Easter Astronomy

For those who have seen the Bethlehem Star Presentation, you know there is a surprise ending related to Easter. That ending reveals the little known astronomically significant side. But if you are like me, it is difficult to remember what that was. (I had to hear it several times to “get it.”) So here is the rest of the Easter Astronomy Story. Just for review…

On the evening of the crucifixion, you may recall there was a moon in eclipse that rose just after sunset. So we can back up one night and realize that on the evening of the Last Supper, Thursday night, the fateful night of an Upper Room supper, prayer in the Garden, arrest—there would have been a full moon. The night was April 2, 33 AD. 

So as the sun set on that Thursday night, as the twelve disciples and Jesus went to the upper room, the moon would have been rising a nearly perfect full moon. Not quite full moon, because the next night it would be perfectly full and on this Thursday night it was careening toward the shadow cast by the Earth. 

As Jesus and the eleven disciples went to the Garden of Gethsemane, the almost full moon was illuminating their path. As Judas travelled the streets of Jerusalem to get the soldiers who would arrest Jesus, his way, too, was lit by the light of that same, ominously almost full moon. The eleven went with the Lord. Little did they know the horror that awaited them, and Him. But Jesus knew.

As Jesus prayed, and the eleven were struggling to stay awake with Him, the same moon bathed the garden with light. And it shone clearly for Judas and his band of arresting soldiers.

That night, Peter would be in the courtyard around the fire, and the moon would have been overhead all night until setting near dawn.

During all of that night and the next day, the torture of our Lord continued. As daybreak passed, Jesus went from one judge and one beating at the hands of ruthlessly obedient soldiers to another. Events proceeded mercilessly toward the cross. The torture, the crown of thorns, the nails. It all happened just as planned by the Father. It was Friday, April 3, 33 AD.

As Jesus gave up his Spirit and willingly laid down His life, below the horizon and out of view, the moon dipped into the shadow and proceeded toward full eclipse. It was the ninth hour. Earthquake. Veil torn in two. Tombs broken open. A large number of “the saints who had fallen asleep were raised” and appeared to many in Jerusalem. The very guards who had tried to take the life of the Lord and Creator of the universe became convinced. They BELIEVED. “Truly this was the Son of God,” they said. But of course, they hadn’t truly killed him. He laid His life down of His own accord. The payment for our sins concluded, He had cried out, “It is finished!” And so He gave up his Spirit and allowed death to complete its task…for the moment!

The eclipse continued out of sight of Jerusalem below the horizon until sunset, three hours later. At that point, Joseph of Arimathea had rushed to Pilate and received permission to bury the maimed body of our Lord, its flesh torn but no bones broken. He hurried back to the cross and found the Mother of Jesus, (the mother of James and Joseph), Mary Magdalene, and the wife of Zebedee who was also mother to two other disciples. John may have been there as well, he who had been assigned to care for Jesus’ mother by the Lord Himself from the cross.

Joseph of Arimathea, a member of the council who had not consented to the murder, knew his mission was time-critical. He and the remaining faithful needed to bury the disgraced body before sunset. They wrapped the body, hustled it to the waiting grave that had been prepared for Joseph himself (or so he thought). 

They buried the body, and as the sun set in the Western sky, an ominous sight appeared in the Eastern sky. A moon in full eclipse, doubly red from the horizon and the eclipse, rose and would have captivated the viewers. From Golgotha, site of the crucifixion and close to the grave site, it would have appeared over the temple, where the veil had been torn in two just hours earlier. As the Passover commenced at the time of sunset and eclipsing moonrise, the red moon over the temple highlighted the fact that the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world had been sacrificed. Not the symbolic lamb who would be killed in the temple, but the real Lamb Whose payment was sufficient once for all time, sufficient for all who would trust in Him. 

