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Were there really three wise men?

WERE THERE REALLY THREE WISE MEN? WHAT ARE FRANKINCENSE AND MYRRH?

by Shawn Brasseaux

The “wise men” are often called “the Magi,” the Greek word translated as such in our English Bible. They are very enigmatic Bible characters because they only appear in Scripture in Matthew chapter 2. In Nativity Scenes, we see the wise men portrayed as kings—three kings to be exact. While the Bible is silent about their names, church tradition refers to them as Melchior, Caspar and Balthazar. The Bible never indicates how many wise men visited the Lord Jesus either. It is assumed that, because three gifts were presented, there were three wise men. Actually, there could have a dozen wise men—it does not matter the number, what we need to guard against is saying something is in the Bible when it is not.

Furthermore, there is no definitive proof in the Bible that the wise men were royalty. Psalm 72:10, which is probably one source of this confusion, is descriptive of kings bringing gifts to King Solomon (historical) and the Lord Jesus Christ when His establishes His earthly kingdom (prophetic)—it is not a verse that applies to Christ’s First Coming but rather His Second Coming. Isaiah 60:6, another confused verse, is not descriptive of Christ’s First Coming but rather His kingdom on Earth (yet future). We will look at Isaiah 60:6 in more detail later.

From Matthew chapter 2, we learn the following eight facts about the wise men:

  1. They were from the East (Matthew 2:1)—perhaps from Babylon. The important thing to remember is that they were living east of Jerusalem when they saw the star. They were undoubtedly Gentiles (non-Jews).
  2. They saw Jesus’s star in the east—the wise men were astrologers, or what we would call today astronomers (people who study the heavens, the movements of celestial bodies). King Nebuchadnezzar had similar officials serving in his court back in Daniel’s day (Daniel 1:20; Daniel 2:2, 27; Daniel 4:7, 9; Daniel 5:11). Dr. Strong defines the word translated “wise men” (Magi) as “Oriental scientists; by implication, magicians:—sorcerers, wise men.” The Hebrew Bible uses this word in Jeremiah 39:3 and Jeremiah 39:13 when referring to the name of a Babylonian prince, “Rabmag.” The wise men were very educated for their time, men skilled in science (hence their name, “wise men”), and, in light of Daniel, probably high-ranking officials in some foreign government.
  3. They have enough knowledge of the Old Testament Scriptures to recognize that the King of the Jews is to be born, for His special star has appeared (Matthew 2:2). This star accompanying the Messiah was prophesied by Balaam in Numbers 24:17. Unlike the unbelieving Jews, the wise men believed the Scriptures and were joyful to see them fulfilled.
  4. They know to go to Jerusalem, the capital of Israel, where David’s throne was, where the Messiah King of Israel should be.
  5. Unlike the Jewish people who should have joyfully accepted their Messiah (but were rather troubled), the wise men were glad of the arrival of King Jesus, and, to King Herod’s disdain, they were come to worship Him instead of Herod (Matthew 2:1-3)!
  6. King Herod, claiming that he wants to worship Him with them, sends the wise men to locate the child Jesus and report back to him (Matthew 2:8-9). They wise men do not realize Herod wants to secretly kill Jesus—a dream from God later reveals that information to them, and instructs them to sneak away back to their foreign land without convening with Herod (Matthew 2:12).
  7. Contrary to what we see in Nativity Scenes, the wise men did not visit the Baby Jesus in Bethlehem but rather went to Nazareth, to the house of Joseph and Mary. There, they found Jesus was “a young child” (Matthew 2:9,11,13,14). In fact, Jesus could have been as much as two years old here (Matthew 2:16).
  8. They brought Jesus presents of gold, frankincense, and myrrh, and they worshipped Him (Matthew 2:11). They did not present Mary Jesus’s mother with gifts, and they did not worship and pay homage to Mary. They worshipped Jesus Christ and presented gifts to Him.

WHY THE GIFTS OF GOLD, FRANKINCENSE, AND MYRRH? WHAT ARE “FRANKINCENSE” AND “MYRRH” ANYWAY?

Why did the wise men present gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh to Jesus? Before we get to that, we will analyze what frankincense and myrrh actually are.

Frankincense is the dried sap of trees whose scientific name is Boswellia sacra. These trees are native to Yemen, Oman, and the Horn of Africa, including Somalia and Ethiopia. After being dried, the sap is burned as incense (this expensive product has a lemony, musky odor). Frankincense is thought to have several medicinal properties.

Myrrh is the dried resin of tree species known as Commiphora, trees found in Somalia, Yemen, and eastern Ethiopia. Like frankincense, it is expensive (once as valuable as gold), known for its medicinal properties, and burned as incense (often in religious settings). Myrrh is extracted by using a crushing technique. It has a rich, distinct scent—earthy and bitter. Myrrh was mixed with wine and given to Jesus just before His crucifixion, but, because it was an anesthetic, He refused it (Mark 15:23). Nicodemus brought a mixture of myrrh and aloes to anoint Jesus’ corpse (John 19:39). Interestingly, the city of “Smyrna” (Revelation 1:11; Revelation 2:8) derives it name from the Greek word translated “myrrh” in Matthew 2:11 and John 19:39. Myrrh can also be found in the context of gifts, spices, perfume, and incense in Genesis 37:25, Genesis 43:11, Exodus 30:23, Esther 2:12, Psalm 45:8, Proverbs 7:17, Song of Solomon 1:13, Song of Solomon 3:6, Song of Solomon 4:6,14, and Song of Solomon 5:1,5,13.

Interestingly, the wise men worship Jesus, not Mary and/or the angel, and they bring Him gifts of “gold, frankincense, and myrrh” (Matthew 2:11). Why these gifts of all things? Gold is for a King, frankincense is for a Priest, and myrrh is for a Prophet—Jesus is all three (King—Isaiah 9:6-7; Priest—Zechariah 6:13; Prophet—Deuteronomy 18:15,18). Amazingly, Isaiah 60:6, written some 700 years beforehand, even prophesied Gentiles would bring God gifts of gold and frankincense. You will notice that myrrh is absent from Isaiah 60:6. Messiah will not suffer at His Second Coming—myrrh is unnecessary here. The only gifts needed in the Kingdom, the context of Isaiah 60:6, are gold and frankincense: Christ being a King (gold; Isaiah 9:6-7) and Christ being a Priest on His throne (frankincense; Zechariah 6:13).

CONCLUSION

According to the Bible, Matthew chapter 2, an indeterminate number of wise men from the east (Gentiles) saw the star of Christ, so they traveled to Jerusalem, inquiring where to find Christ, the King of Jews (verses 1,2). King Herod and Jerusalem were troubled, and Herod summoned Israel’s religious leaders to tell him where the Messiah would be born. They told him, according to Micah 5:2, “Bethlehem of Judaea” (verses 3-6). Herod then sent the wise men to seek Jesus, hoping to find and destroy Him (lest He become king and end Herod’s reign).

The star lead the wise men to Nazareth, where Joseph and Mary lived in a “house”—not the manger scene. Also, note that Jesus was not a baby when the wise men visited, but rather a “young child” (verses 9,11). He could have been as much as two years old (verse 16). By the way, according to Numbers 24:17, that star—an angel (cf. Job 38:7)—that the wise men saw signified the Messiah-King of Israel… they were wise in that they recognized and followed it! Sadly, these Gentiles had more respect for Israel’s King than Israel. These wise men recognized fulfilled prophecy… they were wise men indeed!

Also see:
» What is the “Immaculate Conception?”
» What was the Star of Bethlehem? (LINK TEMPORARILY UNAVAILABLE)
» Was Jesus really born on the 25th of December?
(LINK TEMPORARILY UNAVAILABLE)

HOLIDAYS, ROMAN CATHOLICISM, What is the “Immaculate Conception?”, What is the “Immaculate Conception?”

What is the “Immaculate Conception?”

WHAT IS THE “IMMACULATE CONCEPTION?”

by Shawn Brasseaux

There is ever so much confusion about the meaning of the term “Immaculate Conception.” According to Sacred (Roman Catholic) Tradition, the “Immaculate Conception” applies to Mary being conceived sinless in Saint Anne’s womb. According to Sacred (Roman Catholic) Scripture, the “Immaculate Conception” applies to Jesus being conceived sinless in Mary’s womb. The question is, which is correct—was Mary conceived sinless (and thus qualifying her to be the Savior), or was Jesus conceived sinless (and thus qualifying Him to be the Savior). Let us see what the Sacred Scriptures really say. Let me be very clear that I hate no one, but I am ever so passionate about teaching the Bible, and if the Bible’s teachings offend anyone, I can do nothing to change its verses.

Lest the author be accused of misrepresenting Roman Catholic theology, The Catechism of the Catholic Church and the 1899 Douay-Rheims Roman Catholic Bible will be referenced in this study. For the benefit of our Protestant readers, we will quote the King James (Protestant) Bible. We will summarize with some final comments to prayerfully consider, but our readers will be left to come to their own conclusion.

HOW THE ROMAN CATHOLIC CATECHISM DEFINES THE “IMMACULATE CONCEPTION”

Paragraph 490: “To become the mother of the Savior, Mary ‘was enriched by God with gifts appropriate to such a role.’ The angel Gabriel at the moment of the annunciation salutes her as ‘full of grace.’ In fact, in order for Mary to be able to give the free assent of her faith to the announcement of her vocation, it was necessary that she be wholly borne by God’s grace.” (This comment of “full of grace” will be more fully addressed later.)

Paragraph 491: “Through the centuries the Church has become ever more aware that Mary [it was not originally taught as official doctrine in the early church, but a concept that evolved over the centuries—S.B.], ‘full of grace’ through God, was redeemed from the moment of her conception. That is what the dogma of the Immaculate Conception confesses, as Pope Pius IX proclaimed in 1854: ‘The most Blessed Virgin Mary was, from the first moment of her conception, by a singular grace and privilege of almighty God and by virtue of the merits of Jesus Christ, Savior of the human race, preserved immune from all stain of original sin.’” (Bold emphasis mine.) (Notice how Mary’s Immaculate Conception—that she was conceived sinless in her mother’s womb in order to bear a sinless Christ—was not declared as official Roman Catholic doctrine until 1854, nearly eighteen centuries after she lived! What was the church’s prevalent view of Mary prior to 1854, we can only wonder?)

Paragraph 492: “The ‘splendor of an entirely unique holiness’ by which Mary is ‘enriched from the first instant of her conception’ comes wholly from Christ: she is ‘redeemed, in a more exalted fashion, by reason of the merits of her Son.’ The Father blessed Mary more than any other created person ‘in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places’ and chose her ‘in Christ before the foundation of the world, to be holy and blameless before him in love.’ (Note these verses, Ephesians 1:3 and Ephesians 1:4, are applicable to all Christians, and are not exclusive to Mary as the Catechism suggests. Father God did not bless Mary more than He did any other Christian; to say so is to pervert the verses and make the Bible say something it never said.)

