Meat The 'fertility goddes' Ishtar/Easter/Astarte has NOTHING to do with a Risen Meshiach

[Mark C]

THIS is the kind of $#!t that really illustrates the 'divide' between what Scripture SAYS and 'men say He should have said, if He was as smart as they think they are":

(WATCH) NC megachurch says they will avoid words Calvary, Resurrection and “Blood of Jesus” to promote Easter Sunday services

(OPINION) A North Carolina megachurch says they will not mention words like Calvary, resurrection of phrases like “blood of Jesus” to promote Easter Sunday services. “I’m not going to say the word ‘Calvary,’ I’m not going to say the word ‘resurrection.’ I’m not going to say the ‘blood of Jesus.’...

endtimeheadlines.org

“When we’re thinking about such a steeped-in-tradition holiday like Easter, and how we talk to someone who is not steeped in that tradition and how we get them to connect to it and come to it — that’s really important to us,” she said.

“I’m not going to say the word ‘Calvary,’ I’m not going to say the word ‘resurrection.’ I’m not going to say the ‘blood of Jesus.’ Right? I’m not going to say any of these words that makes someone feel like an outsider,” said Nikki Shearer, the digital content creator for Elevation Church. “This is really an important guiding principle.”

But paganism? Sure, fine, come on in...

 

[Earth_is-]

THIS is the kind of $#!t that really illustrates the 'divide' between what Scripture SAYS and 'men say He should have said, if He was as smart as they think they are":

(WATCH) NC megachurch says they will avoid words Calvary, Resurrection and “Blood of Jesus” to promote Easter Sunday services

(OPINION) A North Carolina megachurch says they will not mention words like Calvary, resurrection of phrases like “blood of Jesus” to promote Easter Sunday services. “I’m not going to say the word ‘Calvary,’ I’m not going to say the word ‘resurrection.’ I’m not going to say the ‘blood of Jesus.’...

endtimeheadlines.org

“When we’re thinking about such a steeped-in-tradition holiday like Easter, and how we talk to someone who is not steeped in that tradition and how we get them to connect to it and come to it — that’s really important to us,” she said.

“I’m not going to say the word ‘Calvary,’ I’m not going to say the word ‘resurrection.’ I’m not going to say the ‘blood of Jesus.’ Right? I’m not going to say any of these words that makes someone feel like an outsider,” said Nikki Shearer, the digital content creator for Elevation Church. “This is really an important guiding principle.”

But paganism? Sure, fine, come on in...

Jeremiah 10:2
This is what Yahuah says: “Do not learn the ways of the nations or be terrified by signs in the heavens, though the nations are terrified by them.

When believers truly become believers with fruit of repentance:

Acts 19:19
A number of them who had been practicing sorcery brought their incantation books and burned them at a public bonfire. The value of the books was several million dollars.

Did Constantine do anything remotely close? The instructions are not to worship the Almighty Yahuah the same way the other nations worship their gods - for they even sacrifice their children to their gods. Constantine didn't repent from his paganism - he simply incorporated his pagan beliefs into what became the Universal Roman Catholic Church, and some Christians say it was to conquer paganism. But I would venture to say it went the other way - paganism conquering Christianity.

 

[Bartato]

THIS is the kind of $#!t that really illustrates the 'divide' between what Scripture SAYS and 'men say He should have said, if He was as smart as they think they are":

(WATCH) NC megachurch says they will avoid words Calvary, Resurrection and “Blood of Jesus” to promote Easter Sunday services

(OPINION) A North Carolina megachurch says they will not mention words like Calvary, resurrection of phrases like “blood of Jesus” to promote Easter Sunday services. “I’m not going to say the word ‘Calvary,’ I’m not going to say the word ‘resurrection.’ I’m not going to say the ‘blood of Jesus.’...

endtimeheadlines.org

“When we’re thinking about such a steeped-in-tradition holiday like Easter, and how we talk to someone who is not steeped in that tradition and how we get them to connect to it and come to it — that’s really important to us,” she said.

