"Easter", as remembered and celebrated today.

[Checkpoint]

I do not refer to its name but to the events that are believed to have happened 2000 years ago, and their significance.

Where do you stand, and why?

[Sojournerofthearth]

[Replying to post 10 by Checkpoint]

Reconciliation has been made available to all, but not all will avail themselves of it.

Matthew 13:10-11 And the disciples came and said to Him, "Why do You speak to them in parables?" (11) He answered and said to them, "Because it has been given to you to know the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven, but to them it has not been given... But blessed are your eyes for they see, and your ears for they hear; for assuredly, I say to you that many prophets and righteous men desired to see what you see, and did not see it, and to hear what you hear, and did not hear it.
(Matthew 13:16-17)

He was speaking of His own people... They were blinded and they couldn't see... they couldn't hear what He was saying. Does the world look reconciled to God? Christ kept Passover, the Holy Days, the Sabbath, He followed the dietary laws... His disciples also... but the Christian churches today take pagan holidays with pagan customs and change a few labels and call them Christian. The bible admonishes we should all speak the same things and no two Christians can get together on the simplest of matters. That's not reconciliation.... that's mass confusion.

Being "in Adam" comes by human birth; it is automatic; we have no more choice than we have of our parents or siblings.

You're right. In fact, Christ even said, no man can come to me except the Father, which sent me, draws him. You haven't chosen me, I have chosen you.

Being "in Christ" comes by divine birth; it is not automatic but comes by opportunity and by personal choice.

No?

Divine calling... Birth involves change... Read the last third of 1Cor 15 for a look at spiritual birth. Flesh and blood cannot inherit the Kingdom of God. Choice does play into it, in that you must be willing to make changes in your life, in how you see things... in becoming holy. But before a person can actually "reject" the offer, he would have to actually know what the offer is.

When Moses presented the Law of God to the children of Israel, they glibly said, "All that the Lord has said, we will do." But later God told Moses, O that there was such a heart in them. They made a blood pact with God and God knew they'd never keep up their end, because as you said, Being "in Adam" comes by human birth; it is automatic; we have no more choice than we have of our parents or siblings. We are, all our lifetimes, in bondage through the fear of death. But He came in flesh and blood to release men from that bondage, by subjecting himself to the pull of every offense and overcoming it all in our stead, that we be able to go to Him for the power to also overcome that pull of sin... and thereby also escape death.

If you go to Ezekiel 37, it speaks of a resurrection of the dead,

The hand of the LORD came upon me and brought me out in the Spirit of the LORD, and set me down in the midst of the valley; and it was full of bones. Then He caused me to pass by them all around, and behold, there were very many in the open valley; and indeed they were very dry. [they had been dead a very long time]

And He said to me, "Son of man, can these bones live?"
So I answered, "O Lord GOD, You know."
Again He said to me, "Prophesy to these bones, and say to them, 'O dry bones, hear the word of the LORD! Thus says the Lord GOD to these bones: "Surely I will cause breath to enter into you, and you shall live. I will put sinews on you and bring flesh upon you, cover you with skin and put breath in you; and you shall live. Then you shall know that I am the LORD." '

{This is an entirely different type of resurrection than the one spoken of in 1 Corinthians 15. These are not changed from a human body to a heavenly body, these are brought back as human beings.}

" So I prophesied as I was commanded; and as I prophesied, there was a noise, and suddenly a rattling; and the bones came together, bone to bone. Indeed, as I looked, the sinews and the flesh came upon them, and the skin covered them over; but there was no breath in them. Also He said to me, "Prophesy to the breath, prophesy, son of man, and say to the breath, 'Thus says the Lord GOD: "Come from the four winds, O breath, and breathe on these slain, that they may live." '

" So I prophesied as He commanded me, and breath came into them, and they lived, and stood upon their feet, an exceedingly great army. Then He said to me, "Son of man, these bones are the whole house of Israel. They indeed say, 'Our bones are dry, our hope is lost, and we ourselves are cut off!

[These people are brought back out of their graves with no hope, cut off from life, and from God. This is the Judgement spoken of in the end of Revelation, and in Isaiah 30, where it says, your teachers will no longer be hidden from your eyes, and your ears shall hear a voice behind you saying this is the way, follow this path, when you veer to the right or the left.]

' Therefore prophesy and say to them, 'Thus says the Lord GOD: "Behold, O My people, I will open your graves and cause you to come up from your graves, and bring you into the land of Israel.

Then you shall know that I am the LORD, when I have opened your graves, O My people, and brought you up from your graves. I will put My Spirit in you, and you shall live, and I will place you in your own land. Then you shall know that I, the LORD, have spoken it and performed it," says the LORD.' " (Ezekiel 37:1-14)

This is a reconciling of the world back to God, a day that will bring peace upon the whole world... In that day there will be a highway from Egypt to Assyria, and the Assyrian will come into Egypt and the Egyptian into Assyria, and the Egyptians will serve with the Assyrians. In that day Israel will be one of three with Egypt and Assyria"a blessing in the midst of the land, whom the LORD of hosts shall bless, saying, "Blessed is Egypt My people, and Assyria the work of My hands, and Israel My inheritance." (Isaiah 19:23-25)

A resurrection of all men, with eyes to see and ears to hear and a heart yielded back to God.