Paragraph 493: “The Fathers of the Eastern tradition call the Mother of God ‘the All–Holy’ (Panagia) and celebrate her as ‘free from any stain of sin, as though fashioned by the Holy Spirit and formed as a new creature.’ By the grace of God Mary remained free of every personal sin her whole life long.” (Bold emphasis mine.) (Imagine, the Roman Church actually believes that Mary never sinned even once! Why God did not choose her to die on the cross for our sins instead of Jesus, we can only wonder? Yes, it makes Jesus’ sacrifice meaningless to even sugest someone else was sinless and could die for our sins instead of Him.)

Paragraph 494: “At the announcement that she would give birth to ‘the Son of the Most High’ without knowing man, by the power of the Holy Spirit, Mary responded with the obedience of faith, certain that ‘with God nothing will be impossible’: ‘Behold, I am the handmaid of the Lord; let it be [done] to me according to your word.’ Thus, giving her consent to God’s word, Mary becomes the mother of Jesus. Espousing the divine will for salvation wholeheartedly, without a single sin to restrain her, she gave herself entirely to the person and to the work of her Son; she did so in order to serve the mystery of redemption with him and dependent on him, by God’s grace: “As St. Irenaeus says, ‘Being obedient she became the cause of salvation for herself and for the whole human race.’ Hence not a few of the early Fathers gladly assert… : ‘The knot of Eve’s disobedience was untied by Mary’s obedience: what the virgin Eve bound through her disbelief, Mary loosened by her faith.’ Comparing her with Eve, they call Mary ‘the Mother of the living’ and frequently claim: ‘Death through Eve, life through Mary.’” (Bold emphasis mine.) (The Catechism does not emphasize Jesus Christ as the cause of our salvation, but rather Mary as the cause of salvation. Blasphemy!)

HOW THE ROMAN CATHOLIC AND PROTESTANT BIBLES DEFINE THE “IMMACULATE CONCEPTION”

Dear friends, in the famous “Canticle of Mary,” or “Magnificat,” the virgin Mary begins to rejoice in what God is accomplishing in and through her: she quotes almost a dozen Old Testament verses in Luke 1:46-55, magnifying not herself but glorifying the God of the Bible. After hearing that she will be the biological mother of the human body in which the eternal Son of God would dwell, and Elisabeth her cousin reminding her of it, Mary cannot help but joy in God’s Word. The very first words that Mary uttered in this passage are as follows: “And my spirit hath rejoiced in God my Saviour” (Luke 1:47, the Roman Catholic 1899 Douay-Rheims Bible and the Protestant King James Bible read the same in this verse).

Sacred Scripture is very clear that, contrary to what church tradition may tell us, Mary was certainly a sinner. Mary admitted that God was her “Saviour” (Luke 1:47), and only a sinner needs a Saviour. If Mary were sinless, she lied when she said she needed a Saviour. Furthermore, if Mary were sinless, then Jesus could have stayed in heaven, spared Himself pain at Calvary, and God have had Mary die on the cross for our sins instead.

Saint John says if we say we have no sin, we call God a liar, the truth is not in us, and God’s Word is not in us (1 John 1:8,10)—to say that Mary is without sin is to not only lie about Mary, but to lie about God, and we thus claim that Mary lied when she needed a Saviour (thus condemning both Mary and ourselves as sinners). To say that Mary, who had a sinful biological father, lived her whole life without sinning is undoubtedly one of the most ridiculous ideas ever said. Dear friends, no wonder people are so critical of Christians—look at what some of them claim to believe!

Saint Luke was correct in quoting Mary as being in need of a “Saviour,” for Saint Luke understood that even Mary knew in her heart she needed Jesus to die for her sins. We either believe Sacred Scripture, or we believe church tradition—we cannot be inherent of both because they are mutually exclusive.

Let us see what else Sacred Scripture says about the “Immaculate Conception:”

“Therefore the Lord himself shall give you a sign. Behold a virgin shall conceive, and bear a son, and his name shall be called Emmanuel” (Isaiah 7:14, 1899 Douay-Rheims). “Therefore the Lord himself shall give you a sign; Behold, a virgin shall conceive, and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel” (King James). Never once in Sacred Scripture is the virgin’s mother mentioned, never once is the virgin’s conception in her mother’s womb mentioned; the issue is the conception of the Messiah in the virgin’s womb. No one reading the Bible would ever conclude that Mary’s conception in her mother’s womb was anything abnormal or supernatural—unless of course, they had a denominational agenda to advance and God’s Word to ignore.

Matthew 1:20: “But while he thought on these things, behold the angel of the Lord appeared to him in his sleep, saying: Joseph, son of David, fear not to take unto thee Mary thy wife, for that which is conceived in her, is of the Holy Ghost” (1899 Douay-Rheims Catholic Bible). Matthew 1:20 in the King James Bible: “But while he thought on these things, behold, the angel of the Lord appeared unto him in a dream, saying, Joseph, thou son of David, fear not to take unto thee Mary thy wife: for that which is conceived in her is of the Holy Ghost.”

Luke 1:35 in the 1899 Douay-Rheims Catholic Bible: “ And the angel answering, said to her: The Holy Ghost shall come upon thee, and the power of the most High shall overshadow thee. And therefore also the Holy which shall be born of thee shall be called the Son of God.” Luke 1:35 is the King James Bible: “And the angel answered and said unto her, The Holy Ghost shall come upon thee, and the power of the Highest shall overshadow thee: therefore also that holy thing which shall be born of thee shall be called the Son of God.”

Saint Matthew testifies with Saint Luke that the Holy Ghost worked in Mary to bring about a sinless human body for Jesus’ Spirit to reside. Sinlessness in Mary was unnecessary, or Mary should have died on the cross for our sins, and Jesus should have stayed in heaven and spared Himself 30 years of misery and rejection, and six hours of humiliation and asphyxiation. According to Saints Matthew and Luke, the reason why Jesus could be sinless was, not because Mary was sinless, but because the sinless Holy Ghost worked in Mary’s womb to conceive a body that was untainted by Mary’s sinful blood. Because Jesus had God as His Father, He had no need for a human biological father; the sin nature is passed from Adam to each succeeding father, and because Jesus had no sinful biological father, He was thus spared a sin nature. Again, it is all about what God can do, not what sinners can do. Mary is constantly emphasized in religion, but, in the Bible, it is about what the God of the Bible can do for sinners and in and through sinners (Mary’s own words in Luke 1:46-55).

The Holy Ghost can even work in sinners; Mary did not have to be sinless to bear God’s Son. It is often believed that Mary had to be sinless for her to be used of God. Was King David (an adulterer and a murderer) used of God? Was Aaron (an idolater) used of God? Was Saint Paul (a murderer and blasphemer) used of God? Was Saint Peter (Christ-denier) used of God? Was Moses (murderer) used of God? Was Solomon (idolater) used of God? On and on and on we could go. God can use sinners, and Mary did not have to be sinless to be used of God. If sinlessness were necessary to be used of God, every church in the world would be destitute of God’s working. Even the Roman Catholic Church would lack even a single clergy or layman if God needed sinless people if they were be used of Him.

Even the shallowest Bible reader is aware of Romans 3:23: “For all have sinned, and do need the glory of God” (1899 Douay-Rheims Catholic Bible) and “For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God” (King James Bible). This would include Mary the mother of Jesus—when discussing soul salvation throughout the book of Romans, Saint Paul never once mentioned Mary as sinless. Someone would argue that this is not a blanket verse, since Jesus Christ was sinless (and it is assumed, because Jesus Christ is an exception to Romans 3:23, Mary could be another exception to the verse). This argument is utterly ridiculous, since Jesus Christ is God (as the Catholic would defend using the statement, “Mary is God’s mother, for Jesus is God”). Since Jesus Christ is God, Jesus Christ would be the exception to Romans 3:23, for God cannot fall short of His own glory! The only way Romans 3:23 could be non-applicable to Mary is if Mary were God, and no Roman Catholic I know of would ever say Mary was God. Romans 3:23 applies to Mary as well, and we cannot change what Sacred Scripture says.

Someone may argue, “Mary prophesied that ‘henceforth all generations will call me blessed.’ Therefore, it is not right to ignore Mary.” We agree we should not ignore Mary, but again, we should not emphasize something that God does not or overly honor someone God does not. Sacred Scripture does not place as much emphasis on Mary the mother of Jesus as religion does. In fact, after Acts 1:14, no one mentions Mary the mother of Jesus. Can we honestly say she is to be venerated, when none of the saints such as Paul, James, Peter, and John ever did it in their New Testament writings? Again, we remind you of her Canticle—Mary never exalted herself, but all she did was praise God and quote Old Testament Scriptures in Luke 1:46-55. She did not brag about her sinlessness, her goodness, she mentioned her lowliness and meekness as a servant girl, handmaiden (Luke 1:48)—the Mary of the Bible is hardly the goody-goody, sinless Mary of religious tradition. We should give just as much honor to Mary as the New Testament does—she was a human vessel of God, and God who used her is the issue not the vessel He uses (Saint Paul in 2 Corinthians 3:5). Of all the Jewish women living at the time, Father God chose Mary to be the human mother of His Son. That was an honor, but again, Mary rejoiced in God, not in herself (Luke 1:46-55). Mary was not the issue, what God did in and through her was the issue. Mary did not become a Saviour, she merely became the vessel that God used to bring about the Saviour. It is ever so critical, dear friends, that we get it straight.

Beloved, let us see how Jesus Christ Himself viewed Mary, how the wise men viewed Mary, how the shepherds viewed Mary, and how an angel viewed Mary. This will give us a correct view of how much emphasis we should place on Mary.

HOW JESUS CHRIST HIMSELF VIEWED MARY HIS MOTHER

Jesus actually never called Mary “Blessed Mother,” “Ever Virgin,” “Queen of Heaven,” “My Lady of Mercy,” or any of those other titles we hear in religion today. In the Bible, He addressed her as “Woman” (John 2:4; John 19:26), for Mary represented the nation Israel, the “woman” of the Bible (see Jeremiah 6:2; cf. Revelation 12:1,4,6,13-17). Jesus did not praise Mary, never indicated that she was sinless, and never indicated at all that she was any different from any other human God used in history. The Lord Jesus Himself knew of the prevalent pre-Christian virgin goddesses of paganism, the virgin deities of antiquity, and He was ever so careful to make sure people did not misunderstand Mary His mother. If they did, He quickly corrected their thinking.

In Luke 11:27, we read a very interesting account: “And it came to pass, as he spoke these things, a certain woman from the crowd, lifting up her voice, said to him: Blessed is the womb that bore thee, and the paps that gave thee suck” (1899 Douay-Rheims Catholic Bible). “And it came to pass, as he spake these things, a certain woman of the company lifted up her voice, and said unto him, Blessed is the womb that bare thee, and the paps which thou hast sucked” (Luke 11:27 King James Version).

