Thread: Sunday School Lesson for Easter Sunday: "HE HAS RISEN!"
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Sunday School Lesson for Easter Sunday: "HE HAS RISEN!"
Posted : 29 Mar, 2018 10:21 PM
SUNDAY SCHOOL LESSON FOR SUNDAY, APRIL 1, 2018: �HE HAS RISEN!�
Lesson: Luke 24:1-12, 30-35; Time of Action: 30 A.D.; Place of Action: Jerusalem
Golden Text: � The Lord is risen indeed, and hath appeared to Simon� (Luke 24:6-7).
I. INTRODUCTION. It�s very clear to every believer that taking Jesus� resurrection out of the gospel would cut the heart out of Christianity. The Apostle Paul stated that without the resurrection, our faith would be vain (see I Corinthians 15:14) or foolish. The resurrection is the ultimate proof of Jesus� Messiahship (see Acts 2:36), and the Father�s acceptance of His atoning work (see Hebrew 1:3). It also guarantees our own resurrection (see I Corinthians 15:20-23). In addition, our risen Lord as our Advocate pleads our case before the Father (see I John 2:1). This week�s lesson records circumstances surrounding the resurrection of Jesus Christ.
II. THE BACKGROUND OF THE LESSON. After Jesus was crucified, a soldier pierced Him in His side confirming that Jesus was dead (see John 19:34). At that point, Joseph of Arimathaea, a disciple of Jesus and also a member of the Sanhedrin council, obtained Jesus� body with Pilate�s consent, wrapped it in linen, and placed it in his own tomb (see Matthew 27:57-60; Luke 23:50-53). Joseph received help from Nicodemus, who brought spices to preserve Jesus� body (see John 19:39-40). A large stone was also rolled in front of the tomb (see Matthew 27:60). All of this had to be done quickly because� that day was the preparation and the Sabbath drew on� (see Luke 23:54). Once the Sabbath began at sundown, no more preparation of the body or the tomb was allowed. This was not the regular weekly Saturday Sabbath, but a special Sabbath that John referred to as a �high day� (see John 19:31) since it was the first day of the Feast of Unleavened Bread. It had special rules including complete rest; no work could be done, and no leaven could be used in the food or found in their homes (see Exodus 12:15-20). A number of Galilean women who had benefited from Jesus� ministry and had ministered to Him watched from a distance when Jesus was crucified (see Luke 23:40). After seeing where Jesus� body was laid, the women returned to their homes to prepare spices and ointments and then rested the next day which as noted above, was the beginning of the Feast of Unleavened Bread, also called a Sabbath Day (see Luke 23:55-56). The spices and ointments were used to preserve the body temporarily and to offset the odor of decomposition. The Jews had no embalming process like those of the Egyptians. This is where our lesson begins.
III. THE WOMEN: THEY VISIT THE TOMB (Luke 24:1-11)
A. A morning errand (Luke 24:1). Our first verse says�Now upon the first day of the week, very early in the morning, they came unto the sepulcher, bringing the spices which they had prepared, and certain others with them.� Since the women couldn�t anoint Jesus� body the day after He died because it was the first day of the Feast of Unleavened Bread which was also recognized as a Sabbath Day, they waited for the earliest light on the first day of the week, or Sunday since the regular Saturday Sabbath also prevented them from going to Jesus� tomb. (For a more detailed explanation surrounding Jesus� burial, anointing with spices and His resurrection, please search for the article entitled �The Last Week Of Jesus� Life� on this website.) The term �sepulcher�refers to Jesus� tomb. The women who had watched at a distance where Jesus was buried came to the tomb �and certain others with them.� We are not told how many women headed out to Jesus� tomb, but three of them are named later (see Luke 24:10). Some of them had witnessed the stone being rolled in front of the tomb and as they walked they discussed how it could be removed (see Mark 16:3).
B. A disappointing discovery (Luke 24:2-3).
1. (vs. 2). This verse says �And they found the stone rolled away from the sepulchre.� As already mentioned, as the women walked to the tomb they discussed how to remove it. When they reached the tomb �they found the stone rolled away from the sepulchre.� They didn�t know that an angel had earlier rolled the stone away causing the guards to be afraid and fall into a trance-like condition (see Matthew 28:2-4). Note: Jewish tombs often had large circular stones placed at the entrances. Since the edge of the stone was set in a track, it could be rolled away. In addition, sometimes these tombs were sealed with clay or wax to indicate if the stone had been moved and the tomb disturbed. At the request of the Jewish officials, Pilate had Jesus� tomb sealed and he also assigned soldiers to guard it (see Matthew 27:62-66). By the time the women arrived, the soldiers had come out of their trance-like condition and left, with some of them reporting to the chief priests what had happened (see Matthew 28:11).
2. (vs. 3). In this verse, Luke continues to write �And they entered in, and found not the body of the Lord Jesus.� Finding the stone rolled away from the entrance to the tomb,�they entered in� intending to finish the work of anointing Jesus� body that Joseph and Nicodemus had begun. But another surprise awaited them in the tomb. They �found not the body of the Lord Jesus.� They looked for Jesus� body but it was not there. However, John 20:4-7 tells us that the linen cloths that Jesus was wrapped in were still lying there, and the face cloth was by itself as if Jesus just slipped out of it all (and He did!). The women knew exactly where Jesus was buried (see Luke 23:55) so they didn�t go to the wrong tomb. But they never expected to find an empty tomb. So, Mary Magdalene concluded that someone had taken Jesus� body away (see John 20:1-2). Having come to that conclusion, before Mary Magdalene had a chance to hear the angels� explanation, she ran to tell Peter and John. She persisted in believing someone had taken the body until Jesus Himself spoke to her (see John 20:10-16).
C. An encouraging message (Luke 24:4-7).
1. (vs. 4). This verse says �And it came to pass, as they were much perplexed thereabout, behold, two men stood by them in shining garments.� Seeing the tomb empty, the remaining women �were much perplexed thereabout�meaning that they were confused by what they saw, or better yet, what they didn�t see. But while they pondered the meaning of it all �behold, two men stood by them in shining garments.� The word �behold� means Look! It�s often used in Scripture to introduce an extraordinary sight that causes awe or surprise. In this case �two men� suddenly stood by them dressed in �shining garments.� Their gleaming clothing identified them as heavenly messengers, angels (see Luke 24:23). Although Matthew and Mark mention only one angel (see Matthew 28:5; Mark 16:5), John verifies Luke�s version that there were two (see John 20:12). Note: All the gospel accounts refer to someone at the tomb explaining the absence of Jesus� body. In Matthew it is an �angel� (see Matthew 28:5), in Mark, a �young man� (see Mark 16:5), and in John, �two angels� (see John 20:12). It seems clear that angels of God appeared in human form to give the message of the resurrection. Undoubtedly, two angels were present with one of them acting as the spokesman. In addition, the presence of two witnesses (the angels) was important in establishing the reality of the resurrection (see Deuteronomy 19:15).
2. (vs. 5). In this verse, Luke goes on to say �And as they were afraid, and bowed down their faces to the earth, they said unto them, Why seek ye the living among the dead?� The sudden extraordinary appearance of the angels frightened the women and they �bowed down their faces to the earth.� This was a normal reaction humans had to heavenly beings (see Luke 1:12; Acts 10:3-4). According to both Matthew and Mark, one of the angels told them not to be afraid (see Matthew 28:5; Mark 16:6). The angels then gently rebuked the women for their lack of faith in Jesus� resurrection by asking them, �Why seek ye the living among the dead?� The women were convinced of Jesus� death and were only at the tomb hoping to delay the inevitable decay of His body by anointing it. It should be noted that the angels referred to Jesus as �living� for He was life (see John 11:25; 14:6), and death has no control over Him (see Acts 2:22-24). Therefore, it was completely illogical that He would have been found in the grave at all.
