It is important to understand exactly WHO did resurrect Jesus Christ, and that the Scripture reveals the truth in this matter.

First of all, in the referenced verse in John 2:19, Jesus, as He oftentimes did, taught by means of an allegory and in this example He spoke of His own body as symbolic of the Temple (verse 21). This especially poignant parable was given by Jesus as the Jews were assembling to observe the Passover (Compare verse 13). A few years later, when the Jews did arrest Jesus, false accusations were made by some who thought that Jesus had spoken of the literal Temple in Jerusalem (Compare Matthew 26:60-61 and Mark 14:57-59). Additionally, Jesus was mocked by some even as He was crucified–challenging Him about His statement concerning the “Temple”(Matthew 27:40 and Mark 15:29).

Further proof that Jesus was referring to His own body is borne out in the later teachings of the Church of God. We see that Paul instructed Christians in Corinth about the fact that God dwells in us through His Spirit: “Or do you not know that your body is the TEMPLE of the Holy Spirit [which] is in you, [which] you have from God, and you are not your own?” (1 Corinthians 6:19).

In looking closely at the words of Jesus, we see that the true meaning that He was conveying is more properly understood as “Kill Me and I will rise in three days!” In fact, the word translated “raise” is also defined broadly by “Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance of the Bible” as “to waken”; to “rouse”; to “rise”; or to “stand.” For a thorough explanation of this Scripture, please review our Q&A on John 2:19, in Update #202.

However, Jesus did not state that He would resurrect Himself! He understood what was written about Himself, and He believed God: “For You will not leave my soul in Sheol, Nor will You allow Your Holy One to see corruption” (Psalm 16:10).

Following the resurrection of Jesus, we find the testimony of Peter who also quotes from Psalm 16, and he clearly states that God the Father raised Jesus from the dead. Speaking of David, Peter further explains: “‘Therefore, being a prophet, and knowing that God had sworn with an oath to him that of the fruit of his body, according to the flesh, He would raise up the Christ to sit on his throne, he, foreseeing this, spoke concerning the resurrection of the Christ, that His soul was not left in Hades, nor did His flesh see corruption. THIS JESUS GOD HAS RAISED UP, of which we are all witnesses” (Acts 2:30-32). Also, note this powerful statement by Peter in verse 36: “‘Therefore let all the house of Israel know assuredly that God has made this Jesus, whom you crucified, both Lord and Christ'” (Compare Acts 3:15; 4:10; 5:30; 13:30; 13:37; 17:30-31).

When Jesus was crucified, He died! He died as all die. He was not conscious or aware, and He certainly did not live in the realm of spirit–something that He relinquished in order to become human flesh (Compare Philippians 2:5-8; John 16:27-28).

Here is what Solomon said of the dead: “…But the dead know nothing” (Ecclesiastes 9:5); also: “Then the dust will return to the earth as it was, And the spirit will return to God who gave it” (Ecclesiastes 12:7). In this context, consider these words from Jesus as He was dying: “And when Jesus had cried out with a loud voice, He said, “Father, ‘into Your hands I commit My spirit.'” Having said this, He breathed His last” (Luke 23:46). For more detailed information about the Biblical teaching concerning death, please refer to our booklet, “Do We Have an Immortal Soul?”

Jesus testified that He died: “‘I am He who lives, AND WAS DEAD, and behold, I am alive forevermore. Amen. And I have the keys of Hades and of Death'” (Revelation 1:18; compare Romans 5:9).

Jesus relied on His Father to save Him! Here is the record of Jesus’ attitude about death: “who in the days of His flesh, when He had offered up prayers and supplications, with vehement cries and tears to Him WHO WAS ABLE TO SAVE HIM FROM DEATH, and was heard because of His godly fear” (Hebrews 5:7). Jesus was not able to save Himself from death–only His Father could do this!

Jesus willingly died, and He said this of Himself: “‘Therefore My Father loves Me, because I lay down My life that I may take it again. No one takes it from Me, but I lay it down of Myself. I have power to lay it down, and I have power to take it again. This command I have received from My Father'” (John 10:17-18). This power–which word should be rendered more accurately as “authority,”– “to take it again”–or better, “receive it again”–was because of His sinless life and the sure promises of God. Yet, it was, as so many Scriptures testify, God the Father who resurrected His Son. Note Galatians 1:1: “Paul, an apostle (not from men nor through man, but through Jesus Christ and God the Father, who raised Him from the dead…” Also note Acts 2:24 which states of Christ: “‘whom God raised up, having loosed the pains of death, because it was not possible that He should be held by it.'”

