The Celebration of Christ's Ascension

by Ben Parker

While we have fun with psuedo-pagan gimmicks to sell sweets at what is traditionally a celebration of spring and restoration of life, Easter is also the day that Jesus was miraculously resurrected from death.

While some would suggest that the time of year was co-opted by the Christian church, there isn't really much to co-opt, since his death took place on Passover, a real Jewish holiday which also happens to be this time of year.

When thinking about the events that transpired in the Christ story, one wonders if all that he went through was necessary. Actually, a lot of it was. Everything that Christ suffered after his arrest, is very much symbolic of what we may have to endure come the Judgement at the end of his thousand year reign.

After all, he was meant to be a sacrifice for the whole world, paying the blood debt for all our sins, past, present, and future.

- He was arrested for crimes against the established order. - Born into sin, we have a tendency for wanton rebellion and selfishness, leading to sin (which is simply disobeying God's commands).


- He was tried and found wanting. (Though, in actuality, he was blameless according to the executioner of the law - but that was required of him for his role.) - We, too, will be put on trial, our life examined in minute detail.

            Tangent: We may think that god will spare us because he's a good guy. He made us, he loves us. However, he also established what he considers heinous crimes. As a good guy, he can't let justice go unanswered. That's why he will have to uphold judgment. Think about the big 10. Have you done any one of those things? I know I have. Have you even thought about doing any one of those things? Absolutely. Guess what? That means I'm a criminal.

- Finally, his sentence was prescribed, and he was punished. He died. - As guilty criminals, we too will have to face our punishment, and the wages of sin is death.

But, that finally doesn't have to be our fate. Jesus is the sacrificial lamb. Sacrifice! God established it as a means of hiding our sins so that we would actually be blameless. Christ, being his son and blameless, was the ultimate sacrifice. As his son, he inherits his father's traits. He is perpetual. His sacrifice won't be temporary. By going through the mock trial, he has offered to take our place at the stand when the evidence is weight and the sentence given.

- And, what of those who didn't have a chance?

Well, wait, there was more to the story. It didn't end in Jesus's death. He spent time in death and hell. He had a job there, as well. But, ultimately, he came back to life! - If his story is a reflection of the trial we face, then we, too, who have to spend our time in reformation will ultimately be set free. Our debt paid to the last cent, we will also be resurrected to join the father.

And, if you want proof, he wasn't the only one resurrected in the bible. Everyone is familiar with Lazarus. However, god loves to do things in 3s, and there is a third example in the old testament. Read Jonah's prayer to God in Chapter 2 of the book of his name. He died, and God resurrected him after three days.

We'll expand on that later.

For the time being, that is what Easter is about. Restoration of life.

Remember that when you're eating sweet candy droppings left by a fictitious, colorful rabbit.

Jesus and the Nativity

Since this is Easter Weekend, it is a reminder of what God sent to us. While his birth is normally reserved for the winter solstice holidays, Good Friday and Easter are the culmination of his life and ministry, his death and resurrection and ascension, which got its start from somewhere.

With that in mind, a refresher on Jesus's birth with some interesting curiosities and insights.

- Ben Parker


Jesus: When the wise men came to visit Jesus he was he still in the manger?

By Barbara A Parker

Mathew delves into the nativity story quite deeply.

• Math 2: 1-2,  '(Amplified Bible) Now when Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of Herod the king, behold wise men (astrologers) from the east came to Jerusalem, asking, where is He Who was born King of the Jews? For we have seen His star in the east at it’s rising and have come to worship Him.'

• Verse 11, 'And on going into the house, they saw the Child with Mary his mother, and they fell down and worshiped Him.  Then opening their gifts they presented to Him gifts-gold, frankincense and myrrh.'

• Here he is called a young child, living in a house. Herod seeks to destroy Jesus. He commands that all male babies 2 years and younger be slain in the village of Bethlehem, according to the time he had diligently inquired of the wise men.

• If Jesus had been a mere baby he would have ordered only baby boys  slaughtered.

• Luke 2:7, 'she brought forth her first born son and laid him in a manger because there was no room for them in the inn.'

