What a nice post. Thank you and Happy Holidays to you, as well.

Hey Chevaz, are you going to be willingly nailed to a cross tomorrow?

Well, actually since I'm planning on getting the taxes done tomorrow and then off to a class, I kind've doubt it. What's your point, leroy??? The ref to your comment at 4.1??? No one has to do that. CHRIST JESUS took on our sins approximately 2,000 years ago. It's your choice not to believe and I'll respect that. Please respect my choice to Believe.

Lol, I do my friend, just wondering how devout you were!

If you're referring to the part of the article where the man is voluntarily crucified, it seems to be traditional in parts of the Philippines. For most Christians, our devotion is in our Faith and trying to follow HIM as much as possible. Additionally, most of us would not advocate an actual reenactment. The choice for Christianity is not always easy.

But honestly, leroy...come on...I was expecting you to catch the part about the taxes and your reference. I'm hoping that it goes much easier than that. :)

We all pay tax Chevaz, but few of us are willing to be nailed to a cross! You gotta admit, that's pretty goddamn [oops, sorry] impressive.

Sorry, was trying to make a joke with the comparison.

I respect the Faith of those who do this but cannot respect the act since this is actually in vain. In other words, this is not what is expected of us but I'm not going to pass judgement on these people.

Yes, I get the joke, and I'm glad we can be friends despite our vastly different views of life. I was recently "defriended" by another christian when I made some rather disparaging comments about the virgin Mary! I guess I went too far...

Brotherhood is what all religions should be striving for!

Brotherhood is what all religions should be striving for!

Including those in the Middle East, North Africa and Persia!

Brotherhood and world peace is what atheists yearn for most. God belief is divisive, it pits groups of people against each other. The truth about life on earth unites us.

Brotherhood and world peace is what atheists yearn for most.

So is that what the Soviets and the Red Chinese and the North Koreans and the North Vietnamese were all about?

I grew up in both faiths---it really was no big deal. Some ultra conservatives on both sides make a big deal out of it ----but neither of my wonderful, common sense parents did ( funny thing is their marriage is outlasting the nay-sayers :) I have always celebrated both easter and passover and so have my children. If you get past the verbage the religions are very similiar and a compliment to one another (yes, I know, because traditionally all christians were jews) Happy Passover and Happy Easter ---I expect to gain at least five lbs this weekend. Have a great time!

That's a nice way to do it Kallie. I myself only follow the Christian, but I do respect my Jewish roots, which is what Christianity is all about.

Happy Easter and Passover to all. And for our Muslim Brethren may they find the Love and Glory of these Celebrations within their own beliefs, and work towards the Peace each represent.

yes, I know, because traditionally all christians were jews

Only the early Christians were Jews.

For those who know their biblical history, Good Friday always comes on the first day of passover. Jesus the Christ entered into Jeruselum during the Passover celebration. His crucifiction was conducted on Good Friday so that it would be completed before Passover actually began.

It is Good Friday because He took on the sins of the world as He was crucified. The "Good" results from the fact that he overcame sin and death and lives. That is the real importance of Easter. Jesus Lives !!!

"Only the early Christians were Jews." Not so:

Gal 3:6 Even as Abraham believed God, and it was accounted to him for righteousness.
Gal 3:7 Know ye therefore that they which are of faith, the same are the children of Abraham.

According to the Christian faith, all those that believe in and accept Jesus as their messiah are the true spiritual Jews.

<It is Good Friday because He took on the sins of the world as He was crucified. The "Good" results from the fact that he overcame sin and death and lives. That is the real importance of Easter. Jesus Lives !!>

While I do believe that is the important thing about the crusifiction and ressurection, Easter has nothing to do with that, it is a pagan holiday in honor of a son god. Jesus was crusified on the passover, prior to high holiday mistakenly translated in the king james as the sabbath. For more than two hundred years christians celibrated a Saturday Sabbath as the day he rose and sunday for the day he was discovered. Please note that the catholic good friday and easter sunday is an oxymoron as there is not three days and three nights between friday and sunday morning also consider this verse:

Mat 12:40 For as Jonas was three days and three nights in the whale's belly; so shall the Son of man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth.

How is it that the Catholics believe that Jesus had the power to rise from the dead but not the power to count?

Anyone can quote bible passages Ardent, but are you ardent enough to be willingly nailed to a cross tomorrow?

Many early Jews were afraid of Jesus and what he represented. The early Romans persecuted the Jews as it was, and this Political upstart named Jesus of Nazareth was just adding fuel to the fire. They clung to their beliefs that when the Messiah came HE would end all of this turmoil.

May we each remember today what Jesus was telling the world he lived in, and work towards that belief of Love for thy Neighbor and Peace with each other.

@Ardent Seeker

Given Paul's words at Romans 2:28,29 and Romans 9:6, and Galatians 3:27-29, do his words here in Romans 11 refer to literal Jews? Or were his words figuratively applying to those Gentiles who filled the position vacated by the Jewish people when they rejected Jesus as the Messiah? Hence, Jesus' illustation about the marriage feast at Matthew 22:1-10. In this illustration, those who were invited but refused to come were the Jewish people in Jesus' time. Since they declined the invitation, rejecting the Messiah, their invitation was given to people of the nations - Gentiles. Therefore, the words of Romans 11 are referring to figurative Jews, or those individuals who entered into the new covenant with Jesus, rendering the old arrangement with literal Israel obsolete. See Hebrews 8:7-13.

@leroy brown

We don't have to be. Jesus' sacrifice already covered our sins.