3. (vs. 6). The angel continued to say in this verse,�He is not here, but is risen: remember how he spake unto you when he was yet in Galilee.� The angel did two things. First, he told the women that the reason Jesus was not there was because He �is risen.� Second, he reminded them that Jesus had spoken to them and foretold His resurrection �when he was yet in Galilee.� These women should�ve known that Jesus had risen from the dead because He had told them during His Galilean ministry (see Matthew 17:22-23; Mark 9:30-32; Luke 9:43-45). They were from Galilee (see Luke 23:49) and they began to follow Jesus during His Galilean ministry (see Luke 8:1-3). It�s interesting that Jesus� enemies remembered His words concerning His resurrection, and even took precautions against it by keeping His disciples from stealing His body (see Matthew 27:63-64). His enemies remembered, but His followers didn�t. How ironic! Note: According to other gospel accounts, the angels invited the women to look and see where Jesus had lain (see Matthew 28:6; Mark 16:6). As they looked, they saw what Peter and John would later see, namely the linen cloths in which Jesus was wrapped lying undisturbed, and the napkin for His head lying separately (see John 20:5-7). This evidence would have been convincing for the women. No grave robbers would have unwrapped the body and left the grave clothes behind. Neither would Joseph of Arimathaea, if he had decided to move the body. The truth is that Jesus, in His glorified body passed through the wrappings leaving them undisturbed. It�s also fitting that in a social system where women were looked upon as inferior, Jesus saved the first knowledge of His resurrection for these women. It showed that He valued their faithful labors behind the scenes as much as He did the more public services of His male disciples. This also symbolized the spiritual equality between men and women that would exist in the church (see Galatians 3:28).
4. (vs. 7). In this verse, the angel reminds the women that Jesus had spoken to them �Saying, The Son of man must be delivered into the hands of sinful men, and be crucified, and the third day rise again.� We have no record of Jesus making this statement personally to these women, but there are several accounts in the Gospels where Jesus shared these facts with the Twelve Disciples in some form or another. Jesus had spoken of His crucifixion and resurrection on more than one occasion beginning after Peter confessed Him as the Christ (see Matthew 16:21; Luke 9:22), and then at other times (see Matthew 17:22-23; 20:17-19; Mark 9:31; Luke 18:32-33). No doubt they probably told the women what Jesus had said to them that after He was delivered into the hands of the Romans, He would be �crucified, and the third day rise again.� It�s sad to see that these words did not have an impact on Jesus� followers, not even His apostles. They focused so much on His unthinkable death that they didn�t even hear His words about His resurrection. But even if they did listen, they couldn�t understand what He meant (see Mark 9:10; Luke 18:34). Note: The first time that Jesus spoke of His coming death and resurrection was right after Peter confessed Him as the Christ (see Matthew 16:21; Luke 9:20-22). The second time was just after Jesus healed a demon-possessed boy (see Mark 9:17-32). The third time that Jesus gave this prophecy was when He and His disciples were on their way to Jerusalem for the last time (see Mark 10:32-34; Luke 18:31-33). Although Jesus foretold His crucifixion, death and resurrection to His disciples on multiple occasions, for some reason His words never made a lasting impression on them. On one occasion they discussed among themselves what the rising from the dead meant (see Mark 9:9-10). On another occasion they didn�t understand His prediction, and were afraid to ask Him what He meant (see Mark 9:31-32).
D. A prompt report (Luke 24:8-10).
1. (vs. 8). This verse simply says �And they remembered his words.� After the angels reminded the women that Jesus had predicted His death and resurrection,�they remembered his words.� The women remembered both the words He had spoken as well as the ways those words were fulfilled. Jesus had been delivered into the hands of sinful men and crucified, and they were eyewitnesses to that fact. Now, after three days later (see Matthew 27:63), they had seen and heard the evidence that Jesus had risen from the dead. Note: We can profit from the experience of these early believers. The predicted truth of the death and resurrection of Christ came to them by revelation through the angels, not by reason because they didn�t consider it reasonable. Therefore, they didn�t take it seriously. Now, by revelation once again, God reminded them of the truth of Jesus� resurrection and their faith was strengthened. God�s truth always comes to us by revelation�biblical revelation. Since parts of the Bible don�t seem reasonable to our human minds, we tend to ignore some of it or interpret it figuratively. As a result, we miss the blessing that God�s Word brings because of unbelief. Only when we take all of God�s Word seriously can He strengthen us.
2. (vs. 9). After remembering Jesus� words, this verse says of the women �And returned from the sepulchre, and told all these things unto the eleven, and to all the rest.� With their own faith strengthened, the women �returned from the sepulcher� meaning that they left the tomb. They returned to Jerusalem and �told all these things unto the eleven, and to all the rest.� The words �the eleven� refers to the remaining eleven disciples, because Judas had committed suicide (see Matthew 27:1-5). Note: Apparently while on their way back from the tomb, Jesus Himself met the women and received their worship, and then instructed them to tell the others (see Matthew 28:8-10). Now, when they reached the disciples, not only could they tell of the angels� message and the empty tomb, but they could also tell them that they had actually seen the Lord Jesus Himself. They were firsthand witnesses that Jesus� prediction of His death and resurrection was true. And they were women, not men!
3. (vs. 10). Now we are introduced to the prominent members of this group of women. This verse says �It was Mary Magdalene and Joanna, and Mary the mother of James, and other women that were with them, which told these things unto the apostles.� One of them was �Mary Magdalene� identified by her home city of Magdala near the Sea of Galilee. After Jesus cast seven demons out of her, she became a consistent, devoted follower thereafter (see Luke 8:2). She was the first person to have an encounter with Jesus after His resurrection (see John 20:1-18). She has often been portrayed as a prostitute, but there is no evidence of this in any of the Gospels. A second woman in this group was �Joanna.� She was socially prominent since she was the wife of Chuza, the steward or servant of Herod Antipas (see Luke 8:3). A third woman was �Mary the mother of James.� In Mark 15:40, she is identified as the mother of James the less and Joses and the wife of Cleophas (see John 19:25). This Mary appears in Scripture only in connection with Jesus� crucifixion and resurrection, so we know nothing more about her. This verse does not give the names of the �other women that were with them,� but Mark�s account includes Salome (see Mark 15:40; 16:1) who was probably the wife of Zebedee and the mother of James and John (see Matthew 27:56). All these women were witnesses to the resurrection including Mary Magdalene who returned to the tomb after reporting the missing body to Peter and John (see John 20:11-16). Their combined testimony of what they had seen and heard was so impressive that the apostles could not ignore it, or could they? The next passage of Scripture answers that question.
