It’s Not About a Bunny :: By Nathele Graham

Published on: March 16, 2024 by RR10

I needed to do some grocery shopping and went to my local Walmart. As I walked around the store, trying to remember what I needed, I walked down an aisle that was an explosion of stuffed bunnies, chocolate eggs, and Easter egg dye. I was grieved. Where was Jesus in this burst of Pagan revelry?

I needed some greeting cards, and as I looked over the assortment of humorous Easter cards, I couldn’t find any that stressed the blessing of the Resurrection. Finally, I saw a couple of cards sitting very high above all the humorous cards. I’m short, so I had to really stretch to reach them, but they were nice cards and just what I wanted. Why were they displayed far from eye level?

I thought about this as I drove home, and this poem came into my mind.

It’s Not About a Bunny

By Nathele Graham

It’s not about a bunny
That hops away so fast.
It is about Christ my Saviour,
Whose love will always last.

It’s not about an egg
With a pretty painted shell
It is about Christ who died
To save us all from Hell.

It’s not about an Easter bonnet
Upon your head that’s worn
It is about Christ the King
Who wore a crown of thorns

Christ’s death was a victory
Over sin, death, and the grave.
Don’t praise a bunny, tell Christ’s story
His life He freely gave.

Celebrate His love for you
In everything you do.
The bunny always hops away
But Christ will dwell in you.

Christians need to be sure of what we celebrate, and ask ourselves, “Does this honor God, or am I joining with the world?” At Christmas, we decorate a tree, and be sure our children believe in Santa. At Easter, we are sure our children believe a bunny brings colored eggs and candy. Why aren’t Christians concerned that our children believe the truth?

I know all the justifications for these celebrations of worldly ways, but why do we allow the world to dictate what and when we celebrate?

It’s a certainty that Christ wasn’t born on December 25. In order to not inconvenience or upset the unbelieving world, it was decided to celebrate Christ’s birth to coincide with a pagan celebration.

As for Easter, that’s another pagan holiday set on the first Sunday after the first full moon, after the Vernal Equinox. That has nothing to do with Passover. Passover has everything to do with the crucifixion of Christ and His resurrection three days later.

When the Israelites were slaves in Egypt, God sent Moses to petition the Pharaoh to let them go free. Pharaoh wouldn’t allow their freedom, so God sent plagues, which showed the uselessness of the pagan gods worshipped in Egypt. Still, Pharaoh declined to let them go free. There was one final plague that would cause Pharaoh to give freedom to the Israelites. That was the death of the firstborn. God always provides safety for those who believe and follow His instructions. He established Passover to provide protection for the Israelites. The directions were given to the children of Israel, but if Gentiles followed the directions, they would also be saved from death.

“And the LORD spake unto Moses and Aaron in the land of Egypt, saying, This month shall be unto you the beginning of months: it shall be the first month of the year to you. Speak ye unto all the congregation of Israel, saying, In the tenth day of this month they shall take to them every man a lamb, according to the house of their fathers, a lamb for an house: and if the household be too little for the lamb, let him and his neighbour next unto his house take it according to the number of the souls; every man according to his eating shall make your count for the lamb.

“Your lamb shall be without blemish, a male of the first year; ye shall take it out from the sheep, or from the goats: and ye shall keep it up until the fourteenth day of the same month: and the whole assembly of the congregation of Israel shall kill it in the evening. And they shall take of the blood, and strike it on the two side posts and on the upper door post of the houses, wherein they shall eat it. And they shall eat the flesh in that night, roast with fire, and unleavened bread; and with bitter herbs they shall eat it” (Exodus 12:1-9).

This took place in the month of Nisan (aka Nissan), the first day of which is April 9 this year. At that time, the Israelites weren’t particularly faithful to the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. They had been in Egypt too long with the pagan worship and were mostly following the way of the world. God never will forsake them. Today, many Jewish people are atheists… again, following the world. In spite of not believing in God, most still celebrate Passover. It is history, and it matters.

Why would God go into so much detail about the month and day they were to select a perfect lamb to sacrifice, and how the ceremony was to be performed? Because the date is important. Many, many years in the future, that was the day when the perfect Lamb of God was crucified on a cross. His blood would be shed as the final sacrifice for sin. The Israelites who believed what Moses told them to do were saved, and death passed over their houses. God was bringing them back to faith and showing His power through love.

