By DR. FRED ISEGHOHIMHEN:
“The struggle between the Light and darkness over the salvation of mankind is set. The darkness is set to derail the mission of Christ. Jesus saw everything, consequently gave His disciples a farewell meal. Before the meal, He demonstrated humility by washing His disciples feet. The night came and the battle field between the Light and the darkness took place in the mind of Jesus in Gethsemane. Jesus saw that the mind of men was made up to kill Him. He saw the crown of thorns, the vinegar wine, the cross, the flogging, etc. there was only one way of averting the firm decision of men taken on him – dispossessing men of their free will or eliminate them physically. This Jesus could not do as the free will of men was given to them by God – thus the Will of God. Jesus thus prayed for strength and said not my will but Thy Will be done. A statement clearly misunderstood today as meaning that the death of Christ on the cross was willed by God. Ignorance, failure to understand His words aright – result in guilt and burden.”
Let us ask ourselves – when we hear of someone talking of Easterwhat comes to our mind – festival, form of worship, a goddess, a season, etc. the advance learners dictionary (6th edition) definesEaster as a Sunday in March or April when Christians remember the death of Christ and His return to life.
Wikipedia, the free internet encyclopedia, explains Easter (old English Eostre, Latin Pasha) as a Christian festival and a holiday celebrating the resurrection of Jesus Christ on the 3rd day after His crucifixion on mount Calvary as described in the Bible, Easter is the culmination of the passion of Christ. Easter is preceded by Lent – a forty day period of fasting, repentance of sin, alms giving , atonement and self denial.
For a better understanding, let me say here that Easter is not the same as Passover that is celebrated at the time of Easter by Jesus and some Christian sect. Passover is a Jewish festival that derives its origin from the Bible and it is celebrated at the same time and both are essentially spring festivals. Easter is linked to the Passover of Old Testament through the last supper and crucifixion that preceded the resurrection. This why Jesus was referred to as both the sacrificial and Passover lambs, “for Christ our Passover lamb has been sacrificed” 1st Cor. 5:7.
In discussing the significance of Easter, I would like to divide the topic into two:
1. A general over-view of Easter beliefs
2. Land marks and events in Lent and Easter calendar.
GENERAL OVER-VIEW OF EASTER:
The new testament teaches the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the grave the 3rd day after crucifixion which Easter celebrates. This is the basic foundation of the Christian faith for the following reasons:
(a) The resurrection proves that Christ is powerful son of God that has power over death. Those who think like this forget that had Christ not been crucified, He would have died a natural death due to old age or for some other reason.
(b) The resurrection gives the Christians new hope that when they die, as Jesus was given a new birth, they too on the day of resurrection will also be given a new body and birth. This is a total show of ignorance about the resurrection and the whole concept of the resurrection at the judgment mentioned in the Bible. The spiritualsignificance is that men lack spiritual knowledge and the responsibility of correcting this lies with us. The death Christ came to save mankind from is not the shielding of the physical gross material cloak but death of his essence – the spirit, popularly known as the second death. The essence of Christ is not spiritual but divine which is not subject to death because it came to existence as a natural consequence of God’s light radiations. This why Lucifer cannot be killed –divine essence. Seeing Christ the third day after death is not unique to Christ. Many people have seen their departed or dead relations. Let me also remind my audience that of the of the two types of man created- those created after the image of God eg John the Baptist and those molded from the clay of the earth and then animated like you & l, only the later is subject to spiritual death, thus needs salvation.
Because of the afore mentioned reasons, Easter is taken as the highest Christian festival in the Roman Catholic Church and a pillar on which the church is built. That is why they preach that the risen Christ is our hope and salvation. Christ clearly stated the pillar on which His church should be built – that He is the Son of God and as such His teachings should be taken and followed from Peter’s recognition of who Christ is.
Easter, the Wikipedia encyclopedia says, is the culmination of the passion of Christ. By this they mean the suffering of Christ was ordained by the Almighty father as a necessary condition for mankind’s salvation. They, the Christians believe that their sins and challenges on earth were taken away and left on the Cross of Calvary by Christ. To show appreciation they file in their numbers during lent to observe Stations of Cross. Paul wrote“ by his stripes we are healed”. Spiritual ignorance and boundless stupidity in its height. When one undertakes a rescue mission the obstacles and pleasures during the mission are not part of the mission. God does not will that His people should suffer His Son. He wills only joy, love and happiness as we can see with all that we call His work in Creation. Man is only the source of suffering because he leads his life in a selfish and senseless manner. Until man accepts in humility the guilt of Golgotha, he will never be free from it. The only thing man can benefit from the passion Christ went through is broken heart full of shame, humility and the urge to diligently live in the will of the father.
Fasting, praying, penance, alms giving, atonement and repentance of sins. As for fasting, praying and alms giving, Jesus Christ, in His teachings has already shown us how these should be done. The Grail Message also teaches us that the urge to do these should come from our individual free will if we are to have the spiritual benefits. Atonement is the seed we put into Creation ripe for our consumption. The spiritual significance is that the Almighty is just and faithful and that we should joyfully accept our harvest and use the grace from it to start a new life. No one can give you penance that can atone for your sins, of forgiving you your sins except if he or she was a victim of the action.
Specific Practices and Events on the Lent and Easter Calendar:
(a) Period of lent – 40 days. The number, 40, has so many Biblical references. It has no spiritual significance because time is eternal.
