The Mercy of God

                We have started a study of the attributes of God. This is a study that will take the rest of my life and eternity and even then I will still not be able to grasp but a small portion of who God is.  The first few attributes of God that I have been studying have been those that are manifested in the salvation of man.

                In times past we have studied the sovereignty of God and most recently we have studied the holiness, justice and wrath of God. Now my focus is turned to the mercy of God. We have seen that God is holy. He transcends above all His creation. He is pure and cannot even look upon sin. He hates sin and His wrath is stirred up against sinners. He will deal justly with them. His just nature demands that sin be dealt with.

Ezekiel 18:20  The soul that sinneth, it shall die.

Romans 3:23  For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God:

Ecclesiastes 7:20   For there is not a just man upon earth, that doeth good, and sinneth not.

                Man is in trouble! God has pronounced His judgment on man for his sin…man shall die. He will suffer the full wrath of God for an eternity in Hell.  All of us…every single one of us have sinned and we have the sentence of death upon us. We all are condemned.  As we saw in our study on the justice of God, if God is just then He cannot forgive us.

Exodus 23:7   Keep thee far from a false matter; and the innocent and righteous slay thou not: for I will not justify the wicked.

Proverbs 17:15  He that justifieth the wicked, and he that condemneth the just, even they both are abomination to the LORD.

                This is the greatest problem for man in all the Scripture. What hope can a man have?  MERCY!  The attribute of God’s mercy…it is the attribute that should cause us to be the most thankful.

                What is mercy?

Definition of “Mercy” from Webster’s 1828 Dictionary.

Mercy

n. [L. misericordia.]

1. That benevolence, mildness or tenderness of heart which disposes a person to overlook injuries, or to treat an offender better than he deserves; the disposition that tempers justice, and induces an injured person to forgive trespasses and injuries, and to forbear punishment, or inflict less than law or justice will warrant. In this sense, there is perhaps no word in our language precisely synonymous with mercy. That which comes nearest to it is grace. It implies benevolence, tenderness, mildness, pity or compassion, and clemency, but exercised only towards offenders. Mercy is a distinguishing attribute of the Supreme Being.

                Some may argue that in salvation God’s justice and mercy are at odds with one another. Not so! All His attributes flow from within Him in perfect harmony.

Exodus 34:5-7

5   And the LORD descended in the cloud, and stood with him there, and proclaimed the name of the LORD.

6   And the LORD passed by before him, and proclaimed, The LORD, The LORD God, merciful and gracious, longsuffering, and abundant in goodness and truth,

7   Keeping mercy for thousands, forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin, and that will by no means clear the guilty; visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children, and upon the children’s children, unto the third and to the fourth generation.

Numbers  14:18   The LORD is longsuffering, and of great mercy, forgiving iniquity and transgression, any by no means clearing the guilty, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children unto the third and fourth generation.

                Notice that God is of great mercy and yet He will not clear the guilty. God is merciful and just at the same time.  When studying God’s mercy in the Scriptures, we see three distinct aspects.  First we see a general mercy which is extended to all of His creation.

Psalm 145:9  The LORD is good to all: and his tender mercies are over all his works.

                Second we see a special mercy which God gives exercises specifically toward men, both the wicked and the righteous.

Matthew 5:45   That ye may be the children of your Father which is in heaven:  for he maketh his sun to rise on the evil and on the good, and sendeth rain on the just and on the unjust.

                Finally, there is a sovereign mercy which He has reserved only for His elect. This is the mercy we cry out for as the publican did when he saw himself as he was before Holy God as seen in the parable in Luke 18:9-14.  The Pharisee prided himself in all his religious activity…

Luke 18:13-14

13   And the publican, standing afar off, would not lift up so much as his eyes unto heaven,  but smote upon his breast, saying, God be merciful to me a sinner.

14   I tell you, this man went down to his house justified rather than the other:

                Think about it. Is God not merciful to both the just and unjust? Were God not merciful how could we even draw our next breath? What keeps our hearts beating? What keeps our minds working? It is God who keeps our minds working, who keeps our hearts beating, who allows us to draw our next breath by His mercy. There is no law above God constraining Him to keep us alive. He is a merciful God to the just and unjust…

Daniel 5:22-23

22  And thou his son, O Belshazzar, hast not humbled thine heart, though thou knewest all this;

23  But hast lifted up thyself against the Lord of heaven; and they have brought the vessels of his house before thee, and thou, and thy lords,  thy wives, and thy concubines, have drunk wine in them; and thou hast praised the gods of silver, and gold, of brass, iron, wood, and stone, which see not, nor hear, nor know: and the God in whose hand thy breath is, and whose are all thy ways, hast thou not glorified;

                Something to note is that God’s mercy which is bestowed on the wicked is only of a temporal nature. By that is meant that God’s mercy on the wicked is confined only to this present life.  He will extend no mercy to them after they die.

Isaiah 27:11  …it is a people of no understanding: therefore he that made them will not have mercy on them, and he that formed them will shew them no favour.

               

                Some may argue that God’s mercy will not end…after all in Psalm 136, David pens some 26 times in as many verses that “His mercy endureth forever.” How then can God show mercy on the unjust and cut it off?  God is a merciful God and will never stop being merciful, for mercy is one of His attributes, qualities, characteristics.  It is who He is, yet His mercy is controlled by His Sovereign will. It must be, because there is nothing else outside Him which causes Him to act. Do the Scriptures not verify this very truth?

Exodus 33:17-19

17   And the LORD said unto Moses, I will do this thing also that thou hast spoken: for thou hast found grace in my sight, and I know thee by name.

18   And he said, I beseech thee, shew me thy glory.

19   And he said, I will make all my goodness pass before thee, and I will proclaim the name of the LORD before thee; and will be gracious to whom I will be gracious, and will shew mercy on whom I will shew mercy.

               

Romans 9:15-16

15   For he saith unto Moses, I will have mercy on whom I will have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I will have compassion.

