[Shannon]

Good Friday is a holy day celebrated by Christians on the Friday before Easter or Pascha. It commemorates the crucifixion of Jesus at Calvary. Special prayer services are often held on this day with readings from the Gospel accounts of the events leading up to the crucifixion. Mainstream Christian churches view Christ's crucifixion as a voluntary and vicarious act, and one by which, along with his resurrection on the third day, death itself was conquered.

A very common theme present in many ancient religions described the life of a man-god -- a savior of humanity -- his execution, his visit to the underworld, his resurrection after two or three days, and his ascension to heaven. The life of Yeshua of Nazareth (a.k.a. Jesus Christ) as recorded in the Gospels includes the Christian version of this theme. Good Friday is observed in remembrance of Jesus' execution by the occupying Roman army, and his burial in a cave-tomb. Easter Sunday is the date when a group of his female followers first noticed the empty tomb, and concluded that he had been resurrected.

The timing of the Christian celebration of Easter is linked to the Jewish celebration of the Passover. Passover and the Feast of Unleavened Bread were observed by the ancient Israelites early in each new year. (The Jewish people followed the Persian/Babylonian calendar and started each year with the Spring Equinox circa MAR-21). "Equinox" means "equal night;" on that date of the year, the night and day are approximately equal. The name "Passover" was derived from the actions of the angel of death as described in the book of Exodus. The angel "passed over" the homes of the Jews which were marked with the blood obtained from a ritual animal sacrifice. The same angel exterminated the first born(s) of every family whose doorway was not so marked - one of the greatest acts of mass-murder mentioned in the Bible. Victimized were first-born sons as well as the first-born of domesticated animals.

Liberal theologians trace Passover to an ancient pre-Israelite Pagan ritual practiced by wandering Semitic shepherds. The Feast of Unleavened Bread was originally a traditional Canaanite agricultural harvest which was adopted by the Israelites. It marked the start of the barley harvest; barley was the first crop to ripen. Because they occurred at about the same time each year, the two celebrations became merged into a two day observance. The Passover became associated with the exodus of the Jews from Egypt.
Conservative theologians generally believe that the original Passover was established up by God as described in Exodus 5, and that the annual Passover observances were created as "appointed feasts" established by God as described in Leviticus 23:5-14. Both were recorded by Moses.

The Christian Liturgical Calendar:
Until the 4th century CE, Easter and Pentecost were the only two holy days that Christians observed. Easter Sunday was the main day of celebration, formally recognized by the Council of Nicea in 325 CE. Pentecost Sunday was also observed as a less important holy day, 7 weeks/49 days after Easter. Other occasions related to Jesus' execution were gradually added to the church calendar:

Lent: This was a period of spiritual preparation for Easter which typically involves fasting, penance and prayer. It was originally established by various Christian groups as an interval ranging from a few days to several weeks. It was eventually fixed in the 8th century CE at 40 days. (The number 40 is one of many magical numbers with religious significance in the Bible. 40 days recalls the interval that Jesus, Moses and Elias spent in the desert. Other magical numbers were 3, 7, 12, and 70). Among Roman Catholics, Lent lasts for six and a half weeks before Easter, excluding Sundays. Among the Eastern Orthodox churches, it is a full eight weeks, because Saturdays and Sundays are not included.
Ash Wednesday: This is held on the first day of Lent, a Wednesday.
Holy Week: the week before Easter Sunday: Palm Sunday: This is held on the Sunday before Easter Sunday. It recalls Jesus' triumphant entry into Jerusalem one week before his execution.
Holy Monday commemorates Jesus' cleansing of the temple, when he assaulted money changers and overturned their tables. Some believe that this triggered his arrest and crucifixion.
Holy Tuesday recalls Jesus' description to his disciples on the Mount of Olives of the destruction of Jerusalem.
Holy Wednesday (once called Spy Wednesday) recalls Judas' decision to betray Jesus in exchange for 30 pieces of silver.
Maundy Thursday commemorates the Last Supper, Jesus agony in the garden and his arrest. "Maundy" is derived from the Latin "mandatum" (commandment of God in John 13:34-35) For centuries, people in authority have washed the feet of their followers on this day.
Good Friday recalls Jesus' death on the cross. The origin of the word "good" has been lost. Some claim that it is a corruption of "God" and that the early Christians called this day "God's Friday." Others claim that "good" refers to the blessings of humanity that Christians believe arose as a result of Jesus' execution.
Holy Saturday (a.k.a. Easter Eve) is the final day of Holy Week and of Lent.
Easter Sunday commemorates Jesus' resurrection. In the early church, converts were baptized into church membership on this day after a lengthy period of instruction. This tradition continues today in some churches.