The eclipsing read moon was at the feet of the Virgin in the constellation Virgo. As it rose higher, it and Virgo left the shadow of the Earth and rapidly, in a matter of an hour or two, it went from vivid red to pure white. Our sins cleansed. The payment complete. The sacrifice paid. Our debt satisfied.

And so the body lay in the tomb until Easter Morning. 

Resurrection morning dawned clear and bright. By this time, the moon was in the Western sky, and as the Lord was miraculously resurrecting and leaving the tomb that could never hold him, leaving the guards who could never keep him, passing the stone that could never be sufficient to seal that tomb, the moon had left the foot of the Virgin and travelled through the constellations. Away from Virgo and through Libra, the balance scales of justice. Our necessary payment for sin paid in full. God’s justice satisfied. A death that was not owed by our Lord, to be conferred as payment in full for any who in the power of the Spirit would, through faith, place trust in that blessed, precious, bloody payment. The assurance that the payment was accepted was the walking, resurrected Lord Himself. Sunday morning, April 5, 33 AD.

God the Father had set the astronomically significant markers in place at the creation of the heavens and the Earth.

Rejoice in the sacrifice. Praise God for allowing His own Son to make the payment so terrible and incomprehensible that we can scarce meditate on it without falling to our knees. 

Amazing Grace, how sweet indeed that it saved a wretch… and can still save many more.

He is Risen

What hope do we have for the future without Christ?  He died. He was buried.  He is Risen.  He was there at the start, he is at our side now, and he is waiting patiently at the finish line.  He never leaves us, we leave him.  He is the way, the truth, and the life.  Merry easter Christian Bunny. :)

House passes Ryan's '12 budget; conservatives want more cuts

By Erik Wasson and Pete Kasperowicz - 04/15/11 02:26 PM ET

The House on Friday approved a fiscal year 2012 budget resolution from Budget Committee Chairman Paul Ryan (R-Wis.) that seeks to drastically limit government spending next year and in years to follow. 

But the vote on the measure — which imposes $5.8 trillion in spending cuts over the next decade — came after a clear sign that at least half of the Republican Caucus supports even tougher spending cuts.

The final tally was 235-193, with four Republicans opposing it. They were Reps. Ron Paul (Texas), Denny Rehberg (Mont.), Walter Jones (N.C.) and David McKinley (W.Va.).

Rehberg, the appropriator in charge of health spending, is running for Montana's Senate seat.

Majority Whip Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) said listening sessions with Republican members made it the strongest vote of the year.

"This is the process we should follow on all votes," he said.

Every Democrat voted "no."

Democrats in a press conference after the vote made much of their unified opposition to the bill, saying that in defense of Medicare the party speaks with one voice. "The battle lines are drawn," Rep. Kathy Castor (D-Fla.) said.

The bill will now be considered by the Senate, where it is considered dead on arrival.

The White House responded to the House vote with a statement from press secretary Jay Carney.

"The President agrees with House Republicans that we must reduce our deficit and put our country on a fiscally sound path, but we disagree with their approach," it read. 

Carney pushed for the plan President Obama unveiled earlier in the week.

"The President’s approach ensures the nation lives within its means by cutting spending and bringing down the debt, while supporting our economic recovery and ensuring we are making the investments we need to win the future," the statement read.

---

More from The Hill on the 2012 budget:
♦ Ryan: Budget is 'compassionate and optimistic'
♦ Obama to hit the road to sell his plan
♦ GOP wants debt display in House
♦ DCCC chief: Dems win back the House over budget 
♦ Protesters interrupt budget debate
♦ Two Republicans with 2012 challenges vote against

---

Earlier in the day, the House rejected an alternative budget that would have made even deeper cuts than Ryan's proposal, but only after a chaotic scene on the House floor. 

In an effort to embarrass Republicans by having them approve a budget that makes deeper cuts than Ryan's proposal, Democrats voted "present" on the Republican Study Committee bill. Initially, 124 Republicans were prepared to support the measure offered by the conservative RSC, but several switched their votes when it appeared the bill might pass. 