16   So then it is not of him that willeth, nor of him that runneth, but of God that showeth mercy.

                God is just and His justice demands sin be dealt with. God also is a God of mercy and has chosen to extend that mercy to some of Adam’s fallen race. Were He not merciful, we all would have already been annihilated.

                This question came to mind as I studied of God’s mercy… Is God unjust to extend everlasting mercy to some but  not all men? Always remember, God is just. There is no injustice with God. He can do nothing that is unjust because by His very nature He is just. He is the judge of all the earth and He will do that which is right in His judgments. 

                Due to our sins, we all deserve the full wrath of God. According to the law of God, the soul that sinneth, it shall die. God is not unjust to exact upon a man that which he rightly deserves. Does God do wrong when He extends His mercy to some? He can do no wrong! By His mercy He saves whom He will and it has absolutely nothing to do with anything He saw in us. It was only because it pleased Him to do so. 

Titus 3:5  Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to His mercy he saved us, by the washing of regeneration, and renewing of the Holy Ghost.

                Was He wrong to forgive them their sin? No!  Here’s why not. Their sin was justly dealt with on the Cross of Calvary. They didn’t get a free pass for their sins. Jesus Christ paid the full price for their sin, and now they are no longer a servant to sin, nor are they the master of their own ship…they are a servant to Christ.

                On Calvary, Christ was substituted for some of Adams’ fallen race. Why some and not all?  For reasons only known to God Himself, He chose to extend His mercy to some and his wrath to the rest.   We all deserved the full measure of His wrath for our sins. Is God merciless to punish some men of their sins? No!

                Casting the rebellious reprobate into hell is an act of His mercy. Now there is something you don’t hear every day. In doing so, His mercy does endure forever.  This is not an easy topic, but one that should be considered nonetheless. 

               

                You have to consider the punishment of the wicked from three different points of view. First, we begin with God. Casting the wicked into hell is an act of His justice. Second, from the point of view of the reprobate, he is made to suffer the just reward for his sin. He cannot argue that God is being unjust. He is getting what he deserves. Finally, from the point of view of those who are saved, it is an act of mercy that God casts unrepentant sinners into hell. We who are saved will no longer be dwelling among a people of unclean lips.  Heaven would not be heaven if we had to listen to the vile language of the lost.

                Our God is a God of justice as well as mercy and He has clearly stated in Exodus 34:7 that He will by no means clear the guilty.

Psalm 9:17  The wicked shall be turned into hell, and all the nations that forget God.

                This is a warning to all those rebellious sinners who do not want God to rule over them, yet in vain think that somehow God, because of His mercy, will not cast them into hell.

Deuteronomy 29:18-20

18  Lest there should be among you man, or woman, or family, or tribe, whose heart turneth away this day from the LORD our God, to go and serve the gods of these nations; lest there should be among you a root that beareth gall and wormwood;

19  And it come to pass, when he heareth the words of this curse, that he bless himself in his heart, saying, I shall have peace, though I walk in the imagination of mine heart, to add drunkenness to thirst:

20  The LORD will not spare him, but then the anger of the LORD and his jealousy shall smoke against that man, and all the curses that are written in this book shall lie upon him, and the LORD shall blot out his name from under heaven.

                This is a warning to those who falsely teach there is no hell. Even today there are many who do not believe in hell and sadly one day they will step into eternity and find hell to be a place of great torments.

                It is a grave thing to presume upon God’s mercy and believe you can live any way you want and when all is said and done, God will extend His mercy to you and bring you into His glory. God will not be unjust to Himself. God shows mercy to the truly repentant soul, but not so with the one that does not repent.

Luke 13:3  I tell you, Nay: but, except ye repent, ye shall all likewise perish.

                For those who been given the gift of eternal life by Jesus Christ through repentance of your sins and faith in Him, Romans 9:23 designates us as “vessels of mercy.”

                Consider A.W. Pink’s words on mercy…

“It is mercy that quickened them when they were dead in sins (Ephesians 2:4-5), It is mercy that saves them (Titus 3:5). It is His abundant mercy which begat them unto an eternal inheritance (1 Peter1:3). Unto His own, God is the “Father of mercies” 2 Corinthians 1:3.”

                Concerning God’s mercy, A.W. Tozer wrote, “To receive mercy we must first know that God is merciful. And it is not enough to believe that He once showed mercy to Noah or Abraham or David and will again show mercy in some happy future day. We must believe that God’s mercy is boundless, free and, through Jesus Christ our Lord, available to us now in our present situation.”

                 

               

                I close with a few words from the Hymn, Come Ye Sinners Poor and Needy.

“Let not conscience make you linger

Nor of fitness fondly dream

All the fitness He requireth

Is to feel your need of Him.

If you tarry ‘til your better, you will never come at all.”

Sinner, do you feel your need of Him, then come to Christ…He will not cast you out.

Offering a Strange Fire unto God

                Our Sovereign God is a God of order. He has given a prescribed way in which He is to be worshipped. He will not accept any other way. Think back to Genesis 4 when it was time to bring the sacrifice before God. Abel offered the prescribed sacrifice of the lamb. His sacrifice was accepted. Cain, on the other hand, offered another sacrifice…the works of his hands. God did not accept his sacrifice. I have no doubt that God showed Adam what was required when He sacrificed an animal after Adam and Eve had sinned. It was the blood of that sacrifice that covered their sins and they were clothed by the skins of that animal.

               

                That event pointed Adam and his family to Christ who would one day lay down His life as a sacrifice. I believe that at least once a year Adam sacrificed a lamb to cover his sins and he taught his sons to do the same. Abel believed. Cain did not. Cain offered a strange sacrifice which was not accepted by God.

                Years later when God was instructing Moses in the building of the Tabernacle and how the service of God was to be performed, He made it very clear the way He wanted things to be done. In Exodus 30 God prescribes the way in which incense was to be burned and when and what type of incense to use. Notice what God tells Moses in verse 9 concerning the Altar of Incense…

Exodus 30:9  Ye shall offer no strange incense thereon, nor burnt sacrifice, nor meat offering; neither shall ye pour drink offering thereon.