Feast of the Ascension (a.k.a Ascension Day) is a celebration of Jesus' ascension up to heaven. This is described in Acts 1:9 as happening 40 days after his resurrection. The church celebrates the feast on a Thursday, 39 days after Easter Sunday. Although tradition states that it was first celebrated in 68 CE, it did not become formally recognized by the church until the late 3rd century.
Pentecost (a.k.a. Whit Sunday) is now celebrated 7 weeks/49 days after Easter Sunday. It recalls the visitation of the Holy Spirit to 120 Christians, both apostles and followers. They spoke in tongues (in foreign languages that they had not previously known) to the assembled crowd. Three thousand were baptized. The day was originally a Jewish festival which was called "Pentecost," because it was observed 50 days after Passover. (The Greek word for 50'th day is "pentecoste.") This is usually regarded as the date of the birth of the Christian church. The feast was mentioned in a 2nd century book, and was formally recognized in the 3rd century CE.

[Shannon]

1 Corinthians 15:12-21 (NIV) 12 But if it is preached that Christ has been raised from the dead, how can some of you say that there is no resurrection of the dead? 13 If there is no resurrection of the dead, then not even Christ has been raised. 14 And if Christ has not been raised, our preaching is useless and so is your faith. 15 More than that, we are then found to be false witnesses about God, for we have testified about God that he raised Christ from the dead. But he did not raise him if in fact the dead are not raised. 16 For if the dead are not raised, then Christ has not been raised either. 17 And if Christ has not been raised, your faith is futile; you are still in your sins. 18 Then those also who have fallen asleep in Christ are lost. 19 If only for this life we have hope in Christ, we are to be pitied more than all men. 20 But Christ has indeed been raised from the dead, the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep. 21 For since death came through a man, the resurrection of the dead comes also through a man.
The cover story of the April 8, 1996 issue of Newsweek magazine was written by Kenneth L. Woodward and is titled "Rethinking The Resurrection: A New Debate About The Risen Christ." Early in the article, Mr. Woodward expresses his understanding of the importance of the resurrection to Christianity--"By any measure, the resurrection of Jesus is the most radical of Christian doctrines." To strengthen his point, he quotes the late German Marxist philosopher Ernst Bloch.

"It wasn't the morality of the Sermon on the Mount which enabled Christianity to conquer Roman Paganism, but the belief that Jesus had been raised from the dead. In an age when Roman senators vied to see who cold get the most blood of a steer on their togas--thinking that would prevent death--Christianity was in competition for eternal life, not morality." (Woodward, Newsweek, pps. 62-63.)
Not even the critics of Christianity deny the existence of Jesus. What they do challenge is its claims that Jesus was the virgin born son of Mary and that He was raised from the dead. Some begin by questioning if He was dead when He was taken from the cross. How do we know that Jesus was dead? Perhaps he only "swooned" and regained consciousness while in the borrowed tomb.

WAS JESUS REALLY DEAD?

First, crucifixion is not something people just walked away from. Death by crucifixion was essentially death by asphyxiation. We must remember that prior to His crucifixion, Jesus had been severely beaten in Pilate's Hall.

Second, the scriptural record tells us that when the soldiers came to break his ankles, He was already dead.

John 19:32 (NASB) The soldiers therefore came, and broke the legs of the first man, and of the other man who was crucified with Him; 33 but coming to Jesus, when they saw that He was already dead, they did not break His legs;
Third, When he was stabbled in the chest with a spear, blood and water came out. The chief explanation is that the blood came from the right side of the heart and the water came from the pericardium. In other words, if Jesus was still alive, the spear would would have killed him. An ancient Roman author indicates that it was typical curcifixion procedure to pierce the victim with a spear to make sure the person was dead. (Quintillian Declamationes maiores 6,9.)

