The Fourth Secret About Easter (04/30/2000)

The Three Secrets About Easter and the Fourth Secret of the Feasts

And the fourth one is the one we're going to talk about today. But let me just review the three secrets about Easter. First of all, Easter is not a true Christian holiday at all. It is in fact a pagan holiday.

Let me quote to you a little bit from any, you can pick any encyclopedia that you have and you'll find this. Just look up Easter and read it. But I'm going to quote from Funk and Wagnall's encyclopedia and I'm reading a section called Pre-Christian Tradition.

The origin of its name comes from the 8th century English scholar Saint Bede. And he says that Easter comes from the word Easter which is spelled E-A-S-T-R-E, E-A-S-T-R-E, which was the Anglo-Saxon name of a Teutonic goddess of spring and fertility, to whom was dedicated the month of April.

Her festival was celebrated on the day of the vernal equinox, keep that in mind, traditions which are associated with this worship of the fertility goddess Easter were their Easter rabbit which symbolized fertility and colored Easter eggs which were originally painted with bright colors to represent the sunlight of spring and so forth.

But such festivals and stories and legends that explain their origin were commonplace in ancient religions. The Greeks, for example, had a legend about Persephone who was the daughter of Demeter, the goddess of the earth.

And from the underworld she came into light and this was symbolized by the ancient Greeks with the resurrection of life in spring after the desolation of winter. Many ancient people shared similar legends.

The Phrygians, for example, believed that their omnipotent deity went to sleep during the wintertime and he went to sleep during the winter solstice and they performed all kinds of ceremonies and music and dancing at the spring equinox to awaken him.

Constantine, the Council of Nicaea, and the Date of Easter

The second secret about Easter is that it's not even on the resurrection day. Easter is a pagan holiday, it is not a Christian holiday, and it's very seldom, if ever, actually on the date of the resurrection and the reason for that is because Constantine the Great, the emperor of Rome who made Christianity quote the religion of the state, he is the one who actually set the date for Easter in the Council of Nicaea.

Now what's interesting about this is he picked the date this way. He says that the Easter festival should be celebrated throughout the quote Christian world on the first Sunday after the full moon following the vernal equinox.

The vernal equinox is the time period when all of the pagan religions worshipped Easter, the goddess of fertility. So this is the day that he picked and also it's kind of interesting that at the same meeting we read this statement and that if the full moon should occur on a Sunday and thereby coincide with the Passover festival, Easter should be then commemorated on the Sunday following.

Coincidence of the feast of Easter and Passover were thus avoided. Why do you think they were avoided? Because Constantine was anti-Semitic and so he went so far as to say that if Easter did happen to hit on the Passover then we'll move it a week farther in the future so that they will not coincide.

Easter, Passover, and Acts 12:4

So second dirty little secret about Easter is it's never on the resurrection day. Now the third secret is this, turn with me to Acts chapter 12 and verse 4. If you were here last Sunday you don't have to because you've already seen its review.

But the third secret about Easter is that it's not found in the Bible anywhere. It is not biblical, it's not a Christian festival at all. It's a pagan festival. But you will find the word Easter in Acts chapter 12 and verse 4 of the King James Version but you will not find it in any Greek manuscript anywhere in the world.

And it was not obviously in the originals. In Acts 12, 4, and when he had apprehended him he put him in prison and delivered him to four quantarians of soldiers to keep him intending after Easter to bring him forth to the people.

Note the word Easter there, it is from the Greek word Pascha which comes from the Hebrew word Pesca which means Passover. The word is found 76 times in 71 verses in the Bible and each time it always means Passover.

So the word Easter was inserted, it does not belong in the Bible, it's the word Passover and the fact is it is the Passover that occurs at the time that the world now calls Easter and yet they don't have it on the resurrection day.

The fact is if we want to celebrate Easter, I mean I will probably not call it that anymore beyond this year, but if you wanted to then what you should do is realize that Jesus Christ was crucified on the Passover day and he was resurrected three days later.

That's going to hit sometime during the middle of the week usually and that's when we should celebrate the resurrection of Christ. So I told you there were four secrets though. The fourth secret is this and this perhaps is the most devastating of all.

It is the fact that so many secrets have been kept from us because the feasts have been removed not only from Judaism but also from Christianity. Now, we'll discuss through the weeks what these feasts are.