Jesus fulfilled the Passover, and faith in Him will save you from eternal death. He is our Sacrificial Lamb. Once again, God showed His power through love. John the Baptist recognized that Jesus was the sacrifice that would save us from death… God’s perfect Lamb.

“The next day John seeth Jesus coming unto him and saith, Behold the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world” (John 1:29).

The Jewish people standing near Him understood what He meant.

Jesus also fulfilled the Feast of Unleavened Bread and the Feast of First Fruits, which are feasts ordained by God and celebrated along with Passover.

“In the fourteenth day of the first month at even is the LORD’S Passover. And on the fifteenth day of the same month is the feast of unleavened bread unto the LORD: seven days ye must eat unleavened bread” (Leviticus 23:5-6).

Leaven symbolizes sin and pride (it puffs up). The unleavened bread is very symbolic of Jesus Christ, who had no sin. Then there’s the feast of First Fruits.

“And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying, Speak unto the children of Israel, and say unto them, When ye be come into the land which I give unto you, and shall reap the harvest thereof, then ye shall bring a sheaf of the firstfruits of your harvest unto the priest: and he shall wave the sheaf before the LORD, to be accepted for you: on the morrow after the sabbath the priest shall wave it” (Leviticus 23:9-11).

Jesus fulfilled them all. Firstfruits is always celebrated on the Sunday following Passover. That was the day Christ rose from the grave.

“But now is Christ risen from the dead, and become the firstfruits of them that slept. For since by man came death, by man came also the resurrection of the dead. For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ shall all be made alive. But every man in his own order: Christ the firstfruits; afterward they that are Christ’s at his coming” (1 Corinthians 15:20-23).

God went to a lot of trouble to give a “picture” of what Christ would fulfill, and we ignore His design and celebrate pagan dates and bunnies.

Daniel also gave a prophecy concerning when Messiah would be “cut off” (crucified). For that, we need to look to Daniel’s 70-week prophecy. The key to this is found in Daniel 9:25, when a time period is described as beginning when a command to rebuild Jerusalem was issued. When Daniel was a young man, he was taken captive when Nebuchadnezzar destroyed Jerusalem and the Temple. Daniel was always faithful to God Almighty. Although he lived in the very pagan city of Babylon, he never bowed to a pagan god.

“And after threescore and two weeks shall Messiah be cut off, but not for himself: and the people of the prince that shall come shall destroy the city and the sanctuary; and the end thereof shall be with a flood, and unto the end of the war desolations are determined” (Daniel 9:26).

Although Jerusalem was in ruins when Daniel received this prophecy, it would all be rebuilt, just to be destroyed again in 70 AD. When Daniel speaks of a week, it isn’t what we think. We refer to 7 days as a week, but Jewish thought is a week of years. So, one week equals 7 years. Many years after Daniel gave this prophecy, Nehemiah was a cupbearer to King Artaxerxes and was given a decree to rebuild Jerusalem. We know the decree was given in the month of Nisan, the same month as Passover, Unleavened Bread, and First Fruits were established by God. People smarter than me know the date that decree was issued. By calculating from that date, they are able to calculate the exact day that Jesus rode into Jerusalem and was hailed as Messiah by the people. We call it Palm Sunday. It was just as Daniel had prophesied.

God went to a lot of trouble to put this all together, so why do we celebrate on a pagan day that honors the pagan goddess Ishtar, and mock God by saying we are celebrating the most important event of all time?

The next event on the Jewish calendar is the Counting of the Omer.

“And ye shall count unto you from the morrow after the sabbath, from the day that ye brought the sheaf of the wave offering: seven sabbaths shall be complete: Even unto the morrow after the seventh sabbath shall ye number fifty days; and ye shall offer a new meat offering unto the LORD” (Leviticus 23:15-16).

Why is this a big deal? Well, counting these days will bring you to Pentecost. This was the day that the Jewish people celebrate the giving of the Torah. Christians have a higher meaning for this day.

“And when the day of Pentecost was fully come, they were all with one accord in one place. And suddenly there came a sound from heaven as of a rushing mighty wind, and it filled all the house where they were sitting. And there appeared unto them cloven tongues like as of fire, and it lay upon each of them. And they were all filled with the Holy Ghost, and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance” (Acts 2:1-4).

That day, Peter gave a powerful sermon heard by thousands of non-believers. That day, the Torah was fulfilled, and the Church was born. Three thousand souls repented and gave their lives to Christ that day. Pentecost is an important day for Christians.

