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Topic: This year let us take the high road.
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Betty Louise
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posted
How about you show me in the Bible where it says we should never celebrate Jesus' birth and Resurrection. It is not in the Bible saying Christians should be on the internet, either. My point is that we do alot of things that were not done in Bible days but that does not make them wrong.
betty
Christmas and Easter has away of turning some sinners hearts toward God. That is why the devil is fighting so hard to ban Christmas and Easter. If Christmas and Easter was not a threat to the devil, he would not have worked so hard to ban them from Schools, work places, and government buildings.
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Luk 21:28 And when these things begin to come to pass, then look up, and lift up your heads; for your redemption draweth nigh.
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becauseHElives
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I already answered your calendar question...
posted April 21, 2009 10:07 AM
quote:
Betty the calender is just one more proof how far reaching paganism has adapted into this world system.... the use of the calender is not part of the Church ....I am in this world but I am not of this world....
quote:
Nor do you believe God can save people because of Easter or Christmas.
yes you are correct......
it is the Truth that sets free, not lies like Easter and Christ-mass
If ye continue in my word, then are ye my disciples indeed; And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.
what part of Yahweh's Word (which is the Truth)do you that continue the lies of Christ-mass and Easter use to continue the lies of pagans.
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Strive to enter in at the strait gate:for many, I say unto you will seek to enter in, and shall not be able. ( Luke 13:24 )
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Betty Louise
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BecauseHeLives,
You are not capable of taking the high road.
Nor do you believe God can save people because of Easter or Christmas.
You have not answer my question about whether you use a calender like most Americans? If you do, you are using a pagan calender so get off your high horse.
betty
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Luk 21:28 And when these things begin to come to pass, then look up, and lift up your heads; for your redemption draweth nigh.
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becauseHElives
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Easter and Christ-mass pagan to the core,
you neither have shown anything information to the contrary....
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Strive to enter in at the strait gate:for many, I say unto you will seek to enter in, and shall not be able. ( Luke 13:24 )
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Found in Him
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posted
And I respectfully stand with my Sister Betty.
Galatians 5
1 Stand fast therefore in the liberty wherewith Christ hath made us free..
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~To Him That is able to keep you from falling and to present you before His glorious presence without fault and with great joy...to the only God our Savior be glory, majesty, power and authority, through Jesus Christ our Lord, before all ages, now and forevermore! Amen.~ Jude 24
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Betty Louise
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posted
I respectfully disagree. I believe you are indeed judging Easter and Christmas. When in fact the world wants to get rid of Easter and Christmas because even the heathen get that they are Christian Holidays.
betty
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Luk 21:28 And when these things begin to come to pass, then look up, and lift up your heads; for your redemption draweth nigh.
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becauseHElives
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Betty apologize excepted, but I never thought you rude, maybe a little flustered at me would be more accurate.
Resurrection of Christ..... there is a command in scripture to keep this time in our remembrance, and I am in no way opposed to people keeping a annual feast to remember the day because Yahshua said for us to keep His death, burial and resurrection., but Yahshua put no limit as to how often as you should bring into remembrance His death, burial and resurrection..... 1Cr 11:26 For as often as ye eat this bread, and drink this cup, ye do shew the Lord's death till he come.
but there are clear commands in scripture that clearly warn the Christian believer not to do as the heathen do, do not mix the Holy and the profane.....
Easter and Christ-mass are clearly cancerous pagan rooted growths in the Church of Yahshua....
i truly pray for the eyes of your understanding to be opened as you and others continual seek after all thing that please The Heavenly Father's Heart!
by the way Easter and Christ-mass do not qualify for Rom 14:1 RECEIVE one who is weak in the faith, but not to disputes over doubtful things.
Easter and Christ-mass are not doubtful things, they are pagan things.
and even if you are right, I am the weaker brother in the faith because it is a sin for me, Yahweh command you for my sake to stop doing Easter and Christ-mass ......
Rom 14:12
So then each of us shall give account of himself to God.
Rom 14:13
Therefore let us not judge one another anymore, but rather resolve this, not to put a stumbling block or a cause to fall in our brother's way.
Rom 14:14
I know and am convinced by the Lord Jesus that there is nothing unclean of itself; but to him who considers anything to be unclean, to him it is unclean.
Rom 14:15
Yet if your brother is grieved because of your food, you are no longer walking in love. Do not destroy with your food the one for whom Christ died.
Rom 14:16
Therefore do not let your good be spoken of as evil;
Rom 14:17
for the kingdom of God is not eating and drinking, but righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit.
Rom 14:18
For he who serves Christ in these things is acceptable to God and approved by men.
Rom 14:19
Therefore let us pursue the things which make for peace and the things by which one may edify another.
Rom 14:20
Do not destroy the work of God for the sake of food. All things indeed are pure, but it is evil for the man who eats with offense.
Rom 14:21
It is good neither to eat meat nor drink wine nor do anything by which your brother stumbles or is offended or is made weak.
Rom 14:22
Do you have faith? Have it to yourself before God. Happy is he who does not condemn himself in what he approves.
Rom 14:23
But he who doubts is condemned if he eats, because he does not eat from faith; for whatever is not from faith is sin.
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Strive to enter in at the strait gate:for many, I say unto you will seek to enter in, and shall not be able. ( Luke 13:24 )
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Betty Louise
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BecauseHeLives,
I apologize for being rude. If Easter and Christmas is a hindrance for you, of course you should not celebrate. But for those that celebrating the birth and Resurrection of Christ is a privilege do us the curtsy of not judging us either. Paul said not to judge people concerning days.
betty
Rom 14:1
RECEIVE one who is weak in the faith, but not to disputes over doubtful things.
Rom 14:2
For one believes he may eat all things, but he who is weak eats only vegetables.
Rom 14:3
Let not him who eats despise him who does not eat, and let not him who does not eat judge him who eats; for God has received him.
Rom 14:4
Who are you to judge another's servant? To his own master he stands or falls. Indeed, he will be made to stand, for God is able to make him stand.
Rom 14:5
One person esteems one day above another; another esteems every day alike. Let each be fully convinced in his own mind.
Rom 14:6
He who observes the day, observes it to the Lord;[fn1] and he who does not observe the day, to the Lord he does not observe it. He who eats, eats to the Lord, for he gives God thanks; and he who does not eat, to the Lord he does not eat, and gives God thanks.
Rom 14:7
For none of us lives to himself, and no one dies to himself.
Rom 14:8
For if we live, we live to the Lord; and if we die, we die to the Lord. Therefore, whether we live or die, we are the Lord's.
Rom 14:9
For to this end Christ died and rose[fn2] and lived again, that He might be Lord of both the dead and the living.
Rom 14:10
But why do you judge your brother? Or why do you show contempt for your brother? For we shall all stand before the judgment seat of Christ.[fn3]
Rom 14:11
For it is written:
"As I live, says the LORD,
Every knee shall bow to Me,
And every tongue shall confess to God."[fn4]
Rom 14:12
So then each of us shall give account of himself to God.
Rom 14:13
Therefore let us not judge one another anymore, but rather resolve this, not to put a stumbling block or a cause to fall in our brother's way.
Rom 14:14
I know and am convinced by the Lord Jesus that there is nothing unclean of itself; but to him who considers anything to be unclean, to him it is unclean.
Rom 14:15
Yet if your brother is grieved because of your food, you are no longer walking in love. Do not destroy with your food the one for whom Christ died.
Rom 14:16
Therefore do not let your good be spoken of as evil;
Rom 14:17
for the kingdom of God is not eating and drinking, but righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit.
Rom 14:18
For he who serves Christ in these things[fn5] is acceptable to God and approved by men.
Rom 14:19
Therefore let us pursue the things which make for peace and the things by which one may edify another.
Rom 14:20
Do not destroy the work of God for the sake of food. All things indeed are pure, but it is evil for the man who eats with offense.
Rom 14:21
It is good neither to eat meat nor drink wine nor do anything by which your brother stumbles or is offended or is made weak.[fn6]
Rom 14:22
Do you have faith?[fn7] Have it to yourself before God. Happy is he who does not condemn himself in what he approves.
Rom 14:23
But he who doubts is condemned if he eats, because he does not eat from faith; for whatever is not from faith is sin.[fn8]
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Luk 21:28 And when these things begin to come to pass, then look up, and lift up your heads; for your redemption draweth nigh.
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Found in Him
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This is to the point where some are questioning the salvation of another... Sad.
I love you Betty Louise. You are a child of The Most High God. You are my Sister and loved of God. ![[hug]](graemlins/hug.gif) Have a wonderful day in The Lord Betty.
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~To Him That is able to keep you from falling and to present you before His glorious presence without fault and with great joy...to the only God our Savior be glory, majesty, power and authority, through Jesus Christ our Lord, before all ages, now and forevermore! Amen.~ Jude 24
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becauseHElives
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posted
there is no excuse for rebellion....
Yahshua says in John 4:24, "God is a Spirit and they that worship Him must worship Him in spirit and in truth."
if there is no truth in "Easter" or Christ-mass...how can you continue there in and say you are worshiping Yahweh....
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Strive to enter in at the strait gate:for many, I say unto you will seek to enter in, and shall not be able. ( Luke 13:24 )
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Betty Louise
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posted
Nothing can be gained by contributing to this thread any longer. So I am taking my love of Easter and Christmas and leaving the room.
betty
BecauseHeLives
The rebellion is not those who worship on Easter but those who through legalism want to tie the hands of God.
Worshiping God is not rebellion. Your are so hardhearted and stubborn that you cannot see the truth.
betty
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Luk 21:28 And when these things begin to come to pass, then look up, and lift up your heads; for your redemption draweth nigh.
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becauseHElives
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quote:
We have the greater one on the inside!
Yes the believer does have the greater one on the inside....
which makes the pagan mixture of Easter and Christ-mass all the worse......
Isaiah 30
1Woe to the rebellious children, saith the LORD, that take counsel, but not of me; and that cover with a covering, but not of my spirit, that they may add sin to sin: .....
9That this is a rebellious people, lying children, children that will not hear the law of the LORD:
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Strive to enter in at the strait gate:for many, I say unto you will seek to enter in, and shall not be able. ( Luke 13:24 )
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Found in Him
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I am sure glad that God's plans are much more prosperous than the enemies! If I sat around and worried what the enemy was up to I would be worrying all day. God is bigger and more worthy of our thoughts and able to shut the enemy down!
We have the greater one on the inside!
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~To Him That is able to keep you from falling and to present you before His glorious presence without fault and with great joy...to the only God our Savior be glory, majesty, power and authority, through Jesus Christ our Lord, before all ages, now and forevermore! Amen.~ Jude 24
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becauseHElives
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Found in Him if a pagan gets truly saved, they stop pagan practices....
Betty the calender is just one more proof how far reaching paganism has adapted into this world system.... the use of the calender is not part of the Church ....I am in this world but I am not of this world....
Paganism in the Church part 3
Today we come to the climax of our series on "Paganism in the Church," and the subject today is centered in the symbol of the cross. Although the cross has become a revered relic and often even an object of worship, I would like to explore the ancient background of this cherished symbol. In our last broadcast we discovered that the Bible describes the worship of Tammuz, the Pagan God of the Sun. Satan inspired those idolatrous people to represent Tammuz by the letter "T," the first letter of his name. It came to be a world-wide symbol of sun worship and all the moral pollutions attached to that kind of worship. The heathen actually sacrified human beings to the devil on crosses. Centuries before Jesus was born crucifixion was a method of worshiping the pagan sun god.