                What does the word “strange” mean? What was God telling us here?  I grabbed my trusty Stong’s Exhaustive Concordance and looked up the word “strange.” In Exodus 30:9 the English word “strange” is transliterated from the Hebrew word “zuwr.” Strong’s reference 2114 zuwr zoor a primitive root; to turn aside (especially for lodging); hence to be a foreigner, strange, profane; specifically (active participle) to commit adultery:--(come from) another (man, place), fanner, go away, (e-)strange(-r, thing, woman).

                Specifically in this verse the word means: Opposed to that which is upright, true, and lawful, strange is the same as unlawful, strange fire, unlawful or profane fire, as opposed to Holy fire. The understanding is God told Moses exactly what kind of incense to use and how to burn it and when.

                Is our God pleased when any other method is used to worship Him? What happened when the sons of Aaron, knowing what God prescribed, offered a strange fire unto God?

Leviticus 10:1-2

1   And Nadab and Abihu, the sons of Aaron, took either of them his censer, and put fire therein, and put incense thereon, and offered strange fire before the LORD, which he commanded them not.

2   And there went out fire from the LORD, and devoured them, and they died before the LORD.

                Scripture is clear that God is serious when it comes to how we worship and honor Him. Consider in the New Testament the Church at Corinth. This was a called out group of men, women and children that had repented of their sins and believed on the Lord Jesus Christ. Yet, like us, they had sin.

                In 1 Corinthians 11:18 we see that they were not observing the Lord’s Supper as was prescribed by our Lord Jesus Christ who instituted it during the Passover. It appears that many were observing it in a profane and unlawful way. Some were getting drunk and some were starving. This was not a meal to be eaten as if a party was going on. It was to be a solemn occasion in which the participants remembered what Christ did on their behalf on Calvary and how He rose again from the dead sealing their redemption.

                What happened to those who were taking the Lord’s Supper in a “strange” way? 

1 Corinthians 11:27-30

27   Wherefore whosoever shall eat this bread, and drink this cup of the Lord, unworthily, shall be guilty of the body and blood of the Lord.

28   But let a man examine himself, and so let him eat of that bread, and drink of that cup.

29   For he that eateth and drinketh unworthily, eateth and drinketh damnation to himself, not discerning the Lord’s body.

30   For this cause many are weak and sickly among you, and many sleep.

                Many Christians were weak and sick and many died because they did not keep the Lord’s Supper in the manner prescribed by God.

                Consider the way in which we honor God and worship Him. Are we guilty of offering the sacrifice of a strange fire before God?  Think about what God told Moses concerning how the children of Israel were to worship Him when they came into the Promised Land.

Deuteronomy 12:29-32

29   When the LORD thy God shall cut off the nations from before thee, whither thou goest to possess them, and thou succeedest them, and dwellest in their land;

30   Take heed to thyself that thou be not snared by following them,  after that they be destroyed from before thee; and that thou inquire not after their gods, saying, How did these nations serve their gods? even so will I do likewise.

31   Thou shalt not do so unto the LORD thy God: for every abomination to the LORD, which he hateth, have they done unto their gods; for even their sons and their daughters they have burnt in the fire to their gods.

                Israel was not to observe the heathen, pagan people who lived in the land before them to see how they worshiped their gods so they could worship the one true God the same way. God specifically told them not to worship Him in the same way. Are Christians today guilty of doing that very thing?

Jeremiah 10:1-3

1   Hear ye the word which the LORD speaketh unto you, O house of Israel:

2   Thus saith the LORD, Learn not the way of the heathen, and be not dismayed at the signs of heaven; for the heathen are dismayed at them.

3   For the customs of the people are vain:

                Are we guilty of learning the way of the heathen? Their customs are vain! Before I go on, some will say that this is only for Israel. Let me address that. According to Romans 11:13-21, Israel was cut off for a short season so the Gentiles (church) could be grafted into the Vine (Jesus Christ). These Old Testament verses are applicable to the church today.

                We are not to learn the way of the heathen. We are not to see how the pagans worshipped their gods and incorporate their practices into our worship of God. Yet, a vast majority of Christians have done just that. It may not have been intentional, but many are guilty just the same. The guilt may lay squarely on the shoulders of their parents who never taught them. Generations of believers blindly observe and celebrate Easter simply because of traditions passed on through the years.  Many blindly follow the traditions of men and never once question those traditions.

                Today’s Christians participate in sunrise services unaware of where that tradition started. They just believe what they have been told. Many happily hunt Easter eggs with their children never questioning what it has to do with the death, burial or resurrection of Christ.

                The Scripture is absolutely clear that Christ was crucified on the Passover. He was the Passover Lamb. Does anyone even know that the Passover took place 4 days ago on March 25^th or Nisan 14 on the Biblical calendar? Today is March 29^th or Nisan 18. This is the day Christ, after lying in the tomb 3 days and 3 nights (the sign of Jonah), arose from the grave. Yet, the vast majority of Christians will be joining the world in celebrating Good Friday as the day Christ was crucified and Easter Sunday as the day Christ arose. I would think that one would have to ask why the world that hates Christ celebrates his death, burial and resurrection.

               Easter eggs, Easter bunnies, and all the traditions of men…the playing of “God honoring” country music on the radio, what does it have to do with Christ?

                I submit to you that Easter, and Christmas for that matter, are taking the pagan ways of worshipping false gods and using them to honor and worship Christ. I think God has made Himself clear about doing that.

               

              Here is an article about Easter researched and written by David C. Pack, the  Editor-in-Chief for “The Real Truth – A Magazine Restoring Plain Understanding.” You can read more at their website http://realtruth.org/articles/070302-005-eiao.html.

Mr. Pack writes:

Most people follow along as they have been taught, assuming that what they believe and do is right. They take their beliefs for granted. Most do not take time to prove why they do the things that they do.

Why do you believe what you believe? Where did you get your beliefs? Is the source of your religious beliefs the Bible—or some other authority? If you say the Bible, are you sure?