@Ardent seaker

Read whole chapters and don't take biblical verses out of context.
Jesus, in Mathew 1:43 was talking to chief priests and Pharisees and not whole Jewish nation.
In last 2000 years people build many churches and sects on the same faulty practices.
Thanks to misleading interpretations like yours, Catholic church killed many innocent people throughout its history.
Plus, thanks to umbilical traditions and false interpretation, people went even so far as to celebrate Christ's resurrection on day which was devoted to Estre, a Teutonic goddess of the rising light of day and spring.
Bible nowhere says he rose on Sunday, but that he was already risen when women came early in the morning.

According to the Christian faith Jesus is the messiah, according to Jewish faith the messiah has not yet come. The Jewish people don't want to hear the Christian preaching. To most Jews the cross is a symbol of death because of the wholesale murders that have taken place in it's name. Worship who you choose just leave others out of your mythos.

Quoting the bible is equal to quoting twilight. Drivel for the masses.

Ardent Seeker this is a fair summary of the difference between the what is called the jewish faith today and Christianity. I would take it a step forward and suggest that from the begining the jewish faith look forward to the messiah and the coming of that messiah was not the being of a new faith but it was denial of that messiah that was the begining of a new faith. What we call judaism today is off shoot of the jewish faith which today is best represented by Christianity.

<Catholic church killed many innocent people throughout its history>

The Catholic Church is not Christianity. Jesus taught against religion, and against man made religious authority:

Mat 23:8 But be not ye called Rabbi: for one is your Master, [even] Christ; and all ye are brethren.
Mat 23:9 And call no [man] your father upon the earth: for one is your Father, which is in heaven.
Mat 23:10 Neither be ye called masters: for one is your Master, [even] Christ.

Mathew 23:9 can also be translated as "And Call no man your Pope upon the earth.." because Pope is means Father.

You say that Random, but will you be nailed to a cross tomorrow to prove your devotion? Mnay penitents are you know!

"You say that Random, but will you be nailed to a cross tomorrow to prove your devotion?"

Jesus already died on the cross. I prove my devotion by following the lord's laws and rules. Jesus died for you too.

Aww, c'mon Random, don't you want to take your devotion to new heights??

Well, if you want me to take my devotions to new heights, perhaps I should follow you and your comments around this website and try to convince you that Christ is real.

Lol, hey, if you do the cross thing, I'll let you preach to me every day!

Cross
Definition: The device on which Jesus Christ was executed is referred to by most of Christendom as a cross. The expression is drawn from the Latin crux.
Why do Watch Tower publications show Jesus on a stake with hands over his head instead of on the traditional cross?
The Greek word rendered "cross" in many modern Bible versions ("torture stake" in NW) is stau·ros′. In classical Greek, this word meant merely an upright stake, or pale. Later it also came to be used for an execution stake having a crosspiece. The Imperial Bible-Dictionary acknowledges this, saying: "The Greek word for cross, [stau·ros′], properly signified a stake, an upright pole, or piece of paling, on which anything might be hung, or which might be used in impaling [fencing in] a piece of ground. . . . Even amongst the Romans the crux (from which our cross is derived) appears to have been originally an upright pole."—Edited by P. Fairbairn (London, 1874), Vol. I, p. 376.
Was that the case in connection with the execution of God's Son? It is noteworthy that the Bible also uses the word xy′lon to identify the device used. A Greek-English Lexicon, by Liddell and Scott, defines this as meaning: "Wood cut and ready for use, firewood, timber, etc. . . . piece of wood, log, beam, post . . . cudgel, club . . . stake on which criminals were impaled . . . of live wood, tree." It also says "in NT, of the cross," and cites Acts 5:30 and 10:39 as examples. (Oxford, 1968, pp. 1191, 1192) However, in those verses KJ, RS, JB, and Dy translate xy′lon as "tree." (Compare this rendering with Galatians 3:13; Deuteronomy 21:22, 23.)
The book The Non-Christian Cross, by J. D. Parsons (London, 1896), says: "There is not a single sentence in any of the numerous writings forming the New Testament, which, in the original Greek, bears even indirect evidence to the effect that the stauros used in the case of Jesus was other than an ordinary stauros; much less to the effect that it consisted, not of one piece of timber, but of two pieces nailed together in the form of a cross. . . . It is not a little misleading upon the part of our teachers to translate the word stauros as 'cross' when rendering the Greek documents of the Church into our native tongue, and to support that action by putting 'cross' in our lexicons as the meaning of stauros without carefully explaining that that was at any rate not the primary meaning of the word in the days of the Apostles, did not become its primary signification till long afterwards, and became so then, if at all, only because, despite the absence of corroborative evidence, it was for some reason or other assumed that the particular stauros upon which Jesus was executed had that particular shape."—Pp. 23, 24; see also The Companion Bible (London, 1885), Appendix No. 162.
Thus the weight of the evidence indicates that Jesus died on an upright stake and not on the traditional cross

Pffft! Everybody knows the true origin of Easter! It's the day that the Easter Bunny killed Jesus so that the world could have Reese's Peanut Butter Eggs! :D

Leroy, we don't need to be hung on a cross to appreciate what Jesus did. Each of the faithful celebrates this day in their own way.

@Ron

Too much emphesis is put on the method of Jesus death, missing the point of why he died. The cross has really become an idol. See Exodus 20:4,5.

@WarBeast

The interesting thing about Easter is that the Church didn't even bother to change the pagan name when they "Christianized" it. Easter is the Roman fertility goddess, and a festival to her was celebrated during the spring.

Jesus was a human being. Not a demi-god... A man. A very influential, charismatic, and intelligent man... but not a demi-god.

