This expression brings a whole host of ideas to the mind of the typical churchman. What occupation should I follow? Whom should I marry? Should I accept a proffered promotion? Peace on earth, universal prosperity and happiness, the end of sickness and disease � how can I contribute to them? Should my country become involved in war?
Not so to the mind of Jesus. When we have listened to him, we see that to him this expression conveyed one unique and specific idea having no particular relevance to any of those other things. To him, the will of the Father signified, exclusively, one specific thing, and it was that one thing that he had come to the earth to perform. I submit the following utterances for our consideration:
1. For I have come down from heaven, not to do my own will, but the will of him who sent me. (John 6:38)
2. Pray then like this: "Our Father who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come, thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. (Matthew 6:9,10).
3. Not every one who says to me, "Lord, Lord," shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of my Father who is in heaven." (Matthew 7:21).
4. Father, if thou art willing, remove this cup from me; nevertheless not my will, but thine be done. (Luke 22;42).
5. For this is the will of my Father, that everyone who sees the Son and believes in him should have eternal life; and I will raise him up at the last day. (John 6:40).
6. He who loves his life loses it, and he who hates his life in this world will keep it for eternal life. (John 12:25).
7. Tetelestai! (It is finished, John 19:30) We will not err if we think of Jesus as one who had come down from heaven for the purpose of doing the will of the Father as stated in (1). His total earthly experience was focused on this one commission. It would seem to follow that the will of the Father had never yet been done on earth, for then Jesus would not have had to come down from heaven to do it. Neither will we err if we think of the will of the Father as being a specific action having no relevance to what men usually mean in speaking of the will of God.
Then it follows that in the Lord's Prayer (2) Jesus was urging his disciples to pray for him, that he might prevail against all temptations to fulfill his commission by doing the will of the Father on earth as it is in heaven. It also follows that the coming of the Kingdom only awaited the doing of the will of the Father. We see the logic in this when we pause to consider that any kingdom is defined as the realm where the will of the king is done. The kingdom had not come on earth before Jesus because the will of the Father had not yet been done on earth.
Then it likewise follows that no one enters the kingdom of the Father without performing this same action identified in the mind of Jesus as the will of the Father (3). The kingdom of the Father is then defined as the realm where the will of the Father is done. Even Jesus could not enter apart from doing this specific will of the Father.
In dark Gethsemane he yet had not performed what he came to the earth to do: the will of the Father. He prayed to be relieved of the cup of bitter suffering that it entailed (4). It was there that he also urged the sleepy disciples to continue praying The Lord's Prayer, that the will of the Father be done and that his kingdom might come and that they enter not into temptation. Then he left the Garden with a victory over evil: Not my will, but thine be done! (see #1 again).
Jesus defined the will of the Father in (5), and further elaborated it in (6). The will of the Father is: that everyone who sees the Son and believes in him should have eternal life. But this is equated with hating one's life in this world. Therefore the will of the Father as defined by Jesus consists of hating one's life in this world, and this is what he came to the earth from heaven to do. The equivalence is seen as follows:
Let C = eternal life
Let A = Seeing the Son and believing in him
But from (5), Seeing the Son and believing in him = eternal life
Therefore, A = eternal life = C
Therefore, A = C
Let B = hating one's life in this world
But from (6), hating one's life in this world = eternal life
Therefore, B = eternal life = C
Therefore, B = C
But it is shown above that A = C
Therefore, A = B
But A = the will of the Father, also from(5),
Therefore, B (hating one's life in this world) = the will of the Father
The force of temptation on Jesus was so powerful that he might at any time have come down from the cross, which he was able to do, but then the will of the Father would not have been done. He prevailed so that when, with his last breath, he cried out Tetelestai! (It is finished) (7), he could only have meant that the will of the Father had finally been done on earth as it is in heaven! He had done what he came to do; and due to the fact that the will of the Father had been done on earth, the kingdom had come on earth. Jesus lost his life, refusing to save it, and so saved it for eternal life. That is, he hated his life in this world (6).
Utterance No. 5 above is Jesus' absolute and concise definition of the will of the Father. It is that everyone who sees the Son and believes in him should have eternal life, and Jesus will raise him up on the last day. Therefore the will of the Father will only be completed in the Day of Resurrection. The will of the Father focuses exclusively on the Resurrection to eternal life following the way of the cross of Jesus. In the mind of Jesus it has no direct application to circumstances in our personal lives or in the larger world. Nevertheless the kingdom of God has come to earth in its consummation, and remains on earth for so long
as there are those who follow Jesus and do "A" and "B." Only such persons are doing the will of the Father on earth as it is done in heaven, even as Jesus first did it and showed the Way.
Everyone who would relativize the absolute will of the Father by applying it to earthly, temporal, human affairs of this life on earth is therefore fighting against God and against Jesus Christ his Son, perverting his Gospel and having the effect of rendering the work of Jesus null and void. There can hardly be a blacker sin, one that results in men warring against one another, killing and maiming one another, all in the name of God and in the blind belief that they are doing the will of the Father.
Finally, consider the lesson of the Parable of the Prodigal Son (Luke 14:11-32). What was the will of the father, while the Prodigal remained in the far country? Was it not one thing, and one thing only, "Come home?" The father showed no interest in the Prodigal's circumstances in the far country because he was dead:
Luke 15:[24] for this my son was dead, . . ..
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Nor does the Father intervene in the lives of the dead on the earth who, like the Prodigal in the far country, are dead to the Father although alive in this world. He wants but one thing from us: that we, like the Prodigal Son, make the sincere resolve, "I will arise and go to my Father."
The Father in his love for us wants only one thing: Children, come home!
So Jesus likewise testified shortly before his crucifixion: And now (Father) I am coming to thee (John 17:13). The Prodigal arose and went to his father; likewise did Jesus. In so far as it concerns men and women, this "resurrection" is the Father's only will. Jesus has gone before us. Jesus has taught the Way. Jesus has shown the Way by remaining on the cross until the life left his body. Anything else is only the will of man. Only when we follow Jesus by entering into this same resolve and following in this same hatred of life in this world are we promised eternal life. Only then do we truly manifest love for the Father according to the Great Commandment. Only then have we done the will of the Father and qualified for discipleship according to the following utterance of our Lord: If any man would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me. For whoever would save his life will lose it; and whoever loses his life for my sake, he will save it. (Luke 9:23,24)
**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.
So very true Jude, such an awesome article. Thanks for the reminder, if Jesus submitted to the will of the Father, what's our problem?...
The conclusion sums it all up:
So Jesus likewise testified shortly before his crucifixion: And now (Father) I am coming to thee (John 17:13). The Prodigal arose and went to his father; likewise did Jesus. In so far as it concerns men and women, this "resurrection" is the Father's only will. Jesus has gone before us. Jesus has taught the Way. Jesus has shown the Way by remaining on the cross until the life left his body. Anything else is only the will of man. Only when we follow Jesus by entering into this same resolve and following in this same hatred of life in this world are we promised eternal life. Only then do we truly manifest love for the Father according to the Great Commandment. Only then have we done the will of the Father and qualified for discipleship according to the following utterance of our Lord: If any man would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me. For whoever would save his life will lose it; and whoever loses his life for my sake, he will save it. (Luke 9:23,24)
"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!!