E. An unbelieving response (see Luke 24:11). When the women returned to the apostles to give them the good news, this verse says �And their words seemed to them as idle tales, and they believed them not.� The news of the resurrection should�ve generated great excitement, but due to a probable combination of male pride and outright unbelief,�their words seemed to them as idle tales.� In other words, the eleven apostles considered the women�s report to be sheer nonsense. As mentioned previously, in both Hebrew and the Greco-Roman society of that day, women were thought to be inferior to men, thus making their witness untrustworthy so�they (the disciples) believed them not.� It may have been that in a male-dominated society even the apostles wouldn�t believe women. Normally, two or three witnesses was enough to establish the truth of a statement (see Deuteronomy 19:15; Matthew 18:16; John 8:17), but no amount of testimony would satisfy these men. Only personal experience could convince them. The truth of the matter is their faith was no stronger than that of doubting Thomas (see John 20:24-25). Note: Of all those who followed Jesus, the Eleven should have had the strongest faith. They walked with Him for three years and heard Him speak of His resurrection several times, yet they refused to believe. After His resurrection, when Jesus appeared before the Eleven, He rebuked them for their �unbelief and hardness of heart� (see Mark 16:14). It�s interesting that their failure to believe is really proof of Jesus� resurrection. Since they were not expecting Him to rise, they surely wouldn�t have imagined to have seen Him. Neither would they have stolen His body to make others believe that Jesus had risen. This group of men were dejected and defeated, hiding out because they feared what might happen to them (see John 20:19). Therefore, we can be sure that when they began to preach a risen Christ, they did it on the basis of undeniable proof. Our faith rests on fact, not imagination.
IV. PETER: INVESTIGATING THE TOMB (Luke 24:12). This verse says �Then arose Peter, and ran unto the sepulchre; and stooping down, he beheld the linen clothes laid by themselves, and departed, wondering in himself at that which was come to pass.� John�s Gospel tells us that Mary Magdalene told Peter and John that someone had stolen Jesus� body (see John 20:2). Remember, she left the tomb before the angels explained that Jesus had risen. After hearing Mary�s words, both Peter and John ran to the tomb and John outran Peter getting to the tomb first, but he only stooped and looked in (see John 20:3-5). When Peter arrived, He went into the tomb. Here in this verse, Luke only mentions Peter�s arrival at the tomb and not John�s. However, they both�beheld the linen clothes laid by themselves� because after Peter went into the tomb, John went in also (see John 20:6-8). The fact that the �linen clothes laid by themselves� is evidence that Jesus� body had slipped through them. It appears that this sight didn�t convince Peter because the last part of this verse says that he �departed, wondering in himself at that which was come to pass.� In other words, he left the tomb wondering what really happened. Note: At some point that day, Jesus personally appeared to Peter (see Luke 24:34: I Corinthians 15:5). Eventually, all the skeptical and unbelieving apostles saw the risen Christ (see John 20:19-20, 24-29; 21:1-2; Acts 1:1-8; I Corinthians 15:3-8), and their lives changed forever.
V. THE TRAVELLING DISCIPLES: THEY MEET THE RISEN SAVIOUR (Luke 24:30-35). Verses 13-29 are not part of our printed text, but those verses bring us to the remainder of our lesson. That same day of Jesus� resurrection, two of His followers were headed to Emmaus which was about seven miles from Jerusalem. While they were talking about everything that had happened in Jerusalem, Jesus came near and walked with them. But they didn�t recognize Him. Jesus asked them what they were discussing, looking sad as they walked. The two men stopped, and the one named Cleopas said, �You must be the only person in Jerusalem who doesn�t know what has just happened there.� Jesus said, �What are you talking about?� They said, �about Jesus of Nazareth. He was a great prophet to God and all the people and He said and did many powerful things. But our leaders and the leading priests handed him over to be judged and killed, so they nailed him to a cross. We were hoping that he would be the one to free Israel. But then all this happened. And it has been three days since He was killed. But today, some of our women told us an amazing thing. They said early this morning they went to the tomb where they laid Jesus� body, but his body wasn�t there. They also said that they had seen a vision of angels who told them that Jesus was alive! So, some of our group went to the tomb too and found it just as the women said, but they didn�t see Jesus.� Then Jesus said to the two men, �You are foolish and slow to realize what is true. You should believe everything the prophets said. Wasn�t the Messiah supposed to suffer those things before he began his time of glory?� Then Jesus began to explain everything that had been written about Him in the Scriptures, starting with the books of Moses and all the prophets. When they came near Emmaus, Jesus acted as if he didn�t plan to stop there, but they begged Him to stay with them because it was almost dark. So Jesus accepted their invitation. This is where the second part of our text begins.
A. The disciples eat with Jesus (Luke 24:30-31).
1. (vs. 30). At this point Luke writes �And it came to pass, as he sat at meat with them, he took bread, and blessed it, and brake, and gave to them.� At the table Jesus assumed the role of host and He took bread, blessed it, broke it and then gave it to the two disciples. Note: This was not a miraculous meal like that of the five loaves, nor was it a sacramental meal like that of the Lord�s Supper. It was a common or regular meal. Yet Jesus did the same here as he had done in those other meals, to teach us to keep up our communion with God through Christ in common fellowships as well as in special ordinances. In addition, Jesus� actions here were meant to encourage believers to seek God�s blessing, and give thanks at every meal since He provides our daily bread.
2. (vs. 31). Now Luke says �And their eyes were opened, and they knew him; and he vanished out of their sight.� Just as Christ blessed and broke the bread, the eyes of the two disciples were opened and �they knew him� or recognized Him. Although these two were not in the upper room when Jesus broke bread at the Passover, they may have seen Him do this on other occasions (see Matthew 14:17-19). At any rate, this one act triggered both their physical and spiritual sight. Once their eyes were opened, they saw who it was because they knew Him well enough. Whatever it was that concealed His identity from them was now taken out of the way. There was no question that it was their Master. But just as soon as they recognized Jesus, Luke said �he vanished out of their sight.� The Lord disappeared! Jesus withdrew himself from them, and all of a sudden went out of sight. Note: We can�t be positive, but it appears that Christ�s body, after his resurrection was the very same body in which he suffered and died, with the marks in it. Yet His body was changed so much that it could become either visible or invisible as Jesus saw fit to make it. This was most likely a step towards the Lord�s body being made a glorious body (see Philippians 3:21).
B. Burning hearts (Luke 24:32-33).
1. (vs. 32). Now convinced that they had been in the presence of the living Christ, these men �said one to another, Did not our heart burn within us, while he talked with us by the way, and while he opened to us the scriptures?� These two disciples thought about their experience with the risen Lord. When Jesus had taught the Scriptures to them (see vss. 25-27), their hearts burned within. They found Jesus� preaching powerful, even when they didn�t recognize the Preacher. He made things very plain and clear to them, and even more He brought both a divine heat and a divine light into their souls. These two disciples agreed that no one but Jesus, and no word but His could make �our hearts burn within us.� This man was no longer a stranger to them anymore. He was Jesus, who was now alive. Preaching is likely to do good when it is presented as Jesus did. It was plain preaching so that the two disciples could understand, and it was also scripturalpreaching for they declared that Jesus �opened to us the scriptures,� the scriptures relating to Himself. The preaching or expounding of those scriptures which speak of Christ has a direct tendency to warm the hearts of His disciples, both to quicken and to comfort them. Note: When God opens up the Word to us in a special way, it will burn into our hearts (minds) until we reconcile with His truth. God�s Word speaks to our spirits until we respond.