When sun-worshiping generals went to battle they offered thousands of human sacrifices to the devil. It is said that Alexander the Great, after a victorious campaign, crucified over 10,000 human beings on the cross to celebrate his victory. Three-thousand chief Babylonians were crucified at one time as a sacrifice to the Devil.
When the Catholics first went down into South America and Mexico, soon after these were discovered, they were amazed to find that the sun-worshiping heathen there had crosses. They were amazed because they did not know that these people knew anything about crosses. They did not know anything about Christianity, but they had crosses because they were the sign of Tammuz-the Sun God. But listen, friends, the time finally came for the Son of God to be born. The exact day of His birth no one knows. But He lived to be thirty-three and one-half when He was crucified, which was in the spring of the year at the time of the Passover. Listen friends, it is almost too terrible for words. You remember Tammuz was exalted by Satan to be the false Messiah or rival of Jesus. The symbol of the cross, the first letter of his name, "T", was the sign of sun worship. Down through the years, many times as Satan had succeeded in leading Israel into sin and Pagan sun worship, it had seemed that the sun god was victorious over the true God. Jesus, the Creator of the world, came into a world that had forgotten Him. He suffered every insult at its hands and, finally, died upon the symbol of sun worship, the cross; as Paul says, "Even the death of the cross."
In order to show that his system of worship was superior to that of God's and to show his supremacy, Satan heaped the supreme insult upon Christ by crucifying Him upon the cross, the symbol of sun worship! Think of the Son of God dying in such awful humiliation while the people looked on, in derision. What mockery! And what rejoicing then by the demons! The Son of God delivered by His own people and crucified by the sun-worshiping Romans on the symbol of sun worship! Think of the great Son of God dying in such awful humiliation while the people looked on, wagging their heads in mockery.
But Satan saw that his disguise was torn away. His administration was laid open before the unfallen angels and before the Heavenly Universe. He had revealed himself as a murderer. The last link of sympathy was broken. "And I heard a loud voice saying in heaven, Now is come salvation and strength, and the kingdom of our God, and the power of His Christ; for the accuser of our brethren is cast down, which accused them before our God day and night." Revelation 12:10. Yet Satan was not then destroyed. For the sake of man, his existence must be continued. Men, as well as angels, must see the contrast between the Prince of Light and the Prince of Darkness. He must choose whom he will serve.
Now as we look at Calvary, what do we see? We see the Author of life with His form stripped of all of its clothing. He is hung before the sun, on the symbol of the cross-the cross that was once the symbol of heathen worship and heathen pollution. And on that Friday afternoon, the sun was darkened. God placed His hand over the sun while Christ hung upon the cross. Now, the blackening of the sun by God's hand was not just an incidental thing. It had some significance to it. (Luke 23:44). There was a reason why that sun was darkened. You see, that sun to the heathen was the symbol of the Devil or Sun God. So God placed His hand over the sun to show that He controlled the sun. God said, "That is as far as you can go." God darkened the sun to prove He was the creator and had power over these things!
But now let's answer a most important question friends. Do you know why Jesus came forth from the tomb before daybreak on that Sunday morning? According to all the background I have given, you must realize that at sunrise on the first day of the week men would be worshiping the Sun, or the Devil, while Jesus Christ would be in the tomb. Yes, at sunrise Satan would be worshiped. It is Friday night, the moments are tense. Now, to make sure of his victim, the devil had the tomb of Jesus Christ sealed with a seal. Do you know what the name of that seal was? It is called the Roman seal, but in Latin the name was "SINGLEM-SOLIS," which in Latan means, "The seal of the sun." So on that tomb of Jesus Christ they placed "Singlem-solis" the seal of the sun god, and the Devil thought he had his victim there to stay. He sealed Him with the seal of the sun.
But on the first day of the week, it was revealed before daylight just who was superior. Christ rested in His tomb as the Sabbath passed on. He knew that sun worshippers everywhere the moment the sun rose would worship Satan. But before the rising of the Sun, when the stone is still in place and there are over 100 Roman guards on watch, together with a host of evil angels and Satan, something happens. There are other visitors there also, angels that excel in strength were there to welcome the Prince of Life. So in John 20:1 it says He came forth "while it was yet dark." Look also at Matthew 28:2-6.
Friends, here is the reason why Jesus came forth on the first day of the week while it was yet dark. It was because God did not permit the Devil to be worshiped on his day when the sun rose while His Son was still in the tomb. God brought Him forth from the dead, and he came forth while it was yet dark for God did not leave His Son in that tomb while the Devil would be worshipped on his day. I am glad that God saw fit to bring forth His Son, and that He was able to proclaim as He came forth from that grave, "I am the resurrection and the life."
Jesus Christ on Calvary and in His resurrection conquered, friends. He came forth as an eternal conqueror, and where the resurrection is questioned, the atonement is forgotten. We are not left to conclude for ourselves that Jesus triumphed over Satan. God's Word declares it (Colossians 2:15). There were principalities and powers there that morning, but Christ triumphed over them! And Jesus Christ was out of that tomb when the sun rose, and the Devil was not worshipped while Christ lay in His tomb. Christ's victory was over the grave, and principalities, and everything that Satan stood for.
It had been Satan's plan to make the first day of the week-the pagan day of the sun-a triumphant celebration over the defeat and death of Jesus. But he lost that opportunity when Christ burst the power of the tomb before those heathen worshipers could gather to have their sun-day ceremonies. God did not allow them to triumph over the death of His Son. Satan had failed in his efforts to exalt the pagan day of sun worship.
But what a tragedy that 300 years later, Satan was able to accomplish what he failed to do at Calvary. By a clever compromise with heathen sun worship, he influenced a backsliding church to accept the counterfeit Sunday in place of the seventh-day Sabbath. Let's take a look at the way it all happened.
The Pagans worshiped the sun on Sunday (Sun's day). It was the heathen festival in honor of the sun god. Webster's Unabridged Dictionary says of Sunday, "So called because the day was anciently dedicated to the sun or to its worship." The North British Review, Vol. 18, p. 409; calls Sunday "the wild solar holiday of all Pagan times." And Gibbon, in a note; paragraph 2, chapter 20, says that "Constantine styles the Lord's day Dies Solis (day of the sun), a name which could not offend the ears of his Pagan subjects." The Schaff-Herzog Encyclopedia has the following to say on the subject of Sunday: "Sunday (Dies Solis of the Roman calendar, day of the sun: because dedicated to the sun), the first day of the week, was adopted by the early Christians as a day of worship. The (Sun) of Latin adoration, they interpreted as the (Sun of Righteousness)...No regulations for its observance are laid down in the New Testament, nor, indeed is its observance ever enjoined."
Think of it, the Sabbath (seventh day), which God blessed and made holy for man to worship the true God upon, was gradually set aside and the festival day of Pagan sun worship was taken into the church. Professor Hutton Webster, Ph.D., in his book "REST DAYS," p. 270; has this to say: "What began, however, as a Pagan ordinance, ended as a Christian regulation, and a long series of imperial decrees, during the fourth, fifth, and sixth centuries enjoined with increasing strigency abstinence from labor on Sunday."
Paganism with all of its pomp, and ceremonies, and holy days crept silently into the Christian Church until it developed into an Apostate system of religious worship. Notice this statement from SCHAFF'S CHURCH HISTORY, page 375; "Not a few pagan habits crept into the church concealed by new names. This is conceded by the most earnest of the Fathers. Leo the Great speaks of Christians in Rome who worshiped the sun, before repairing to the church of St. Peter. In the celebration of Sunday, as it was introduced by Constantine, and still continues on the whole continent of Europe, the cultus of the old Sun god Apollo mingles with the remembrance of the resurrection of Christ."
So that is the story, friends, concerning the devil's most masterful deception of all history. Not only did he bring in the Pagan forms of worship, but he managed to install the old heathen day of sun worship in place of the holy Sabbath of the Lord. And he continues to blind people to what the Bible teaches on this subject, so that they will still follow pagan tradition instead of the commandments of God. No wonder Jesus exclaimed "But in vain ye do worship me, teaching for doctrine the commandments of men." Matthew 15:9.
...a concerned Christian
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Strive to enter in at the strait gate:for many, I say unto you will seek to enter in, and shall not be able. ( Luke 13:24 )
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Betty Louise
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The same people who complain about Easter use the American calender that has pagan days on it.
betty
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Luk 21:28 And when these things begin to come to pass, then look up, and lift up your heads; for your redemption draweth nigh.
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Found in Him
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Well becausehelives... if folks are getting saved on Easter Morning in church then what do we do then?
Shall we tell God to stay home that day because some folks call it that bad word "Easter"? or should we let Him work where and when He wishes to save pagans?
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~To Him That is able to keep you from falling and to present you before His glorious presence without fault and with great joy...to the only God our Savior be glory, majesty, power and authority, through Jesus Christ our Lord, before all ages, now and forevermore! Amen.~ Jude 24
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becauseHElives
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Found in Him you keep avoiding giving any evidence of why participating in pagan holy days is acceptably .....
Paganism in the Church part 2
In our last broadcast we introduced a special series of studies about paganism in the church. We discovered the amazing fact that Satan has developed, from the earliest ages, a counterfeit, opposition system of religion which was intended to attract worship away from the true God of Heaven. That false system had its sacrificial plan just as God had a plan of sacrifice, but Satan's pagan worship required the offering up of human beings, often the sons and daughters of the worshipers. A counterfeit holy day was instituted in honor of the sun god, and this was designed by Satan to rob God of his peculiar authority as the Creator of the universe.
Satan, also, tried to compete for the loyalty of the world by setting up a very ancient center of sun worship called Babylon. To understand what Babylon means, let us go back to the days after the flood, when men refused to obey the instruction of the Lord to scatter over the earth. Settling on the plains of Shinar (Genesis 11:4), they said, "Go to, let us build us a city and a tower, whose top may reach unto heaven; and let us make us a name, lest we be scattered abroad upon the face of the whole earth." They called the tower "Babel, the gate to heaven," but God called it what it was, "Babel, confusion," for there the language of the people was confused and they were forced to scatter. This heaven-defying clan of men wanted to have one city, the captial city of the world, one government to rule the world, and one religion to sway the hearts of mankind. It was Satan's attempt to defy God and His authority. The ring leader in this scheme was one named Nimrod.
We read in the Bible about Nimrod, the man who had something to do with the beginning of pagan sun worship. We read about him in Genesis 10:8-10. "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 (margin, "Babylon").
In another translation of the Bible called the Targum, we read this: "Nimrod became a mighty man of sin, a murderer of innocent men, and a rebel before the Lord."
Nimrod, one of the great-grandsons of Noah, is accredited with being the originator of sun worship. Nimrod was a great leader, and he was the first empire builder. He was the founder of Babylon. According to history, his wife, Semiramis, was a very great and wicked queen; and through Semiramis we find the devil trying to counterfeit God's great, wonderful plan of salvation. She was the first deified queen of Babylon, and Nimrod was the first deified king. When Nimrod died, the people mourned. They said that he was a god. Semiramis, in order to elevate her own position, said to the people that she was the queen of heaven and that her spirit was that of the moon, and when she died she would dwell in the moon, even as Nimrod was already in the sun.
Satan was laying the foundation for every system of falsehood and error the world has ever known. They took the Truth of God and perverted it, changed it into a lie, and "worshipped and served the creature (Satan) more than the Creator." Romans 1:25. Here is a truth that should be deeply impresssd upon your minds today: Paganism is devil worship. Let us never forget that this system of religion, while professing to be the true religion, is actually devil worship. It professes and claims to be the Truth of God. In reality it is Satan's masterpiece, the "mystery of iniquity."