Religion encourages us to direct “special devotion” to Mary, Jesus’ mother, but slyly reassures us that Marian devotion is not equivalent to worshipping God. Is this true? What does our Lord Jesus Christ think of any Marian devotion? In the context of Luke 11:27 (verses 1-26), Jesus is teaching. One woman is so amazed at the Lord Jesus’ doctrine that she begins to praise Mary, Jesus’ mother, not Jesus! Notice that this lady exalted Mary, giving her the “special devotion” that religion gives Mary today: “blessed is the womb and blessed are the breasts of Mary!” Such a statement originates from pagan goddess worship (and accompanying fornication) of ancient Egyptian and Babylonian religions.

Notice how Jesus responds: “But he said, Yea rather, blessed are they that hear the word of God, and keep it” (verse 28, King James and Douay-Rheims). Recognize that Jesus immediately rebuked her: He corrected her, He did not agree with her, He did not say “Amen” to the woman’s comments. Our Lord Jesus knew that Mary was being exalted to a goddess’ position, and He clearly refused it with “Yea rather….” In other words, Jesus said, “Rather than singling out Mary for special attention, recognize that all who trust in God are blessed.” Notice Jesus never designated Mary to any special position whatsoever (Matthew 12:46-50; Mark 3:31-35; Luke 8:19-21). Sacred Scripture is never wrong (paragraph 136 of the Roman Catechism); therefore the Scriptures are right in not exalting Mary in these passages.

Our dear religious family members and friends need to realize that Mary is no superhuman or goddess. Although God used her body to generate the human body of Jesus Christ, the Bible never presents Mary as an object of worship. No believer in the Bible ever prayed to Mary, no believer in the Bible ever asked Mary to pray for them either. According to the Bible, God clearly hates all Marian devotion, because it usually leads to focusing on Mary instead of on Jesus Christ. People are quick to defend Mary in religion, but very rarely will they defend Jesus Christ (I know from personal experience).

Dear friends, my precious readers, Marian devotion is blasphemous because it robs Jesus Christ of devotion. It was what God did through Mary that matters. Mary did nothing for our salvation; she was submissive to God’s working, but she did no work to bring about our salvation. She is not our mediatrix, savior, or mother, so why does she deserve devotion? According to God’s Word, she does not deserve veneration.

HOW THE WISE MEN VIEWED MARY

We read in the 1899 Douay-Rheims Catholic Bible in Matthew 2:11: “And entering into the house, they found the child with Mary his mother, and falling down they adored him; and opening their treasures, they offered him gifts; gold, frankincense, and myrrh.” It reads this way in the Protestant (King James) Bible: “And when they were come into the house, they saw the young child with Mary his mother, and fell down, and worshipped him: and when they had opened their treasures, they presented unto him gifts; gold, frankincense, and myrrh.” Did the wise men bring Mary gifts? Did they praise Mary? Did they fall down before Mary? No! They praised Jesus, they presented Jesus with gifts, and they worshipped Jesus.

HOW AN ANGEL AND THE SHEPHERDS VIEWED MARY

When the angel appeared to the shepherds in the field watching their flocks, the angel never bothered to mention anything about Mary—her goodness, her motherhood of God, her sinlessness, and so on (Luke 2:8-14). In fact, the shepherds come to Jesus just shortly after His birth, and when they leave the manger, they glorify and praise God (verse 20). Never once did they praise Mary or pay her homage.

WAS MARY REALLY THE “MOTHER OF GOD?”

Paragraph 495 of the Roman Catholic Catechism: “Called in the Gospels ‘the mother of Jesus,’ Mary is acclaimed by Elizabeth, at the prompting of the Spirit and even before the birth of her son, as “the mother of my Lord.’ In fact, the One whom she conceived as man by the Holy Spirit, who truly became her Son according to the flesh, was none other than the Father’s eternal Son, the second person of the Holy Trinity. Hence the Church confesses that Mary is truly ‘Mother of God’ (Theotokos).”

If Mary was God’s Mother, that would mean she existed before God, and who would then be God’s Father if God had a Mother? Dear friends, it makes no sense, but then again, religion never does. I remember one atheist having such trouble with “Christianity” because certain Christians told him that Mary was “the Mother of God.” Frankly, it is no wonder people want nothing to do with Christianity—they are being told that something nonsensical is “Christian” when it is certainly not Christian. To say that God would have a mother is absurd; God the Son existed long before Mary did, but He existed as a Spirit. Jesus did not lose His deity but He gained humanity when He was conceived in Mary’s womb. Jesus did not need Mary to gain or retain deity, He needed her body to gain humanity. Jesus could still live as God without Mary, thus God not needing a mother. There, that makes more sense than the concept religion offers us.

Furthermore, Saint John never called Mary “the Mother of God” but in the Catholic Bible she is called “the mother of Jesus” (John 2:1,3). Saint Luke also called her “the mother of Jesus” (Acts 1:14). If people who deny Mary as “God’s Mother” are “rejecters of the divinity of Christ,” Saint John must also be declared as a heretic, for he believed Mary was nothing more than “the mother of Jesus” and not the “Mother of God.” The Catechism says the Bible is without error (paragraph 136), so Saint John and Saint Luke were totally correct in calling her “the Mother of Jesus” and not “the Mother of God.” Furthermore, Elisabeth never called her “mother of God,” but “the mother of my Lord” (Luke 1:43).

WHAT THEN DOES SACRED SCRIPTURE MEAN WHEN IT SAYS THAT MARY IS “FULL OF GRACE” (CATHOLIC) AND “HIGHLY FAVOURED” (PROTESTANT)?

Someone may argue that Mary should be honored as sinless in light of Luke 1:28: “And the angel being come in, said unto her: Hail, full of grace, the Lord is with thee: blessed art thou among women” (Roman Catholic 1899 Douay-Rheims Bible) and “And the angel came in unto her, and said, Hail, thou that art highly favoured, the Lord is with thee: blessed art thou among women” (Protestant King James Bible). It is said that such language is only reserved for someone who is sinless, someone who is already in heaven. It is argued that “any sinner would have some grace lacking, and thus could not be called ‘full of grace.’”

To exalt Mary and give her undue veneration on the basis of Luke 1:28, we would find ourselves ignorant of the Roman Catholic Bible as well as the New Testament Greek word translated “full of grace” (Catholic) and “highly favoured” (Protestant) in Luke 1:28. Keep in mind that the Greek word is kecharitomene.

Look at what Saint Paul wrote in Ephesians 1:6: “Unto the praise of the glory of his grace, in which he hath graced us in his beloved son” (Douay-Rheims 1899 American Edition Catholic Bible). In the New American Catholic Bible, it reads, “for the praise of the glory of his grace that he granted us in the beloved.” The King James Bible says, “To the praise of the glory of his grace, wherein he hath made us accepted in the beloved.” Do you know what Greek word is translated “his grace that he granted us” (NAB), “he hath graced us” (DR), and “made us accepted” (KJB)? It is the word echaritosen, and you know what it means? “Full of grace,” “make accepted,” to “be highly favored.” It shares the same root as the word in Luke 1:28.

Saint Paul believed there were people in Ephesus, Christians not in heaven and not sinless, but Christians on earth, who were just as favored of God as Mary was! What dear Roman Catholic soul praises the Ephesians as much as it does Mary? According to Sacred Scripture, they are on the same plane—Mary and the Ephesians are equal before God. That is what the Catholic Bible says in Ephesians 1:6, that is what the Protestant Bible says in Ephesians 1:6, and Sacred Scripture is never wrong (paragraph 136 of the Roman Catechism). All Christians are “full of grace!” Friend, if you must argue, you will have to argue with the Catholic Bible and the Protestant Bible, but you cannot change what they say.

Someone once wrote to me, “[Mary] is the greatest of all creatures, but she is still a creature. She deserves honor, but never worship.” Again, calling Mary “the greatest of all creatures” is to praise her way too much, and it would be erroneous to ignore the Ephesians if we praise Mary as “full of grace” (remember Ephesians 1:6?). Religionists exalt Mary and not Jesus; they defend Mary and not Jesus. Their statements and their writings reflect the fact that they seem more interested in exalting Mary and defending Mary and praising Mary instead of worshipping Jesus Christ (the inherent danger of Romanism). Jesus Christ alone is preeminent in all things Saint Paul said (Colossians 1:18), and His Word is without error. On the Day of Judgment, He will hold you accountable to His words (John 12:48). Friend, I would believe the Words of God long before I would believe the words of men.

CONCLUSION

Why is there so much confusion about the meaning of the “Immaculate Conception?” It is quite simple. Satan never wants God’s Word to be clear (1 Corinthians 14:33). Some Roman Catholics believe “Sacred Tradition” while others believe Sacred Scripture; usually, Protestants just believe the Sacred Scriptures. Hence, there are varying beliefs about what the “Immaculate Conception” means.

Tradition changes over time, as the Immaculate Conception concerning Mary was not adopted as official Roman Catholic teaching until 1854. Jewish tradition was prevalent in Jesus’ day; that was why He was so anti-tradition in Mark chapter 7 and Matthew chapter 15. Considering all the corruption in the Jewish religious traditions, God would not use tradition to preserve the New Testament any more than He used tradition to preserve the Old Testament. That is why tradition is not reliable, and not a valid method of preserving history or doctrine. A written record from God is always more authoritative than church tradition passed down through history.

In order to be the Savior of man from his sins, the Savior must be sinless, not guilty of the same sins; one cannot be a Savior and also be in need of the same salvation. The doctrine of substitutionary atonement is one dying for someone else’s sins because one is not in spiritual debt himself or herself. If Mary were sinless, as the 1854 dogma was officially accepted as true (1800 years after Mary was even conceived—I wonder what the official Catholic position was prior to pope Pius IX?), spared from all original sin, then she did not need salvation from sins, for she was as Adam was before the fall, and Adam did not need a Savior before the fall. If Mary were like Adam before the fall, then she could be the Savior, and Jesus had no reason to die. Why pay the bill when someone else is able? Why did sinless Jesus have to die when sinless Mary could have died instead? What prevented Mary from being the Savior, since she was sinless (or so people claim)?

And, I might add, no one has yet to answer this—if Mary needed to be conceived sinless to bear sinless Christ, Saint Anne (her mother) would have to be conceived sinless in her mother’s womb to bear a sinless Mary, but then Saint Anne’s mother would need to be sinless to bear sinless Saint Anne in her womb, and on and on, an unending cycle. Why does Immaculate Conception stop with Mary in Saint Anne’s womb when sinless conception, according to Catholic reasoning, would have to go back all the way to Eve, so as not to have one sinful conception to spoil the whole lineage?