2. (vs. 33). At this point the two disciples felt the urge to share their experience with the other disciples so �they rose up the same hour, and returned to Jerusalem, and found the eleven gathered together, and them that were with them.� Wasting no time, the two disciples got up from the table and went back to Jerusalem to report what they had experienced to �the eleven gathered together,� a reference to the Eleven Apostles. Even though it was getting toward evening, now that they had seen Christ they could not rest until they had brought the good news to the disciples, which would confirm their trembling faith and comfort their sorrowful spirits. It�s the duty of those to whom Christ has manifested Himself to let others know what He has done for their souls. The phrase �and them that were with them� indicates that there were other followers of Jesus present with the apostles. Acts 1:15 tells us that by this time there were about 120 believers in Jerusalem.
C. Declaring the risen Saviour (Luke 24:34-35).
1. (vs. 34). When the two disciples returned to Jerusalem they found the apostles and those who were with them already rejoicing about the risen Lord �Saying, The Lord is risen indeed, and hath appeared to Simon.� The reference to �Simon� is Simon Peter. Paul also mentioned that Jesus appeared to Peter when he was alone (see I Corinthians 15:5), but nothing more is said about that appearance in Scripture. According to John�s gospel, Jesus first appeared to Mary Magdalene after He rose from the dead (see John 20: 1-16). Note: The accounts in this lesson give credible and irrefutable evidence that Jesus Christ indeed rose from the dead and appeared in a real, glorified body. We all know what our lives are like because Jesus rose from the dead. But what would our lives be like if He hadn�t been resurrected? The Apostle Paul, one of the eyewitnesses of the risen Lord describes things that would be true if Jesus had not been resurrected. First, our preaching and teaching would be useless: �If Christ be not risen, then is our preaching vain� (see I Corinthians 15:14). Second, our faith would be useless: �If Christ be not raised, your faith is vain� (see I Corinthians 15:17). Third, we would still be under the penalty of our sin: �If Christ be not raised�ye are yet in your sins� (see I Corinthians 15:17). Fourth, we would be hopeless and miserable: �If in this life only we have hope in Christ, we are of all men most miserable� (see I Corinthians 15:19). Finally, believers who have died are lost forever: �And if Christ be not raised�then they also which are fallen asleep in Christ are perished� (see I Corinthians 15:17-18). That would be true because our resurrection is based on Christ�s resurrection (see I Corinthians 15:20-23; I Thessalonians 4:14). If He doesn�t get up, neither will we! Paul concluded by saying that �now is Christ risen from the dead, and become the first-fruits of them that slept (see I Corinthians 15:20). Therefore, our preaching has purpose, our faith is solid, our sins are forgiven, we experience true joy, and we have the confidence that we shall see our loved ones again. All this is true because Jesus Christ has risen!
2. (vs. 35). Our final verse says �And they told what things were done in the way, and how he was known of them in breaking of bread.� The two disciples from Emmaus then told the other disciples who were present, about their own experiences with the risen Christ. First, �what things were done in the way� refers to how Jesus opened up the Scriptures to them as they walked to Emmaus. Second, they told �how he was known of them in breaking of bread.� Here they were saying that at first they didn�t recognize Jesus, but after He broke bread with them, they knew it was the risen Lord. The fact that Jesus was recognized by the �breaking of bread�should remind us of the spiritual significance of the Lord�s Supper, also called the breaking of bread in Scripture (see Acts 2:42; 20:7; I Corinthians 10:16).
VI. Conclusion. Jesus told His disciples many times that He would be crucified and rise again. They seem to have been oblivious to the message, even doubtful that it was true. But when they saw Him in His resurrected state, they remembered the words that He had spoken to them. Jesus has also said that He will come again to meet us in the air (see I Thessalonians 4:13-17). Let us be watchful and believing, remembering His words to us.
Sunday School Lesson for Easter Sunday: "HE HAS RISEN!"
Posted : 30 Mar, 2018 06:50 AM
**THE ATONING SACRIFICE FOR OUR SINS IS THE PRECIOUS BLOOD OF CHRIST**!!
Matthew 26:28: Jesus says, "This is My blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many **FOR THE FORGIVENESS OF SINS**!"
Galatians 2:18-21: I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me! The life I live in the body, I live by **FAITH** in the Son of God, who loved me and **GAVE HIMSELF FOR ME**!! I do not set aside the grace of God, for if righteousness could be gained through the law, Christ died for nothing!!
Hebrews 9:12: He entered the Most Holy Place once for all by **HIS OWN BLOOD**, having obtained **ETERNAL REDEMPTION**!
Hebrews 9:22; 26-28: The law requires that nearly everything be cleansed with blood, and without the shedding of blood **THERE IS NO FORGIVENESS**.... But now He has appeared **ONCE FOR ALL** at the end of the ages to do away with sin **BY THE SACRIFICE OF HIMSELF**!! Just as man is destined to die once, and after that to face judgment, and **CHRIST WAS SACRIFICED **ONCE** TO TAKE AWAY THE SINS OF MANY PEOPLE**, and He will appear a second time, not to bear sin, but to bring salvation to those who are waiting for Him!
Hebrews 10:8-10: First He said, "Sacrifices and offerings, burnt offerings and sin offerings You did not desire, nor were You pleased with them," although the law required them to be made. Then He said, "Here I am, I have come to do Your will." He sets aside the first **TO ESTABLISH THE SECOND**. And by that will, we have been made holy through the sacrifice of the body of Jesus Christ **ONCE FOR ALL**!!
Romans 3:21-25: But now a righteousness from God, **APART FROM THE LAW**, has been made known, to which the Law and the Prophets testify. This righteousness from God comes **THROUGH FAITH** in Jesus Christ to all who believe. There is no difference, for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and are justified freely by **HIS GRACE** through the **REDEMPTION** that came by Christ Jesus. God presented Him as a **SACRIFICE OF ATONEMENT**, **THROUGH **FAITH** IN HIS BLOOD**!!
Colossians 1:19-20: He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation. For by Him all things were For God was pleased to have all His fullness dwell in Him, and through Him to reconcile to Himself all things, whether things **ON EARTH** or things in heaven, by making peace **THROUGH HIS BLOOD**, **SHED ON THE CROSS**!!
Colossians 2:13-15: When you were dead in your sins and in the uncircumcision of your sinful nature, God made you **ALIVE WITH CHRIST**. He forgave us **ALL OUR SINS**, having canceled the written code, with its regulation, that was against us and that stood opposed to us, He took it away, **NAIILNG IT TO THE CROSS**!!.
Ephesians 1:7-8: In Him we have **REDEMPTION THROUGH HIS BLOOD**, **THE FORGIVENESS OF SINS**, in accordance the riches of God's grace that He lavished on us with all wisdom and understanding!!
I Peter 1:18,19: For you know that was not with perishable things such as silver or gold that you were **REDEEMED** from the empty way of life handed down to you by your forefathers, but with the **PRECIOUS BLOOD OF CHRIST**, Lamb without blemish or defect!!
I Peter 2:24,25: He Himself **BORE OUR SINS** in His body on the tree, so that we might die to sins and live for righteousness, by **HIS WOUNDS** we are healed{See Isaiah 53:5,6}!! For you were like sheep going astray, but now you have returned to the Shepherd and Overseer of your souls!!
I Peter 3:18 For Christ **DIED FOR SINS ONCE FOR ALL**, the righteous for the unrighteous, to bring you to God!!
I John 2:1-2: My dear children, I write this to you so that you will not sin. But if anybody does sin, we have One who speaks to the Father in our defense--Jesus Christ, the Righteous One. He is the **ATONING SACRIFICE FOR OUR SINS**, and not only for ours but also for the sins of the whole world!!
I John 4:10: This is **LOVE**, not that we loved God, but that He **LOVED** us and sent His Son as an **ATONING SACRIFICE** for our sins.
