.

29 Jesus saith unto him, Thomas, because thou hast seen me, thou hast believed: blessed are they that have not seen, and yet have believed.

30 And many other signs truly did Jesus in the presence of his disciples, which are not written in this book:

31 But these are written, that ye might believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God; and that believing ye might have life through his name.

[dannno]

15 But they cried out, Away with him, away with him, crucify him. Pilate saith unto them, Shall I crucify your King? The chief priests answered, We have no king but Caesar.

$#@!in statists..

[donnay]

Isaiah 53:5 (KJV)
5 But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed.