I know that me presenting such anti-religious and heretical thoughts on such a (traditionally) holy day must seem worthy of a burning, but for me to be on the computer on this day, and so unrepentant overall must surely be worse. So, for those squeamish ones, Please close your eyes, breath deeply and focus. (lol, that is what they tell you in Imax movie)
So, for all of you who follow days and signs and such, I have some thoughts from astronomy to present:
A "day" in the 24-hour-calendar-sense (at least according to the Jewish system) is sunset to sunset. If Jesus was dead 3 days (and the day-age theory does not work here!) he could not have been crucified on Friday. Friday sunset (ie. Saturday beginning) to Sunday (please forgive the Romanization... I would use "first day" and "6th day", but I find myself in a rut) sunrise is NOT 3 days. In fact Sunday sunrise is absolutely nothing.
Whom did the Angel roll the stone away for?
Jesus did not arise at sunrise. The rolling-away-of-stone was for the women! Jesus (especially if He had just risen from the dead) surely did not need an angel to help him with the tomb cover. In fact, why would he need to roll the stone away to get out in the first place? (Answer: He wouldn't)
The "first day" (Mark 16:9) began at sunset on the last day of the week (in Romanization: Saturday sunset) and "early" does not mean early morning (Greek/Romans again, with their midnight being the beginning of the day). Remember, Jewish days begin and end with sunset.
So, this begs the question, when WAS Jesus actually crucified? Well, mathematically speaking, three sunset-sunset periods (days in the 24 hour sense) would require that the crucifixion happened on Wednesday, the fourth day of the week. (Interestingly, there is not reference in the NT for the fourth day. Poor Wednesday. No one bothered to mention all the things that must have happened on Wednesdays)
Also: Some people say that Friday afternoon, all day saturday, and night and morning on Sunday make three "days" (or more truthfully: portions of days). However, they have a problem in that Jesus compared himself with Jonah and said specifically "three days AND three nights" (Mat. 12:40). In "day" Jesus must have meant "three light periods of time" and "night" must have meant "three dark periods of time". Therefore, the Friday afternoon to Sunday morning model is fallacious.
The next question is: Why does all this matter? Why am I arguing with "established" (read: Roman Catholic syncretized) tradition? Why, if I have problems with it, don't I just ignore it?
Because, first of all, it is fallacious, and way to many people accept it without knowing.
Second: Because I hope to enlighten some people and help them understand the significance of using the Bible to destroy man's false traditions.
Third: Because I find that in celebrating extra-biblically, we run into so many problems that we should stick with how the Bible tells us to celebrate/remember great events.
Oh? How SHOULD we celebrate then?
I Corinthians 11:
23 For I received from the Lord that which I also delivered to you: that the Lord Jesus on the same night in which He was betrayed took bread; 24 and when He had given thanks, He broke it and said, “Take, eat; this is My body which is broken for you; do this in remembrance of Me.” 25 In the same manner He also took the cup after supper, saying, “This cup is the new covenant in My blood. This do, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of Me.”
26 For as often as you eat this bread and drink this cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death till He comes.
That is the Biblical celebration/remembrance of the crucifixion, death, resurrection, and second coming of Christ.
As for "easter" and "sunrise services" (shouldn't they be "sunset services"?) and bunnies that lay colored eggs.... I would not spend your hard-earned money, and if you want chocolate, wait a week... it will all go on sale! (oh, and all the flowers will as well)
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6 comments:
so, are you proposing that we celebrate passover?
Did I say that?
No, I advocated the "Communion" (or whatever you might wish to call it)
And, I advocate "celebrating" it at lest every month, if not a bit more. Remembering the death and redemption and second coming cannot ever fail to be more awesome/amazing/wonderful every time......
what did Jesus mean when he said "For as often as you eat this bread and drink this cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death till He comes"? Which cup was it? He uses the definite article, no?
also, you should elaborate on the problems that one runs into in celebrating extra-biblical traditions
Are you implying something significant as it relates to the post? Because for some reason, I'm not getting why an article would change the reasons I had for posting....
"Problems" would be
(Note: there are no Biblical holidays currently required of belivers)
#1 Syncretism,
#2 loss of every-day significance, as it is now a "holy-day" to be celebrated once a year
#3 cheap-ization. People send cards and make food, sell trinkets....it can become cheap, a good selling day, or a waste-time-because-it-is-a-special-day-day.
(Note: all of this is taken from current methods of celebrating "biblical" "holy-days")
well, it would seem to me that Jesus was referring to drinking the passover cup, not just any time that you drink a glass of wine. It is the passover that is significant, not the drinking of wine. I find your idea of "communion" to be entirely contrived without the idea of the passover.
Syncretism is certainly a serious issue.
And it is certainly very unfortunate when one forgets something such as the death and resurrection of Christ because we only remember that on a specific day.
But never confuse the problems people will cause for themselves in relation to an otherwise good thing, with the thing itself. What I mean is, never examine the error of the human heart in connection with a thing, and assign that error to the thing itself. In this case specifically, do not correctly identify the errors of materialism, laziness, or commercialization of the things of God and then incorrectly assign those errors of the human heart to the institution, be it Biblically prescribed or not. Jesus drove the money-changers from the Temple, He did not condemn the Temple itself. The blame was solidly on those who perverted the thing, not on the thing itself.
While I do not esteem one day over another, I have no problem with others doing so ....so long as they remain within the biblical limits.
I think that to assign a date to the birth and/or annunciation and/or resurrection and/or the ascension is a waste of time.
Also, for one who is not roman Catholic, or for one who does not give credence to the "holy" Roman Catholic church..... following their dates and signs and traditions is ludicrous.
As long as the symbolism and liturgy, and "special hymns", and traditions, and hype does not distract one from the great significance of the resurrection, I think celebrating it is not a problem.
However, other "holy" days such as the so-called Christmas are entirely heretical, made-up and integrally pagan syncretistic Roman Catholic
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