1 Peter 2:11-12 “Dear friends, I urge you, as aliens and strangers in the world, to abstain from sinful desires, which war against your soul. Live such good lives among the pagans that, though they accuse you of doing wrong, they may see your good deeds and glorify God on the day he visits us.”

Your eternal home and allegiance is to God, not to man. While we spend this time on earth we are to honor our Lord, lead others to Him, and prepare for the day when we will finally stand with Him in Heaven. A popular item among Christians today is a little bracelet that had WWJD on it. Well, what would Jesus do? Would He dress up as a goblin or a ghost and go door to door yelling “Trick or Treat”? Would He, as an Orthodox Jew, smile at references of Witches and Familiars? Do you remember Jesus, even once, worshipping the dead? How is the Gospel promoted by the House of Horror? You may not like these questions, but as a Christian you should certainly ask them of yourself, and answer them honestly.  

Romans 13:12-14 “The night is nearly over; the day is almost here. So let us put aside the deeds of darkness and put on the armor of light. Let us behave decently, as in the daytime, not in orgies and drunkenness, not in sexual immorality and debauchery, not in dissension and jealousy. Rather, clothe yourselves with the Lord Jesus Christ, and do not think about how to gratify the desires of the sinful nature.”

There is a spiritual conflict going on all around us, Christians! We should be spreading the Gospel message, encouraging one another in spiritual growth, and not following after the world.The night is nearly over; the day is almost here. So let us put aside the deeds of darkness and put on the armor of light.

Remember, too, as Strangers in this world there are many deceivers out there who do not have your welfare in mind. There are many out there that say, “It’s fine, it’s just a little harmless fun”. God’s Word warns us who are His children:

2 Corinthians 11:13-15 “For such men are false apostles, deceitful workmen, masquerading as apostles of Christ. And no wonder, for Satan himself masquerades as an angel of light. It is not surprising, then, if his servants masquerade as servants of righteousness. Their end will be what their actions deserve.”

Which brings up the point: If the Bible doesn’t support it, how can we condone it? It’s time all believers stopped living on the edge of the old sinful life, and started living the new life that is their birthright in Christ. If the historical presentation of this study differs from what you were told, then are you released from making a Godly choice? Is the Scripture null and void because you disagree with this author? It’s your choice, believer. Be careful what you choose! Now, on with the study.
 

What Is Happy About Halloween?

Halloween originated from the witch and warlock religions of Britain, France, Germany, and the Celtic countries. The practicing witches, called druids, lived 100 years before the incarnation of Christ.

The celebration of “Hallow’s Eve” honored the pagan gods, particularly the lord of the dead. The celebration was held on the last day of October, the Eve of the Celtic New Year. On Hallow’s Eve the lord of the dead was supposed to call all of the wicked dead back from the prison of hell, and place them in lower animal bodies (dogs, cats, wolves, bats, etc.). The Celts felt that if they pleased this god with their worship, then he in turn would protect them from these resurrected demons.

Judaism and Christianity ignored Hallow’s Eve because of it’s Satanic overtones. The worship of Hallow’s Eve nearly died out until the reign of the Roman Emperor Hadrian (100 AD). He built a Temple of the Dead to appease the druids. The Temple gave the people a reason to start backing the festival again.

Rome went through a series of battles until Rome itself fell under barbarian conquerors. By 607 AD the Roman emperor Phocas recaptured the city. From the time Rome first fell until 607 AD, the Church of Christ had moved into Catholicism. Phocas wanted to insure the Rome remained a part of the Roman empire, so he gave the city to Pope Boniface IV. Boniface reconsecrated the Temple of the Dead, dedicating it to Mary, the “Mother of God”.

It was a long standing policy of the Catholic Church to avoid making religious waves among the pagans. The Catholics began to wrongly equate physical growth with spiritual growth, so they would modify Church doctrine in an attempt to make it more pleasing to the pagan. “Certainly”, the bishops reasoned, “If the pagan joins the Church, they will be converted to Christ in time”. Actually their tactic had the reverse effect, and the Church doctrine became more and more muddied by pagan influence. When the city of Rome was given to Boniface IV, he decided to allow worship of the lord of the dead to continue as long as the pagans joined the Church. The legacy of Boniface is that many Catholic Christians, even today, light candles and pray for the dead, just as the druids did nearly 1400 years ago. The Catholics, rather than praying to the lord of the dead, pray to Mary, the Mother of God. This practice, fermented out of the religions of the druids, finds no support in the Holy Bible. The druids day of worship, Hallow’s Eve, was modified to be called All Saints Day.

For two centuries the yearly celebration of the dead was called “All Saints Day”, and was held on the last day of October. In 834 AD the celebration was moved to November 1st, though it still retained the name of All Saints Day. As I said before, Catholics still pray to Mary (just as the druids prayed to the lord of the dead) for the souls of the dead. Their reasoning is that, since Mary was Jesus’ mother, surely she’ll convince Jesus to let these unrepentant souls into Heaven. The Bible, however, makes it plain that you can only be saved if you accept Jesus as Savior while you are in this life:

Acts 4:10-12 “Then know this, you and all the people of Israel: It is by the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, whom you crucified but whom God raised from the dead, that this man stands before you healed. He is ‘the stone you builders rejected, which has become the capstone. Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to men by which we must be saved.’”

Why The Children Shout
“Trick or Treat”

The most effective ploy that Satan ever uses is to try and deceive as much of Christianity as is possible using the same trick in different ways. The Catholic Church, by allowing pagan ritual and worship, followed pagan god worship under the guise of All Saints Day. But what about the Reformed Protestant Church?

Ancient druidism had another practice that, up to now, we haven’t discussed. The druids demanded human sacrifice in order to show “proper respect” for the lord of the dead. In order to accomplish this, the druids went from castle to castle and demanded women so that they could be sacrificed.  The women were then taken to sacrificial altars and killed (one of the most prominent areas we know of today for human sacrifice was Stonehenge in England). If the sacrifice was willingly given, the druids left a hollow gourd outside of the castle walls filled with burning human fat. This burning fat was supposed to protect the castle from demonic attack. If the druids were refused the sacrifice, they drew a hexagram on the door or wall of the castle and left. Before dawn someone in the castle would be found dead from fear.

This practice of going “door to door” eventually found it’s way into society as a form of Halloween ritual. The earliest settlers in America encouraged their children to go door to door shouting “Trick or Treat”, little knowing that they were mimicking ritualized murder of days gone by. The children were given fruit, much like the druids were given human sacrifices. If the children were refused a treat, they were allowed to play a little “trick” on the household. Parents put candles inside of pumpkin gourds (just as the druids put human fat inside of hollow gourds) to commemorate Halloween. By making it all seem like harmless fun, Satan drew both Catholic and Protestant, believer and unbeliever into the web of druidic paganism.

What’s Wrong With A Little
Innocent Fun?

Most people, even Christian believers, defend Halloween as only “A little innocent fun for the kids”. It may be innocent, but is it fun to mimic (however unknowingly) devil worship, female sacrifice, and witchcraft? Once the Christian household allows paganism into it’s midst, then how much harder is it for Satan to get us involved in real druidism? The Ouija board, seemingly harmless, is no less than a familiar spirit:

Leviticus 20:6-7 “‘I will set my face against the person who turns to mediums and spiritists to prostitute himself by following them, and I will cut him off from his people. Consecrate yourselves and be holy, because I am the LORD your God.”

Deuteronomy 18:10-13 “Let no one be found among you who sacrifices his son or daughter in the fire, who practices divination or sorcery, interprets omens, engages in witchcraft, or casts spells, or who is a medium or spiritist or who consults the dead. Anyone who does these things is detestable to the LORD, and because of these detestable practices the LORD your God will drive out those nations before you. You must be blameless before the LORD your God.”

The question that the Christian must ask his or her self is this: “Do I want to play Satan’s game? Do I want to participate in a festival that originates from human sacrifice and demon worship? What do I want my children to learn?” Take a hard look at these questions and the evidence presented: your spiritual condition (as well as that of your children) may well depend on your answer.

Are there alternatives to Halloween? Absolutely! Many Churches have begun promoting “Fall Festivals” on Halloween night. The festivals are held at Church, children are offered Christian activities and adults have valuable time in which to fellowship with each other. Other Christians use Halloween night as a time to take their children out to eat, to skate, to a clean movie, or just to spend quality time with them. You do not need to deprive your children of fun in order to avoid Satan’s traps. Christians may even use Halloween as an opportunity to witness to the “visitors”. Rather than decorating your yard with ghosts and ghouls, focus on the Christian theme of love and salvation through Jesus. If you feel compelled to give out “treats” to the children, give out salvation tracts as well while telling the children about your Savior. Reclaim the night for Jesus!

What follows is an article from New Wine magazine. All copyrights belong to New Wine Magazine and the author John Stanko:

Should Christians Celebrate Halloween?
by John Stanko, New Wine Magazine, 1984

Every October 31, Christian parents face a number of questions about Halloween, such as, “Should we allow our children to be out trick or treating?” and Should we answer the door and give out candy  or tracts? ” Without a sufficient knowledge of Halloween’s history and what the Bible says, it is difficult for a Christian to adequately answer these and other questions about participation in Halloween.

 The celebration of what we know as Halloween dates back to before the time of Christ.  In the Celtic countries of Britain, Germany, and France, the Druids (the priests and teachers of the Celts) set aside October 31 to  honor Samhain, the lord of the dead.  At this time of year the  crops were harvested and it was a  time of general decay. The day honoring Samhain highlighted the gloom and cold of the coming season.  The Celts believed that Samhain assembled all the souls of the dead on October 31, the eve of the Celtic new year. This freed them to return to their homes, where their families were to entertain them. If they didn’t find an acceptable welcome the spirits would cast spells or cause other problems for the living (the first form of trick or treat) To prepare for the arrival of these spirits the Druids built huge bonfires, sacrificing animals, crops, and even humans.  This fire was also used for divinations (they studied the remains of the sacrificed animals). During this ritual, many people wore costumes made of animal heads and skins.  When the Romans conquered the Celts, they combined the festival to Samhain with their own festival honoring Pomona, the goddess of fruit and trees, making apples and nuts an important part of the rituals.

Despite the prevalence of Christianity this pagan rite continued. The Irish held parades to honor Muck Olla, one of their gods. A leader wearing a white robe and an animal head marched at the head of the parade. Those who followed him asked for food to help celebrate the October 31 festival, punishing farmers who refused to cooperate (another form of trick or treat).  Bonfires raged throughout Wales, Scotland, England on October 31. In the year 834 Pope Boniface IV moved the church feast of All Saints’ Day (also known as All Hallows’ Day) from May to November 1 to counter this growing pagan rite.  October 31 naturally was called All Hallows’  Evening – eventually abbreviated  Halloween.

In medieval times satanic witches took Halloween as an opportunity to mock the saints of the church commemorated on All Saints’ Day. The witches supposedly flew on broomsticks accompanied by black cats (also believed to be a type of witch).  In later years the poor in England went door to door for food on November 2, All Souls’ Day.  Beggars received “soul cakes” in return for their promise to pray for the dead of  that household. In America however, because of the strong religious convictions of the early settlers, Halloween celebrations were banned. In the early 1800′s,  as more immigrants of Celtic origin arrived, Halloween celebrations were instituted

Despite the contemporary decline in trick or treating (perhaps because of dangers such as poisoned candy) Halloween lives on.  School parties, the media, and peer pressure all serve to make Halloween a fun and necessary time in children’s eyes. Christian parents face extreme difficulty in deciding what their family should do about the annual celebration.

Considering Halloween’s origins, it should not be difficult to establish a Scriptural position on the holiday. Deuteronomy 18.9-12 states:“When you enter the land the LORD your God is giving you, do not learn to imitate the detestable ways of the nations there.Let no one be found among you who sacrifices his son or daughter in the fire, who practices divination or sorcery, interprets omens, engages in witchcraft, or casts spells, or who is a medium or spiritist or who consults the dead. Anyone who does these things is detestable to the LORD, and because of these detestable practices the LORD your God will drive out those nations before you.”

As  Christians seek to make a firm decision regarding participation in Halloween, it is important to keep in mind that  believers are called to:

1. “Be separate from the world”:1 Peter 4:1-4 “Therefore, since Christ suffered in his body, arm yourselves also with the same attitude, because he who has suffered in his body is done with sin. As a result, he does not live the rest of his earthly life for evil human desires, but rather for the will of God. For you have spent enough time in the past doing what pagans choose to do—living in debauchery, lust, drunkenness, orgies, carousing and detestable idolatry. They think it strange that you do not plunge with them into the same flood of dissipation, and they heap abuse on you.”
2.  Be transformed:Romans 12:2 “Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will.”
3. Be obedient and holy: 1 Peter 1:14-15 “As obedient children, do not conform to the evil desires you had when you lived in ignorance. 15But just as he who called you is holy, so be holy in all you do.”
4. Be God pleasers:James 4:4 “You adulterous people, don’t you know that friendship with the world is hatred toward God? Anyone who chooses to be a friend of the world becomes an enemy of God.”
5. Be leaders:Ephesians 5:11 “Have nothing to do with the fruitless deeds of darkness, but rather expose them.”

In answering questions about distributing candy on Halloween or allowing children to ‘trick-or-treat’, we must look at the roots of Halloween and what the Bible says, we now have the firm foundation we need to base our decisions on.

HALLOWEEN GLORIFIES SATAN AND WITCHCRAFT

Halloween is filled with darkness and paganism, and it is saturated with the influences of Satan. Satan is a very real person. Jesus used personal pronouns when referring to Satan (John 8:44). To accomplish his purposes, Satan uses many “devices” (2 Corinthians 2:11). He has his own synagogue (Revelation 2:9); his own gospel (Galatians 1:6-9); his own ministers (2 Corinthians 11:14-15); his own doctrines (1 Timothy 4:1); and his own communion service (1 Corinthians 10:20-21).