To make Jesus’ sinlessness dependent on Mary’s sinlessness is to divert attention from Jesus’ sinlessness (who alone was sinless). Mary and Jesus, in religion, are on the same plane, the same level, since they were both spared sin nature (“original sin”). This is blasphemous, beloved, for one of the attributes of God is His sinlessness. To say that Mary is sinless is to make her equal with God, and that, dear friends, is idolatry.

What it comes down to is to (1) believe Babylonian pagan mythology about a sinless virgin goddess named Semiramis (whose attributes Rome applied to Mary of the Bible, her being born sinless), or (2) believe the Sacred Scriptures that Mary was a sinner who needed a Saviour, and the Catechism affirms the Bible is without error (paragraph 136 of the Roman Catechism). The way I see it is, if we are Christian, we are not going to believe non-Christian theology, but we are going to believe the error-free Sacred Scriptures. May we rejoice in God’s truth, His written Word!

Also see:
» Was Jesus born on the 25th of December? (LINK TEMPORARILY UNAVAILABLE)
» Were there really three wise men? (LINK TEMPORARILY UNAVAILABLE)
» What was the Star of Bethlehem? (LINK TEMPORARILY UNAVAILABLE)

HOLIDAYS, Should I display a Christmas tree?

Should I display a Christmas tree?

SHOULD I DISPLAY A CHRISTMAS TREE?

by Shawn Brasseaux

The Christmas tree is an element that some Christians struggle with at this time of year. Of course, the vast majority of professing Christians are unfamiliar with the origin of the Christmas tree; in fact, the origin of Christmas is obscure in the minds of many. Should we as Bible-believers display Christmas trees?

So there be no misunderstanding regarding our purpose in presenting this study, we will delineate it here before we even begin. Our desire is to enlighten you about Christmas trees so that you can make an informed decision. It is certainly not our goal to “have dominion over your faith;” our desire is to be “helpers of your joy” (2 Corinthians 1:24). We will not dictate to you what you can and cannot do regarding Christmas trees, but we do offer this study for your consideration. Our goal is to have your faith rest in an intelligent understanding of God’s Word, so that you may have joy and peace in believing God’s Word (Romans 15:13). Now, we can begin to analyze the Christmas tree from a historical and Biblical standpoint.

The History Channel’s website (www.history.com) says the following about the Christmas tree:

“Long before the advent of Christianity, plants and trees that remained green all year had a special meaning for people in the winter. Just as people today decorate their homes during the festive season with pine, spruce, and fir trees, ancient peoples hung evergreen boughs over their doors and windows. In many countries it was believed that evergreens would keep away witches, ghosts, evil spirits, and illness.”

Historically, evergreen trees were very special to superstitious, pagan (non-Christian) people, long before Christianity began. Note that this is said not from a Bible-believer’s standpoint; a body of scholars who probably do not even believe the Bible, are responsible for the above quote!

The History Channel’s website continues its detailing of the origin of the Christmas tree:

“In the Northern hemisphere, the shortest day and longest night of the year falls on December 21 or December 22 and is called the winter solstice. Many ancient people believed that the sun was a god and that winter came every year because the sun god had become sick and weak. They celebrated the solstice because it meant that at last the sun god would begin to get well. Evergreen boughs reminded them of all the green plants that would grow again when the sun god was strong and summer would return.”

“The ancient Egyptians worshipped a god called Ra, who had the head of a hawk and wore the sun as a blazing disk in his crown. At the solstice, when Ra began to recover from the illness, the Egyptians filled their homes with green palm rushes which symbolized for them the triumph of life over death.”

“Early Romans marked the solstice with a feast called the Saturnalia in honor of Saturn, the god of agriculture. The Romans knew that the solstice meant that soon farms and orchards would be green and fruitful. To mark the occasion, they decorated their homes and temples with evergreen boughs. In Northern Europe the mysterious Druids, the priests of the ancient Celts, also decorated their temples with evergreen boughs as a symbol of everlasting life. The fierce Vikings in Scandinavia thought that evergreens were the special plant of the sun god, Balder.”

“Germany is credited with starting the Christmas tree tradition as we now know it in the 16th century when devout [?] Christians [?] brought decorated trees into their homes. Some built Christmas pyramids of wood and decorated them with evergreens and candles if wood was scarce. It is a widely held belief that Martin Luther, the 16th-century Protestant reformer, first added lighted candles to a tree. Walking toward his home one winter evening, composing a sermon, he was awed by the brilliance of stars twinkling amidst evergreens. To recapture the scene for his family, he erected a tree in the main room and wired its branches with lighted candles.”

“Most 19th-century Americans found Christmas trees an oddity. The first record of one being on display was in the 1830s by the German settlers of Pennsylvania, although trees had been a tradition in many German homes much earlier. The Pennsylvania German settlements had community trees as early as 1747. But, as late as the 1840s Christmas trees were seen as pagan symbols and not accepted by most Americans.” (Bold emphasis mine.)

With the historians setting the stage for us, we can now see how their presentations of the Christmas tree fit with the Bible. Did you know that that people worshipped Christmas trees in Bible times, centuries before Christ came to Earth? Yes, it is a demonstrable certainty!

The Prophet Jeremiah preached the following in Jeremiah chapter 10, some 600 years B.C.: “[1] Hear ye the word which the LORD speaketh unto you, O house of Israel: [2] Thus saith the LORD, Learn not the way of the heathen, and be not dismayed at the signs of heaven; for the heathen are dismayed at them. [3] For the customs of the people are vain: for one cutteth a tree out of the forest, the work of the hands of the workman, with the axe. [4] They deck it with silver and with gold; they fasten it with nails and with hammers, that it move not. [5] They are upright as the palm tree, but speak not: they must needs be borne, because they cannot go. Be not afraid of them; for they cannot do evil, neither also is it in them to do good. [6] Forasmuch as there is none like unto thee, O LORD; thou art great, and thy name is great in might. [7] Who would not fear thee, O King of nations? for to thee doth it appertain: forasmuch as among all the wise men of the nations, and in all their kingdoms, there is none like unto thee. [8] But they are altogether brutish and foolish: the stock is a doctrine of vanities. [9] Silver spread into plates is brought from Tarshish, and gold from Uphaz, the work of the workman, and of the hands of the founder: blue and purple is their clothing: they are all the work of cunning men. [10] But the LORD is the true God, he is the living God, and an everlasting king: at his wrath the earth shall tremble, and the nations shall not be able to abide his indignation. [11] Thus shall ye say unto them, The gods that have not made the heavens and the earth, even they shall perish from the earth, and from under these heavens.”

Currently, we see Christmas trees decked with “silver and gold” tinsel and we see ornaments commonplace. Jeremiah mentioned such an object in the first verses. We will look at them again: “[1] Hear ye the word which the LORD speaketh unto you, O house of Israel: [2] Thus saith the LORD, Learn not the way of the heathen, and be not dismayed at the signs of heaven; for the heathen are dismayed at them. [3] For the customs of the people are vain: for one cutteth a tree out of the forest, the work of the hands of the workman, with the axe. [4] They deck it with silver and with gold; they fasten it with nails and with hammers, that it move not. [5] They are upright as the palm tree, but speak not: they must needs be borne, because they cannot go. Be not afraid of them; for they cannot do evil, neither also is it in them to do good.”

Are you familiar with an evergreen tree that is hewn with an axe, brought into a home, set upright on a stand, and then decorated with silver and gold? God Himself called it a “heathen” practice, something that He did not encourage, something that did not honor Him. He explicitly told Israel to stay away from such a custom.

Habakkuk the Prophet wrote in his small book: “[18] What profiteth the graven image that the maker thereof hath graven it; the molten image, and a teacher of lies, that the maker of his work trusteth therein, to make dumb idols? [19] Woe unto him that saith to the wood, Awake; to the dumb stone, Arise, it shall teach! Behold, it is laid over with gold and silver, and there is no breath at all in the midst of it. [20] But the LORD is in his holy temple: let all the earth keep silence before him” (Habakkuk 2:18-20).

The non-Jews (heathen, Gentiles) believed that their idols of wood, stone, and metal could talk to them (see Isaiah 8:19-20)! (This is not at all “primitive ignorance;” here in the 21st century, religious people still claim that statues weep, bleed, speak to them, and so on.) God had to remind Israel not to have a part in this devil worship, this rank ignorance, reminding them that these idols were “dumb,” unable to speak (cf. 1 Corinthians 12:2). According to Jeremiah, one of these heathen idols was an evergreen tree that was cut down, brought home, fixed upright on a platform, and then decorated with silver and gold. If that is not a graphic image of a modern-day Christmas tree, we do not know what is. Most assuredly, the Bible and historians agree that the “Christmas tree” was pre-Christian, and it was nothing more than a pagan idol!

Lost Gentiles bowed and prayed to these “Christmas trees,” these wooden, worthless, mindless idols that did nothing for them… except distract them from worshipping the only true God. Sadly, Israel was just as guilty of this pagan worship, having “idols under every green tree” (Deuteronomy 12:1-4; 1 Kings 14:22,23; 2 Kings 17:7-23; et al.). Like the pagan idols of old, the Christmas tree keeps people preoccupied with the wrong tree! The Christmas tree decorated with hanging ornaments and tinsel is nothing compared to Calvary’s tree decorated with the hanging body of Jesus Christ. Rather than silver and gold, it was decked with crimson red, the precious blood of God’s Son and our Lord, Jesus Christ. Unlike the Christmas tree, Calvary’s tree has no pagan roots. Dear friends, may we focus more on Calvary’s tree, where the sinless Son of God died for our sins, He shed His royal blood to redeem us from the penalty of sin, that we may be resurrected with Him, to walk in newness of life.

Galatians 6:14: “But God forbid that I should glory, save in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom the world is crucified unto me, and I unto the world.”

We conclude this Bible study with the classic 1912 hymn, “The Old Rugged Cross,” written by George Bennard (1873-1958):

On a hill far away stood an old rugged cross,
The emblem of suffering and shame;
And I love that old cross where the dearest and best
For a world of lost sinners was slain.

Refrain
So I’ll cherish the old rugged cross,
Till my trophies at last I lay down;
I will cling to the old rugged cross,
And exchange it some day for a crown.

O that old rugged cross, so despised by the world,
Has a wondrous attraction for me;
For the dear Lamb of God left His glory above
To bear it to dark Calvary.

Refrain

In that old rugged cross, stained with blood so divine,
A wondrous beauty I see,
For ’twas on that old cross Jesus suffered and died,
To pardon and sanctify me.

Refrain

To the old rugged cross I will ever be true;
Its shame and reproach gladly bear;
Then He’ll call me some day to my home far away,
Where His glory forever I’ll share.

Refrain

NOTE: For more information, you can see the following two websites: http://www.history.com/topics/christmas and http://www.history.com/topics/christmas/history-of-christmas-trees.