One of them is Passover that we talked about last Sunday, but I want to read you a couple of verses before I get into today's message. You don't need to turn to these for sake of time, but make note of them in Romans chapter 15 and verse 4, for whatsoever things were written aforetime were written for our learning that we through patience and comfort of the scriptures might have hope.

What We Lose When the Feasts Are Removed

Anything that we remove from that which was written before will just give us that much less hope and what's interesting to study the history of this if you go back to Constantine you find that he removed all of the feasts from the church and we're left with only two things and you've heard it taught before that this is all we're supposed to have is the Lord's Supper and Baptism and where did we get that idea?

Because someone told us that, someone told him that, someone told him that, someone told him that and Constantine told him that and we won't have time this morning to get into this entire study so this will take a couple of Sundays, but we're going to eventually ask the question did the early church keep the feasts?

But when we don't keep the feasts what do we lose? What do we miss? And that's really the question we're asking this morning. One thing is we lose a lot of hope that we could have had. You know God is the one who placed within the hearts of human beings the love for stories.

Don't you think that's one of the major reasons that when Jesus taught he would tell parables, he would tell a story, usually it was an agricultural story because even today we still understand those, it's hard to believe we do, we live on cement, but we understand agricultural stories even today and he would teach us these beautiful deep spiritual truths with a very simple truth of nature sometimes.

Why did he teach us in stories? Because God himself knew that the best way to teach our children and ourselves is through object lessons and so don't you think it's odd that Constantine removed so many of the object lessons from the church?

And I pick on him and really we know that we battle not against flesh and blood but against principalities and powers and spiritual wickedness in high places and so Constantine was just a tool in Satan's hand.

Look at 1 Corinthians chapter 10 in verse 9 for a moment, it is obvious that the feasts have been removed from the church and with them much that they typify. Later we're going to ask the question did the early church keep the feasts but for now we're going to ask the question what happened to Israel when she refused to keep the feasts?

First Corinthians 10 9 says neither let us tempt Christ as some of them also tempted and were destroyed of serpents. Now this is referring to a story obviously a story in the Old Testament neither murmur ye as some of them also murmured and were destroyed of the destroyer obviously teaching an Old Testament history that happened and showing us we should learn some things from it but look at verse 11.

Now all these things happen unto them for in samples and they are written for our admonition upon whom the ends of the world or the ends of the age are come wherefore let him that thinketh he standeth take heed lest he fall.

I really believe that the church is prideful. I believe that the Gentile church today thinks she has everything knows everything that she's full of gold and fine raiment and apparel and that she's spiritually rich and yet the Bible teaches us here that all the things which happen in the Old Testament were given as in samples.

This Greek word means a type which follows that in the New Testament then we would have what we call the antitype and what we spend most of our time studying are the antitypes the fulfillment of the type but what sometimes we forget today is that without the Old Testament all we would have in the New Testament are the generalities, the principles.

It's the Old Testament that gives us the detail and the color and the beauty and the depth of what's going on. So when we remove anything that we ought to still have then we're losing a part of what God gave us and so probably with the rest of the time we have this morning we're going to ask the question what happened to Israel when she decided to take some things out that God had given her.

Lamentations 1:4 and the World Entering Worship

Turn with me to Lamentations chapter 1 and verse 4. Even the name of the book gives you a clue of what happened to Israel when she removed the feasts and I really wish you know that we could do like the Jews brother Russ and have a two hour service.

Sometimes I border on that and everybody here knows about it. Fortunately they laugh about it at least outwardly but this study on whether or not the early church kept the feast is fascinating so please come back next Sunday so we can study that together.

We won't be able to get into that today. But in Lamentations 1 and verse 4 what I want you to see from this verse and a couple of verses following it is this. The world was brought into the worship services in Israel at this time.

We see the world being brought into their worship. In Lamentations 1 and verse 4 it says the ways of Zion do mourn because none come to the solemn feasts. So they've stopped having their feasts. Now we're going to read a little bit of this section but let me just tell you what to look for before we read it.

Number one you're going to see that the adversary is now spreading his hand upon her pleasant things. Now that picture could be an entire sermon could be preached on that phrase from this passage because we're living in a country now and the reason I gave you the verses in Romans 15 and 1 Corinthians 10 to show you that the things that happen to them are end samples for us is I want you to relate everything we read in the Old Testament to right now in the church, to right now in this generation.