Halloween is not just a fun day. For witches and worshippers of Satan Halloween is serious business. Halloween is a time when Satan makes light of his own operations. He presents himself as a hoodlum–a kind of cartoon character rather than who he is–the real arch-enemy of God. Witchcraft today embraces dozens of unbiblical beliefs and practices, and has many thousands of adherents. The Old Testament and the New Testament make repeated references to the practice of witchcraft, and God always condemns all such practices. Note the following references:

“Do not turn to mediums or wizards; do not seek them out, to be defiled by them: I am the Lord your God” (Leviticus 19:31). They used divination and augury; and they sold themselves to do evil in the sight of the Lord…therefore the Lord was very angry with Israel and removed them out of his sight” (2 Kings 17:17- “Now the works of the flesh are obvious: fornication, impurity, licentiousness, idolatry, sorcery…those who do such things will not inherit the kingdom of God” (Galatians 5:19-21).

The initiation rites for those involved in witchcraft and the worship of Satan are indeed very gruesome. Two girls described their experience. They had to go to a graveyard in the dead of the night, step on and walk across a large wooden cross, and renounce any belief in Christ; and then they had to drink the blood of animals that had been skinned alive. Surely these are gruesome anti-christian activities. Halloween is the chief holiday of Satanists, and those who practice witchcraft. To participate in the celebration of the pagan festival called Halloween, is to give an open invitation to the forces of Satan to gain more influence on our lives.

HALLOWEEN CLEARLY HAS THE APPEARANCE OF EVIL

One of the wholesome principles which God’s people are to carefully observe, is expressed in the words of 1 Thessalonians 5:22, “Abstain from all appearance of evil.

All the symbols of Halloween are evil. Note briefly each of the following symbols:

Jack-o’-lanterns–were originally carved images of demonic beings and thus have been in league with Halloween celebrations. The carved out pump-kin was lighted with a candle to scare off ghosts and witches and goblins and other supernatural forces wandering around on “the night of the dead.”

Black cats–have long been associated with witchcraft and miscellaneous superstitions related to sorcery and Satanism. Ancients believed that black cats had once been humans who had changed into animals because of evil deeds which they had committed.

Bats and owls–have been related to Halloween since early times. The pagan Celts believed that bats and owls were able to communicate with the dead.

Skeletons, skulls, and corpses–belong to Halloween because it is really a festival celebrating death.

Trick-or-treating--is nothing less than extortion. The concept of “You either give me a treat, or I’ll play a trick on you” is hardly in keeping with the Integrity and second-mile honesty which Jesus taught. (Historically, food and drink were often left on outside porches in the hope of appeasing the demonic night creatures who were roaming around seeking shelter. Mischievous children capitalized on this practice, and disguised themselves with a costume and mask to scare off the ghosts–and then they themselves would steal the food set out for the spirits. This is the origin of the “trick or treat” custom.)

Halloween has been a time dedicated to ghosts and ghouls and goblins and monsters and senseless vandalism. Malicious people have hidden drugs in candy and rarer blades in apples. Getting involved in Halloween celebrations cannot be consistent with the Brethren peace position. Also, police departments in various parts of the country have warned people to guard their animals on Halloween night, because frequently dogs and cats and other animals are mutilated as a result of the ritualist slaughter of animals in sacrifice to Satan at Halloween time. Actually, Halloween not only has the appearance of evil; it is clearly associated with the wicked practices of the god of this world.

Those who get involved with Halloween celebrations, must remember that what was once the accepted practice of European pagans, has now become the accepted practice of many American church members. Many church-goers despise the vandalism and destructive behavior often associated with Halloween, but they go along with it as a necessary once-a-year evil. What was once modified from the pagan Festival of Samhain to the Christian All Saints Eve has now been further modified to become a semi-pagan ritual honoring ghosts and goblins and witches. Many youth fellowships sponsor Halloween parties in church recreation halls and award prizes for the most outlandish costumes. They usually have some group singing and a short devotional to make the evening seem more sanctimonious.

What’s wrong with Halloween? Everything about it is wrong. It does not have one single redeeming virtue. Halloween is a festival which glorifies the devil. Those who go by the name “Christian” should have nothing to do with Halloween celebrations. It is time that we expose Halloween for what it is–a ritual for the occult.

We should never make fun of Satan’s power. Celebrating Halloween can encourage children to take lightly the forces of darkness (Jude 8-10). God’s people are not to be conformed to the world. We are not expected to Wit in” with the practices of our society (Romans 12:1-2). How seriously do we take the words of Jesus about being “in” the world, but not “of it? (See John 17:14-15).

It is proper for children to have good times. “Having fun” is not what is wrong with Halloween. Parents and church youth leaders should provide plenty of family and group activities for children and youth. If there must be an activity on October 31, you can plan an evening of Bible study on demons and sorcery and death. October 31 is a good time to study the Reformation period of church history (Martin Luther posted his 95 Theses on October 31, 1517). You can spend an evening reading a youth version of Bunyan’s Pilgrim’s Progress. You can have a Harvest Festival, gathering foods and grocery items and delivering them to the poor and to those who may have had a variety of misfortunes.

Another alternative, which could be a worthwhile event, is to plan for an “All Saints Eve.” The first weeks after a death in the congregation, the bereaved family receives much attention, but a year or two later, many widows scarcely hear their husband’s name mentioned. People who were once a major part of a congregation’s life are easily forgotten (except by the family of loved ones). Perhaps on an “All Saints Eve” the pastor (or an older member of the church) could give some vignettes of numerous departed saints from the congregation, and point out specific characteristics of that person’s life and faith that are worth remembering.

It is our prayer that Brethren across the land will resolve to stand apart from the crowd, and dare to stand alone for the truth like the young man Daniel did when he was carried into the land of Babylon many years ago (Daniel 1:8-20). Let us decide to no longer participate in a pagan holiday which commemorates the activities of the powers of darkness.

Halloween glorifies Satan.

      When America and the world celebrates the powers of darkness by masquerading as evil creatures or decorating our homes, schools, businesses and churches with occult symbols, Satanic power is glorified. While you may have participated “all in fun”, be assured, Halloween is serious business for Satanists and Witches.

      Anyone familiar with witchcraft would tell you that there are certain rituals and spells that can only be cast on Halloween night. That is the night when the “veil” believed to separate the living from the dead is thought to be the thinnest, and futures are easier and more accurately foretold by diviners.

      Those who oppose Christ are known to organize on Halloween to observe Satanic rituals, to cast spells, to oppose churches and families, to perform sacrilegious acts, and to even offer blood sacrifices to Satan. Last year, Newscasters in numerous cities warned their viewers to guard their animals on Halloween night. Dogs and cats are thought to be the most often sacrificed animals on Halloween, and many S. P. C. A. centers will not allow black cats to be adopted until after Halloween. In rural communities, it is not uncommon for farmers to awake to find the mutilated remains of their farm animals (cows, calves, chickens, even horses) that were ritualistically slaughtered in Satanic sacrifices. The practices that accompany such sacrificial rites are almost too revolting to believe-the drinking of animal (or human) blood and urine, the digestion of entrails and organs, orgiastic rituals, substance abuse, and something becoming more frighteningly common across the U.S.-human sacrifice. The 700 CLUB interviewed several people last Halloween (several of which were teenagers) who actually participated in or witnessed human sacrifices while involved in Satanism. No one scoffs at such stories anymore, as police departments around the country have had to scurry to develop a whole new field of investigation dealing with the gruesome reality of Satanic sacrifices.

      Isn’t it sad that while Satanist, Witches, Occultists and Police are taking Halloween very seriously, many in the church protest our “spoiling all of the fun for the children,” by urging Christians not to participate in it.

It is the Appearance of Evil.

      The Bible says, “Abstain from all appearance of evil.” (1 Thess.5:22).

      Who can deny that virtually all of the symbols of Halloween are evil? Witches, monsters, ogres, vampires, ghosts, ghouls, goblins, devils and demons all portray evil! On the other hand, Christians are called to be “followers of God” (Eph.5:1), and “lights” to a sin darkened world. How can we justify our masquerading as creatures of darkness in the light of the Scriptures? And if our houses and churches are dedicated to God and are to glorify Christ, how do we justify decorating them with demonic and occult symbols?

      Virtually all of the common Halloween decorations represent something Demonic or Occult. For instance:

      The “Jack-o-lantern” is the ancient symbol of a damned soul.

      The “black cat” has long been associated with Witchcraft and numerous superstitions are still connected to it.

      Witches and Witchcraft are a dominant theme of the holiday, but are an abomination to God (Exodus 22:18; Deuteronomy 18:8-14; Leviticus 18:24-30).

      Even the “trick-or-treat” is a threat! It’s nothing less than extortion! “You either give me a treat or I’ll play a trick on you.”

What Should Our Position Be? 

      Clearly, we should have nothing to do with the Halloween celebration whatsoever. If Christians assemble on Halloween it should be to worship, sing, praise, pray, intercede, wage Spiritual warfare and pull down demonic strong-holds. Under no circumstance should we compromise with this celebration or attempt to imitate the world in any manner. It should not be observed as any kind of a festival or “party” (masquerades, apple-bobbing, games, treats, etc.), but rather as a time to wage holy warfare and be separate from the world.

      The Christian should not fear Halloween or any of the powers of darkness, for we have authority over them (Mk.16:15; Lu.10:19), and “God has not given us the spirit of fear…” (2 Tim.l:7). But at the same time, “We are not ignorant of Satan’s devices” (2 Cor.2:11)

      Some may call me “legalistic” for doing so, but I have forsaken this pagan celebration altogether. Perhaps its time you considered doing the same.

“For ye were sometimes darkness, but now are ye light in the Lord: walk as children of light.” (Eph.5:8).

Verses depicting God’s opinion on participating with evil:

Originally published 30 Oct., 2009 at www.justinlessard.wordpress.com.

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Consider this article from WND.com:

THE CONFLICT

This year, my family has decided NOT to have a Christmas tree in our home. After much research, we have discovered that the origins and symbolism is- to be plain- ungodly. Now, we are a Christian family, and we take our faith quite seriously. In order for me to share our decision, I first need you, reader, to have an open mind.

If you are Christian, consider this: When you speak to an unbeliever, you hope for them to abandon their ways and turn to Christ. If they have believed for their entire life that we came from nothing and evolved from fish and monkey hybrids, you want them to accept truth and reject those false teachings. If they are grounded in a false religion, you hope that they see the folly of their way and believe in Christ Jesus as Savior. It is with the same principal that we must also approach a subject such as this. Are you willing to accept the possibility that you and your beliefs may be wrong in at least one area? Just as you expect them to listen with an open mind, you also must have the same mind, to acknowledge the idea that, just as evolution, even though millions believe something is true, it may not be.

Imagine if a pastor or some mega-preacher, wanting to draw in the worldly, decided to publicly reestablish the meaning of the symbols of Halloween. “From now on, we’ll call ‘trick-or-treat’ the Exodus journey. The passing out candy will be representative of Christ‘s gift to us. We‘ll call the costumes a depiction of 2 Corinthians 11:16.” Now, any real Christian knows the real root of Halloween is evil. It’s a reenactment of witchcraft rituals, Satanic practices, and it honors death, Satan, demons, and wickedness. No real believer in Jesus, the Son of the Living God, would follow this practice. So again, we must be willing to consider that our heritage in some rituals are formed in the same fashion. What if, generations ago, our ancestors weren’t so cautious about adopting pagan practices? The same way the world picks up trends so easily today?

 THE STORY

A few years ago, while listening to one of my favorite radio programs, a subject was mentioned which I had never before considered- The discussion made mention of not having a Christmas tree in a Christian home. My first response was disappointment. Here, one of my favorite personalities had turned, as I thought, too radical. He was obviously taking things too far. I mean, what Christian wouldn’t want a Christmas tree? The whole holiday is about Christ, right? This bothered me for a period, but I quickly put it out of my mind.

It wasn’t long, though, before I heard the issue again, this time in greater detail. Christmas trees, I was told, are idols of pagan worship. We only call them Christmas trees, but that doesn’t make them represent Christ. I decided to investigate a bit more. What I found was shocking.

THE REASON

As it turns out, we have a cultural and spiritual dilemma. An icon of an annual seasonal major event has a history unbecoming to its modern supposed purpose. I took a step back, decided to investigate impartially, allowing for whatever I found to affect me as truth, no matter my personal position or history. It is a difficult thing to be impartial to something that affects all of our society. Christmas trees are not only used in Christian homes, but secular as well, store windows, town squares, at Rockefeller Center, and even in atheist homes. So, as with most research I do, I pretended I had never heard of such a thing. How strange to take a few steps back and consider why we cut down a tree, fix it up in our home, put lights and decorations on it, and store gifts beneath it. An odd practice, don’t you think?

I had heard that it was a practice of a pagan god, so I wanted to find out who this “god” was, and what the practices involved were. I found that the god was named “Asherah”. Asherah is also known as the “Queen of Heaven” in Scripture (see Jeremiah 7:18; 44:18-19), and as Artemis (Acts 19:27, 34) by the Ephesians. Some even liken her/ it to the Roman goddess Venus. Asherah was worshipped in ancient Israel as the consort of El, and also in Judah as the consort of Yahweh. This may be linked to the term “Mother Nature”, which is also found in paganism and forms of witchcraft. The Hebrews involved burnt offerings, the baking of small cakes, and poured out drink offerings as worship, and plainly refused to adhere to the Word of the True God (Jeremiah 44:16-19). Asherah poles are mentioned in the Biblical books of Exodus, Deuteronomy, Judges, both first and second Kings, the second Book of Chronicles, and the books of Isaiah, Jeremiah, and Micah.

Scholars have indicated, however, that the plural use of the term Asherahs, as Asherim or Asherot, provides ample evidence that reference is being made to objects of worship rather than a transcendent figure. Typical practice included cutting a tree down to affix in a central or convenient location for worship. They would often carve a figure into the base of the tree trunk to give an image to the deity. (Similar to the statues at temples, the Israelites golden calf, Egyptian stone carvings, etc.) Decorations were often fashioned of silver, gold, wood, or were woven. (See Jeremiah 10:4; 2 Kings 23:7) The tree was meant as a phallic symbol, the hanging balls as testes, types of tinsel & garlands signified semen, and wreathes as a symbol of the womb, yet still representing a male sun deity.