Yes, Christ is God and man at the same time. The bible tells us so. It is written, "..in the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God...and the Word was made flesh and dwelt among us..."

Janine, you may not need to dear, but you gotta admit, the christians who get nailed to crosses every year have much MORE appreciation than your average christian!

Lucille-4025671,

We all know that the Bible was written by man with God's Word in mind...

Will -

Oh, I know.. I just like my origin better.. :D It was one of those pagan festivals that the church just couldn't get people to quit celebrating, so they co-opted it.. much like they did with Christmas. Only this time they were even more lazy about it, leaving the name and much of the symbolism in tact.. Eggs and bunnies? Very blatant fertility symbols!

Luckily for the church, the flock are very good at swallowing whatever B.S. is served to them.. "Oh, I know this is a mighty big coincidence, but that whole pagan fertility festival thing? That's all nonsense! This is ACTUALLY the weekend that Christ was nailed to a board and creeped up out of his grave! That's the reason you're celebrating!" and the people did hear these words, and verily did they say, "duh.. okey dokey.."

@Lucille

John 1:1, I presume...which dives deeply into the trinity doctine itself, and though I doubt we will be able to come to a conclusive end of the discussion here and now, here are some points about John 1:1 to keep in mind.

For a person who believes that the father, the son, and the holy spirit are all three and yet one, this verse makes sense as rendered. The belief in triad gods predates Christianity by thousands of years, going back to Egyptian and Babylonian triad gods. During the time period following the death of Jesus' apostles, many non-Christian philosophies that were popular at the time began creeping into Christian doctrine, and by the 4th century, the marriage between pagan and Christian belief was complete. One of these pagan ideas was that God was not the "one God" of the Old Testemant (see the first of the 10 commandments in Exodus 20) but was a triad God. Hence, when John 1:1 was rendered at that time, it made sense to say that Jesus was both WITH God and WAS God. However, does the Greek language of this verse support this rendering? Greek has a definite article (the), but it does NOT have an indefinite article (a). In John 1:1, the first two instances of the noun "theos" are preceeded with the definite article, "the god" referring to the Father, or almighty God. However, the final occurence does NOT have the definite article preceding it. So, how should it be rendered? This depends upon the context and the motive of the one rendering it. The context indicates that Jesus was WITH God, and later on in the same chapter, it says that no one at any time has seen God. So, like many other places in the New Testement, an indefinite article (a god) can be properly placed here. Other translations render this verse to say that Jesus was god-like or divine. As Jesus said at John 14:28, the father is greater than he was. Later on, at 1 Corinthians 11:3, it mentions that the head of the Christ is God, so even after returning to heaven, Jesus remained a separate, subservient being to God. Hence, as Jesus said multiple times, he was God's son, not God himself.

So, the trinity started as a pagan idea, and the only reason it has persisted in Christianity this long is that the early church fathers adopted it and began perpetuating it in their Bible translations and teachings. One example of this biased translation is Philipians 2:6. The entire point of the chapter is the need to be humble and not exalt oneself above others. However, Philipians 2:6 in some popular translations skews the point by saying that Jesus "thought it not robbery to be equal to God" when in fact, the rendering that is consistent with the context was that Jesus did NOT try to be equal to God. As verse 7 says, he instead came to earth and took the humble form of a man.

Long story short - Jesus is not God. He is our lord and savior, he is the son of God, and he is the second most powerful person in the universe, but he is NOT part of a mystic pagan trinity.

Will: thanks. When my body dies, I'll have to ask Him about that. Until then, I know that he died on the cross for all of our sins, and for that reason, we don't have to die, but have eternal life.

He lives !!!!

The Pagan celebrations are weaved into the judeo-christian faith & practices more then their holy leaders want to admit. Blessed Be to all life.

You are so right. Easter has NOTHING to do with Christianity as found in the Bible. It was a pagan festival long before Jesus Christ was born or died. It's a shame how many so called Christians truly do not want to obey. They would rather follow the false man-made traditions of society (and especially the Catholic church) than to obey scripture. God is not mocked. He does not approve of false celebrations from pagan origins regardless of how "christianized" they are made to look.

What, like "March Madness " ?

<He does not approve of false celebrations from pagan origins regardless of how "christianized" they are made to look.>

Agreed:

Mat 15:8 This people draweth nigh unto me with their mouth, and honoureth me with [their] lips; but their heart is far from me.
Mat 15:9 But in vain they do worship me, teaching [for] doctrines the commandments of men.

Muslims also honor the same god, the god of Abraham.

No, Abraham had 2 sons. One of his sons went out and learned/preached the word of god. The other son, which Abraham had with one of his servants, went out and found the false god of Allah. Even today, Jews and Muslims argue about which son Abraham believed and loved the most.

Interesting. Some sects of Islam actually recognize Jesus. Not as the son of god, however, they recognize Jesus as a prophet. I believe that this is a sticking point between the Shiites and the Sunnis which cause them to hate and kill each other. One of them believes that Mohammed is the only prophet and the other believes that there are 3 prophets; Jesus, Mohammed and someone else I can't recall.

leroy, Rp speaks the truth. If you're not familiar with the great viner kpr, please take a minute and read these articles that he posted. Good information here.

http://kpr37.newsvine.com/_news/2012/02/18/10442579-trilogy-of-a-lie-re-submission

http://kpr37.newsvine.com/_news/2012/02/13/10395920-mohammad-the-prophet-of-reformed-arabian-paganism

http://kpr37.newsvine.com/_news/2012/02/10/10371529-suspicious-minds-in-search-of-al-lah-the-islamic-rock-star

I didn't doubt what Random said. From what he said, it is unsure which son was correct though. I think I'll side with whatever the guys who are being nailed to the crosses say!