Every year, when the cold season began, the people believed their sun god was leaving them. They came to learn that his lowest dip on the horizon, about December 21, was followed by his gradual return, until in midsummer he was directly overhead at noonday. It was on the 25th of December that they began to notice this gradual return of the sun god. This day they called the birthday of the sun. Thus, the winter solstice came to be regarded as a time of great importance; and at the festival inaugurated, there was feasting and merriment in honor of the return of the all powerful sun god. It was their belief in the annual journey of their god that Elijah alluded to in his conflict with the priests of Baal, the Syro-Phoenician sun god. (1 Kings 18:27, if "he is a god; either...he is in a journey, or peradventure he sleepeth, and must be awaked").
Tammuz was hailed as the son of the sun. He was idolized and even worshipped. The first letter of his name became, in time, the symbol of sun worship. Human sacrifices to the sun god were offered on this initial letter made of wood, known as the cross "T." His birthday, December 25, was honored more and more. When Tammuz died, the pagans instituted forty days of weeping for him before the full moon, following the vernal equinox.
Think of it, dear friends. Satan worked many years before the conception and birth of the true Messiah, Jesus, to counterfeit through sun worship His miraculous conception and birth.
Let me read about this very thing in the Bible. Perhaps some of you never knew that the Bible mentions this. I am reading from Ezekiel 8:12-18, "Then said he unto me, Son of man, hast thou seen what the ancients of the house of Israel do in the dark, every man in the chambers of his imagery? for they say, the Lord seeth us not; the Lord hath forsaken the earth. He said also unto me, Turn thee yet again, and thou shalt see greater abominations that they do. Then he brought me to the door of the gate of the Lord's house which was toward the north; and, behold, there sat women weeping for Tammuz. Then said he unto me, Hast thou seen this, 0 son of man? turn thee yet again, and thou shalt see greater abominations than these. And he brought me into the inner court of the Lord's house, and, behold, at the door of the temple of the Lord, between the porch and the altar, were about five and twenty men, with their backs toward the temple of the Lord, and their faces toward the east; and they WORSHIPPED THE SUN TOWARD THE EAST. Then he said unto me, Hast thou seen this, 0 son of man? Is it a light thing...to commit the abominations which they commit here? for they have filled the land with violence, and have returned to provoke me to anger: and, lo, they put the branch to their nose. Therefore will I also deal in fury: mine eye shall not spare, neither will I have pity: and though they cry in mine ears with a loud voice, yet will I not hear them."
God's people were constantly coming in contact with paganism, which was nothing more or less than sun worship. They were constantly being tempted to follow the religion of the pagans instead of the Bible. Satan succeeded many times in leading God's people into sin and pagan sun worship. The prophet was shown greater and still greater abominations. He was shown the people turning their backs on the temple of God and worshipping the sun toward the east.
They also worshipped the moon goddess, Semiramis, the so-called queen of heaven. Let me read you what they did, in Jeremiah 7:16-18. "Therefore pray not thou for this people, neither lift up cry nor prayer for them, neither make intercession to me: for I will not hear thee. Seest thou not what they do in the cities of Judah in the streets of Jersualem? The children gather wood, and the fathers kindle the fire, and the women knead their dough, to MAKE CAKES TO THE QUEEN OF HEAVEN, and to pour out drink offerings unto other gods, that they may provoke me to anger." These cakes were round and on them was cut a cross in honor of the sun god, and they were offered to the queen of heaven. Today they are called hot cross buns.
Let us notice now a few striking and outstanding things that took place; and keep in mind that the devil, who is really the author of pagan sun worship, had been working for centuries to get this false worship so implanted in the world that God's true plan of salvation through Jesus Christ would be insulted and, if possible, be made a failure.
First, the exact date of Christ's birthday was not known; and so it was suggested, "Why not call it the same date as the birth of Tammuz, which was December 25?" That, too, was the time when the sun had reached its lowest point on the horizon and started back up the heavens. The sun god had come to life, so to speak. Thus, gradually but surely, December 25 came to be known as the birthday of Christ. The papal church finally instituted a special mass on that day, "Christ's Mass," and so December 25 became "Christmas." The yule log burning in the fire, followed by the green tree lighted with candles, all came in from the pagans' worship, representing Nimrod's being dead, while his spirit still lived in the sun, and was alive again in Tammuz, his son.
Again, Christ was crucified and resurrected in the spring of the year, near the time of the moon festival. The devil was on hand again to bring in the idea of having a celebration the same time as the heathen and even doing as they did, but calling it "in honor of the resurrection." The cakes to the QUEEN OF HEAVEN became the "hot cross buns." (Read Jeremiah 7:16-18). The forty days of "weeping for Tammuz" became Lent, and at the close of Lent came Easter Sunday. (Read Ezekiel 8:12-18). This goddess Ishtar (Easter) came to be known as the goddess of springtime, "new life," or as history records it, the "goddess of reproduction." The pagans went out to some mountain side, early Sunday morning and worshipped this goddess as the sun was rising in the east. They gave themselves to immorality and indecencey of every description. The eggs and rabbits were used as symbols of fertility and germination, "life."
Listen, friends, what an insult to our Lord and Saviour, Jesus! Because He arose from the dead (came to life) early Sunday morning, Satan succeeded in transferring the insulting festival to the pagans over in honor of Christ's resurrection; and so today, we still have the EGGS and RABBITS, and the HOT CROSS BUNS and the early SUNRISE SERVICE, all in honor of Christ's resurrection. It all came into the church gradually and was blessed by the Catholic church and given to the world.
Well, our time has slipped by, but we will continue our series in the next broadcast. Friends, don't miss the next link in the chain because I will be talking about one of the most breathtaking, arrogant deceptions that Satan ever devised, and how he used it to try to humiliate the Son of God
...a concerned Christian
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Strive to enter in at the strait gate:for many, I say unto you will seek to enter in, and shall not be able. ( Luke 13:24 )
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Found in Him
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Well becausehelives... if folks are getting saved on Easter Morning in church then what do we do then?
Shall we tell God to stay home that day because some folks call it that bad word "Easter"? or should we let Him work where and when He wishes to save pagans?
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~To Him That is able to keep you from falling and to present you before His glorious presence without fault and with great joy...to the only God our Savior be glory, majesty, power and authority, through Jesus Christ our Lord, before all ages, now and forevermore! Amen.~ Jude 24
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becauseHElives
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Paganism in the Church part 1
Today I'd like to introduce a series of talks entitled "Paganism In The Church." And friends, I will not be pulling any punches during this special series of broadcasts. I can't even tell you how long they will continue, but the time has come for us to see the reality of this age- old controversy between good and evil. Multitudes of Christians complacently accept the trappings of heathen doctrine without even recognizing its evil origin. Unless we know the full truth of what the Bible teaches on these great doctrines, the enemy of our souls will be able to masquerade his own lies in the costume of truth.
Today there are only two supernatural powers operating in the world around us-the power of God and the power of Satan. If something is taking place before our eyes which has no explanation from a human basis, it would have to be accounted for by one of the great superhuman powers of God or Satan.
In today's broadcast I would like for us to trace through time and through the Bible how the devil has so cleverly counterfeited many of the good things of God that millions are actually ascribing good things to Satan and evil things to God. The impersonation and imitation on the part of Satan has been so subtle and deceptive that entire Christian churches have been deceived by it.
It all started in the days of Adam and Eve when God instituted a religious ceremony after the entrance of sin. It was to be a temporary system pointing forward to a divine Saviour who would redeem the world from the curse of sin and death. It revolved around the slaying of a lamb representing the Messiah who would later come to give His own life as an atoning substitute for man. That system of sacrifice was not easy for Adam and Eve to carry out. They had to watch an innocent animal bleed to death by their own hand. Every time they lifted that knife to cut the throat of another beautiful lamb their own sin and its terrible results came vividly to mind.
Satan watched Adam very closely as he went through this ceremony. By observing the symbolism of that sacrificial offering Satan realized that God had given Adam a way of escape from his sinful dilemma, and he determined to do something about it. If he could set up his own sacrificial system that would turn men away from the worship of God, he could be worshiped instead of the Creator. By cleverly counterfeiting the institutions of God Satan himself could build a religious system that would honor him instead of the true God of heaven. So immediately he began to set about to institute his own sacrificial system that would even demand more than God's system. As we shall find later it even required the offering up of sons and daughters. Also, since God had established a special holy day for His worship in the Garden of Eden-the Sabbath-Satan determined that he also would have a special day of worship that would glorify him.
The overall counterfeit plan of Satan involved robbing God of His authority and worship. In Isaiah 14:13,14 the course was laid out by the boastful words of Lucifer. He said, "I will ascend into heaven, I will exalt my throne above the stars of God; I will sit also upon the mount of the congregation, in the sides of the north; I will ascend above the heights of the clouds; I will be like the most High."
Now friends, there is the embryo of Satan's plan. If he intended to be like God he would have to have a government, a throne, and a false worship based on a counterfeit religion. I want you to see how he established that substitute form of worship. It was to be set up on the principle of sun-worship. Since the sun was the most potent force in nature and was the source of earthly light and power, it seemed a ready made symbol of Satan himself and what he was seeking to ascribe to himself.
But let's pause now and get the Bible authority for this plan of the devil. First of all, notice that Lucifer's name actually means "day star." You will find that in the margin of your Bible by Isaiah 14:12. Describing Satan the Bible says, "thou hast corrupted thy wisdom by reason of thy brightness." Ezekiel 28:17. Listen, the day star of this world is the sun and that is why Lucifer or Satan chose the sun as the object through which he would be worshiped. And even though it took hundreds of years to achieve, Satan scored a strategic victory in his campaign for sun worship when he finally was able to substitute the pagan day of sun worship in place of God's true seventh-day Sabbath. And the greatest tragedy is that millions of modern Christians are unaware that, by keeping Sunday, they are rejecting the one great sign God commanded men to observe in recognition of His being the only true God. They do not understand that they are observing a day which was dedicated to sun worship many, many centuries ago.
I have been amazed, friends, in reading the historical sources to discover that Sunday-keeping reaches back to hundreds of years before Christ was born. As a matter of fact, Sunday-keeping is almost as old as Sabbath-keeping, because very early in history Satan set up his counterfeit system.
Now, let's look at the biblical background of the practice. The book of Job, so we are told by the biblical authorities, was one of the first books written and was probably written by a contemporary of Moses himself, and did you know that this ancient book talks about the worship of the sun? Listen to this: "If I beheld the sun when it shined, or the moon walking in brightness; and my heart hath been secretly enticed, or my mouth hath kissed my hand: This also were an iniquity...for I should have denied the God that is above." Job. 31:26-28. Did you get that friends? Job said, "If I backslide and my heart has been enticed to worship the sun or the moon, it would be a sinful denial of the true God."
By the way, maybe you have wondered at times about the origin of the modern religious custom of kissing the hand-this seems to be the root of such a practice pagan sun-worship. I tell you, friends, I am glad for the words of Scripture that can reveal the things of God to us, aren't you?
Did you know that God had a hard time with his own people in regards to that satanic practice of sun worship? The devil made it so alluring and fascinating that the children of Israel were constantly turning away from the true Sabbath-keeping and from worshiping the true God of Heaven. Did you ever wonder about the text in Exodus 32:1-4 concerning the golden calf that the Israelites made while Moses was up in the mountain with God? Verse 5 says, "they rose up early on the morrow." That calf was called "apis" by the Egyptians and was tied in with their pagan sun worship. That is why they rose up early -to worship the sun. No wonder Moses was so outraged that he threw down the tables of stone and broke them to pieces. Do you see, friends, how this thing came into the church long before the days of Jesus?