During the late middle ages, the little balls were interpreted by Christians to be “witch balls”, borrowed from witchcraft, to attract, then capture “evil” spirits. Gift offerings were placed under the tree to the god. (Sound familiar yet?)

 Trees were put in an accessible location. So are Christmas trees. Both are decorated, often with spherical balls. Both are often accompanied by a wreath. Both have gifts put under them, although we’ve turned the gifts into a teaching of a commercialized approval of greed and selfishness for children, not a representation of Christ’s gift as some claim. (Jesus gave us a gift of salvation, so I’m giving you an ipod and a bike and candy and Play Station. And we get up at 3 a.m. on Black Friday and angrily fight crowds for the latest toy or gadget because…? Sure, it’s all about Jesus’ birth…)

Additionally, in the ancient lunar calendar that became the Islamic calendar, the Day of Ashurah, transliterated also as Aashurah, Ashura, Ashora or Aashoorah, falls on the 10th day of Muharram. On that day, in the year of the Hejira 61 (AD 680), Husayn bin Ali, the grandson of Muhammad was killed by Umayyad forces at the Battle of Karbala (now in Iraq). Still called by its ancient name, the Day of Ashurah, (also spelled Ashora) it has been observed ever since as a day of mourning by Shī`ites.

Even the date, proven to be linked to many other wicked practices and traditions, is nowhere near the actual birth of Jesus. How do we know this? Jesus was visited by shepherds the night of His birth. In late December, the area is easily frosted and entirely too cold for flocks to be out. Meteorological science has shown no appreciable differences is the average temperatures in the time since. The very latest time of year would have been sometime in October. Just for informational sake- the magi, or wise men, never were at the manger at all. They were following a star and showed up sometime later, at a house Mary, Joseph & Jesus were staying, well after Jesus‘ circumcision, which would have been on His eighth day. This is found in Matthew 2:11, the only verse that indicates the actual place the magi met the Christ child. This makes most nativity sets incorrect, showing yet again how little we know about our heritage in Christ. If we easily miss this straightforward fact, how about something more complicated like a tree in our house?

 In Europe, during the Roman celebration of the feast of Saturnalia, Pagans decorated their houses with clippings of evergreen shrubs. They also decorated living trees with bits of metal and replicas of their God, Bacchus. Tertullian (circa 160 – 230), an early Christian leader and a prolific writer, complained that too many fellow-Christians had copied the Pagan practice of adorning their houses with lamps and with wreathes of laurel. They also placed 12 candles on the tree in honor of their sun god.” Their mid-winter festival of Saturnalia started on DEC-17 and often lasted until a few days after the Solstice.

Writes T. G. Crippen in Christmas and Christmas Lore, “Now in December and the beginning of January there were several festivals which were intimately associated with the daily life of the Roman people. First, from the 17th to the 21st December, was the Saturnalia, the great Roman holiday….One might call it the Feast of Topsy-turveydom; when slaves were allowed for a few days to enjoy the semblance of freedom, were waited upon by their masters, and chose from amongst themselves a mock king to preside over their revels. Next, on the 22nd, came Sigillaria, the Feast of Dolls, when a fair was held, and dolls and other toys, mostly of earthenware, were given to children. Then, on 25th, came Brumalia, otherwise Dies Natalis Invicti Solis, The Birthday of the Unconquered Sun, when the days began to lengthen after the solstice….It is believed to have been instituted … by the emperor Aurelian, in honour of Mithras, the Persian sun-god…” (p. 8-9).

From Wikipedia (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Saturnalia): Christians in the fourth century assigned December 25 (the Winter Solstice on the Julian calendar) as Christ’s birthday (and thus Christmas) because pagans already observed this day as a holiday. As the dates of Saturnalia are not precisely coincident with Christmas, a more refined argument is that Christmas was set on the feast of Sol Invictus, which was on December 25, and which had supplanted Saturnalia. However, with many of the traditions of Saturnalia incorporated into Sol Invictus, it is likely that some of those traditions — such as the exchanging of gifts — were also carried forward as a part of the Christian holiday.

Christians went deeper and deeper into apostasy as they ADOPTED the Pagan customs from those around them. The green ivy and holly were common symbols of “Saturn”, the Roman deity. Early believers thought that if they decorated their homes with these trappings, they would appear to be conforming to the Pagan culture as everyone around them was observing Saturnalia. Thus they would “blend-in”, and they would suffer less persecution. As time passed, the custom became part of the Christian world, and you will see the wreaths and Asherim trees in their assemblies and homes today. If we don’t “join-in” with the celebration, we’re considered to be freaks, or “Scrooges”.

This tradition, like so many others, is rooted and grounded not in Christ, but in Roman and Grecian mythology, paganism, and Muslim celebratory tradition, and accompanies several sexual and fertility based rituals. As their popularity grew, the church did what it thought was best: join in. It is believed that during the reign of Constantine the church accepted some of the practices and “Christianized” them as a way of drawing pagans into the church. This was during a time of prominent political standing of the Catholic church, and the pagans were growing in number and strength. The tradition was carried to the early United States. There, Christians initially protested the idea of Christmas trees, and even the celebration of Jesus’ birth being placed in late December, “conveniently” the week of Saturnalia, the Yule Tide and Asherah. The Pilgrim’s second governor, William Bradford, a Puritan, tried hard to stamp out all “pagan mockery” at Christmas time. Christmas trees were not used by Puritans in colonial times. In 1851, Pastor Henry Schwan of Cleveland, OH appears to have been the person responsible for decorating the first Christmas tree in an American church. His parishioners condemned the idea as a Pagan practice; some even threatened the pastor with harm.

Some argue- “It still doesn’t mean that now! We do it for other reasons- not those things.” But the question I must submit is this- At what point does an evil, pagan ritual; a practice rooted in self-mutilation, anti-Christianity and witchcraft; when does it suddenly become acceptable to our never-changing Lord? If He is the same yesterday, today and forever as the Bible says, then what is the cause of His mind change? I don’t believe there is one. An evil practice remains evil, no matter what we fallen humans call it.

THE CORRECTION

 As we reflect on the true meaning of Christmas, perhaps it would be best to choose a symbol that actually represents the birth of a Savior, the Christ Child. One of the most beloved themes of the Holy Day is the nativity. My family is creating a nativity ourselves- a simple one, and we plan to improve bit by bit as an annual tradition. Of course, I won’t have the wise men (or magi), because they weren’t at the actual birthplace. Let’s make it about Christ, about the birth of our Lord in body and blood and bone, the Word become flesh who would one day die a cruel and unjust death because He loves us so much. Let’s celebrate Him. Even though we aren’t exactly sure of the date Jesus came to be with us as a helpless babe, we can still honor Him. Let us honor Him with a practice worthy of His respect. Find a symbol that your family can focus around that emphasizes Christ, not tradition. The nativity, the child, the reason for His coming, something that centralizes the day of remembrance on Jesus Christ, the Son of God and the Son of Man who came to us a baby so He could be killed as a man.

Tags: Asherah, Asherahs, Asherim, Asherot, Ashurah, Birth of Christ, celebration, Christmas, Christmas Tree, Day of Asherah, Day of Ashurah, gift exchange, Islamic, Islamic caladar, Muhammad, pagan trees, paganism, Roman, Saturn, Saturnalia, Sol Invictus, truth, William Bradford, Winter Solstice, christmas tree evil, evil tree, lies, pagan christmas tree, gifts under the tree, presents under the tree, gift exchange, meaning of Chirstmas,

NEWEST EDITION ADDITIONS:

• Re-edited: Reality of Halloween. What ARE You Celebrating?
• Think being a believer is easy?  The Cost of Being Christian gives insight to the hadships some believers will face. Jesus never said we’d have a picnic.
• If you read the peviously mentioned article, you must know that there is another side to the coin! Reward for Following Jesus tells us of they marvelous payoff we can and will receive if we are faithfull in following Christ! We have the mightiest treasure to look forward to!
• “BIG Questions” series- I will briefly answer some of the “Big Questions” that are frequently asked about the Christian faith. These will most likely come one or a few at a time. Part one is posted now at BIG Questions- Part 1: “Who made God?” “What does He look like?” and “Who wrote the Bible?”  and Part two is at BIG Questions- Part 2: “Is getting a tattoo a sin?” “Is it a sin to smoke or do drugs?” and “Is it really a big deal if I sin?” Be sure to look for more to come! If you would like your question answered, just leave it as a comment below.
• The Rapture- Is there going to be one? When will it be? The answer will surprise most Christians! Will There Be A Rapture?
• Is the swine flu something to worry about? Is it going to turn into a deadly plague? Or is this just the latest hype to keep us entertained? Find out here: Swine Flu a Hoax?
• No one likes to admit it, but nearly everyone, including most Christians, denies Christ more often than they’d like to think. For a unique perspective and a much needed reminder, read DENYING CHRIST

What’s being worked on:

I’m working on a new series that will discuss some of the most controversial and denominationally dividing issues; issues that, if we read Scripture correctly, would have no quarrel. Some topics are:

• The Trinity/ Oneness argument
• A short(er) summary on the timing & placement of the rapture. (See also the article Will There Be A Rapture?)
• Baptism: Water vs. Spirit
• Tongues- Types & Uses in the Church
• Dependability on the Bible- Literal, Metaphorical, or False?
• As always, the fight between Creationism and Evolution marches on. I will provide a list and summary of more evidence that the earth is young, not million of years old. (See also the article The Evolutionary Lie: Biblical Reality Proved)

As always, I’m researching and working on my book, Confessions and Professions. In the book, I examine the gifts of speech and language, and their impacts on our lives both physically and spiritually.

Rendition of the Ark of the Covenant

 
http://wnd.com/index.php?fa=PAGE.view&pageId=102119
http://wnd.com/index.php?fa=PAGE.view&pageId=102200

For more on Bob Cornuke, the biblical investigator, international explorer and best-selling author who was one of the first to publically discover the whereabouts of the Ark, please visit: http://www.baseinstitute.org/ 

I had a video on one of my blogs that was mysteriously erased. It showed a train station, supposedly abandoned, with a US military train car in the lot. New updated air-conditioning systems, turnstiles, gates blocking any other way in, a barb-wired fence with the spikes facing inwards, to keep anyone on the inside and markers along the fence not suitable for cars or trains, but spaced for people to line up. There were also new radio tower antennas, markers on the wires for helicopters and wind socks. While the people who found this were filming, a black helicopter flew above. Somehow, the clip was erased. I have seen others, though. Some have old stores or warehouses that are being updated and fenced in by the government. A few show wide trenches that are dug to make the fence unreachable. Whatever the intentions of these buildings, it cannot be difficult to imagine the worst.

News tidbits fly by so quickly nowadays that we hardly have the time to piece them together. For example, the president, whoever it may be, has the authority to declare an emergency. He has the power, in an emergency, to institute martial law. He may also, with the press of a button, have control of the internet, television, and radio. Power grids can be controlled and shut off at will. And now, a bill introduced to create detention camps in the US. Assuming this bill passes, the camps would already be in place. As if this isn’t scary enough, the president is also the one to use his discretion to determine what constitutes as an emergency.

I assume that some horrendous disaster will spark the use of such laws, but in reality it could be anything including the will of some dictator. Hitler did it, but eventually failed. Now, the hostile take-over types have finally learned to do it slowly. They realize that if they take years to desensitize people, they stand a better chance of half the world accepting the ideas they introduce. Less resistance in the long run. Read this article that follows, and keep your eyes open in the long term media. Watch as you are introduced to more and more “immoral” acceptance laws under the pretense of tolerance and approval.

Bill creates detention camps in U.S. for ‘emergencies’
Sweeping, undefined purpose raises worries about military police state

Posted by WorldNetDaily: February 01, 2009; By Jerome R. Corsi

 Rep. Alcee L. Hastings, D-Fla., has introduced to the House of Representatives a new bill, H.R. 645, calling for the secretary of homeland security to establish no fewer than six national emergency centers for corralling civilians on military installations. The proposed bill, which has received little mainstream media attention, appears designed to create the type of detention center that those concerned about use of the military in domestic affairs fear could be used as concentration camps for political dissidents, such as occurred in Nazi Germany. The bill also appears to expand the president’s emergency power, much as the executive order signed by President Bush on May 9, 2007, that, as WND reported, gave the president the authority to declare an emergency and take over the direction of all federal, state, local, territorial and tribal governments without even consulting Congress. As WND also reported, DHS has awarded a $385 million contract to Houston-based KBR, Halliburton’s former engineering and construction subsidiary, to build temporary detention centers on an “as-needed” basis in national emergency situations. According to the text of the proposed bill, the purpose of the National Emergency Centers is “to provide temporary housing, medical, and humanitarian assistance to individuals and families dislocated due to an emergency or major disaster.” Three additional purposes are specified in the text of the proposed legislation: • To provide centralized locations for the purposes of training and ensuring the coordination of federal, state and local first responders; • To provide centralized locations to improve the coordination of preparedness, response and recovery efforts of government, private, not-for-profit entities and faith-based organizations; • To meet other appropriate needs, as defined by the secretary of homeland security. The broad specifications of the bill’s language, however, contribute to concern that the “national emergency” purpose could be utilized by the secretary of homeland security to include any kind of situation the government wants to contain or otherwise control. Rep. Hastings created controversy during the 2008 presidential campaign with his provocative comments concerning Republican vice presidential candidate Sarah Palin. “If Sarah Palin isn’t enough of a reason for you to get over whatever your problem is with Barack Obama, then you damn well had better pay attention,” Hastings said, as reported by ABC News. “Anybody toting guns and stripping moose don’t care too much about what they do with Jews and blacks. So, you just think this through.” H.R. 645, which seeks to allocate $360 million for developing the emergency centers, has been referred to the House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure and to the Committee on Armed Services.

by: Justin Lessard

Recently, America and the world were shocked by a brutal shooting at the Holocaust Memorial Museum in Washington, D.C.  Seemingly, only moments after the attack which left a security guard dead, the media began to label the shooter, suspect James von Brunn, as a “right-wing extremist” and terrorist. Suddenly the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) brought to attention the hand that was sent to every law enforcement agency in the country, before it’s recall was demanded. In the document, DHS warned law enforcement officials to be on the lookout for potential terrorists which include pro-lifers, returning war veterans, anyone who supports traditional marriage as between one man and one woman, and anyone who believes in Bible prophecy. That document available here: http://wnd.com/images/dhs-rightwing-extremism.pdf  DHS has since agreed to rewrite some of the offensive and prejudice language in the letter, but as of this point, I have seen no such thing. In fact, they are referencing the retracted copies, stating that such motives prompted the shooting in question, as well as the recent assassination of abortionist George Tiller and several other isolated acts of violence throughout the nation.

