In Reflection on Easter Sunday
by
Dr. Gale A. Ragan-Reid
(April 12, 2020)
“This is the day which the Lord hath made; we will rejoice and be glad in it.” (Psalm 118:24, King James Version [KJV])
Greetings in the Holy Name of Jesus Yahshuah,
My sisters and brothers, on this blessed Easter Sunday, the 12th day of April, 2020, we do not want to leave you, feeling uncared for. We are mostly sure the efforts of mankind for humanity are sincerely heartfelt, in relief, not only for the saving grace of our souls but for the saving of our flesh, in grace, the weakness thereof, spoken of, in the gospel readings, of grace. For Jesus fed the spirit and gave you a word, continuously delivered, for he is the Word made flesh and he provided, Jehovah Jireh, in one of the many roles of our Lord and Savior, in our salvation, to give the flesh the strength to rejoice and be glad, each blessed day [“John 1:14 King James Version (KJV)
And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth.”; “Psalm 46: 1, KJV, God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble.”; “Philippians 4:13, KJV, I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me.”]. We know the darkness of the thoughts of man tried in the fire of truth face tremendous perils each day in confessing how much man relishes the practice of evil more than good, each day. How much can you bear?
Most importantly, we look to the Old Testament, The Pentateuch, the five Books of Moses, in The First Book of Moses, Genesis. Although, The Law traditionally known as the Law of Moses, scholars debate the extent to which tradition of the Law goes back to Moses himself, which states, “But of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, thou shalt not eat of it: for in the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die.” (Genesis 2: 17 King James Version [KJV]; Holy Bible, n.d.). In our research findings, we are lead to further consider, Genesis 3: 1, KJV, “Now the serpent was more subtil than any beast of the field which the Lord God had made. And he said unto the woman, Yea, hath God said, Ye shall not eat of every tree of the garden?” Even more so, we are lead to consider, Genesis 3: 3, KJV, “But of the fruit of the tree which is in the midst of the garden, God hath said, Ye shall not eat of it, neither shall ye touch it, lest ye die.” Moreover, we are lead to consider, Genesis 3: 11, KJV, “And he said, Who told thee that thou wast naked? Hast thou eaten of the tree, whereof I commanded thee that thou shouldest not eat?” and, of course, Genesis 3: 13, KJV, “
And the Lord God said unto the woman, What is this that thou hast done? And the woman said, The serpent beguiled me, and I did eat.”;
Henceforth, we are lead to consider, Genesis 3: 17, KJV, “And unto Adam he said, Because thou hast hearkened unto the voice of thy wife, and hast eaten of the tree, of which I commanded thee, saying, Thou shalt not eat of it: cursed is the ground for thy sake; in sorrow shalt thou eat of it all the days of thy life;”
With that said, Genesis is appropriately titled such for the first book of the Bible because it contains the record of the origin of the universe, the human race, family life, nations, sin, redemption and Adam and Eve, the fall of man. The first 11 chapters, deal with primeval or pre-Patriarchal times, present the antecedents of Hebrew history from Adam to Abraham. The remaining chapters (12 - 50) primarily concerned with God’s dealings with the Patriarchs Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, and Jacob’s Son Joseph, all “fathers” of the people whom God has chosen to carry out His plan for the redemption of mankind. The book of Genesis closes with those “Chosen People” in Egypt.” (Holy Bible, n.d.). Let us intensely look with the purpose of discovery in review of Genesis 3: 3, KJV, “But of the fruit of the tree which is in the midst of the garden, God hath said, Ye shall not eat of it, neither shall ye touch it, lest ye die.” ; and anew with the purpose of discovery, Genesis 3: 19, KJV, “In the sweat of thy face shalt thou eat bread, till thou return unto the ground; for out of it wast thou taken: for dust thou art, and unto dust shalt thou return.”
More importantly, let us consider
Romans 6: 23, KJV, “For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.” Why is it, that man relishes in evil? There is such great enjoyment of evil that man swings his or her hips in the pleasure of the practice of evil. To relish means: great enjoyment. For example, “she swigged a mouthful of wine with relish"; or, a condiment eaten with plain food to add flavor. For example, “use salsa as a relish with grilled meat or fish". (Google.com/Dictionary, 2020).
You, as a person, or I picked-up on the twinkle in the eye or the wink of the eye, sort of a dubious hidden secret yet boldly-practiced pleasurable sensation that heightened enjoyment from routine or mundane daily enjoyment to great enjoyment. Howbeit, the idea of death seemed less apparent to them as a reality of judgment until the sinner becomes a tormented soul. A neighbor awoke me one day after excruciatingly long hours of hard work on the family farm to tell me or confess, I lied so much this day until I do not know what I am talking about. I just looked at him because I felt I was half-asleep, still not quite fully awakened out of my sleep. There was a twinkle in his eye.