Now let's look at another interesting fact-you have heard of Baal worship, of course. The Old Testament is full of stories about it. But did you know that Baal worship was sun worship? In 2 Kings 23:5 we read this, "And he put down the idolatrous priests, whom the kings of Judah had ordained to burn incense in the high places in the cities of Judah, and in the places round about Jerusalem; them also that burned incense unto Baal, to the sun, and to the moon, and to the planets, and to all the host of heaven." There it is in plain language. Satan has perfected an entire false religious system based upon sun worship or Baal worship. And God's own people were often drawn away by it. Satan himself was being worshiped under the title of Baal. The Bible calls Baal worship devil worship. Did you know that? Here it is in Leviticus 17:7, "And they shall no more offer their sacrifices unto devils after whom they have gone whoring." Later on at Baal-peor we read about that terrible apostasy of Israel. In Numbers 25:2-4 it says, "And they called the people unto the sacrifices of their gods; and the people did eat, and bowed down to their gods, and Israel joined himself unto Baal-peor; and the anger of the Lord was kindled against Israel."
No wonder God was displeased with them; they were worshiping Baal, the sun god, and Baal worship is actually worshiping devils. This is why the Pharisees accused Jesus of casting out devils in the name of Beelzebub. That is the Greek word for the Hebrew name of Baalzebub, the sun-god of Ekran spoken of in 2 Kings 1:2,3. The Pharisees said, "This fellow doth not cast out devils but by Beelzebub, the prince of devils." Matthew 12:24. Here again we have proof that Baal worship is devil worship.
But listen to this: Down through the centuries the distinguishing mark that separated the pagans from God's people was their day of worship, which was Sunday, or Sun's day. The pagans worshiped the sun on Sunday. They took the first day of the week and gave it the highest honor by naming it in honor of the sun god and worshiping the sun on that day. God's people kept the Sabbath, or seventh day of the week-the day that God had blessed and made holy at creation. Thus, the distinguishing mark of the heathen was their Sunday; and the mark of God's people was the Sabbath. (Read Ezekiel 20:12-20).
Imagine, if you can, what a spectacle for the universe to behold! Through the centuries, God's people kept the commandments of God including the Sabbath and offered their sacrifices which typified or represented the death of Christ when he would come and die for sinners. On the other hand were the heathen who worshiped the sun, kept Sunday, and offered their own sons and daughters in the fire or crucified human victims on crosses to appease the sun god. I say again, what a terrible thing for Heaven to behold! How the Devil tried to insult Christ's sacrifice! Satan tried constantly to get God's people away from the true God and the true Sabbath; but God continued to send messages to His people through the prophets that they should obey Him.
In the next broadcast we shall uncover the pagan foundations upon which many doctrines of modern, popular Christianity have been founded. Please don't miss any of these broadcasts, friends, because the hour is too late to just putter around the edges of the truth. Vague generalities and platitudes may have satisfied another generation, but this happens to be the last generation just before Jesus returns, and we must know for sure where we stand.
...a concerned Christian
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Strive to enter in at the strait gate:for many, I say unto you will seek to enter in, and shall not be able. ( Luke 13:24 )
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Betty Louise
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Luk 18:9
Also He spoke this parable to some who trusted in themselves that they were righteous, and despised others:
Luk 18:10
"Two men went up to the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector.
Luk 18:11
"The Pharisee stood and prayed thus with himself, 'God, I thank You that I am not like other men--extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even as this tax collector.
Luk 18:12
'I fast twice a week; I give tithes of all that I possess.'
Luk 18:13
"And the tax collector, standing afar off, would not so much as raise his eyes to heaven, but beat his breast, saying, 'God, be merciful to me a sinner!'
Luk 18:14
"I tell you, this man went down to his house justified rather than the other; for everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted."
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There is a major problem when Christians start to exalt themselves because of what they do or do not do. Not celebrating Easter does not make you a better Christian then one who does celebrate.
When we began to make rules to be a Christian we can easily fall into the trap that the Pharisees were in. They thought they were better Christians because they kept rules. Jesus told them they were clean on the outside but filthy on the inside.
betty
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Luk 21:28 And when these things begin to come to pass, then look up, and lift up your heads; for your redemption draweth nigh.
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Found in Him
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becausehelives... You are not a judge over what others esteem as a Holy Day. (Romans 14) It is wrong to judge this because you are judging motives of the heart-- Only God can do that.
Have you forgotten that Christ is our Lord? That we are filled with His Spirit? We are well aware of the scriptures ourselves-- You have judged us.
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~To Him That is able to keep you from falling and to present you before His glorious presence without fault and with great joy...to the only God our Savior be glory, majesty, power and authority, through Jesus Christ our Lord, before all ages, now and forevermore! Amen.~ Jude 24
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Betty Louise
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Rom 14:13 Let us not therefore judge one another any more: but judge this rather, that no man put a stumblingblock or an occasion to fall in [his] brother's way.
Col 2:16 Let no man therefore judge you in meat, or in drink, or in respect of an holyday, or of the new moon, or of the sabbath [days]:
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Luk 21:28 And when these things begin to come to pass, then look up, and lift up your heads; for your redemption draweth nigh.
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becauseHElives
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quote:
you are not a judge over the servants of The Lord and what they render to Him.
"The mouth of the righteous speaketh wisdom, and his tongue talketh of judgment." (Psa. 37:30)
A righteous person will talk of judgment. He will not REFUSE to judge. He will talk judgment.
"Seek good, and not evil, that ye may live: and so the LORD, the God of hosts, shall be with you, as ye have spoken. Hate the evil, and love the good, and establish judgment in the gate: it may be that the LORD God of hosts will be gracious unto the remnant of Joseph." (Amos 5:14-15)
How can you hate the evil and love the good if you refuse to judge? You can't. You are SINNING when you refuse to judge.
Our generation is well described in Isaiah 59:8: "The way of peace they know not; and there is no judgment in their goings: they have made them crooked paths: whosoever goeth therein shall not know peace." People have refused to judge, so there is no peace.
Paul said in I Corinthians 1:10 to ". . . be perfectly joined together in the same mind and in the same judgment."
Why would Paul make such a statement if judging is wrong?
In I Corinthians 2:15 Paul says, "But he that is spiritual judgeth all things, yet he himself is judged of no man."
Judging is not a sin; judging is a characteristic of being a spiritual person!
Satan has been lying to us, hoping that we will NOT judge, because he knows that the right kind of judgment pleases Yahweh and betters our lives and Christian service.
Found in Him says, "you are not a judge over the servants of The Lord and what they render to Him."
But scriptures says the believer certainly should judge.
Paul actually REBUKES the Corinthians for NOT judging: "Dare any of you, having a matter against another, go to law before the unjust, and not before the saints? Do ye not know that the saints shall judge the world? and if the world shall be judged by you, are ye unworthy to judge the smallest matters? Know ye not that we shall judge angels? how much more things that pertain to this life? If then ye have judgments of things pertaining to this life, set them to judge who are least esteemed in the church. I speak to your shame. Is it so, that there is not a wise man among you? no, not one that shall be able to judge between his brethren?" (I Cor. 6:1-5)
If judging is wrong, then Paul needs to confess and repent for misleading these Christians! He clearly told them to JUDGE PEOPLE.
If judging people is wrong, how can we obey Romans 16:17-18? II Corinthians 6:17? II Timothy 3:5-6? I John 4:1? Friend, if judging is wrong, then Yahweh has contradicted Himself and His words cannot be trusted!
Notice Malachi 3:18: "Then shall ye return, and discern between the righteous and the wicked, between him that serveth God and him that serveth him not." WOW! Does that sound like it is wrong to judge?
What about Revelation 2:2? " I know thy works, and thy labour, and thy patience, and how thou canst not bear them which are evil: and thou hast tried them which say they are apostles, and are not, and hast found them liars:"
Why would the Lord be pleased with these Christians if judging was wrong?
Is it not impossible to find someone a "liar" without judging them?
If the Bible is clear about anything, it is clear about the importance of judging on a regular basis in order to properly serve and honor Yahweh.
To ignore this fact is to ignore all of the Scripture just presented and also the rest of the Bible.
Yahweh expects us to judge.
if Easter and Christ-mass are not pagan traditions....give me any scriptural affirmation of their observance ! [B][/B]
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Strive to enter in at the strait gate:for many, I say unto you will seek to enter in, and shall not be able. ( Luke 13:24 )
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Found in Him
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Then don't participate, but you are not a judge over the servants of The Lord and what they render to Him.
There is a difference here friend. We are not celebrating a "tradition" but a "Lord". If I so choose to hold a praise service for the Lord Jesus Christ on Halloween, I will do it!
He is Lord of Every day!
Do yourself a favor and pray for us then if you feel we are so pagan. God is not deaf and neither are we.
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~To Him That is able to keep you from falling and to present you before His glorious presence without fault and with great joy...to the only God our Savior be glory, majesty, power and authority, through Jesus Christ our Lord, before all ages, now and forevermore! Amen.~ Jude 24
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becauseHElives
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Betty Louise , Found in Him and anyone else that persist in rejecting Truth.....
The Truth can only be received by those with an open heart.....
The apostasy continues to escalate because of people like you that refuse to hear and obey scripture....
Tradition was a power enemy in Yahshua's life on earth and it continues to be a powerful enemy today....
as long as I have the ability to speak or type, when Christ-mass or Easter is mentioned I will give opposition.
Pagan Holy Days have no place in the Church of Yahshua......
What fellowship has Light with darkness ?
None I can find in scripture!
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Strive to enter in at the strait gate:for many, I say unto you will seek to enter in, and shall not be able. ( Luke 13:24 )
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Found in Him
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Yahsway. Thank you for the history, the information and all of your input. I see and understand what you are trying to say. The difference is that the heart of what we are celebrating is the Lord Jesus Christ. In Easter and in Christmas-- It is the celebration of The Lord Jesus Christ. It is the heart of the matter.
Sorry, these Holidays are Christ centered to me. That is my point.
I respect the fact that there are those here that do not wish to participate in these Holidays. That is your prerogative. There are however those of us here that do, and do so Unto The Lord...Please respect that.
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~To Him That is able to keep you from falling and to present you before His glorious presence without fault and with great joy...to the only God our Savior be glory, majesty, power and authority, through Jesus Christ our Lord, before all ages, now and forevermore! Amen.~ Jude 24
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yahsway
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Yes, you are right about the world "always doing its pagan stuff" Do you want to adopt their pagan stuff into "Christian" stuff or worship?
After much debate, the Nicaean council of 325 A.D. decreed that the Passover would not be called the Passover anymore, calling it "Good Friday" and that the Day of Firstfruits wowuld be called "Easter" after the pagan goddess to appease the pagans coming into the Roman Catholic church.
The council also changed the 14th of Abib/Nisan which was Gods commandment to Keep the Feast to Remember what Yeshua did for us, and they set it around the full moon, on or after the vernal equinox, making the date vary and not fixed (as God had a fixed date) Making the date vary from March 22 to April 25.
Why was so much DEBATE necessary if "Easter" was a TRADITION passed down from the Apostles?
The answer is that it is not an Apostolic institution, but, an Invention of man!Instead of following Gods rules they made up their own.
Scripture tells us that the time will come when:
"the Gentiles shall come unto thee from the ends of the earth, and shall say, Surely our fathers have inherited lies, vanity, and things wherein there is no profit." Jer 16:19
It has been said that we are now in New Test times and that certain practices employed in modern day churches are merely traditions that have been passed down.
It is true that these traditions have been passed down. But, have you ever stopped to think about where these traditions came from?
