Resurrection Day

"The term "Ostern" (Easter) originates from an ancient Anglo-Saxon goddess of the dawn, who is named "Eastre", "Eostre", or "Ostara". Eostre, apparently is a European version of Astarte/Isis and some even associate her with the Hindu goddess Kali. Eostara is a lunar holiday, honoring a lunar Goddess at the Verna Full Moon." (www.lifetips.com)

"Spring is in the air! Flowers and bunnies decorate the home. Father helps the children paint beautiful designs on eggs dyed in various colors. These eggs, which will later be hidden and searched for, are placed into lovely, seasonal baskets. The wonderful aroma of the hot cross buns mother is baking in the oven waft through the house....Easter, right? No! This is a description of an ancient Babylonian family - 2,000 years before Christ - honoring the resurrection of their god, Tammuz, who was brought back from the underworld by his mother/wife, Istar (after whom the festival was named.) (www.icg.org)

"...the origin of the name of the holiday was from a goddess. She has gone by a myriad of different names, Ostern, Eostre, Ishtar, Astarte, Eastre, and Ashtaroth, but they are all one and the same: the goddess of fertility, the "Queen of Heaven", Semiramis (the wife of Nimrod in the Bible).
The ancient Babylonians looked at it as a sacred symbol of the goddess Astarte (another name for Easter and Semiramis), they believe that she came down the earth in a giant egg that fell upon the Euphrates river. The egg is her symbol. She is said to have come out of this egg on the first Sunday after the spring equinox at sunrise.
So, how did [the] this become a "Christian" holiday? The original believers celebrated Passover, which was celebrated around the same time as the pagan festival of Easter...In order to better unify his empire, emperor Constantine instituted a few declarations....He then began a process of compiling various celebrations that took place at the same time into single festivals. Easter is one such example. He kept the name and traditions of the pagan side of it, but also said that it was the same day that the Christ was raised from the dead. He melted the two into one. The day that we currently celebrate Easter is even the same day that Astarte was said to have come out of an egg." (www.branchesofthevine.wordpress.com)

"Celebrating the resurrection of a deceased deity in a springtime festival also long predates Christianity. Chief among such celebrations were those in honor of Tammuz, the Babylonian "god of pasture and flocks...and of vegetation. He was husband and brother of Istar (Asherah), goddess of fertility." (www.ucg.org)

"For Christians, the origin of Easter is simply the crucifixion and resurrection of Jesus Christ about 2,000 years ago. According to the gospel accounts, Jesus Christ, the true Messiah promised in the Old Testament, was crucified and resurrected at the Jewish Passover. Since that awesome event took place, those who believe Christ is their Messiah have honored that day and often celebrated it with the traditional Passover, the pagan rites of Easter gradually became assimilated into what the Christian Church called "Resurrection Day."
Compromising the commandments of God with the comfort of the world is as old as the nation of Israel itself." (www.allaboutjesuschrist.org)

The resurrection of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ is never to be compromised or replaced by pagan symbols and worship. It is my prayer that all who have a personal relationship with Jesus and honor His resurrection, leave the pagan worship alone. The Life that is celebrated is the Lords. Bunnies, eggs and vegetation sprouts are to be kept into their proper perspective and admired as such.

They Can't Leave It Alone - A Response

COMMENT FROM POST ON MAY 2009:
(Comment added today)

"No, we can't leave Christianity alone. In fact The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is the only church that hasn't left it alone.
So thank you for the compliment!
The difference here is that ex-members would love to leave our church alone, but once a person has been touched by the Holy Ghost, its impossible to ignore it." (Lumin)

MY RESPONSE:

Lumin,
The post was from Concerned Christians. Please go their web site for the full article.
It's too bad that the LDS members are not in full knowledge of the Luciferian cult they are in. True Christianity, that the true Jesus Christ started from the beginning of time, is expected to have non-christian cults claim that they are the only true Christians.
There is no compliment here, just the realization that your faith, of which is run by Lucifer and is attempting to cloak itself as Christian, wants to look as Christian as possible.
The Holy Ghost, or Holy Spirit, does not dwell within the confines of the LDS organization. The spirit of Satan does. All of the roots of Mormonism lead to the evil one. No matter how nice the church seems to be. The Holy Spirit can only dwell within the hearts of those who have been born again through the cross of Christ with no "works, ordnance's, priesthood, baptism, callings, regular church attendance, tithing, etc......"
That is why "ex-members" like me, cannot leave your cultic "church" alone. I am shouting aloud to everyone to get a full understanding of the cult known as, "The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints."
God Bless,
handmaiden