Fourth, if Jesus was still alive after the experience of crucifixion and revived while in the tomb, there are some extrordinary events that need to be explained. After the trauma of crucifixion and being in the tomb without food and water for three days, a revived Jesus moved a huge grave stone (Matthew 27:60), fought off and disarmed at least one guard (Matthew 27:65-66), walked some distance to where the disciples were, evidenced no signs of his ordeal to those He met and walked with them on the road to Emmaus. This would be an extraordinary feat for someone who had undergone the ordeal of flogging, dehydration and crucifixion. When He made his first appearance to His disciples, He would have had great difficulty making them believe He had been resurrected. What shape would He have been in? He would be bleeding from his wounds, he'd be pale from the loss of blood, swollen from the beatings and very weak. In this condition he would say to His disciples, "Howdy Fellah's, I'm the crucified and raised Lord of life." Peter may have been an unlearned fisherman, but he wasn't stupid. I can't believe that the disciples looking at Jesus, bleeding, pale and crippled form would say, "Oh boy, I can't wait until I get a Resurrection body just like His!"

Fifth, if the Shroud of Turin is Jesus' burial cloth, then it proves more strong evidence for Jesus' death. The man buried in the shroud exhibits postmortem blood flow and he's in a state of rigor mortis. If the man is Jesus, then we have another proof that He was dead.

THE RESURRECTION ITSELF

The next issue is that of the resurrection itself. How do we know that Jesus was literally and bodily raised from the dead? In his Newsweek article, Mr. Woodward quotes several "scholars" and their views concerning whether or not Jesus came back to physical life after He was crucified. Here are a few exceprts.

To him [German New Testament scholar Gerd Ludemann, a visiting professor at Vanderbilt Divinity School], the Resurrection is "an empty formula" that must be rejected by anyone holding a "scientific world view." In his latest book, "What Really Happened to Jesus" A Historical Approach to the Resurrection" (147 pages, Westminster John Knox Press), Ludemann argues that Jesus' body "rotted away" in the tomb. (Woodward, Newsweek, p. 62.)

hn Dominic Crossman of DePaul University in Chicago and a former Roman Catholic priest believes that the tomb of Jesus was empty. He reasons that Jesus' body "had already been devoured by wild dogs--a fate, claims Crossan, typical of crucified Roman criminals." (Woodward, Newsweek, p. 63.)

In the book "Did Jesus Rise From The Dead: The Resurrection Debate", authors Gary Habermas and Antony Flew deal with objections to the resurrection of Jesus. On page 22, Gary Habermas lists ten key evidences for Jesus' Resurrection.

(1) the disciples eyewitness experiences, which they believed to be literal appearances of the risen Jesus...(2) the early proclamation of the Resurrection by these eyewitnesses, (3) their transformation into bold witnesses who were willing to die for their convictions, (4) the empty tomb, and (5) the fact that the Resurrection of Jesus was the center of the apostolic message, all of which require adequate explanations. It is also found that the disciples proclaimed this message in Jerusalem itself, where it is related that in repeated confrontations with the authorities, (6) the Jewish leaders could not disprove their message even though they had both the power and the motivation to do so.
Addtionally, (7) the very existence of the church, founded by monotheistic, law-abiding jews who nonetheless (8) worshiped on Sunday demand historical causes as well.
Two additionally strong facts arguing for the historicity of the Resurrection are the two skeptics, (9) James and (10) Paul, became Christians after having experiences that they also believed were appearances of the risen Jesus. (Habermas and Flew, 1987, p. 22.)

ANSWERING OBJECTIONS


The Disciples Stole The Body
Some have suggested that the disciples stole the body of Jesus and fabricated the resurrection story. The first problem with this theory is, there is not a shred of evidence to support it. Later, when threatened with death, the disciples could have saved themselves by coming forward with the truth. All they would have needed to do was state that Jesus' body was stolen, show the authorities where they had put it and their life would have been spared. Under the threat of death, not one disciple changed his story concerning the resurrection of Jesus. Why would they be willing to die for a lie? The disciples died declaring what they knew to be true--Jesus Christ is alive.


Roman Authorities Removed The Body
Others have suggested that the Roman authorities removed the body of Jesus from the tomb. If this is so, then why didn't they produce it to silence the apostle's claim that Jesus was alive. There is only one reason why the Roman and Jewish authorities failed to do so; they had no body to produce!