In the end, 119 Republicans voted for the RSC budget, with 120 Republicans voting against. The bill failed in a 119-136 vote.

Closing debate on the Ryan plan was about as chaotic as the RSC vote, as Republicans and Democrats were interrupted eight times by protesters in the gallery. The House appeared to be considering closing the gallery, but after one six-minute delay continued on.

Republicans closed their arguments for the Ryan proposal by saying that the government is broke and that the $14 trillion government debt must be brought down in order to assure companies, families and the world that the government is taking steps to manage its finances and reduce the risk of higher inflation in the future.

"Will we be remembered as the Congress that did nothing as the nation sped toward a preventable debt crisis and irreversible decline, or will we instead be remembered as a Congress that did the hard work of preventing that crisis, the one that chose this path to prosperity?" Ryan asked during the debate. 

House Majority Leader Eric Cantor (R-Va.) added that the GOP plan would keep alive entitlement programs like Medicare; however, he said these entitlements must be addressed if the larger fiscal situation is to be resolved.

"While it may be seen by some as politically risky, we Republicans are willing to lead because, to be frank, complacency is not an option," Cantor said.

Speaker John Boehner (R-Ohio) added in his closing remarks that Republicans would hold the line against Obama's request for a clean bill to extend the debt ceiling.

"The president wants a clean bill, and the American people will not tolerate it," Boehner said. "Let me be clear: There will be no debt-limit increase unless it's accompanied by serious spending cuts and real budget reforms."

Budget Committee Ranking Member Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.) countered by saying both parties want to cut spending but that "the question throughout this debate is not whether, but how we do that." House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) reiterated that point by saying the GOP plan should have reduced defense spending rather than cut aid to middle-class Americans.

"I urge a 'no' vote on the Republican plan," Pelosi said.

The GOP resolution won’t be approved by the Senate, and budget resolutions do not go to the president or hold the force of law.

Still, the resolution is important in laying down a marker for House Republicans. Ryan has said that the GOP will deem his budget as the ceiling for spending for 2012.

For this reason, the most important aspect of the resolution is the allocation it gives to the Appropriations Committee for next year: $1.019 trillion in non-emergency spending. This number will play a big role in a looming spending fight in the fall.

It also means that the GOP will be demanding a further cut of at least $31 billion in September from levels set by the White House budget deal that passed the Congress on Thursday.

If Republicans and Democrats cannot agree on appropriations spending by Sept. 30, the end of the fiscal year, the government will shut down.

Ryan’s resolution would balance the budget by 2040 without raising tax rates. Instead, the budget calls for the corporate and top individual tax rates to be lowered from 35 percent to 25 percent.

The budget’s provisions on Medicare brought tough criticism from Obama this week.

To rein in costs, the program coverts Medicare to a type of voucher system for those currently under 55 years of age. Instead of government-run Medicare, seniors would buy private insurance plans and the government would foot some of the bill.

The savings comes from the fact that the “premium support” is capped, something the Congressional Budget Office says will result in seniors having to pay much more out of pocket for healthcare as costs rise faster than inflation.

Obama this week called for wringing savings from Medicare by giving new powers to the Independent Payment Advisory Board (IPAB) to limit Medicare payments. He said Ryan’s plan would end Medicare as it is now known.

On Medicaid, the Ryan budget converts the federal share of the program into a block grant, which is also capped. Democrats have pointed out that the very elderly often rely on Medicaid once nursing homes have drained their savings.

The House also rejected three other alternative proposals. One, from Van Hollen, was defeated in a 166-259 vote. A Progressive Caucus budget was rejected in a 77-347 vote, and one from the Congressional Black Caucus was rejected 103-303.

A fifth proposal that would have implemented the recommendations of Obama's debt commission was not offered. Rep. Jim Cooper (D-Tenn.) withdrew his proposal Thursday night, indicating that a House vote against it might spoil efforts in the Senate to reach an agreement based on the recommendations of the president's fiscal commission.