What is less than ironic, and quite predictable is that the U.S. Government has once again jumped the gun and spoken without evidence. It took very little journalistic research for conservative media to determine that von Brunn is not a “right-winger”, but in fact is quite the opposite. He is not a Bible believer, stating quite clearly and publically that he finds it to be a “hoax.” Von Brunn is also a follower of Darwinism and the teachings of Adolf Hitler, citing those as his reason for his anti-Semitism. Typical of our current presidential administration, they are fast to blame the right side conservatives, painting a picture of violence where there is none, and blaming violence by their own left wingers on the other side. The following article from World Net Daily explores this further.

To visit WND, click here: http://wnd.com/index.php?fa=PAGE.view&pageId=100882

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Darwin-loving museum shooter hates Bible, Christians
Suspect in death of security guard defies easy stereotyping

Posted: June 11, 2009; 11:45 pm Eastern

By Bob Unruh
James von Brunn, the man who allegedly shot and killed a guard at the Holocaust Memorial Museum in Washington, D.C., was a Darwin-lover who hated the Bible and Christians, and defies media efforts to classify him as a stereotypical “right-winger,” according to reports.

The Moonbattery blog revealed von Brunn advocated the socialist policies espoused by Adolf Hitler and used Darwinian theory to support his anti-Semitism.

And in statements that later were stripped from an anti-religion website, he wrote, “The Big Lie technique, employed by Paul to create the CHRISTIAN RELIGION, also was used to create the HOLOCAUST RELIGION … CHRISTIANITY AND THE HOLOCAUST are HOAXES.”

The blog had an answer to how to classify von Brunn, who remains hospitalized after being shot while attacking and shooting a guard at the museum: “If it barks like a moonbat, it’s a moonbat.”

Von Brunn’s diatribe on religion, according to the website, included:

“The New Testament was written in Greek. Paul – who believed the World was flat, that Joshua made the sun stand still, and Jehovah spoke from a burning bush – wrote one-third of it, perhaps more. The events described in the 24 Books are often contradictory, fail the time-line, defy both archaeology’s and nature’s immutable laws, and are suicidal if practiced. Nevertheless, the shamans bought it, taught it, and the illiterate public was coerced, brainwashed, threatened, tortured, murdered, and enthralled. … The Gospels profess that only Christians may enter Yahweh’s Kingdom of Heaven. To qualify, among other demands, Christians must LOVE THEIR ENEMIES (Jews); give away their personal belongings; eschew knowledge; judge not, despise nature, abandon earthly pleasures, acknowledge that all YHWH’s children are equal; and above all else worship YHWH, the jealous, wrathful, vengeful, unforgiving, genocidal, anthropomorphic tribal god (Jesus’ father) created by Hebrews in their image and likeness. Omnipotent, omniscient YHWH promises Hebrews that they alone shall inherit the earth, that it is commendable to steal from Gentiles, better yet — kill them. Whereas Gentiles, if they fail to worship YHWH, are transported straight to Hell. And it is written, ‘A little child shall lead them.’ These dangerous, imbecilic, concepts, tenets, and teachings, often treasonous, DESTROYED the Roman Empire and drenched the soil of Europe with Aryan blood for almost 2000 years!”

According to writer Kathy Shaidle at Examiner.com, von Brunn left a trail of “unhinged” writings.

“The anti-Semitism of von Brunn is the first thing one notices when visiting these bizarre websites. However, like those of most ‘white supremacists,’ many of von Brunn’s political views track ‘Left’ rather than ‘Right.’ Clearly, a re-evaluation of these obsolete definitions is long overdue,” she wrote.

Von Brunn, for example, hated both President George H.W. Bush as well as George W. Bush, and the writer confirmed his posting “reveals a hatred of, say, big corporations that is virtually indistinguishable from that of anti-globalization activists.”

“None of this will surprise readers of Jonah Goldberg’s bestseller ‘Liberal Fascism: The Secret History of the American Left, From Mussolini to the Politics of Change,’ which clearly demonstrates that ‘fascism’ of the kind advocated by the British National Party (BNP) and the likes of James W. von Brunn is just as likely to reflect ‘leftwing’ views as ‘rightwing’ ones,” Shaidle wrote.

She noted anti-Semitism, in fact, is something the “New Left” and the “Far Right” have had in common since the 1980s.

“That this shooting occurred shortly after President Obama’s former mentor, Rev. Jeremiah Wright, blamed ‘the Jews’ for his lack of access to his former parishioner is a troubling confluence of events as well,” she wrote.

She wrote that von Brunn clearly was “deeply confused,” but isn’t the “mainstream conservative and/or rightwinger currently being depicted on leftwing blogs and by liberal commentators.”

“In short, von Brunn’s connection with conservative thought and action today – be it talk radio or ‘tea parties’ – is tenuous. Those trying to puff up such ‘connections’ are acting in bad faith, out of blind partisanship – of the sort which is as corrosive to the health of the body politic as von Brunn’s own b[l]atherings,” Shaidle wrote.

On the Examiner forum page, the assessments on von Brunn ran along similar paths:

• The man is a lunatic irrespective of ideology.
• This loon is now responsible for the same number of dead as Teddy Kennedy is!
• The guy is a nut, as was the abortion [doctor] killer, and the Army recruiter killer. There is extremism across the political spectrum. Have you ever heard that stereotyping people can be unhealthy and even dangerous, and something I hope we discourage in this liberal society.

Author Jame Glazov, whose book “United in Hate: The Left’s Romance With Tyranny and Terror,” is a rising star, also has examined the links between the left and tyranny.

Glazov, who is managing editor of Frontpagemag, wrote, “As history shows, leftist beliefs have spawned mass carnage and misery. Put into practice, they have caused the deaths of millions. Until now, it has been extremely difficult for rational people who value personal freedom to understand the motivations of those who live in comfort and yet embrace monstrous dictators, ideologies, and policies that leave only death and destruction in their wake.”

Glazov in his book “presents startling new insights into the toxic beliefs and torturously contorted thought processes of the leftists who lust to destroy the very freedoms that allow them to exist.”

Glazov, a refugee from the Soviet Union, contends there is an unholy alliance between jihadists and people such as Michael Moore, Sean Penn, Ted Turner and Noam Chomsky. At the heart of the mutual admiration, he says, is a willingness to accept massive numbers of deaths to achieve their objectives.

What’s bound to be most infuriating to those Americans and many other westerners mentioned in the book is the way Glazov uses their own words to make the point.

“Not only do I think it’s possible [a Muslim-leftist alliance] but I think it is vitally necessary and I think it is happening already,” explains leftist British lawmaker George Galloway. “It is possible because the progressive movement around the world and the Muslims have the same enemies. Their enemies are the Zionist occupation, American occupation, British occupation of poor countries, mainly Muslim countries.”

 ⁴“Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted.

 ⁵“Blessed are the gentle, for they shall inherit the earth.

 ⁶“Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied.

 ⁷“Blessed are the merciful, for they shall receive mercy.

 ⁸“Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God.

 ⁹“Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God.

 ¹⁰“Blessed are those who have been persecuted for the sake of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

 ¹¹“Blessed are you when people insult you and persecute you, and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of Me.

 ¹²“Rejoice and be glad, for your reward in heaven is great; for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you. (Matthew 5:3-12)

“Persecuted.” “…people insult you…” “…evil against you…”

Upon Jesus’ saying this, the outlook of being a follower of Jesus changes greatly. Prior to this, all of the “Blessed are…” verses contain instruction on being humble, merciful, pure in heart, and peacemakers. Then the whammy: You will be hated, pursued, bullied and harassed because of Jesus. You may die for Jesus.

To many, this is a shock to the system. Churches and evangelists often paint the picture of coming to Christ and having a peaceful, wonderful life without worry or fear. Many falsely believe that they will become a Christian and no longer have financial burden, family struggles, relationship issues, or disrespect.

Unfortunately, saying, “I’m a Christian,” is not a magical phrase that makes all needs and problems go away. Jesus never said, “I’ll make your life easy.” In fact, those last verses point to life being anything but easy. Jesus let us know that you may die for His cause, being persecuted for being righteous, by Jesus’ Godly standard. Yet, the reward is heaven. Jesus let us know that they will revile, mistreat and abuse us, and even persecute us because we belong to Jesus. Of course, the ultimate persecutions are torture and even death. And let us not forget the prophesied end-times in which all believers will be hated, sought and killed based entirely on their faith.

This is not to say that there are no benefits to being Christian. First of all, there’s heaven. We also do have immeasurable amounts of mercy upon us, peace that surpasses understanding, Spiritual gifts, such as tongues, prophecy, wisdom, etc. We are allotted blessing upon blessing for both the present life and our eternal life, all according to the Holy Spirit. The rewards always outweigh the concerns of being Christian.

What many do not understand is that being persecuted is not all bad. Surely, it is terrible for the moment. It is horrific to undergo the suffering that some brothers and sisters in Christ endure, even to this day. Yet in the end the reward is amazing. We live eternally in the presence of God; we get to look on the face of Jesus the Christ.

Jesus also said, “Whoever wishes to save his life will lose it; but whoever loses his life for My sake will find it.” (Matthew 16:25) He will give in return an eternal reward. A blessing that lasts not for a day, but forever. The joy is forever. The peace is unending. The harmony is eternal. The presence of the Almighty, Creator God, the Christ who died in our place, such a presence you will be in ceaselessly. These will never, ever go away. Should you suffer for Christ for your entire life of 70, 80, even 100 years, yet in ten-thousand-million years your joyous reward will have only begun.

Dear friends:                                                    

           In 2006 I traveled to Kenya, in eastern Africa. While there, the Lord prompted me to return. I am now planning on leading a return trip to Kenya August 9-26, 2009 as the Lord directs. There is much need in Kenya right now! We will be working mainly in the Maasai village, spreading the gospel of Jesus Christ.  

At that time of my previous visit, Kenya was the most peaceful and safe country in eastern Africa. After their presidential elections in Dec. 2007, was sparked tribal and religious genocide throughout the country. Over 1,500 were killed, over 600,000 were displaced, and in some instances, churches were burned to the ground while those seeking refuge hid inside. This lasted close to five months. Yet we know, “If God is for us, who can be against us?” (Romans 8:31)

 As I return this summer, the mission will consist of:

• Preaching in the Maasai villages. We have a translator who will interpret the words into the Maasai language. Many of these people will be hearing the gospel for the first time ever!
• Showing the Jesus film. We will show the film, dubbed in Maa, the language of the Maasai. This film will be instrumental in showing the ministry of Christ, and in leading to the salvation of the lost.
• Clothing outreach. We have a lot of clothes in all sizes, but mostly kids. As children grow, both in the bush and in the slums, they do not have access or income for new clothing. Most children wear very old and tattered clothes. We would like to bless them with new items. We only have to get the clothes to them.
• Construction. The main village in which we will be staying has outgrown the building used for the church. (Praise God!) They would like to build a bigger sanctuary out of stone brick (as opposed to corrugated metal). If enough funds are secured, we will purchase the materials to lay the foundation for this new sanctuary and begin its construction!
• Vacation Bible School (VBS). While the children will be on a break from school, we will conduct a VBS series to teach them about Jesus, the Bible, and Godly characteristics.
• Much more. We will have more opportunities that we don’t even know about yet, but one thing is for sure: We will follow the leading of the Holy Spirit, and do the will of the Lord as He instructs.

 I am writing to you to ask for your help. We cannot do this alone. Between flights, lodging, food, materials for work and donation and immunizations, I am looking at a cost of no less than $6,500. If you can assist us, a tax-exempt donation can be made out to:

South Side Christian Church

c/o Kenya Missions

P.O. Box 20800 

Milwaukee, WI 53220 

 Please write “Kenya Missions” or my name, Justin Lessard, on the memo line. Thank you for any consideration.

            God bless you and those who serve alongside you.

Your brother in Christ Jesus our Lord,

Justin Lessard

Servant of Christ

ferventservant1@hotmail.com

Below is a donations form, and below that are a number of facts and other info on Kenya. Please take the time to read it, and prayerfully consider sending a gift.

- – - – - – - – - – - – - – - –

Please print, cut out & send this along with your contribution. Thank you! (Ok to copy/paste this.)

 Thank you for supporting the 2009 Mission trip to KENYA 

I pledge to support _______Justin Lessard_______

Supporter name(s) __________________________________________________________

_________ with my/our prayers

________ with my/our financial gift of (check one) $50_____ $100_____ $150_____ $300_____ $500_____ $1,000_____ Other_____

       (Checks must be received by: March 31, 2009)

Send to:       South Side Christian Church

                     P.O.Box 20800

                        Milwaukee, WI 53220                

Attn.: Justin Lessard/ Kenya Mission

 - – - – - – - – - – - – - – - –  I wanted to post the most critical info on Kenya. You may notice that a few of the numbers don’t match (ie. population) I don’t know when each piece gathered the info posted (unless noted), but it varies depending on who’s doing the survey. I also imagine that its hard to get precise numbers because of all the Maasai and all the unaccounted for people in the slums. Either way, you get the main idea.

 The country 

Full name: The Republic of Kenya

Population: 32.8 million (UN, 2005)

Capital: Nairobi

Area: 582,646 sq km (224,961 sq miles)

Major languages: Swahili, English

Major religion: Christianity

Monetary unit: 1 Kenya shilling = 100 cents

Main exports: Tea, coffee, horticultural products, petroleum products

Gross National Income per capita: US $530 (World Bank, 2006)

Situated on the equator on Africa’s east coast, Kenya has been described as ‘the cradle of humanity’. In the Great Rift Valley paleontologists have discovered some of the earliest evidence of man’s ancestors.