I must admit that the tomb was not empty. That's right, I am convinced that the tomb of Jesus was not totally empty. I can prove this from scripture.


John 20:6 (NASB) Simon Peter therefore also came, following him, and entered the tomb; and he beheld the linen wrappings lying [there,] 7 and the face-cloth, which had been on His head, not lying with the linen wrappings, but rolled up in a place by itself.
The termonolgy is very clear here--"The strips of linen lying there." John Blanchard offers the following thoughts concerning this phrase.


The word 'lying' seems straightforward, but there is more to the original Greek word than meets the eye, because it is commonly used of something done in an orderly way. This means that the linen winding-cloth was not carelessly discarded. But there was something else. The head-cloth was 'folded up by itself, separate from the linen'. One scholar says that 'folded up by itself' means something like 'twirled about itself', and another that it 'aptly describes the rounded shape which the empty napkin still preserved'. (Blanchard, 1989, p. 115.)
In the next paragraph, Mr. Blanchard explains, "The linen windingsheets would have collapsed under the weight of the spices, while the head-cloth might well have more of less kept its shape, like 'a crumpled turban with no head inside it'. (Blanchard, 1989, p. 116.) This suggests that the body of the entombed one had passed through the burial cloth without disturbing it. Scripture tells us that when John realized the significance of those collapsed graveclothes, he "believed." What convinced him was not merely the absence of the body, but the way in which the grave-clothes were lying.


The So-called Eye Wittnesses Were Hallucinating
The most powerful piece of evidence for the resurrection of Jesus is the Bible's record of His appearances. There are six independent, written testimonis to this - by Matthew, Mark, Luke, John, Paul and Peter, three of whom are eye-witnesses - and they record eleven separate appearances over a period of forty days.

1. His Appearence To Mary Magdalene
Mark 16:9 (NASB) [Now after He had risen early on the first day of the week, He first appeared to Mary Magdalene, from whom He had cast out seven demons.


2. His Appearence To A Group Of Women Between The Tomb And The City
Matt 28:9 (NASB) And behold, Jesus met them and greeted them. And they came up and took hold of His feet and worshiped Him.


3. His Appearence To Two Disciples On Their Way To Emmaus
Luke 24:15 (NASB) And it came about that while they were conversing and discussing, Jesus Himself approached, and [began] traveling with them.


4. His Appearance To Simon
Luke 24:34 (NASB) saying, "The Lord has really risen, and has appeared to Simon."


5. His Appearance To A Group Of Disciples
Luke 24:36 (NASB) And while they were telling these things, He Himself stood in their midst.


6. His Appearance A Week Later To Disciples Behind Closed Doors
John 20:26 (NASB) And after eight days again His disciples were inside, and Thomas with them. Jesus came, the doors having been shut, and stood in their midst, and said, "Peace [be] with you."


7. His Appearance By The Sea Of Tiberias
John 21:1 (NASB) After these things Jesus manifested Himself again to the disciples at the Sea of Tiberias, and He manifested [Himself] in this way.


8. His Appearance To More Than Five Hundred At The Same Time
1Cor 15:6 (NASB) After that He appeared to more than five hundred brethren at one time, most of whom remain until now, but some have fallen asleep;


9. His Appearance To James
1Cor 15:7 (NASB) then He appeared to James, then to all the apostles;


10. His Appearance To The Eleven On A Mountain in Galilee
Matt 28:18 (NASB) And Jesus came up and spoke to them, saying, "All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth.


11. His Appearance In The Vicinity Of Bethany
Luke 24:50-51 (NASB) And He led them out as far as Bethany, and He lifted up His hands and blessed them. 51 And it came about that while He was blessing them, He parted from them.


12. His Appearance To Paul
1Cor 15:8 (NASB) and last of all, as it were to one untimely born, He appeared to me also.


The final objection surrounds these post-resurrection appearances of Jesus. According to Mr. Woodward, Ludemann offers a physcological explanation for these sightings.


The Risen Christ that appeared to the Apostle Peter, according to Ludemann...was a subjective "vision" produced by Peter's overwhelming grief and "guilt" for having denied Jesus when he was arrested. For the Apostle Paul, who had previously persecuted Christians, his vision of the Risen Jesus was the resolution of an unconscious "Christ complex." And what the New Testament descrives as Jesus' appearance to "more than 500" followers was a "mass ecstasy." In short, modern psychology reduces the Risen Christ to a series of interpsychic experiences that produced in the disciples a renewed sense of missionary zeal and spiritual self-confidence. (Woodward, Newsweek, pps. 62-63.)

