Easter 2024

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This year's celebration is humorous as it restores Jesus' corpse to life 22 days
before he gets crucified during Passover towards the end of April. Oh well; it's the
thought that counts rather than the date.

Anyway; we should probably start discussions of Easter now rather than waiting till
the last minute.
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Bouncing from Matt 12:40 we get Jonah 1:17, which says:

"The Lord provided a great fish to swallow Jonah, and he was inside the fish three
days and three nights."

FAQ: Was Jonah alive in the fish?

REPLY: Yes. (Jonah 2:1)

FAQ: The whole time?

REPLY: No; at some point in his nautical adventure Jonah went to a place called
sheol (Jonah 2:2) which is located at the roots of the mountains. (Jonah 2:6)

Well; the roots of the mountains aren't located in the tummies of fish, nor are they
located under the sea, rather: they're located underground deep in the Earth. So,
the only way that Jonah could possibly be at the roots of the mountains while
simultaneously in the belly of a fish was for the man and his body to part company
and go their separate ways. (This is not impossible because according to Matt 10:28
people can exist as disembodied souls.)

Also, the language of Jonah's prayer strongly suggests that his corpse was restored
to life, i.e. resurrected.

● Jonah 2:6 . . I descended to the roots of the mountains. The earth with its bars
was around me forever, But Thou hast brought up my life from the pit, O Lord my
God.

The Hebrew word for "pit" basically pertains to holes in the ground, but sometimes
speaks of putrefaction too, e.g. Ps 16:8-10 & Acts 2:25-31. In other words; had
Jonah's body been left inside that fish's tummy for much longer, it would've been
digested to oblivion.

● Matt 12:40 . . For as Jonah was three days and three nights in the belly of a huge
fish, so the Son of Man will be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth.

Now when you think about it; Jesus' remains weren't laid to rest in the heart of the
Earth; and in point of fact they weren't even buried in the Earth's soil. They were
laid to rest up on the surface of the earth in a rock-hewn tomb. So the only way
that Jesus could be up on the surface of the Earth and down its interior
simultaneously was for he and his body to part company and go their separate
ways the same as Jonah's did.

Also: it was essential to get Jesus back up on his feet again before a fourth day to
prevent his body from being lost to rot. (John 11:39, Ps 16:8-10, Acts 2:25-31)

NOTE: Jonah 2:5-7 strongly suggests that he was already deceased via drowning
prior to the fish; which makes sense seeing as Jesus was deceased prior to the
tomb, viz: neither man was buried alive.
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● Matt 12:40-41 . . 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.

An abundance of textual evidence indicates Jesus' crucified dead body was restored
to life during the third day rather than later after the third day was completely over
and done with, viz: his actual time interred was less than 72 hours.

Matt 17:22-23
Matt 20:18-19
Mark 9:31
Luke 9:22
Luke 18:33
Luke 24:5-8
Luke 24:21-23
Luke 24:46
John 2:19
Acts 10:40
1Cor 15:4

FAQ: What about Matt 27:63 and Mark 8:31? They say "after" the third day rather
than during the third.

REPLY: To begin with, those verses are outnumbered 11÷2.

Plus; the Greek word translated "after" is somewhat ambiguous. It can indicate
moments following the conclusion of an event, but it can also indicate moments
within an event. I suggest letting the 11÷2 majority decide how best to interpret
the intent of Matt 27:63 and Mark 8:31.

FAQ: Luke 24:21-23 says the morning that women came to the cemetery was the
third day. How can that be true when according to John 20:1 the sun wasn't up yet
when they arrived?

REPLY: That's an excellent point because according to the first chapter of Genesis,
day is when the sun is up and night is when the sun is down.

However, liturgical days-- e.g. feasts and sabbaths --complicate things a bit
because they begin at sunset instead of sunrise; for example:

● Matt 28:1 . . In the end of the sabbath, as it began to dawn toward the first day
of the week, came Mary Magdalene and the other Mary to see the sepulchre.