Revelation 1:4,5: Grace and peace to you from Him who is, and who was, and who is to come and from Jesus Christ, who is the faithful Witness... To Him who loves us and has freed us from our sins **BY HIS BLOOD**!!
NOTE: Jesus Christ our Savior is called the **LAMB** 30 times in the book of Revelation.
Revelation 5:6,9: Then I saw a **LAMB**, looking as if it had been slain, standing in the center of the throne...You are worthy to take the scroll and to open its seals because You were slain , and **WITH YOUR BLOOD** You purchased men for God from every tribe and language and people and nation!!
Revelation 7:14: These are they who have come out of the Great Tribulation, they have was their robes and made them white in the **BLOOD OF THE LAMB**!!
Isaiah 53:5,6: But He was pierced for our transgressions, He was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was upon Him, and by His wounds we are healed! We all, like sheep, have gone astray , each of us has turned to his own way, and **THE LORD HAS LAID ON HIM THE INIQUITY OF US ALL**!!
Romans 5:6-10: You see, at just the right time, when we were still powerless. Christ died for the ungodly. Very rarely will anyone die for a righteous man, though for a good man someone might possibly dare to die. But God demonstrates His love for us in this: While we were still sinners **CHRIST DIED FOR US**. Since we are now justified **BY HIS BLOOD**, how much more will we be saved from God's wrath through Him! When we were God's enemies, we were reconciled to Him **THROUGH THE DEATH OF HIS SON**!!
Jesus is called the **LAMB** of God **30 TIMES** in Revelation because Jesus became our **PASSOVER LAMB** on **PASSOVER DAY** and put and end to all lamb sacrifices for sin which were required by the Father in the Old Testament Covenant.
Exodus 12:1-3,6,7,12,13: The Lord said to Moses and Aaron, "This month is to be the first month of your year. Tell the whole community of Israel that on the 10th day of the month each man is to take a **LAMB** for his family... Take care of them until 14th day of the month, when all the members of the community of Israel must slaughter them at twilight. Then they are to take some of the **BLOOD** and put it on the sides and tops of the doorframes of their houses... On that same night I will pass through Egypt and strike down every firstborn of both people and animals, and I will bring judgment on all the gods of Egypt, I am the Lord. The **BLOOD** will be a sign for you on the houses where you are, and when I see the **BLOOD** I will **PASSOVER YOU**!!"
And Jesus then became our **PASSOVER LAMB** on **PASSOVER DAY**!!**ON GOOD FRIDAY**!!
Sunday School Lesson for Easter Sunday: "HE HAS RISEN!"
Posted : 30 Mar, 2018 03:15 PM
Thank you Ella for a excellent post. Most informative and very truthful. I always have and for enjoy reading your posts. Blessed Good Friday....and yes sir see...He "IS" Risen!!!
Sunday School Lesson for Easter Sunday: "HE HAS RISEN!"
Posted : 31 Mar, 2018 06:24 AM
**ON WHAT DAY DID JESUS BECOME OUR PASSOVER LAMB ON PASSOVER DAY?? AND ON WHAT DAY WAS THE RESURRECTION DAY OF THE LORD JESUS CHRIST**??
Numbers 28:16: �On the 14th day of the 1st month the Lord�s Passover is to be held.� Exodus 12:6,7,12,13: �Take care of them {The Passover Lambs} until the 14th day of the month when all the people of Israel must slaughter them {See Lev 23:5} at Twilight {Just after sundown to nightfall on Passover Day! 1 Cor 5:7: �For Christ our **PASSOVER LAMB** has been sacrificed.� Whereas the Jews {who were following the evil Babylonian moon calendar} held their Passover on the 15th of Nisan {Which always occurs on the night of a full moon} and observed the Passover on the WRONG DAY as per John 18:28: �Then the Jews led Jesus from Caiaphas to the palace of the Roman Governor {Pilate}. By now it was early morning, and to avoid ceremonial uncleanness the Jews did not enter the palace; for they wanted to be able to eat the PASSOVER!!� Which would have been the day �AFTER� Jesus correctly held the Passover on the 14th of ABIB which God had commanded. So we can assume that the month of ABIB is different from the Babylonian moon month of Nisan and therefore has nothing to do with the moon.
When does the first month of the Bible Year called ABIB begin?? Most Evangelical Bible scholars believe that it always begins of the first day of SPRING or sundown March 20th to sundown March 21st for ABIB is the Hebrew word for SPRING!!! And so the 14th {*7+7*} Day of ABIB can also be translated the 14th {*7+7*} day of SPRING!!
All encyclopedias state that Augustus Caesar died on August 19, AD 14 and therefore *EVERYONE AGREES that the 15th year of the reign of his successor, Tiberius Caesar, would have been from August 19, AD 28 to August 19, AD 29.
Luke 3:1,2: �In the 15th year of the reign of Tiberius Caesar� the Word of God came to John son of Zechariah in the desert.� EVERYONE WHO AGREES that the Bible is the inspired Word of God agrees that John began his ministry in the 15th year of Tiberius Caesar which was definitely from August 19, AD 28 to August 19, AD 29!! Now we know from Luke 3:1-3 above that John the Baptist began his ministry in the 15th year of Tiberius which most likely began on his 30th birthday according to OT Law {As per I Chron 23:3}. And we know from Luke 1:35-37 that John was 5 to 6 months older than Jesus. Luke 3:23: �Now Jesus Himself was as thirty years old when He began His ministry.�
So if Jesus began His ministry on His 30th human birthday {As per OT Law} on November 14th, AD 29 then John would have began his ministry 5 to 6 months earlier about June 2nd to July 2nd, AD 29 which would be in the 15th year of the reign of Tiberius Caesar since the 15th year of the reign of Tiberius Caesar was completed on August 19th AD 29 which was exactly 15 years after the death of Augustus Caesar on August 19th, AD 14.
The 30th birthday of Jesus was November 14th, AD 29 since He would have been baptized or Anointed 40 days earlier on October 5th, AD 29 and since the Resurrection Day of our Lord Jesus was exactly 3 1/2 tears or 1278 days after His Anointing on October 5th, AD 29; or on April 5th, AD 33; which completed the first half of the last 7 years whhich is always 1278 days of the 70 7's in Daniel 9:27a when the Anointed One gave us a New Covenant and put an end to all sacrifices for sin in the middle of the last 7 years which is 1278 days.
If you go to the Internet under {timeanddate.com/calendar} you will be able to find the calendar for the month of April, AD 33 in Israel {Backspace and remove 2011 and type in 33 and scroll to Israel}. You will observe that April 2nd, AD 33 was on a Thursday and that April 5th, AD 33 was on a Sunday. So it is quite probable that Jesus held the Passover right after Sundown on April 2nd, AD 33; was crucified on Friday, April 3rd, AD 33; and then was raised to life on Sunday, April 5th, AD 33. Then the 14th day of the first Bible month of ABIB or PASSOVER DAY would have begun on the 14th day after March 21st AD 33 {The first day of Spring}.
The first day of ABIB is always from sundown, March 20th, AD 33 to sundown March 21st, AD 33 and then the 14th day of ABIB or **PASSOVER DAY** would have been from sundown, April 2nd, AD 33 to sundown, April 3rd, AD 33. Jesus was our Passover Lamb {I Cor 5:7} on Passover Day! And so our Lord�s Resurrection Day is always on the **16TH OF ABIB**; which is always on **APRIL 5TH** each and every year!!