(b) Ash Wednesday: People should not go to the priest superficially so that this act can be a sacrament.
Veiling of Religious Symbols: Mere hypocrisy! The mind eyes are not veiled.
(c) Self Denials: There is the possibility that some one can inwardly change while going through suffering (not self denials). This can only happen when one recognizes in humility that he deserves this suffering as did the penitent thief on the cross who was crucified along with Christ.
(d) Palm Sunday: This is the day Jesus Christ triumphantly entered into Jerusalem. What a day of salvation, a day of grace, a day the elemental forces came to tell man not to kill Jesus Christ by opening their eyes to see that this miracle worker is their King – the son of God. What great day of help so misunderstood by men. If men had held on to the conviction of the revelation of the palm Sunday they would have spared Jesus of earthly death and recognize him as King and Son of God. This would have prevented His murder and re-write the spiritual history of mankind. What a great day that passed us by!
(e) Holy Week: The struggle between the Light and darkness over the salvation of mankind is set. The darkness is set to derail the mission of Christ. Jesus saw everything, consequently gave His disciples a farewell meal. Before the meal, He demonstrated humility by washing His disciples feet. The night came and the battle field between the Light and the darkness took place in the mind of Jesus in Gethsemane. Jesus saw that the mind of men was made up to kill Him. He saw the crown of thorns, the vinegar wine, the cross, the flogging, etc. there was only one way of averting the firm decision of men taken on him – dispossessing men of their free will or eliminate them physically. This Jesus could not do as the free will of men was given to them by God – thus the Will of God. Jesus thus prayed for strength and said not my will but Thy Will be done. A statement clearly misunderstood today as meaning that the death of Christ on the cross was willed by God. Ignorance, failure to understand His words aright – result in guilt and burden.
The battle rages on and Christ was taken to an earthly court of Pontius Pilate. The charge sheet!!! “This man said He is the son of God”. Denial by Christ could have saved his earthly life but at the same time make Christ a liar and an imposture. The salvation of man and the work of redemption would then derail. Christ stood His ground and confirmed He is the Son of God.
Then the Light made the last attempt to save Jesus from crusification by using Pilate’s wife to warn the husband not to have anything to do with the innocent blood. Pilate though convinced cherished his earthly position more than the truth washed his hands off the blood of Jesus and delivered Him – Jesus – to be crucified. An act that did not make him less guilty, a cowardly act, thus the Light won for Jesus allowing His blood to be used as a seal for His sublime mission. Thus on Friday, also known as Friday of Sorrow and its contradictory name good Friday saw the crucifixion of Jesus Christ by people who He came to save by His words and teaching.
What a dastardly act. The elemental beings revolted, the curtain separating the holy of holies from the congregation got turned, darkness overtook the earth, the foundation of the earth was shaken and the intercessory prayer came “Father forgive them for they know not what they do”. Normalcy returned, the earth was saved.
Let me quickly mention the penitent thief on the cross that recognized in humility that he deserved his suffering and was promised pardon and paradise by Jesus Christ. This act was not arbitrary nor a suggestion that at ones death bed he can just call God for mercy and be saved. The crucifixion on the cross atoned for all the man ever did and his acknowledgement of his sins and repentance and plea for mercy gave him the ticket to Paradise.
Came Easter Sunday and Christ rose spiritually from the grave. His body never rose as flesh and blood cannot inherit eternal life. His disciples did not recognize him in his new body. See the story on the way to Emmaus. He, Jesus, could now go through walls. Followers of Jesus jubilated as He rose.
The spiritual significance of these is that the death on the cross was never willed by the Almighty Father. In fact Jesus for warned in many places in the Bible that it will be better for a man to have a mile stone tied around his neck and throne into the river than betray Him. The parable of the vine yard is there in the Testament of the Bible, the admonition and rebuke in John Pp. 33 – 35 are all there. Those who talk of a bodily resurrection are ignorant of the workings of the structure of Creation. It also shows that the salvation brought by Jesus is not through His death on mount Calvary – why the intercessory prayer and the revolt of the elemental beings. Jesus came to fulfill the Will of His father and one of the cardinal points in the Will is “thou shall not kill”. Worthy of note is the courageous, pious, lovely woman you may say – Pilates’ wife. Tool of the Light but she was not heeded. Even at Christ’s time on earth men did not realize that women are a step higher than men spiritually. Had her husband listened to her,spiritual history today would have been different.
The church particularly the Roman Catholic Church regards the EasterSunday and the events surrounding it as most supreme, Easter as the fountain of the church thus the anchorage of the Christian faith. They are right in a sense because had Jesus shun the death on the cross there would have been no Christianity today. But to say the acts and events that are directly against the Will of God – the crucifixion itself and other passions Christ went through, the unfair judgment of Pilate, etc which are a defilement of the sublime Will and Justice of the Almighty Father as part of the work of salvation is wrong. Those who think so are crucifying Christ a second time.
It is important to note at this juncture and I must tell you that had Christ not offered the intercessory prayer and forgave His murderers, He would have needed at least another earth life with which to reconcile and put things right. In conclusion, I beg to say celebrateEaster in a right attitude for Easter celebrated in a wrong attitude may even bring about a more evil consequence. Hence forth understandEaster aright represent it aright apply it aright and above all celebrate it aright So