• At Herod’s decree the city was full of people who had come there to be taxed and counted in their home town. Joseph originally was from Bethlehem so he had to take his very pregnant wife on a long journey from Nazareth to Bethlehem for the taxing.

• Luke 12-18 tells how the angels announced his arrival to the shepherds. They came and worshiped him at the stable where Mary had laid Him in the manger for a straw bed, because she could find nothing else.

• History tells us that Bethlehem, only being 2 miles from Jerusalem was the town where the lambs were kept for sacrifice at the temple. Jesus was born in a stable perhaps with said lambs looking on. He is called the Lamb of God. Also Bethlehem means house of bread. He was the bread of life according to the Lord’s Supper.

• In Luke 2 verse 21, when he was 8 days old He was circumcised and named Jesus, which was the name given him by Gabriele the messenger angel from God.

• After Mary’s purification, which according to Jewish law took 33 days past the date of circumcision, they took Jesus to the temple in Jerusalem to present him to the Lord. They returned and lived in a house in Bethlehem which was where they resided when the wise men showed up.

• In Mathew it is revealed to Joseph in a dream that Herod will try to kill Jesus so the family flees to Egypt until Herod dies.  Upon news of Herod’s death they return to Nazareth to live, where Joseph resumes his job as a carpenter, the trade Jesus takes up as a young man.

When you see the nativity sets and the Christmas cards depicting the wise men and the shepherds together at the stable it is very incorrect. They should do some researching rather than just relying on tradition. Tradition can be so wrong about things.

Jesus’ Nativity: Who were the wise men at Jesus’ birth?

Who were the wise men that followed the star into Judea to meet their king?

Mathew 2:1 says they came from the east country. That seems strange. Would the Orientals know anything about his star or care? 

The Amplified Bible calls them astrologers. But there has to be more to it than that. Looking up references to the east country, you find that Genesis 25:5-6 speaks of Abraham sending his children of his concubines into the east country away from his son Isaac. After the death of his wife Sarah he had remarried a woman named Keturah and had many other children by her. Isaac was the son of promise so he gave the others gifts and sent them away into the east country. Some names of the tribes derived from these children were Sheba and Dedan. The Queen of Sheba who came many years later to visit King Solomon was from the tribe of Sheba.

Genesis 21:14 tells how he sent away Hagar and her son the father of the Arab countries.

Amazing how they are all related but have such relations problems.

The star is prophesied in Numbers 24:17. Balaam the Prophet says, 'I see him but not now: I behold him, but He is not near. A star shall come forth out of Jacob, and a scepter shall rise out of Israel…'. These wise men from the east, as kin of Abraham would likely know of the prophecy and star of his coming.

We Must Forgive

By Barbara A. Parker

In my last article I discussed how Hell is not forever. If that truly is the case we will all have a lot of people to forgive. God will demand it of us.

Just think, if every person who has ever walked the face of this planet will be with God on this planet. We’re talking Genghis Khan, Adolph Hitler, Himmler, Jack the ripper, Jeffrey Dahmer, some of the most heinous murderers that ever lived.

God will cure them of their evils by sentencing them to a period of time in his ”lake of fire.”

Once they repent and come to him they too will be changed as we Christians have been.

There will be a lot of people apologizing for their very bad behavior, and a lot of people who will have to forgive them. God will demand it of us all. Mathew 6:14-15 says, "If you don’t forgive the one who has sinned against you, God won’t forgive you."

Just imagine how some poor Jew will feel when he comes face to face with Himmler after being put to death in one of those infamous gas showers.  How does the young lady who has been raped and slaughtered, her corpse left to rot in some cold wet ditch, forgive the man who murdered her?

Jesus said we must forgive for vengeance belongs to Him. He will avenge us, but when all is said and done, you must forgive.

After all, how did He forgive the world who hung him on the cross and crucified him? How does He forgive his own people, the Jews, who rejected him and still do?  I don’t know, but He does and He will. He expects no less from all of us. 

We all need to learn to get along here on Earth. God won’t put up with contention in his Heaven or on his Earth.