Are they really traditions of the 1st Century Church, or, have they been derived from Other sources? At what point in time were these praactices first employed?
Can these Practices be considered "Christian" if they can be dated back BEFORE the time of Christ?
I do not think it wrong to celebrate Yeshuas death, burial, and resurrection on Sunday morning in Church. But who is being honored here? Is it Yeshua/Jesus or is it Easter Queen of heaven?
When we call that day "Easter" the pagan queen of heaven, are we setting aside a day for her?
She is Mystery Babylon. She is the woman spoken of in Rev 17:3 "sitting on a scarlet beast which was full of Names of blasphemy."
This same woman, is the harlot, Ancient Rome with Divine titles(Names of Blasphemy) appropriated by an emperor or state civil religion (None other than Constantine)
So yes, i guess i do see calling that day "Easter" after the queen of heaven evil in the sense that shes a "bael" on the lips of Christians who do not know any better because shes the Mystery Babylon come straight out of the Roman Catholic Church.
It was easier to adopt the pagan customs into Christianity because Constantine was building an empire, not building the kingdom of God.
Constantine murdered some in his own family and it was not until his death that he accepted Yeshua as the True Messiah.
He built a "state sanctioned religion" and let the people do what was right in their own eyes.
But, each one must be convinced in their own mind. Each one must search it out for themselves. Why? and Where did all these customs and traditions come from?
Could it be Mystery Babylon,
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Found in Him
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Yahsway, Just what are you trying to teach us?
That we are wrong to celebrate our Risen Lord on Easter?
That it is wrong to pray for the lost and look forward to the church being filled with those who desperately need Jesus on Easter Morn?
Just what are you trying to teach us that Betty and I do not understand?
I think the problem is that we don't view it as evil or pagan like others.
I like to see The Lord stomp all over the enemy... I feel Jesus does this well on Easter Morning in service!
Sorry, I just don't agree with all the "evil" that you see in Christmas and Easter when God makes Himself wonderfully known by His presence and love on such days to me.
The world will always be the world and do it's pagan stuff-- get over it-- God will govern my heart and path any way that He desires... thanks.
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~To Him That is able to keep you from falling and to present you before His glorious presence without fault and with great joy...to the only God our Savior be glory, majesty, power and authority, through Jesus Christ our Lord, before all ages, now and forevermore! Amen.~ Jude 24
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yahsway
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FoundInHim,
These are not our views or opinions, it is history and its also from the Bible.
Israel forsook God by mixing pagan practices with their worship to Him, and thats all thru the scriptures.
I am not condemning anyone, but only teaching from the scriptures and relating how the church adopted different pagan practices into the worship of God.
You talk about the Truth setting one free, but refuse to even search out what we have been telling you. Like i said, you can go to any encyclopedia, dictionary and even the bible to read for yourself how the church adopted these traditions.
Also, you might want to go and read what I posted about the term "legalism.
Yes, Yeshua loves us all. He even loved thos "Pharisees and scribes who questioned him in Matt 15.
verse 3 He answered them and said to them,
"Why do you also Transgress the Commandment of God because of your tradition?
furthur on He quotes Isaiah saying-
"And in vain they worship Me, TEACHING as DOCTRINES the Commandments of men".
And this is what we have inherited from the Roman Catholic Church. Their doctrines and teachings of adding to the Word of God thru adopting pagan practices and sanctifying them as Christian practices.
Now read what the disciples said to yeshua
"Do You know that the Pharisees were Offended when they heard this saying?"
Why do you think they were offended? I bet they said to themselves, This man is "Legalistic" Who is He to put us under such condemnation by these sayings.
But read on, Yeshua said "Every plant which My Heavenly Father has NOT planted will be uprooted."
The Heavenly Father did not plant Easter or Christmas, these are traditions of men.
Read Is. 56 salvation for the Gentiles and what God expects.
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Found in Him
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Betty, It's seems to be a choice of some to continue to impose their yoke of legalistic views or opinions concerning how we celebrate or honor God.
What is sad is that the motivation of our hearts is really what is at question here by some. You and I look forward to and enjoy our Holidays as opportunity to honor God and welcome sinners who seldom walk through church doors other than on these Holidays.
Some mistake legalism for holiness all in the name of "truth"
The "truth" makes us free from any condemnation.
Jesus loves us all... even though some would argue that too ![[Wink]](wink.gif)
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~To Him That is able to keep you from falling and to present you before His glorious presence without fault and with great joy...to the only God our Savior be glory, majesty, power and authority, through Jesus Christ our Lord, before all ages, now and forevermore! Amen.~ Jude 24
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Betty Louise
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You will never convince me that a Christian cannot celebrate the Birth and Resurrection of Christ.
Every year the atheist want to stop the celebration of Christmas and Easter. Why? If the world did not realize that these were Christian Holidays, then we would still have Christmas pageants at public schools instead of Winter Festivals. There is a reason that the devil wants to do away with Christmas and Easter. But this Christian will not help the devil in his endeavors. This Christian will celebrate Christmas and Easter.
You have so little faith in God that you believe that He cannot work through Christmas and Easter. That is sad.
betty
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Luk 21:28 And when these things begin to come to pass, then look up, and lift up your heads; for your redemption draweth nigh.
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becauseHElives
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I can never give up where Truth is concerned!
Easter and Christ-mass are Demonic
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Strive to enter in at the strait gate:for many, I say unto you will seek to enter in, and shall not be able. ( Luke 13:24 )
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Betty Louise
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Give it up guys. I think we all have heard our fill.
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FoundInHim,
You got that right, hon.
betty
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Luk 21:28 And when these things begin to come to pass, then look up, and lift up your heads; for your redemption draweth nigh.
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Found in Him
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Give it up guys. I think we all have heard our fill.
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~To Him That is able to keep you from falling and to present you before His glorious presence without fault and with great joy...to the only God our Savior be glory, majesty, power and authority, through Jesus Christ our Lord, before all ages, now and forevermore! Amen.~ Jude 24
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becauseHElives
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I agree yahsway .....
I see myself as a watchmen, warning people of impending danger..... many have been deceived into thinking they are Christian...but....Examine yourselves, whether ye be in the faith; prove your own selves. Know ye not your own selves, how that Jesus Christ is in you, except ye be reprobates? 2 Corinthians 13:5
who Yahweh allows in His Kingdom, He alone will determine...
but I know I am not alone in my view of the seriousness of pagan influences in the church....
men greatly respected as church scholars such Spurgeon, Whitfield, Pink, Charles and John Wesley and others all taught Easter and Christ-mass were all anti-Christ teachings to be eradicated from the True Church ....
but traditions of men are idols people don't want to give up..... no matter how much evidence the scriptures present!
Is Easter PAGAN?
Why do you believe the things you believe, and do the things you do? The chances are you never stopped to ask yourself that question. You have been taught since childhood to accept Easter as the chief of the Christian holidays.
You have supposed it is part of the true Christian religion to observe Lent, "Holy Week," "Good Friday," to buy hot cross buns at he bakery, to have colored eggs, to dress up and go to Church Easter Sunday, perhaps to attend an Easter sunrise service!
Because of the "sheep" instinct in humans, most of us believe a lot of things that are not true. Most of us do a lot of things that are wrong, supposing these things be right, or even sacred!
ISHTAR, the PAGAN GODDESS
What is the meaning of the name "Easter"? You haven been led to suppose the word means "resurrection of Christ." For 1600 years the western world has been taught that Christ rose from the dead on Sunday morning. But that is merely one of the fables the apostle Paul warned readers of the New Testament to expect. The resurrection did not occur on Sunday! For the astonishing proof setting forth the exact time of the Resurrection, write for our free booklet, "The Resurrection."
The name "Easter" is merely the slightly changed English spelling of the name of the ancient Assyrian goddess Ishtar, pronounced by the Assyrians exactly as we pronounce "Easter." The Babylonian name of this goddess was Astarte, consort of Baal, the Sun god, whose worship is denounced by The Almighty in the Bible as the most abominable of all pagan idolatry.
Look up the word "Easter" in Webster's dictionary. You will find: "AS. (Anglo-Saxon), from name of an old Teuton goddess of spring".
In the large volume Hastings Bible Dictionary, only six lines are given to the name "Easter" because it occurs only once in the Bible and that only in the King James translation. Says Hastings: "Easter, used in Authorized Version as the translation of 'Pascha' in Acts 12:4, 'intending after Easter to bring him forth to the people'. Revised Version has substituted correctly 'the Passover.'"
APOSTLES OBSERVED PASSOVER
The World Almanac, 1950 edition, page 704, says: "In the second century, AD., Easter Day was, among Christian in Asia Minor" (that is, in the Churches at Ephesus, Galatia, etc... the so-called "Gentile" churches raised up by the Apostle Paul) "the 14th of Nisan, the seventh month of the Jewish calendar." In other words, the 14th day of the first month of the sacred calendar, and it was not then called by the name of the pagan deity "easter", but by the BIBLE name "PASSOVER".
Passover, the days of unleavened bread, Pentecost, and holy days God had ordained forever were all observed by Jesus, and the early apostles, and converted Gentile Christians (Acts 2:1; 12:3; 20:6; 18:21; 1Co 5:7-8; Acts 20:16; 1Co 16:8). Passover, is a memorial of the crucifixion of Christ. Passover, observed by the early true Church, occurred not on Sunday or any fixed day of the week, but a calendar day of the year. The day of the week varies from year to year.
Easter is one of the pagan days Paul warned Gentile converts they must not return to observing.
How, then, did this pagan festival enter into and fasten itself upon a professing Christianity? That is a surprising story, but first, notice the true origin and nature of Easter.
ITS CHALDEAN ORIGIN
Easter, as Hislop says: ("The Two Babylons,") "bear its Chaldean origins on its very forehead. Easter is nothing else than Astarte, one of the titles of Beltis, the 'queen of heaven,' whose name, as pronounced by the people of Nineveh, was evidently identical with that now in common use in this country."
The ancient gods of the pagans had many different names. While this goddess was called Astarte in Babylon, it appears on Assyrian monuments found by Layard in excavations at Nineveh as Ishtar (Layard's Nineveh and Babylon, page 629). Both were pronounced "Easter". Likewise, Beltis, or Bel (referred to in the Old Testament) also was called Mooch. It was for sacrificing to Moloch (1 Kings 11:1-11, especially verse 7, where Moloch is called an abomination) and other pagan gods that The Eternal condemned Solomon, and rended away the Kingdom of Israel from his son.
In the ancient Chaldean idolatrous Sun worship, Baal was the Sun god, Astarte his consort, or wife. And Astarte is the same as Ishtar, or the English Easter.
Says Hislop: "The festival, of which we read in church history, under the name Easter, in the third or forth centuries, was quite a different festival from that now observed in the Roman (and Protestant) church, and at that time was not known by any such name as Easter. IT WAS CALLED PASSOVER, and was very early observed by Christians.... That festival agreed originally with the time of the Jewish Passover, when Christ was crucified.... That festival was not idolatrous, and was preceded by no Lent."
WHERE DID WE GET LENT?
"It ought to be known," wrote Cassianus in the fifth century, "that the observance of the forty days (Lent) had no existence, so long as the perfection of that primitive Church remained inviolate."
Jesus observed no Lent. The apostles and the early true Church of God observed no Lenten season. Then how did this observance originate?
"The forty days' abstinence of the Lent was directly borrowed from the worshippers of the Babylonian goddess. Such a Lent of forty days, 'in the spring of the year,' is still observed by the Yezidis or pagan Devil worshippers of Koordistan, who have inherited it from their early masters, the Babylonians. Such a Lent was held by the pagan Mexicans, in honor of the sun.... Such Lent was observed in Egypt (Wilkinson's Egyptians). This Egyptian Lent of forty days was held expressly in commemoration of Adonis or Osiris, the great mediatorial god." (the Two Babylons, by Hislop, pages 104 and 105, and Sabean Researches, by Landseer, p. 112).