Also see:
» Was Jesus born on the 25th of December? (LINK TEMPORARILY UNAVAILABLE)
» What was the Star of Bethlehem? (LINK TEMPORARILY UNAVAILABLE)
» Were there really three wise men? (LINK TEMPORARILY UNAVAILABLE)

HOLIDAYS, SATAN AND HIS POLICY OF EVIL, Should Christians celebrate Halloween?, Should Christians celebrate Halloween?

Should Christians celebrate Halloween?

SHOULD CHRISTIANS CELEBRATE HALLOWEEN?

by Shawn Brasseaux

What should be the Bible believer’s attitude of Halloween? Some Christians say that it is a harmless, fun-filled holiday for children to enjoy themselves; other Christians vehemently disapprove of its observance because of its pagan and secular elements. In this Bible study, we will evaluate Halloween from the historical and Biblical perspectives, and let our readers come to their own conclusion as to what they should do about Halloween.

ORIGIN OF HALLOWEEN

According to the “Halloween” article of The World Book Encyclopedia:

“Halloween developed from an ancient pagan festival celebrated by Celtic people over 2,000 years ago in the area that is now the United Kingdom, Ireland, and northwestern France. The festival was called Samhain (pronounced SOW ehn), which means summer’s end. The festival marked the beginning of the dark winter season and was celebrated around November 1. In the 800’s, the Christian church [the Roman Catholic Church] established a new holiday, All Saints’ Day, on this date. All Saints’ Day was also called All Hallows’. Hallow means saint, or one who is holy. The evening before All Hallows’ was known as All Hallows’ Eve, or as it came to be abbreviated, All Hallow e’en. This name was eventually shortened to Halloween.”

The New Encyclopædia Britannica says in its article “Halloween:”

“Halloween had its origins in the festival of Samhain among the Celts of ancient Britain and Ireland. On the day corresponding to November 1 on contemporary calendars, the new year was believed to begin. That date was considered the beginning of the winter period, the date on which the herds were returned from pasture and land tenures were renewed. During the Samhain festival the souls of those who had died were believed to return to visit their homes, and those who had died during the year were believed to journey to the otherworld. People set bonfires on hilltops for relighting their hearth fires for the winter and to frighten away evil spirits, and they sometimes wore masks and other disguises to avoid being recognized by the ghosts thought to be present. It was in those ways that beings such as witches, hobgoblins, fairies, and demons came to be associated with the day. The period was also thought to be favourable for divination [fortune-telling] on matters such as marriage, health, and death. When the Romans conquered the Celts in the 1st century CE, they added their own festivals of Feralia, commemorating the passing of the dead, and of Pomona, the goddess of the harvest.”

Thus, we see that secular history confirms that there is nothing Scriptural about Halloween—in fact, Halloween is anti-Scriptural. Halloween originated in non-Christian cultures, and is founded on superstition and spiritism (communication with the dead). There really is nothing Christian about Halloween. Let us now briefly look at the elements of Halloween and what they signify.

ELEMENTS OF HALLOWEEN AND THEIR MEANINGS

During Halloween-time, we observe a variety of morbid elements on display: jack-o’-lanterns, haunted houses, skeletons, black cats, witches, and ghosts, to name a few. Activities include trick-or-treating and bobbing for apples. Do you ever wonder why these elements are associated with Halloween, and what they symbolize? The World Book Encyclopedia answers in its “Halloween” article:

  • “Trick-or-treating. It was once common for people to leave food out on a table as a treat for spirits believed to be about on Halloween. In England, people went house-to-house souling—that is, asking for small breads called soul cakes in exchange for prayers. In some areas of the United Kingdom and Ireland, people went mumming (parading in masks) on many holidays, including Halloween. Groups of masked adults would go door-to-door asking for food and drink in return for a performance or song. Dressing in costume and asking for food or money was done in England on Guy Fawkes Day (November 5).”
  • “Jack-o’-lanterns are hollowed-out pumpkins with a face cut into one side. Most jack-o’-lanterns contain a candle or some other light. People in Scotland and Ireland once carved out large beets or turnips to use as lanterns on Halloween. After this custom reached America, pumpkins began to be used. The jack-o’-lantern originally represented spirits present in the dark, or souls released from Christian [Roman Catholic] purgatory. According to an Irish legend, jack-o’-lanterns were named for a character named Jack, who could not enter heaven because he was a miserly, bad-tempered man. He could not enter hell either, because he had tricked the devil several times. As a result, Jack had to walk the earth forever with only a coal from hell to light his lantern.”
  • “Fortunetelling methods that developed in Europe hundreds of years ago became an important part of Halloween rituals and celebrations. In Ireland, objects, such as a coin, a ring, and a thimble, were baked into a cake or other food. It was believed that the person who found the coin would become wealthy. Whoever found the ring would marry soon, but the person who got the thimble would never get married.”
  • “Halloween magic is also associated with foods, such as apples and nuts. In one fortunetelling game, a young woman would peel an apple in one long paring and throw it over her shoulder. People believed it would land in the shape of the initial of the man the woman would marry. Halloween’s connection with apples and nuts is ancient, and Halloween was sometimes referred to as Nutcrack Night or Snap Apple Night. Today, some people use fortunetelling techniques, such as tarot cards or palm reading, to predict the future on Halloween.”
  • “Halloween symbols. In the 1500’s and 1600’s, people in Europe believed that the devil made witches do evil deeds. Over the centuries, people came to imagine that witches—and sometimes their animal companions, often black cats—rode through the night sky on Halloween. Throughout the ages, superstitious folk thought that fairies and ghosts could be asked for help casting spells or seeing into the future on Halloween. These supernatural creatures were not always friendly, and people sometimes carried turnip lanterns carved with grotesque faces to keep them away. In Scotland, people lit huge bonfires on hillsides to drive away evil spirits. For centuries in Europe, people remembered the dead at All Saints’ Day and All Souls’ Day (November 2) with bonfires. Although bonfires are less common on Halloween today, people still mark the night with candles burning in jack-o’-lanterns. In addition, although most people do not believe in ghosts or witches, these supernatural beings remain symbols of Halloween.”
  • “Samhain. Scholars know little about ancient Celtic religious rituals, festivals, and celebrations. Many believe the festival of Samhain to be the beginning of the Celtic year. At Samhain, farmers brought livestock in from summer pastures, and people gathered to build shelter for winter. During this time of reunion, new laws were made, stories were told, and they celebrated the season with bonfires and feasting. The festival also had religious significance, and people burned fruits, vegetables, grain, and possibly animals as offerings to the gods. In ancient Celtic stories, Samhain was a magical time of transition when important battles were fought and fairies cast spells. It was a time when the barriers between the natural world and the supernatural were broken. The Celts believed that the dead could walk among the living at this time. During Samhain, the living could visit with the dead, who they believed held secrets of the future. Scholars believe that Halloween’s association with ghosts, food, and fortunetelling began with these pagan customs more than 2,000 years ago.”
  • “All Saints’ and All Souls’ Day. Many of the customs of the pagan Celts survived even after the people became Christian [Roman Catholics?]. In the 800’s, the [Roman Catholic] church established All Saints’ Day on November 1. About two hundred years later, it added All Souls’ Day on November 2. This day was set aside for people to pray for friends and family who had died. People made many of the old pagan customs part of this Christian holy day. Some people put out food for their ancestors, or they left a lantern burning in the window so that ghosts could find their way home for the night. Through the years, various regions of Europe developed their own Halloween customs. In Wales, for example, each person put a white stone near the Halloween fire at night and then checked in the morning to see whether the stone was still there. If it was, the person would live another year.”
  • “Halloween in the United States. Many early American settlers came from England, and they brought various beliefs about ghosts and witches with them. In the 1800’s, many immigrants from Ireland and Scotland arrived in the United States and introduced their Halloween traditions. Other groups added their own cultural influences to Halloween customs. For example, German immigrants brought a vivid witchcraft lore.”

“The New Encyclopædia Britannica” says the following about “Halloween:”

“In the 7th century CE Pope Boniface IV established All Saints’ Day, originally on May 13, and in the following century, perhaps in an effort to supplant the pagan holiday with a Christian observance, it was moved to November 1. The evening before All Saints’ Day became a holy, or hallowed, eve and thus Halloween. By the end of the Middle Ages, the secular and the sacred days had merged. The Reformation essentially put an end to the religious holiday among Protestants, although in Britain especially Halloween continued to be celebrated as a secular holiday. Along with other festivities, the celebration of Halloween was largely forbidden among the early American colonists, although in the 1800s there developed festivals that marked the harvest and incorporated elements of Halloween. When large numbers of immigrants, including the Irish, went to the United States beginning in the mid 19th century, they took their Halloween customs with them, and in the 20th century Halloween became one of the principal U.S. holidays, particularly among children.”

WHAT THE BIBLE SAYS ABOUT HALLOWEEN

While the Bible does not use the term “Halloween,” God’s Word surely speaks against its associated activities: witchcraft, necromancy (communication with the dead), celebration of spiritual darkness, and devil worship. The LORD God had a very serious command as to how the nation Israel should deal with witches: “Thou shalt not suffer a witch to live” (Exodus 22:18). We read His commandments to Israel in Leviticus 20:27: “A man also or woman that hath a familiar spirit, or that is a wizard, shall surely be put to death: they shall stone them with stones: their blood shall be upon them.”

In Deuteronomy 18:9-14, JEHOVAH told Israel before she went into the Promised Land: “[9] When thou art come into the land which the LORD thy God giveth thee, thou shalt not learn to do after the abominations of those nations. [10] There shall not be found among you any one that maketh his son or his daughter to pass through the fire, or that useth divination [witchcraft], or an observer of times [astrology], or an enchanter [magician], or a witch. [11] Or a charmer [one who casts spells], or a consulter with familiar spirits , or a wizard, or a necromancer [raises the dead]. [12] For all that do these things are an abomination unto the LORD: and because of these abominations the LORD thy God doth drive them out from before thee. [13] Thou shalt be perfect with the LORD thy God. [14] For these nations, which thou shalt possess, hearkened unto observers of times, and unto diviners: but as for thee, the LORD thy God hath not suffered thee so to do.”

The LORD declared in Micah 5:12: “And I will cut off witchcrafts out of thine hand; and thou shalt have no more soothsayers:” Clearly, God wanted Israel, His earthly people, to have no part in Satan’s policy of evil. He did not want them to mingle with witches, spiritual darkness, and so on.

What does God want for us, the Church the Body of Christ, His heavenly people, in this the Dispensation of Grace? Galatians 5:20 refers to witchcraft as a “work of the flesh” (verse 19), something that opposes the “fruit of the [Holy] Spirit” (verses 22 and 23).