<No, Abraham had 2 sons. One of his sons went out and learned/preached the word of god. The other son, which Abraham had with one of his servants, went out and found the false god of Allah. Even today, Jews and Muslims argue about which son Abraham believed and loved the most.>

Their beliefs exclude each other as they both believe that only the son they are decendant from is the rightful inheritor of the covenant with God. a Jew can not accept the validity of Islam without denying his own faith, visa versa and the same goes for Christianity they all exclude each other by definition.

All Muslims believe that Jesus is a prophet, or else they are not Muslims. The difference between Sunni and Shia lies in something else.

Muslims believe in more than three prophets. They believe in: Mohammad, Abraham, Jesus, Moses, Noah, David, Joseph, etc.

Hopefully, they will as it gets closer to the 15th.

How did Jesus demonstrate what resurrection will mean for mankind in general?
John 11:11, 14-44: "[Jesus said to his disciples:] 'Lazarus our friend has gone to rest, but I am journeying there to awaken him from sleep.' . . . Jesus said to them outspokenly: 'Lazarus has died.' . . . When Jesus arrived, he found he [Lazarus] had already been four days in the memorial tomb. . . . Jesus said to her [Martha, a sister of Lazarus]: 'I am the resurrection and the life.' . . . He cried out with a loud voice: 'Lazarus, come on out!' The man that had been dead came out with his feet and hands bound with wrappings, and his countenance was bound about with a cloth. Jesus said to them: 'Loose him and let him go.'" (If Jesus had thus called Lazarus back from a state of bliss in another life, that would have been no kindness. But Jesus' raising Lazarus up from a lifeless state was a kindness both to him and to his sisters. Once again Lazarus became a living human.)
Mark 5:35-42: "Some men from the home of the presiding officer of the synagogue came and said: 'Your daughter died! Why bother the teacher any longer?' But Jesus, overhearing the word being spoken, said to the presiding officer of the synagogue: 'Have no fear, only exercise faith.' . . . He took along the young child's father and mother and those with him, and he went in where the young child was. And, taking the hand of the young child, he said to her: 'Tal′i·tha cu′mi,' which, translated, means: 'Maiden, I say to you, Get up!' And immediately the maiden rose and began walking, for she was twelve years old. And at once they were beside themselves with great ecstasy." (When the general resurrection takes place on earth during Christ's Millennial Reign, doubtless many millions of parents and their offspring will be overjoyed when they are reunited.)

What prospects will await those raised to life on earth?
Luke 23:43: "Truly I tell you today, You will be with me in Paradise." (All the earth will be transformed into a paradise under the rule of Christ as King.)
Rev. 20:12, 13: "I saw the dead, the great and the small, standing before the throne, and scrolls were opened. But another scroll was opened; it is the scroll of life. And the dead were judged out of those things written in the scrolls according to their deeds. . . . They were judged individually according to their deeds." (The opening of scrolls evidently points to a time of education in the divine will, in harmony with Isaiah 26:9. The fact that "the scroll of life" is opened indicates that there is opportunity for those who heed that education to have their names written in that scroll. Ahead of them will be the prospect of eternal life in human perfection.)

Will some be raised simply to have judgment pronounced and then be consigned to second death?
What is the meaning of John 5:28, 29? It says: "All those in the memorial tombs will hear his voice and come out, those who did good things to a resurrection of life, those who practiced vile things to a resurrection of judgment." What Jesus said here must be understood in the light of the later revelation that he gave to John. (See Revelation 20:12, 13, quoted on page 337.) Both those who formerly did good things and those who formerly practiced bad things will be "judged individually according to their deeds." What deeds? If we were to take the view that people were going to be condemned on the basis of deeds in their past life, that would be inconsistent with Romans 6:7: "He who has died has been acquitted from his sin." It would also be unreasonable to resurrect people simply for them to be destroyed. So, at John 5:28, 29a, Jesus was pointing ahead to the resurrection; then, in the remainder of verse 29, he was expressing the outcome after they had been uplifted to human perfection and been put on judgment.
What does Revelation 20:4-6 indicate as to those who will be resurrected on earth?
Rev. 20:4-6: "I saw thrones, and there were those who sat down on them, and power of judging was given them. Yes, I saw the souls of those executed with the ax for the witness they bore to Jesus and for speaking about God . . . And they came to life and ruled as kings with the Christ for a thousand years. (The rest of the dead did not come to life until the thousand years were ended.) This is the first resurrection. Happy and holy is anyone having part in the first resurrection; over these the second death has no authority, but they will be priests of God and of the Christ, and will rule as kings with him for the thousand years."
The parentheses are used in NW and Mo to help the reader to connect what follows the parenthetical statement with what precedes it. As clearly stated, it is not "the rest of the dead" who share in the first resurrection. That resurrection is for those who rule with Christ for the thousand years. Does this mean that no others of mankind will live during the thousand years except the ones who rule in heaven with Christ? No; because, if such were the case, it would mean that there was no one on behalf of whom they were serving as priests, and their domain would be a desolate globe.
Who, then, are "the rest of the dead"? They are all those of mankind who died as a result of Adamic sin and those who, though survivors of the great tribulation or those who may be born during the Millennium, need to be relieved of the death-dealing effects of such sin.—Compare Ephesians 2:1.
In what sense do they not "come to life" until the end of the thousand years? This does not mean their resurrection. This 'coming to life' involves much more than merely existing as humans. It means attaining to human perfection, free from all effects of Adamic sin. Notice that the reference to this in verse 5 occurs immediately after the preceding verse says that those who will be in heaven "came to life." In their case it means life free from all effects of sin; they are even specially favored with immortality. (1 Cor. 15:54) For "the rest of the dead," then, it must mean the fullness of life in human perfection.

