“It’s the End of the World as We Know It, and I Feel Fine”

Thanks for the catchy tune R.E.M. When it comes to talk about the end of the world there is not much more to say than that!

Over the past few days I have heard a lot of little snippets about someone talking about the “rapture” and the end of the world, and that it is happening THIS SATURDAY, May 21st! Since it seems to be a hot topic around everywhere right now I thought I should post my two cents about it.

So, what do I think about, and better yet, what does the Bible have to say about it? The Bible, the main source of Christian knowledge, talks a great deal about the last days and the end of the world. One of the main points it points out is that “no one knows, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father” (Matthew 24:36, Mark 13:32).

Mat 24:27, 30-31, 36-39 “For as the lightning comes from the east and shines as far as the west, so will be the coming of the Son of Man.  (30) Then will appear in heaven the sign of the Son of Man, and then all the tribes of the earth will mourn, and they will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of heaven with power and great glory. (31) And He will send out His angels with a loud trumpet call, and they will gather His elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other. (36) "But concerning that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels of heaven, nor the Son, but the Father only. (37) For as were the days of Noah, so will be the coming of the Son of Man. (38) For as in those days before the flood they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day when Noah entered the ark, (39) and they were unaware until the flood came and swept them all away, so will be the coming of the Son of Man.”

That would seem pretty clear to me – it is impossible to know when the Son of Man, Jesus Christ, will return.  Yet, the prediction of His coming on May 21^st, this Saturday, has caused quite a hum of commotion.  So, who is causing all this commotion? His name is Harold Camping.  He is EIGHTY-NINE (89) YEARS OLD!  While he may at one time have been a civil engineer, it seems now he has developed a bit of the crazies or at least a refusal to listen to the book he claims to believe in – the Bible.  Mr. Camping is also president of Family Radio, a non-profit organization which began in 1958.  Their website, http:www/familyradio.com/English/connect/bio/HaroldCamping_bio.html, claims the following,

“we emphatically teach that the whole Bible is the Word of God. We believe that, in the original languages in which the Bible was written, every Word was from the mouth of God, and consequently, is never to be altered and must be obeyed” (emphasis mine).

I guess that only goes as far as two paragraphs down on their site where they then seemingly counter that claim by stating,

“In its intense study of the Bible, Family Radio has discovered that a great amount of Biblical evidence points to the all-important fact that the world has come very close to its end. It has also discovered from carefully studying the Bible that, in a sense, this end of the world judgment has already begun, because judgment must begin with the house of God (I Peter 4:17, Hebrews 10:30).

Therefore, now that we have learned from the Bible that God’s judgment is upon the house of God, which are the local congregations, we are now compelled to teach the Biblical truth that God has shifted the final task of world evangelism to individual Christians who are outside of a local congregation. In obedience to these Biblical teachings, Family Radio, which is completely outside of any church institution, and which is supported and administered by individual believers, does teach that today, as we are heading for the end of this world’s existence, we should not be a part of a local church.”

Well, if that does not contradict their previous statement it must at least contradict what Jesus Himself said in the passages quoted above.  Unfortunately, there have been and will be many people who claim that they have some special knowledge about what the Bible really says, or what the Bible says is going to happen, or when the end of the world will be, and to their downfall they have been, are and will be all wrong.  The Bible is clear, no one but God knows.

The only other thing I can think to ask right now is, what is this rapture thing they are making such a fuss about anyway?