Right now we live in a country where the thing to do is to give our daughters to the world. We know that now as early as sixth grade the young people know things that they shouldn't know and do things that they shouldn't do and they go about playing house.

And I'll promise you that when God uses this as a reference to the temple of God and he says that the enemy the adversary spreads his hand out upon her pleasant things there are more pictures than one in that and I don't think I need to go any further you know what I'm saying.

But I know this there is a place in that temple called the Holy of Holies and I know this God says that right now your daughter's body is the temple of the living God and when the enemy is allowed to spread his hands upon God's temple that nation is in trouble.

That's just a little trail I went off on it's not in the notes but it's a fact. So what you see in this passage the adversary spreads his hands upon her pleasant things the enemy prospers. How would you like to have your life to a place where the world and the flesh and the devil are having their way with you and your family?

They are actually prospering. Their influence is growing in your own life in the life of your family in the life of your church. This is exactly what happened in this place where they were no longer keeping the solemn feast.

There was mourning none came to the feast. The people then went into captivity which to us pictures what would you say? What would that picture when they're dragged off into Babylon? Slavery and to us what does it picture slavery to what?

Sin what else? The world what else? Did I hear someone say the flesh and then the devil? These are our enemies and then came economic disaster. So now they find themselves absolute slaves to the enemy.

The enemy is prospering and having his way. Do you see any parallels in the church in America today? Verse four says the ways of Zion do mourn because none come to the solemn feast. All her gates are desolate her priests sigh her virgins are afflicted and she is in bitterness her adversaries are the chief her enemies prosper for the Lord hath afflicted her for the multitude or because of the multitude of her transgressions her children are gone into captivity before the enemy do we live in such a country?

Look at the young people in this nation are they in captivity to the evil one today? Have you ever seen a time in your life where disobedience to parents was given clinical names? Have you ever seen a time in your life when the young people go to school packing weapons and shoot one another and don't even understand what they're doing because they don't understand the value of life?

And we read about the Old Testament saints and we think they're so stupid. The things that they let happen why in the world did they stop having these feasts? Why in the world didn't they just do what God plainly told them to do and he so plainly said if you'll obey I'll be with you.

Aren't they stupid? Stupid as people. We would never do anything like they did would we? Her children are gone into captivity before the enemy praise God that we have a Christian school in this church and one that just is to minister to your young people not to the whole world.

I'm so glad it's that way. The adversary hath spread out his hand upon all her pleasant things for she hath seen that the heathen entered into her sanctuary whom thou didst command that they should not enter into thy sanctuary.

Do you think that the enemy has come into the churches today? Do you think he's brought the world right in with him? And all her people sigh. They seek bread. That picture is the word of God. They have given their pleasant things for meat to relieve their soul.

See oh Lord and consider for I am become vile the prophet says. Now let me tell you a second thing that happens when the feasts were removed from Israel. The first thing that happened was that the world came into their midst into their worship services right into the temple spread his hands right upon the things of God.

When the World Comes In, the Lord Goes Out

Second thing that's happened is found starting in Lamentations chapter 2 and verse 5. What you're going to see in this passage is first of all the Lord when the world came in the Lord went out when the world came in the Lord went out from the worship services.

The Lord became as an enemy to his own people. We have such a misunderstanding of God's love today. God's love today is depicted as some kind of a bushy bushy thing that just overlooks everything and God's love is not permitted to overlook anything because of his justice.

He's never overlooked sin he sent his son and he gave everything he had to pay for sin but we think that the Lord because of his love just overlooks everything and that we can do pretty much anything we want to in the church everything will be fine.

We can do pretty much anything we want to in our families bring anything into the home since he loves us so much everything will be fine since he indwells our bodies everything will be fine but I'll tell you this he indwelt this temple didn't he and you know what he did he left it.

I'm not preaching some doctrine that you can lose your salvation or that he will literally leave your body that's impossible because he's sealed within you and we know that but can the candlestick leave the church is the question.

The Lord became as an enemy is that possible? Can the Lord become that way with his own children? Well did he not say he gave these stories as us for in samples? He increased the mourning and the lamentation did you know that when they let the world in they began to have mourning and they began to lose their joy but you know that God came later and increased their mourning?

He took the natural mourning and lamentation that they were having because of their sin and he brought it and made it worse. He increased the mourning and lamentation. The Lord caused the solemn feast to be forgotten.

