| TRUTH - Most People Disregard Truth as Something Frivolous | ||
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(December 23-25, 2010)
Most people are not concerned about truth. TRUTH to most people is frivolous. They conduct their lives based upon their feelings and own human reasoning. However, a person's feelings and own human reasoning do not compose or define truth.
Before continuing, let's be clear about what TRUTH is. What is truth? The dictionary definition of TRUTH is: the true or actual state of a matter, the state or character of being true, and conformity with fact or reality. In summary: truth is a FACT, is REALITY, and it is a TRUE STATE OF BEING. The dictionary uses the word, "conformity." How many people are actually willing to "conform" to truth? A person who has TRUE character is not able to live a lie. Don't misunderstand. I am not speaking about the state of sincerity. A person who is sincere can also be wrong in what their sincere about. However, anyone who has true character changes and conforms their beliefs and/or behavior when they discover truth. They acknowledge the facts of reality, and they conform. This aspect requires sincerity and humility. Both characteristics are a part of the required package for salvation. (Salvation does not mean: 'come as you are' and 'do what you want.' Don't have a misconception of what Salvation is.) There is a required character and doctrinal package for salvation.
As I've already stated, most people don't care about truth. And, most people certainly don't like conforming to truth. They prefer to conform to falsehoods and paganism because it feels good to them. Christmas is a perfect example of a falsehood, a feel-good pagan practice.
CHRISTMAS IS A LIE AND IT IS ROOTED IN PAGANISM I have heard people say, "Put Christ back into Christmas and its okay to observe." No it isn't! Firstly, the premise is wrong. Christ was never in Christmas to begin with! Christ was NOT born on December 25. And, the "Christmas" celebration and customs predate Christ! Satan, the adversary was quite clever. He lead countless people directly into pagan worship by just adding Christ's Name to the pagan winter solstice celebration. (Read: Ex 20:3-5)
The Encyclopedia Britannica, copyright 1960, vol.5, under "Christmas" says this: "Christmas was not among the earliest festivals of the church...", "In Britain, December 25 was a festival long before the conversion to Chritianity...", "Christmas customs are an evolution from times long antedated the Christain period - a descent from seasonal, pagan, religious and national practices; hedged about with legend and tradition.", "In the beginning many of the earth's inhabitants were sun worshippers because the course of their lives depended on its yearly round in the heavens, and feasts were held to aid its return from distant wanderings. In the south of Europe, in Egypt and Persia, the sun gods were worshipped with elaborate ceremonies at the season of the winter solstice as a fitting time to pay tribute...", "From the pagan accent on light it is not difficult to trace the rise of lights and open fires - from bonfires of sun worship and their variant, the yule log, to the many customs centering around the candle and its legends..." The original celebritory tree is believed to be oak and was part of the sacrificial rite to the god, Odin. "The Romans ornamented their temples and homes with green boughs and flowers for Saturnalia, their season of merry-making and the giving of presents; the Druids gathered misletoe with great ceremony and hung it in their homes; the Saxons used holly, ivy and bay."
The prophet Jeremiah warned YHWH's people against this heathen pagan worship. Jeremiah actually described the pagan "Christmas tree" in chapter 10 that was part of their worship custom during his time - approximately 587/6 B.C.!
YHWH isn't to happy about the decorated tree that has been RE-labeled as the "Christmas tree." Its the same custom with just a different name. Anyone performing this custom will experience his wrath at the end of the age just as verse 10 warns. This celebratory tree is tied to the "signs of heaven" holiday according to Jeremiah. The holiday name (affixed to the sign in heaven) has changed many times throughout time and throughout various cultures. But, most of the celebratory customs have remained the same.
I don't plan on delineating all of the pagan customs that compose Christmas, but its worth mentioning why the pagans created the holiday. December 25 was the ascribed birthday of the unconquered sun. Generally, this is the day the ancients believed the sun was created. The festival is during the time of the winter solstice because this is when the sun reverses its southward retreat and proves itself to be "unconquered". The ancients didn't quite understand that the earth is the one that moves about, not the sun. Nevertheless, the day-light period began to increase once again, and the darkness time began to decrees. The celebration focuses on the "REbirth" of the sun.
Some scholars attribute this festival to the time of the Roman empire because it seems they affixed the day to the 25th. However, this sun-god festival that is now called "Christmas" began long before the Roman empire was in existence. As shown by the prophet Jeremiah, the "Christmas tree" custom was practiced during Jeremiah's time due to the "signs of heaven". Jeremiah doesn't explicitly say, "winter solstice." Nevertheless, the winter solstice is a certain positioning of the heavenly bodies in the heaven - thus is a "sign". (Ref: Gen 1:14) YHWH had Jeremiah record, "...don't be dismayed at the signs of heaven..." Dismayed means: to feel distress, unsettled, disturbed, to be shaken. The ancient peoples were distressed at the time of the winter solstice for many reasons. And, the stories of the many pagan gods with the distressed theme vary throughout history and throughout many cultures of the world. Although, the core distress was attributed to the lack of sunlight. The sun was central to multifarious religions because all life and existence relies on it.