Do you realize what has happened? God Almighty commanded His people to observe the PASSOVER FOREVER! (Exo 12:24). This command was given while the Israelites were still in Egypt, prior to the Old Covenant, or the Law or Moses! It pictured, before the Crucifixion, Christ's death for the remission of our sins. At His last Passover, Jesus changed the emblems used, from the blood of a lamb and eating it's roasted body, to the bread and wine.
Jesus did not abolish Passover ....He merely CHANGED the emblems, or symbols used. All of the apostles of Christ, and the true Christians of the first century true Church, observed it. On the 14th day, of the first month, of the sacred calendar. It is now a MEMORIAL of Christ's death. Reaffirming, year by year, on it's anniversary, the true Christian's FAITH in the blood of Christ for the remission of sin, and the broken body of Christ for physical healing.
But what has happened? DO YOU REALIZE IT? All western nations have been deceived into dropping the festival God ordained forever to commemorate the death of the true Saviour for our sins, and substituting in its place the PAGAN festival, commemorating the counterfeit "saviour" and mediator of Baal, the SUN GOD, named after the mythical Ishtar, his wife ..actually, none other than the ancient Semirimus, who palmed herself off as the wife of the sun-god, the idolatrous "QUEEN OF HEAVEN."
THIS is NOT Christian! IT IS PAGAN TO THE CORE!
Yet scores of millions of Americans are deceived into observing this form of heathen idolatry, under the delusion they are honoring Jesus Christ the Son of the Heavenly Father!
Easter does not honor Christ! And yet, have you not been, like a blind sheep, following the other millions in this customs? "The times of this ignorance God winked at, but now commandeth to come to repentance." (Acts 17:30)
Hot Cross Buns and Dyed Eggs
But, did you know the hot cross buns, and dyed Easter eggs also figured in the idolatrous Chaldean rites, just as they do in Easter observance today?
Yes, these are pagan, too. The "buns," known by that identical name, were used in the worship of the days of Cecrops, the founder of Athens, 1500 years before Christ. (The Two Babylons pgs 107-108).
"One species of sacred bread, which used to be offered to the gods, was of great antiquity, and called Boun," says Bryant, Mythology, Vol. 1, p. 373.
It will astonish you, but it's true! One of the reasons God drove the Jews into Babylonian captivity was this very idolatry; their whole families joined in this idolatrous worship, in making and offering HOT CROSS BUNS!
Read the entire 7th chapter of Jeremiah. Here you will find God's stern sentence upon Judah, thru Jeremiah the prophet, "If you really amend your life and doings," God warns them, "I will allow you to remain in this place (Palestine) for a time." But they would not listen. Then " I will cast you out of my sight," says God to Judah. And to Jeremiah He says, " Seest thou not what they do in the cities of Judah...?
"The children gather wood, and the fathers kindle the fire, and the women knead their dough, TO MAKE CAKES TO THE QUEEN OF HEAVEN... that they may provoke me to anger.... Therefore thus saith the Eternal God: Behold, mine anger and my fury shall be poured out upon this place, upon man, upon beast... and it shall burn, and shall not be quenched." (Verse 18-20)
The Hebrew word for "cakes" as Jeremiah originally wrote it is "kavvan," and really means "BUNS." The word "bun," says Hislop, seems to have been derived from this word. It is used nowhere else in the Bible, except Jeremiah 44:19, where again, the same idolatrous worship to the queen of the heaven is mentioned. Every other place in the Bible where the English word "cakes' is used, a different Hebrew word was used in the original.
Jeremiah was referring to HOT CROSS BUNS--- exactly the same kind hundreds of you who read this have been buying and eating at "Easter season!"
The origin of the Easter egg is just as clear. It is recorded in Davies' Druids, p. 208, that the ancient Druids bore an egg as the sacred emblem of their idolatrous order. On p. 207, same history, it is recorded that in the mysteries of Bacchus, as celebrated in Athens, part of the idolatrous ceremony consisted in the consecration of an egg. Hindu fables celebrate their mundane egg as of a golden color. It has been ancient customs in Japan to make their sacred egg a hard brazen color. In China, dyed or painted eggs are used on "sacred" heathen festivals. In the idolatry of ancient Egypt and Greece, eggs were used in their religious rites.
WHY do Americans, who believe themselves to be Christians, dye eggs at Easter? Do they suppose the BIBLE ordained, or commands, this heathen custom? THERE IS NOT A WORD OF IT IN THE NEW TESTAMENT. Certainly Christ did not start it, and the apostles and early Christians did none of it!
Then WHY SHOULD YOU DO IT TODAY? Why follow heathenism and try to conceive yourself you are a Christian ? God calls such things ABOMINATION!
How Easter Crept into the Church
Such is the origin, and early history of Easter. How, then, was this pagan festival injected into the professing Christian religion, as a substitute for an ordinance of God?
Before revealing briefly the astonishing account of this great deception, two facts must be firmly fixed in mind.
First, Jesus and the apostles foretold, not a universal, wide-spread popular growth of the true New Testament Church, but a FALLING AWAY FROM THE TRUTH, on part of the great majority. Prophesying a popular, universal FALLING AWAY from the faith once delivered. To the Thessalonians Paul stated, "the mystery of iniquity doth already work," and only some 30 years after the Church began! He referred to the very "Chaldean Mysteries," of which Easter and Christmas were the two chief festivals! (2Th 2:7)
Second, although Jesus said the gates of hell would never prevail against His Church, yet it is everywhere prophesied thru the New Testament as the "Little Flock"--- never as great, large, popular, universal church.
This is the very fact that the world does not realize today!
TWO Churches--- One false, One True
In New Testament prophecy, two (2) Churches are described:
One, the great and powerful and universal church, a part of the world, actually ruling in its politics over many nations, and united with the "Holy Roman Empire," brought to a concrete focus in Rev 17.
The Church is pictured with great pomp, ritual and display, decked in purple, scarlet and gold--- proud, worldly, boastful. She is pictured as a universal DECEIVER--- the whole western world spiritually DRUNK perception so blurred by her paganized teachings and practices they are unable to clearly distinguish TRUTH! she boast she is the true Church, yet she is drunken with the blood of the saints she has caused to be martyred!
But how could she have deceived the whole world, as foretold in God's Word? Surely, the Protestant world isn't deceived!
Oh, But It Is! Notice, verse 5, she is a MOTHER church! Her daughters are the churches who have come out of her, even in protest, calling themselves Protestant--- but they are fundamentally of her family in pagan doctrines and practices! They, too, make up themselves a part of the world, taking active part in its politics--- the very act which made a "***** " out of their MOTHER!
The entire apostate family--- Mother, and more than 500 daughter denominations, all divided against each other and in CONFUSION of doctrines, yet all united in the chief pagan doctrines and festivals--- has a family NAME ! They call themselves "Christian," but God calls them something else! ---"MYSTERY, BABYLON THE GREAT!"
TRUE Church Small -- Scattered
But where is the TRUE Church? Did the true Church of God, of which Jesus Christ is the Living, Directing Head, become perverted--- did it merely apostatize into the system described above?
NO! The gates of hell have never prevailed against the true Church of God, and never will! The true Church has never fallen! It has never ceased!
But the true Church of God, is pictured in prophecy as the "Little Flock!" The New Testament describes this Church as continually persecuted, despised by the large popular churches because it is not OF this world or its politics, but has kept itself unspotted from the world! It has always kept the Commandments of God and the Faith of Jesus. It has kept the festivals of God, not the pagan holidays. It has been empowered with the Spirit of God!
That Church never degenerated into the great popular church at Rome, as the protestant world supposes! That Church always has existed, and it exist today!
Then where did it go? Where was it during the middle ages?
First, remember this Church was never large, never politically powerful, or a world known ORGANIZATION OF MEN. It is a SPIRITUAL ORGANISM, not a political organization. It is composed of all whose hearts and lives have been CHANGED by the Spirit of God, whether visibly together, or individually scattered.
Under the lash of continual persecution and opposition of the organized forces of this world, it is difficult for such a people to remain UNITED and ORGANIZED together.
Daniel prophesied the true people of God would be scattered (Dan 12:7). Ezekiel foretold it (34:5-12). Jeremiah, too, (23:1-2). Jesus foretold it (Mat 26:31). The apostolic church was soon scattered by persecution (Acts 8:1). James addresses his letters to Christians scattered abroad (Jam 1:1).
Ignored by Most Histories
You don't read much of this true Body of Christ in the secular histories of this world! No, the world little notes, not long remembers, the activities of this "LITTLE FLOCK," hated and despised by the world, driven to the wilderness by persecution, always opposed, usually scattered! But there are enough references to it in authentic histories to show that it has continued thru every century to now!
The prophecies bring this Church into concrete focus in the 12th chapter of Revelation. There she is shown spiritually, in the glory and splendor of the Spirit of God, but visibly in the world as a persecuted, Commandment keeping Church driven into the wilderness, for 1260 years, thru the middle ages!
Even in Paul's day, many among those attending at Antioch, at Jerusalem, at Ephesus, at Corinth, and other places, began to apologize and turn away from the truth. Divisions sprang up. Those individuals, unconverted or turned from God's Truth and Way Of Life, were no part of God's true church, though visibly assembling with those who were. The "mystery of iniquity" was already working, INSIDE these visible churches. This apostasy increased! By the year 125 A.D. the majority in most churches, especially those Gentile-born, were continuing in many of their old pagan beliefs and practices, though professing to be Christians! Gradually, a smaller and smaller portion of the VISIBLE churches going by the name "Christian" remained truly yielded to God and His Truth, and led of His Spirit. After Constantine took virtual control of the visible, professing Church in the early fourth century, this visible organization became almost wholly pagan, and began excommunicating and persecuting all who held to the WORD OF GOD! Finally, it became necessary for real Christians who, even as a scattered people, alone composed the TRUE Christian Church, to worship God! Thus, the visible, organized Church which rose to power was the FALSE Church--- the "Great ***** " of Revelation 17.
Injected into the Church
Nothing illustrates this very fact more vividly than the actual history of the injecting of Easter into the western Church.
Here is the quick, brief history of it, from the Encyclopedia Britannica, 11th edition, article on "EASTER:" "There is no indication of the observance of the Easter festival in the New Testament, or in the writings of the Apostolic Fathers.... The first Christians" (the original True Church) "continued to observe the Jewish" (that is GOD'S ) "festivals, though in a new spirit, as commemorations of events which those festivals had foreshadowed. Thus the Passover, with a new conception added to it, of Christ as the true Paschal Lamb and the first fruits from the dead, continued to be observed.
"Although the observance of Easter was at a very early period the practice of the Christian Church, a serious difference as to the day for its observance soon arose between the Christians of Jewish and those of Gentile descent, which led to a long and bitter controversy. With the Jewish Christians... the fast ended... on the 14th day of the week. The Gentile Christians on the other hand" (that is, the beginning of the Catholic church, now substituting pagan for true Christian doctrines) "...identified the first day of the week with the resurrection, and kept the preceding Friday as the commemoration of the crucifixion, irrespective of the day of the month."
"Generally speaking, the Western Churches" (Catholic) "kept Easter on the 1st day of the week, while the Eastern Churches" (containing most of those who remained as part of the TRUE Church ) "followed the Jewish rule." (That is, observing Passover on the 14th of the first sacred month instead of the pagan Easter.)