Luke 22:7,8: Then came the day on which the Passover Lamb �Had� to be sacrificed. Jesus said, �Go and make preparations for us to eat the Passover.� Christ became our Passover Lamb on Passover Day! 1 Cor 5:7: �For Christ our PASSOVER LAMB has been sacrificed.� Whereas the Jews {who were following the evil Babylonian moon calendar} held their Passover on the 15th of Nisan {Which always occurs on the night of a full moon} and observed the Passover on the WRONG DAY as per John 18:28: �Then the Jews led Jesus from Caiaphas to the palace of the Roman Governor {Pilate}. By now it was early morning, and to avoid ceremonial uncleanness the Jews did not enter the palace; for they wanted to be able to eat the PASSOVER!!� Which would have been the day �AFTER� Jesus correctly held the Passover on the 14th of ABIB which God had commanded. So we can assume that the month of ABIB is different from the Babylonian moon month of Nisan and therefore has nothing to do with the moon. When does the first month of the Bible Year called ABIB begin?? Most Evangelical Bible scholars believe that it always begins of the first day of SPRING or sundown March 20th to sundown March 21st for ABIB is the Hebrew word for SPRING!!! And so the 14th {*7+7*} Day of ABIB can also be translated the 14th {*7+7*} day of SPRING!!
Jesus was crucified on **PASSOVER DAY** on Friday, April 3rd, AD 33; and then was raised to life just after sunrise on Sunday, April 5th, AD 33. Then the 14th day of the first Bible month of ABIB or PASSOVER DAY would have begun on the 14th day after sundown March 20th to sundown, March 21st AD 33 {The first day of Spring}. The first day of ABIB was from sundown, March 20th, AD 33 to sundown March 21st, AD 33 then the 14th day of ABIB or Passover Day would have been from sundown, April 2nd, AD 33 to sundown, April 3rd, AD 33.
Jesus was our **PASSOER LAMB** {I Cor 5:7} on **PASSOVER DAY** which is always the **14TH OF ABIB** And so our Lord�s Resurrection Day is always on the **16TH OF ABIB**; which is always on **APRIL 5TH** each and every year!!
God's Word states 3 times that Jesus would rise again on the **THIRD DAY** in Luke 18:33, Luke 24:46 and I Corinthians 15:4.
Mark 15:27,33,34,37: It was about nine in the morning {the 3rd hour after sunrise} when they crucified Jesus... At about noon {The 6th hour} darkness came over the whole land until about 3 in the afternoon {the 9th hour}. And about 3 in the afternoon Jesus cried out in a loud voice "My God why have you forsaken Me?"... With a loud cry Jesus breathed His last.
And when Jesus died about 3 in the afternoon there was darkness over the whole land and so it was at night time. And so about 3PM, Friday, April 3rd, AD 33 was the **1ST NIGHT** and then there was light or daytime until sundown, Friday which was the **FIRST DAY. Friday at sundown to sunrise on Saturday was the **2ND NIGHT**. Sunrise, Saturday to Sundown, Saturday was the **2ND DAY**. Sundown, Saturday to sunrise Sunday was the **3RD NIGHT** and just after Sunrise Sunday, April 5th was the **3RD DAY**.
About 80 percent of expert Bible Chronologists believe Jesus was crucified on the 3rd hour or about 9 AM on Friday, April 3rd, AD 33 which is always the 14th Day of ABIB, which is always **PASSOVER DAY**, since God's Word states that Jesus was our **PASSOVER LAMB**. About 20 percent of Bible Chronologists claim that Jesus must have become our Passover Lamb on Wednesday, April 1st AD 33 or Thursday, April 2nd, AD 33 which would have been one or two days **BEFORE** the 14th of Abib which is always **PASSOVER DAY**.
Those who believe that Jesus was crucified on AD 30 to AD 32 must be wrong since according to God's Word Jesus began His ministry on his 30th human birthday in the 15th year of Tiberius Caesar which would have shpwn to be in AD 29 which would be 3 1/2 years before His crucifixion in April of AD 33. The Satanic Urantia faory tale book teaches that Jesus was crucified on the 6th hour instead of the 3rd hour in AD 30 {???} which is completely ridiculous and contradicts God's Word two times!! They also claim that John said Jesus was crucified in the 6th hour which contradicts Mark who said that Jesus was crucified on the 3rd hour in Mark 15:27 which Urantia claims that it again shows a discrepancy in God's sacred Word. This is an absolute lie since John never mentioned **ANY TIME PERIODS** in his description of the crucifixion of Jesus in John 19:16-30!!
Sunday School Lesson for Easter Sunday: "HE HAS RISEN!"
Posted : 31 Mar, 2018 03:23 PM
There are many who quote the following 2 Scriptures about doing the *WILL OF THE FATHER**:
Not every one who says to me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he who does the **WILL OF MY FATHER** who is in heaven." (Matthew 7:21)
Matthew 12:50: Jesus says, Whoever does the **WILL OF MY FATHER** in heaven is My brother and sister and mother!"
But then they never tell us what the **WILL OF THE FATHER IS** in the New Testament or they quote a lot of old Testament words by the Father.
**WHAT DOES GOD'S WORD SAY ABOUT WHAT **THE WILL OF THE FATHER IS** in the New Testament.
John 14:39,40: Jesus says And this is the **WILL OF HIM** who sent Me, that I shall **LOSE NONE** of all those He has given, Me, but raise them up at the Last Day. For My *FATHER'S WILL* is that everyone who looks to the Son and believes in Him shall have eternal life, and I will raise then up at the Last Day!"
Acts 22:24:15: Ananias said to Paul, "The God of our ancestors has **CHOSEN YOU** to **KNOW HIS WILL** and to see the Righteous One and to hear words from His mouth. You will be His witness to all people of what you have seen and heard.
Acts 26:16-18: The Lord Jesus said to Paul, Now get up and stand on your feet. I have appeared to you and **APPOINTED YOU** as a servant and as a witness of what you have seen and will see of Me I am sending you to the Gentiles to open their eyes and turn then from darkness to light, and from the power of Satan to God, so that they my receive **FORGIVENESS OF SINS** and a place among those who **SANCTIFIED BY FAITH IN ME**!"
Acts 915: The Lord said to Ananias, "This man {PAUL} is **MY CHOSEN INSTRUMENT**to proclaim My name to the Gentiles and their kings and to the people of Israel!"
Acts 20:27: Paul said, "For I have not hesitated to proclaim to you the **WHOLE WILL OF GOD**!"
Ephesians 1:3-10: Praise be to the God and Father of our **LORD** Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in the heavenly realms with every spiritual blessing **IN CHRIST** In love He predestined us for adoption to sonship through Jesus Christ, in accordance with **HIS PLEASURE AND WILL**--to the praise of His glorious grace, which He has **FREELY** given us in the One He loves, In Him we have **REDEMPTION THROUGH HIS BLOOD, the **FORGIVENESS OF SINS**, in accordance of the riches of God's grace that He lavished on us will all wisdom, He made known to us the mystery of **HIS WILL**according to His good pleasure, which He purposed in Christ, to be put into effect when the times have reached their fulfillment--to bring all things in heaven and on earth **UNDER CHRIST**!
Ephesians 1:20-23: The Father raised Jesus from the dead and seated Him at His right hand in the heavenly realms, far above all rule and authority, power and dominion and every name that is invoked, not only in the present age but also in the one to come. And God placed all things under His feet and appointed Him to be the **HEAD OVER EVERYTHING FOR THE CHURCH**, which is **HIS BODY**, the fullness of Him who fills everything in every Way!!