Most “Christian” belief systems (I put the word Christian in quotations because there are many religious systems that claim the title of Christianity without having the slightest clue what it means to be a Christian, but to get in depth on that is for another time) believe in a rapture of the church (those on earth who are truly followers of Christ) at some point in time. The main text used is from 1 Thessalonians 4:13-5:11

“But we do not want you to be uninformed, brothers, about those who are asleep, that you may not grieve as others do who have no hope. (14)  For since we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so, through Jesus, God will bring with him those who have fallen asleep.  (15)  For this we declare to you by a word from the Lord, that we who are alive, who are left until the coming of the Lord, will not precede those who have fallen asleep.  (16)  For the Lord himself will descend from heaven with a cry of command, with the voice of an archangel, and with the sound of the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first.  (17)  Then we who are alive, who are left, will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air, and so we will always be with the Lord.  (18)  Therefore encourage one another with these words. (5:1) Now concerning the times and the seasons, brothers, you have no need to have anything written to you. (2) For you  yourselves are fully aware that the day of the Lord will come like a thief in the night.  (3)  While people are saying, "There is peace and security," then sudden destruction will come upon them as labor pains come upon a pregnant woman, and they will not escape.  (4)  But you are not in darkness, brothers, for that day to surprise you like a thief.  (5)  For you are all children of light, children of the day. We are not of the night or of the darkness.  (6)  So then let us not sleep, as others do, but let us keep awake and be sober.  (7)  For those who sleep, sleep at night, and those who get drunk, are drunk at night.  (8)  But since we belong to the day, let us be sober, having put on the breastplate of faith and love, and for a helmet the hope of salvation.  (9)  For God has not destined us for wrath, but to obtain salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ,  (10)  who died for us so that whether we are awake or asleep we might live with him.  (11) Therefore encourage one another and build one another up, just as you are doing.”

While the word “rapture” is not used in this passage or anywhere else in the Bible, it is used to summarize the belief the Jesus will come and take all those on earth who currently believe in Him to chill up in heaven before the final battle and end of the world occurs, also often called Armageddon. When this event happens is up for debate. Like normal among Christian debate circles there are a few main points of disagreement. However, before we can get into the rapture we must look at another big event called the tribulation. Most believe that the tribulation is a period of seven years. The first three and a half are peaceful years while the latter three and a half years are filled with chaos. So, with that in mind the big ideas about the rapture are these: pre-tribulation (the rapture happens before the tribulation), mid-tribulation (the rapture happens right in the middle, after the first three and half years), and post-tribulation (the rapture happens after all seven years of the tribulation). There is a fourth, less popular idea, and though it was not told to me in context of the rapture per say it still applies. That view is called panmillennialism. It is the idea that I believe it will happen, I don’t know when, but it will all pan out in the end.

If there is any good to come of all this rapture/end of the world commotion caused by Camping it is that at least people are talking about spiritual things which, as long as the conversation is well-guided, is never a bad thing.

A friend of mine had asked me about all this stuff earlier today and said, “Well, let me know if we need to get saved before Saturday.” While it was meant to be humorous and I took it as such, it does cause me to think. After all, it would be nice to know when the rapture was going to be or when the end of the world is, would it not? To know exactly when or how long we had to make sure all our affairs were in order, to be ready, what relief that would bring. As I got off the phone I thought I am sure it is not going to be Saturday, in fact I want to guarantee it. But that makes me wonder about Camping’s motives. Perhaps he knows that the Bible says no man knows when, and perhaps there is something he really wants to do on Saturday. So, perhaps he is hoping that if he makes all this fuss about the rapture happening on Saturday that God will keep His word, and in accordance with "no man knowing" will make sure it is not on Saturday. Of course in that case Camping does not really know and is simple trying to trick God, and thus Saturday would be a perfect day for the rapture if for no other reason than so God can say to Camping, “ha-ha!” However, if Camping truly does believe the rapture is going to occur this Saturday then I know I can trust God, and in so doing can guarantee that there will be no rapture this Saturday. Although, I CANNOT guarantee that the rapture will not happen tonight or Sunday or Monday or on any other day. The only thing I can really guarantee is that no one knows when it will happen, but that at some point Christ will return and one day He will judge the world and separate those who chose Him and those who did not. So, in all reality, getting our affairs in order by Saturday would be a great idea because it could be our last day to do so.