Who will be included in the earthly resurrection?
John 5:28, 29: "Do not marvel at this, because the hour is coming in which all those in the memorial tombs will hear his voice [the voice of Jesus] and come out." (The Greek word translated "memorial tombs" is not the plural form of ta′phos [grave, an individual burial place] or hai′des [gravedom, the common grave of dead mankind] but is the plural dative form of mne·mei′on [remembrance, memorial tomb]. It lays stress on preserving memory of the deceased person. Not those whose memory was blotted out in Gehenna because of unforgivable sins but persons remembered by God will be resurrected with the opportunity to live forever.—Matt. 10:28; Mark 3:29; Heb. 10:26; Mal. 3:16.)
Acts 24:15: "I have hope toward God . . . that there is going to be a resurrection of both the righteous and the unrighteous." (Both those who lived in harmony with God's righteous ways and people who, out of ignorance, did unrighteous things will be resurrected. The Bible does not answer all our questions as to whether certain specific individuals who have died will be resurrected. But we can be confident that God, who knows all the facts, will act impartially, with justice tempered by mercy that does not ignore his righteous standards. Compare Genesis 18:25.)
Rev. 20:13, 14: "The sea gave up those dead in it, and death and Hades gave up those dead in them, and they were judged individually according to their deeds. And death and Hades were hurled into the lake of fire. This means the second death, the lake of fire." (So, those whose death was attributable to Adamic sin will be raised, whether they were buried at sea or in Hades, the common earthly grave of dead mankind.)
See also the main heading "Salvation."
If billions are to be raised from the dead, where will they all live?
A very liberal estimate of the number of people who have ever lived on earth is 20,000,000,000. As we have seen, not all of these will be resurrected. But, even if we assume that they would be, there would be ample room. The land surface of the earth at present is about 57,000,000 square miles (147,600,000 sq km). If half of that were set aside for other purposes, there would still be just a little less than an acre (c. 0.37 ha) per person, which can provide more than enough food. At the root of present food shortages is not any inability of the earth to produce sufficient but, rather, political rivalry and commercial greed.

Obama is a christian. Not only that but he was born in Hawaii.

I believe......in the Easter bunny.

Memorial (Lord's Evening Meal)
Definition: A meal commemorating the death of Jesus Christ; hence, a memorial of his death, the death that has had effects that are more far reaching than that of any other person. This is the only event that the Lord Jesus Christ commanded his disciples to memorialize. It is also known as the Lord's Supper, or the Lord's Evening Meal.—1 Cor. 11:20.
What is the significance of the Memorial?
To his faithful apostles Jesus said: "Keep doing this in remembrance of me." (Luke 22:19) When writing to members of the spirit-begotten Christian congregation, the apostle Paul added: "As often as you eat this loaf and drink this cup, you keep proclaiming the death of the Lord, until he arrives." (1 Cor. 11:26) So, the Memorial calls special attention to the significance of the death of Jesus Christ in the outworking of Jehovah's purpose. It highlights the meaning of Jesus' sacrificial death particularly in relation to the new covenant and to the way that his death affects those who will be heirs with him of the heavenly Kingdom.—John 14:2, 3; Heb. 9:15.
The Memorial is also a reminder that Jesus' death and the way it was accomplished, in harmony with God's purpose as expressed at Genesis 3:15 and thereafter, served to vindicate Jehovah's name. By maintaining integrity to Jehovah down till his death, Jesus proved that Adam's sin was not due to any flaw in the Creator's designing of man but that it is possible for a human to maintain perfect godly devotion even under severe pressure, and thus Jesus vindicated Jehovah God as Creator and Universal Sovereign. Besides that, Jehovah had purposed that Jesus' death would provide the perfect human sacrifice needed to ransom Adam's offspring, and thus make it possible for billions who would exercise faith to live forever in a paradise earth, in fulfillment of Jehovah's original purpose and in expression of his great love for mankind.—John 3:16; Gen. 1:28.
What a tremendous burden rested upon Jesus on his last night on earth as a man! He knew what his heavenly Father had purposed for him, but he also knew that he had to prove faithful under test. Had he failed, what a reproach it would have meant for his Father and what a loss to humankind! Because of all that would be accomplished by means of his death, it was most fitting that Jesus instructed that it be memorialized.

How often is the Memorial to be commemorated, and when?
Jesus did not specifically state how often it was to be done. He simply said: "Keep doing this in remembrance of me." (Luke 22:19) Paul said: "For as often as you eat this loaf and drink this cup, you keep proclaiming the death of the Lord, until he arrives." (1 Cor. 11:26) "As often" need not mean many times a year; it can mean annually over a period of many years. If you commemorate an important event, such as a wedding anniversary, or if a nation commemorates an important event in its history, how often is it done? Once a year on the anniversary date. This would also be consistent with the fact that the Lord's Evening Meal was instituted on the date of the Jewish Passover, a yearly celebration that no longer had to be kept by Jews who had become Christians.
Jehovah's Witnesses observe the Memorial after sundown on Nisan 14, according to the reckoning of the Jewish calendar that was common in the first century. The Jewish day begins at sundown and extends until the following sundown. So Jesus died on the same Jewish calendar day that he instituted the Memorial. The beginning of the month of Nisan was the sunset after the new moon nearest the spring equinox became visible in Jerusalem. The Memorial date is 14 days thereafter. (Thus the date for the Memorial may not coincide with that of the Passover kept by modern-day Jews. Why not? The start of their calendar months is set to coincide with the astronomical new moon, not the visible new moon over Jerusalem, which may come 18 to 30 hours later. Also, most Jews today keep the Passover on Nisan 15, not on the 14th as did Jesus in harmony with what was stated in the Mosaic Law.)