The penalty of sin is death: “For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord” (Romans 6:23). It is vital to believe that Jesus Christ did not commit sin, and this is the true testimony of the Word of God: “For He made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him” (2 Corinthians 5:21). John states: “And you know that He was manifested to take away our sins, and in Him there is no sin” (1 John 3:5).

Understanding and believing the plain teachings of the Bible about Jesus Christ–about His life and death and His present glorified existence–are crucial for those who claim to follow Jesus! John identified a core aspect of Christianity in this way: “By this you know the Spirit of God: Every spirit that confesses that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is of God, and every spirit that does not confess that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is not of God. And this is the spirit of the Antichrist, which you have heard was coming, and is now already in the world” (1 John 4:2-3).

Acknowledging that Jesus came in the flesh also includes recognizing that Jesus died, and that it was God’s power that restored Him to life (Compare John 17:5; Philippians 2:9-11).

The future of all Christians–that is, our own resurrection to eternal life–will follow the same pattern as established by Jesus Christ! In this fact, it is imperative that we understand and faithfully believe that God the Father raised His Son from death through the power of His Holy Spirit. Think about and deeply consider this statement in Romans 8:11:

“But if the Spirit of Him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, He who raised Christ from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through His Spirit [which] dwells in you.”

Lead Writer: Dave Harris

We have published several pieces of literature on this misunderstood topic, including a booklet, titled, “Don’t Keep Christmas,” and an Editorial, in Update #89, on the celebration of Easter.

In this Q&A, we would like to include several additional reasons, which clearly prove that it is absolutely WRONG for a true Christian to celebrate these holidays. These additional reasons are adopted from Professor Philippe Walter’s book, “Christianity–the Origins of a Pagan Religion,” copyright 2003, 2006. Walter is professor of medieval French literature, and has published numerous books on the Middle Ages. In his above-cited book, Walter makes several startling statements about the real origins of Easter and Christmas, as well as their customs.

It has been well-known that Halloween was originally referred to as “Samhain” (compare our Q&A on Halloween). It is celebrated today by the Roman Catholic Church on November 1 as “All Saints’ Day.” That is the time, according to pagan belief, “when the beings of the Otherworld have temporary permission to visit the living and is also the moment when the living gain furtive access to the Otherworld” (Walter, page 35). Walter explains that pagans believed in the Otherworld “as a place of choice for ghosts and is primarily the world of fairies” (page 36).

Less known, however, is the fact that certain rites and customs, which are celebrated on Christmas and Easter, have the same pagan origin of a supernatural belief in ghosts and fairies that leave the Otherworld on those days to visit the living.

Walter explains on page 52:

“For Christians, Christmas celebrates the birth of Jesus… The commemoration of Christ’s birth on December 25 resulted from seasonal and mythological associations to pagan beliefs that are older than Christianity.”

Walter continues to explain the pagan belief that by the end of December and on “New Year’s Day” (January 1), “fairies… enter the homes of those who worship them… One must take pains to prepare the meal that should be offered to them in a clean and isolated room… the meal with fairies is also held at the birth of certain predestined children. This is why fairies show up on the night of the birth of heroes… Thus it seems entirely natural to fix the Nativity of Christ on this night of the Mothers (or night of the fairies) on which the birth of profane heroes was already celebrated. The setting of Christmas on December 25 seems a clear association with the pagan custom of attaching the fairy repast to the birth of an exceptional individual” (Walter, pages 55-56).

Walter asks the question whether “the Midnight Mass [which is celebrated on Christmas in the middle of the night] supplanted the pagan rite of a communion meal with beings from the Otherworld. The common presence of bread and wine both in the fairies’ meal and in the rite of Christian Communion serves to underscore a reference to the same sacred rite” (page 55).