Nationality: noun: Kenyan(s) adjective: Kenyan

Ethnic groups: Kikuyu 22%, Luhya 14%, Luo 13%, Kalenjin 12%, Kamba 11%, Kisii 6%, Meru 6%, other African 15%, non-African (Asian, European, and Arab) 1%

Religions: Protestant 45%, Roman Catholic 33%, Muslim 10%, indigenous beliefs 10%, other 2%
note: a large majority of Kenyans are Christian, but estimates for the percentage of the population that adheres to Islam or indigenous beliefs vary widely

Languages: English (official), Kiswahili (official), numerous indigenous languages

Literacy: Definition: age 15 and over can read and write Total population: 85.1% Male: 90.6%
Female: 79.7% (2003 est.)

Independence: 12 December 1963 (from UK)

Unemployment rate: 40%

Source: https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/print/ke.html

• 52% of Kenya’s 32 million people live below the poverty line of $1 per day.

• A long-running regional drought has affected the food security of three and half million Kenyans .

• Life expectancy is 45 years.1

• More than one in 10 children die before their fifth birthday.1

• More than 400 in every 100,000 women die in childbirth.1

• Access to better water and sanitation is improving; six in 10 Kenyans have access to water from an improved  source.2

• Following the introduction of free primary education, 86%2 of children are enrolled in primary schools (compared to 62% in 1992). Gender equality in primary schools is now at 98%.

• Transition to secondary education has risen from 27% in 1999 to 30% in 2004, with a 2008 target of 70%.

1 2003 Kenya Demographic and Health Survey.

2 2004 Kenya Bureau of Statistics.

The people

 ²⁸And Jesus said to them, “Truly I say to you, that you who have followed Me, in the regeneration when the Son of Man will sit on His glorious throne, you also shall sit upon twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel.”

 ²⁹“And everyone who has left houses or brothers or sisters or father or mother or children or farms for My name’s sake, will receive many times as much,[NIV- a hundred times as much] and will inherit eternal life.

^{30 “}But many who are first will be last; and the last, first.” (Matthew 19:27-30)

 As a man who follows closely what God speaks to me, I can most definitely appreciate this passage. Being of the character that allows one to step out in faith what one believes he is hearing from God, one comes under scrutiny.

The disciples had good cause to ask this question. They had left their lives to follow a miracle-man, a teacher and a prophet, as far as they knew. They followed Jesus for three years, and had no idea what would eventually come of it. Imagine you are at work, doing your job. Fishermen, tax collectors, Pharisees, and prostitutes. These are just a few of the “careers” Jesus interrupted. What about you- on your next shift? Baristas, nurses, machinists, sales clerks, police, priests, pastors, prostitutes and fishermen. All of these He still calls. What if the next time you are at work a man walks in and performs a miracle, saying no more than, “I am from the Father. Follow me.”? Will you? Maybe He supplies enough food for everyone out of enough for only one, or fills the till to overflowing with dimes. Maybe He has you look at the paperwork and it’s already done, or heals someone right in front of you. Will you follow?

That’s exactly what these people did. Simon-Peter, James and John, the sons of Zebedee, Andrew, Philip, Bartholomew, Matthew, Thomas, James the son of Alphaeus, Thaddaeus, Simon the Zealot, and Judas Iscariot, who betrayed Him. So I wonder how many are actually willing to do what Jesus calls us to, however simple or complex or impossible it may seem. These twelve men did follow Jesus and at the point of the verses in Matthew above, they wanted to know what they were going to get from it.

Take for example the fishermen. Their entire livelihood is their boat and nets. When Jesus said, “Follow Me,” He promised nothing. He gave no reason, other than the feeling that there was more to this man than just mere flesh. Sure, He had caught a bunch of fish, but it could’ve been coincidence, couldn’t it? Most assuredly not. So Jesus tells them what is in store. They would sit on twelve thrones and have the honor of judging Israel.

This is great for those twelve men, but it’s the next line that caught me. Everyone who leaves his home, family or farm (I take that to mean property) for the sake of Jesus will be rewarded many times over and will receive eternal life. This is nothing to take frivolously. It is a great promise for a life of difficult decisions and much willful loss.

Case in point- I have heard the voice of God. He first told me I was to go to Africa in 2005. Upon His telling me this, I was in disbelief at what I had heard, but there is something about the presence of God that causes you to check your disbelief. God knows what He says, and to whom He says it. So I went that next year, in 2006, having everything fit exactly as He said it would. There, I went out to a great hill overlooking a distant, picturesque valley. I began to pray, thanking God for this “once in a lifetime opportunity to serve.” Suddenly, I was cut short by the immense feeling of heaviness by what I’d just said, particularly the phrase “once in a lifetime.” The same feeling of a Holy presence was there with me. I knew I was before God Almighty once again. He spoke, telling me that I would return. Foolishly, I was in disbelief, until a Maasai man confirmed the statement. He had been nowhere nearby when this conversation with God had taken place. I was immediately humbled, wondering why God hadn’t just struck me down for my disbelief in His perfect Word.

In 2007, I was married. My wife knew full well God’s call on my life. She, too, was informed by God of my trip, and several other things, in a similar way. In the first few months of 2008, there was great bloodshed in Kenya, my destination, following a presidential election in that country. I asked God to confirm the call for me to go there, as many Christian churches were burned and believers killed. God told me to face my fears and to go to Kenya as Ananias went to Saul, a Christian-killer who later became Paul, the writer of the majority of the Bible’s New Testament. (See Acts 9:1-19) Ananias was afraid to face the man known for killing believers. On top of that, God wanted Ananias to go and pray for Saul, which would reveal Ananias as a Christian. In the same way that God assured Ananias, He did for me.

Trouble is, there are a great number who tell me how unwise it is. This is what I’ve been told:

• Don’t go there alone.
• Don’t go there without a church (which wants membership and/or your tithes).
• Don’t go at all.
• It isn’t economically sound.
• It isn’t practical.
• It isn’t safe.
• It isn’t necessary.
• It’s wrong to leave your family.

Some of these things may be true, but they are not excuses. When it comes to God’s command, there is never an excuse to neglect it. Allow me point out a few details about our Biblical heroes:

• Noah built an ark: Not necessary (there was no rain).
• Lot followed two strangers command to get out of Sodom: Foolish by today’s standard.
• Abraham took his son up to an alter to kill him: Today he’d be arrested and committed.
• Jacob worked 14 years in a field for a woman. Today, I think he’d be accused of all sort of sin, from burning lust to insanity.
• Moses held up a stick several times, each resulting in a miracle. The Israelites still complained, but today I think they wouldn’t have let him get as far as he did. They might wander for 140 years!
• Esther risked her life for an audience with the king. That’s not safe.
• The fishermen dropped their nets, left their boats (their livelihood) and families and followed Jesus. That’s not economically sound and today would show “poor family relationships”.
• Peter got out of a boat to walk on water with Jesus. Not very practical.
• Daniel prayed openly to God, despite a law prohibiting it. Many would say that his prayers weren’t necessary.
• Jesus died for the sins of everyone-for YOUR sins. Even Peter told Him not to. Jesus’ response? “Get behind me Satan!” Jesus pointed out to Peter that that wasn’t God’s will; it was the will of man.

All of these and SO many more are men and women we call heroes. We look upon them in such high esteem, in such regard. Yet, if any of them were a man or woman in a typical congregation, they would be rebuked for their faith, cast aside, insulted, talked down or outright ejected from the church! We no longer hold in high admiration the strong, enduring faith of such believers, but we try to reason them down as the world would. We attempt to explain away the impracticality of the deed they wish to do. With this continuing on, there is little hope for the church.

No wonder the Bible calls for a great falling away of the faith. These people have no faith left, just religion. Religion that is accompanied by lighting, sound systems, meetings, décor, “group activities”, busyness, hyped up music and user-friendly preaching. They have laid aside Spiritual gifts and teaching that rocks the boat. They refuse to offend a sinner, and in result the Holy Spirit is boxed up, gossip is labeled as “keeping informed for the purpose of prayer”, adultery is a simple and often mistake, sin is allowed so long as we pray later, and there are no prophetic words, no deep soul cleansings, no demons cast out, no healings, no miracles, no Jesus. There is no Jesus is these churches, just the use of His Name, powerless by the covering up of sin and the list of convenient excuses.

What a contrast between the Bible’s definition of a believer and the current worldly church. Jesus made a promise to reward those who will leave something behind and follow Him. It seems so simple. Who wouldn’t want to go out in Jesus’ Name and receive an eternal reward? Given the current religious climate, I can see why it is a rewardable and rare practice.

Justin Lessard

May 2009

By: Justin Lessard

 28 May 2009

  ²¹“Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father who is in heaven will enter.

 ²²“Many will say to Me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in Your name, and in Your name cast out demons, and in Your name perform many miracles?’

 ²³“And then I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you; DEPART FROM ME, YOU WHO PRACTICE LAWLESSNESS.’ (Matthew 7:21-23)

 ³²“All the nations will be gathered before Him; and He will separate them from one another, as the shepherd separates the sheep from the goats;

 ³³and He will put the sheep on His right, and the goats on the left.

 ³⁴“Then the King will say to those on His right, ‘Come, you who are blessed of My Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world.

 ³⁵‘For I was hungry, and you gave Me something to eat; I was thirsty, and you gave Me something to drink; I was a stranger, and you invited Me in;

 ³⁶naked, and you clothed Me; I was sick, and you visited Me; I was in prison, and you came to Me.’

 ³⁷“Then the righteous will answer Him, ‘Lord, when did we see You hungry, and feed You, or thirsty, and give You something to drink?

 ³⁸‘And when did we see You a stranger, and invite You in, or naked, and clothe You?

 ³⁹‘When did we see You sick, or in prison, and come to You?’

 ⁴⁰“The King will answer and say to them, ‘Truly I say to you, to the extent that you did it to one of these brothers of Mine, even the least of them, you did it to Me.’

 ⁴¹“Then He will also say to those on His left, ‘Depart from Me, accursed ones, into the eternal fire which has been prepared for the devil and his angels;

 ⁴²for I was hungry, and you gave Me nothing to eat; I was thirsty, and you gave Me nothing to drink;

 ⁴³I was a stranger, and you did not invite Me in; naked, and you did not clothe Me; sick, and in prison, and you did not visit Me.’

 ⁴⁴“Then they themselves also will answer, ‘Lord, when did we see You hungry, or thirsty, or a stranger, or naked, or sick, or in prison, and did not take care of You?’

 ⁴⁵“Then He will answer them, ‘Truly I say to you, to the extent that you did not do it to one of the least of these, you did not do it to Me.’

 ⁴⁶“These will go away into eternal punishment, but the righteous into eternal life.”

(Matthew 25:32-46)

Jesus speaks of separating the sheep from the goats. This is a generally well recognized passage, however I believe it to be often misunderstood. I have yet to encounter anyone to come across this passage and say, “Uh-oh. I’m a goat!”

I believe the “goats” to be false converts, believers of improper doctrine, followers of false prophets, the backslidden and lukewarm believers, and the phonies who go to church every week and say the right words before the congregation, yet do not practice their lives accordingly. Let me show you something you may not have seen.

            The goats believe in Jesus. The goats cast out demons. The goats prophecy in Jesus’ Name, and perform miracles. They are like believers, maybe even thinking that their belief is enough, yet is misplaced or weak. The goats have neglected the hungry, the homeless, the naked, sick and imprisoned. They have forgotten the functions of ministry; of the Great Commission. They believe that Jesus is real, but served only on their own terms. Be sure that you understand.

            Notice carefully the two animals compared. Sheep represent the church, congregants, and true followers of Jesus. The comparison to sheep is goats. Not lions, wolves, echidna or chameleon. What is the point of using goats as the illustration comparative? I believe the answer will surprise most. I believe the answer will also provoke into actions that enhance and enforce your faith.

            Goats and sheep are similar, yet each is distinct in many ways.

            Goats look like sheep from a distant perspective. Both have white hair. Imagine shepherding a flock of 500 sheep. In them are 200 goats. They blend together, just as a phony Christian blends in at church. From the point of perspective, it is very difficult to tell them apart, yet when the shepherd positions himself in the field and separates the two animal types, he can easily tell the difference. And when he corrals his flock, he will put aside those which don’t belong.

            Goats sound like sheep. The baas and bleats are very similar. Again, only the true shepherd will know the distinct sound of his flock.

            Goats eat like sheep. Both graze the fields for food.

            People who are religious, people that are cultic, followers of false doctrine, the lukewarm and semi-Christians- All of these eat the same way. They look the same. They even sound the same; that is until you listen distinctly to their words.

            The questions every believer must ask are: Am I a goat? Have I neglected the full ministry of Jesus Christ? Am I going through the motions or am I a truly, full-hearted believer actively living out my faith? Have I believed whatever I was told, or have I sought for myself sound doctrine?

            To answer these questions and act upon the response is to ensure the inheritance set aside for us in the kingdom of heaven.

To ignore these things is maintain a place in the cursed eternal fire, prepared for the devil and his angels.

Let me first say that our fellowship as a body of believers is not concerning the timing of the rapture. Our relationship and closeness with Jesus Christ collectively is the basis for which we call ourselves the body of Christ, the church, brothers and sisters in our Lord.

 That being said, I will attempt to show you that there will not be a “pre-trib” rapture. For those unaware, a pre-trip rapture (short for pre-tribulation) is the theory that prior to Christ’s return and just before any of the end-time tribulations, most of which are laid out in the book of Revelation, that all the true believers in Christ will vanish, disappearing from the earth to be spared from the horrors to come.

 While that is a wonderful idea, and I would most certainly hope to dodge that bullet, it is based on a few misunderstood and misguided Scriptures, taken just slightly out of context. There will be a rapture, also referred to as a vanishing, calling up, a meeting in the air. The question isn’t whether it will happen; it’s a matter of when. Theories mainly include four timelines: 1. pre-trib, happening prior to any tribulation. 2. mid-trib, a rapture in the midst of the terrors to come, sometimes taught as a collective rapture and sometimes as seemingly random vanishings. 3. pre-wrath, after all the tribulations and trials, but just prior to God’s pouring out of His full wrath. 4. and post-trib, a rapture after the trials, test, and tribulations, which the church has experienced and thereby proven their faithfulness to Christ, at least in part. There is evidence to support a post-trib or end-trib rapture.