Joshua - the man who brought the Israelites into the promised land, recorded something worth mentioning here. Joshua told the Israelites to abstain from worshipping the pagan gods that their fathers worshipped in Egypt AND BEFORE THE FLOOD. (Ref: Jos 24:14) The Egyptians worshipped the sun-god Ra, and the Canaanites worshipped the sun-god Shapash (or Shapshu). I suspect that the pre-flood people also worshipped the sun based upon the fact that sun worship is found throughout most cultures, peoples, and eras.
I already know the retorts from those who observe Christmas. They say, "I don't worship the sun!"...and they say this, that and the other thing. I've heard all of the excuses from human reasoning. I dare say, YHWH is not to pleased. People can get-away with their excuses now, but judgment day is inevitable.
Did you grasp the wording? This verse is prophetic and is yet to occur. "FEW MEN WILL BE LEFT" alive when YHWH finishes his wrath upon mankind. If your belief system is with the majority millions, then I suggest that you question the customs you observe and reconsider your beliefs. This reminds me of another scripture.
Few find the narrow gate that leads to life because the majority masses are blinded by false doctrines. False doctrines were birthed due to contortions of divine law and transgressions from YHWH's teachings. In other words, few find the narrow gate that leads to life due to rebellion! YHWH only spared Noah and his family in the pre-flood pagan world. Let this be a lesson to all.
Verse 15 - the following verse from the scripture above reads as follows:
False prophets preach false doctrines. They lead people down a crooked street and draw them through the wide open gate. They speak smooth words and contort the truth. And, based upon the facts of scripture, the majority of people have been lead into the wide open gate of false doctrines because truth is treated as trifle trivia. Truth has fallen in the streets (Is 59:14 ) and is purposely run over by large corporate trucks that are owned by institutionalized paganism. Money can be made from paganism, and power can be gained over the masses. All the while, Satan - the adversary - is behind the scenes laughing while he is playing his catchy jingle entrancing music. He keeps everyone entertained and feeling good so the TRUTH isn't important enough to pick-up out of the gutter of his paved, shiny, glittering, wide, crooked street.
Christmas is pagan. Easter is pagan. Many more of the secular holidays are pagan. (Read: Ex 20:3-5) Of course, pagan beliefs are not exclusive to the western world. For example: some eastern religions openly worship the dragon. They put on a big show dancing a costume dragon about. TRUE believers and followers of Christ/Messiah believe and observe the NT which is linked to the OT. They don't add to or subtract from HIS WORD. They don't add to or subtract from his laws and His customs. They don't think it's okay to join in pagan celebrations no matter how cute and innocent they may seem. Joining in is idolatry! Don't "conform" to pagan practices, "conform" to truth!
IS TRUTH DIFFICULT TO UNCOVER IN SCRIPTURE? Some people believe that truth is difficult to discern in the bible based upon the multifarious interpretations of scripture. My answer to this posed question is this: yes and no. It depends upon the subject. However, the core and foundational doctrines are not difficult to discern. A person just needs to be honest.
I used Christmas as my main argument above in favor of truth because Christmas is very discernable. The bible does not provide the birth-date of Christ. In the NT, there is absolutely no demonstrations of Christ's birth as being celebratory. There isn't any commandments surrounding it. And; although minimal, there is reasonable evidence in the OT that shows Christmas is pagan. Outside of the bible, the evidence is overwhelming. There is an abundance of historical documentation and archeological finds that demonstrate the pagan nature of Christmas.
The core and foundational doctrines are not difficult to discern. Firstly, don't add to (or subtract from) the commandments and teachings of scripture. By doing this, you'll be in safer spiritual territory. You'll minimize the chances of mixing the true worship of YHWH with pagan and unlawful practices.
Secondly, the seventh day Sabbath was never annulled. If any one honestly believes this, they have been lied to. Do the research. The first century and several centuries later, true believers remained observing the seventh day Sabbath. There is historical documented proof. In addition, the Catholic church has admitted to changing the Sabbath to Sunday only on the grounds of their own self-appointed aggrandized authority - not Christ's! They have admitted that Christ didn't change it in the NT. You won't find any Sabbath observance change in the NT, whatsoever! I won't delve into detail here since I have already written a study on the seventh day Sabbath. If anyone is interested, you may click here on this link to read it.
Thirdly, the ten commandments are natural laws that have been in effect from the time of Genesis. We don't have a nice concise list of the ten commandments in the book of Genesis as like we do in the book of Exodus. However, if you do the research (as I have), you can locate DEMONSTRATIONS of each commandment in the book of Genesis. For an easy example: when Cain was angry and before he killed Abel, YHWH said to Cain..."Why are you wroth? And why is your face fallen? If you do well, is there not acceptance? And if you do not do well, SIN is crouching at the door. ..." Did you you see the word, 'SIN' in Genesis 4:6-7? Its there! Sin is the transgression of the law! (Ref: 1John 3:4) If the law, "you shalt not kill" was not in existence during the time of Genesis, then SIN would be erroneous to even say! SIN is only relevant when there is an established law, because sin is the transgression of the law! I have written documentation of my research on this subject. Its within the larger article titled: "Should Christians Observe Every Law of Moses?" There are two sections of this lengthy article that pertain to this subject: 1) WHAT ARE THE NATURAL LAWS INCUMBANT UPON ALL OF MANKIND FOUND IN GENESIS? And, 2) WHAT ARE THE NT CONTRACT LAWS?