I might understand how a guilt ridden Peter, overwhelmed by grief may have experienced a subjective "vision." It is, however, very difficult to believe that "more than 500" followers were simultaneously caught up in "mass ecstasy." It is unthinkable that 500 people would have the same hallucination at once. There is no evidence for such theories. The only satisfiable explanation is that they were not hullucinating but actually saw the resurrected Christ.

The nineteenth century German writer Kark Theodore Keim, suggested that what the disciples saw was some kind of spirit or ghost. This cannot be collaborated by Scripture. Jesus post-resurrection actions and comments dismiss this idea.

The Women Clasped A Physical Body
Matt 28:9 (NASB) And behold, Jesus met them and greeted them. And they came up and took hold of His feet and worshiped Him.


He Manifest Physical Abilities
Luke 24:30 (NASB) And it came about that when He had reclined [at the table] with them, He took the bread and blessed [it,] and breaking [it,] He [began] giving [it] to them.


He Stated That He Was Not A Spirit
Luke 24:36 (NASB) And while they were telling these things, He Himself stood in their midst. 37 But they were startled and frightened and thought that they were seeing a spirit. 38 And He said to them, "Why are you troubled, and why do doubts arise in your hearts? 39 "See My hands and My feet, that it is I Myself; touch Me and see, for a spirit does not have flesh and bones as you see that I have." 40 [And when He had said this, He showed them His hands and His feet.] 41 And while they still could not believe [it] for joy and were marveling, He said to them, "Have you anything here to eat?" 42 And they gave Him a piece of a broiled fish; 43 and He took it and ate [it] before them.


While belief in the resurrection is a matter of faith, it is faith based upon powerfully persuasive evidence. In view of the facts, the only sensible conclusion to this matter is that Jesus was raised from the dead and that He is alive at this very moment.

THE EFFECT OF THIS TRUTH ON THE EARLY CHURCH

The truth of the resurrection effected the early church in at least two ways. First, it became the center of their message. Motivated and impassioned by the reality of the resurrection, they went everywhere proclaiming the crucified, resurrected, ascended Christ. Second, they lived with hope.



1The 4:10 (NASB) for indeed you do practice it toward all the brethren who are in all Macedonia. But we urge you, brethren, to excel still more, 11 and to make it your ambition to lead a quiet life and attend to your own business and work with your hands, just as we commanded you; 12 so that you may behave properly toward outsiders and not be in any need. 13 But we do not want you to be uninformed, brethren, about those who are asleep, that you may not grieve, as do the rest who have no hope.
According to Paul, the early church was...


13 looking for the blessed hope and the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior, Christ Jesus; 14 who gave Himself for us, that He might redeem us from every lawless deed and purify for Himself a people for His own possession, zealous for good deeds. Titus 2:13 (NASB)
The Believers at Thessalonica had...


9 ...turned to God from idols to serve a living and true God, 10 and to wait for His Son from heaven, whom He raised from the dead, [that is] Jesus, who delivers us from the wrath to come. 1The 1:9 (NASB)
A PROMISE FROM GOD