According to Genesis time, it was not yet a new day when the women arrived;
whereas liturgically it was because the sabbath wrapped at sundown the previous
day.

FAQ: Can the hours of darkness during Jesus' crucifixion be counted as one of the
three nights?

REPLY: Jesus survived those hours. Matt 12:40 requires that he be dead and
buried.
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FAQ: Was it really necessary to restore Jesus' crucified dead body to life?

REPLY: Jesus' crucifixion made it possible for everyone to obtain a pardon per Isa
53:6. However, his crucifixion alone doesn't clear them, viz: it leaves the record of
their wrongs intact.

For example; former US President Gerald Ford pardoned former US President
Richard Nixon, but although the pardon kept Mr. Nixon out of prison, it did nothing
to clear his name, viz: he's still in the books for criminal conduct. So then; the
thing that Mr. Nixon really needed was exoneration which, though impossible in
most any of the world's normal criminal justice systems, is very possible in Heaven's
system via Jesus' resurrection.

● Rom 4:25 . . He was delivered over to death for our sins, and was raised to life
for our justification.

The Greek word for "justification" is dikaiosis (dik-ah'-yo-sis) which means
acquittal; defined as an adjudication of innocence: usually due to a lack of sufficient
evidence to convict.

That's comparable to Isa 53:11 wherein is said:

"By his knowledge my righteous servant will justify many; and he will bear their
iniquities."

So, in the end, folks whose names have been cleared by Jesus' resurrection will
have nothing on the books with which to accuse them at the great white throne
event depicted by Rev 20:11-15, viz: it will appear they have never been anything
less than 100% innocent their entire lives.

● 2Cor 5:19 . . God was in Christ reconciling the world to Himself, not counting
their trespasses against them.

The Greek word translated "counting" pertains to keeping an inventory, i.e. an
indictment. Well; without an indictment, prosecutors would be silly to haul someone
into court because most any judge would refuse to hear them.

● Rom 8:34 . . Who is he that condemns? Christ Jesus who died? More than that:
he who was raised to life, and is at the right hand of God, and is also interceding for
us?
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FAQ: How was Jesus' human sacrifice not illegal seeing as Rom 1:3, Gal 4:4, and
Heb 7:14 attest that he was a Jew born under the jurisdiction of the covenant that
Moses' people agreed upon with God per Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, and
Deuteronomy? Wasn't he limited to the atonements specified in that covenant the
same as all other Jews?

● Deut 4:2 . .You shall not add anything to what I command you or take anything
away from it, but keep the commandments of The Lord your God that I enjoin upon
you.

● Deut 5:29-30 . . Be careful, then, to do as The Lord your God has commanded
you. Do not turn aside to the right or to the left: follow only the path that The Lord
your God has enjoined upon you.

REPLY: First off: note that the language and grammar of Isa 53:4-10 is past tense
rather than future: indicating that Christ's crucifixion was over and done with prior
to Isaiah's prophecy.

FAQ: How so?

REPLY: The laws of God are not retroactive. (Deut 5:2-4, Rom 4:15, Rom 5:13 &
Gal 3:17) Therefore, the cross didn't breach the covenant because Christ was
designated, and scheduled, to die for the sins of the world prior to both the world
and Moses' covenant. (1Pet 1:20 & Rev 13:8)

FAQ: Col 1:18 says God's son is the firstborn from among the dead. How is that
possible when so many others in the Bible underwent resurrections before he did?

REPLY: None of those other dead people are said restored to life with immortality
the way Jesus was. (Rom 6:9, 1Tim 6:14-15, and Rev 1:18)

NOTE: Acts 13:32-34 verifies that Ps 2:7 refers to Jesus' resurrection, to wit:

"You are my son, this day I have begotten you."

