Easter? Passover? Resurrection!

This is a big weekend for many people.  There are those who celebrate Easter, and there are those who celebrate Passover...and there are those who celebrate neither. 
~~~~~The original Passover from the Old Testament was the last plague of God on Egypt (Exodus 12 KJV).  Pharaoh would not let the children of Israel leave until this final blow hit.  The children of Israel had to take a male lamb, dispatch it in the evening, then take its b loo d and strike the top and two side posts of their homes.  That night at midnight the Lord slew the first born male of every household that did not have the b loo d applied to the door posts.  The Jews were to celebrate this amazing event every year.  The b loo d strikes on the top and two side posts of the door made a cross (if they actually carried the dipped hyssop down and across on the door).  As today, if the spiritual application of the b loo d of Christ on our hearts is not seen by God, we will die spiritually.  Jesus is the perfect, sinless Lamb of God.  The Passover was a picture of what was to come--and it has been fulfilled by what Jesus did on the cross.  The Passover is a tradition and does not need to be celebrated today!  Jesus is THE Passover Lamb. 
~~~~~Easter actually stems from the pagan celebration of the goddess Ishtar--a fertility goddess.   This is where springtime, bunnies, eggs, etc. come from.  In order to encourage pagan peoples to come to church, the Catholic church adopted this celebration and unfortunately combined it with some (i.e. Good Friday and Maundy Thursday are not Biblical, Jesus actually died on a Wednesday, etc.) Biblical truths about Jesus' resurrection.  Yes, the word Easter is in the Bible once in the book of Acts (12:4) and is in relation to what a pagan leader, Herod, was going to do to Peter after the Easter celebration was over.  To celebrate Easter would be to celebrate a mixture of pagan worship and partial Biblical truths. 
This post is certainly not to argue theology or history.  All of this information can be found looking in a King James Bible and a simple Internet search.  The purpose of this post is to encourage you to consider what is important.  Getting caught up in tradition and "how we've always done it" is not important.  What IS important is what the Bible says...and obeying what it says.  Unfortunately people will think on what God did in Exodus or what Jesus did on the cross this weekend....then not do anything about it nor think about it again for another whole year!  Jesus came, died on the cross (the perfect, sinless, Passover Lamb), was buried, and rose again--believing this, repenting of our sin, and accepting Jesus as the perfect sacrifice for our sin is what is important.  Not just this Saturday or Sunday but every day praise the Lord for the resurrection of Jesus Christ!

400th Anniversary of the King James Bible

I will be away from my computer for a little while and unable to post, so I thought I'd write this today. May 2 is the 400th anniversary of the King James Version of the Bible. Most people think, "Big deal", but it IS a big deal. Unfortunately I do not have the time nor space to tell of the history of the Bible. I will say that people--many people--could not read the Bible in their native tongue. Only the "religious leaders" could read it and, thus, had control of it and it's precepts. The common person could not read it in their language--including the English speaking people. People like Martin Luther, John Wycliffe, and William Tyndale were historically instrumental in the process of getting our KJV to us today. Thankfully King James the I of England was a godly man who saw the need to put the Bible--an accurate translation of the Bible--into the hands of the common, English-speaking person. His translation team was varied...his team was not made up of many of a particular religious persuasion. A passage that was translated had to be checked for accuracy in translation many times by different teams so that people's opinions, persuasions, and religious affiliations did not affect the final draft. He was extremely particular about accuracy. AND, most importantly, the KJV was translated from the correct text--the Textus Receptus. Of course, the original texts were no longer around--they had been read and read and reread until they fell apart, then people copied those "original" writings so that they could be read and read...then on and on it went through history. There are other texts--the Siniaticus and Vaticanus--which have been "corrupted" in that they leave out passages, change passages, etc. All of the modern translations are from these texts. Compare your KJV with all the other "Bibles" out there--meanings are changed, words are different, words are left out, words are added, the deity of Christ is watered down (like I John 5:7 For there are three that bear record in heaven, the Father, the Word, and the Holy Ghost: and these three are one. ...the great passage proving the Trinity exists is changed in all other versions)...and they are all copywrited!!! Only the KJV is not copywrited and is free for all to read and write and sell. It has the power that the other translations don't have. It is archaic and hard to read?? Ha! Hardly! It has a lower grade level of reading than other translations. The "thee's" and "thou's" are there for a reason contrary to the word "you" which has many interpretations in the English language. The KJV has power and authority. God promised to preserve His Word, and He did in the KJV. Psa 12:6,7 The words of the LORD are pure words: as silver tried in a furnace of earth, purified seven times. Thou shalt keep them, O LORD, thou shalt preserve them from this generation for ever. I challenge those who do not agree with me to study--really study--these things out for yourself. I know most people blindly use other versions and do not know there is an issue--but there IS an issue...an important one. Many thanks to the Lord for having King James give us a clear, accurate translation in the English language. I know I have God's Word, and I know it is right with nothing changed, left out, or added. The Bible gives comfort, encouragement, instruction, direction, and because of it I have learned how to go to heaven and live for the Lord. Praise the Lord for His Holy Word.