how do you know he did? and, dawn means dawn. sunup. not sundown.
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so, produce a translation that defines the word dawn as dusk, and I go with what you say.
till them, I will go with what the word means over your judeaizing opinion.
Here is one bible verse alone, that refutes your view of a sunrise service.
"The first day of the week cometh Mary Magdalene early,
when it was yet dark.."
Seems it was still dark, and Christ was already not there.
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We read clearly that Mary Magdalene came to anoint Christ on “the first day
of the week … at the rising of the sun” (verse 2).
She found that the stone of His sepulcher was rolled away (verse 4). Verse 9 confirms that He
had already been resurrected: “Now when Jesus was risen early the first day of the week .…”
Notice carefully though: It doesn’t say He “did rise” or “rose on the first day.” It says He was
risen. He had done so, as the Scriptures so clearly show, on late Saturday afternoon.
That expression—was risen—is the sole basis for the idea that Christ was resurrected on Sunday
morning—yet it says nothing of the sort! Instead, it simply confirms that Christ had
already been resurrected and emerged from the tomb by the time Mary arrived.
As for Easter and its traditional Sunday “sunrise service,” there is no biblical basis for its ob-
servance. The Catholic Encyclopedia frankly admits that “the apostolic fathers do not mention it” .
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“In the end of the sabbath, as it began to dawn toward the first day of the week,
came Mary Magdalene and the other Mary to see the sepulchre”
If you study the Greek text, you learn that the word for sabbath is
actually plural! “After the sabbaths,” it should read.
Jesus crucified on a Wednesday afternoon and buried later that evening,
before sunset. The next day, Thursday, was an annual sabbath. The day
after that, was preparation day for the regular weekly Sabbath.
The reason Matthew refers to sabbaths, plural, is because there were
two sabbaths that week! When Matthew says Mary came early Sunday morning,
before dawn, after one of the sabbaths, he is referring to the weekly Sabbath.
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Mark 16:1 says Mary Magdalene and her companions bought spices
“when the sabbath was past.” They were planning to prepare these
ointments and spices so that they might anoint the body of Jesus.
Yet Luke 23:56 says they prepared these spices and then rested on
the weekly Sabbath day. Compare these two texts carefully.
Those who hold to the Good Friday-Easter belief must conclude that these
verses are a glaring contradiction. They are not! They complement each
other perfectly, if you understand that there were two sabbaths that week.
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encyclopedias point out, the Easter tradition for Christians began with “the words
of the ancient Nicene Creed”—not with the Bible. The tradition actually has its roots
in paganism, following customs that began long before Christ ever lived.
Antiquity of the Roman Mass
It is still redolent of that liturgy, of the days when Caesar ruled the world
and thought he could stamp out the faith of Christ, when our fathers
met together before dawn and sang a hymn to Christ as to a God.
"We also send you the good news of the settlement concerning the holy pasch, namely
that in answer to your prayers this question also has been resolved. All the brethren
in the East who have hitherto followed the Jewish practice will henceforth observe
the custom of the Romans and of yourselves and of all of us (who from ancient times)
have kept Easter together with you.[13]
A custom of the Romans, not from the bible, and not given to Jesus church.