Well; I strongly suspect that a time is coming when God will make a similar
announcement to all who undergo resurrections whereby God endows them with
immortality per 1Cor 15:51-53.
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Jesus and his men ate their Passover dinner the night of his arrest.

Matt 26:17-20
Mark 14:12-17
Luke 22:7-15

The Jews ate theirs after he was dead and buried.

John 13:1-2
John 18:28-29
John 19:13-14
John 19:31)

FAQ: The law of the Passover per the 12th chapter of Exodus is very explicit about
the times and circumstances relative to Passover. How was it not wrong for Jesus to
dine early?

REPLY: The Jews were somehow unaware that their liturgical calendar was tardy
the year that Christ was crucified. He, being a prophet in direct contact with God,
would of course known the precise moment that Passover that year was supposed
to begin.

Ironically, the Jews were careful to avoid going after Jesus during Passover.

● Matt 26:3-5 . .Then the chief priests and the elders of the people assembled in
the palace of the high priest, whose name was Caiaphas, and they plotted to arrest
Jesus in some sly way and kill him. But not during the feast-- they said --or there
may be a riot among the people.

Due to their liturgical calendar's error, the Jews were a day late preparing for
dinner and thus inadvertently put Jesus to death during the very season they
wanted to avoid.

The Jews' mistake worked to Jesus' advantage. Had their calendar been correct,
then Jesus would've lost an opportunity to share one last sacred event with his
men; something he really wanted to do.

"Then, at the proper time, Jesus and the twelve apostles sat down together at the
table. Jesus said: I have looked forward to this hour with deep longing, anxious to
eat this Passover meal with you before my suffering begins." (Luke 22:14-15)

NOTE: Jesus isn't done with Passover yet; he's already anticipating a future event
with his men again at dinner.

● Luke 22:15-16 . . I have eagerly desired to eat this Passover with you before I
suffer. For I tell you: I will not eat it again until it finds fulfillment in the kingdom of
God.
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● 1Cor 11:23-24 . . I received from the Lord what I also delivered to you, that the
Lord Jesus on the night when he was betrayed took bread, and when he had given
thanks, he broke it, and said: This is my body which is for you. Do this in
remembrance of me.

The broken bread reminds the congregation-- and any visitors present --that
Christ's body was very nearly destroyed during his crucifixion.

The Romans whipped Jesus to within an inch of his life, slapped him around,
crowned him with thorns, and drove nails into his hands and his feet. But that was
child's play compared to what God did. By the time those hours of darkness lifted;
the Lord's own mother would have trouble recognizing him.

● Isa 52:14 . . Many were appalled at him-- his appearance was so disfigured
beyond that of any man, and his form marred beyond human likeness.

The Romans aren't to blame for doing that to Christ; no, they had their fun and
nailed him up there, but it was God who put on the finishing touches, viz: his own
Father is responsible for the extreme severity of Jesus' injuries.

"It was the Lord's will to crush him and cause him to suffer" (Isa 53:10)

The below is an impassioned plea heard from the cross.

● Matt 27:46 . . My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me?

Here it is again; this time with some parts that were omitted.

● Ps 22:1 . . My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me? Why art thou so far
from helping me, and from the words of my roaring?

The Hebrew word translated "roaring" basically means a rumbling or moan.

In other words: people standing around the cross that day during those three hours
of inky dark couldn't see anything, but they could sure hear: and what they heard
were the dreadful sounds of a man in extreme discomfort as God laid into him for
the sins of the whole world.

But let's not make the mistake of feeling sorry for Jesus as if he were the victim of
some awful misfortune . . no, he doesn't want our sympathy, rather, he wants our
approval because it was for that very scene that the Word of John 1:1-3 entered
mankind as the flesh of John 1:14.

● John 12:27 . . Now my heart is troubled, and what shall I say? "Father, save me
from this hour" No; it was for this very reason I came to this hour.