The topic: the response, the exuberant response, of U.S. citizens, including those claiming to follow Christ (myself included), to the death of the terrorist mastermind Bin Laden. Some rejoiced simply because he was dead. Some rejoiced because his death meant his evil reign had come to an end. As a Christian, one who claims allegience to Christ Jesus, we are told to "love your enemies, and pray for those who persecute you" (Matthew 5:44), and again "love your enemies, do good to those who hate you" (Luke 6:27). Interestingly the word used for love in these passages is agape. This word does not mean we have to like the person or be their friend, but that we must choose to display love/kindness/compassion/mercy towards them. Thus, it would seem contrary to rejoice that a person died without knowing Christ as Lord and Savior, and has therefore landed in Hell. With that context in mind the following question was asked and the following conversation took place.  

---Please keep in mind that this was via social media so the normal rules of spelling and grammer do not necessarily apply.--- ---Also, I have changed the names of those having the conversation "to protect the innocent" ...isn't that what the movies always say? ---

I hope this gives you something deeper than normal to think about

always,

aj

Chuck: do you celebrate when an unrepentant relative dies; getting justice they deserve for their sin or mourn for their eternity?

David: That's not a valid comparison.

Nancy: Mourn--heavily...I still don't know how to reconcile completely and forever letting go of someone I love(d) who didn't know Christ...I can't wrap my brain or heart around it. I cried instantly when I read your post as I've lost several. Pastor Chuck, how does one completely let go or ever heal from the loss of losing someone who doesn't know the good news of eternity?

Chuck: what if we all got what we deserved? i am thankful for His Justice for without Justice we would never be able to understand His Mercy & Grace | no matter who someone is I cannot celebrate another soul lost to an eternity void of God...much like King David could not celebrate the death of Saul, a man of disobedience to God. Justice is His to deliver and for that I am thankful I do not have to make those decisions as to what & when it is to be administered. Regardless what method God chose to give justice on earth the justice & judgment of the eternal is of even greater importance, for I am never thankful that someone has to taste the sting of that Judgment when grace & mercy was available. People have the choice to obey or not, for that I am thankful, God is Just, for that I am thankful, God is merciful for those that want it, for that I am thankful, God is God and I am not, for that I am thankful...knowing someone has died as an unrepentant soul, regardless of how or if we deem it as Just, it is difficult for me to celebrate knowing the eternity that is before them... this is just my opinion & many other people are stating theirs just don't want us to lose sight of eternity, the reality of hell (a place prepared for the devil & his angels), the fact that people are watching how we respond. We are Christians who happen to be Americans, not Americans who happen to be Christians...in the same way Paul was a Christian who happen to be a Roman, not a Roman who happen to be Christian. What if we all got what we deserved? | earthly justice has been delivered, eternal justice is soon to follow, the first brings a closure the second should grieve our hearts because it is what we all truly deserve but Jesus took that punishment on Himself...

Denise: If I had a relative that was pure evil, I think I'd be conflicted--happy that their reign of terror was over and that they could no longer harm people, yet 100% sad for their eternal living quarters. I'm assuming of course you are asking because of all the rejoicing taking place because the evil OBL is now in hell forever.....If you are asking over a good person who just never recognized Christ as their Lord and Savior of course I'd mourn for their eternity.

Carl: I celebrate justice and evil ending, but I'm sad for his eternity. There is a tension. It's never wrong to celebrate justice (I can show you multiple Scriptures on that), but it is wrong to celebrate someone in hell. It's tough to live in the "tensions of Christianity"

Chuck: the tension is in how we are responding | we need to make sure we clarify what it is we as the leaders of the Christian message are celebrating, the world is watching via FB & Twitter | the reality is we all are evil, do evil in the sight of the Lord, our actions do have different consequences to others but none-the-less those actions of evil are worthy of the same punishment from God. I just don't won't us to paint the picture the we stand happy, celebratory, & rejoice over the death of someone who is now serving his punishment in hell... | to me the only difference between OBL & unrepentant anybody's are those who are impacted by their decisions... drunk drivers kill people, angry people kill people, drug dealers kill people...all have consequences to their actions but their sin is the same as those who lie, steal, have hate in their heart, or look at a woman lustfully... | we must make sure we clarify the justice while at the same time mourn for the reality of the eternal | Romans 10:9-21 & Ephesians 6:12