Matthew 28:18-20: The Lord Jesus says, "**ALL AUTHORITY** in heaven and on earth has been given to **ME**. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations... teaching them to **OBEY EVERYTHING I HAVE COMMANDED YOU**. And surely I am with you Always!"
Hebrews 10:7-10: The Lord Jesus said, "I have come to do **YOUR WILL** My God. Sacrifices and offerings, burnt offerings and sin offerings You did not desire, nor were You pleased with them--though they were offered in accordance of the law. Then Jesus said, "Here I am, I have come to do **YOUR WILL**!" Jesus set aside the first Covenant to establish the second Covenant. And by that **WILL*, we have been made holy **THROUGH THE SACRIFICE OF THE BODY OF JESUS CHRIST ONCE FOR ALL**!
John 3:16-18: For God so loved the world that He gave His One and only Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but to **SAVE** the world **THROUGH HIM**! Whoever believes in Him is not condemned, but whoever does not believstands condemned already because they have not believed in the name of God's **ONE AND ONLY SON**!!
I John 2:1-5: We have an Advocate with the Father--Jesus Christ the Righteous One. He is the **ATONING SACRIFICE FOR OUR SIN**, and not only for ours but also for the sins of the whole world. We know we have com to know Him *IF WE KEEP HIS COMMANDS**. Whoever says, "I know Him," but does not do what He commands is a **LIAR**, and the truth is not in that person. But if anyone **OBEYS HIS WORD**. God's love is truly made complete in him. This is how we know we are in Him!!
John 14:21,23: Jesus says, "Whoever has My commands and keeps them is the one who loves Me. The one who loves Me will be loved by My Father... Anyone who loves Me will **OBEY MY TEACHING**, My Father will love them, and We will come to them and make our home with them!"
John 14:6,7: Jesus says, "I an the **WAY** the **TRUTH** and the **LIFE**. No one comes to the Father **EXCEPT THROUGH ME**! If you really knew Me, you would know My Father as well. From now on, you do know Him and have **SEEN HIM**!!"
Sunday School Lesson for Easter Sunday: "HE HAS RISEN!"
Posted : 31 Mar, 2018 06:49 PM
**SHOULD OUR LORD'S RESURRECTION DAY BE CALLED **EASTER** **SUN**DAY**??
Easter is a day that is honered by nearly all of contemporary Christianity and is used to celebrate the resurrection of Jesus Christ.
The holiday often involves a church service at sunrise, a feast which includes an "Easter Ham", decorated eggs and stories about rabbits.
Those who love truth learn to ask questions, and many questions must be asked regarding the holiday of Easter.
Is it truly the day when Jesus arose from the dead? Where did all of the strange customs come from, which have nothing to do with the resurrection of our Savior?
The purpose of this study is to help answer those questions, and to help those who seek truth to draw their own conclusions.
The first thing we must understand is that professing Christians were not the only ones who celebrated a festival called "Easter."
"Ishtar", which is pronounced "Easter" was a day that commemorated the resurrection of one of their gods that they called "Tammuz", who was believed to be the only begotten son of the moon-goddess and the **SUN-god.
And the Lord's Resurrection day is now called **EASTER **SUN**day.
That missing part was his reproductive organ. Semiramis claimed that Nimrod could not come back to life without it and told the people of Babylon that Nimrod had ascended to the sun and was now to be called "Baal", the **SUN GOD**
Semiramis became known as "Ishtar" which is pronounced "Easter", and her moon egg became known as "Ishtar's" egg."
Ishtar soon became pregnant and claimed that it was the rays of the **SUN**-god Baal that caused her to conceive.
Tammuz was noted to be especially fond of rabbits, and they became sacred in the ancient religion, because Tammuz was believed to be the son of the sun-god, Baal. Tammuz, like his supposed father, became a hunter.
Queen Ishtar told the people that Tammuz was now ascended to his father, Baal, and that the two of them would be with the worshippers in the sacred candle or lamp flame as Father, Son and Spirit.
Ishtar, who was now worshipped as the "MOTHER OF GOD** and the **QUEEN OF HEAVEN**", continued to build her mystery religion.
Read Jeremiah 44:17-29 about the evil worship of the **QUEEN OF HEAVEN** by the Jews and God's judgment for this terrible sin. The Roman Catholic Church now copy this Satanic worship and pray to and worship Mary who they call the **MOTHER OF GOD** and **QUEEN OF HEAVEN**.
Jeremiah 44:17-22: The Jews said to Jeremiah, "We will burn incense to the **QUEEN OF HEAVEN**and will pour out drink offerings to her just as our kings and our officials did in the towns of Judah and in the streets of Jerusalem.... Then Jeremiah said to them, "Did not the Lord remember and call to mind the incense burned in the towns of Judah and the streets of Jerusalem by you and your ancestors, your kings and officials. When the Lord could no longer endure your wicked actions your land became a curse and a desolate wasteas it is today!!"
They also ate sacred cakes with the marking of a "T" or cross on the top.
Every year, on the first Sunday after the first full moon after the spring equinox, a celebration was made.
It was Ishtar's Sunday and was celebrated with rabbits and eggs. I
By now, the readers of this study should have made the connection that paganism has infiltrated the contemporary "Christian" churches, and further study indicates that this paganism came in by way of the Roman Catholic System.
The truth is that Easter {ISHTAR} has nothing whatsoever to do with the resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ.
We also know that Easter can be as much as three weeks away from the Passover, because the pagan holiday is always set as the first Sunday after the first full moon after the spring equinox.
The Greek word **PASCHA**is mentioned 29 times in the NT and is always translated **PASSOVER** by all English translations except the KJV. The KJV translates **PASCHA** as **PASSOVER** 28 times but uses the pagan god **EASTER** in Acts 12:4. One of the reasons for this may be that almost all of the translators of the KJV were members of the liberal Church of England or Episcopalian Church which accepted most of the Roman Catholic beliefs with the exception of the Pope and Mass.
The following paragraphs are quoted in Wikipedia:
The name "Sunday", the day of the **Sun**, is derived from Hellenistic astrology, where the seven planets, known in English as Saturn, Jupiter, Mars, the ***SUN***, Venus, Mercury and the Moon, each had an hour of the day assigned to them, and the planet which was regent during the first hour of any day of the week gave its name to that day. During the 1st and 2nd century, the week of seven days was introduced into Rome from Egypt, and the Roman names of the planets were given to each successive day.
In Roman culture, Sunday was the day of the Sun god. In paganism, the sun was a source of life, giving warmth and illumination to mankind. It was the center of a popular cult among Romans, who would stand at dawn to catch the first rays of sunshine as they prayed.
The opportunity to spot in the nature-worship of their heathen neighbors a symbolism valid to their own faith was not lost on the Christians. One of the Church fathers, St. Jerome, would declare: "If pagans call [the Lord's Day] the 'day of the sun,' we willingly agree, for today the light of the world is raised, today is revealed the sun of justice with healing in his rays."
A similar consideration may have influenced the choice of the Christmas date on the day of the winter solstice, whose celebration was part of the Roman cult of the sun. In the same vein, Christian churches have been built and are still being built (as far as possible) with an orientation so that the congregation faced toward the sunrise in the East. Much later, St. Francis would sing in his famous canticle: "Be praised, my Lord, through all your creatures, especially through my lord Brother Sun, who brings the day; and you give light through him. And he is beautiful and radiant in all his splendor! Of you, Most High, he bears the likeness."
