The Passover and Easter

Jesus and His disciples celebrated the Seder meal or Passover meal, which Christians call the Last Supper and it was just before His arrest and the “mock trial” before His crucifixion. But how did three full days elapse between the crucifixion and His resurrection? Some say there was another sabbath which was prior to the Passover that year so what was it?

The part that we, as Christians, don’t understand is the Jewish holiday itself. Passover is a Holy Day and therefore is considered a sabbath day when no work is allowed regardless of the day that it falls on. Since their calendar is based on a Lunar calendar month the dates and days change from year to year. I have found a chart which shows the differences between the calendar days and the holy days for the year when Jesus (Yeshua) was crucified.

Does this validate or change anything? Not really. In fact it just shows that the days before the Sabbath for that year had significance for those who were celebrating the feasts (Feast of Unleavened Bread) and the Passover.

Why bring this up? Because, regardless of whether you consider a part of a day as a day, there is no way to make three days fit between Friday afternoon and Sunday at daybreak in the way that tradition has held that Jesus was crucified on Friday. Does this really matter in the grand scheme of things? No, because God worked it out however He wanted it to work.

Our salvation is paid for because of the sacrifice of Jesus on the cross and our belief in the atonement provided by Him. The number of nights or days doesn’t change what Jesus did, if you don’t count the time that He told the Pharisees that the “only sign that they would get would be the sign of Jonah“. They were the priests and the teachers of Israel and they knew their scriptures by heart and yet they didn’t see that He was their Messiah or they didn’t want to believe that He was and chose not to recognize Him. Whichever version you want to go with is fine with me.

Jesus told them before His crucifixion that “since they didn’t recognize Him their blindness would remain“. God has provided a way for all who hear His call in their lives to come to repentance and salvation IF they will believe in and accept Jesus as their Savior. I pray that anyone who is looking for their Savior will give Jesus a chance because He is the only Savior there is…period.

Become as a child…

Our condition doesn’t change

Of all of the preachers and evangelists that I have read their sermons or their books, it seems that the spiritual condition of humanity hasn’t really changed much. When I read something like “Pilgrim’s Progress” there were still many in the world who were content in their own sins and felt that they had no need to seek Jesus or a Savior. Then there are the sermons of Jonathan Edwards in the 1700’s and he is speaking of a world full of sin and strife against all that is holy. The same can be said for the prince of preachers, C.H. Spurgeon. He talked and preached to a crowd sometimes in excess of three thousand people and yet he spoke of sins which we hear about today.

Sins have not changed over the years between the time when Jesus walked in Galilee and today. The sinners have changed and the severity of the sins have changed but the sins have not. We have newer ways to sin if you consider those committed on the Internet today. There is a whole generation of people who have not grown up in the church and who don’t know any of the stories from God’s Word. Even if they did know some of the stories they would likely think they were made up or fairy tales rather than the inspired Word of God.

Even life on Earth hasn’t really changed that much, except in the last century or so. Until the 1900’s most people got around by horse and buggy or by their own horse or by carriage. Then the car was invented and the airplane and so much more. In the last one hundred years there have been many advances in so many areas of our life.

Seek out your Savior while there is time to do so because He loved you enough to die for your sins so you wouldn’t have to.

**He does love you this much, don’t turn away from Him.**

What can I do to have eternal life?

In the sentence above is one mistake which many people cling to and never realize that they are wrong in doing so. The word “I” has no place in this sentence. There is nothing that we can do which will bring us into eternity with Jesus. Only by giving your life and your heart to Him and asking for His forgiveness of your sins can you obtain eternal Life. “The soul which sins will die” is a promise in God’s Word, not a suggestion.

But, the death that this soul which sins will endure is not an instant, one-time death. It is an eternal separation from God and His Life in heaven. So, in effect we are all immortal it just depends upon your choices in this life whether you will truly live into eternity or endure suffering and pain for eternity by being separated from the Author of Life, which is Jesus our Savior.

If it were possible for us to contribute anything to attaining or grasping eternal life then why did Jesus have to die? If we could do it and be successful at it, by being righteous and holy in everything that we do in our lives, He didn’t have to die on the cross and be raised on the third day. But we cannot be perfectly righteous and holy in our life.

Our holiness comes through striving to be more like Christ and not being like the person we were before our relationship with Him. That is what “taking up your cross” means. Put down your old way of life and turn away from it and follow Jesus Christ every day because only by doing this can you begin to understand His wisdom and His Word. If you are wondering how this is possible if we can’t do it ourselves, it is because of the Holy Spirit’s conviction which brings you to the place where you know you need Jesus. Then the Spirit changes your heart to be a little bit more like Him each day when you read the Bible and study it with prayer.

Prior to my acceptance of Jesus as my Savior I couldn’t understand the message in the Bible whether it was in the Old Testament or the New Testament. It just seemed to be stories and history of a people that I had heard about in movies. God’s Spirit does have a way of teaching us even when we don’t know we are being taught. The title of this article is the same question which the rich young ruler asked Jesus but when he learned that he should give up his wealth…he turned away.

Money and fame can lead many people away from the message of salvation simply because with both of those we don’t feel the need for God in our lives unless a true tragedy happens to us. Even then some people will blame God for it rather than turn to Him for their comfort and healing. I pray that anyone who reads this will seek Jesus out as their Savior before the church is taken up one day soon.

The Earth is the Lord’s

The earth is the Lord’s , and the fulness thereof; the world, and they that dwell therein.
Psalms 24:1 KJV
https://bible.com/bible/1/psa.24.1.KJV

A gentle answer…

A soft answer turneth away wrath: but grievous words stir up anger.
Proverbs 15:1 KJV
https://bible.com/bible/1/pro.15.1.KJV

Do good to one another

See that none render evil for evil unto any man; but ever follow that which is good, both among yourselves, and to all men.
1 Thessalonians 5:15 KJV
https://bible.com/bible/1/1th.5.15.KJV

We are redeemed by the blood of Jesus Christ!

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; But with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot: Who verily was foreordained before the foundation of the world, but was manifest in these last times for you,
1 Peter 1:18‭-‬20 KJV
https://bible.com/bible/1/1pe.1.18-20.KJV

Praise the Lord!

Behold, bless ye the Lord , all ye servants of the Lord , which by night stand in the house of the Lord . Lift up your hands in the sanctuary, and bless the Lord . The Lord that made heaven and earth bless thee out of Zion.
Psalms 134:1‭-‬3 KJV
https://bible.com/bible/1/psa.134.1-3.KJV