Carl: Well, I certainly haven't thrown an "Osama is dead" party or anything of that matter...nor would I be in front of the White House cheering. However, I do take pride that justice was served, and sometimes that justice is paid back brutally. I hate the fact that he never knew Jesus, nor tried to find him. I think this is a call to Christians everywhere to be intentional about sharing Christ wherever they are with whoever...but I think we have to be careful about thinking that Christians automatically go to the extreme of having a party...not all are like that...most struggle with the tension...but I don't feel bad about celebrating justice and the end his evil actions

Denise: God judges the heart. I don't think any drunk drivers set out in the morning looking for innocent infidels to mow down; and I would assume if they made that mistake they would be remorseful (hopefully); whereas someone like OBL obviously couldn't kill enough of us and never shed a tear at any of the deaths he was responsible for… in my humble opinion :)

Carl: And Chuck, sorry to disagree, there are HUGE differences in OBL and an unrepentant relative. There are different degrees of sin, and different consequences of sin depending on the degrees... all sin is equal in that it comes from our sin nature and contributes to spiritual/physical death...but not all sin is equal in how it is committed or punished...therefore, there are BIG differences between OBL and a regular person that isn't responsible for the deaths of thousands

Candice: I would mourn for Osama as much as I would mourn for the Pharaoh who killed all the Hebrew children, or Hitler - mass murderers all. It's sad to know that he rejected God's grace and mercy, and lived a life of violence and hate. And yes, I know that ALL sin is equal in the eyes of God, and I am thankful for His grace and salvation. I also know that this death will not change much when it comes to terrorism, because evil is busy at work in this world and will continue to be until the LORD's return. And I agree with Denise's post.

Chuck: If someone dies- in their sin without Jesus- where is their eternal destination? | we don't like the idea, I know, it hurts however in light of scripture the punishment in the eternal is the same...as far as our actions worthy or earthly judgment, justice, & punishment each has its own level of consequence for that I am fully aware... if i speed i get a ticket, if i speed i am still no obeying authority/law of land which is wrong...and the passage continues talking about how God can & will use governing authorities to exercise his will (he used good armies & bad, good authorities & bad to accomplish His will) even though I stand confident in God's Will, Justice, & Authority it is still difficult for me to praise that Justice when I know it will result in a Godless eternity...

Carl: Chuck, some believe that there are levels of rewards in heaven, what would you say about that? I would lean towards saying "no." However, if the argument could be made that there are levels of rewards in heaven, then could the same argument be made about hell?

Chuck: well the truth is whether I get a mansion or a tent in heaven I don't care because I am in heaven & don't we throw those rewards back at His feet... the same is true... regardless if you get A, B, C, or D type punishment in Hell, bro you are still in Hell

Carl: I understand your feeling...but there are some that believe in levels of rewards in heaven and level of punishments in hell...e.g., those who believe you eventually burn up in hell will tend to believe that the greater the sins, the longer you burn... so it's just an interesting tidbit...seemed to fit here... but you might want to rethink the unrepentant relative and OBL comparison

Chuck: am i comparing the two of them...i just posed a question and allowed others to think through the issue. My sin is just as vile as his; it may have different consequences, but the same heavenly punishment. If i hate others it is the same as murder, granted my hate may not leave someone else father or motherless, thus the consequences are much much much different, but the sin in the eyes of God and the punishment of death remains the same. I do see the difference but we have to filtering this through the same lens, should we not?

Carl: I don't think your sin is just as vile as his... your sin is equal in that it comes from a fallen nature and leads to death, but no, it is not as vile as a child rapist, serial killer, or so on... I have a hard time believing that. I know what you are saying in regards that sin puts you in the same place...yes, it leads to destruction, but no, it is not as vile as some

Chuck: i use this with the middle school students; which sin is greater... killing someone or steal a pack of gum? | is killing someone as little as stealing a pack of gum or is stealing a pack of gum as big as killing someone? | our system of measurement is built into us which measures consequence based on the nature of the action...again the consequences will be much different for the two of them but Jesus died for the murder in the same as he died for the gum thief because both were guilt of one part, which makes the guilty of all of it...thus in the wake of punishment for sin both in need of Jesus... right?!