Lets Cut Down Christianity & The Bible

"There is so much to be done that the Lord placed many leaders and officers in his church and divided the Aaronic and Melchizedek priesthoods into many divisions, so that there would be a place suited to each man's capacity.
In the Aaronic Priesthood there are the following divisions: deacons, teachers, and priests. There are bishops when they are direct descendants of Aaron; otherwise they are chosen from among the high priests of the Melchizedek Priesthood.
In the Melchizedek Priesthood there are the following divisions and offices; elders, seventies, high priests, patriarchs (or evangelists), apostles, and prophets.
All of the above-named officers are mentioned in the New Testament in connection with the primitive church of Christ. However, only a few of them are now found in the existing branches of modern Christianity. It is our impression that if this complete organization were to be offered to the churches of today, they would not know what to do with it. They would not know the differences between the callings of an elder, a high priest, a deacon, a teacher, or a priest, nor the differences in their respective ministrations. Neither would they know how many of each are required to make a quorum nor how a quorum should be organized and governed. Neither would we know this if we were dependent upon the Bible only for this information. But we are not so dependent, for all of the knowledge we have received through the revelations of the Lord in connection with the restoration of the priesthood in this dispensation through the Prophet Joseph Smith (see D&C sections 13, 20, 84, 107, 121.)." (A Marvelous Work and a Wonder, LeGrand Richards, Deseret Book Company, pp. 91, italics added)

Sounds like to me that the Mormon church doesn't think that the Christian churches of today are capable of organizing and governing much of anything. They say that Christian churches would not know what to do, nor would they know the difference. The Mormons need to take another look.

Christ: Is The Fullness Of Times

The various contributions that aided in bringing in the fullness of times.

"Environment
Political Contributions of Romans
1.Developed a sense of the unity of mankind under a universal law.
2.The extension of Roman imperial power during the period of empire building a period of peaceful development occurred in the countries surrounding the Mediterranean.
3.Developed an excellent system of roads radiating out from the golden milestone in the Roman forum to all parts of the empire.
4.The role of the Roman army in the development of the ideal of a universal organization and in the spread of the gospel
5.Roman conquests led to a loss of belief by many peoples in their gods because the gods had not been able to keep them from defeat by the Romans.
The conclusion that the Roman Empire provided a political environment favorable to the spread of Christianity in the days of its infancy.

Intellectual contributions of Greeks
1.The universal gospel was in need of a universal language if it was to make maximum impact on the world.
2.Greek philosophy prepared for the coming of Christianity by destroying the older religions.
3.The Greek people also contributed in a religious way to making the world ready to accept the new Christian religion when it appeared.
Both the Greek and Roman systems of philosophy and religion thus made a contribution to the coming of Christianity by destroying the old polytheistic religions and by showing the inability of human reason to reach God. The mystery religions, to which many turned, accustomed the people to think in terms of sin and redemption. This when Christianity appeared, people within the Roman Empire were more receptive to a religion that seemed to offer a spiritual approach to life.

Religious contributions of the Jews
Religious contributions to the "fullness of the time" include those of the Greek and Roman as well as those of the Jew. But however great may have been the contributions of Athens and Rome to Christianity by way of environment, the contributions of the Jew stand forth as the heredity of Christianity. Christianity may have developed in the political milieu of Rome and may have had to face the intellectual environmental created by the Greek mind, but its relationship to Judaism was much more intimate. Judaism may be thought of as the stalk on which the rose of Christianity was to bloom.
The Jewish people, in contrast to the Greeks, did not seek to discover God by processes of human reason. They assumed His existence and readily granted to Him the worship that they felt was His due. They were influenced toward this course by the fact that God sought them and revealed Himself to them in history by His appearances to Abraham and the other great leaders of the race. Jerusalem became the symbol of a positive religious preparation for the coming of Christianity.
Salvation was to by, indeed, "of the Jews," as Christ told the Woman at the well (John 4:22). From this tiny captive nation, situated on the crossroads of Asia, Africa, and Europe, a Savior was to come. Judaism provided the heredity of Christianity and, for a time, even gave the infant religion shelter.

A.Monotheism=Judaism existed in striking contrast to the generality of pagan religions by its emphasis on a sound spiritual monotheism.
B.Messianic Hope=The Jews offered to the world the hope of a coming Messiah who would bring righteousness to the earth.
C.Ethical System=In the moral part of the Jewish law, Judaism also offered to the world the purest ethical system in existence.
D.Old Testament Scriptures=The Jewish people still further prepared the way for the coming of Christianity by providing the infant church with its message, the Old Testament.
E.Philosophy of History=The Jews made possible a philosophy of history by insisting that history had meaning.
F.The Synagogue=The Jews also provided an institution that was most useful in the rise and development of early Christianity.