In Ephesus, the Apostle Paul was able to evangelize many people. Acts 19:19 indicates that these people were formerly pagans who were also Satan worshippers: “Many of them also which used curious arts brought their books together, and burned them before all men: and they counted the price of them, and found it fifty thousand pieces of silver [~US$6.4 million!].” The Ephesians were notable for their magic spells, but once they had trusted in Jesus Christ, the Bible says they literally burned their magic (spell) books! Witchcraft and the occult should have no part in our lives as Christians. God has separated us unto Himself. We should not be fellowshipping with devils (see 1 Corinthians 10:19-23).

WHAT IS THE CHRISTIAN TO DO?

There is no law in the Bible, “Thou shalt not celebrate Halloween.” Yet notice 1 Corinthians 10:23: “All things are lawful for me, but all things are not expedient: all things are lawful for me, but all things edify not.” Although they are not explicitly forbidden, we should avoid the activities that are inconsistent with our identity in Christ Jesus. What we need to be most careful of is not to associate with secular observances that cause us to send “mixed messages to the lost world.” If we as Christians associate with dark or evil-looking celebrations, does that convey God’s wisdom and Word to the lost world? Is God’s Word honored when we claim to believe it but we do not let it impact our lives?

Our purpose here has been to enlighten you about Halloween so that you can make an informed decision. It is certainly not our goal to “have dominion over your faith;” our desire is to be “helpers of your joy” (2 Corinthians 1:24). We will not dictate to you what you can and cannot do regarding Halloween, but we do offer this study for your consideration. Our goal is to have your faith rest in an intelligent understanding of God’s Word, so that you may have joy and peace in believing God’s Word (Romans 15:13).

Let us use this dark, “death-filled” time of year—a time when people are most open to “spiritual things”—to share the wonderful news of the new life we have in Christ, and the new life that they can have in Jesus Christ, too, if they trust Him alone as their personal Saviour. This is the wonderful Gospel of the Grace of God, and it alone is the life-giving message that lost people need to hear—at Halloween and every other time!

NOTE: My own research about Halloween yielded too much information to be reproduced in its entirety here. The reader is greatly encouraged to search the internet to learn more about Halloween’s history, and not take this author’s word for anything.

Also, please see our Bible study “Impressionable Minds and Effectual Doctrine,” which goes into greater detail about how our young people need to guard their minds against Halloween’s associated pagan beliefs and practices. You may also enjoy our “Arrayed in Hypocrisy” Bible study, which discusses how Satan’s ministers wear ingenuous disguises—these are the “monsters” of Scripture.

Also see:
» How does Satan operate today?
» Where in the Bible did God give Satan domain over the Earth?
» Did God create evil? (LINK TEMPORARILY UNAVAILABLE)

DENOMINATIONS, CULTS, & FALSE TEACHING, HOLIDAYS, ROMAN CATHOLICISM, Should Christians celebrate Easter?, Should Christians celebrate Easter?, Should Christians celebrate Easter?

Should Christians celebrate Easter?

SHOULD CHRISTIANS CELEBRATE EASTER? IS IT NOT A PAGAN HOLIDAY?

by Shawn Brasseaux

Some professing Christians believe that we should celebrate Easter because it commemorates Jesus Christ’s resurrection. Other professing Christians believe that we should not celebrate Easter because of its pagan (non-Christian) origins and elements. In this Bible study, we will evaluate Easter from the historical and Biblical perspectives, and let our readers come to their own conclusion as to what they should do about Easter.

ORIGIN OF EASTER

According to the “Easter” article of The World Book Encyclopedia:

“Easter is the most important Christian festival of the year…. The word Easter may have come from an early English word, Eastre. Some scholars say Eastre was the name of a pagan goddess of spring, the name of a spring festival, or the name of the season itself. Other scholars believe the word Easter comes from the early German word eostarun, which means dawn. This word may be an incorrect translation of the Latin word albae, meaning both dawn and white. Easter was considered a day of ‘white’ because newly baptized church members wore white clothes at Easter observances.” (Bold emphasis mine.)

The New Encyclopædia Britannica says under its article “Easter:”

“The English name Easter is of uncertain origin; the Anglo-Saxon priest Venerable Bede in the 8th century derived it from the Anglo-Saxon spring goddess Eostre…. By the time that the Christian liturgy had begun to take shape (2nd century), the Sunday Eucharist was preceded by a vigil service of Scripture readings and psalms. In this must be seen the origin of the Easter Vigil service, one of the striking celebrations of Easter in both East and West; from being a weekly observance the vigil has turned into an annual one at Easter only. As it is now constituted in the Roman Catholic missal, this vigil consists of the new fire (a practice introduced during the early Middle Ages); the lighting of the paschal candle; a service of lessons, called the prophecies; following by the blessing of the font and baptisms and then the mass of Easter. A similar form is used in Lutheran and some Anglican churches. This pattern is quite primitive and, in its principal elements, can be traced to the 3rd–4th century. … The connection of baptism with Easter is of early date. During the church’s first centuries the whole of Lent was not only a time of penance but also the period during which the catechumens (persons to be baptized) were prepared for baptism, which was given only once a year, at Easter. For the six weeks preceding Easter the catechumens were instructed in the Christian faith, and the texts of the Lenten liturgy in the Roman Catholic missal still preserve clear indications of this practice. The catechumenate came to an end with the solemn baptisms of the Easter vigil. This is the explanation of the present practice of the long ceremony of blessing the font on Easter night and of the great emphasis on baptism and its meaning and the many allusions to it still present in the Easter services…. Popular customs. Around the Christian observance of Easter as the climax of the liturgical drama of Holy Week and Good Friday, folk customs have been collected, many of which have been handed down from the ancient ceremonial and symbolism of European and Middle Eastern pagan spring festivals brought into relation with the resurrection theme. These customs have taken a variety of forms, in which, for example, eggs, formerly forbidden to be eaten during Lent, have been prominent as symbols of new life and resurrection. The hare, the symbol of fertility in ancient Egypt, a role that was kept later in Europe, is not found in North America.” (Bold emphasis mine.)

As you can easily see from these quotes from World Book and Britannica, the apostles did not institute Easter practices and customs such as Easter candle and fire burning, blessing of fonts and baptisms, and displays of eggs and rabbits (fertility deities—this is why the Playboy symbol is a rabbit!). The New Testament Scriptures are silent about the apostles instituting special practices and rituals during Easter. These activities existed within the professing “Christian” church in the 2nd century at the earliest and to as late as the 3rd and 4th century and the early Middle Ages—decades and even several centuries after the apostles died! As per Roman Catholic tradition, many Easter customs and practices are a “development of doctrine,” and they have no Scriptural support: the Britannica says the pagan activities were “brought into relation with the resurrection theme.” That is an elegant way of saying, “Non-Christian elements from non-Christian religions were adopted to celebrate the Christian doctrine of resurrection.”

The Catholic Encyclopedia (1909) elaborates for us in its “Easter” article (bold emphasis mine):

“The English term, according to the Ven. Bede (De temporum ratione, I, v), relates to Estre, a Teutonic goddess of the rising light of day and spring, which deity, however, is otherwise unknown, even in the Edda (Simrock, Mythol., 362); Anglo-Saxon, eâster, eâstron; Old High German, ôstra, ôstrara, ôstrarûn; German, Ostern. April was called easter-monadh.”

“Easter eggs. Because the use of eggs was forbidden during Lent, they were brought to the table on Easter Day, coloured red to symbolize the Easter joy. This custom is found not only in the Latin but also in the Oriental Churches. The symbolic meaning of a new creation of mankind by Jesus risen from the dead was probably an invention of later times. The custom may have its origin in paganism, for a great many pagan customs, celebrating the return of spring, gravitated to Easter. The egg is the emblem of the germinating life of early spring. Easter eggs, the children are told, come from Rome with the bells which on Thursday go to Rome and return Saturday morning.”

“The Easter Rabbit. The Easter Rabbit lays the eggs, for which reason they are hidden in a nest or in the garden. The rabbit is a pagan symbol and has always been an emblem of fertility” (Simrock, Mythologie, 551).

“The Easter Fire. The Easter Fire is lit on the top of mountains (Easter mountain, Osterberg) and must be kindled from new fire, drawn from wood by friction (nodfyr); this is a custom of pagan origin in vogue all over Europe, signifying the victory of spring over winter. … The bishops issued severe edicts against the sacrilegious Easter fires (Conc. Germanicum, a. 742, c.v.; Council of Lestines, a. 743, n. 15), but did not succeed in abolishing them everywhere. The Church adopted the observance into the Easter ceremonies, referring it to the fiery column in the desert and to the Resurrection of Christ; the new fire on Holy Saturday is drawn from flint, symbolizing the Resurrection of the Light of the World from the tomb closed by a stone (Missale Rom.).”

Holweck, F. (1909). Easter. In The Catholic Encyclopedia. New York: Robert Appleton Company. Retrieved April 17, 2014 from New Advent: < http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/05224d.htm >

In his classic The Two Babylons, Alexander Hislop wrote:

“Then look at Easter. What means the term Easter itself? It is not a Christian name. It bears its Chaldean origin on its very forehead. Easter is nothing else than Astarte, one of the titles of Beltis, the queen of heaven, whose name, as pronounced by the people Nineveh, was evidently identical with that now in common use in this country. That name, aas found by Layard on the Assyrian monuments, is Ishtar. The worship of Bel and Astarte was very early introduced into Britain, along with the Druids, “the priests of the groves.” Some have imagined that the Druidical worship was first introduced by the Phoenicians, who, centuries before the Christian era, traded to the tin-mines of Cornwall. But the unequivocal traces of that worship are found in regions of the British islands where the Phoenicians never penetrated, and it has everywhere left indelible marks of the strong hold which it must have had on the early British mind. From Bel, the 1st of May is still called Beltane in the Almanac; and we have customs still lingering at this day among us, which prove how exactly the worship of Bel or Moloch (for both titles belonged to the same god) had been observed even in the northern parts of this island. “The late Lady Baird, of Fern Tower, in Perthshire,” says a writer in “Notes and Queries,” thoroughly versed in British antiquities, “told me, that every year, at Beltane (or the 1st of May), a number of men and women assemble at an ancient Druidical circle of stones on her property near Crieff. They light a fire in the centre, each person puts a bit of oat-cake in a shepherd’s bonnet; they all sit down, and draw blindfold a piece from the bonnet. One piece has been previously blackened, and whoever gets that piece has to jump through the fire in the centre of the circle, and pay a forfeit. This is, in fact, a part of the ancient worship of Baal, and the person on whom the lot fell was previously burnt as a sacrifice. Now, the passing through the fire represents that, and the payment of the forfeit redeems the victim.” If Baal was thus worshipped in Britain, it will not be difficult to believe that his consort Astarte was also adored by our ancestors, and that from Astarte, whose name in Nineveh was Ishtar, the religious solemnities of April, as now practised, are called by the name of Easter—that month, among our Pagan ancestors, having been called Easter-monath. The festival, of which we read in Church history, under the name of Easter, in the third or fourth centuries, was quite a different festival from that now observed in the Romish Church, and at that time was not known by any such name as Easter. It was called Pasch, or the Passover, and though not of Apostolic institution,* was very early observed by many professing Christians, in commemoration of the death and resurrection of Christ.” (pages 103–104, Bold emphasis mine.)