It was God's will to crush him; and for a very good purpose. Relative to that
purpose I can honestly say: better Jesus on that cross than us in the lake of
brimstone depicted at Rev 20:11-15 where the lost will have to undergo death akin
to a foundry worker falling into a kettle of molten iron. I'd imagine people will be in
a white knuckle panic; shrieking, weeping, and bellowing like wounded dogs as
their eyes dart about looking for someone, anyone, to help them. But the only
person who can help them in any meaningful way at all will be presiding. (John
5:22-23 & Acts 17:31)

The worst of it is: nobody is coming back from the second death because according
to Dan 12:2 and John 5:28-29 there's only one resurrection allotted per person and
the lost will be accommodated with it when they're called up to face justice at the
great white throne event.

* It's discouraging enough that the beautiful people have to lose their looks the first
time around-- to lose their looks a second, and final time, will be devastating.
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There's a number of sabbaths in Scripture besides the routine weekend. There are
also:

» Sabbath years (Lev 25:1-7 & Ex 23:10-11)

» The first and final days of Passover, a.k.a. the seven-day Feast Of Unleavened
Bread (Ex 12:16, Lev 23:5-8)

» Yom Kippur (Lev 16:29-31)

» The Feast of Trumpets (Lev 23:23-25) and,

» The first and eighth day of the seven-day Feast of Tabernacles a.k.a. Sukkot.
(Lev 23:34-36)

The word "sabbath" is sometimes construed to indicate a quantity equal to seven
and/or the numeral 7, but it really only means intermission, i.e. a pause; for
example in music when the performers encounter a rest symbol on the page, it
indicates a specified moment of silence.

Passover sabbath is interesting. The routine sabbath always falls on the very same
day of the week every time. But Passover sabbath floats relative to the moon;
hence it can, and it does, occur on any given day of the week; sometimes even
coincident with the routine sabbath; for example 2018 and 2019, and sometimes
consecutive with the routine sabbath; for example 2008.

It's sometimes objected that whereas Yom Kippur and the Feast of Trumpets are
specifically called sabbaths (Lev 16:29-34, Lev 23:23-25) Passover sabbath-- a.k.a.
the first day of the feast of unleavened bread --isn't. It's set aside for an holy
convocation which just simply means a sacred assembly. But it's also added that no
manner of work shall be done on that day; which is exactly what a sabbath is all
about. (Gen 2:1-3) In reality, the objection is just semantic nit picking.

Passover sabbath (John 19:31) easily escapes people's notice so they end up
counting only one of the sabbaths related to Christ's crucifixion and resurrection. By
failing to reckon with the Passover sabbath, they end up stuck with the Good Friday
model; which of course is unworkable because by no stretch of the imagination can
three nights be accounted for in that weekend seeing as how the Jews' first day of
the week falls on Sunday.
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[Lees]

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There's a number of sabbaths in Scripture besides the routine weekend. There are
also sabbath years (Lev 25:1-7 & Ex 23:10-11) plus the first and final days of
Passover, a.k.a. the seven-day Feast Of Unleavened Bread (Ex 12:16, Lev 23:5-8),
Yom Kippur (Lev 16:29-31) the Feast of Trumpets (Lev 23:23-25) and the first and
eighth day of the seven-day Feast of Tabernacles a.k.a. Booths. (Lev 23:34-36)

The word "sabbath" is sometimes construed to indicate a quantity equal to seven
and/or the numeral 7, but it really only means intermission, i.e. a pause; for
example in music when the performers encounter a rest symbol on the page, it
indicates a specified moment of silence.

Passover sabbath is interesting. The routine sabbath always falls on the very same
day of the week every time. But Passover sabbath floats relative to the moon;
hence it can, and it does, occur on any given day of the week; sometimes even
coincident with the routine sabbath; for example 2018 and 2019, and sometimes
consecutive with the routine sabbath; for example 2008.