Did you know that they had chosen to stop keeping these feasts which we're going to study what they typify and what they picture and you'll see why it's so important that they not stop but they chose to stop and so now it says the Lord in his sovereignty caused them to forget the feasts.

It's as if he just totally removed them at that point and then it says at that point the Lord despised both the king and the priest both the secular leadership and the religious leadership and then he caused the law to be hidden and the prophets could not find a vision from the Lord so they just rattled.

They just said anything they thought sounded well. Lamentations 2 5 the Lord was as an enemy. He hath swallowed up Israel. He hath swallowed up all her palaces. He hath destroyed her strongholds and hath increased in the daughter of Judah mourning and lamentation.

He hath violently taken away his tabernacle as if it were of a garden. He hath destroyed his places of the assembly. The Lord hath caused the solemn feast and Sabbaths to be forgotten in Zion and hath despised in the indignation of his anger the king and the priest.

The Lord hath cast off his altar. He hath abhorred his sanctuary. He hath given up into the hand of the enemy the walls of her palaces. They have made now this is the enemy. The enemy has made a noise in the house of the Lord as in the day of the solemn feast.

We talked about that last Sunday. There's noise being made in our churches all over America by the enemy and we think it's worship. God's removed the church the true worship. We don't even know what it is.

I mean what happened today. Probably scared half of us. You ought to see a Jewish worship service. They're singing and the Jews have a way of playing lively music without it being worldly. Isn't that amazing.

We try to do it. It sounds like Led Zeppelin or somebody. It says that in verse 7 the Lord hath cast off his altar and he hath abhorred his sanctuary. He hath given up into the hand of the enemy the walls of the palaces and the enemy begins to make a noise in the house of the Lord as in the day playing like it's a solemn feast.

In verse 9 says the law is no more. The Word of God is no longer the emphasis for prophets also find no vision from the Lord. So they're just speaking from their own flesh. That's a solemn passage of scripture.

Isn't it when we consider that these were given as examples for us to learn from. And yet we think we can bring the world into the church in order to bring more people in and we consider that to be a good thing.

And so therefore the means justifies the end in our perception. But you notice what God did he said when you bring the world into the feast then I despise the feast. Did you see that when you bring the world into the worship then I despise the worship.

So the second point is first point was they brought the world into their worship. Second point is when they did God left. Now the third point is found in Hosea chapter 2 in verse 10. This is what we're going to find when we read this passage when God left the worship joy was removed from God's people.

Joy Removed, Separation Lost, and Captivity to the World

When the feasts were abandoned so was the joy lost. Now remember sometimes they pretended to have feast but God wasn't there. So they had no true joy. It was just something they went through. Just it's the thing to do.

We just go do it. We're supposed to go to worship. We'll just go do it. There's no joy. We're very close to losing some of the joy. I think in our churches I think even in our church which I mean we stress the word we study together and we do have a lot of fun together.

People in Sunday school this morning we were laughing quite a bit not at you brother Otis but with you. And so we do have a good time. But you know we have a much more difficult time having joy in our worship services because we're afraid.

And I know a lot of the reasons why the Pentecostal movement and so forth it got us so afraid to do anything. I mean I had check on Sharon for a minute. I was afraid she's gonna be clapping back there during the music.

See there we did. You know I almost she'd almost lost it. God forbid the joy was removed. My dad used to tell me this when I was growing up said quit smiling. Someone's gonna think you're happy. And that's what we do in church.

A lot of times it's because God's not here. A lot of times he just doesn't show up because he chooses not to participate in a feast that has the world or some unclean thing joined with it. But in this passage in Hosea we're gonna see that the joy was removed when the feast were abandoned.

It's interesting also that they these people were then removed from the promised land. Who can tell me what the promised land pictures for us. What is the Old Testament idea of the promised land. What is that to us.

And as Christians say it again heaven. Well not exactly it is in a way it's have its heaven now. It's exactly. I mean you go into to Matthew chapter where our parables. I just drew a blank. What chapter 13.

Okay that talks about the kingdom the mystery kingdom. Brother Richard. That's the kingdom in our heart right now. You know the real kingdoms not here. So it's victorious Christian living. Isn't it victorious Christian living was removed from these people when they ceased to have the feasts.

Now we're gonna we're making a correlation here as we go is these feasts are very very important because of the object lessons that they taught. And of course to the Old Testament before the cross they were even more important because they brought atonement a covering over.