Christians have Scripture to give us understanding of God’s truth, but it’s a sad fact that many are heavily influenced by the world. Seldom do Christians really study God’s word but will watch a Hollywood movie about the Bible and think it’s truth. There’s a lot of “artistic license” taken with God’s truth in these movies. It’s important to study the entirety of Scripture, including the Old Testament. The Jewish Feast days all point to Jesus and are a wonderful study. Does all of this mean that we, as Christians, should celebrate these feasts? We can, but Jesus fulfilled them.

“Think not that I am come to destroy the law, or the prophets: I am not come to destroy, but to fulfil” (Matthew 5:17).

Keeping the Law of Moses is no longer necessary since Jesus was the final sacrifice for sin; we should never feel the need to be placed under the Law, but honoring God is important. We have freedom in Christ and shouldn’t judge how another person worships.

“Let no man therefore judge you in meat, or in drink, or in respect of an holy day, or of the new moon, or of the sabbath days: Which are a shadow of things to come; but the body is of Christ” (Colossians 2:16-17).

Your faith should be in Christ alone. His death, burial, and resurrection happened according to Scripture, and He was truly the Lamb of God… the final sacrifice for sin. Repent and be born again. That’s the only way to eternal life.

Remember, as you decide how and when to celebrate His love for you, it’s not about a bunny. It is all about Jesus Christ, the Lamb of God.

God bless you all,

Nathele Graham

twotug@embarqmail.com

Recommended prophecy sites:

www.raptureready.com
www.prophecyupdate.com
www.raptureforums.com

All original scripture is “theopneustos,” God-breathed.

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“Pray for the peace of Jerusalem: they shall prosper that love thee” (Psalm 122:6).

Clearer By The Day :: By Dave Hubley

Published on: March 16, 2024 by RR10

(There is a special message at the end of this article for those who might happen to read this and do not have Jesus in their life and are looking for peace and a way to better understand the present-day insanity and confusion.)

The continuing unraveling of society, human government, and the rule of law is making it increasingly clear to those who observe the world through the lens of Truth that the prophecies contained within the Word of God are nearing their culmination.

However, it is important to point out that, in order to truly understand the events unfolding around us, it requires the presence of the gift of the Holy Spirit of God.

His presence allows a person to be able to understand the real “why” this world is barreling toward self-inflicted destruction.

When a repentant sinner receives the Grace of God and becomes a believer in Jesus Christ, and Him alone, he or she also becomes the recipient of this promise:

“However, when the Spirit of truth comes, He will guide you into all truth. For He will not speak on His own, but He will speak what He hears, and He will declare to you what is to come” (John 16:13). Emphasis added by me.

This claim of comprehension of Empirical Truth is not just some idle claim by believers that only a Christian has access to this understanding because he is some sort of intellectual giant or exceptional mind. When unbelievers label us in that way, it is just mockery and scornful name-calling, and it is inaccurate.

Instead, the Word of God reveals the true source of this knowledge, wisdom and understanding:

“I will ask the Father, and He will give you another Helper, that He may be with you forever; that is the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it does not see Him or know Him, but you know Him because He abides with you and will be in you” (John 14:16-17). Emphasis added by me.

So those who reject God’s Grace and Salvation, whatever their reasons, may well be brilliant intellectuals with a high IQ and technical knowledge that transcends the levels of most other “average” (of which I am one) people. Instead, it is that they lack the Spiritual understanding that is really a Gift of God in Christ.

“For the wisdom of this world is foolishness in God’s sight. As it is written: He catches the wise in their craftiness” (1 Corinthians 3:19).

Further, God makes the reasons for this lack of Spiritual comprehension in the worldly man clear in the following verses:

“For although they knew God, they neither glorified Him as God nor gave thanks to Him, but they became futile in their thinking and darkened in their foolish hearts. Although they claimed to be wise, they became fools, and exchanged the glory of the immortal God for images of mortal man and birds and animals and reptiles” (Romans 1:21-23).

Why is it that God makes the claim: “Although they knew God”?

“For what may be known about God is plain to them, because God has made it plain to them. For since the creation of the world God’s invisible qualities, His eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly seen, being understood from His workmanship, so that men are without excuse” (Romans 1:19-20).

It is because of the removal of the veil that obscures Spiritual comprehension from knowledge of worldly matters that those believers in Christ who choose to pursue the revelations contained in God’s Word are enabled to understand their message and meaning.