Alex: i think, for the Christian, OBL's unrepentant death should convict us of the fact that we (probably) didn't pray for his salvation the way we should have... Apostle Paul was once a murderer, look how he ended up. Maybe if we, as Christians, had prayed the way we're supposed to OBL's end could have been different too... But, seeing as his end was what his end was I’m pretty happy about his evil being stamped out. I can understand that OBL could have had a problem with American hypocrisy, but his problem was with Christians, the infidels, and that's what he viewed all Americans as - Christians. As skewed as that view might have been, it is how many view America. I'm convicted i didn't pray as i should have, but i rejoice to see the justice, seemingly so rarely seen, actually delivered. i think Carl nailed it though, there is a tension. Though, it's one that i wouldn't have if i had prayed for OBL the way i should have.

Carl: Our sin makes all of us in need of Jesus...but I'm not sure that it is our system of measurement built in us that measures each consequence...it was in the OT that God laid out the measures of consequences, and even Jesus & Paul seem to talk about some sins being greater than others... however, all sin is equal in its origin and ending

Chuck: i didn't clarify the specifics & yes the measurements are different for earthly consequences in OT ...but that is my point that we do have a system that measures consequence based on the action however we sometimes use that same measure to the gravity of our sin. "Amazing Grace how sweet the sound that saved a wretch like me..." we loving grace but it is not amazing grace until we acknowledge we are in fact wretched... | "all sin is equal in its origin & ending" though my consequence of sin are different from OBL his sin needs Jesus just as much as my sin needs Jesus just same as your sin needs Jesus just as much as our unrepentant relatives need Jesus...yes?

Carl: I understand your point, but what I'm getting at and trying to explain by the "degrees of sin" is that the OBL comparison with the unrepentant relative isn't exactly true

Alex: Each sin is equal in that each sin caused Christ's death. So, whether we are a gum thief or murderer either of those actions meant Jesus had to die, so in that sense all sin is equal. But, in the practical-earth-bound sense those sins are totally unequal. I can make restitution by either returning the gum or paying for it with money, but i have no ability to bring a person back from the grave - Equal in Christ's death and our need for a Savior, unequal in human relational consequence.

Chuck: I agree the consequences are much different... however regardless if you are a mass murderer or a gum thief, if you are guilty of one part of the law you are guilty of all of the law...thus we are all in the same place regardless of the amount or magnitude of our sin, needing redemption & salvation only available through Jesus. That is the point I am trying to make so that we don't end up thinking he got what he deserved & celebrate his death & eternal punishment at the same time. Because getting earthly justice is one thing- you know the consequences you broke them it is coming...but to celebrate another soul, like mine or a friend or family member, punished to hell, I cannot celebrate. And we need to be careful we are not spreading that message or combining the two. That is what I am trying to get us to think about.

Carl: Exactly what I said a few posts up. Happy for justice (he did get what he deserved) and unhappy that another person went to a Christ-less eternity. We agree on that, we agree on where sin comes from and what the result is, but disagree on the whole comparison issue

Chuck: what i need understanding in then Carl, is how are they any different...both are sin resulting in death in need of Jesus and will get the same punishment (a guilty verdict) from God... | I am not trying to be combative here if I am wrong in that understanding of eternal punishment and my reading of scripture help me understand. I do agree the consequences of sin here, but are they not the same when standing before God?

Alex: that is true... perhaps the only soul we should celebrate being in hell is the eventuality of the devil's and his minions'. Well, he did get what he deserved; he got what we all deserve. His death, because he deserved it shouldn't be celebrated, his death because his evil is gone should be... Again, it's that tension.