1Cor 15:31 (NASB) I protest, brethren, by the boasting in you, which I have in Christ Jesus our Lord, I die daily. 32 If from human motives I fought with wild beasts at Ephesus, what does it profit me? If the dead are not raised, let us eat and drink, for tomorrow we die. 33 Do not be deceived: "Bad company corrupts good morals." 34 Become sober-minded as you ought, and stop sinning; for some have no knowledge of God. I speak [this] to your shame. 35 But someone will say, "How are the dead raised? And with what kind of body do they come?" 36 You fool! That which you sow does not come to life unless it dies; 37 and that which you sow, you do not sow the body which is to be, but a bare grain, perhaps of wheat or of something else. 38 But God gives it a body just as He wished, and to each of the seeds a body of its own. 39 All flesh is not the same flesh, but there is one [flesh] of men, and another flesh of beasts, and another flesh of birds, and another of fish. 40 There are also heavenly bodies and earthly bodies, but the glory of the heavenly is one, and the [glory] of the earthly is another. 41 There is one glory of the sun, and another glory of the moon, and another glory of the stars; for star differs from star in glory. 42 So also is the resurrection of the dead. It is sown a perishable [body], it is raised an imperishable [body]; 43 it is sown in dishonor, it is raised in glory; it is sown in weakness, it is raised in power; 44 it is sown a natural body, it is raised a spiritual body. If there is a natural body, there is also a spiritual [body.] 45 So also it is written, "The first man, Adam, became a living soul." The last Adam [became] a life-giving spirit. 46 However, the spiritual is not first, but the natural; then the spiritual. 47 The first man is from the earth, earthy; the second man is from heaven. 48 As is the earthy, so also are those who are earthy; and as is the heavenly, so also are those who are heavenly. 49 And just as we have borne the image of the earthy, we shall also bear the image of the heavenly. 50 Now I say this, brethren, that flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God; nor does the perishable inherit the imperishable.
Prayer:

Jesus, I declare that You are the ever living Son of God. Because You live, I live in the hope of your soon return. By your life I have victory over death, hell and the grave. You are my Lord and my soon coming King! Allelujah!

[x0x_JoAnNe_x0x]

thanks shannon that was a very interesting read!!!!! xxx it scares me though to think of all the pain that one man suffered to forgive ours sins!!! he truly is a hero! xx

[Shannon]

I know, did you watch Mel Gibson's movie?

"The Passion of the Christ"?

I have to say it was the most touchin movie ive ever watched as regards the effect it had on me! I've never cried so much in my life

[x0x_JoAnNe_x0x]

iv watched that too it is soo horrific and very effective! iv watched an other one two but the mel gibson was was much more detailed!!! i was crying my eyes out soo much iv seen grown men cry watching that film!! xxx

[Shannon]

Yeh i know, when my brother went to see it in the cinema, he said that there were grown men crying everywhere

Really tough movie to watch, i thought Jim Caviezel as Jesus was fantastic, if thats a word you could use!

[Mella]

Oh i wanted to see this movie. But you've put me off.

I cry my eyes out like a baby at Bambi & My girl...what chance have I got with this.

[Shannon]

Mella when my 2 brother watched it, they sat in their room together for about 5 hours, saying nothing, just staring at the floor...and thats weird if you know my brothers....the effect it has on you if you watch it is like nothing you've ever experienced before!

[x0x_JoAnNe_x0x]

mella it is one to watch though just to give respect sorta if ya no what i mean! yeh that man played a very convincing jesus! it was just so heartwrenching!! i didnt know where to look or how to feel! xxx

[rodger]

Hi Shannon,

This is a fantastic piece of research and writing!
Is this your work? If so, Brava!!!!

My faith has become really important the past few
years since Sept 11th. I've read many things during that
time. But I really got a LOT out of this. Thank you
for posting it.

I came about it quite by accident. I was looking for
clipart about the resurrection, and googling different
things. I wanted the scripture verses too. That's
how I found it.

I'm planning to do at Easter, what I did at Christmas time.

At Christmas I took art of the birth of Jesus, and
the scripture to go with it. Luke 2. 8-14. The same
verses that are read by Linus in "A Charlie Brown Christmas".

I put the picture and the verses into a document, and made
color prints of the pages. Then, I went downtown to busy streets,
and taped the pictures and verses to telephone poles.

In the US here, there is a lot systematic repression of Christianity
these days. Christmas trees are called "magical trees".
"We wish you a Merry Christmas" is rewritten "we wish you a
swingin holiday". Nativity scenes are vandalized, and the figures
are stolen. Now, they don't even want to refer to "Easter bunny",
or "Easter eggs". All with the excuse that "someone" (anonymous)
"might" be "offended".

Supposedly the public is more offended by a "Christmas tree" and
the "Easter bunny" than when politicians do illegal and immoral things.


I call this Christian bashing.

So, this was my quiet counter culture way of affirming Jesus, and
the real meaning of Christmas. And now, Easter.

I will forward this link along. This is fabulous!

BTW, I saw "The Passion" also. Fabulous movie! Another
movie that was released recently is, "Into Great Silence".
It is a documentary about monks that took 25 years to make!
Including 16 years of waiting for a "yes". Highly recommended.