Walter also points out the seeming incongruity between Judaism and orthodox Christianity, when Christians slaughter pigs and eat their flesh, including on Christmas. He states on pages 93-94: “… the saint [Saint Anthony] has always been depicted accompanied by one of these animals. It is indeed quite paradoxical to see a pig accompanying a saint of Paradise, for the Bible and the Koran have found no virtue in this animal and have saddled it with the most extreme taboos. As heir to the Hebrew scriptures, Christianity should have followed Judaism on this point, yet it did not… Merlin is accompanied by piglets, and these animals become the seer’s confidants… in making Saint Anthony a guardian of swineherds, Christianity was merely transferring the old beliefs of Indo-European paganism.”

Walter continues to explain, beginning on page 60, that “Santa Claus.. is simply the good natured avatar of a mythical figure… the beneficent… fairy figure from the Otherworld who periodically visits men to give them gifts.”

Regarding “Saint Nicholas,” whose day is sometimes celebrated on December 6, but who “merged” with Santa Claus into one personage, Walter states on page 67:

“The folklore of Santa Claus (who became Father Christmas) pushes to the forefront Saint Nicholas’s connection to the Otherworld. Indeed, Nicholas is a genie of passage.”

He concludes, on page 72: “Christmas clearly belongs to an enchanted time that allows the Otherworld to break into and enter the human world.”

Walter reaches the same conclusions regarding the celebration of Easter. He points out on pages 100-101:

“Easter can be understood as a date marking an intense circulation between the Otherworld and the human world… The Easter Bunny, for example, is a springtime reincarnation of [a mystical figure] and belongs among the host of magical animals that haunted the medieval imagination… its mystical role is much older than Christian civilization, for it can be found in ancient Buddhist and Chinese mythology. According to these myths, a rabbit lives on the moon, were he prepares food of immortality. Easter eggs seem analogous to this food… The druids of an earlier era also believed in the magical power of the egg…”

On page 122, Walter explains:

“Easter was thus a Christianized version of a double tradition: It constituted a Christian reply to the Jewish Passover and gave a Christian dimension to the great Celtic myths of passage to the Otherworld.”

The reasons, then, why true Christians must abstain from the observance of holidays such as Christmas and Easter, are manifold. Firstly, God told us not to worship Him in the way the pagans worshipped their gods, by adopting pagan customs and incorporating them in our worship. Deuteronomy 12:30-31 tells us:

“… take heed to yourself… that you do not inquire after their gods, saying, ‘How did these nations serve their gods? I also will do likewise.’ You shall not worship the LORD your God in that way; for every abomination to the LORD which He hates they have done to their gods…”

In addition, we have seen that many of those pagan customs are DIRECTLY related to the superstitious belief in spirits, ghosts, fairies and demons, who–according to that belief–leave the Otherworld and visit the living on certain days, including on the days of Christmas and Easter. These spirits are clearly demonical in nature, and Paul tells us that we must not have anything to do with demons and avoid them at all costs. He tells us NOT to observe religious rites, which are derived from pagan worship, so that we do not come in contact with demons. Note 1 Corinthians 10:20-22:

“… the things which the Gentiles sacrifice they sacrifice to demons and not to God, and I do not want you to have fellowship with demons. You cannot drink the cup of the Lord and the cup of demons; you cannot partake of the Lord’s table and of the table of demons. Or do we provoke the Lord to jealousy? Are we stronger than He?”

This warning is far too serious than to be ignored!

Lead Writer: Norbert Link

While “forever” may indeed convey an absolute sense of being perpetual or interminable, “forever” is also used metaphorically and in a conditional sense.

The Hebrew word that is translated many times as “forever, is “owlam.” It can be found in Daniel 12:2. In this case, the English word “everlasting” is used to translate the Hebrew word “owlam”: “And many of those who sleep in the dust of the earth shall awake, Some to everlasting life, Some to everlasting contempt.” This prophesied occurrence speaks of a future time when the fate of many humans will be decided on a perpetual and eternal basis.

Jesus also taught about life that would be endless. In John 6:51, He states: “‘I am the living bread which came down from heaven. If anyone eats of this bread, he will live forever; and the bread that I shall give is My flesh, which I shall give for the life of the world.'” The Greek word “aion” translated as “forever” in this passage is used by John in a similar context as he contrasted that which is temporary to that which is permanent: “And the world is passing away, and the lust of it; but he who does the will of God abides forever” (1 John 2:17).