 Let’s proceed very carefully, setting aside any pre-conceived ideas you may have, whatever side they may be on. Let us look very carefully at Scripture, examining who said it, what was said, and why it was said. I will use a lot of Scripture in its context and in its paragraph form, to assure that it is used and quoted properly.

 In Matthew 24, we read;

  ³As He [Jesus] was sitting on the Mount of Olives, the disciples came to Him privately, saying, “Tell us, when will these things happen, and what will be the sign of Your coming, and of the end of the age?”

 ⁴And Jesus answered and said to them, “See to it that no one misleads you.

 ⁵“For many will come in My name, saying, ‘I am the Christ,’ and will mislead many.

 ⁶“You will be hearing of wars and rumors of wars. See that you are not frightened, for those things must take place, but that is not yet the end.

 ⁷“For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom, and in various places there will be famines and earthquakes.

 ⁸“But all these things are merely the beginning of birth pangs.  (vs. 3-8, NASB)

 So we are told, by Jesus, not to let anyone mislead us. That means that we (the church) will be around to be misled. The warning has no merit if there is no one to lead astray.

We are told that “You will be hearing of wars…” Who is “You”? The church; the believers will. We are the ones are not to be frightened by these things. The unbelieving will be frightened, for they do not know Jesus, they have no assurance when they perish. Clearly, the church will see these things. Yet, these things are “merely the beginning”, so let’s find out what happens next. Continuing in Matthew 24:

  ⁹“Then they will deliver you to tribulation, and will kill you, and you will be hated by all nations because of My name.

 ¹⁰“At that time many will fall away and will betray one another and hate one another.

 ¹¹“Many false prophets will arise and will mislead many.

 ¹²“Because lawlessness is increased, most people’s love will grow cold.

 ¹³“But the one who endures to the end, he will be saved. (vs. 9-13, NASB)

 Remember Jesus’ audience- the believers. Followers of Jesus. What we today call the church or Christians. “They will deliver you to tribulation” How can we be delivered if we are gone in heaven? Hmm. The church must still be here for that part, but maybe it isn’t the tribulation. Jesus continues to describe a coming time when all believers are hated, handed over and killed, if they don’t turn away and follow a false religion. Love is cold, which would help explain the hatred for Christians, who preach a doctrine of love. Also, He makes a point of those who will “endure to the end”, leading us to believe that it will be difficult. He’s speaking of those who survive, both physically and spiritually, the bombardment of killings, hatred, false religions and prophets, and the excessive lawlessness. But “the end” of what? He is still speaking of the end of the tribulation in which we’ll be handed over.  Still, we have not found solid evidence, in Jesus’ words, of anyone whisking away suddenly. So, we continue searching.

  ¹⁵“Therefore when you see the ABOMINATION OF DESOLATION which was spoken of through Daniel the prophet, standing in the holy place (let the reader understand),

 ¹⁶then those who are in Judea must flee to the mountains.

 ¹⁷“Whoever is on the housetop must not go down to get the things out that are in his house.

 ¹⁸“Whoever is in the field must not turn back to get his cloak.

 ¹⁹“But woe to those who are pregnant and to those who are nursing babies in those days!

 ²⁰“But pray that your flight will not be in the winter, or on a Sabbath.

 ²¹“For then there will be a great tribulation, such as has not occurred since the beginning of the world until now, nor ever will.

 ²²“Unless those days had been cut short, no life would have been saved; but for the sake of the elect those days will be cut short. (Matthew 24:15-22)

 Nearly every Biblical scholar agrees that the “Abomination of Desolation” is the, or at least an, Antichrist. Jesus’ audience is still the church, yet He says, “When you see…” Again I ask; how can we see if we are not present? We must therefore still be on earth. At that time, not a moment later, everyone in Judea is told to flee to the mountains. No one may spare even a moment to gather their belongings; they must take flight immediately. He warns of how horrible it will be, especially for pregnant and nursing women, or in winter. Imagine running to a mountain in winter without your extra cloak. Jesus also mentions the Sabbath, so we must assume that the Sabbath day is still honored by His faithful. This may also have to do with the fact that even Jesus had no idea when the last day would be, as He admitted in Mark 13:32.

 Yet after this revealing of the Abomination of Desolation, “then there will be a great tribulation”, the worst the world has ever or will ever know. So bad will it be, that if God had not cut short the time, no one would be able to last; everyone would die.

Part of the pre-trib rapture theory tends to agree that after the “vanishing” many will become believers, through messages left by others, people who have fallen away, etc. The problem with that here, is that there is no time for people to discover the Truth before the Abomination is revealed. The believers have to flee at once! If they have to leave so fast that they cannot even grab a jacket, how can they watch a video left by people who’ve disappeared, or read the Bible and repent into a relationship with Jesus? This is a big problem in timing. The issue here with mid-trib rapture theory is that Jesus tells us that some believers will endure to the end, a part of the church Jesus calls “the elect.”

 The elect being present represents another issue with timing. If, as some teach, those found to be worthy in God’s sight are whisked away, and those remaining were found deserving of these horrible judgments on the earth, we must ask, “Why would God cut short His own judgment on the wicked, unless some of those present were righteous?” What I mean is this: Since all the believers who are commendable by God’s Book of Life are supposedly gone from the earth; secure in God’s presence, there would be none of that category left. That being said, only those unworthy would be left on the earth. According to pre-tribulation theory, those “left behind” are deserving of the punishments they are about to endure, the outpouring of God’s wrath upon the earth. God, then, in deciding the punishment is righteous. Therefore, the days should not be cut short. The only reason to shorten the time of these disasters and unbelievably bloody wars is because it is not justified over the elect, the church of Jesus Christ, who must still be present at this time.

 But, to be completely fair, let us not judge an entire doctrine by one passage. Let’s look further in Scripture.

  ⁷“Let us rejoice and be glad and give the glory to Him, for the marriage of the Lamb has come and His bride has made herself ready.”

 ⁸It was given to her to clothe herself in fine linen, bright and clean; for the fine linen is the righteous acts of the saints.

 ⁹Then he said to me, “Write, ‘Blessed are those who are invited to the marriage supper of the Lamb ‘” And he said to me, “These are true words of God.”

 ¹⁰Then I fell at his feet to worship him But he said to me, “Do not do that; I am a fellow servant of yours and your brethren who hold the testimony of Jesus; worship God. For the testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy.” (Revelation 19:7-10)

 This takes place after all the bowls of wrath are poured out, after the doom, fall, and lament of Babylon. In verse seven, the bride, that is the church, is ready. What does a bride get ready for? A wedding! In this case, we are not told that she is married; only that she is ready. The marriage, that is the union between Christ and the church, has not yet happened. She isn’t yet arrived, because the end has not come. She is given clothes of fine linen, a representation of righteous acts by the saints. For the saints to be clothing the bride at this time must mean that the church is still present to do these acts. The church is “invited” (vs. 9) to the marriage supper. If the supper had already happened, there would not be any more invitation.

  ¹¹And I saw heaven opened, and behold, a white horse, and He who sat on it is called Faithful and True, and in righteousness He judges and wages war.

 ¹²His eyes are a flame of fire, and on His head are many diadems; and He has a name written on Him which no one knows except Himself.

 ¹³He is clothed with a robe dipped in blood, and His name is called The Word of God.

 ¹⁴And the armies which are in heaven, clothed in fine linen, white and clean, were following Him on white horses.

 ¹⁵From His mouth comes a sharp sword, so that with it He may strike down the nations, and He will rule them with a rod of iron; and He treads the wine press of the fierce wrath of God, the Almighty.

 ¹⁶And on His robe and on His thigh He has a name written, “KING OF KINGS, AND LORD OF LORDS.”

 ¹⁷Then I saw an angel standing in the sun, and he cried out with a loud voice, saying to all the birds which fly in midheaven, “Come, assemble for the great supper of God,

 ¹⁸so that you may eat the flesh of kings and the flesh of commanders and the flesh of mighty men and the flesh of horses and of those who sit on them and the flesh of all men, both free men and slaves, and small and great.”

 ¹⁹And I saw the beast and the kings of the earth and their armies assembled to make war against Him who sat on the horse and against His army. (Revelation 19:11-19)

 At this time, after the pouring out of wrath, after the fall of Babylon, after the invitation to the supper, comes the blessed return of Christ. After a glorious description we can only imagine, comes the command to assemble (vs. 17). At this point, there are many varying ideas on the meaning. Some believe that they are literal birds, some that they are angels, and others believe that this is a symbol of the saints who wage war alongside Christ. Should it be the latter, it is safe to say that at this point, prior to the battle, yet after the tribulations, we have arrived into the company of Jesus. If not, it may have happened prior, or it may be yet to come.

 ⁴Then I saw thrones, and they sat on them, and judgment was given to them And I saw the souls of those who had been beheaded because of their testimony of Jesus and because of the word of God, and those who had not worshiped the beast or his image, and had not received the mark on their forehead and on their hand; and they came to life and reigned with Christ for a thousand years.

 ⁵The rest of the dead did not come to life until the thousand years were completed. This is the first resurrection.

 ⁶Blessed and holy is the one who has a part in the first resurrection; over these the second death has no power, but they will be priests of God and of Christ and will reign with Him for a thousand years.  (Revelation 20:4-6)

 Between verses 20 and 21 of chapter nineteen, and the first three verses of chapter 20, Satan is seized and bound into the abyss. Then, in verse four, comes the judgment of those who were beheaded for the sake of Jesus’ testimony; the Christians who were killed in the midst of the tribulation, at the hand of the beast and Antichrist because they stood for God’s Word. Those who refused to take the mark of the beast, and would not worship him also receive judgment. These are the ones who reign with Christ for 1,000 years. When the thousand years has been completed, the other dead arise. We are told that this is “the first resurrection”. All believers will be a part of that resurrection, an will not face the second death, which is hellfire. (See verse 14)

 There is also some controversy over whether or not the thousand years is literal or figurative. However, the length of time as we see it has little bearing on who will be a part of it. But let us look into the glorious return according to Matthew.

  ²⁹“But immediately after the tribulation of those days THE SUN WILL BE DARKENED, AND THE MOON WILL NOT GIVE ITS LIGHT, AND THE STARS WILL FALL from the sky, and the powers of the heavens will be shaken.

 ³⁰“And then the sign of the Son of Man will appear in the sky, and then all the tribes of the earth will mourn, and they will see the SON OF MAN COMING ON THE CLOUDS OF THE SKY with power and great glory.

 ³¹“And He will send forth His angels with A GREAT TRUMPET and THEY WILL GATHER TOGETHER His elect from the four winds, from one end of the sky to the other. (Matthew 24:29-31)

Jesus continues to instruct us on sign in the sky immediately after the tribulation. The sun is darker, the moon is not visible and the stars fall. In verse thirty, He continues with, “And then,” showing the timeline continues from there. After the tribulation and after these signs, the sign of the Son of Man appears, and He is seen by every tribe on earth coming in the clouds of the sky. What He does next is both remarkable and forever permanently altering. He sends the angels to blast a trumpet and to “GATHER TOGETHER His elect” from the four winds and from the sky.

This is a very important piece here. The four winds are representative of the earth, like the four corners, or north, south, east and west. This means, along with “one end of the sky to the other”, that Jesus will, at His return, call all believers of both the earth and those in heaven. This is the first thing that Jesus has mentioned that sounds anything remotely like a rapture. This is the first place He mentions gathering up His elect, the church; and this is after all the events and signs of the tribulation. At that time, and no sooner, Jesus will gather up believers from the earth, those who have survived the terrible tribulation faithfully, as well as those who have died and are in heaven. This is the call of the trumpet of Jesus Christ, and, according to Jesus Himself, it occurs after the signs, after the tribulation, and after the darkening of the sun and moon and falling of stars!

 Well, this tends to offend a lot of people who have decided to believe in a pre-tribulation rapture. So, to be completely fair, let’s look at other Scriptures pertaining to the end times.

  ¹Now we request you, brethren, with regard to the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ and our gathering together to Him,

 ²that you not be quickly shaken from your composure or be disturbed either by a spirit or a message or a letter as if from us, to the effect that the day of the Lord has come.

 ³Let no one in any way deceive you, for it will not come unless the apostasy comes first, and the man of lawlessness is revealed, the son of destruction,

 ⁴who opposes and exalts himself above every so-called god or object of worship, so that he takes his seat in the temple of God, displaying himself as being God. (2 Thessalonians 2:1-4)

The first thing we are told in this passage is a warning, not to be shaken or disturbed. Now, the church of Thessalonica had apparently received false documents, or there was a fear that such a thing would happen. So Paul encouraged them to beware and be aware of any information that came their way, so they would carefully consider the doctrine before just accepting it. Then he gives us a huge clue as to the timing of the return of the Lord. “For it will not come unless the apostasy comes first.” We can be sure of one of two things: Either this passage is wrong and we should discount it; and therefore we can’t trust anything else of Paul’s, if he’s a false teacher. Or, just possibly, Paul knew what he was saying and the return of Jesus won’t be until after the sign of a great renunciation of Christ.

A very powerful but small word follows; one that is easily overlooked: “and.” So the apostasy will happen before Christ returns, and so will the revelation of the man of lawlessness, the son of destruction, who we call the Antichrist. Paul gives a few details of what this man of destruction will do, and in doing so he gives us a real understanding of who he is. Verse four serves mainly to reveal this evil man to us, and there is more of a narrative in verses seven through ten. Again, we should ask, “Why would we need to be told these things if we won’t experience them?”

We now have another set of Scriptures telling us that the Lord will not return for us until after a great abandonment of believers and the disclosure of the Antichrist. But, let’s continue to search the Scriptures.