Alex: OBL is possibly some Christian's lost family member... kind of makes me think about having a family member that is guilty of a crime and has a warrant out for their arrest. Do you hide them b/c it's your family member, or do you hold your family member to the same standards you would hold a stranger to? I think the problem is that we care for our lost family members, and though the Bible tells us to, we really don't care about OBL. The whole "love your enemies" part sounds great when we say it, but i doubt many of us really practice it that often.

Carl: Chuck, you are focusing on the origin and end...but you're not looking at his life on earth. His sin was vile, and NOT equal to yours...therefore we can celebrate justice being served. I recommend that you do a study on the theology of sin and see how God deals with degrees of sin. Even Jesus dealt with degrees of sin, as did Paul. Not only does Scripture address it, but I believe that it is in the "imago dei" inside of all of us...we know evil when we see it...

Chuck: I have & will review that area more specifically but my point is meant to look at the eternal punishment more than the earthly consequences | am i wrong in the conclusion, which yes is more of my point, that while standing before the creator we both would be considered guilty of the law, thus punished for sin to hell?

Chuck: in short both in need of Jesus

Chuck: is it safe to say then that we may not be equal in the weight of our sin however both guilty of sin receiving same punishment if without Jesus? Is it the same as saying you get eternal punishment x 5 vs. eternal punishment x 5000? Are both still eternal punishments when void of Jesus?

Alex: in that you are correct. Standing b4 Yahweh, both gum thief and OBL are guilty of breaking the law. It's interesting the Bible doesn't say don't break the laws (plural) it says it law (singular). I kind of picture it like a porcelain statue; whether your break off just one small piece (maybe an arm?) or break it in half, we would say "you broke the statue" not "you broke the statue's arm." In either case we have broken it and devalued it. It's sort of the same thing; i can't break one piece of the law without breaking it all, because it's all part of a whole, all part of one law. It is God's law, not God's laws... So, in that sense, yes, you are correct. But, as careful as we have to be in how we celebrate the death of evil we must be as careful how we compare the murderer to the gum thief. :)

Chuck: but they are both guilty...thus the same, criminals of the law of God

Ryan: I wish that satanic man had died 40 years ago. God had the Amalekites wiped out for being evil. Laden and his followers are worse. He spent his life leading thousands to hell!

Ryan: I know Carl but I defy anyone to stand in a Nazi Concentration Camp and tell me it was a sad day when Hitler died. There are very evil men in this world. There are men who live and because they live the world is a much more dangerous and evil place to be in. It's wonderful to be so safe and so flowery. The truth is that some people have forfeited their right to live. Let us not forget God's own words in Genesis 9, "If anyone takes a human life that person’s life will also be taken by human hands. For God made human beings in his own image."

Ryan: Also, I do not want to disrespect Chuck. I know he was not saying that OBL did not deserve to die.

Chuck: does one deserve to die thankful was not mine to decide- that was God all throughout scripture giving those standards. The difficult reality is that i deserved to die when i dishonored my parents, used His name in vain, & disobey the commands of God. we have all done things that through God's standard in OT is deserving of death...so the issue is not does he deserve to die, i think that is clear, the issue is do we remember that we too deserve to die if we are basing the completely on the word of God. There are passages of scripture dealing with rejoicing when the wicked have been destroyed & there are passages that say we are not to celebrate when they have been destroyed. reading these a little more i have found there is 'tension', as Carl put it, that we have to be very careful of. We can rejoice in the fact the actions of this wicked person will stop, even though they will just continue with someone else...but we must not rejoice in the reality of another soul, created in the image of God cast into a Godless eternity. We must be careful not to mix the message that the wicked deserve what they got...because if they did then none of us would be here. Understanding there is a difference between me & Hitler; you & OBL however according to God's Word we are all wicked, guilty, & in need of Jesus. i hope that makes sense...