“I’m not going to say the word ‘Calvary,’ I’m not going to say the word ‘resurrection.’ I’m not going to say the ‘blood of Jesus.’ Right? I’m not going to say any of these words that makes someone feel like an outsider,” said Nikki Shearer, the digital content creator for Elevation Church. “This is really an important guiding principle.”

But paganism? Sure, fine, come on in...

Here is another quote from the article.

Michael Bowman, the pastor of East Lumberton Baptist Church, said the posting is “why I have no use for Steven Furtick, Elevation church or it’s music.

“You come to ELBC and we will mention all of those words on Easter Sunday,” the pastor wrote on Facebook. “If the bars can mention beer, wine and spirits, the church can mention the blood, Calvary and the resurrection.”

It's nice to know that some churches will be talking about Jesus, the crucifixion, the resurrection, and the empty tomb.

 

[MeganC]

We're having ham, green beans, brioche rolls, and chocolate cake with buttercream frosting for Easter dinner.
The older kids will be putting out Easter eggs for the littles to go find.
I'm hiding some special eggs in the older kids rooms and also the adult rooms just so everyone can enjoy the fun.

On Sunday night we'll be watching the 1923 silent version of the Ten Commandments for something different.

 

[Bartato]

We're having ham, green beans, brioche rolls, and chocolate cake with buttercream frosting for Easter dinner.
The older kids will be putting out Easter eggs for the littles to go find.
I'm hiding some special eggs in the older kids rooms and also the adult rooms just so everyone can enjoy the fun.

On Sunday night we'll be watching the 1923 silent version of the Ten Commandments for something different.

We had some friends that use to have Easter egg hunts for all their friends and family aged 50+. They would put cash in the plastic eggs. They said they wanted to do something nice for the "orphans" since most of the 50+ crowd had lost their parents.

 

[Bartato]

We're having ham, green beans, brioche rolls, and chocolate cake with buttercream frosting for Easter dinner.
The older kids will be putting out Easter eggs for the littles to go find.
I'm hiding some special eggs in the older kids rooms and also the adult rooms just so everyone can enjoy the fun.

On Sunday night we'll be watching the 1923 silent version of the Ten Commandments for something different.

We will also be celebrating Resurrection Sunday eating ham, home made potato rolls, potatoes au gratin, and various other goodies. We might even casually refer to the day as Easter (though we celebrate the Risen Christ not some false god like Ishtar).

 

[MeganC]

One thing that is forbidden here on Easter Sunday is watching sports on TV. We don't permit Baal in the house and that includes Footbaal, basebaal, basketbaal, tennis baal, or etc.

 

[Mark C]

Got choco-bunnies?

 

[Earth_is-]

How precisely does the Bible instruct us to celebrate the Resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ?

1 Corinthians 5:8
Let us celebrate our Passover, then, not with bread having the old yeast of sin and wickedness, but with the bread that has no yeast, the bread of purity and truth.

The Messiah is literally our Passover Lamb. The Lamb of the Most High paid the price for our sins. So Yahushua (Jesus the Messiah) is our Passover Lamb, so we don't have to go through Righteous Judgement:

Romans 2:8
But he will pour out his anger and wrath on those who live for themselves, who refuse to obey the truth and instead live lives of wickedness.

So Passover should have a very significant meaning for believers in the Messiah. The Passover festival, which is the Creator's Festival (not a Jewish Festival) pointed to the perfect and spotless (future) Lamb of Elohim (God). The moment Yahushua (Jesus the Messiah) was crucified - was the same moment the lambs were being slaughtered for celebration of Passover. It's very prophetic event from the Scriptures.

Ishtar is not about the Messiah. The day he rose was not on Sunday. Bunnies, eggs, and ham has nothing to do with the Messiah. It is giving honor to Baal, Ishtar, and Tammuz. The ancient gods that the children of Israel worshipped. The same gods that played a role in causing the Father in Heaven to issue them a certificate of divorce, and send them to exile. He said they committed adultery against him. This is why the Son had to come and pay the price - to save us from our lawlessness - and yet - Christians continue to do give honor to those same gods that helped caused their ancestors' exile.