Even more so, when God grants this Spiritual gift, the understanding, meaning, timing and purpose of already fulfilled prophecies are enabled. The believer also receives discernment, so he or she is enabled to comprehend those same meanings and purposes in prophecies yet future.

It is quite common in today’s world for those of us who try to warn of the coming execution of God’s final judgments to be mocked and ridiculed.

Most of us understand that along with this spiritual gift of prophetic understanding, we are also charged with the responsibility to perform the obligation of the Watchman on the Wall:

“But if the watchman sees the sword coming and does not blow the trumpet, and the people are not warned, and the sword comes and takes any person from among them, he is taken away in his iniquity; but his blood I will require at the watchman’s hand” (Ezekiel 33:6). Emphasis added by me.

The gift of prophetic understanding is not a hobby or a casual pastime, and relaying its message is a solemn duty to perform in honor of our One and Only Savior.

Noah managed to hold up under it, and so shall we: for we have the same Spirit.

As we have come to expect from God’s Word, it is as simple as this:

“But God has chosen the foolish things of the world to put to shame the wise, and God has chosen the weak things of the world to put to shame the things which are mighty; and the base things of the world and the things which are despised God has chosen, and the things which are not, to bring to nothing the things that are, that no flesh should glory in His presence” (1 Corinthians 1:27-29).

Human society, governance and behavior have been in a steady downhill spiral since the door on the Ark was unsealed by God after the flood.

That its decline has been restrained for so long is a gift of God to His entire creation and for a reason made clear in His Word:

“Beloved, do not let this one thing escape your notice: With the Lord a day is like a thousand years, and a thousand years are like a day. The Lord is not slow in keeping His promise as some understand slowness, but is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish but everyone to come to repentance” (2 Peter 3:8-9).

It is also clear that God, by His own Authority, has a benchmark that, when reached, causes Him to execute His promised judgments.

“But in the fourth generation they shall return here, for the iniquity of the Amorites is not yet complete” (Genesis 15:16). Emphasis added by me.

How long before the iniquity of this world reaches the point of “completion”?

We don’t know the answer to that question, but to be sure, it is at such a level of debauchery and rebellion that even the unbelieving world has started to notice the presence of Evil in every facet of our lives.

God’s Word records where Jesus Christ made it clear that any person who dies without receiving Him is condemned:

“Therefore I said to you that you will die in your sins; for if you do not believe that I am He, you will die in your sins” (John 8:24). Emphasis added by me.

If you are still in your living years, it is not too late.

Though I don’t know you, I am praying for you that the Holy Spirit will be able to open your eyes and you will open the door of your heart to eternal life:

“Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and dine with him, and he with Me” (Revelation 3:20). Emphasis added by me.

The special message I promised you:

For anyone who may read this article and has not trusted in Jesus Christ and therefore has no hope or peace in your life.

You can have hope. You can have the peace that Jesus has promised to all who have made Him their Lord and Savior. The peace that passes understanding.

It requires that you come before God on His terms.

And, what are His terms according to His Word?

Genuine repentance (turning to God instead of continuing to reject or ignore Him).
Confession of sins (that you are a sinner and acknowledge that to God).
That you understand that the wages of sin is death (Romans 6:23).
To acknowledge to God that you are unable to pay that debt.
Belief that Jesus Christ paid your death sentence for you on the cross.
To believe that Jesus is the Way, the only Way, that God has established by which humans may be saved from the consequences of their sin and rebellion.

God has made it absolutely clear that there is no one who comes before Him, under His terms, that will be refused.

No one: no race, no color, no country of origin, regardless of any previous belief system: no one.
No matter what your past sins have been, God can and WILL forgive you because He says He will.
Salvation is available to everyone without any exceptions.

If you put all your trust for salvation in Jesus, and Him only, you can follow that prayer up by simply saying, “Thank you, Father God, for hearing my prayer and saving me,” because we can trust Him to keep His Word. He always has. He always will.

“Truly, Truly, I say to you that he who hears My words and believes the One who sent Me has eternal life and will not be condemned. He has crossed from death to life” (John 5:24).

There are no answers and there is no hope in the world by governments, organizations, politics or politicians. There are only lies and deception. But you can have the Truth and the peace you seek.

The answers are in the Word of God—The Bible. If you ask God, with all your heart, He will hear you.

“And ye shall seek me, and find me, when ye shall search for me with all your heart” (Jeremiah 29:13).

Pro Salvator Vigilans

To contact me: canoeman96@gmail.com