which is incorrect. created the Sabbath day, rose from the grave on the Sabbath day, and will rule and reign in His Kingdom on THE Sabbath day, the 1000 year millen- : nial rest (see Rev. 20: 1-6).

WHAT IS AND IS IT BIBLICAL ? WHAT ABOUT THE CROSS ? ®®® the Israel of God D y Lent is the forty-six day period just prior to Bible Study Class Easter Sunday. It begins on Ash Wednesday. b DDD Mardi Gras (French for "Fat Tuesday") is a 4957 Redan Road celebration, sometimes called "Carnival," Stone Mountain, Georgia 30088 practiced around the world, on the Tuesday Website: prior to Ash Wednesday. It was designed as a www.theisraelofgodatl.com way to "get it all out" before the sacrifices of www.theisraelofgodatl.com Lent began. However, if the true Christian Phone: (404) 298-9393 or 9395 really examines this pagan practice, you will realize this: If Jesus was tempted for forty Join us for Sabbath Class days and nights by Satan in the wilderness and then delivered to Pilate immediately Saturdays at 2 pm after his temptation to be killed, then what amount of time does that leave for Him to Question and Answer Night a preach to the people? NONE ...according to ad tradition. Now, is that biblical? To the true Bible Study follower of Christ, the Cross is the symbol of Wednesdays at 7:30 pm crucifixion, death, and horror, as opposed to the Resurrection. However, at the Council of “TheThe Bible Speaks” TV Show Nicaea, in A.D. 325, Constantine decreed • that the Cross was the official symbol of • On AIB Where did Easter come from and . The Cross is not only a symbol of • Thursdays at 2 am --- 4 am should we celebrate it? Easter, but it is more widely used, especially • Saturdays at 6 pm by the Catholic Church, as a year-round sym- • Can the TRUE Christian associate bol of their faith. • On COMCAST Cable, Ch. 25 CHRIST with the Easter celebration? • Sundays at 7 pm, LIVE! In conclusion, as the true followers of Christ, • we must continue to show ourselves ap- proved through the study of God’s Word. • Did Jesus rise on Easter Sunday ? Easter and all of its traditions are not of God….they are traditions of men. “...Seek ye the Lord while He may be found, call ye upon Him while he is near: Let the If you are not sure, then read the Peace in Jesus name. wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous information inside of this brochure man his thoughts: and let him return unto the to find out ... Lord, and He will have mercy upon him …” - Isaiah 55: 6-7 THE TRADITION OF WHAT DOES ‘E ASTER ’ MEAN ? DID JESUS RISE ON ‘E ASTER SUNDAY ’? WHAT ARE ITS ORIGINS ? IF NOT , THEN WHEN DID HE RISE EASTER : I S IT HOLY ? FROM THE DEAD ? As with almost all "Christian" holidays, Easter has been secularized and commercialized. According to Jesus himself in Matthew 12: 38 The dichotomous nature of Easter and its WHEN IS EASTER CELEBRATED ? -40 , he was supposed to be in the sepulcher symbols, however, is not necessarily a modern for three days and three nights. fabrication. Since its conception as a ‘holy’ Let’s look at some of the familiar customs of celebration in the second century by the Ro- Easter and examine their significance. man Catholic Church, Easter still has its non- “…For as Jonah was three days and three I’m taking only a small se- religious side. In fact, Easter is, originally, a nights in the whale’s belly; so shall the Son of lection of the many familiar pagan festival. Man be three days and three nights in the traditions, but I assure you heart of the earth.” that what I say about these are true of all of the cus- The ancient Saxons celebrated the return of spring with an uproarious festival commemo- Also, according to prophecy, the Messiah toms of Easter, and I en- (Jesus) was supposed to die “... in the midst courage you to check them rating their goddess of offspring and of of the week …” which is Wednesday. all out in any encyclopedia. springtime, Eastre (or Astarte). When the se- cond-century Christian missionaries encoun- Take for instance the very tered the tribes of the north with their pagan “…And after threescore and two weeks shall . Prior to celebrations, they attempted to convert Messiah be cut off…..and he shall confirm the Easter eggs are a A.D. 325, Easter was vari- them to Christianity. They did so, however, in covenant with many for one week: and in the symbol of rebirth ously celebrated on dif- a clandestine manner. It would have been midst of the week he shall cause the sacrifice attributed to ferent days of the week, suicide for the very early Christian converts to and oblation to cease …” — Daniel 9: 27- Astarte , including Friday, Satur- celebrate their holy days with observances 28. goddess of day, and Sunday. In that that did not coincide with celebrations that already existed. To save lives, the missionaries fertility. year, the Council of Remember, each FULL day has two parts, Nicaea was convened by cleverly decided to spread their religious mes- day and night (see Gen. 1: 2-5). According to emperor Constantine. It issued the Easter sage slowly throughout the populations by Mat 27: 57-60 and John 19: 38-42 , Jesus Rule which states that Easter shall be cele- allowing them to continue to celebrate pa- was placed in the tomb before sunset. Now, gan feasts, but to do so in a Christian man- brated on the first Sunday that occurs after we have the first night and we can count from ner. As it happened, the pagan festival of there: the first full moon on or after the vernal equi- Eastre occurred at the same time of year as nox. the Christian observance of the Resurrection Wed. NIGHT, ThursDAY, Thurs. NIGHT, of Christ. It made sense to them, therefore, to FriDAY, Fri. NIGHT, SaturDAY. .. However, a caveat must be introduced here. alter the festival itself, to make it a Christian The "full moon" in the rule is the ecclesiastical celebration as converts were slowly won over. full moon, which is defined as the fourteenth The early name, Eastre, was eventually As you can see, Jesus was right !!! He rose on day of a tabular lunation, where day one (1) changed to its modern spelling, Easter. the Sabbath day before the sun went down in corresponds to the ecclesiastical New Moon. It order to fulfill scripture; this clearly explains does not always occur on the same date as the why our Lord states that He is “...Lord of the Overall, the Easter celebration should not be astronomical full moon. The ecclesiastical Sabbath…”. People are confused due to the observed by the true follower of God and His "Vernal or Spring Equinox " is always on fact that in Matthew 28, it states that Mary Son, Jesus Christ. Most churches today even March 21. Therefore, Easter must be celebrat- and Mary Magdelene came to the sepulcher teach that Jesus rose on Easter Sunday and ed on a Sunday between the dates of March on the first day of the week and assume that now it is the day of the week we must wor- 22 and April 25. is the time that Jesus rose from the dead … ship Him.