Passover was being practiced by believers in the Messiah until Constantine enforced the change. Which then became the Universal Roman Catholic Church. Read in Acts how believers repented by burning their pagan books. Constantine had no such fruit. He incorporated these pagan belief systems into the Church through violence and persecution. So why give honor and homage to a pagan movement involved in innocent blood?

 

[FollowingHim]

@Earth_is-, this is not the forum to accuse people of paganism and attack orthodox Christian practice. There is nothing wrong with expressing an opinion on such matters, but you are crossing the line. This is an ecumenical forum. There are many people here who observe Easter - in fact, the majority do, since the majority of normal Christians do - and you just have to put up with it. You have said your piece, your opinions are noted, now drop it. @Mark C has set an example in this thread of how to make it clear what you believe without belabouring the point and lecturing those who disagree. Follow his example and drop this now.

I have a responsibility to ensure that this forum remains ecumenical and welcoming to those who observe Easter, those who observe Passover, and those who observe both. If you attempt to make any of those people feel unwelcome especially during the time they personally use to remember the death and resurrection of our Lord - the most important event in the year - I will have to censure you. This is your only warning.

 

[Mark C]

How precisely does the Bible instruct us to celebrate the Resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ?

Lev 23:2 (among MANY)
"Concerning the feasts of YHVH, which ye shall proclaim 'holy convocations', these are My feasts..."
The best way to find what Scripture REALLY says about how to celebrate all that He did for us is to start with a word search for:

פֶּסַח Pesach​

(or Passover) in a good Bible tool (Blue Letter Bible is one of many; many also have Esword, etc.)

The history, and precedent, and things that Yahushua then ACTED OUT perfectly, as prophesied, begin in Exodus chapter 12. I continue to contend that not only is it literally breath-taking to recognize the depth of what He accomplished (having "known the end from the beginning" - and were not done yet!) but the significance of what He told us, literally over and over and over again, to "keep, memorialize, do, 'do this in remembrance of Me,' 'set apart', and honor, and to do so "forever," and "throughout your generations," and "in all your dwelling places," simply cannot be UNSEEN, once we 'get it.'

There are other major descriptions and prescriptions for what, and how to do what we are commanded, in Numbers chapter 9, and Deuteronomy chapter 16, but literally dozens of other direct references as well, in history and prophecy.

For those who have never understood (or been taught) why re-naming the single most important act in human history after a pagan fertility goddess might be an insult to our Risen Master (and don't like prohibitions like Deuteronomy 7:24-26, and others) -- I will suggest there are two important places to start:

First, He was NOT, repeat NOT, executed on a Friday, good or otherwise. The proof is throughout the gospels, based on simple Hebraic principles that every one of His disciples knew well. But the 'bottom line,' is that it can easily be shown that He was taken into captivity, given what we have now come to see again as a NYC-style bogus trial early on a Wednesday, and executed later that same day.

He 'gave up the ghost' at mid-afternoon, and was placed in the tomb before sundown on what we now call Wednesday evening.

And thus His own statement is definitive: "An evil and adulterous generation seeks after a sign, and no sign will be given to it except the sign of the prophet Jonah." (Three times! Matthew 12, Matthew 16, and Luke 11.)

"For as Jonah was three days and three nights in the belly of the great fish, so will the Son of Man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth."

There is NO WAY to concoct "three days AND three nights" into a 'good Friday" to sun-day morning story.

BUT:

Wednesday evening - Thursday evening - Friday evening = 3 nights
Thurs-DAY - Fri-DAY - and Sabbath DAY = 3 days
total = 72 hours,
exactly as He said,

is easy to see, and hard to UN-see, once it becomes clear.