"I do not think it is wise to risk doing anything to derail or impair those behind-the-scenes negotiations, which I am told by key senators in both parties could be the result of a premature House vote," Cooper said.

Ted Gambordella "what easter means to me"

What Easter means to me as a Christian Martial Arts Grandmaster (video)

• March 30th, 2010 8:08 am CT

Ted Gambordella

• Dallas Martial Arts Examiner

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Ted Gambordella, what Easter means to m

Photo: ted gambordella

A Note before you read. This is a personal statement of my faith in Jesus as a Christian Martial Arts and what Easter means to me. 

I have often been asked what does Easter mean to me as a Christian. Before I tell you what Easter means to me, please let me tell you what Easter means to a Christian. Easter means that Jesus Christ literally died and 3 days later he rose from the grave, ascended unto Heaven is waiting there with his Father for those accept his love and offers Eternity life for those who accept his love. That is the Easter story, nothing else, no bunnies, no tricks.

I have come to realize that Easter means 10 things to me.

1. Easter means Jesus is alive.

There are a lot of people that would tell you that Jesus did not rise from the grave and even those who say that he did not exist at all. These people have been around since 01 AD and there is simply no reasoning with them. These people are not be debated with. CS Lewis said it best when he was asked how he would debate with these literal people. He said you simply can’t. They will change their premise at any time, refuse to see the facts right in front of their face and will never accept the truth when it is obvious to everyone else in the room. The first thing Easter means to me is the last thing any atheist will believe; there is no reason to try to change their mind. Their minds are blocked by the World and the Devil. Easter means that this was the day that Jesus rose from the grave and is alive today. This first premise is The Ultimate Fact. Without Easter there is nothing to Christianity. With Easter there is eternal life for those who accept and believe.

2. Easter means that my parents and brother are alive

If Jesus did not rise, then my parents are not alive, my brother is not alive. If there was no Easter, then they died with no hope of salivation or eternity. This is apparently very reassuring to the non believers out there, who seem to revel in their certainly that this life is all there is. They believe there is no reason you should have any morals or practice any virtues. Yet they are the first one to pronounce horror at the mistreatment of a cat or even a mouse, and yet take no notice at the murder of children. They have no one waiting from them after this life; they have nothing to look forward to because they have no Easter. They have no Joy and no hope.

3. Easter means the other religions are not an option for me.

It is really that simple. There is only one religion in the World that the founder says he was actually God and created the entire Universe. There is only one religion in the World that the founder has no grave. There is only one religion in the World that cherishes all life from the womb to the grave. There is only one religion in the World that has changed the World to such an extent that the very calendar date had to be changed. That is Christianity. There is only one religion in the World that is right for me, Christianity. All the others may have good and bad points, but they cannot be and will never right for me. Easter proves Christianity is right and the others are not an option for me. Your free to chose any other religion you want, I choose Jesus.

4. Easter means I am not a monkey with a bigger brain

The absolute impossibility of Evolution can only be understood by someone with a brain that has moral character and is a reflection of God’s mercy. It cannot be understood by the people who believe they descended from monkeys. Monkey’s have no Easter. I am not a monkey. It is simply astounding that the more complicated we prove that every aspect of life is, the more complex the cell is found to be, the more intricate the individual’s DNA is, the more parts we continue to find for the atom, the more reasons these people want to tell you it is all just Luck. Random choice and natural selection just happened to produce the entire Universe. The more we discover the luckier we get. Please remember the absolute fundamental fact of Evolution that all these people believe. Hydrogen is a single atom that if given enough time will turn into a human being.