The matters that have been discussed show how favored Christianity was, both as to time and region, in the period of its emergence. At no other time in the world's history before the coming of Christ was such a large region under one law and government. The Mediterranean world also had one culture, centering in Rome.
One universal language made it possible to give the gospel to mast of the people of the empire in a tongue common to them and to the new religion, had a strategic location in this world. Paul was right in emphasizing that Christianity was not something "done in a corner"(Acts 26:26), because Palestine was an important crossroads linking the continents of Asia and Africa with Europe by a land route. Many of the most important battles of ancient history were fought for possession of this strategic area. In the period of Christianity's birth and during the first three centuries of its existence, conditions were more favorable for its spread throughout the Mediterranean world than at any other time in the ancient or medieval eras--Such is also the opinion of the worlds leading scholar of missions.
Throughout the contribution of the Greek and Roman environment and through the heritage of Judaism, the world was prepared for "the fullness of the time" when God sent forth His Son to bring redemption to a war-torn and sin-weary humanity. It is significant that of all the religions practiced in the Roman Empire at the time of Christ's birth, only Judaism and Christianity have been successful in surviving the changing course of human history." (Christianity Through the Centuries, A History of the Christian Church, Earle E. Cairns, Zondervan Publishing House, Chapter One, pp.35-43)

The Fullness of Times has been here for a very long time, even prior to the claim of Joseph Smith, Jr, who by his own thoughts, conceived the notion of a restoration during his time. The long quote above shows how Christ, our Savior IS "The Fullness of Times."

Christ became 'the fullness of the time" and is still, and always will be, "the fullness of times." For He is the beginning and the end, alpha and omega, Revelation 1:8; 21:6; 22:13.

Sanctification

Did you know that the Mormons have a very unique way of defining the word Sanctification? Here it is, "Sanctification is the process of becoming a saint."
All you Christians out there need to help these poor Mormons understand what sanctification is all about. They don't seem to know.

Question: "What is sanctification? What is the definition of Christian sanctification?"

Answer: Jesus had a lot to say about sanctification in the Book of John, chapter 17. In verse 16 the Lord says, “They are not of the world, even as I am not of the world,” and this is before His request: “Sanctify them in the truth: Thy word is truth.” Sanctification is a state of separation unto God; all believers enter into this state when they are born of God: “But of Him you are in Christ Jesus, who became for us wisdom from God—and righteousness and sanctification and redemption” (1 Corinthians 1:30). This is a once-for-ever separation, eternally unto God. It is an intricate part of our salvation, our connection with Christ (Hebrews 10:10).

Sanctification also refers to the practical experience of this separation unto God, being the effect of obedience to the Word of God in one’s life, and is to be pursued by the believer earnestly (1 Peter 1:15; Hebrews 12:14). Just as the Lord prayed in John 17, it has in view the setting apart of believers for the purpose for which they are sent into the world: “As Thou didst send Me into the world, even so send I them into the world. And for their sakes I sanctify Myself, that they themselves also may be sanctified in truth” (v. 18, 19). That He set Himself apart for the purpose for which He was sent is both the basis and the condition of our being set apart for that for which we are sent (John 10:36). His sanctification is the pattern of, and the power for, ours. The sending and the sanctifying are inseparable. On this account they are called saints, hagioi in the Greek; “sanctified ones.” Whereas previously their behavior bore witness to their standing in the world in separation from God, now their behavior should bear witness to their standing before God in separation from the world.

There is one more sense that the word sanctification is referred to in Scripture. Paul prayed in 1 Thessalonians 5:23, “The God of peace Himself sanctify you wholly; and may your spirit and soul and body be preserved entire, without blame at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.” Paul also wrote in Colossians of “the hope which is laid up for you in the heavens, whereof ye heard before in the word of the truth of the Gospel” (Colossians 1:5). He later speaks of Christ Himself as “the hope of glory” (Colossians 1:27) and then mentions the fact of that hope when he says, “When Christ, who is our Life, shall be manifested, then shall ye also with Him be manifested in glory” (Colossians 3:4). This glorified state will be our ultimate separation from sin, total sanctification in every aspect. “Beloved, now we are children of God; and it has not yet been revealed what we shall be, but we know that when He is revealed, we shall be like Him, for we shall see Him as He is” (1 John 3:2).

To summarize, sanctification is the same Greek word as holiness, “hagios,” meaning a separation. First, a once-for-all positional separation unto Christ at our salvation. Second, a practical progressive holiness in a believer’s life while awaiting the return of Christ. Third, we will be changed into His perfect likeness—holy, sanctified, and completely separated from the presence of evil.

Please go to "Got Questions.org" A wonderful place.