He was gone, OUT of the tomb, before sunset on the weekly (Saturday) Sabbath day. The women, most likely, came to His tomb at the earliest possible time (at sunset, "as it began to dawn" - in the Hebrew sense they knew! - on the first day of the next week, i.e., dusk, beginning the next day) to do what they had already waited three days and three night to accomplish - take care of a body they expected to find starting to stink. What a surprise! (Note: They could NOT have done that work either on the weekly Sabbath, 'saturday', or on the First High Holy Day of the Feast of Unleavened Bread, that Thursday, but would have had to shop for oils on Friday. It all fits.)

Secondly, for those who choose to honor Him, and His Work of Redemption, as He commanded, read Deuteronomy chapter 16. (Exodus 12:19 is very clear, too. There are other references to "unleavened bread," of course, throughout His Word.) "You shave have no leaven [chametz in Hebrew = 'yeast']" in your homes for seven days; it is called the "Feast of UN-leavened Bread," for that reason.

And ask this key question: Where does He "cause His Name to dwell?"

 

[Mark C]

PS> I linked the article at the top of this thread for what I hope, at least in hindsight, is an obvious reason:

If man can change His SINGLE 'sign' of three days and three nights to something that allows a lie,

and then manage to RE-NAME that event away from what it was that He Himself said to 'keep FOREVER,' as a memorial to Him,

AND get rid of what He said specifically to 'do' in remembrance of Him, in favor of other stuff as well,

then why not ultimately just get rid of all the other references to His Work for us?

And just so this is clear:

An effort to study His Word, as Written, is not about making anyone 'feel unwelcome.' But it IS about, and only about, seeking to see what HE SAYS is important to Him.

(IOW: Fertility bunnies and eggs, and an Ishtar ham, are just more fluff along the way. But "study, to show yourself approved." And if you are convicted that some 'traditions of man,' end up "making the commandments of YHVH of no effect," then walk that way.)

 

[Bartato]

@Earth_is
When referencing Bible passages, I would appreciate it if you would include the translation you are quoting. When I read your Bible quotes and then go check the passage, they are often significantly different.

Sometimes I get the impression that you are overly paraphrasing the text to say what you wish it said.

Perhaps you are a scholar of ancient Greek and Hebrew and are using your own personal translation. That's fine. Please still attribute it as such, for example (personal translation) instead of (KJV), (NASB), (ESV), etc.

I cannot find any translation that uses the word "Passover" in 1 Cor. 5:8.

Given Paul's reference to leaven, we know He is thinking about Passover, but what he said was " the feast" (YLT), "the feast" (NASB), "the feast" (KJV), "the festival" (ESV), ἑορτάζω (Greek text) to keep a feast-day, celebrate a festival (Thayer's Greek lexicon).

In the context, Paul serms to be giving instructions regarding a regular celebration of "the Lord's supper" (with Passover in mind) not the once a year celebration of Passover itself.

We know Paul has something more in mind than what Torah initially says about Passover. The instructions regarding leaven in the Law were talking about literal yeast. The Israelites were to eat unleavened bread at Passover.

"Therefore let us celebrate the feast, not with old leaven, nor with the leaven of malice and wickedness, but with the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth" (1 Cor. 5:8 NASB95).

Here Paul is saying that leaven/yeast can represent malice and wickedness. Our chief concern is following Christ in sincerity and truth (avoiding malice and wickedness), not the physical yeast itself.

I believe we are to use actual unleavened bread when celebrating the Lord's supper, or Passover, but the spiritual truth is more important than the leaven.

Neither you, nor Mark properly answered my question about Biblical instructions for celebrating the Resurrection of Christ.
You both went to the Passover.

We do celebrate the fact that God's righteous judgement has passed us over because of the Blood of the innocent Lamb shed in our place. By all means, we rejoice in that truth!

After the Resurrection, we also celebrate something else. We celebrate the fact that our Master has been vindicated by God Almighty. Christ had defeated death itself, and is now risen indeed. The One who raised Christ will also raise all those who belong to Him.

That's new, and thanks and praise must be given to YAHWEH!

If like Mark you believe it actually happened on the seventh day of the week rather than the first, then celebrate the Risen King on that day (and every other day too).