Until the Lord Jesus would come to us today they would be memorial looking back and picturing all of him. And we've just thrown that out. So they they were taken from the promised land. And then separation from the world became unimportant to and then they went into captivity.

Look at Hosea 2 verse 10. And now I will destroy her lewdness in the sight of her lovers. And none shall deliver her out of mine hand. I will also cause all of her mirth to cease her feast days. Now notice that joy and mirth was associated with the feast days.

So if you were Satan wouldn't you love to remove that. Wouldn't you love to remove anything that had to do with that from from God's people. Her new moons or Sabbath's all of her solemn feast. God says I'll remove those because of her lewdness.

Chapter 9 verse 1 says. Rejoice not Oh Israel for joy as other people. For thou hast gone a whoring from thy God. Thou hast loved a reward upon every corn floor. Their economy was more important than the God who gave it to them.

In verse 3 says they shall not dwell in the Lord's land as we said they're removed from the promised land. But Ephraim shall return to Egypt which is a picture of what the world system. And they shall look at this.

Eat unclean things in Assyria. Can you imagine the Jew doing that. Brother Russ we've had a few debates about that. You don't even think that you would do that. But I'll tell you what he did. Do it. He did it in Assyria.

And you know what that pictures. Lack of separation. The Baptist Church has not preached the doctrine of separation for years. Be not unequally yoked together with unbelievers. Come out from among them.

Be separate. Come out from among the unclean. God says I'll be a God to you. And you'll be my children. We don't worry too much about that. Do it. Fellowship with the world. Fellowship with law. The lost.

It's not that big a problem. We just bring them right into the church and I'll tell you where we bring them is right into our youth groups. We've gotten the impression in these last days that the youth group is there to be the evangelistic arm of the church.

Find that in the Bible for me. And then maybe we'll practice it but you won't find it. So we take our little lambs and we throw them out to the wolves. And I'll tell you what. Some of you adults we live in our sheltered homes which is wonderful.

And we live in our sheltered churches. And some of us have Christian schools and we do not know how much it changed out there. But I'll promise you if you go out to evangelize and bring in teenagers from the world and you bring them into your youth group you're going to destroy your youth group.

If you want an illustration put a good kid on the ground and put a bad kid up in a chair and you tell the good kid I've got that backwards. Put the good kid in the chair. Put the bad kid on the ground and tell the good kid to pull the bad kid up in the chair with him and see if he can do it.

You know what'll happen. He's gonna end up on the ground every time. And that's what we do with our youth groups. The youth groups you know tell you what they're for brother Russell as you well know for the edification of God's children not for the evangelization of the world.

Who do you think is supposed to reach the lost youth in America. The parents that you reached. When you reach the parents the parents will reach their children. Truth is you can't reach them anyway. Only God can.

So if you will take the precious seed and throw it everywhere it's gonna hit in the right place gonna hit in some wrong places too but it's gonna hit those families. And those parents will certainly teach their children.

And that's God's way. If you'll just simply look at the methodology in the scripture. But we we're so used to doing things the way that the old Jews that we mock did things and now here we find them in Assyria eating unclean things which to a Jew was just amazing.

You you know you wouldn't think they would do this. But they've lost their sense of separation. They've lost the fact that God had separated them and made them to be a peculiar people different from the world and unto himself.

And first step was they stopped having the solemn feasts. They shall not offer wine offerings to the Lord. Neither shall they be pleasing unto him even if they offered him their sacrifices shall be unto them as the bread of mourners.

All that eat thereof shall be polluted. Can you believe that God at one time. Now I know this is the Old Testament God. God at one time felt like this. If you bring the world in to what we're doing here even though you worship and do everything you think is right to serve me.

It pollutes. You aren't we glad that he's changed. And he's not that way today just trying to see if you're awake out there does God change. Is God immutable. Yes he cannot change. If God hated the pollution of his things then he hates it now just as much.

Or that sure hurts me though because it kind of fond of my Easter basket doing those kind of things. It hurts me. But I have to face it that if God didn't like mixing paganism with his things then he does not like it now for their bread for their souls shall not come into the house of the Lord.

What will you do in the solemn day and then the day the feast of the Lord. Isn't that an interesting question. If you've lost it and you no longer how to do it know how to do it God's way. Then what will you do.

Isn't it frightening that Jesus said when I come will I find the faith on the earth. Will there be true early church Christianity anywhere on this earth when I come do you not believe his coming as soon.