What about Easter? Since hundreds of millions keep it, supposedly in honor of Jesus Christ’s Resurrection, then certainly the Bible must have much to say about it. Surely there are numerous verses mentioning rabbits, eggs and egg hunts, baskets of candy, hot cross buns, Lent, Good Friday and sunrise services—not to mention Easter itself.

Easter requires close scrutiny and this article examines it carefully.

Bible Authority for Easter?

The Bible is the source for all things Christian. Does it mention Easter? Yes.

Notice Acts 12:1. King Herod began to persecute the Church, culminating in the brutal death of the apostle James by sword. This pleased the Jews so much that the apostle Peter was also taken prisoner by Herod. The plan was to later deliver him to the Jews. Verse 3 says, “Then were the days of unleavened bread.” The New Testament Church was observing these feast days described in Leviticus 23. Now read verse 4 of Acts 12: “And when he [Herod] had apprehended him, he put him in prison, and delivered him to four quaternions [sixteen] of soldiers to keep him; intending after Easter to bring him forth to the people.”

Is this Bible authority for Easter?

This passage is not talking about Easter. How do we know? The word translated Easter is the Greek word pascha (derived from the Hebrew word pesach; there is no original Greek word for Passover), and it has only one meaning. It always means Passover—it can never mean Easter! For this reason, we find a Hebrew word used in the Greek New Testament. Once again, this Hebrew word can only refer to Passover. And other translations, including the Revised Standard Version, correctly render this word Passover.

Instead of endorsing Easter, this verse really proves that the Church was still observing the supposedly Jewish Passover ten years after the death of Christ!

Now let’s go to the other scriptures authorizing Easter. This presents a problem. There are none! There are absolutely no verses, anywhere in the Bible, that authorize or endorse the keeping of Easter celebration! The Bible says nothing about Lent, eggs and egg hunts, baskets of candy, etc., although it does mention hot cross buns and sunrise services as abominations, which God condemns. We will examine them and learn why.

The mistranslation of Acts 12:4 is a not-so-subtle attempt to insert a pagan festival into Scripture for the purpose of authorizing it.

When Easter Came to America

Easter has long been known to be a pagan festival! America’s founders knew this! A children’s book about the holiday, Easter Parade: Welcome Sweet Spring Time!, by Steve Englehart, p. 4, states, “When the Puritans came to North America, they regarded the celebration of Easter—and the celebration of Christmas—with suspicion. They knew that pagans had celebrated the return of spring long before Christians celebrated Easter…for the first two hundred years of European life in North America, only a few states, mostly in the South, paid much attention to Easter.”

Not until after the Civil War did Americans begin celebrating this holiday: “Easter first became an American tradition in the 1870s” (p. 5).

Remarkable! The original 13 colonies of America began as a “Christian” nation, with the cry of “No king but King Jesus!” The nation did not observe Easter within an entire century of its founding. What happened to change this?

Where Did Easter Come From?

Does the following sound familiar?—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. Forty days of abstaining from special foods will finally end the next day. The whole family picks out their Sunday best to wear to the next morning’s sunrise worship service to celebrate the savior’s resurrection and the renewal of life. Everyone looks forward to a succulent ham with all the trimmings. It will be a thrilling day. After all, it is one of the most important religious holidays of the year. 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, Ishtar (after whom the festival was named). As Ishtar was actually pronounced “Easter” in most Semitic dialects, it could be said that the event portrayed here is, in a sense, Easter. Of course, the occasion could easily have been a Phrygian family honoring Attis and Cybele, or perhaps a Phoenician family worshipping Adonis and Astarte. Also fitting the description well would be a heretic Israelite family honoring the Canaanite Baal and Ashtoreth. Or this depiction could just as easily represent any number of other immoral, pagan fertility celebrations of death and resurrection—including the modern Easter celebration as it has come to us through the Anglo-Saxon fertility rites of the goddess Eostre or Ostara. These are all the same festivals, separated only by time and culture.

If Easter is not found in the Bible, then where did it come from? The vast majority of ecclesiastical and secular historians agree that the name of Easter and the traditions surrounding it are deeply rooted in pagan religion.

Now notice the following powerful quotes that demonstrate more about the true origin of how the modern Easter celebration got its name:

“Since Bede the Venerable (De ratione temporum 1:5) the origin of the term for the feast of Christ’s Resurrection has been popularly considered to be from the Anglo-Saxon Eastre, a goddess of spring…the Old High German plural for dawn, eostarun; whence has come the German Ostern, and our English Easter” (The New Catholic Encyclopedia, 1967, Vol. 5, p. 6).

“The fact that vernal festivals were general among pagan peoples no doubt had much to do with the form assumed by the Eastern festival in the Christian churches. The English term Easter is of pagan origin” (Albert Henry Newman, D.D., LL.D., A Manual of Church History, p. 299).

“On this greatest of Christian festivals, several survivals occur of ancient heathen ceremonies. To begin with, the name itself is not Christian but pagan. Ostara was the Anglo-Saxon Goddess of Spring” (Ethel L. Urlin, Festival, Holy Days, and Saints Days, p. 73).

“Easter—the name Easter comes to us from Ostera or Eostre, the Anglo-Saxon goddess of spring, for whom a spring festival was held annually, as it is from this pagan festival that some of our Easter customs have come” (Hazeltine, p. 53).

“In Babylonia…the goddess of spring was called Ishtar. She was identified with the planet Venus, which, because…[it] rises before the Sun…or sets after it…appears to love the light [this means Venus loves the sun-god]…In Phoenecia, she became Astarte; in Greece, Eostre [related to the Greek word Eos: “dawn”], and in Germany, Ostara [this comes from the German word Ost: “east,” which is the direction of dawn]” (Englehart, p. 4).

As we have seen, many names are interchangeable for the more well-known Easter. Pagans typically used many different names for the same god or goddess. Nimrod, the Bible figure who built the city of Babylon (Gen. 10:8), is an example. He was worshipped as Saturn, Vulcan, Kronos, Baal, Tammuz,Molech and others, but he was always the same god—the fire or sun god universally worshipped in nearly every ancient culture. (Read our booklet The True Origin of Christmas to learn more about this holiday and Nimrod’s part in it.)