<Jesus did not specifically state how often it was to be done.>

HE didn't have to, the meal they were eating was the traditionalPassover feast of unleaven bread and all the apostles new the time of year it is celebrated

Is believing in Jesus Christ all that is required for salvation?
Acts 16:30-32, RS: "'Men, what must I do to be saved?' And they [Paul and Silas] said, 'Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved, you and your household.' And they spoke the word of the Lord ["God," NAB, also JB and NE footnotes; "God's message," AT] to him and to all that were in his house." (Was that man's 'believing in the Lord Jesus' just a matter of his saying sincerely that he believed? Paul showed that more was required—namely, knowledge and acceptance of the Word of God, as Paul and Silas now proceeded to preach it to the jailer. Would a person's belief in Jesus be genuine if he did not worship the God whom Jesus worshiped, if he did not apply what Jesus taught as to the kind of persons his disciples should be, or if he did not do the work that Jesus commanded his followers to perform? We cannot earn salvation; it is possible only on the basis of faith in the value of the sacrifice of Jesus' human life. But our lives must be consistent with the faith that we profess, even though that may involve hardship. At Matthew 10:22 [RS] Jesus said: "He who endures to the end will be saved.")

Salvation
Definition: Preservation or deliverance from danger or destruction. That deliverance may be from the hands of oppressors or persecutors. For all true Christians, Jehovah provides through his Son deliverance from the present wicked system of things as well as salvation from bondage to sin and death. For a great crowd of faithful servants of Jehovah living during "the last days," salvation will include preservation through the great tribulation.
Will God, in his great mercy, eventually save all humankind?
Does 2 Peter 3:9 indicate that there will be universal salvation? It says: "The Lord is not slow about his promise as some count slowness, but is forbearing toward you, not wishing that any should perish ["he does not want anyone to be destroyed," TEV], but that all should reach repentance." (RS) It is God's merciful desire that all of Adam's offspring repent, and he has generously made provision for forgiveness of the sins of those who do. But he does not force anyone to accept that provision. (Compare Deuteronomy 30:15-20.) Many reject it. They are like a drowning man who pushes away a life preserver when it is thrown to him by someone who desires to help. It should be noted, however, that the alternative to repentance is not an eternity in hellfire. As 2 Peter 3:9 shows, those who do not repent will perish, or "be destroyed." Verse 7 (RS) also refers to "destruction of ungodly men." There is no thought of universal salvation here.—See also the main heading "Hell."
Does 1 Corinthians 15:22 prove that all humans will eventually be saved? It says: "As in Adam all die, so also in Christ shall all be made alive." (RS) As shown in the surrounding verses, what is under discussion here is resurrection. Who will be resurrected? All whose death is attributable to Adamic sin (see verse 21) but who have not also personally committed the willful transgressions set forth in Hebrews 10:26-29. As Jesus was raised from Hades (Acts 2:31), so all others who are in Hades will be "made alive" by means of the resurrection. (Rev. 1:18; 20:13) Will all of these gain eternal salvation? That opportunity will be open to them, but not everyone will take hold of it, as is indicated at John 5:28, 29, which shows that the outcome to some will be adverse "judgment."
What about texts such as Titus 2:11, which refers to "the salvation of all men," according to the rendering of RS? Other texts, such as John 12:32, Romans 5:18, and 1 Timothy 2:3, 4, convey a similar thought in RS, KJ, NE, TEV, etc. The Greek expressions rendered "all" and "everyone" in these verses are inflected forms of the word pas. As shown in Vine's Expository Dictionary of New Testament Words (London, 1962, Vol. I, p. 46), pas can also mean "every kind or variety." So, in the above verses, instead of "all," the expression "every kind of" could be used; or "all sorts of," as is done in NW. Which is correct—"all" or the thought conveyed by "all sorts of"? Well, which rendering is also harmonious with the rest of the Bible? The latter one is. Consider Acts 10:34, 35; Revelation 7:9, 10; 2 Thessalonians 1:9. (Note: Other translators also recognize this sense of the Greek word, as is shown by their renderings of it at Matthew 5:11—"all kinds of," RS, TEV; "every kind of," NE; "all manner of," KJ.)

Once a person is saved, is he always saved?
Jude 5, RS: "I desire to remind you, though you were once for all fully informed, that he who saved a people out of the land of Egypt, afterward destroyed those who did not believe." (Italics added.)
Matt. 24:13, RS: "He who endures to the end will be saved." (So a person's final salvation is not determined at the moment that he begins to put faith in Jesus.)
Phil. 2:12, RS: "As you have always obeyed, so now, not only as in my presence but much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling." (This was addressed to "the saints," or holy ones, at Philippi, as stated in Philippians 1:1. Paul urged them not to be overly confident but to realize that their final salvation was not yet assured.)
Heb. 10:26, 27, RS: "If we sin deliberately after receiving the knowledge of the truth, there no longer remains a sacrifice for sins, but a fearful prospect of judgment, and a fury of fire which will consume the adversaries." (Thus the Bible does not go along with the idea that no matter what sins a person may commit after he is "saved" he will not lose his salvation. It encourages faithfulness. See also Hebrews 6:4-6, where it is shown that even a person anointed with holy spirit can lose his hope of salvation.)