"Polycarp, the disciple of John the Evangelist, and bishop of Smyrna, visited Rome in 159 to confer with Anicetus, the bishop of that see, on the subject, and urged the tradition which he had received from the apostle of observing the 14th day. Anicetus, however, declined. About forty years later" (197), "the question was discussed in a very different spirit between Victor, bishop of Rome, and Polycrates, metropolitan of proconsular Asia" (the territory of the Church at Ephesus, Galatia, Antioch, Philadelphia, and all those mentioned in Rev 2--- the churches established thru the apostle Paul). "That province was the only portion of Christendom which still adhered to the Jewish (the writer should have used the words "true Christians" instead of "Jewish") usage. Victor demanded that all should adopt the usage prevailing at Rome. This Polycrates firmly refused to agree to, and urged many weighty reasons to the contrary, whereupon Victor proceeded to excommunicate Polycrates and Christians who continued in Easter usage" (that is, who continued in GOD'S way, as Jesus, Peter, Paul, and all the early true Church had done). "He was, however, restrained" (by other bishops) "from actually proceeding to enforce the decree of excommunication... and the Asiatic church retained their usage unmolested. We find the Jewish" (true Christian Passover) "usage from time to time reasserting itself after this, but it never prevailed to any large extent.
"A final settlement ot the dispute was one among the other reasons which led Constantine to summon the council at Nicaea in 325. At that time the Syrians and Antiochenes were the solitary champions of the observance of the 14th day. The decision of the council was unanimous that Easter was to be kept on Sunday, and on the same Sunday throughout the world, and that 'none hereafter should follow the blindness of the Jews'" (That is in plain language, the Catholic church now decreed that none should be allowed to follow the ways of CHRIST--- of the TRUE Christian Church!)
"...The few who afterwards separated themselves from the unity of the church" (Roman church), "and continued to keep the 14th day, were named 'Quarto-decimani,' and the dispute itself is known as the 'Quarto-decimani controversy.' "
Thus you see how the politically organized church at Rome grew to great size and power by adopting popular pagan practices; how she gradually stamped out the true teaching, doctrines, and practices of CHRIST, and the true Church, so far as any collective practice is concerned.
It was only by violence and bloodshed, at last, says Hislop (The Two Babylons, p.107), that the idolatrous festival of the Chaldean goddess Easter came to supersede that which God had ordained to be observed forever!
True Christians Kept PASSOVER
The New Testament reveals that Jesus, the apostles, and the New Testament Church, both Jewish and Gentile-born, observed God's Sabbaths, and God's festivals--- weekly and annually! Take you Bible and carefully read Acts 2:1; 12:3-4 (the word "Easter" here is a flagrant false translation in "King James" version--- originally inspired "Passover," and so corrected in the Revised version); Acts 18:21; 20:6,16; 1Co 16:8.
Eusebius, historian of the early centuries of the Church, speaks of the true Christians observing Passover on the 14th of Nisen, first month of the sacred calendar.
The historian Gieseler wrote that "the Gentile Christians observed also the Sabbath and the Passover," during the latter half of the first century.
But as the false paganized Church grew in size and political power, decrees were passed by 363 A.D. imposing the death sentence upon Christians found keeping God's Sabbath, or God's festivals. Finally, in order to keep the true Way of God, a large portion of the true Christians (composing the true Church) "fled into the wilderness," as foretold in Rev 12:6, where they were fed on the pure Word of God 1260 long years!
But another large portion of the TRUE Church of God, failing to flee, yet remaining true to God's Truth, paid with their lives in martyrdom (Rev 6:9; 13:15; 17:6; 18:24). History records that more than 50 million were martyred!
They loved obedience to God more than their lives! DO YOU?
But through all generations, thru every century, though persecuted, scattered, unrecognized by the world, many true Christians have kept alive the TRUE CHURCH OF GOD--- the Church composed of those Satan cannot deceive! (Mat 24:24.)
Easter Sun-Rise Services
You think Easter sunrise services are beautiful? LISTEN! God was showing the prophet Ezekiel the sins of His people in a vision--- a prophecy for today! "Turn thee yet again," said God, :and thou shalt see greater abominations than these" (Ezekiel had just been shown, in a vision, idol-worship among professing people of God). "And he brought me (in vision) into the inner court of the Eternal's house, and behold... between the porch and the alter were about five and twenty men, with... their faces toward the east: and they worshiped the sun towards the east. Then he said unto me, Hast thou seen this, O son of man? Is it a light thing ...that they commit the ABOMINATIONS which they commit here?... Therefore, will I deal IN FURY: mine eye shall not spare, neither will I have pity: and though they cry in mine ears with a loud voice, yet will I not hear them!" (Ezekiel 8:15-18.)
Do you grasp what this most abominable thing is?
It is the same identical thing millions are doing every Easter Sunday morning--- the sun-rise services--- standing with their faces towards the east, as the SUN is rising, in a mythical idolatrous consort goddess Easter. Yes, deceived into believing this is Christian, millions practice every Easter the identical form of the ancient SUN-WORSHIP of the Sun-god BAAL! Throughout the Bible this is revealed as the MOST ABOMINABLE of all idolatry in the sight of the Eternal Creator!
Do you think this makes no difference, today? It makes all the difference between life and death--- between being SAVED and LOST!
It is a serious thing to write to you, my readers, these truths--- for now you have the KNOWLEDGE of the TRUTH! and "if we sin willfully after we have received the knowledge of the truth, there remaineth no more sacrifice for sins, but a CERTAIN fearful looking for of judgment and fiery indignation, which shall devour the adversaries!" (Heb 10:26-27.)
Yes, it makes a difference! Thousands had to flee the jurisdiction of "civilization" to keep God's ways! Other thousands paid with their lives for obeying God--- but they shall LIVE forever, in the Resurrection!
This world's ways have brought only sorrow, suffering, chaos, death! GOD'S WAYS are the only ways that lead to Peace, lasting Prosperity, Happiness, Joy, Eternal Life! If Baal is god, then go serve him; but if The ETERNAL is your GOD, then SERVE HIM!
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Strive to enter in at the strait gate:for many, I say unto you will seek to enter in, and shall not be able. ( Luke 13:24 )
Posts: 4578 | From: Southeast Texas | Registered: Jun 2002
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yahsway
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FoundinHim, I am certainly no ones judge, but rather a teacher of the scriptures. What one does with what one learns from history and scriptures is certainly their business.
Nothing i have put out here on the boards is false, it can be found in all encyclopedias,and is mentioned in the scriptures as well as the example given to us found in Ezekiel.
As you stated, All will stand and give an account without exception. I personally cannot with good conscience teach that Easter was celebrated by the early church (the disciples/apostles) and as I understand what i am being taught in theology school, was introduced to the masses some 300 years after Yeshua went to heaven.
Like i said, no judging from me here, just passing on what i am learning and hope that others would just search out the scriptures and the history of our traditions.
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becauseHElives
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Found in Him,
it is impossible to honor Yahweh with pagan names and traditions....
2 Corinthians 6....
14Be ye not unequally yoked together with unbelievers: for what fellowship hath righteousness with unrighteousness? and what communion hath light with darkness?
15And what concord hath Christ with Belial? or what part hath he that believeth with an infidel?
16And what agreement hath the temple of God with idols? for ye are the temple of the living God; as God hath said, I will dwell in them, and walk in them; and I will be their God, and they shall be my people.
17Wherefore come out from among them, and be ye separate, saith the Lord, and touch not the unclean thing; and I will receive you.
18And will be a Father unto you, and ye shall be my sons and daughters, saith the Lord Almighty.
yahsway,
Your information was right on .... ![[thumbsup2]](graemlins/thumbsup2.gif)
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Strive to enter in at the strait gate:for many, I say unto you will seek to enter in, and shall not be able. ( Luke 13:24 )
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Found in Him
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posted
So then render to The Lord what you feel is worthy to render to Him and others will render what they feel is worthy. Anything else is just judging someone in how they choose to Honor God.
All will stand before Him and give an account without exception.
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~To Him That is able to keep you from falling and to present you before His glorious presence without fault and with great joy...to the only God our Savior be glory, majesty, power and authority, through Jesus Christ our Lord, before all ages, now and forevermore! Amen.~ Jude 24
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yahsway
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Romans 14 as well as Corinthians was where Paul was speaking to Gentiles/Greeks, not Jews.
The Gentiles, Greeks and Romans set aside certain days of the week as sacred, such as which day of the week to get married on, which day of the week to go to war, ect... Paul was not speaking here of Holy Days that the Lord God had already instituted.
Notice in scripture that whenever the Sabbath day or Feasts of the Lord are mention they are always mentioned as such, so Paul is not talking about observences of Gods Feasts or Sabbaths to these Gentile Christians from Rome and Corinth.
Also, Romans 14 is where Paul again is expounding on food sacrificed to idols(1Cor 8) It has nothing to do with kosher eating. Some of the people were not sure if the meat being offered to them was sacrificed to some pagan god, so they would just eat the vegetables.
The food laws did not change for we know that some 60 years after Yeshua went to heaven, Peter sees a vision of the sheet with unclean food coming down and was told to kill and eat it, and he says "not so Lord, for i have never eaten anything common or unclean"
But the vision was not about the food laws concerning kosher eating, it was about the gospel going to the Gentiles.
Acts 10:28 ....."but God has shown me that I should not call any Man common or unclean"
The observance of Easter was around some 1500 years before Yeshua was even born. It was a pagan observance.
To please those pagans who were coming into the National Religion set up by Constantine in the year 300AD, Constantine basically said, okay, you can keep your holy day Name, we will set aside the Day of Passover and Firstfruits and we will go by your dates of observance and we will call it Easter. Daniel speaks of this happening.
We see that Israel did the exact same thing in Ezekiel 8.
In pagan practices Tammuz, spoken of here in Ez 8, was a Sumerian shepherd who married the goddes Ishtar(Easter). When he died, Fertility ceased on Earth.
Since he was a vegetarian diety, the women of Judah were Weeping for him in the Springtime in order to restore fertility by bringing him back from the dead.
The Temple at Jerusalem was oriented to the east. To worship the Sun one had to turn his back toward the Temple.This was a sun-rise service.
The branch referred to in this passage, refers to the worship of Tammuz, husband of Easter for the ceder branch was a symbol of immortality associated with the cult of Tammuz. To "put to their nose" was their attempt to inhale the supposed Life-giving powers of a Revived Tammuz.
This is what the Isralites were doing long before Yeshua and if you will read that passage in Ez. you will find that God was definately not pleased.
It provoked Him to Jealousy. The "Image of Jealousy" spoken of here in chapter 8 of Ez. was the image of Ishtar, the fertility goddess, Queen of Heaven.
So if it provoked God then, why would it not provoke Him now? God never changes. A lot of assemblies have quit using the name "Easter" and call it Resurrection Day, and rightly so.
Just because its been a Christian tradition since the time of Constantine does not make it right.I think our Lord Yeshua deserves better than to mix the worship of Him on a day that was set aside first for Easter, queen of heaven, when His Father from the beginning set His own appointed Feasts days.
No wonder it is so hard to witness to the Jews because they angered God a long time ago for doing the same thing.In their eyes, Yeshua looks more like a Greek/Roman pagan god instead of their Messiah because of the way pagan traditions have mixed with Gods Feasts days all due to Constantines edicts back in 300AD.
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Found in Him
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Becausehelives... There is no point in discussing Holidays or Holy Days with you any longer. We do not agree. I will believe my Bible and continue to let The Lord be The Lord of my life.