The goddess Easter was no different. She was one goddess with many names—the goddess of fertility, worshipped in spring when all life was being renewed.

The widely-known historian Will Durant, in his famous and respected work Story of Civilization, pp. 235, 244-245, writes, “Ishtar [Astarte to the Greeks, Ashtoreth to the Jews], interests us not only as analogue of the Egyptian Isis and prototype of the Grecian Aphrodite and the Roman Venus, but as the formal beneficiary of one of the strangest of Babylonian customs…known to us chiefly from a famous page in Herodotus: Every native woman is obliged, once in her life, to sit in the temple of Venus [Easter], and have intercourse with some stranger.” Is it any wonder that the Bible speaks of the religious system that has descended from that ancient city as, “Mystery, babylon the great, the mother of harlots and abominations of the earth” (Rev. 17:5)?

We must now look closer at the origin of other customs associated with the modern Easter celebration.

The Origin of Lent

According to Johannes Cassianus, who wrote in the fifth century, “Howbeit you should know, that as long as the primitive church retained its perfection unbroken, this observance of Lent did not exist” (First Conference Abbot Theonas, chapter 30).

 There is neither biblical nor historical record of Christ, the apostles or the early Church participating in the Lenten season. Since there is no instruction to observe Lent in the Bible, where did it come from? A forty-day abstinence period was anciently observed in honor of the pagan gods Osiris, Adonis and Tammuz (John Landseer, Sabaean Researches, pp. 111, 112).

 Alexander Hislops, The Two Babylons, pp. 104-105, says this of the origin of Lent: “The forty days abstinence of Lent was directly borrowed from the worshippers of the Babylonian goddess. Such a Lent of forty days, in the spring of the year, is still observed by the Yezidis or Pagan Devil-worshippers of Koordistan, who have inherited it from their early masters, the Babylonians. Such a Lent of forty days was held in spring by the Pagan Mexicans…Such a Lent of forty days was observed in Egypt…”

Lent came from paganism, not from the Bible! (To learn more about the Lenten season, read our article “The True Meaning of Lent.”)

Eggs, Egg Hunts and Easter

Eggs have always been associated with the Easter celebration. Nearly every culture in the modern world has a long tradition of coloring eggs in beautiful and different ways. I once examined a traveling display of many kinds of beautifully decorated egg designs that represented the styles and traditions of virtually every country of modern Europe.

Notice the following: “The origin of the Easter egg is based on the fertility lore of the Indo-European races…The egg to them was a symbol of spring…In Christian times the egg had bestowed upon it a religious interpretation, becoming a symbol of the rock tomb out of which Christ emerged to the new life of His resurrection” (Francis X. Weiser, Handbook of Christian Feasts and Customs, p. 233). This is a direct example of exactly how pagan symbols and customs are “Christianized,” i.e., Christian-sounding names are superimposed over pagan customs. This is done to deceive—as well as make people feel better about why they are following a custom that is not in the Bible.

Notice: “Around the Christian observance of Easter…folk customs have collected, many of which have been handed down from the ancient ceremonial…symbolism of European and Middle Eastern pagan spring festivals…for example, eggs…have been very prominent as symbols of new life and resurrection” (Encyclopedia Britannica, 1991 ed., Vol. 4, p. 333).

Finally, the following comes from Egyptian Belief and Modern Thought, James Bonwick, pp. 211-212: “Eggs were hung up in the Egyptian temples. Bunsen calls attention to the mundane egg, the emblem of generative life, proceeding from the mouth of the great god of Egypt. The mystic egg of Babylon, hatching the Venus Ishtar, fell from heaven to the Euphrates. Dyed eggs were sacred Easter offerings in Egypt, as they are still in China and Europe. Easter, or spring, was the season of birth, terrestrial and celestial.”

What could be more plain in showing the true origin of the “Easter egg”? An “Easter” egg is just an egg that pertains to Easter. God never authorized Passover eggs or Days of Unleavened Bread eggs, but there have been Easter eggs for thousands of years!

It naturally progressed that the egg, representing spring and fertility, would be merged into an already pagan springtime festival. Connecting this symbol to Christ’s Resurrection in the spring required much creativity and human reasoning. However, even highly creative human reasoning has never been able to successfully connect the next Easter symbol to anything Christian, because there is not a single word about it anywhere in the New Testament!

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                Another good website to visit for more information is:  http://www.biblicalfulfillment.org/id9.html

                It is evident with even a casual reading that Easter was and is a pagan celebration of a false goddess. Yet it is celebrated around the world by Christians as the resurrection of Christ. I think it is done out of ignorance of the truth or out of a love of tradition and an unwillingness to depart from it.

                Some will argue Romans 14 as a justification for celebrating Easter and Christmas. They will say they are celebrating it as unto the LORD. Notice that Aaron didn’t argue with the LORD about the intent of the hearts of his sons when they offered strange fire unto Him. He could have said, “Yes, Lord, they offered strange fire before you, but they were doing it as unto you.”

Leviticus 10:3  Then Moses said unto Aaron, This is it that the LORD spake, saying, I will be sanctified in them that come nigh me, and before all the people I will be glorified. And Aaron held his peace.

                I wrote this out of love and a desire to share the truth with my brothers and sisters in Christ. Christians need to know the truth about what they do and the holidays they observe. How we worship and honor God is a serious thing, not to be taken lightly. He has prescribed how He wants that done. We would do well to take heed. God is more interested in our obedience to His word than He is with the intent of our heart as we violate what He has commanded us to do. According to 1 Samuel 15:22, "To obey is better than sacrifice."

                I also wrote this for my wife and children. I want them to know why we don’t celebrate Easter, Christmas or any of the other pagan holidays that somehow have found their way into the church. Think about what you have just read and search the Scriptures to see if what I have written is true.

Passover 2013

       Today is a most important day for the Christian.  What happened exactly 1983 years ago on today's date? On our calendar it is March 25th, but on the Biblical or Jewish Religious calendar it is Nisan 14. Do you remember what happened on Nisan 14? On that day, Jesus Christ perfectly fulfilled the Passover.