Was it because he disturbed my restful sleep or was it the great enjoyment of the sin of confessing to being a liar, at heart? He appeared so happily bound in sin and the obvious consequence of sin, death, did not seem to avail much dread of fear from God.[“Job 15: 12, KJV, Why doth thine heart carry thee away? and what do thy eyes wink at”, ; “Psalm 35: 19, KJV, Let not them that are mine enemies wrongfully rejoice over me: neither let them wink with the eye that hate me without a cause.”; “Proverbs 6: 13, KJV, He winketh with his eyes, he speaketh with his feet, he teacheth with his fingers;”; Proverbs 10: 10, KJV, He that winketh with the eye causeth sorrow: but a prating fool shall fall.”; “Acts 17: 30, KJV, And the times of this ignorance God winked at; but now commandeth all men every where to repent:”; “1 Corinthians 15: 52, KJV, In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump: for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed.”]. Of course, the sinner must have felt the stench of his or her sin, the dirtiness of sin, the tainted rancor of sin, the worry over sin—-not the apparent pleasure that seemingly abounded out of the flirtatious twinkles and winks. Yet, the response of the sinner was what it was; hard to believe that a sinner does not know to whom he belongs to yet true. [“Romans 6: 16, KJV, Know ye not, that to whom ye yield yourselves servants to obey, his servants ye are to whom ye obey; whether of sin unto death, or of obedience unto righteousness?;
“1 John 3:8, KJV, He that committeth sin is of the devil; for the devil sinneth from the beginning. For this purpose the Son of God was manifested, that he might destroy the works of the devil.”; “Isaiah 14:12-14, KJV,
How art thou fallen from heaven, O Lucifer, son of the morning! how art thou cut down to the ground, which didst weaken the nations! For thou hast said in thine heart, I will ascend into heaven, I will exalt my throne above the stars of God: I will sit also upon the mount of the congregation, in the sides of the north: I will ascend above the heights of the clouds; I will be like the most High.”; “Matthew 24: 24, KJV, For there shall arise false Christs, and false prophets, and shall shew great signs and wonders; insomuch that, if it were possible, they shall deceive the very elect.”; “John 8: 43-45, KJV, Why do ye not understand my speech? even because ye cannot hear my word. Ye are of your father the devil, and the lusts of your father ye will do. He was a murderer from the beginning, and abode not in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaketh a lie, he speaketh of his own: for he is a liar, and the father of it. And because I tell you the truth, ye believe me not.”; “John 8: 47, KJV, He that is of God heareth God's words: ye therefore hear them not, because ye are not of God.”;; John 17: 14, KJV, I have given them thy word; and the world hath hated them, because they are not of the world, even as I am not of the world.”; “2 Corinthians 11: 3-4, KJV, But I fear, lest by any means, as the serpent beguiled Eve through his subtilty, so your minds should be corrupted from the simplicity that is in Christ. For if he that cometh preacheth another Jesus, whom we have not preached, or if ye receive another spirit, which ye have not received, or another gospel, which ye have not accepted, ye might well bear with him.”; “2 Corinthians 11: 14, KJV, And no marvel; for Satan himself is transformed into an angel of light.”; “Ephesians 2: 1-3, KJV, And you hath he quickened, who were dead in trespasses and sins;
Wherein in time past ye walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that now worketh in the children of disobedience: Among whom also we all had our conversation in times past in the lusts of our flesh, fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind; and were by nature the children of wrath, even as others.”;
Ephesians 6: 11-12, KJV, Put on the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places.”; “2 Thessalonians 2: 3, KJV, Let no man deceive you by any means: for that day shall not come, except there come a falling away first, and that man of sin be revealed, the son of perdition;”; “2 Thessalonians 2: 6-7, KJV, And now ye know what withholdeth that he might be revealed in his time. For the mystery of iniquity doth already work: only he who now letteth will let, until he be taken out of the way.”; “2 Thessalonians 2: 10, KJV, And with all deceivableness of unrighteousness in them that perish; because they received not the love of the truth, that they might be saved.”; “James 3: 15-16, KJV, This wisdom descendeth not from above, but is earthly, sensual, devilish. For where envying and strife is, there is confusion and every evil work.”; “1 Peter 5: 6, KJV, Humble yourselves therefore under the mighty hand of God, that he may exalt you in due time:”; “1 Peter 5: 8-9, KJV, Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour: Whom resist stedfast in the faith, knowing that the same afflictions are accomplished in your brethren that are in the world.”; “1 John 5: 18-19, KJV, We know that whosoever is born of God sinneth not; but he that is begotten of God keepeth himself, and that wicked one toucheth him not. And we know that we are of God, and the whole world lieth in