It's sometimes objected that whereas Yom Kippur and the Feast of Trumpets are
specifically called sabbaths (Lev 16:29-34, Lev 23:23-25) the first day of the feast
of unleavened bread isn't. It's set aside for an holy convocation which just simply
means a sacred assembly. But it's also added that no manner of work shall be done
on that day; which is exactly what a sabbath is all about. (Gen 2:1-3) In reality, the
objection is just semantic nit picking.

Passover sabbath (John 19:31) easily escapes people's notice so they end up
counting only one of the sabbaths related to Christ's crucifixion and resurrection. By
failing to reckon with the Passover sabbath, they end up stuck with the Good Friday
model; which of course is unworkable because by no stretch of the imagination can
three nights be accounted for in that weekend seeing as how the Jews' first day of
the week falls on Sunday.
_

The three days and nights of (Matt. 12:40) have been discussed and answered in two separate threads. Go back and read these.

1.) "Common Figure of Speech" located in the Ethics And Debate Forum, p. 3.

2.) "The Messiah and the 3 days and 3 nights time frame of Matt. 12:40)" located in the 'World Religion & Speculative Theology', p. 3.

Lees

 

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● Acts 1:1-3 . . The first account I composed, Theophilus, about all that Jesus
began to do and teach, until the day when he was taken up, after he had by the
Holy Spirit given orders to the apostles whom He had chosen. To these he also
presented himself alive, after his suffering, by many convincing proofs, appearing
to them over a period of forty days.

Some of those "convincing proofs" were:

Jesus' resurrection retained indications of the injuries he received on the cross.
(John 20:27)

His resurrection was a physical form, i.e. it could be handled and it could be seen
with the naked eye. (Matt 28:8-9, Luke 24:39-40, John 20:27)

His resurrection experienced hunger, and was capable of dining upon ordinary
foods. (Luke 24:41-42)

A pretty large percentage of folks identifying themselves as Christians in our day
are in agreement with those proofs, but the properties of his resurrection are very
controversial.

Some insist Jesus' crucified dead body was restored to life as it was, while others
insist it was restored to life with miraculous improvements, and yet others insist
Jesus' crucified dead body wasn't restored to life at all, i.e. it's still dead; and his
remains are squirreled away somewhere on the earth in a condition, and a location,
known only to God. In other words, in some people's opinion: Jesus' resurrection
was in the form of a spirit being instead of a physical being.
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[Lees]

Scripture is clear. Jesus Christ rose on the third day from the dead, Body, Soul, and Spirit. The Body was the same Body that was crucified on the Cross.

That is the testimony of Scripture. If some don't want to believe it, that's on them.

Lees

 

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Below is a passage utilized as proof text to defend a belief that Jesus was restored
to life as an angel instead of the man he was before the cross.

"For Christ also died for sins once for all, the just for the unjust, in order that He
might bring us to God, having been put to death in the flesh, but made alive in the
spirit; in which also He went and made proclamation to the spirits now in prison,
who once were disobedient, when the patience of God kept waiting in the days of
Noah, during the construction of the ark." (1Pet 3:18-20)

It's true that Jesus today has a so-called glorified body. (Phil 3:21) And it's true
that one of his glorified body's properties is immortality. (Rom 6:9, 1Tim 6:14-15,
and Rev 1:18)

But although Jesus' glorified body is immortal, it is still capable of dining upon
ordinary foods and beverages; and will do so in the kingdom. (Matt 26:29, Luke
22:15-16, Luke 22:28-30)

In other words: when Jesus' body underwent its miraculous upgrade to immortality,
the process didn't transform him into a different species of life, viz: Jesus today is
still human.

● 1Tim 2:5 . . For there is one God, and one mediator between God and men, the
man Christ Jesus.

The Greek word translated "men" and "man" in that verse is anthropos (anth'-ro
pos) a very common word throughout the New Testament for indicating human life.