Is anything more than faith needed in order to gain salvation?
Eph. 2:8, 9, RS: "By grace ["undeserved kindness," NW] you have been saved through faith; and this is not your own doing, it is the gift of God—not because of works, lest any man should boast." (The entire provision for salvation is an expression of God's undeserved kindness. There is no way that a descendant of Adam can gain salvation on his own, no matter how noble his works are. Salvation is a gift from God given to those who put faith in the sin-atoning value of the sacrifice of his Son.)
Heb. 5:9, RS: "He [Jesus] became the source of eternal salvation to all who obey him." (Italics added.) (Does this conflict with the statement that Christians are "saved through faith"? Not at all. Obedience simply demonstrates that their faith is genuine.)
Jas. 2:14, 26, RS: "What does it profit, my brethren, if a man says he has faith but has not works? Can his faith save him? For as the body apart from the spirit is dead, so faith apart from works is dead." (A person does not earn salvation by his works. But anyone who has genuine faith will have works to go with it—works of obedience to the commands of God and Christ, works that demonstrate his faith and love. Without such works, his faith is dead.)
Acts 16:30, 31, RS: "'Men, what must I do to be saved?' And they [Paul and Silas] said, 'Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved, you and your household.'" (If that man and his household truly believed, would they not act in harmony with their belief? Certainly.)

<We cannot earn salvation; it is possible only on the basis of faith in the value of the sacrifice of Jesus' human life. But our lives must be consistent with the faith that we profess, even though that may involve hardship. At Matthew 10:22 [RS] Jesus said: "He who endures to the end will be saved.")>

Your argument here lacks the explination for how our lives will be consistent with faith if not by our own will through obedience to the law. If through obedience we force our behavior through our will then we do indeed earn our salvation. But that is not the case for everyone under the law will be judged and condemed. We live in grace and the laws of god are written in our hearts, our behavior changes not because of obedience to the law but the holy spirit changing our nature. For men of law it is natural to live after the flesh and sin, to those born of the spirit it is natural to live by love.

<Heb. 10:26, 27, RS: "If we sin deliberately after receiving the knowledge of the truth, there no longer remains a sacrifice for sins, but a fearful prospect of judgment, and a fury of fire which will consume the adversaries." (Thus the Bible does not go along with the idea that no matter what sins a person may commit after he is "saved" he will not lose his salvation. It encourages faithfulness. See also Hebrews 6:4-6, where it is shown that even a person anointed with holy spirit can lose his hope of salvation.)>

In this I have to call you out as pervert of the word of god twisting and taking out of contexted if you continue reading Hebrews 10 in its entirety you will see that the verses your quoting is in reference to those that suffer under the law. Here are those verses with more context the message is to embrace confidence in salvation and to be thankful that you are not under the burdeon of the law and a sinful nature:

Hbr 10:26 ¶ For if we sin wilfully after that we have received the knowledge of the truth, there remaineth no more sacrifice for sins,
Hbr 10:27 But a certain fearful looking for of judgment and fiery indignation, which shall devour the adversaries.
Hbr 10:28 He that despised Moses' law died without mercy under two or three witnesses:
Hbr 10:29 Of how much sorer punishment, suppose ye, shall he be thought worthy, who hath trodden under foot the Son of God, and hath counted the blood of the covenant, wherewith he was sanctified, an unholy thing, and hath done despite unto the Spirit of grace?
Hbr 10:30 For we know him that hath said, Vengeance [belongeth] unto me, I will recompense, saith the Lord. And again, The Lord shall judge his people.
Hbr 10:31 [It is] a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God.
Hbr 10:32 But call to remembrance the former days, in which, after ye were illuminated, ye endured a great fight of afflictions;
Hbr 10:33 Partly, whilst ye were made a gazingstock both by reproaches and afflictions; and partly, whilst ye became companions of them that were so used.
Hbr 10:34 For ye had compassion of me in my bonds, and took joyfully the spoiling of your goods, knowing in yourselves that ye have in heaven a better and an enduring substance.
Hbr 10:35 Cast not away therefore your confidence, which hath great recompence of reward.

<A person does not earn salvation by his works. But anyone who has genuine faith will have works to go with it—works of obedience to the commands of God and Christ, works that demonstrate his faith and love. Without such works, his faith is dead.)
>

IF you are born of the spirit, than love becomes your nature, this tranformation begins in life but is quickened with the death of the body.:

1Cr 15:35 ¶ But some [man] will say, How are the dead raised up? and with what body do they come?
1Cr 15:36 [Thou] fool, that which thou sowest is not quickened, except it die:
1Cr 15:37 And that which thou sowest, thou sowest not that body that shall be, but bare grain, it may chance of wheat, or of some other [grain]:
1Cr 15:38 But God giveth it a body as it hath pleased him, and to every seed his own body.

<

As for your last quote from Matthew and Luke about following the Golden Rule and doing onto others what you would like them to do to us, it is quite obvious that both Matthew and Luke read the Jewish Bible since that concept had been very well established there long before the time of the Rabbi Jesus.

As I've said in previous posts, Brotherhood should be the goal of all religions.>

Jesus taught that we should call no man rabbi or master we all have direct access to God, and he is our only authority. I agree that the consept of love fullfilling the law is older than christ, that is because he and Christianity is the true continuation of the Jewish faith, give up the false lies that you have been taught and join us in brotherhood by accepting your messiah. Otherwise I respect your right to be wrong.

ominojacu

give up the false lies that you have been taught and join us in brotherhood by accepting your messiah. Otherwise I respect your right to be wrong.

ominojacu,

Facts are facts.