Chuck: my last attempt: i have a family member this was not their first time to be convicted of arson. He was caught and is now in jail for attempted murder & arson. Am i thankful he is in jail so that he is unable to hurt other people...yes...am i ready to celebrate that he is in jail...no. My main point is that we as leaders of the message of Jesus must be careful how we celebrate the justice of God, the very thing we all were pardoned from by Jesus taking our punishment on Himself. When we make the issue more personal it changes things. We all have broken commands in scripture that are deserving of death as a justice punishment from a Holy God. that punishment was fulfilled by Jesus in our place...for that we must not forget that the love of God was still available & strong enough to save someone like OBL or Hitler if they so choose. From their life & actions it is evident they did not want it or anything to do with God...for that God's justice was fulfilled. Despite what they did they are still people through whom the enemy had skillfully deceived into an opposing doctrine. They have got what they deserved in agreement with His Word & standard, however i am still thankful that I did not get what I deserved when i committed acts punishable by death according to His Word. Being thankful for His Holiness, Justice, & Judgment is great because we know He is Holy & Just...but we still must be careful we don't celebrate in such a way that paints the picture that some people are too far gone or unworthy of the very grace we received. This is also coming from a place where i have talked with many people who admitted they did not pray for OBL, which we were commanded to do. Am i sad he is dead? No. Will I throw a party or celebrate that he is dead? No. Am i happy he will spend eternity in hell? No. Do i know God is just in His decisions? Yes. Again the issue isn't me mourning over God's Justice as much as how we celebrate that justice on selective people more than others...which all deserve the same punishment, according the Word.

Happy Easter or Resurrection Day?

Christianity vs. Paganism

Yes, it’s true, my thoughts are a product of my environment. With Easter having just passed i’ve been wondering a lot lately about the origin of the word Easter. Knowing that other Christian holidays borrow many traditions from pagan festivals i assumed that the word Easter was too, i just wasn’t sure which festival exactly.

i must say that what i found was in some cases a bit surprising. i’ve found it’s easy to read something and take it at its word. However, if you read what is actually being said you find that people don’t use a lot of common sense or any of their own thoughts, they simply re-spew what they’ve read elsewhere. You know, i also found that there is a lot of controversy over the topic of Easter and its origins.

Well, here is what I’ve found mixed together with some of my own thoughts and my SUPER-human skills of common sense. ;) Please enjoy.

Easter is the day that many, if not most, Christians celebrate the resurrection of the one and only Jesus Christ. For many churches Easter is referred to as Resurrection Sunday. Most churches do this to disassociate with any pagan culture. So, what pagan culture did Easter come from?

According to most people Easter is derived from the Anglo-Saxon goddess Eostre, Eostre being the goddess of spring. The only problem with this theory is that Eostre only exists very rarely, and mostly in an article by a man named Venerable Bede in 725 AD. The problem with that is that in 325 AD the church officially decided on the celebration of Easter, 400 years earlier.

Some will say that Easter comes from the Mesopotamian goddess Ishtar. However, there is no solid evidence for this and it too is heavily controversial.

It does seem that there is a couple of things that everyone agrees with. One is that the Easter bunny is a pagan representative for fertility. While its purpose was for fertile land/crops its practice was that of sex. So, the Easter bunny is nothing more than a cute and cuddly sex symbol.

The second thing that seems to be agreed upon is that eggs too represent fertility or new birth. Originally given as gifts between friends and family they have somehow become a popular marketing campaign. i’m not really sure when they started being used for Easter egg hunts - i didn’t really research that part.

My thoughts…

First, i guess we’re witlessly teaching children, Easter bunny = good, sex = good. Yet we get mad when they have babies and aren’t married yet. Boy are we ever confused.

Second, i think the egg hunt could have very easily started as a way for parents to teach their kids a lesson in a rather fun way. Since what i am going to call the fertility festivals were in the spring time, the time when the crops were either harvested or planted, i think parents came up with a clever way to teach their children the rewards of hard work. “Why do we have to work so hard mommy?” the child might have asked. “Well, honey, it’s similar to the egg hunt. You see, you have to search hard to find the eggs, just like we have to work hard to plant (or harvest) the crops. But, once you find the egg your reward is very good, the same as when we finish our work, our reward, food, is very good.”