If people so choose not to participate in Holidays that's their choice and I respect that choice. However, it does not make them more holy or devoted to The Lord than those who do offer love and thanks on such days. It does not make participants of Holidays pagan or evil.
Romans 14 is a great chapter to study over these very matters. I recommend it.
Each of us must answer to the Lord, for it is to the Lord that we live and die — and we are not called to judge the Lord's other servants.
Grace and peace
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~To Him That is able to keep you from falling and to present you before His glorious presence without fault and with great joy...to the only God our Savior be glory, majesty, power and authority, through Jesus Christ our Lord, before all ages, now and forevermore! Amen.~ Jude 24
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becauseHElives
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have you ever heard of Charles Spurgeon?
Spurgeon and Other Biblical and Reformation Quotes on the "Christ-mass and Easter."
+++ From C.H. Surgeon's Treasury of David, on Psalm 81:4.
Ver. 4. For this was a statute for Israel, and a law of the God of Jacob.
When it can be proved that the observance of Christmas, Whitsuntide,Easter and other Popish festivals was ever instituted by a divine statute, we also will attend to them, but not till then. It is as much our duty to reject the traditions of men, as to observe the ordinances of the Lord. We ask concerning every rite and rubric, "Is this a law of the God of Jacob?" and if it be not clearly so, it is of no authority with us, who walk in Christian liberty.
+++ C.H. Spurgeon (December 24, 1871, http://www.swrb.com/catalog/s.htm)
We have no superstitious regard for times and seasons. Certainly we do not believe in the present ecclesiastical arrangement called Christmas: first, because we do not believe in the mass at all, but abhor it, whether it be said or sung in Latin or in English; and, secondly, because we find no Scriptural warrant whatever for observing any day as the birthday of the Savior; and, consequently, its observance is a superstition, because not of divine authority.
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Strive to enter in at the strait gate:for many, I say unto you will seek to enter in, and shall not be able. ( Luke 13:24 )
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Betty Louise
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Heaven must really be small if people who got saved in a Church that celebrates Easter are not really saved.
becauseHElives you are the type of Christian that gives Christians a bad name. Your ego is so big that you think God cannot work unless it is on your terms.
betty
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Luk 21:28 And when these things begin to come to pass, then look up, and lift up your heads; for your redemption draweth nigh.
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Found in Him
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Becausehelives... I "bow down" to one Holy One alone, Christ Jesus The Lord. Easter Day is a day of devotion and worship to The Risen Christ Jesus- Not a cow, bunny or goddess of fertility. If some dedicate this day to Christ Jesus, who are you to judge that day or His people in what they dedicate to Him?
Romans 14
5 One man considers one day more sacred than another; another man considers every day alike. Each one should be fully convinced in his own mind. 6He who regards one day as special, does so to the Lord.
9For this very reason, Christ died and returned to life so that he might be the Lord of both the dead and the living. 10You, then, why do you judge your brother? Or why do you look down on your brother? For we will all stand before God's judgment seat. 11It is written:
" 'As surely as I live,' says the Lord,
'every knee will bow before me;
every tongue will confess to God.' "[a] 12So then, each of us will give an account of himself to God.
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~To Him That is able to keep you from falling and to present you before His glorious presence without fault and with great joy...to the only God our Savior be glory, majesty, power and authority, through Jesus Christ our Lord, before all ages, now and forevermore! Amen.~ Jude 24
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becauseHElives
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Yahshua said only a few would truly be saved....He said many would seek to enter by their own traditions .....
I am not your judge, I do not know who is truly saved but I do know Yahweh does not allow mixing the Holy with the Profane....
we all know only in part but the Father is ever enlightening us all as we grow.... but when Yahweh brings light and we refuse to walk in that light .... that is rebellion and rebellion is as the sin of witch craft!
You continue to bow down to your sacred cow "Easter"....
As for me and my house we will worship Yahweh in spirit and in truth unpolluted by the traditions and lies of he Roman Catholic Wh!ore.
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Strive to enter in at the strait gate:for many, I say unto you will seek to enter in, and shall not be able. ( Luke 13:24 )
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Found in Him
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I know Betty, The two most wonderful aspects of an Easter Sunday Service are the Worship of the Risen Savior and the salvation of souls.
They can call it pagan.. I call it a Glorious day!
I would rather pray for the lost and participate in a Christian celebration than try to pull beams outta someone else's eye as some are trying to do.
And by the way Betty, when the scales fell off Saul/ Paul's eyes-- He was filled with The Spirit and went forward preaching The Gospel of Lord Jesus Christ-- Is that not what we participate in??? I'm not sure how that was to apply to us then??
I'm glad that I know the one that I serve Betty, how about you?
He is The Lord of Every day!
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~To Him That is able to keep you from falling and to present you before His glorious presence without fault and with great joy...to the only God our Savior be glory, majesty, power and authority, through Jesus Christ our Lord, before all ages, now and forevermore! Amen.~ Jude 24
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Betty Louise
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FoundInHim,
Some people seem to think that people do the saving. Like God cannot work because we have Easter Service instead of Resurrection Service.
I try to explain that we do not worship Easter Eggs or Easter Bunnies, but they are not willing to listen.
It does not matter that the word Easter came from Pagan roots. What matters is that when we come together in Jesus' Name, God will honor our prayers. Even the secular world knows that Easter is now a Christian Holiday.
What makes me sad that some people cannot or refuse to take the high road.
betty
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Luk 21:28 And when these things begin to come to pass, then look up, and lift up your heads; for your redemption draweth nigh.
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Found in Him
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Also, Jesus is "The Light" and shines on the darkness (the liar). The Spirit of God was and is present to convict and lead people from darkness into "The Light" on Easter Morning.
Where Jesus Christ is loved and praised you will find His people walking in The Light and in obedience to Him.
The enemy was exposed in the lives of those who walked in darkness... Jesus was accepted...
What more could a believer rejoice over?
I wonder how many would be offended that we also have a prison ministry?? Yes we mingle with those awful heathen people, taking Jesus into a place like that-- how dare we shine His light in a place like that?
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~To Him That is able to keep you from falling and to present you before His glorious presence without fault and with great joy...to the only God our Savior be glory, majesty, power and authority, through Jesus Christ our Lord, before all ages, now and forevermore! Amen.~ Jude 24
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Found in Him
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I think I was quite clear in what I said becausehelives... The presence of God was and is present on Easter Morning and souls were and are saved because of the Gospel message being preached.
I would think that one would rejoice as the angels do over souls being won to The Lord?
Or are you offended that the Spirit of The Lord Jesus Christ shows up among those who Celebrate Him as their Risen Lord on Easter Morning? For where two or three are gathered together in His name, He is in their midst.
Your accusing me personally does not bother me one bit. You however should reconsider deciding The Lord's plans and dwelling for Him.
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~To Him That is able to keep you from falling and to present you before His glorious presence without fault and with great joy...to the only God our Savior be glory, majesty, power and authority, through Jesus Christ our Lord, before all ages, now and forevermore! Amen.~ Jude 24
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becauseHElives
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quote:
Call it what you like, but God's presence is with us every Easter morning in church service and souls are won for the kingdom! That's right souls are saved and He is glorified!
so you say....
can people really get saved where traditions of men are taught instead of the word of Yahweh!
Is the presence of the One True God of Truth "Yahweh" really there or have you created a god that fits your ideas about The True God "Yahweh".(like the Israelite's did with the golden calf)
Proverbs 16:25 There is a way that seemeth right unto a man, but the end thereof are the ways of death.
quote:
Is not the ministry to the lost more important than sticking ones nose up at a day Christians use as opportunity to praise the Lord Jesus Christ and welcome the sinner to salvation?
"But the hour cometh, and now is, when the true worshippers shall worship the Father in spirit and in truth: for the Father seeketh such to worship him. God is a spirit: and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth." (John 4:23-24)
Satan is described as the liar and the father of lies. For that reason all untruth is an abomination to God. God has consigned all liars to the lake of fire; He has excluded from the New Jerusalem everything that maketh a lie. God hates everything that is not true, and true right through and through like Himself. He must have truth in the inward parts.
The interference of Satan with God's creation - man - resulted in man becoming something false where God is concerned: he is a misrepresentation of God's mind; and he is a deceived creature. "The god of this age", says Paul, "hath blinded the mind of the unbelieving". Man is a deceived, blinded creature; but God desires "truth in the inward parts".
Now, you see how large a matter this is, and one is hard-pressed to know what to say, and what not to say about it. But let us dwell for a moment upon this clause "the inward parts" - the inward parts. You will detect in this Psalm that that is running right through. Here it is: "create in me a clean heart"; "renew a right spirit within me"; "a broken spirit and a contrite heart Thou wilt not despise". You see, it is all this innermost realm of things that has now arisen as the real need. No more deception, no more falsehood, no more mockery, no more make-believe, no more going on as though it is all right when it is not all right; no more using external means to cover over inward unreality; no more going to meetings, and saying prayers, and joining in the whole system, when the inward parts are not right before God. Seeing then that we are what we are by nature now, this represents a re-constituting of us. Anything that does not minister to that is false in itself. Any system of religion that just puts on from the outside, and covers over the inner life by mere rite and ritual is false, it is not true. The work of God is to reconstitute human nature. And that, of course, involves two things.
On the one side, it involves a breaking down. And if you know anything about God's dealings with lives who come into His hands, there is undoubtedly a large place for that - a progressive breaking down; a getting to the root of things, and undeceiving us. If we have any illusions about ourselves, they will all be gone when God has done with us. If we are governed by any kind of falsehood about ourselves, and our position, and our work, when God has done with us, that will all be gone. He is going to break us down until we see ourselves stark, as an unclean thing, with all our righteousnesses as filthy rags. So He will break us down, and He does.
But there is the other side, of course, all the time, for God is not only, and always negative; there is the constructing, bringing up to the place where anything that is false, anything that is not absolutely transparent and true, straight, clear, is hateful to us. More and more our inner man revolts against our own falsehood. Any exaggerations comes back on us at once with conviction of wrong; any false statement hits us hard, and we know that we have not spoken the truth. It is a tremendous thing to get into the hands of the Holy Spirit, until, like God, the one thing that we hate is anything that is false. "I hate", said David, "every false way". We must come there. But we must be lovers of the truth. And this is going to pursue us everywhere; it will pursue us into our own life within ourselves, that we are not deceiving ourselves at all. Before God we know exactly what God thinks about us, and we know where we stand in the light.
quote:
This thread is proof that some here would rather be politically right and point their finger at others than to remember why Christ died.
did Christ die to promote lies?
did Christ die to further the causes of paganism?
NO
Yahshua died to set people free from the lies of Satan. and how does Yahshua accomplish this setting people free?
And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free. John 8:32
You know (Found in Him)and you Betty, the difference between us as I see it is I think Truth is vitally important and when I know something to be a lie, I turn from it with all my heart.
lies and traditions of the Roman Catholic Wh!ore must be combated in the True Church.
I pray for the scales to fall from your eyes tha you may see the Truth and be set free to truly worship The Heavenly Father.
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Strive to enter in at the strait gate:for many, I say unto you will seek to enter in, and shall not be able. ( Luke 13:24 )
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Found in Him
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But you did write... but as far as the "high road" i cannot see where mixing things from the pagan world with Gods ways are taking the High Road.
Call it what you like, but God's presence is with us every Easter morning in church service and souls are won for the kingdom! That's right souls are saved and He is glorified!
Now I call that mixing things just right!
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~To Him That is able to keep you from falling and to present you before His glorious presence without fault and with great joy...to the only God our Savior be glory, majesty, power and authority, through Jesus Christ our Lord, before all ages, now and forevermore! Amen.~ Jude 24
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