I certainly respect your right to be wrong!

TO WHOM IT MAY CONCERN

DO YOU WISH THAT WE SHOW UP ?????????????

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XHTytdRYRAs&feature=rela

Even so, come quickly, Free Galaxy Powers! We desperately need your assistance in this terminally infected and gravely threatened world! - Rick Carter

(I am personally Scientian, of the belief system of Scientia, which simply means that I personally believe in a God of Science, or a God primarily guided by scientific principle. The entire Universe witnesses to this Supreme Truth, in my opinion. There really is a "Tree of Life", but it is the tree upon which the various branches of Science reside (both above ground and underground). I do believe in the Intelligent Design of our Universe, because of the underlying Laws of Science which govern our Universe. But I also believe in evolution (and also devolution) as well, since everything in our Universe basically evolves or devolves (i.e., constantly changes). I also believe in an afterlife, because I personally believe we all possess a quantum mechanical (or so called "spiritual") body, which is a unique organization which persists beyond the life of our gestational physical body or shell. But I am not here to lend credence to these (ET installed) terminal religious (Abrahamic) belief systems, because I personally see them as bastardizations of true Science based religion, which are in turn designed to lead the human race to its future extinction or grave, for the purposes of covert territorial conquest in our Milky Way galaxy. I hope one day people will stop taking another dose each week of these sugar coated cyanide pills at the alter of these deadly ET installed terminal religious belief systems.) - RC

<Christians and Islamics are both programmed to regard the impending global apocalypse as a future vindication of their faiths. How terminally programmed can anyone possibly be in this world? They both want a future supreme demigod dictator to take over our entire world, and militarily set up a global totalitarian theocratic kingdom to rule our entire human planet forever.RC>

You misunderstand the Christian teaching revelations speaks of a false church that will bring war and the world to the bring of destruction, but the Christian dream is for what follows which is not a human leader by the spirit of God known to all and a universal change in the very nature of humanity. In that day there will be no governments no boarders, we shall live by the laws of god written into our very nature. And rather then seek our own wealth we shall work for the well being of the world and everyone in it. Rather than glorify in own greatness we shall desire that other be great, fed, housed enriched.Our economy will be based on giving not on taking. Consider this verse:

Luk 17:20 ¶ And when he was demanded of the Pharisees, when the kingdom of God should come, he answered them and said, The kingdom of God cometh not with observation:
Luk 17:21 Neither shall they say, Lo here! or, lo there! for, behold, the kingdom of God is within you.
Luk 17:22 And he said unto the disciples, The days will come, when ye shall desire to see one of the days of the Son of man, and ye shall not see [it].
Luk 17:23 And they shall say to you, See here; or, see there: go not after [them], nor follow [them].
Luk 17:24 For as the lightning, that lighteneth out of the one [part] under heaven, shineth unto the other [part] under heaven; so shall also the Son of man be in his day.

The kingdom of God is within you it is a transformation of your nature, for some of us this has already come and though we are mile apart seperated by oceans and culture we speak as with one voice in the spirit of God. And we wait for when the world is ready to join us.

You are doing a" Lenny Bruce act"!That was one of his most famous jokes!

<The main teaching of all these pacifists was that humanity should live in peace.>

The difference is in how they achieve that peace when there is so much spiritual debt in the world. Jesus offers a path of forgiveness from that debt that the others do not. To simple accept Gods love and grace. How simple and beautiful is that?

A joke I heard this morning on the radio said that Jesus told his desciples that when He returned from his three day trip, he wanted all the eggs cleaned up off the lawn. Thus, Easter egg hunts were born. There was also a reference to there being 12 desciples and 12 eggs in a carton. Plus, the ever-present broken egg in the carton represents Judas. See, it is possible to interject a little humor and still be respectful. Happy Easter. Happy Passover. Can't we all just get along?

...and don't let anyone nail you to a cross!

What if you have no "faith"?

If you have no faith. You can still injoy the fellow ship. As I do. yo ho wah bless you my child.

Your god belief is much more reasonable than that of most christians Jack. I have thought that it should be considered a blasphemy to suggest that god is so petty and vindictive that he would torture someone for eternity for simply being unable to believe it exists. Why would a supreme, supernatural, all-powerful being even care if a mere human believes it exists or not? This is my response to the old christian argument "you have nothing to lose by believing in god, but you may lose everything by not believing." Even if there is a god, I will be unrepentant about not thinking there was, and I don't think I would be punished for it. I have always tried to love my fellow humans as myself, and always will. Like most atheists, I am a pretty decent person who yearns for world peace and for all humans to live together as brothers and sisters. The whole god/afterlife thing strikes me as ludicrous nonsense and childish, wishful thinking. When we die, we return to the same state of non-existence we were in before we were born and there is simply no reason to believe otherwise. It is so foolish to ascribe any physical characteristics, much less a sexuality to supernatural entity. The whole idea that "god" is a male who needs a female human to have a son is just plain silly and demonstrates exactly what atheists mean when they say that man created god in his own image.

<What if you have no "faith"?>

Faith comes by immersing yourself in the teaching of God. It is a misnomer that faith is acceptance without proof, though that is one definition of the word another is trust based on experience, and that is the Christian Faith, the more you trust in God and depend on him the more miracles and revelations you will experience and the stronger your faith will grow. You will come to trust in his unseen hand more than the physical world around you.