1. Hosanna! Maranatha! Hallelujah! Pastor Timothy Hinkle March 24, 2013

2. John 12:12-16 12 The next day a great multitude that had come to the feast, when they heard that Jesus was coming to Jerusalem, 13 took branches of palm trees and went out to meet Him, and cried out: "Hosanna! 'Blessed is He who comes in the name of the LORD!' The King of Israel!“ 14 Then Jesus, when He had found a young donkey, sat on it; as it is written:

3. John 12:12-16 15 "Fear not, daughter of Zion; Behold, your King is coming, Sitting on a donkey's colt." 15 "Fear not, daughter of Zion; Behold, your King is coming, Sitting on a donkey's colt." 16 His disciples did not understand these things at first; but when Jesus was glorified, then they remembered that these things were written about Him and that they had done these things to Him.

4. Prophesy Zechariah 9:9 9 “ Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion! Shout, O daughter of Jerusalem! Behold, your King is coming to you; He is just and having salvation, Lowly and riding on a donkey, A colt, the foal of a donkey. 9 “ Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion! Shout, O daughter of Jerusalem! Behold, your King is coming to you; He is just and having salvation, Lowly and riding on a donkey, A colt, the foal of a donkey.

5. Did not understand?  Many times God is doing something that He promised He would do, and we miss it!  Personal Suggestion for Encouragement and Awareness: Look at your life and see where God has done just as He said He would.  The World Today: What are the signs of the times? Are you aware of the hour in which we live?

6. Think About It …  The Religious Leaders of the day did not even realize the hour in which they were living because they were looking for the Messiah that their “religious tradition” said was coming IGNORING what God was ACTUALLY DOING

7. Think About It …  They forgot that Messiah was sent to “save the lost” 19 The Pharisees therefore said among themselves, "You see that you are accomplishing nothing. Look, the world has gone after Him!“  How many people ignore what God is doing at church because “sinners” (hypocrites) go there?  The Pharisees were so “legalistic” that they ignored the miracles being done in their midst.  Do you ever ignore what God is doing?

8. Hosanna! Hosanna! ω ̔ σαννά ω ̔ σαννά ho-san-nah' ho-san-nah' Of Hebrew origin; oh save!; hosanna (that is, hoshia-na), an exclamation of adoration: - hosanna.

9. He Is Worthy!  The people were saying, “We Adore You!”  Do we, God’s people, knowing what Jesus has done for us, earnestly show ADORATION for our Lord?  What is the temperature of your worship?

10. "And I, if I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all peoples to Myself.“ This He said, signifying by what death He would die.

11. HE AROSE!  Next week, we will celebrate Resurrection Day—the anniversary of the day that Jesus arose from the grave and left an empty tomb! NOTE:  WE ARE NOT CELEBRATING THE EASTER BUNNY  THE RESURRECTION OF CHRIST HAS NOTHING TO DO WITH AN EGG  DO YOU WANT TO KNOW WHERE THE EGG & BUNNY COME FROM?

12. Emperor Constantine Corrupted Christianity  Pagan Worship of Ishtar (Easter) and Tammuz (Nimrod’s “son”—Nimrod “reincarnated) had been going on since the tower of Babel  Constantine was NOT a Christian, but was crafty enough to name Rome a “Christian Empire” as long as Christians would “blend” traditions

13. Who is Ishtar and Tammuz? In ancient times, there was a man named Nimrod, who was the grandson of one of Noah's son named Ham. Ham had a son named Cush who married a woman named Semiramis. Cush and Semiramis then had a son named him "Nimrod." After the death of his father, Nimrod married his own mother and became a powerful King. The Bible tells of of this man, Nimrod, in Genesis 10:8-10 as follows:

14. Who is Ishtar and Tammuz? "And Cush begat Nimrod: he began to be a mighty one in the earth. He was a mighty hunter before the Lord: wherefore it is said, even as Nimrod the mighty hunter before the Lord. And the beginning of his kingdom was Babel, and Erech, and Accad, and Calneh, in the land of Shinar."