Post Resurrection, we really do celebrate something in addition to, and greater than Passover.

 

[Mark C]

I cannot find any translation that uses the word "Passover" in 1 Cor. 5:8.

NKJV - but it's 1 Corinthians 5:7 (seven).

 

[Bartato]

NKJV - but it's 1 Corinthians 5:7 (seven).

Thanks Mark, verse 7 does say Passover, but verse 8 doesn't.

"Therefore purge out the old leaven, that you may be a new lump, since you truly are unleavened. For indeed Christ, our Passover, was sacrificed for us. " (1 Cor. 5:7, NKJV)

 

[Mark C]

Neither you, nor Mark properly answered my question about Biblical instructions for celebrating the Resurrection of Christ.
You both went to the Passover.

He IS, repeat, He IS, THE Pesach! EVERY single thing about that Feast, and His perfect - not mere 'shadow', but REAL - picture of it makes that point!

And I thought you even saw that:

"Therefore let us celebrate the feast, not with old leaven, nor with the leaven of malice and wickedness, but with the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth" (1 Cor. 5:8 NASB95).

His moed - Appointed Time - that we are to keep/honor/memorialize "forever" IS His Pesach (Pass-over) and the week of the Feast of Unleavened Bread.


The irony is that so many who were "practicing" for what He said He would do, and did (twice, including the prophetic pre-figuring!) just plain missed it! "How much more so," those who don't understand the Big Picture!

There is FAR more to this 'moed' - His Appointed Time...



PS> And there is a reason why the Fall Feast (analog) of His Return, for the Wedding Feast of that [same] Pesach Lamb, must be practiced to be understood. And it has NOT HAPPENED YET, but will.

 

[Mark C]

PPS> I heartily encourage ALL of you (reading this in the ghetto ) who have never experienced a genuine Messiah-oriented Pesach Seder Meal to attend one this year. There is SO much that you will learn, and have almost certainly never been taught, that makes it ever so much richer than a fake imitation named after some other 'diety'.

I do one every single year. (This year, for reasons that don't fit in this thread, it won't be until April - so there's time yet.) Any here are welcome. And my new wife, Gene, will be with us for her very first time this year as well.

BTW - I just remembered; I actually conducted a live Pesach Seder at a BF gathering quite a few years back. @nathan may be the only one still around here who might remember...

 

[Earth_is-]

@Earth_is
When referencing Bible passages, I would appreciate it if you would include the translation you are quoting. When I read your Bible quotes and then go check the passage, they are often significantly different.

Sometimes I get the impression that you are overly paraphrasing the text to say what you wish it said.

I cannot find any translation that uses the word "Passover" in 1 Cor. 5:8.

Will include the translation used in future. But it does indeed refer to Passover in the GNT:

1 Corinthians 5:7-8 Good News Translation (GNT)

For our Passover Festival is ready, now that Christ, our Passover lamb, has been sacrificed. 8 Let us celebrate our Passover, then, not with bread having the old yeast of sin and wickedness, but with the bread that has no yeast, the bread of purity and truth.

Other Translations:

1 Corinthians 5:7-8 - New Matthew Bible (William Tyndale)
Purge therefore the old leaven, so that you may be new dough, as you are sweet bread. For Christ our Passover lamb is offered up for us. 8 Therefore let us keep holy day – not with old leaven, neither with the leaven of immorality and wickedness, but with the sweet bread of pureness and truth.

1 Corinthians 5:7-8 NKJV
Therefore purge out the old leaven, that you may be a new lump, since you truly are unleavened. For indeed Christ, our Passover, was sacrificed for us. 8 Therefore let us keep the feast, not with old leaven, nor with the leaven of malice and wickedness, but with the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth.

 

[MeganC]

I do one (a seder) every single year.

We do too. Except we do ours on Maundy Thursday (tonight) to reflect the fact that The Last Supper was a Passover Seder.

 

[MeganC]

LOL, I almost forgot that we're doing the seder tonight! Thank you @Mark C for the timely reminder!