Third, i believe that the Easter bunny should become road kill. No where in church should a bunny named Easter appear. It’s a simple subliminal message that points to ritualistic sex acts as part of a ceremony that celebrates pagan gods/goddesses. However, i think the Easter egg (so long as you don’t believe a bunny laid it) is perfectly acceptable. Since the egg represents new life i think it can easily be redirected into spiritual symbolism. After all Christ transformed baptism and the Passover into symbolic events, so too do i think we can do the same with the egg.

Finally, I’m certain the Easter bunny is bad news. I’m also certain that the Easter egg can be a good thing. I am also also certain that no one really knows for sure where the word Easter came from. While there may be a lot of circumstantial arguments we don’t have anything concrete. So, if you want to say happy Easter, you are free to do so, and free to do so without thinking that you are making mention of some ancient pagan holiday. However, it still is very possible that as with other things the early church fathers did change something from a pagan festival to a Christian tradition, however that may never be known for sure.

So, you are quite free to have a happy Easter, though i still like Resurrection Day better. :)

Did i mention the bunny should be road kill? Happy hunting, and enjoy the stew.

references:
www.celtic-catholic-church.org/oak_tree/easter.html
www.gnmagazine.org/issues/gn69/easter.htm
www.allabouthistory.org/origin-of-the-word-easter-faq.htm
www.biblestudy.org/question/what-does-the-word-easter-mean.html
www.thaliatook.com/AMGG/eostre.html (for the meaning of Eostre)
www.eddolls2004.freeuk.com/mill.htm (for the date of Bede’s writing)

So, i've been thinking, and i've come up with this "tag line" that i'd really like to post on public forums.

it reads like this, "Where's thy fortitude oh beguiled and murderous assassin for my life? Over man's greed I'm decisively killed!"
-the unborn

However, that's not quite the tag line. When it "breaks down" it becomes this: WTF OBAMA FML. OMG IDK. -the unborn

this is how i would post it:
WTF (where's thy fortitude) OBAMA (Oh, beguiled and murderous assassin) FML (for my life?) OMG (over man's greed) IDK (i'm decisively killed) -the unborn

So, what do you think...?

America the beautiful is quickly becoming America the beastly. i love the idea of old America. The guys who coined, "In God we trust" and "One nation under God", what a concept they had! The idea that the church couldn't run the state and that the state couldn't tell the church what to do, in concept and intent, such good ideas!

Some may not share with me in this but i love the USA. The more and more i see it though i really love the old USA. i've often said that one day i want to get a couple of tattoos. On one shoulder a cross that reads, "God was here" and on the other shoulder an American flag. Over the years i've come to the conclusion that if i ever got an American flag that it would have to be of the old school flag, the one with the circle of 13 stars. But sadly, now, the longer things trend how they are i don't think i could even get that flag.

It makes me sad that the country founded by such noble ideas has gone so far the wrong way. It reminds me of the example of how you don't have to make a sharp turn to get off track but simply start in an almost unnoticeable small deviation. Then after time that small deviation has taken you so far from where you started that you can't even see that place anymore. The kicker is that you didn't even realize you were headed so far off track, and now that you're there you think it's where you were always supposed to be.

The weird thing is is that no matter how much i want things to change back to how they were i know that things must get worse. That it's inevitable that things will become more and more run by the government, that the government will become more and more corrupt, and that the correct side of things will become more and more blurred. I know it has to go this way because the Bible says it does. We can't very well have a one world government unless the government is in a lot more control than they are now, and unless people allow it to happen a lot more than they are now.

Ironically, while part of me wants to fight to keep the inevitable from happening for as long as possible, another part wants the inevitable to happen as quickly as possible so that Christ will get back here that much sooner.

i guess, in all reality, i don't want to see the crumbling of America happen in my life time - let it happen after i'm gone. i guess it's just selfishness, not wanting to have to deal with the sadness of watching the Beautiful become the Beastly.

Of course, on the other hand, i really want Christ to come now, which is, of course, during my lifetime.