15. Who is Ishtar and Tammuz?   Nimrod became a god-man to the people and Semiramis, his wife and mother, became the powerful Queen of ancient Babylon.   Nimrod was eventually killed by an enemy, and his body was cut in pieces and sent to various parts of his kingdom. Semiramis had all of the parts gathered, except for one part that could not be found.

16. Who is Ishtar and Tammuz? That missing part was his reproductive organ. Semiramis claimed that Nimrod could not come back to life without it and told the people of Babylon that Nimrod had ascended to the sun and was now to be called "Baal", the sun god. Queen Semiramis also proclaimed that Baal would be present on earth in the form of a flame, whether candle or lamp, when used in worship.

17. Who is Ishtar and Tammuz? Semiramis was creating a mystery religion, and with the help of Satan, she set herself up as a goddess. Semiramis claimed that she was immaculately conceived. She taught that the moon was a goddess that went through a 28 day cycle and ovulated when full. She further claimed that she came down from the moon in a giant moon egg that fell into the Euphrates River.

18. Who is Ishtar and Tammuz? This was to have happened at the time of the first full moon after the spring equinox. Semiramis became known as "Ishtar" which is pronounced "Easter", and her moon egg became known as "Ishtar's" egg." Ishtar soon became pregnant and claimed that it was the rays of the sun-god Baal that caused her to conceive. The son that she brought forth was named Tammuz.

19. Who is Ishtar and Tammuz? Tammuz was noted to be especially fond of rabbits, and they became sacred in the ancient religion, because Tammuz was believed to be the son of the sun-god, Baal. Tammuz, like his supposed father, became a hunter. The day came when Tammuz was killed by a wild pig. Queen Ishtar told the people that Tammuz was now ascended to his father, Baal, and that the two of them would be with the worshippers in the sacred candle or lamp.

20. Who is Ishtar and Tammuz? Ishtar, who was now worshipped as the "Mother of God and Queen of Heaven", continued to build her mystery religion. The queen told the worshippers that when Tammuz was killed by the wild pig, some of his blood fell on the stump of an evergreen tree, and the stump grew into a full new tree overnight. This made the evergreen tree sacred by the blood of Tammuz.

21. Who is Ishtar and Tammuz? She also proclaimed a forty day period of time of sorrow each year prior to the anniversary of the death of Tammuz. During this time, no meat was to be eaten. Worshippers were to meditate upon the sacred mysteries of Baal and Tammuz. Every year, on the first Sunday after the first full moon after the spring equinox, a celebration was made. It was Ishtar's Sunday and was celebrated with rabbits and eggs.

22. Who is Ishtar and Tammuz? Ishtar also proclaimed that because Tammuz was killed by a pig, that a pig must be eaten on that Sunday.

23. But Why Colored Eggs? As the worship of Baal, Tammuz and Ishtar became popular, many involved in pagan worship would go into the temple of the false god(s) and engage in sexual ceremonies, which would produce offspring. All of the offspring was brought to the temple and sacrificed to Tammuz.

24. But Why Colored Eggs? The parents of the sacrificed child were later given an egg dipped in the blood of the sacrificed child as a “good luck” charm to insure fertility in the future for their family. Hence, the tradition of coloring eggs began.

25. Acts 1:7-11 7 And He said to them, “It is not for you to know times or seasons which the Father has put in His own authority. 8 But you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be witnesses to Me in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.”

26. Acts 1:7-11 Jesus Ascends to Heaven 9 Now when He had spoken these things, while they watched, He was taken up, and a cloud received Him out of their sight. 10 And while they looked steadfastly toward heaven as He went up, behold, two men stood by them in white apparel, 11 who also said, “Men of Galilee, why do you stand gazing up into heaven? This same Jesus, who was taken up from you into heaven, will so come in like manner as you saw Him go into heaven.”

27. Maranatha! Even so, come quickly Lord Jesus! “This same Jesus, who was taken up from you into heaven, will so come in like manner as you saw Him go into heaven.”

28. HALLELUJAH! You’re Invited!