     
       If Christ was crucified in 30 A.D. then today marks the 1983rd anniversary of the day God the Father took the sins of those He had given to Christ before the foundation of the world and placed them on Christ. There on the cross of Calvary, Jesus Christ suffered the fullness of the wrath of God for the sins of His people. He became our substitute just as the Passover lamb became the substitute for the first born in Israel so long as the lamb's blood was spread on the door posts and lintel of the house.

     
       About a year ago I did a study of the Feasts or Divine Appointments of the LORD as seen in Leviticus 23. All I wish to do is remind us of what Christ accomplished on that day. I would like to show you some verses from Exodus 12 and then from the New Testament and show you how our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ fulfilled the Passover.


Exodus 12:2 This month shall be unto you the beginning of months: it shall be the first month of the year to you.


       At the time God told Moses this it was the month Nisan which was the 7th month on the Jewish Calendar. Now it will be the 1st month of the year for them.


Exodus 12:3-6
3 Speak ye unto all the congregation of Israel, saying, In the tenth day of this month they shall take to them every man a lamb, according to the house of their fathers, a lamb for an house:
4 And if the household be too little for the lamb, let him and his neighbour next unto his house take it according to the number of the souls; every man according to his eating shall make your count for the lamb.
5 Your lamb shall be without blemish, a male of the first year: ye shall take it out from the sheep, or from the goats:
6 And ye shall keep it up until the fourteenth day of the same month: and the whole assembly of the congregation of Israel shall kill it in the evening.


       On the 10th day of Nisan they were to select a male lamb of the first year without spot and without blemish and they were to examine it until the 14th day to make sure it was a perfect lamb.


Luke 19:28-44
28 ¶ And when he had thus spoken, he went before, ascending up to Jerusalem.
29 And it came to pass, when he was come nigh to Bethphage and Bethany, at the mount called the mount of Olives, he sent two of his disciples,
30 Saying, Go ye into the village over against you; in the which at your entering ye shall find a colt tied, whereon yet never man sat: loose him, and bring him hither.
31 And if any man ask you, Why do ye loose him? thus shall ye say unto him, Because the Lord hath need of him.
32 And they that were sent went their way, and found even as he had said unto them.
33 And as they were loosing the colt, the owners thereof said unto them, Why loose ye the colt?
34 And they said, The Lord hath need of him.
35 And they brought him to Jesus: and they cast their garments upon the colt, and they set Jesus thereon.
36 And as he went, they spread their clothes in the way.
37 And when he was come nigh, even now at the descent of the mount of Olives, the whole multitude of the disciples began to rejoice and praise God with a loud voice for all the mighty works that they had seen;
38 Saying, Blessed be the King that cometh in the name of the Lord: peace in heaven, and glory in the highest.
39 And some of the Pharisees from among the multitude said unto him, Master, rebuke thy disciples.
40 And he answered and said unto them, I tell you that, if these should hold their peace, the stones would immediately cry out.
41 ¶ And when he was come near, he beheld the city, and wept over it,
42 Saying, If thou hadst known, even thou, at least in this thy day, the things which belong unto thy peace! but now they are hid from thine eyes.
43 For the days shall come upon thee, that thine enemies shall cast a trench about thee, and compass thee round, and keep thee in on every side,
44 And shall lay thee even with the ground, and thy children within thee; and they shall not leave in thee one stone upon another; because thou knewest not the time of thy visitation.


       Jesus Christ rode into Jerusalem on the colt of an ass on the 10th of Nisan. For the next 3 days He would stand in the temple and teach and be examined and questioned by the Pharisees who tried with all that was in them to cause Christ to stumble but to no avail for He proved He was the perfect Lamb of God. In the end it was Pilate, who after questioning Christ, could find no reason to crucify Him.


Exodus 12:6 And ye shall keep it up until the fourteenth day of the same month: and the whole assembly of the congregation of Israel shall kill it in the evening.


       The English phrase, “in the evening” as seen in verse 6 is translated from the Hebrew phrase, “between the evenings.” This phrase suggests a point in time between the sun’s declining in the west and it’s setting (3:00pm).


       Years later in Israel when the Temple was built by Solomon, the day was divided into quarters. The quarter between 12:00 noon and 3:00pm was called the minor evening oblation, while the time between 3:00pm and 6:00pm was called the major evening oblation. Therefore, the phrase “between the evenings” means the time between those two periods which would indicate the specific time of 3:00pm.


       At 3:00pm according to the Scriptures, the father of the family would take the lamb and lay his hands on it and say a prayer which in Hebrew is called the “Semicha.” By doing this the father solemnly attested that this sacrifice was his lamb and that it met the requirements of God. It was going to be offered in his name and the fruits of the sacrifice would be upon him and his family. Then he would cut it’s throat, draining the blood into a basin. He would then take hyssop and dip it in the blood and spread some on each door post and then over the top lintel over the door. The mother of the family would then take the lamb and roast it (Exodus 12:7-9) over an open fire while she prepared a special meal.


      Notice the timing of the events of Jesus Christ’s death. At some point after 6:00pm on the 13th of Nisan (which is now technically the 14th or the Passover), His disciples asked Him where they should go to observe the Passover.


Mark 14:12 And the first day of unleavened bread, when they killed the passover, his disciples said unto him, Where wilt thou that we go and prepare that thou mayest eat the passover?


       Go on to read how Christ told them exactly where to go and prepare. There in an upper room Christ and His disciples observed the Passover. It was during this meal that Christ instituted the Lord’s Supper and shortly after they completed the Passover meal they left and went to the Garden of Gethsemane. At some point after midnight, Judas Iscariot betrayed Christ and brought a mob to take Christ to Ciaphas the High Priest to be tried on the grounds of blasphemy. The trial lasted the remaining hours of the early morning before the sun came up. It was at this time that Peter denied Christ three times before the rooster crowed.