Fourthly, YHWH's festivals and holy days were established in Genesis and are incumbent upon mankind to observe. Genesis 1:14 reads:
I left James Strong's catalog number in the verse above. I will show that this same word is used in Leviticus 23 where YHWH's set-apart appointments are located. But, first the Hebrew word translated "seasons" means, "appointed place, appointed time, meeting". The two great lights were created for several reasons. One of those reasons was for appointed times, appointed meetings. In other words: on the fourth day of creation, YHWH established certain appointed times for mankind. And; to make this point clear, mankind only can calculate or observe time by the means of the sun and moon. There isn't any other alternative. WIthout the sun and moon, time would be nonexistent for us. So, we are to use the sun and the moon to understand when we are to meet with YHWH.
Now, read Leviticus 23:1-2.
The same Hebrew word is found in Leviticus 23:1-2 when YHWH spells out HIS appointments. And; I entreat you to notice that YHWH says...these feasts are YHWH's feasts. He did NOT say, these will be the feasts of Israel. Rather, these are YHWH's appointments for mankind, not just a selected group or nation. This is a major and an important point. WIth this in mind, research the NT. You'll discover that the first century believers were observing the springtime appointments.
The above listed appointments are what is termed as the spring holy days. The spring holy days are part of the bigger package of appointments listed in Leviticus 23. All of YHWH's appointments are his plan for mankind. They certainly have not been eradicated in the NT! Although, the adversary sure wants people to believe that they have been by substituting his pagan festivals such as easter and the like. People are really gullible. THINK! Is there any reference to bunnies and painted eggs in the bible, especially in the NT? If you are one of the FEW who desires to conform with TRUTH, you'll have to be honest and research the bunnies and painted eggs. You'll discover their pagan origins.
Fifthly, have faith! Hebrews 11:6 says, "...without faith it is impossible to please Him." We must believe what He says. Don't twist HIS WORD. If we have faith in what He says, we then can understand WHO He is. This aspect is important and is tied to FAITH.
Sixthly, show love.
TRUE Christians must attain to the higher form of love. We must go beyond our humanly love. Its sad that I have seen, so many times, people who claim to be "Christian" treating other people - even their own family members - with disdain. Why? Because they wore the wrong clothes, or said something that seemed offensive, or did something that wasn't agreeable and so on. If Christ/Messiah reacted in this human fashion, we would all be dead by now! Get over it! Be Christ/Messiah like! Now....if someone is attacking you to no avail and/or just making your life hell, then I do recommend running the other way. YHWH prefers peace. But, we must try to the utmost to apply Christ's/Messiah's commandments in Matthew 5 or we're not Christ like and we're being disobedient. Yes, there are people we don't like. But, that's no excuse to treat them with disdain. We are never to elevate ourselves above anyone else, period.
Seventhly, be humble. There are countless scriptures that pertain to humility. I will only provide a snippet example. Read Matt 18:3-4, James 4:6, 1Pe 5:5, Micah 6:8, Zeph 2:3. If you observe the commandments, but miss the mark on humility, you'll experience the wrath of YHWH. Be meek and humble. Remember, YHWH gave you the breath of life and the air you breath every second. You (the reader) are in the same camp as I am and everyone else who ever took a breath. Each of us are just one blade of grass in the massive lawn looking for a little bit of sunshine. (Read: Acts 10:34)
THE TRUTH The core foundational truth isn't to difficult to perceive. Most people find the difficulty in applying it! However, applying all the commandments and principles becomes easier when humility is engrained in our character. Start learning to say, "yes, I was wrong. What can I do to fix it if possible?" And, if someone else wants to razz you for it, so what. It just proves they have a self-righteous problem and possibly a humility problem. Let it go and keep moving forward to becoming Christ/Messiah like. Don't get all worked-up over the short-comings other people have. Every knee show bow to Christ/Messiah at some point and will give an account. (Ref: Is 45:23, Rom 14:11-12) We can't change other people, only YHWH can. But, we can change ourselves. However, by our change we might influence others in a righteous way.
Christ/Messiah summed-up the whole law and the prophets with these words in Matthew 7:12...
There are more laws in the scriptures that I have not covered. However, it is my belief that what I have demonstrated in this study are the foundational laws and teachings of The Great Father in Heaven and His Son, the Christ/Messiah that we MUST understand and apply. They are what I term, "salvational doctrines." Without them, we'll be crispy critters in the lake of fire at the time of HIS wrath.
PLEASE, I BESEECH YOU, LET'S ALL CONFORM TO TRUTH.
YHWH wants your whole heart and mind in truth, not just the physical motion of the do's and don'ts.
May YHWH Elohim bless you. |