While much more could be said regarding the above quotes, suffice it to say that Easter practices certainly have roots in false religion, and much of what is called “Easter worship” is nothing more than the carryover of superstitious practices that non-Christians followed centuries and millennia ago. These pagan practices have a godly appearance—they have been “Christianized”—but they have no relation to the God of the Bible and no association with Jesus Christ. The only mention of Easter in the Holy Bible—the King James Bible—is Acts 12:4, and it refers to a pagan Roman King Herod Agrippa I observing it (near the time of Passover).

Why there is so much confusion about pagan practices and Christian practices is simple to explain. Satan is the master counterfeiter: from Genesis to Revelation, the Scriptures reveal how the devil schemes to “be like the most High” (Isaiah 14:14). Whatever God does, Satan defiles that work by introducing false doctrine, distracts mankind from God’s truth by mimicking His actions, discourages God’s people from His ministry by using incorrect thinking patterns, and so on. Why? Satan wants the worship that God alone deserves (Matthew 4:8-10; Luke 4:5-8).

Consider Christmastime. Centuries before Christ, Satan had pagans worshipping the birth of the sun god in early winter—near the date that Jesus Christ (God the Son) took upon human flesh in the virgin Mary’s womb! Now, consider Eastertime. Centuries before Christ, Satan had pagans worshipping fertility deities and new life in early spring, near the date that Jesus Christ (God the Son) died for our sins and resurrected victoriously over sin, death, hell, and Satan to give us new life! (To Satan’s delight, today’s average church member is not mindful of relevant sound Bible doctrine during Christmastime and Eastertime—the devil’s distractions have never lost their efficacy!)

Let us take a few moments to briefly summarize Passover.

ORIGIN OF PASSOVER

Any person familiar with the Bible knows of Israel’s first Passover, held just before JEHOVAH God delivered the Jews from Egyptian bondage (see Exodus chapter 12 for details). In Exodus 12:1-2, we read: “[1] And the LORD spake unto Moses and Aaron in the land of Egypt, saying, [2] This month shall be unto you the beginning of months: it shall be the first month of the year to you.”

The first month on Israel’s religious calendar is what the Bible calls the month of “Abib” (Exodus 13:4; Exodus 23:14; Exodus 34:18; Deuteronomy 16:1)—it was also called “Nisan” (Nehemiah 2:1; Esther 3:7). In Exodus 12:6-14, JEHOVAH instructed the Jews to pen up the Passover lamb on Abib 10th, to check and make sure that it was not sick or crippled, and the Jews were to kill the Passover lamb on Abib 14th (roughly equivalent to April 14th in our Gregorian calendar). This lamb’s blood was then applied to the side posts and lintel of the door of every Jewish home in Egypt. God would kill all of the Egyptians’ firstborn, but He would “pass over” and spare the Jews who had the lamb’s blood on the door. In Israel’s program, Passover is “an ordinance for ever” (Exodus 12:14).

Through the annual Passover observance, God was teaching Israel that blood had to be shed in order to redeem her, or buy her back. Israel was trapped, not only under Egyptian rule, but Satan’s rule (domination of sin)—many times the Bible calls Egypt “the house of bondage” (Exodus 13:3,14; Exodus 20:2; et al.). The Jews were slaves to Egypt and to sin, and could not function as the nation God designed them to be. The blood of the Passover lamb was a preview of what Jesus Christ would do at Calvary many centuries in the future. The Apostle Peter reminded Israel in 1 Peter 1:18-19: “[18] Forasmuch as ye know that ye were not redeemed with corruptible things, as silver and gold, from your vain conversation received by tradition from your fathers; [19] But with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot:” As the Apostle Paul wrote, “Purge out therefore the old leaven, that ye may be a new lump, as ye are unleavened. For even Christ our passover is sacrificed for us:” (1 Corinthians 5:7).

When Israel celebrated her new life on the other side of the Red Sea, a life as a free people, the pagans were celebrating the new life associated with Easter (Satan’s counterfeit religious system). Easter was Satan’s way of mocking Passover: again, Satan is the master counterfeiter, and as long as he can distract you from God’s Word to you, he is very pleased with himself (Satan gets the glory and worship when the God of the Bible does not). March-April was the time when God shed blood for Israel’s redemption, and when He gave her new life (after she crossed the Red Sea).

From the Four Gospels, we learn that Jesus Christ died around Passover (Matthew 26:2,17-19; Mark 14:1,12-16; Luke 22:18,11,13,15; John 11:55; John 12:1; John 13:1; John 18:28,39; John 19:14). In other words, Jesus died during the same holiday that had typified His death for the last 1,500 years. The blood of the true Passover lamb—Jesus Christ—was shed at Calvary. With the death of Jesus Christ at that time of year, March-April was that much more appealing to Satan to further corrupt.

During the centuries following the apostles’ deaths, the pagan festival Easter that had counterfeited Israel’s Passover gradually began to merge as Christianity was paganized to welcome new converts. Hence, today, the non-Christian and Christian elements of the Easter-Passover season have blended into one celebration within Christendom (just what Satan wanted from the beginning!). While it is often assumed that Easter celebrates Jesus Christ’s resurrection, it actually was never intended to do so. Still, very few church members even know the difference between Passover and Easter. A quote from The Catechism of the Catholic Church demonstrates how Christendom has greatly confused these two holidays:

“At the Council of Nicaea in 325, all the Churches agreed that Easter, the Christian Passover, should be celebrated on the Sunday following the first full moon (14 Nisan) after the vernal equinox. Because of different methods of calculating the 14th day of the month of Nisan, the date of Easter in the Western and Eastern Churches is not always the same. For this reason, the Churches are currently seeking an agreement in order once again to celebrate the day of the Lord’s Resurrection on a common date” (Catechism of the Catholic Church, 2nd edition, paragraph 1170). (Bold emphasis mine.)

How could we possibly confuse Passover, a Biblical holiday, and Easter, a non-Biblical holiday? How can we call Easter “the Christian Passover?” Again, you can see just how paganized Christianity has become over the centuries since the apostles; what was once non-Christian is now considered “Christian” and what was once Christian is now considered “non-Christian.” How more deceived can the professing Body of Christ get? What do we expect when we throw away God’s Word, the Holy Bible, and embrace the traditions of men?

WHAT IS THE CHRISTIAN TO DO?

Our purpose here has been to enlighten you about Easter so that you can make an informed decision. It is certainly not our goal to “have dominion over your faith;” our desire is to be “helpers of your joy” (2 Corinthians 1:24). We will not dictate to you what you can and cannot do regarding Easter, but we do offer this study for your consideration. Our goal is to have your faith rest in an intelligent understanding of God’s Word, so that you may have joy and peace in believing God’s Word (Romans 15:13).

JEHOVAH, the God of the Bible, instituted in Israel a festival, Passover (the killing of a spotless lamb and its bloodshed in early spring), while they were still in Egypt (Exodus chapter 12). Passover’s annual observance reminded them of JEHOVAH delivering them from Egyptian slavery unto new life. Israel did not understand its meaning until 1,500 years later. The true Passover lamb, Jesus Christ, died and shed His sinless blood during that annual Passover feast (early spring), and He resurrected in new life to give them spiritual life and liberty. It was during this time of year that lost mankind—the nations of the world, those under Satan’s influence—celebrated fertility, reproduction, and new life by praising manmade idols and participating in shameful and ungodly activities. Easter and Passover should certainly not be confused.

As with the case of Christmas, Easter has both good and bad elements: we do not have to avoid either holiday altogether. Yes, the pagans may have “hijacked” this time of year for the devil’s glory, but we can disregard their ignorance: spring is God’s season for new life. We can still use this season to bring the God of the Bible glory by remembering that He has given us physical life, and He offers us new life (that is, spiritual life) through Jesus Christ’s death and resurrection! March-April was indeed the time of year when Israel was released from Satanic and Egyptian bondage, and March-April was the time of year when Jesus died for our sins, was buried, and rose again the third day for our justification (1 Corinthians 15:3-4). We can trust Him alone and pass from eternal death to eternal life.

If we do choose to “celebrate” (for lack of a better word) Easter, we should remember not to be get distracted by the eggs, rabbits, denominational rites and rituals, and so on. Let us use this time of year—a time when people are most open to “spiritual things”—to share the wonderful news of the new life we have in Christ, and the new life that they can have in Jesus Christ, too, if they trust Him alone as their personal Saviour. This is the wonderful Gospel of the Grace of God, and it alone is the life-giving message that lost people need to hear—at Eastertime and every other time!

NOTE: My own research about Easter yielded too much information to be reproduced in its entirety here. The reader is greatly encouraged to search the internet to learn more about Easter’s very complex history, and not take this author’s word for anything.

 

Also see:
» Was Jesus Christ really crucified on Friday?
» Should Christians observe Passover?
» Is “Easter” a mistranslation in the King James Bible in Acts 12:4?

DENOMINATIONS, CULTS, & FALSE TEACHING, HOLIDAYS, Was Jesus Christ really crucified on Friday?, Was Jesus Christ really crucified on Friday?

Was Jesus Christ really crucified on Friday?

Was Jesus Christ really crucified on A Friday?

by Shawn Brasseaux

Did Jesus Christ really die on Good Friday? Or is that merely church tradition? While some may argue that this issue is insignificant, the fact is that anything that is not in the Bible is not of faith. “So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God” (Romans 10:17). What if God’s Word did tell us on what day Jesus died? Would we care to know what God says about the matter, or would we be content to merely believe what we presumed the Bible to teach?

In Matthew 12:40, the Lord Jesus Christ said, “For as Jonas was three days and three nights in the whale’s belly; so shall the Son of man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth.” During the three days and three nights between Christ’s death and resurrection, His soul went to the heart of the earth. In Luke 23:43, Jesus called the place “paradise.” This is “Abraham’s bosom,” the same place mentioned earlier in Luke chapter 16. Jesus Christ never went to hell’s torments. Hanging on Calvary’s cross, Jesus declared, “It is finished,” so His suffering was complete before He died (John 19:30). After three days and three nights were accomplished, Christ arose on Sunday, victorious over sin and death.