5. Easter means that morals are values mandated by God not suggested by man

Morals simply are not values that have been suggested by non believers who change their standards as quickly as they can when confronted with any real moral choice. The moral standard of the liberals and the atheists is so low that anyone deviate can be forgiven for any act of murder, sexual deviance, or perversion just as easily as they can condemn any act of virtue. Easter means that there actually is a right and a wrong about everything that matters. Easter means you can actually define evil and good. As horrible and terrible as it seems to the atheists and liberals there actually are sins and there will be punishment for these sins unless you accept the free gift of Eternal Life that Jesus gave you on Easter.

6. Easter means that I have future of joy

The Gospel means the Good News and the Good News is that Jesus is Lord, Jesus has risen and you are forgiven, saved for sure, forever. Mother Theresa said it best and I paraphrase, “never let the fears, cares and worries of this World let you forget the joy of the risen Lord”. As horrible as it seems in the World today, with the violence, perversion, murder, disease and terror we who have Easter have Joy. The reason the nightly news is so depressing, the papers so depressing and the World seems so depressing is that the World is not your home and the non believers who have no “joy” can and should feel depressed by all that is wrong with the World. That is all they have, there is no “joy” for the atheists they have no future to look forward to.

7. Easter means I have an obligation and an opportunity to share the Good News

Easter means the Good News is waiting for you to share and that you are told by God to share the Good News with as many people as you can. God has plan for everyone and eternal life waiting for all who simply believe in Jesus and accept his plan of salvation. You have been given the unlimited opportunity to lead as many people as you can to Jesus and to share this Good News. There is no limit to how many people you can share it with and no restrictions of how many can receive it. It is like the ultimate credit card to share and spread Joy, with no expiration date and no limits.

8. Easter means you will always be loved

If there was no Easter there would be not be any real love. If there is no Easter then there is simply no reason to love anyone who does not deserve it or whom you don’t feel deserves your love. God is Love and he wants to share his love with everyone unconditionally. People will love you when they feel like it. The World will love you when it feels like it. The love of people and the World is short and fleeting, but the love of Jesus is eternal. Easter means that Jesus loved you enough to die for you, when you did not deserve it. Easter means that Jesus loves you just as you are. There is nothing you have done, nothing you can do that will take this love away. Only you can refuse this love, Jesus puts no restrictions on it. He puts no limits to it; he loves you eternally, unconditionally. You are the only one who can refuse his love. He will never refuse to love you.

9. Easter means the eternal life for anyone who wants it for free

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Easter means your debts have been paid in full. You do not have to borrow anything from anyone to get your reward. You do not have to do anything of such outstanding magnitude that those around you would consider you a Saint. You do not have go to India and love the dying. You do not have to go to jail and serve the prisoners. You do not have to give all your money, all your time and all your efforts. You only have to accept and believe that Jesus died, rose again and will accept you into his kingdom if you simply believe and receive. There is nothing you can do, no amount of money, no demand for service. It is a gift, free to anyone who will accept it. But it was a gift that did have a cost, and it cost the life of an innocent man. But Jesus has paid the cost and is offering you eternal life now for free.

10. Easter means evil does not win

If you read the newspapers and watch the TV you will think that evil is winning. There is nothing the press would rather have you believe than evil is winning and you don’t have a chance. There is nothing but “fear” the World has to offer anyone who does not have Easter. When you control people with fear you control everything they do, everything they feel and everything they will ever have. Evil wants you to be afraid, afraid of the next disease, afraid of the next terror attack, afraid of your job, your health, your very existence. Evil is real and the World is full of evil, but the World is not your home. You will be home when you go to be with Jesus who is waiting, waiting with love and open arms to accept you. There is a War for between Evil and Good, but the Good News is the battle is over Jesus has won. Easter was the victory party for Jesus.

A Jewish friend of mine once asked me rather disdainfully did I believe that she was going to Hell because she was not a Christian. I was led by the Holy Spirit to reply. The Jews are beloved by God, Jesus is a Jew. The Jew’s have a special place in the heart of God and in his kingdom. God is the ultimate judge of the Jews and he loves them. It is not my right to judge the Jews, but I am Gentile my only hope of salvation is Jesus Christ who died to save not only the Jews but the Gentiles and has saved me. If I was not a Christian I would have no hope of eternity and no chance of salvation. I do not know what God has in store for you individually as a Jew but I do know that Jesus is my only hope of salvation. I am saved by God’s grace to live eternally in Heaven.