wickedness.”; “Revelation 12: 4, KJV, And his tail drew the third part of the stars of heaven, and did cast them to the earth: and the dragon stood before the woman which was ready to be delivered, for to devour her child as soon as it was born.”; “Revelation 12: 9, KJV, And the great dragon was cast out, that old serpent, called the Devil, and Satan, which deceiveth the whole world: he was cast out into the earth, and his angels were cast out with him.”; “Revelation 12: 12, KJV,Therefore rejoice, ye heavens, and ye that dwell in them. Woe to the inhabiters of the earth and of the sea! for the devil is come down unto you, having great wrath, because he knoweth that he hath but a short time.”; 1 John 1: 9, KJV, If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us [our] sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.”; “Romans 3: 23, KJV, For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God;”; Romans 6: 23, KJV, For the wages of sin [is] death; but the gift of God [is] eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.”; “Mark 2: 17, KJV, When Jesus heard [it], he saith unto them, They that are whole have no need of the physician, but they that are sick: I came not to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance.”; “Romans 5: 8, KJV, ?But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.”; “Revelation 21: 8, KJV, But the fearful, and unbelieving, and the abominable, and murderers, and whoremongers, and sorcerers, and idolaters, and all liars, shall have their part in the lake which burneth with fire and brimstone: which is the second death.”; 1 John 5: 16, KJV, ?If any man see his brother sin a sin [which is] not unto death, he shall ask, and he shall give him life for them that sin not unto death. There is a sin unto death: I do not say that he shall pray for it.”; 2 Peter 3: 9, KJV, The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance.”; Ecclesiastes 7: 11, KJV, For [there is] not a just man upon earth, that doeth good, and sinneth not.”; “Matthew 6: 24, No man can serve two masters: for either he will hate the one, and love the other; or else he will hold to the one, and despise the other. Ye cannot serve God and mammon.”; “Ephesians 2: 8-9, For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: [it is] the gift of God: ...”; “Mark 2: 1-28, KJV, And again he entered into Capernaum after [some] days; and it was noised that he was in the house....”; “James 2: 10, KJV, For whosoever shall keep the whole law, and yet offend in one [point], he is guilty of all.”; 2 Peter 2: 4, KJV, ?For if God spared not the angels that sinned, but cast [them] down to hell, and delivered [them] into chains of darkness, to be reserved unto judgment;”; “Luke 15: 1-2, KJV, ?Then drew near unto him all the publicans and sinners for to hear him. ...”; “1John 3: 5-10, KJV, ?And ye know that he was manifested to take away our sins; and in him is no sin. “; “ John 8: 44, KJV, Ye are of [your] father the devil, and the lusts of your father ye will do. He was a murderer from the beginning, and abode not in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaketh a lie, he speaketh of his own: for he is a liar, and the father of it.”; “Matthew 6: 1-34, KJV, Take heed that ye do not your alms before men, to be seen of them: otherwise ye have no reward of your Father which is in heaven. ...”]. A sinner knows no bounds. There is little respect between sinners that take, who say, We take.
Inasmuch as you might try to engage in conversation with a thief, a thief only wants to know where the blessings God sent are located, so he or she can take. How do you feel when a thief feels more entitled than you to the blessings God sent you? Where does that sort of thinking leave you, the one who received the blessings, probably high and dry, for the thief comes to take, everything.[“John 10:10, KJV, The thief cometh not, but for to steal, and to kill, and to destroy: I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly.”]. Just as the hungry solicitor chases the ambulance for legal cases, of law, so too, does the thief chase down ministers to get a portion of what the people pay out for their faith works and love offerings, are also targeted and included in the thief’s attacks. The thief wants everyone to love him and feel obliged to let him take all the wealth and riches, in Christ Jesus [“Philippians 4:19, KJV, But my God shall supply all your need according to his riches in glory by Christ Jesus.”].
In closing, there are no two ways about it, there is one way. Just as Satan tried to convince Jesus to worship him because he had everything. Jesus is the only begotten Son of God [John 3: 16, KJV]. Let us pray for God so loved the world, to protect, which is inherit in the share of the brotherhood table, for Jesus is not forsaken or disinherited for the sake of Satan but all the more, credited and his time redeemed for righteousness sake. [“Matthew 5:10, KJV, Blessed are they which are persecuted for righteousness' sake: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.”; “1 Corinthians 1:30, KJV, But of him are ye in Christ Jesus, who of God is made unto us wisdom, and righteousness, and sanctification, and redemption:”] Christ be with you, this Easter Sunday in the year 2020 and always; resurrection power.
Amen.?