In numerous instances the eternity of God is revealed through the use of the word “forever.”

One such example is found in the “Song of Moses” as recorded in Deuteronomy 32. Quoting from verses 39-40, God proclaims His own endless life: “‘”Now see that I, even I, am He, And there is no God besides Me; I kill and I make alive; I wound and I heal; Nor is there any who can deliver from My hand. For I raise My hand to heaven, And say, ‘As I live forever…'”‘”

Another illustration appears in Revelation 4:9-10: “Whenever the living creatures give glory and honor and thanks to Him who sits on the throne, who lives forever and ever, the twenty-four elders fall down before Him who sits on the throne and worship Him who lives forever and ever…”

In this context, consider these parallel concepts about God’s existence–His life–being forever:

Deuteronomy 33:27: “The eternal God is your refuge…”

Psalm 90:1-2: “LORD, You have been our dwelling place in all generations. Before the mountains were brought forth, Or ever You had formed the earth and the world, Even from everlasting to everlasting, You are God.”

Isaiah 57:15:”For thus says the High and Lofty One Who inhabits eternity, whose name is Holy…”

In examining the concept of “forever,” we also see that many of those who met Jesus also rejected Him, because they believed that the Messiah could not be subject to dying. Following statements from Jesus about His imminent sacrificial death, some reasoned from a wrong understanding of Scripture: “The people answered Him, ‘We have heard from the law that the Christ remains forever; and how can You say, “The Son of Man must be lifted up”? Who is this Son of Man?'” (John 12:34). In Micah 4:7, it is stated: “‘…So the LORD will reign over them in Mount Zion From now on, even forever.'” None of His day understood that Jesus would die and yet live again, because God would raise Him from death. Even His disciples were at first confused about what was to happen to Jesus. We have this statement from Jesus in Revelation 1:18: “‘I am He who lives, and was dead, and behold, I am alive forevermore. Amen. And I have the keys of Hades and of Death.'”

Although Jesus Christ had existed from eternity, He did cease to live for a short period. He was brought back to life through the power of God–and so He now lives and will do so forever. We see from what Jesus experienced, then, that application of the ideas about “forever” must be understood in context.

Look at this statement that appears in Exodus 21:6: “‘then his master shall bring him to the judges, He shall also bring him to the door, or to the doorpost, and his master shall pierce his ear with an awl, AND HE SHALL SERVE HIM FOREVER'” (Compare Deuteronomy 15:17).

Does this verse mean that a servant in this circumstance will continue serving the same master for all of eternity? Obviously not, as both the servant and his master eventually died! The word translated here in Exodus 21 as “forever” is the same Hebrew word “owlam” that we have already seen used in earlier examples about living forever.

The “NASB Study Bible” translates “owlam” in Exodus 21, verse 6, as “permanently.” The NIV presents a portion of this verse as: “‘Then he will be his servant for life.'” “Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance of the Bible” offers definitions for “owlam” that include “eternal” and “perpetual” but also includes the idea of “lasting.” As we see, the service of a particular individual was a life-long commitment–lasting as long as either the servant or master lived.

In another place where “owlam” is translated “forever,” the obvious intent is for a lifetime. In this example, the mother of Samuel is quoted: “But Hannah did not go up, for she said to her husband, ‘Not until the child is weaned; then I will take him, that he may appear before the LORD and REMAIN THERE FOREVER'” (1 Samuel 1:22). But we know that Samuel died–that he is not NOW still before the LORD! (Compare 1 Samuel 25:1).

In Biblical usage of the word “forever,” we see that the context and application MAY be for something that will come to an end. God said of the Temple that Solomon built, “‘For now I have chosen and sanctified this house, that My name may be there forever; and My eyes and My heart will be there perpetually'” (2 Chronicles 7:16). However, because of the sins of Israel and then Judah, God caused this Temple to be destroyed! (Compare 2 Chronicles 36:15-21).

When studying the concept of “forever” in context, we see a variety of intended meanings. The word can express a never-ending condition or situation, but it can also refer to a certain limited period of time, based on the life of the parties involved and also dependent on relevant conditions.

Lead Writer: Dave Harris