Then look around you and show me where you find the faith. If you can have can recognize it when we see it. He says what will you do in the solemn day. What are you gonna do in the feast day if I take it away from you.

Well you're gonna fake something. You're gonna make up something to do. And God is not going to accept it. This is what's happening here. For lo they are gone because of destruction. What's gone the feast days.

All the things that people are supposed to do to please God. They were gone because of destruction. Egypt shall gather them up. Memphis shall bury them. The world is going to bury them. The Lord doesn't didn't come back.

He said this. If he didn't come back even the very elect might be deceived. Isn't that amazing. So we see then that the world comes into their worship. Secondly the Lord goes out of it. And thirdly then the joy is removed as the feasts are taken away.

Amos 8–9: Famine of the Word, the Doorpost Judgment, and Corrupt Priests

Now let me show you a fourth thing. Look at Amos chapter 8 in verse 9. This is frightening. Amos 8 9. And it shall come to pass in that day. Sayeth the Lord God that I will cause the Sun to go down at noon and I will darken the earth in the clear day.

And I will turn your feasts in the morning and all your songs into lamentation. Notice the feast. God is dealing with their feasts now. And I will bring up sackcloth upon all loins and baldness upon every head.

And I will make it as the morning of an only Sun and the end thereof as a bitter day. And look at verse 11. Behold the days come. Saith the Lord God that I will send a famine in the land not a famine of bread nor a thirst for water but of hearing the words of the Lord.

And they shall wander from sea to sea and from north even to the east. They shall run to and fro to seek the word of the Lord and they shall not find it. And in that day shall the fair virgins and young men faint thirst for the Word of God.

It gets to the place where so many false interpretations of the scriptures abound in our bookstores. And so few churches are willing to be the pillar of the truth that no one knows what the truth is. No one really knows where the Word of God is.

I talked Russ and I talked with a man last week told us. And he had been to Baylor University in the southwestern graduated from Baylor University and Southwestern Seminary two largest Baptist schools in the world.

He says the Word of God is not really important to God himself. He just gave us the vague general ideas. The words are not important. He said he could care less about the words. And then he went on to say some things I will not even repeat in here that were so blasphemous.

It's amazing. Our car didn't get exploded off the road. We got out of the car as quick as we could. Didn't we. He said. You'll probably disagree with me on this too. I don't believe in a literal hell.

I just believe in annihilation. And said in fact I would blank a God's blank that would create a place like that. Russ and I looked at each other and we both said at the same time you know what. You are gonna get the opportunity to try that someday.

He didn't even hear us when we said this is a seminary trained Bible scholar in the Baptist faith. When I come will I find faith on the earth. What a question can people find the Word of God. I mean they got one on every coffee counter.

Don't they. But can they find God's Word in it. Can they read it and hear God's voice. Only if the Holy Spirit teaches them the next thing that happens. Amos chapter 9 verse 1 says. I saw the Lord standing upon the altar and he said smite the lentil of the door.

And the posts may shake and cut them in the head all of them. And I will slay the last of them with the sword. He that fleeth of them shall not flee away and he that escapeth of them shall not be delivered though they dig into hell.

Then shall mine hand take them though they climb up to the heavens. Thence will I bring them down. Isn't this amazing. An amazing picture that God uses the lentil in the doorpost which we found in the Passover last Sunday's.

We studied as they slew the sacrifice and they dipped that hiss of weed. Which pictures our faith in the blood. And they applied that to the doorpost in the lentil. What happened when they applied the blood to their family's life.

What happened. The death angel passed over and they were saved. Notice the vivid picture that's given here that in this place where they've stopped keeping the feasts they've brought the world into the church.

They have sent a message to God that they prefer the world. They've gone a whoring after the world. And so God has left. And now the joy is gone. And now the Word of God is not found in their worship service.

All the sudden you know what's taken away. Salvation. There's no salvation in that kind of message. The very lentil and doorpost that pictures the salvation. God says strike it that it may shake and then cut them in the head and not one of them will escape.

They'll all be killed. So that tells me since the lentil in the doorpost is mentioned that these people were still perhaps trying in some incorrect wrong way to keep these feasts even the Passover. But they were not doing it God's way.

They're doing it their way and they put whatever they were doing. And then they go to bed that night confident that they have pleased God with their works even though they did it and constructed it the way they wanted to do it.