Did Jesus Die on Good Friday? Easter or Passover? Satan Deceives. Pig! Iraq, Ten Years After. Spiritual Leavening. Exxon Valdez.

 

For “Scripture Sunday”: 

Sign of Jonah: Did Jesus Die on Good Friday? Was He Resurrected Easter Sunday?

“Most churches commemorate Jesus’ crucifixion on Good Friday and His resurrection on Easter Sunday. But how does this fit with the sign Christ gave?

Good Friday afternoon to Easter Sunday sunrise does not add up to three days and three nights. This chart shows the chronology of Christ’s crucifixion and resurrection that matches the biblical festivals and confirms the sign of Jonah.

As proof that He was the Messiah, Jesus Christ promised in advance exactly how much time He would spend in the grave. He called it “the sign of the prophet Jonah.”

The sign of Jonah

The religious leaders of Jesus’ day had seen Him work miracles but still didn’t believe He was the Messiah (Matthew 12:23, 38). In fact, the Pharisees plotted “how they might destroy Him” (verse 14) and accused Him of working for Satan (verse 24)!

So when they asked for another sign, Jesus said:

“An evil and adulterous generation seeks after a sign, and no sign will be given to it except the sign of the prophet Jonah. For as Jonah was three days and three nights in the belly of the great fish, so will the Son of Man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth” (verses 39-40).

Jesus referred to the great miracle from the book of Jonah. Jonah was inside a miraculously created fish for three days and three nights before being spit out, alive, on the shore. And Christ let everyone know that He would be in the grave for the exact same length of time. He said the sign of Jonah would be the only sign He would give them. This important prophecy was very specific.

How do you get three days and three nights between Friday afternoon and Sunday morning?

Yet today most churches ignore this sign or try to explain that it didn’t really mean three full days and three full nights. Why? Because of a common misunderstanding about the holy times during that week many call Holy Week.”    More at: http://lifehopeandtruth.com/life/plan-of-salvation/holy-days-vs-holidays/sign-of-jonah/

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Should Christians Observe Easter or Passover?

“Should Christians celebrate Easter or Passover? To find the right answer, you must look to the right source.”

Transcript at: http://www.ucg.org/beyond-today-daily/doctrinal-beliefs/should-christians-observe-easter-or-passover  

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How Satan Deceives Christians!

“Is there a Satan, and what part has he had in the division and deception of Christianity today? You might be surprised to know how extensive his influence has been. In this program, the nature of Satan's deceptions are explained, and false Christianity is exposed.”

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Life Lessons: Jumping to Conclusions

Source: Photos.com

“A man was driving down a winding country lane when he came around a sharp curve and almost hit a car that was swerving all over the road.  He jerked the wheel as he barely missed it.  As they passed, the erratic driver shouted out the window, "Pig!"

Angrily the man managed to yell back, "Cow!"

For a brief moment, the man felt smug with his quick response.  He then sped around the next curve and slammed headlong into a large pig standing in the middle of the road.

How many times have you reacted in anger only to find out later that things were quite different from what you originally perceived?

King Solomon wrote three thousand years ago, "A fool shows his annoyance at once, but a prudent man overlooks an insult" (Proverbs 12:16 A fool's wrath is presently known: but a prudent man covereth shame. See All... NIV).

Before losing your temper and jumping to conclusions, calm down, find out what is really going on, and you just might miss hitting a pig standing in the middle of the road.” From: http://www.ucg.org/blog/life-lessons-jumping-conclusions/

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Iraq: Ten Years After the Invasion

Ten years after the United States led a coalition into Iraq to remove Saddam Hussein what has really been accomplished in this volatile region?

 

Transcript at: http://www.ucg.org/beyond-today-daily/news-and-prophecy/iraq-ten-years-after-invasion

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This morning’s sermon on WGN TV:

Is Spiritual Leavening in Your Life?

“Jesus said to "beware of the leavening of the Pharisees." What did He mean? Why is it vital for you to know?”

Transcript at: http://www.ucg.org/beyond-today-program/gods-holy-days/spiritual-leavening-your-life

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On This Day:

Exxon Valdez runs aground, Mar 24, 1989:

“The worst oil spill in U.S. territory begins when the supertanker Exxon Valdez, owned and operated by the Exxon Corporation, runs aground on a reef in Prince William Sound in southern Alaska.  Attempts to contain the massive spill were unsuccessful, and wind and currents spread the oil more than 100 miles from its source, eventually polluting more than 700 miles of coastline. Hundreds of thousands of birds and animals were adversely affected by the environmental disaster.

It was later revealed that Joseph Hazelwood, the captain of the Valdez, was drinking at the time of the accident and allowed an uncertified officer to steer the massive vessel. In March 1990, Hazelwood was convicted of misdemeanor negligence, fined $50,000, and ordered to perform 1,000 hours of community service. In July 1992, an Alaska court overturned Hazelwood's conviction, citing a federal statute that grants freedom from prosecution to those who report an oil spill.

Overall, the Valdez spilled close to 30 million gallons of oil into Prince William Sound over several days. Beaches in the Knight Island chain were covered in oil. The primary victims of the oil were sea birds. Some estimate that as many as 250,000 of the birds were killed, as well as several thousand sea otters and hundreds of seals and bald eagles. Salmon and herring egg losses were also extensive. In total, about 800 miles of coastline were damaged by the oil.

Exxon itself was condemned by the National Transportation Safety Board and in early 1991 agreed under pressure from environmental groups to pay a penalty of $100 million and provide $1 billion over a 10-year period for the cost of the cleanup. However, later in the year, both Alaska and Exxon rejected the agreement, and in October 1991 the oil giant settled the matter by paying $25 million, less than 4 percent of the cleanup aid promised by Exxon earlier that year.”

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Yesterday:

After another night of my head suddenly stuffing up, and bursts of coughing, I knew I had to go to a doctor.

After Wendy’s phone call, I got ready for the afternoon church, but headed to the doctor’s office in Conroe, first.

I expected it to be busy on a Saturday, but it wasn’t, and there was just a skeleton staff.  When the doctor saw me he said that all this head congestion and post-nasal drip had given me a bit of bronchitis, so he prescribed Prednisone.  That is supposed to do something to my swollen sinuses, which could be caused by the pollen or something.   I didn’t want to drive after taking a medicine that I didn’t know how it would affect me, so I came home to eat a bite with it, as prescribed.  Then after another spell of sudden head congestion and coughing, I knew it wouldn’t be right to go to church in case it happened there. 

So I took a nap, then watched some of the past sermons online, so I was still trying to keep the Sabbath day.