So; there are at least four things about Jesus today that we can be certain:

1) He's alive

2) He's immortal

3) He's capable of dining upon ordinary foods and beverages and,

4) He's an h.sapiens, i.e. a human life.

There's a fifth thing: Jesus' gender. Throughout the Bible, beginning with
Melchizedek in the book of Genesis; priests have always been humans and they've
always been males. God has never appointed a woman to that position. In point of
fact; God has never appointed women to be priests of any kind let alone high
priests.

Of Jesus it's said:

"Jehovah has sworn and will not change His mind-- You are a priest forever, in the
order of Melchizedek." (Ps 110:4)

"He was designated by God to be high priest in the order of Melchizedek" (Heb
5:10)

Melchizedek's order is immortal (Heb 7:1-3 & Heb 7:23-25) viz: Jesus today is not
only a man, but he's a permanent man, i.e. he'll never be a woman nor will he ever
be an angel.

"For surely it is not angels he helps, but Abraham's descendants. For this reason he
had to be made like his brothers in every way, in order that he might become a
merciful and faithful high priest in service to God" (Heb 2:15-17)

FAQ: If 1Pet 3:18-20 isn't relative to Jesus' resurrection; then what?

REPLY: It's relative to Gen 6:3, viz: 1Pet 3:18-20 is an excellent text that Jesus
(a.k.a. the Word) is a theophany, i.e. Jehovah's spirit in human form. And an
astonishing theophany it is because, in effect, the human side of Jesus' origin
places "My spirit" in a pedigree with Adam.
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[Lees]

Jesus's body was always immortal.

Lees

 

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FAQ: Was Jesus' crucified dead body resurrected in a glorified form, or as it was
before the cross?

REPLY: Jesus predicted his body would be restored-- he didn't predict it would be
replaced and/or improved. (John 2:18-22)

FAQ: But wasn't his resurrected body able to do things that his normal body never
did; like pass thru closed doors and to suddenly appear and disappear?

REPLY: If Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego could walk thru fire in a normal body,
then I should think it not all that difficult for Jesus to pass thru walls in a normal
body.

And if Philip could be instantly transported in a normal body, they for sure Jesus
could too.

The properties of one's body do not determine what God can do with it, or cannot
do, viz: when analyzing miracles, I suggest we avoid differentiating between the
possible and the impossible. (cf. Luke 1:34-37)
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FAQ: Jesus' body was easy to restore to life because it was all in one place and still
intact. (Ps 16:8-10, Acts 2:25-32) How can a corpse be returned to life that's been
obliterated by a bomb, or eaten and digested by beasts, or cremated, or rotted
away due to lack of embalming?

REPLY: Not everyone sleeping in the dust per Dan 12:2 is doing so as a corpse. In
time, left to nature, everyone's body decomposes enough to disappear altogether.
But regardless of how someone's body is disposed, destroyed and/or disintegrated;
it can be rebuilt from scratch just as easily as Adam's body was built from scratch
in the beginning.

FAQ: Supposing some of the atoms that made my body go into making another
person's body after mine is dead and dissolved back to dust? How will God fully
restore both our bodies to life seeing as how He will have need of the atoms of each
of us to do so?

REPLY: The chemical constitution of the various natural atoms listed on the periodic
table are identical; it's not as if they're snowflakes; viz: if God needs some carbon
atoms to reconstruct your body, He could utilize carbon atoms from a Sequoia
cactus and they would work just fine without the slightest need for adjustment
because every carbon atom on earth is a precise duplicate of every other carbon
atom on earth; viz: all carbon atoms are just one kind of carbon atom, i.e. the
carbon atoms in your body are not unique.

So it isn't necessary for God to locate all your original carbon atoms in order to
reconstruct your original body; He just needs carbon atoms; and they are very
plentiful in nature: same with other kinds of atoms, e.g. iron, calcium, phosphorus,
sodium, magnesium, hydrogen, nitrogen, etc.
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