 ⁵¹Behold, I tell you a mystery; we will not all sleep, but we will all be changed,

 ⁵²in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet; for the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised imperishable, and we will be changed. (1 Corinthians 15:51-52)

Another easily misread verse. I have heard countless times the phrase “twinkling of an eye” used from this verse in favor of a pre-trib rapture, but what follows shows us a different timeline. “At the last trumpet…” Well, if it’s the last trumpet, the other trumpets must have sounded by then. Every other judgment has come already, then, at this last trumpet, we will be changed, the dead will be made imperishable!

 ¹Now as to the times and the epochs, brethren, you have no need of anything to be written to you.

 ²For you yourselves know full well that the day of the Lord will come just like a thief in the night.

 ³While they are saying, “Peace and safety!” then destruction will come upon them suddenly like labor pains upon a woman with child, and they will not escape.

 ⁴But you, brethren, are not in darkness, that the day would overtake you like a thief;

 ⁵for you are all sons of light and sons of day We are not of night nor of darkness;

 ⁶so then let us not sleep as others do, but let us be alert and sober. (1 Thessalonians 5:1-6)

One of the largest arguments for the pre-trib rapture is that there are verses depicting a suddenness by which we depart. While the theme of “suddenly” is certainly in the end-time verses; no one can argue that reasonably; the verses are most often used out of their full context. Here, in verse two, we read that the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night, and in verse three, Paul even uses the word “suddenly”. The day will come as a thief in the night, but to whom? To everyone, or just certain people? Perhaps it simply means that it’ll sort of “sneak up” on us, the way Christmas does, or our birthdays.  Verse three begins with “While they,” which means not you. While they, the unbelieving, the worldly, the lost, are talking about peace and safety, the destruction will come upon them suddenly, and they will not escape.

In verse four, Paul contrasts “them” with “But you, brethren,” and points out that since we know the truth, that day shall not overtake us as a thief. He points out that we are not of the darkness, the ignorance of the world, but we who believe are in the truth and light of Christ Jesus. Then in verse six, another conundrum: He tells the brethren to be alert and sober. Remember that the entire context of this passage is in the day of the Lord. Why, then, would we need to be alert and sober if we aren’t going to be here to be overtaken? Apparently, we will be here when some, who are unbelieving, are swept over by the sudden devastation. Let’s look at another of the commonly misrepresented verses:

⁴⁰“Then there will be two men in the field; one will be taken and one will be left.

 ⁴¹“Two women will be grinding at the mill; one will be taken and one will be left. (Matthew 24:40-41)

This is one of the most- if not the most- commonly used passages to depict a rapture. The belief is that the one who disappears is being taken up to heaven to be with Jesus until His return, while the unbeliever is left to endure the tribulations. Well, if you look at just these two verses that would be very believable, but let’s look at what precedes and follows this selection.

³⁶“But of that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels of heaven, nor the Son, but the Father alone.

 ³⁷“For the coming of the Son of Man will be just like the days of Noah.

 ³⁸“For as in those days before the flood they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day that Noah entered the ark,

 ³⁹and they did not understand until the flood came and took them all away; so will the coming of the Son of Man be.

 ⁴⁰“Then there will be two men in the field; one will be taken and one will be left.

 ⁴¹“Two women will be grinding at the mill; one will be taken and one will be left.

 ⁴²“Therefore be on the alert, for you do not know which day your Lord is coming. (Matthew 24:36-42)

This puts a different spin on things. Verse 36 tells us that even Jesus Himself does not know the day or hour; only the Father knows. The days to come are likened to the utter destruction of Noah’s day. In that time everyone had 100 years to repent, but they did not, and they would not believe Noah of the coming doom. As a result everyone on earth died, save for Noah and his family. In the same way, everyone will ignore the prophecies, ignore the signs, ignore the Bible, and they will carry on with their lives as normal, eating, drinking, marrying, etc. Suddenly, a massive flood the likes of which the world had never see, nor has seen since, swept over everything, annihilating everything and killing them all. In that instant, they understood Noah’s warning, but it was too late. When we compare this to what is said here, the story is quite diverse from the pre-trib teaching. Nowhere in this passage does it say that the believer will be swept up and spared, but we know from Genesis that the wicked were wiped out. With that in mind, lets read the passage in this manner:

For as in those days before the flood they (the wicked) were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, … and they (the wicked) did not understand until the flood came and took them (the wicked) all away; so will the coming of the Son of Man be. Then there will be two men in the field; one (the wicked) will be taken and one will be left. Two women will be grinding at the mill; one (the wicked) will be taken and one will be left. (Matthew 24:38-41)

Jesus is comparing the two, so we should not assume it to be an entirely new idea. It will be as it was in Noah’s day, not completely different, or Jesus wouldn’t have made the comparison. In Noah’s day the wicked were taken by wrath. In the Lord’s day the wicked will be taken by wrath.

 ¹“Do not let your heart be troubled; believe in God, believe also in Me.

 ²“In My Father’s house are many dwelling places; if it were not so, I would have told you; for I go to prepare a place for you.

 ³“If I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you to Myself, that where I am, there you may be also. (John 14:1-3)

Here again Jesus talks about His return. We are told that He is preparing a place for us; heaven. Jesus promises to return for us, that the church may be received unto Him, that we may be together. No matter when you believe this will happen, one thing is certain: it will be magnificent. Yet, no timing is offered here, just that it will happen sometime. But we do know this: Jesus receives us to Himself when He returns. If we read other places in Scripture, we know that He comes at the end of the tribulations, so we could conclude from this passage that we, the church, will be gathered together with Jesus Christ at His final return, which leaves us collectively on earth until that time.

Another of the commonly misinterpreted verses comes out of Revelation 4:1, in which we are told that the church is called to, “come up hither” (KJV). This is once again taken entirely out of context. Much of the prophecies in the book of Revelation are figurative metaphors, such as the woman clothed with the sun (Rev. 12:1); however this verse is not a metaphor. It is John’s explanation of how he came to know what was to follow in the next nineteen chapters. Here it is in the full context (in NASB):

  After these things I looked, and behold, a door standing open in heaven, and the first voice which I had heard, like the sound of a trumpet speaking with me, said, “Come up here, and I will show you what must take place after these things.” (Revelation 4:1)

 The phrase is actually John being called up to see heaven and the prophetic events to take place so that he could write them for the church. (And aren’t you glad he did?!) There is absolutely nothing about this verse that relates the phrase to the church being called away then, now, or in the future.

Another out of context argument is that the word church is not present in the book of Revelation after Chapter three; therefore the church must not be present on the earth. This is an absurd argument.

There are eleven books of the New Testament (NASB) which do not contain the word church. So, should we ignore those books? Surely not. Even though the word church is not present, we know full well that the church is the intended audience. Advocates of the pre-trib rapture say that the word is gone from the text until after the resurrection. This is true typographically, but the church is certainly implicit in the text from Revelation 1 to Revelation 22.

The last time I checked the Christian Church was still made up of saints. (See Ephesians 4:12) The word, saints occurs 13 times (in NASB, ESV & KJV; 14 times in AMP, NKJV, & Darby’s Translation) between Revelation 4 and Revelation 21. That being said, we must conclude that the church, specifically named by their sainthood, or sanctification in Christ, is present in the end-time periods described in those chapters of Revelation.

 ⁹And after He had said these things, He was lifted up while they were looking on, and a cloud received Him out of their sight.

 ¹⁰And as they were gazing intently into the sky while He was going, behold, two men in white clothing stood beside them.

 ¹¹They also said, “Men of Galilee, why do you stand looking into the sky? This Jesus, who has been taken up from you into heaven, will come in just the same way as you have watched Him go into heaven.” (Acts 1:9-11)

 In looking for an example of a rapture, many have turned to Jesus’ ascension. Some say that He was showing us how we will just go up one day. What we need to remember though, is that Jesus died first, and then was raised from death, before His ascension. Not only that, but when we look at this passage, there is nothing listed about it being either an example for us or the way we will go up. In fact, the two men, believed to be angels, tell us that Jesus will come back in the same manner as they watched Him go. If anything, this passage points to the church waiting for His return on earth. The Lord’s re-descension is reaffirmed in the next passage:

 ¹⁶For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first.

 ¹⁷Then we who are alive and remain will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air, and so we shall always be with the Lord. (1 Thessalonians 4:16-17)

 There are some big clues hidden in this selection. First, we are told that the Lord will descend with a shout, the voice of the archangel, and the trumpet of God. This will not be a quiet sneaky return; it will be loud and powerful. At this point, some argue that the Lord comes back as a thief, silent and sly. The reference to this is in the context of suddenly and without warning, as we talked about in describing 1 Thessalonians 5:2. We are next told that the dead in Christ will rise first. This phrase has many translations, but the most likely is that it refers to all the saints who have “passed on” prior to this point are given their new bodies (as promised in 1 Corinthians 15:49 and 1 John 3:2) and return alongside Jesus. Then those who remain on the earth are caught up together with them in the clouds, meeting Jesus in the air. We aren’t meeting Him directly in heaven, but in the air and clouds of our earth. From this point on, all believers will be with the Lord forever. There is nothing here to point to us whisking away prior to this event. Instead, it points to our having two alternatives: 1. die before this event “the dead in Christ will rise first”, or 2. Remain until this event “we who are alive and remain”. We will either be with Him already, by our bodies dying on earth, or we will be here for Jesus’ return, having gone through the tribulations described in the book of Revelation.

²⁰For our citizenship is in heaven, from which also we eagerly wait for a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ;

 ²¹who will transform the body of our humble state into conformity with the body of His glory, by the exertion of the power that He has even to subject all things to Himself. (Philippians 3:20-21)

 Scripture refers to waiting for the return of Jesus. If we aren’t to do so, but be raptured beforehand, this verse might say, “For our citizenship is in heaven, and we eagerly await our arrival there to meet Jesus,” but that isn’t what it says. It says that we are waiting for Him here. Then He will transform our bodies into that wonderful eternal spirit-body that we will have forever. We are waiting on His return so that He will transform us into the unending embodiment with which we can be ceaselessly in His presence.

 Let’s stop and ask ourselves, “Why do we even study the End Times?” What is the great significance? We study the End Times because the generation in which the Lord returns is the most written about generation in Scripture. Over 100 chapters in the Bible have the End Times as their main theme. Scripture gives significant divine information about the End Times. Jesus spoke more about the last generation of natural history than the generation that He was born in. Why? To prepare the Bride to be victorious in love and power during the most dramatic time in world history. What a wonderful thing for Jesus to see His church stand for Him in the midst of the most desperate, treacherous and perilous time that will ever be. Jesus will be proud of His faithful.

We do not know the exact day because Jesus said that no one knows the day or the hour. However, Scripture requires those in the generation the Lord returns, to know the prophetic signs and to respond appropriately. We will be able to see these signs and know the season is near.

 Now learn this parable from the fig tree: Now learn the parable from the fig tree: when its branch has already become tender and puts forth its leaves, you know that summer is near; so, you too, when you see all these things, recognize that He is near, right at the door. (Matthew 24:32–33)

Jesus and Paul emphasized the know-ability of the prophetic signs of the End Times (Matthew 24:32–34; Luke 21:25–29; 1 Thessalonians 5:1–6; 2 Thessalonians 2:1–11).

²⁵“There will be signs in sun and moon and stars, and on the earth dismay among nations, in perplexity at the roaring of the sea and the waves,

 ²⁶men fainting from fear and the expectation of the things which are coming upon the world; for the powers of the heavens will be shaken.

 ²⁷“Then they will see THE SON OF MAN COMING IN A CLOUD with power and great glory.

 ²⁸“But when these things begin to take place, straighten up and lift up your heads, because your redemption is drawing near.” (Luke 21:25–28)

¹Now as to the times and the epochs, brethren, you have no need of anything to be written to you. ²For you yourselves know full well that the day of the Lord will come just like a thief in the night. ⁴But you, brethren, are not in darkness, that the day would overtake you like a thief; ⁵for you are all sons of light and sons of day… ⁶so then let us not sleep as others do, but let us be alert and sober. (1 Thessalonians 5:1-2, 4-6)

 God promised to give prophetic signs in the generation that the Lord returns as an expression of His mercy, so people may make the necessary preparations for what is coming. These prophetic signs serve the Church like a weather station that signals trouble before it comes, so people can prepare and save lives.

 And I saw the souls of those who had been beheaded because of their testimony of Jesus and because of the word of God …and they came to life and reigned with Christ for a thousand years. ⁵The rest of the dead did not come to life until the thousand years were completed. This is the first resurrection. (Revelation 20:4-5)

We know that the time will come when Christians will be hated with a passion like never before. We know that it will be a terrible time and very many will be deceived by the false prophet, and the Antichrist. Christians will be beheaded for the sake of their testimony of faith in Christ as well as their, and anyone else’s, refusal to take the mark of the beast. I cannot imagine that in a time of such distinct separation, hatred, and prejudice that anyone from the other side would say, “Hey, those hater Christians who are against everyone else’s views are being beheaded and persecuted. They can’t buy or sell anything and the punishment for being one is death. I think I’ll stop hating them and convert.” I cannot imagine such an event happening when all the true believers have been wiped off the face of the planet prior to any real distress.

Another reference to the unleashing of Christian persecution is found in Revelation 14:19-20, which tell us that the blood of the believers will flow “up to the horses’ bridles, for a distance of two hundred miles.” That’s a lot of blood to come from only converts during a time of extreme hate for the faith. Do you really think that many unbelievers would become believers without preaching and outreach from the church? Is that kind of conversion seen today even with church resources available? No, it isn’t.

In the selection above, we are also told that the beheaded believers will be brought to life to reign with Christ first, then the rest of the dead come to life. And that is the “first resurrection”. Not the second, third, etc. Also, there is no mention of a category of believers that did not die and were raptured. No, only the dead before, and the dead because of the tribulation. The very first resurrection, according to Scripture in the book of Revelation, is after the tribulation.