       At about 6:00am the events of Matthew 27:1 took place. From 6:00am until around 9:00am, Christ was taken to Herod and then to Pilate where He was condemned to die on the cross of Calvary. According to Mark 15:25 it was the third hour (9:00am) when they crucified Him. From then until the sixth hour (12:00pm) Christ hung there for the world to see the wrath of God for sin.


       Then something happened. According to Mark 15:33-34 at the sixth hour (noon) there was darkness over all the land until the ninth hour (3pm). It was during this time of darkness that God the Father placed the sins of His people on Christ and crushed Him with the full force and fury of His wrath for those sins. It was during this time that Christ cried out “My God, My God, why hast thou forsaken me?”

       Never before had the Father and the Son been separated, but now because of the Holiness of God and because He is a just God who must deal with sin, God poured out His wrath on and turned His back on Christ. Just as the Passover lamb was roasted over a fire, Christ suffered the full wrath of God for the sins of His people.


       At exactly 3pm, the time when the Passover Lamb was to be slain and his blood put on the door posts and lintel, after Christ had drunk the cup of the wrath of God, He said, “It is finished,” and He gave up the ghost…He voluntarily laid down His life for His sheep.


       He perfectly fulfilled the Passover. He indeed was the Lamb of God which taketh away the sins of the world. His blood was shed for the sins of those whom had been given to Him before the foundation of the world. His blood covers them in the same way the blood of the Passover lamb in Egypt covered the those elect in Israel. In this way the Passover pointed the Israelites to the Messiah. The only problem was their eyes were blinded so they could not see that Christ indeed was the Messiah. This was done to allow the Gentiles to be grafted into the vine. One day that veil will be removed and Israel will see that Jesus Christ is indeed the Messiah, the One the Passover was a picture of.

The Attribute of God's Wrath

                Why should we fear God? We should fear God because His holiness and justice demands that sin be dealt with and it is dealt with by His holy wrath. God is a God of wrath. Why is it that so many true Christians in our day are uncomfortable with the wrath of God? Most do not like it. When we speak of it, we are almost ashamed and feel we must apologize for it as if God is throwing a temper tantrum.

                Many in our day believe that the wrath of God is not consistent with His other attributes such as His love and His goodness. Why do they feel that way? I dare say it is because, like me, they have not sought God in the Scriptures. For what ever reason they have not studied the attributes of God….all the attributes, not just the ones that make them feel good.

                Consider what the Scriptures have to say about the wrath of God. In the word of God, He makes no attempt to hide the fact of His wrath. God is not ashamed to reveal to us that vengeance and fury belong to Him.

Deuteronomy 32:39-41

39  See now that I, even I, am he, and there is no god with me: I kill, and I make alive; I wound, and I heal: neither is there any that can deliver out of my hand.

40  For I lift up my hand to heaven, and say, I live forever.

41  If I whet my glittering sword, and mine hand take hold on judgment; I will render vengeance to mine enemies, and will reward them that hate me.

Romans 12:19  Dearly beloved, avenge not yourselves, but rather give place unto wrath: for it is written, Vengeance is mine;  I will repay, saith the Lord.

                Get a good concordance like Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance and you will quickly see that there are more references to the anger, fury and wrath of God than there are to His love and tenderness.  Not long ago we looked at the Holiness of God. Because God is holy, He hates all sin; And because He hates all sin, His wrath burns against the sinner.

Psalm 7:11  God judgeth the righteous, and God is angry with the wicked every day.

Psalm 5:4-5

4   For thou art not a God that hath pleasure in wickedness: neither shall evil dwell with thee.

5   The foolish shall not stand in thy sight: thou hatest all workers of iniquity.

                The wrath of God is His eternal hatred of all that is unrighteous. A.W. Pink, in his book, The Attributes of God, says God’s wrath is, “the holiness of God stirred into activity against sin.”  God is angry with sin because it is rebellion against His Sovereignty.

                We see in the word of God that His wrath is one of His attributes. Consider Romans 1:18.

Romans 1:18   For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who hold the truth in unrighteousness.

                How did our thrice Holy God deal with sin when it was found in His most beautiful of all creation, Lucifer the cherib? He cast him out of heaven.  How did God deal with man when he rebelled against God in the garden? The earth was cursed and man was cast out of Eden.  What about the Great Flood in Genesis 6? Verse 5 tells us…

Genesis 6:5  And God saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every imagination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually.

Genesis 6:7   …I will destroy man whom I have created from the face of the earth;   

                How did God deal with the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah? He destroyed them for their wickedness as seen in Genesis 19.

               

                It’s obvious why lost men and women should concern themselves with the wrath of God, but what about those of us who have truly been save? Should we? The Divine attribute of God’s wrath is one that we should regularly meditate on.  Most of us have been raised in a generation that has not heard of nor even considered the wrath of God. From our earliest days we have been taught of God’s love, His goodness, His mercy and His kindness. We have grown up unaware of His Divine wrath.

                Why do we so easily sin? Oh, just because it’s our nature, I guess. Yes it is our nature to sin, but we do so because we don’t see sin as God does. We don’t understand that He is a God of wrath. The more we meditate on God’s wrath against sin, the less easily we will commit sin. If we do not consider God’s wrath we will take sin lightly and make excuses for it.

                The more we study and muse on God’s hatred of sin, and His frightful vengeance on it, the more we will understand the heinous nature of it. What else is accomplished by our consideration of the wrath of God? When we meditate on the Divine attribute of God’s wrath, we “beget a true fear in our souls of God.” –A.W. Pink

                I began this study speaking about the fear of God. Even as believers, I don’t think we fear God as we should. Our generation has not been given the whole counsel of God.  By and large, we have not been taught of the wrath and justice of God, yet we are responsible for ourselves. We can’t blame the preachers of our generation who refuse to speak on sin and God’s Divine wrath against it. We have the word of God in our language. It is up to us to read it, meditate on it. We will stand before God alone and give an account for the works done in the flesh. Does that scare you even a little? We will stand before God.  

                If we want to fear God as we should we must study all of His attributes, especially His wrath.