So maybe Christians should think twice before calling the glorious Resurrection Day of of our Lord And Savior Jesus, **EASTER{ISHTAR} **SUN**DAY**!! Our Lord's Resurrection took place at sunrise, Aptil 5th, AD 33 which is always the 16th Day of the first Lord's month of Abib, and should not be celebrated on the first **SUN**DAY after a full moon according to the first evil Babylonian moon month called Nisan.
Sunday School Lesson for Easter Sunday: "HE HAS RISEN!"
Posted : 1 Apr, 2018 02:22 PM
Another ridiculous quote by a Urantia follower:
"Apparently, the material from Proph about Easter and Ishtar is complete nonsense. All one has to do is Google, "Is Easter Ishtar?" and enlighten one's self."
Actually I did google "Is Easter Ishtar" and found the following paragraphs in the liberal Wikipedia!!
What is 'complete nonsense' is Urantia's claim that Jesus lived on earth 37 years which ended in AD 30; since God's Word states that Jesus began His ministry when He was 30 years old {as per Luke 3:23} in the 15th year of Tiberius in AD 29 {As per Luke 3:1,2} and 3 1/2 years later he became our **PASSOVER LAMB** when He put an end to all other sacrifices for sin as per Daniel 9:27a in the middle of the Last 7 years.
Exact quotes from Wikipedia concerning **ISHTAR** and the **QUEEN OF HEAVEN**:
Inanna was the ancient Sumerian goddess of love, beauty, sex, desire, fertility, war, combat, justice, and political power. She was later worshipped by the Akkadians, Babylonians, and Assyrians under the name **Ishtar**. She was known as the "Queen of Heaven" and was the patron goddess of the Eanna temple at the city of Uruk, which was her main cult center. She was associated with the planet Venus and her most prominent symbols included the lion and the eight-pointed star. Her husband was the god Dumuzid the Shepherd (later known as Tammuz)
The cult of **Inanna-Ishtar** may have been introduced to the Kingdom of Judah during the reign of King Manasseh and, although Inanna herself is not directly mentioned in the Bible by name, the Old Testament contains numerous allusions to her cult. Jeremiah 7:18 and Jeremiah 44:15-19 mention "**the Queen of Heaven**", who is probably a syncretism of **Inanna-Ishtar** and the West Semitic goddess Astarte. Jeremiah states that the **Queen of Heaven** was worshipped by women who baked cakes for her.
Early Christians in the Middle East assimilated elements of **Ishtar** into the cult of the Virgin Mary. The Syrian writers Jacob of Serugh and Romanos the Melodist both wrote laments in which the Virgin Mary describes her compassion for her son at the foot of the cross in deeply personal terms closely resembling **Ishtar's** laments over the death of Tammuz.
Early Christians in the Middle East assimilated elements of Ishtar into the cult of the Virgin Mary. The Syrian writers Jacob of Serugh and Romanos the Melodist both wrote laments in which the Virgin Mary describes her compassion for her son at the foot of the cross in deeply personal terms closely resembling **Ishtar's** laments over the death of Tammuz.
Many Evangelical Christians have argued that the modern English word Easter must be derived from Ishtar due to the phonetic similarity of the two words and that **ISHTAR** is positively similar to the **QUEEN OF HEAVEN** in Jeremiah 44:15-19 and Jeremiah 7:18!
Semiramis became known as "Ishtar" which is pronounced "Easter", and her moon egg became known as "Ishtar's" egg."
Ishtar soon became pregnant and claimed that it was the rays of the **SUN**-god Baal that caused her to conceive.
Tammuz was noted to be especially fond of rabbits, and they became sacred in the ancient religion, because Tammuz was believed to be the son of the sun-god, Baal. Tammuz, like his supposed father, became a hunter.
Queen Ishtar told the people that Tammuz was now ascended to his father, Baal, and that the two of them would be with the worshippers in the sacred candle or lamp flame as Father, Son and Spirit.
**ISHTAR**, who was now worshipped as the "MOTHER OF GOD** and the **QUEEN OF HEAVEN**", continued to build her mystery religion.
Read Jeremiah 44:17-29 about the evil worship of the **QUEEN OF HEAVEN** by the Jews and God's judgment for this terrible sin. The Roman Catholic Church now copy this Satanic worship of **ISHTAR** and pray to and worship Mary who they call the **MOTHER OF GOD** and **QUEEN OF HEAVEN**.
Jeremiah 44:17-22: The Jews said to Jeremiah, "We will burn incense to the **QUEEN OF HEAVEN** and will pour out drink offerings to her just as our kings and our officials did in the towns of Judah and in the streets of Jerusalem.... Then Jeremiah said to them, "Did not the Lord remember and call to mind the incense burned in the towns of Judah and the streets of Jerusalem by you and your ancestors, your kings and officials. When the Lord could no longer endure your wicked actions your land became a curse and a desolate waste as it is today!!"
The following paragraphs are quoted in Wikipedia:
The name "Sunday", the day of the **Sun**, is derived from Hellenistic astrology, where the seven planets, known in English as Saturn, Jupiter, Mars, the ***SUN***, Venus, Mercury and the Moon, each had an hour of the day assigned to them, and the planet which was regent during the first hour of any day of the week gave its name to that day. During the 1st and 2nd century, the week of seven days was introduced into Rome from Egypt, and the Roman names of the planets were given to each successive day.
In Roman culture, Sunday was the day of the Sun god. In paganism, the sun was a source of life, giving warmth and illumination to mankind. It was the center of a popular cult among Romans, who would stand at dawn to catch the first rays of sunshine as they prayed.
The opportunity to spot in the nature-worship of their heathen neighbors a symbolism valid to their own faith was not lost on the Christians. One of the Church fathers, St. Jerome, would declare: "If pagans call [the Lord's Day] the 'day of the sun,' we willingly agree, for today the light of the world is raised, today is revealed the sun of justice with healing in his rays."
A similar consideration may have influenced the choice of the Christmas date on the day of the winter solstice, whose celebration was part of the Roman cult of the sun. In the same vein, Christian churches have been built and are still being built (as far as possible) with an orientation so that the congregation faced toward the sunrise in the East. Much later, St. Francis would sing in his famous canticle: "Be praised, my Lord, through all your creatures, especially through my lord Brother Sun, who brings the day; and you give light through him. And he is beautiful and radiant in all his splendor! Of you, Most High, he bears the likeness."
So maybe Christians should think twice before calling the glorious Resurrection Day of our Lord And Savior Jesus, **EASTER{ISHTAR} **SUN**DAY**!! Our Lord's Resurrection took place at sunrise, April 5th, AD 33 which is always the 16th Day of the first Lord's month of Abib, and should not be celebrated on the first **SUN**DAY after a full moon according to the first evil Babylonian moon month called Nisan.
The first day of God's first month is called **ABIB** which means **SPRING** The first day of **SPRING** or **ABIB** is always sundown, March 20th to sundown, March 21st. And the 14th day of ABIB which is always **PASSOVER DAY** is always sundown, April 2nd to sundown April 3rd each and every Bible year!! And our Lord Jesus became our **PASSOVER LAMB** on **PASSOVER DAY** which is always April 3rd each and every Bible Year; and not on the first Friday after a full moon according to the evil Babylonian Moon Calendar on their first month called Nisan!!