 Neither Daniel 2 nor 7, both of which contain prophetic visions which render historical sketches of the Gentiles from the time of the Roman Empire to the second coming of the Lord Jesus Christ, give any indication of a pre-trib rapture, or secret catching away of the church before the tribulation. In fact, the following seems to be quite contrary:

²¹“I kept looking, and that horn was waging war with the saints and overpowering them ²²until the Ancient of Days came and judgment was passed in favor of the saints of the Highest One, and the time arrived when the saints took possession of the kingdom. (Daniel 7:21-22)

The horn is a representation of the Antichrist who takes power of the kingdoms of the earth. In Daniel’s vision, he sees that this horn wages war against the saints until the return of the Ancient of Days, or Jesus Christ, also called the Holy One. The Antichrist combats Christian church all the way until Jesus comes in glory to give the kingdom to His Church. Nowhere in Daniel’s prophetic visions is there mention of any disappearance, vanishing, rapturing, etc. of the saints. All indications point to our being here in order to be confronted by the evil powers that rule the land prior to Jesus’ arrival.

If we are really honest, there is just no evidence to support a pre-tribulation rapture. It would be a great thing to know that we won’t have to endure the trials to come, but we must stop teaching these false ideas. Our hope to be whisked away cannot be sound doctrine with this much contrary Scriptural evidence. This is a dangerous doctrine for a few reasons. People believing that they will not endure tribulations are not going to be prepared for what is to come. Consider the mark of the beast, from Revelation 13:16-18. Anyone who takes it is in the Devil’s hands, yet we are warned to be cautious and able to discern the mark. If a believer is under the impression that he will not be around for the true mark of the beast, he will accept the mark, thinking, “This can’t be the mark; I won’t be around for that.” Many will accept the false prophet as true and from God, and become deceived with false teaching. Many will be lead astray by the beast because they won’t deem him to be the real deal. Part of Satan’s plan is to make people believe he isn’t real. For those that know he is, he must make them think that he is someone else, even someone great. He will be hailed as a hero, savior, messiah and a champion. Paul warns in his letters to Timothy:

 ¹But the Spirit explicitly says that in later times some will fall away from the faith, paying attention to deceitful spirits and doctrines of demons, ²by means of the hypocrisy of liars seared in their own conscience as with a branding iron… (1 Timothy 4:1-2)

³For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but wanting to have their ears tickled, they will accumulate for themselves teachers in accordance to their own desires, ⁴and will turn away their ears from the truth and will turn aside to myths. (2 Timothy 4:3-4)

With warnings so vivid and so stern, we must consider the possibility that some of these doctrines and theories could’ve crept into our theology. We can tell that the season is near, that times are drawing near. Things are intensifying all over the world. It is very possible that this theory that we needn’t be concerned about our tomorrows at all is a lie. We will be here. We, the church, will endure ever-increasing hardships, persecutions, and sufferings. We will be insulted for our faith, jailed for our faith, beaten for our faith, and even killed for our faith in Christ Jesus. Many are already undergoing such harsh treatment today. We must reaffirm all doctrine with in-context Scripture, no matter who is teaching that doctrine. Any teacher is able to be sought by Satan, and we will not know until it is too late. Do not be fooled with fancy words and tickled ears. In all things, we must, MUST, return to the unadulterated Word of God for solid wholesome Truth, praying fervently for the Lord Himself to show us what it is we need to see.

…looking for the blessed hope and the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior, Christ Jesus,” (Titus 2:13)

Could it really be that the sudden interest and panic surrounding the so-called outbreak of the swine flu, also known as H1N1, is nothing more than propaganda? There is a much deeper side to this instant front page story.

If you recall just a short time ago, we had a massive peanut recall after a deadly outbreak from a botched batch of peanuts. Within recent years we have had a problem with many other types of food as well. And now, another spinach recall from Kleen-Pak Spinach.

Coincidentally, nearly every major food group has been hit. Think about it: Too much mercury in fish; the mad-cow disease; Salmonella in chicken and peanuts, and E. coli in the lettuce and spinach. And lets not forget the tainted powdered milk and melamine in eggs from China.

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Every major meat: fish, pork, beef and chicken.

The major veggies: spinach and lettuce (which is in everything from salads and sandwiches to tacos)

And peanuts which are in candy bars of every variety, Peanut Butter, birdseed, breads, brownies, etc.

Here’s where it gets interesting. Every time there is an “outbreak” which affects only a few people, there are press conferences, breaking news updates, even a Presidential address. In the case of “swine flu”, there has been a whopping one death. Most of the cases being reported are “supposed” or “alleged” cases of swine flu, not actually verified as being tested and confirmed. And what is the answer that the government has? Tougher laws, more restrictions, and government control.

Most Americans are not even aware that a new bill is being introduced that limits and prohibits the growing of food. Rep. Rosa DeLauro (D-Connecticut) has recently introduced H.R. 875, a bill to “protect the public health”, along with a few other similar bills, in which your garden in your backyard can be regulated and controlled by a government agency. You will be taxed and even inspected, that is if you can get a government license to even have a garden. The punishment would be up to and including $100,000 in fines and/or the loss of your property. That’s right! You grow carrots and you could go to jail, lose your house and be in debt for years.

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Of course, there could be benefits to the bill. Safer foods, better products, etc. There are always good things hidden and highlighted in these controlling bills. Some have seriously considered that the only reason the swine flu, bird flu, E. coli, etc are made into a front page story and government policy creating catalyst is because they want to take the advantage of a few peoples’ fear and spread it so that they can take control of one more thing. And they do.

Others even believe that there is a possibility that some of, if not all, these “outbreaks” are created and intentionally put out as a reason to make people believe that there needs to be a law controlling that particular industry. Could this be true? Could we all be being suckered? Only the great U.S. of A., the most powerful country in the world, has the power, resources, and “need” to pull these things off.

No matter what happens, we need to be careful and cautious. If they have a vaccine soon, check it out before you jump in line. See if any deaths occur from the cure (as often happens). Look into the ingredients (such unnatural things as monkey brains, feces, etc have been found in common vaccines). Beware of anything that happens that regulates, restricts, controls, confiscates or confines. Those are dangerous laws. They create a reason to infringe and eradicate our Constitutional rights.

your comments?

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1. Is getting a tattoo a sin?

This question grows in popularity as the “art” of self-mutilation grows. It has become easier and more acceptable to get tattooed. Many are even risking infection and disease by having them done with needles and pen ink in their own homes. The danger there goes without saying, but is it a sin? The Bible mentions tattoos specifically one time. That is in the book of Leviticus.

Do not cut your bodies for the dead or put tattoo marks on yourselves. I am the Lord. (Leviticus 19:28 NIV)

Now, some people have argued against this statement, despite it being perfectly clear. Among the series of commands that this verse is in, we are also told not to eat bloody meat, not to practice divination or sorcery, not to cut our hair at the sides or trim the edges of our beard, and not to make our daughters prostitute. Out of these, the only one we don’t follow nowadays is the trimming of our hair and beards. This command was for the Jews (some of whom still practice it), and was “overturned,” so to speak, later on. Still, some have said that since we cut our hair, we can cut our bodies and tattoo ourselves. This is not a fair comparison at all. We must look at what a tattoo really is, and what it does to our body.

We need to be extremely careful of what marks we put on our bodies. If, for no other reason at all, then for the following.

He [the Antichrist] also forced everyone, small and great, rich and poor, free and slave, to receive a mark on his right hand or on his forehead, so that none could buy or sell unless he had the mark, which is the name of the beast or the number of his name. (Revelation 13:16-17 NIV)

That is what we commonly call the “Mark of the beast”. It is something that most people will actually want to get, because they are blinded by the convenience and commonality of the world. Still, we can look even deeper into a tattoo’s function. How do you get a tattoo? You let someone stab you with a needle, and while the wound is fresh, they inject foreign ink into your body. Despite some of the beautifully artistic pieces, my view has always been “Hang it on a wall”. So tattooing is not really more than a clever way to mutilate the flesh with a pleasant-looking after effect. What does the Bible say about that?

Do you not know that your bodies are members of Christ himself? Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own; you were bought at a price. Therefore honor God with your body. (1 Corinthians 6:15, 19-20 NIV)

Since your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit, and you are living for God, and your body in fact belongs to Him, what authority do you have to cut, poke, mutilate, inject ink, etc.? Jesus paid a price for your body, for your very life, and God asks that in return you use your body to honor Him. Paul warns in his letter to the Philippians,

Watch out for those dogs, those men who do evil, those mutilators of the flesh. (Philippians 3:2 NIV)

So let us take to heart the words of Scripture that plead with us to offer ourselves wholly to God, body, mind, and everything that we are. Don’t allow an inch of the devil’s work to touch you or taint you. Allow yourself to be put to unadulterated service, in every capacity, to the Lord. Since God is in control, let His glory be your decoration, and supply yourself to Him.

Do not offer the parts of your body to sin, as instruments of wickedness, but rather offer yourselves to God, as those who have been brought from death to life; and offer the parts of your body to him as instruments of righteousness. (Romans 6:13 NIV)

Therefore, I urge you, brothers, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God- this is your spiritual act of worship. Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. (Romans 12:1-2 NIV)

What about those who already have a tattoo?

Don’t worry if you have one. Many people have gotten tattoos before becoming a Christian, or maybe just didn’t realize the way God felt about it. While the tattoo is difficult to remove, the sin isn’t. Cutting yourself or tattooing is NOT the unforgiveable sin. God will forgive you if you repent sincerely. Many Christians who were previously tattooed use the mark as a part of their testimony of the life they left behind when they accepted Christ. It is never too late.

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2. Is it a sin to smoke or do drugs?

This question has a lot of similarity to tattooing, since it involves harm to the body. However, there are a couple other reasons that smoking and drugs are sinful.

One of the biggest excuses is that God made it, so it’s okay to smoke it. This isn’t further from the truth. Although the Bible does declare that God made everything for good, (Genesis 1:31; Ecclesiastes 3:11a) you must also remember that the earth is not now how God originally made it. Because of the sin of mankind, the earth was changed. God allowed thorns and thistles to grow, plants that were not for our practical use; plants that were not in God’s perfect Garden.

Cursed is the ground because of you; through painful toil you will eat of it all the days of your life. It will produce thorns and thistles for you, and you will eat the plants of the field. (Genesis 3:17-18 NIV underline added for emphasis. See also Hebrews 6:8)

Another reason is that it is illegal to do drugs, and to smoke until a certain age. Ask yourself, “Why would such a law be in place unless it was somehow harmful to smoke?” The truth is, the law allows you smoke at such an age because they believe that at that age, you can decide whether or not you want to harm your own body and health. The Bible demands that we not only obey God, but also our governing authorities, i.e. the police, courts, judges, laws, etc. If it is illegal, and harmful to our bodies, you are really committing two sins at once if you smoke.

            Obey your leaders and submit to their authority… (Hebrews 13:17 NIV)

One other thought is this: God has made everything, but for a good purpose. Marijuana plants can be used to make hemp, which is useful and safe. God never said that should smoke the plant. That was sinful man’s idea.

Remember, your body is made in God’s image and is designed for worship. Jesus died to give you life, not so you could slowly destroy yourself. Keep in mind what the Bible teaches about your body:

Do you not know that your bodies are members of Christ himself? Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own; you were bought at a price. Therefore honor God with your body. (1 Corinthians 6:15, 19-20 NIV)

Therefore, I urge you, brothers, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God- this is your spiritual act of worship. Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. (Romans 12:1-2 NIV)

                 Don’t forget to leave your questions and comments below!!

3. I try to be good, but I keep making mistakes. Since everybody sins, is really such a big deal if I do once in a while? 

But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. (Romans 5:8)

To you, it might seem like no big deal. It might even seem that way to the person you sinned against. To God, however, it’s a very big deal; the BIGGEST! Sin is the one factor that separates us from God, even if its what we call a little sin. The Bible tells us that everyone has sinned.

For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God. (Romans 3:23)

This is a HUGE problem for us. Even just one little lie; or if we steal a candy bar; or if we misuse God’s Name; all of these make us imperfect. God is absolutely perfect, and so is heaven. If heaven had just one sinner in it, it would no longer be a perfect place. Because of this, we have only two options: Be perfect or go to the only other place we can go- hell. “But,” some would ask, “What about all the good deeds I do?”

            For all of us have become like one who is unclean,

And all our righteous deeds are like a filthy garment;… (Isaiah 64:6)

All your good deeds are wonderful, and please God, but compared to our sin, every good deed is like a dirty garment. What value is a filthy, robe? Absolutely none. God doesn’t measure your sins in one pile and your good works in another to determine if you make it. You are either perfect, or you aren’t. The problem is, everyone has sinned,, and there is a price to pay for sin:

            For the wages of sin is death… (Romans 6:23)

Because we sin, we die. The punishment for sin is that death, and if we die with that sin still covering our lives, the death continues in hell. That is why God sent His Son, Jesus, to die for our sin. We are instructed in how we can have our sin erased, as though it never happened!

If we confess our sins, He is faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. (1 John 1:9)

Jesus has paid the price for us, but we can choose to accept or ignore this gift. To accept, all we need to do is confess our sins to Him, and He will faithfully forgive us. That is how we can be made perfect! Once God forgives our sin, we have a new start; a perfect record! Of course, we need to try our best to avoid sin in the future, but should we slip up, God is still faithful to His Word. The apostle John continues to urge us on by saying:

My little children, I am writing these things to you so that you may not sin. And if anyone sins, we have an Advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous; and He Himself is the propitiation for our sins; and not for ours only, but also for those of the whole world. (1 John 2:1-2)

Jesus paid the price for the entire world. That includes you. The prophet Joel records God’s words as He urgently calls us to go back to Him in repentance. God beckons us to Him.

“Yet even now,” declares the Lord,

“Return to Me with all your heart,

And with fasting weeping and mourning;

And rend your heart and not your garments.”

Now return to the Lord your God,

For He is gracious and compassionate,

Slow to anger, abounding in lovingkindness,

And relenting of evil. (Joel 2:12-13)

When you go to God with your sin, it’s serious, yet He is slow to anger. He loves to be gracious and kind to us; He loves to defeat the evil in us. God would be more than thrilled to forgive you of your sin. He wants to erase the sin and one day welcome you into His Heavenly Kingdom. If you need to, confess your sins to Jesus in prayer.

            He who conceals his transgressions will not prosper,

            But he who confesses and forsakes them will find compassion. (Proverbs 28:13)

 What are your thoughts on any of these questions? Do you have questions of your own? Let me know below!