Hebrews 12: 28-29

28   Wherefore we receiving a kingdom which cannot be moved, let us have grace, whereby we may serve God acceptably with reverence and godly fear:

29   For our God is a consuming fire.

                A.W. Pink states, “We cannot serve Him acceptably unless there is due reverence for His awful Majesty and godly fear of His righteous anger, and these are best promoted by frequently calling to mind that our God is a consuming fire.

                By meditating on God’s wrath not only do we understand the seriousness of our sin and learn how to truly fear God, but also our souls begin to fervently praise Him for delivering us from His wrath to come on this world of sinners.

                Do you really love God? Are your affections set on things above or on things on this earth? You can know where your affections are based on what you meditate on…what you think on.

                In his book, The Attributes of God, A.W. Pink writes, “Our readiness or our reluctancy to meditate upon the wrath of God becomes a sure test of how our hearts’ really stand affected toward Him. If we do not truly rejoice in God, for what He is in Himself, and that because of all the perfections which are eternally resident in Him, then how dwelleth the love of God in us?  Each of us needs to be most prayerfully on his guard against devising an image of God in our thoughts which is patterned after our own evil inclinations. Of old the Lord complained, ‘Thou thoughtest that I was altogether as thyself’ (Psalm50:21), If we rejoice not ‘at the remembrance of His holiness’ (Psalm 97:12), if we rejoice not to know that in a soon coming Day God will make a most glorious display of His wrath, by taking vengeance on all who now oppose Him, it is proof that our hearts are not in subjection to Him.”

                A good way to meditate on the attribute of the wrath of God is to read or listen to sermons on that subject. They can be found, but require some digging. Most sermons on the wrath of God date back well before our time. One of the greatest sermons on the wrath of God was preached in 1741 in Enfield, Connecticut by Jonathan Edwards. The title of his message…Sinner’s in the Hands of an Angry God. If you have internet access you can find it at http://www.ccel.org/ccel/edwards/sermons.sinners.html.

                You may also find another great sermon on the wrath of God preached on Oct. 23, 1881 by Charles Haddon Spurgeon entitled, Flee from the Coming Wrath!  It can be found at http://www.biblebb.com/files/spurgeon/2704.htm.

                I know a young man who thinks himself saved because one day a long time ago, he invited Christ into his heart. He even helped start a charismatic “church” and preached there for a while. Yet, his manner of life and speech do not bear the fruit of one who has been grafted into the true Vine of Jesus Christ.  He recently said this… (not a direct quote) “I have just redone my list of people I want to see first when I get to heaven. My mom of course, then I will hang out with men like Davy Crockett, Jim Bowie, andWilliam Barret Travis, all those (!@#$**) who wouldn’t put up with the what we are having to put up with today from our government.” How sad! The first people he wants to see in heaven are men, who may not even be there, rather than seeing the Lord Jesus Christ.  The sad thing is he will not be there unless God does a work in his life.

                 Many in that day who have been deceived will say…

Matthew 7:22 … “Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works?”

               Then they will hear the most horrifying words ever to be spoken and they will ring in their ears for all eterninty…

Matthew 7:23  And then I will profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity.

                 At which point they will suffer the full fury and wrath of God for their sins and rightly so, for God is Just and Holy.

                Just as John the Baptist once said to many of the Pharisees and Sadducees who were gathered to observe him baptizing…

Matthew 3:7   “…who hath warned you to flee from the wrath to come?

…I urge all those who hear me speak or read what I have written to do likewise. Sinner, flee from the wrath that is coming on you because of your sin. Don’t think for a minute these words are for anyone other than you.

                For the one who is trusting in some decision you made a long time ago, don’t be content with your profession of faith. Examine yourself!

2 Corinthians 13:5  Examine yourselves, whether ye be in the faith; prove your own selves, Know ye not your own selves, how that Jesus Christ is in you, except  ye be reprobates?

Cry out to God to search your heart and show you yourself…

Psalm 139:23-24

23   Search me, O God, and know my heart: try me, and know my thoughts:

24   And see if there be any wicked way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting.

               The greatest assurance you can have that you have truly been saved by the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ is if you are continuing in repentance and your faith is growing.

Philippians 1:6  …he which hath begun a good work in you will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ.

                If you are not continuing to grow in faith and not continuing to repent of your sins...if you can live in sin and there be no Holy Spirit conviction or chastening  then you may well be outside of Christ and storing up wrath upon yourself against the day of wrath.

               

                What is the wrath of God? It is the satisfying of God’s justice in Hell for an eternity. Hell is a real place and nothing on this earth compares to it. I constantly hear people say foolish things like… “It was as hot as hell today!” or “That test was hard as hell.” I have even heard this foolish statement made after a cold front came in… “It’s cold as hell out there!” Men have no understanding of the wrath of God. They know not hell. Hell is not a place where old soldiers go to regroup. Hell is a place of torment.

Luke 16:23-24

23  And in hell he lift up his eyes, being in torments, and seeth Abraham afar off, and Lazarus in his bosom.

24   And cried and said, Father Abraham, have mercy on me, and send Lazarus, that he may dip the tip of his finger in water, and cool my tongue; for I am tormented in this flame.

                Hell is real! Yet, the greatest manifestation of the wrath of God took place on Calvary when the Lord Jesus Christ suffered the full wrath of Holy God for the sins of His people. Christ was crucified high on a hill outside the city for the whole world to see the wrath of God for sin.

                When Christ comes again to this earth and sets His feet on the Mt. of Olives, He will unleash the full wrath of God against those gathered in sin against Israel. In that day, those who are alive will cry out for the rocks to fall on them rather than face the fierce wrath of the Lamb of God (Revelation 6:15-17).

Revelation 6:17  For the great day of his wrath is come; and who shall be able to stand?

Will you flee from the wrath to come? To whom will you flee? Safety from the wrath of God for your sin can be found in only one place and that is in Jesus Christ who satisfied the wrath of God for sin on the cross of Calvary. Go to Him in repentance and faith, He will not cast you out.