If there was no Easter there would be no Christianity, Easter is the reason I believe and the truth I receive. If you do not know Jesus there are 4 simple steps to accept his love and his promise of Eternal Life.

Here is the web location: HTTP://www.godlovestheworld.com/

And here it is in text.

Just as there are physical laws that govern the physical universe, so are there spiritual laws which govern your relationship with God.

1. God LOVES you and offers a wonderful PLAN for your life.
(References contained on this page are from the Bible and should be read in context wherever possible.) God's Love "God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life" (John 3:16 NIV). God's Plan[Christ speaking] "I came that they might have life, and might have it abundantly" [that it might be full and meaningful] (John 10:10).
Why is it that most people are not experiencing the abundant life? Because...
2. Man is SINFUL and SEPARATED from God. Therefore, he cannot know and experience God's love and plan for his life. Man Is Sinful "All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God" (Romans 3:23).
Man was created to have fellowship with God; but, because of his stubborn self-will, he chose to go his own independent way, and fellowship with God was broken. This self-will, characterized by an attitude of active rebellion or passive indifference, is evidence of what the Bible calls sin. Man Is Separated "The wages of sin is death" [spiritual separation from God] (Romans 6:23).
3. Jesus Christ is God's ONLY provision for man's sin. Through Him you can know and experience God's love and plan for your life. He Died in Our Place"God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us" (Romans 5:8). He Rose From the Dead "Christ died for our sins...He was buried...He was raised on the third day, according to the Scriptures...He appeared to Peter, then to the twelve. After that He appeared to more than five hundred..." (1 Corinthians 15:3-6).
He Is the Only Way to God "Jesus said to him, 'I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father, but through Me'" (John 14:6).
It is not enough just to know these three laws...
4. We must individually RECEIVE Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord; then we can know and experience God's love and plan for our lives. We Must Receive Christ "As many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, even to those who believe in His name" (John 1:12). We Receive Christ Through Faith "By grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; not as a result of works, that no one should boast" (Ephesians 2:8,9). When We Receive Christ, We Experience a New Birth (Read John 3:1-8) We Receive Christ by Personal Invitation[Christ speaking] "Behold, I stand at the door and knock; if any one hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in to him" (Revelation 3:20). Receiving Christ involves turning to God from self (repentance) and trusting Christ to come into our lives to forgive our sins and to make us what He wants us to be. Just to agree intellectually that Jesus Christ is the Son of God and that He died on the cross for your sins is not enough. Nor is it enough to have an emotional experience. You receive Jesus Christ by faith, as an act of the will.

SELF
1. The Self-directed life
Self is on the throne. Interests are directed by self, resulting in discord and frustration. Christ is outside the person's life.

Christ
2. The Christ-directed life
Christ is on the throne. Self is yielding to Christ. Interests are directed by Christ, resulting in harmony with God's plan.
Which best describes your life? Which would you like to have represent your life? The following explains how you can receive Christ:

You can receive Christ right now by faith through prayer:

(Prayer is talking to God) God knows your heart and is not so concerned with your words as He is with the attitude of your heart. The following is a suggested prayer:"Lord Jesus, I need You. Thank You for dying on the cross for my sins. I open the door of my life and receive You as my Savior and Lord. Thank You for forgiving my sins and giving me eternal life. Take control of the throne of my life. Make me the kind of person You want me to be."Does this prayer express the desire of your heart? If it does, I invite you to pray this prayer right now and Christ will come into your life, as He promised.

More Info: Grandmaster Ted Gambordella is the author of 42 books and 25 DVD’s for more info see his website www.blackbeltinabox.com