Let us examine Luke chapter 24: “[13] And, behold, two of them went that same day to a village called Emmaus, which was from Jerusalem about threescore furlongs. [14] And they talked together of all these things which had happened. [15] And it came to pass, that, while they communed together and reasoned, Jesus himself drew near, and went with them. [16] But their eyes were holden that they should not know him. [17] And he said unto them, What manner of communications are these that ye have one to another, as ye walk, and are sad? [18] And the one of them, whose name was Cleopas, answering said unto him, Art thou only a stranger in Jerusalem, and hast not known the things which are come to pass there in these days? [19] And he said unto them, What things? And they said unto him, Concerning Jesus of Nazareth, which was a prophet mighty in deed and word before God and all the people: [20] And how the chief priests and our rulers delivered him to be condemned to death, and have crucified him. [21] But we trusted that it had been he which should have redeemed Israel: and beside all this, to day is the third day since these things were done.”

Notice in verse 21 that, on resurrection day, Sunday, it was said that that day “was the third day since these things happened [since Christ suffered and died].” If we go back, Saturday would be the second day since Christ died, and Friday would be the first day since He died. That would make Thursday the crucifixion day.

Another way to look at it is like this: Jesus Christ died around 3 p.m. (“the ninth hour;” Matthew 27:46,50; Mark 15:34,37; Luke 23:44-46). The Jews count days from evening to evening (6 p.m. to 6 p.m.), rather than the Roman/Gentile reckoning of time (midnight to midnight). The only way for Jesus to be dead three days and three nights and resurrect on “the third day” (1 Corinthians 15:3-4), Sunday, is to be crucified on Thursday. Thursday is the most plausible day of His crucifixion—a Friday crucifixion would be only two nights to Sunday, not three nights, and this would not fulfill the prophecy of Matthew 12:40. Furthermore, if we consider Jewish reckoning of time, Thursday evening and Friday morning were the first day, Friday evening and Saturday morning were the second day, and Saturday evening and Sunday morning were the third day, and Jesus rose Sunday morning. Three days and three nights from Sunday would be Thursday, and Sunday could only be the “third day” if it was a Thursday crucifixion. See diagram:

three days and three nights[CLICK IMAGE TO ENLARGE]

So, if the Bible indicates a Thursday crucifixion, why do many people talk about “Good Friday?” The main reason it is assumed that Jesus was crucified on Friday is that the Bible says that the day after Jesus’ crucifixion was the Sabbath day. John 19:31 says, “The Jews therefore, because it was the preparation, that the bodies should not remain upon the cross on the sabbath day, (for that sabbath day was an high day,) besought Pilate that their legs might be broken, and that they might be taken away.” However, the parenthetical statement says that that Sabbath day was not the weekly Sabbath (Saturday), but “that sabbath day was an high day.”  It was a special Sabbath—“that sabbath”—not “the sabbath.” Israel did not have merely weekly Sabbaths (Saturdays) to observe, but Sabbaths (other days of rest) associated with feasts observed throughout the year as well (Leviticus 16:31; Leviticus 23:24,32,39). The Sabbath of John 19:31 was the first day of the Feast of Unleavened Bread, which immediately followed Passover.

Also see:
» Did Jesus Christ suffer in hell? (LINK TEMPORARILY UNAVAILABLE)
» Should Christians celebrate Easter?
» Are Christians obligated to observe Passover?

Are Christians obligated to observe Passover?, HOLIDAYS

Are Christians obligated to observe Passover?

MUST WE CHRISTIANS OBSERVE PASSOVER?

by Shawn Brasseaux

Should we as Christians observe the Passover? After all, some argue, unlike Easter, it has Biblical support. Let us search the Scriptures for the answer.

ORIGIN OF PASSOVER

Every person familiar with the Holy Bible knows of the first Passover, the feast Israel held just before JEHOVAH God delivered the Jews from Egyptian bondage. In Exodus 12:1-2, we read: “[1] And the LORD spake unto Moses and Aaron in the land of Egypt, saying, [2] This month shall be unto you the beginning of months: it shall be the first month of the year to you.” The first month on Israel’s religious calendar is what Scripture calls the month of “Abib” (Exodus 13:4; Exodus 23:14; Exodus 34:18; Deuteronomy 16:1)—Abib is also known as “Nisan” (Nehemiah 2:1; Esther 3:7).

In Exodus 12:6-14, JEHOVAH instructed the Jews to pen up the Passover lamb on Abib 10th, to check and make sure that it was not sick or crippled, and the Jews were to kill the Passover lamb during sunset on Abib 14th (roughly equivalent to April 14th on our Gregorian calendar). This lamb’s blood was then applied to the side posts and lintel of the door of every Jewish home in Egypt. That night, God slew all of the Egyptians’ firstborn, but He “passed over” and spared the Jews who had the lamb’s blood on the door. In Israel’s program, Passover is “an ordinance for ever” (Exodus 12:14).

Through the annual Passover observance, God was teaching Israel that blood had to be shed in order to redeem her, or buy her back. Israel was trapped, not only under Egyptian rule, but Satan’s tyranny as well (domination of sin); hence, the Bible calls Egypt “the house of bondage” many times (Exodus 13:3,14; Exodus 20:2; et al.). The Jews were slaves to Egypt and to sin. Thus, they could not function as the nation God designed them to be. The blood of the Passover lamb was a preview of what Jesus Christ would do at Calvary many centuries later. The Apostle Peter reminded Israel in 1 Peter 1:18-19: “[18] Forasmuch as ye know that ye were not redeemed with corruptible things, as silver and gold, from your vain conversation received by tradition from your fathers; [19] But with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot:” As the Apostle Paul wrote, “Purge out therefore the old leaven, that ye may be a new lump, as ye are unleavened. For even Christ our passover is sacrificed for us:” (1 Corinthians 5:7).

When Israel celebrated her new life on the other side of the Red Sea, a life as a free people, the pagans were celebrating the new life associated with Easter (Satan’s counterfeit religious system). Easter was Satan’s way of mocking Passover: the devil is the master counterfeiter, and as long as he can distract you from God’s Word to you, he is very pleased with himself (Satan gets the worship and glory when the God of the Bible does not; Matthew 4:8-10; Luke 4:5-8). March-April was the time when God shed blood for Israel’s redemption, and when He gave her new life (once she crossed the Red Sea).

From the Four Gospels, we learn that Jesus Christ died near the time the Passover lamb was killed (Matthew 26:2,17-19; Mark 14:1,12-16; Luke 22:18,11,13,15; John 11:55; John 12:1; John 13:1; John 18:28,39; John 19:14). In other words, Jesus died during the same holiday that had typified His death for the last 1,500 years. The blood of the true Passover lamb—Jesus Christ—was shed at Calvary. This shed blood of Christ would then make Israel’s spiritual birth possible (her forgiveness, her redemption, her justification, and so on). With the death of Jesus Christ at that time of year, March-April was that much more appealing to Satan to further corrupt.

During the centuries following the apostles’ deaths, as Christianity was paganized to welcome new converts, the pagan fertility/reproduction festival Easter that had counterfeited Israel’s Passover for centuries gradually merged to form one convoluted “Christian” celebration. Hence, today, the non-Christian and Christian elements of the Easter-Passover season have blended into one festival within Christendom. While it is often assumed that Easter celebrates Jesus Christ’s resurrection, it actually was never intended to do so.

 

WHAT IS THE CHRISTIAN TO DO?

Certainly, Passover is a Biblical practice, but being Scriptural is not necessarily correct and godly. There are many activities and procedures that are taught in Scripture, and we would be utterly foolish to follow them. (Are you still offering blood sacrifices like Leviticus says? Are you building an ark like Genesis says?)

As people who study, understand, believe, and enjoy the Bible dispensationally, we recognize that not all of the Bible is to us or about us. When the Bible says, “Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth” (2 Timothy 2:15), we comprehend that to mean that God has made divisions in His Word, and we need not ignore these distinctions.

According to Leviticus chapter 23, JEHOVAH instituted a very complex calendar of seven annual feasts for the nation Israel to follow (Passover was the first). These feasts taught the Jews specific doctrines—what God would do for them, what He would do with them, and so on. As Gentiles apart from Israel’s program, we have no direct connection to Passover. God never “passed over” our ancestors as He did Israel’s patriarchs in Egypt. Furthermore, God through Paul our apostle (Romans 11:13) never instructed us members of the Body of Christ to observe Passover. Faith comes by hearing God’s Word (Romans 10:17), but God’s Word does not lead us Gentiles to observe Passover; observing Passover would not be of faith.

In fact, according to Deuteronomy 16:2, the Passover was to be observed only in Jerusalem (1 Kings 9:3; 1 Kings 14:21)—it was never to be observed throughout the world. This is why Israel’s males, no matter where they lived, had to travel to Jerusalem for Passover every year (Deuteronomy 16:16). Furthermore, this is why the Lord’s Supper is not to be confused with the Passover—the Corinthians observed the Lord’s Supper in Corinth, not Jerusalem. Strictly speaking, even if Israel’s program were in operation today, the only valid Passover in Scripture would have to be observed in Jerusalem!

We do find these words of God the Holy Ghost through Paul in Colossians 2:16-17: “[16] Let no man therefore judge you in meat, or in drink, or in respect of an holyday, or of the new moon, or of the sabbath days: [17] Which are a shadow of things to come; but the body is of Christ.” We have no obligation to observe any religious feasts or holidays of Israel—Sabbath days, monthly demarcations, Passover, Pentecost, et cetera. They all belong to Israel, not us. These activities do not belong in our mystery program.

Paul warned the Law-keeping Galatians: “But now, after that ye have known God, or rather are known of God, how turn ye again to the weak and beggarly elements, whereunto ye desire again to be in bondage? [10] Ye observe days, and months, and times, and years. [11] I am afraid of you, lest I have bestowed upon you labour in vain” (Galatians 4:9-11). The Galatians had returned to Mosaic Law keeping, and they were ignoring God’s grace to them in Christ. They were observing Israel’s religious calendar, and Paul called that “bondage!” He said he feared for their spiritual destruction, that they had made God’s grace useless in their lives. We should not let Satan get an advantage of us by using religious tradition or religious ceremonies.

Finally, Paul wrote in Romans 14:5-8: “[5] One man esteemeth one day above another: another esteemeth every day alike. Let every man be fully persuaded in his own mind. [6] He that regardeth the day, regardeth it unto the Lord; and he that regardeth not the day, to the Lord he doth not regard it. He that eateth, eateth to the Lord, for he giveth God thanks; and he that eateth not, to the Lord he eateth not, and giveth God thanks. [7] For none of us liveth to himself, and no man dieth to himself. [8] For whether we live, we live unto the Lord; and whether we die, we die unto the Lord: whether we live therefore, or die, we are the Lord’s.” God’s grace gives us liberty to apply sound grace doctrine to our lives. We need to take this sound information and consider it, and choose how we should use our life’s calendar to bring glory and honor to the Lord Jesus Christ. As Christians, we live unto Him, and not unto ourselves. Let us walk by faith in light of these precious truths and verses!

Also see:
» Should Christians observe Lent?
» Is “Easter” a mistranslation in the King James Bible in Acts 12:4?
» Should Christians celebrate Easter? (LINK TEMPORARILY UNAVAILABLE)