[Checkpoint]

[Replying to post 11 by Sojournerofthearth]

A resurrection of all men, with eyes to see and ears to hear and a heart yielded back to God.

After many words, that is your conclusion.

It is not mine.

Ephesians 2:

1 As Gods co-workers we urge you not to receive Gods grace in vain. 2For he says,

In the time of My favor I heard you,
and in the day of salvation I helped you".

[Checkpoint]

[Replying to post 11 by Sojournerofthearth]

A resurrection of all men, with eyes to see and ears to hear and a heart yielded back to God.

After many words, that is your conclusion.

It is not mine.

Ephesians 2:

1 As Gods co-workers, we urge you not to receive Gods grace in vain.
2 For he says,

In the time of My favor I heard you,
and in the day of salvation I helped you".

I tell you, now is the time of Gods favor, now is the day of salvation.

That is what we celebrate and remember, and why we proclaim it far and wide.

[brianbbs67]

This is how silly Easter/Ishtir is as a holy day of God, We follow and replicate a pagan, horrible, ceremony(without the ritual rape and baby sacrifice), right up to ending with a ham dinner and then say God we love You. This is just how we do it down here.

[Checkpoint]

This is how silly Easter/Ishtir is as a holy day of God, We follow and replicate a pagan, horrible, ceremony(without the ritual rape and baby sacrifice), right up to ending with a ham dinner and then say God we love You. This is just how we do it down here.

Some glasses are half-empty, while others are half-full.

"how we do it" was interesting, but it was not what I had in mind in starting this thread.

What I had in mind was this:

I do not refer to its name but to the events that are believed to have happened 2000 years ago, and their significance.

Where do you stand, and why?

Care to tell us?

[Sojournerofthearth]

[Replying to post 12 by Checkpoint]

One can always appreciate brevity...

I used to believe all that, but the rest of the book kept niggling at me...

1 Corinthians 15:21-26
21 For since by man came death, by man came also the resurrection of the dead. 22 For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ shall all be made alive. 23 But every man in his own order: Christ the firstfruits; afterward they that are Christ's at his coming. 24 Then cometh the end, when he shall have delivered up the kingdom to God, even the Father; when he shall have put down all rule and all authority and power. xref-1 25 For he must reign, till he hath put all enemies under his feet. 26 The last enemy that shall be destroyed is death. (with apologies for the KJV... What can I say, I love Shakespeare.)

I'm not one to step on anyone's toes. However, if this is the only day of salvation, it appears a catastrophic fail.

No?

[Checkpoint]

[Replying to post 12 by Checkpoint]

One can always appreciate brevity...

I used to believe all that, but the rest of the book kept niggling at me...

1 Corinthians 15:21-26
21 For since by man came death, by man came also the resurrection of the dead. 22 For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ shall all be made alive. 23 But every man in his own order: Christ the firstfruits; afterward they that are Christ's at his coming. 24 Then cometh the end, when he shall have delivered up the kingdom to God, even the Father; when he shall have put down all rule and all authority and power. xref-1 25 For he must reign, till he hath put all enemies under his feet. 26 The last enemy that shall be destroyed is death. (with apologies for the KJV... What can I say, I love Shakespeare.)

I'm not one to step on anyone's toes. However, if this is the only day of salvation, it appears a catastrophic fail.

No?

Seemingly, yes.

According to our thoughts, yes.

But not according to God's thoughts and ways.

What is the niggle in the passage you quoted?

[brianbbs67]

This is how silly Easter/Ishtir is as a holy day of God, We follow and replicate a pagan, horrible, ceremony(without the ritual rape and baby sacrifice), right up to ending with a ham dinner and then say God we love You. This is just how we do it down here.

Some glasses are half-empty, while others are half-full.

"how we do it" was interesting, but it was not what I had in mind in starting this thread.

What I had in mind was this:

I do not refer to its name but to the events that are believed to have happened 2000 years ago, and their significance.

Where do you stand, and why?

Care to tell us?

As to the events, I believe they happened. And history shows many others did too. And it changed the world. Sometimes used for good and sometimes not.

[Checkpoint]

This is how silly Easter/Ishtir is as a holy day of God, We follow and replicate a pagan, horrible, ceremony(without the ritual rape and baby sacrifice), right up to ending with a ham dinner and then say God we love You. This is just how we do it down here.

Some glasses are half-empty, while others are half-full.

"how we do it" was interesting, but it was not what I had in mind in starting this thread.

What I had in mind was this:

I do not refer to its name but to the events that are believed to have happened 2000 years ago, and their significance.

Where do you stand, and why?

Care to tell us?

As to the events, I believe they happened. And history shows many others did too. And it changed the world. Sometimes used for good and sometimes not.

Thanks.

This song may interest you; it fleshes out what you said.

[Donray]

Easter is Bunny day.

Everyone knows that the Ester Bunny is real.

Most historians, including Biblical scholars, agree that Easter was originally a pagan festival. According to the New Ungers Bible Dictionary: The word Easter is of Saxon origin, Eastra, the goddess of spring, in whose honour sacrifices were offered about Passover time each year. By the eighth century Anglo"Saxons had adopted the name to designate the celebration of Christs resurrection. However, even among those who maintain that Easter has pagan roots, there is some disagreement over which pagan tradition the festival emerged from. Here we will explore some of those perspectives.