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| ARMAGEDDON PAVES THE WAY
FOR PARADISE ON THE EARTH 
The Bible has a lot of information in it that God wants us to know.
Among the many things that can be found in the Bible are scriptures
that tell about a time of "The End” and Armageddon.
Why is Armageddon important? EVILDOERS WILL BE REMOVED According to the many signs given in the Bible, we can see
that we are living in “the time of The End” right now: 3 As Jesus was sitting on the Mount of Olives, the disciples
came to him privately. “Tell us,” they said, “when will this
happen, and what will be the sign of your coming and of
the end of the age?” 4 Jesus answered: “Watch out that no
one deceives you. 5 For many will come in my name, claiming,
‘I am the Christ,’ and will deceive many. 6 You will hear of wars
and rumors of wars, but see to it that you are not alarmed.
Such things must happen, but the end is still to come.
7 Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom.
There will be famines and earthquakes in various places. 8 All
these are the beginning of birth pains.
(Matthew 24:3-8) (NIV) 2 People will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money,
boastful, proud, abusive, disobedient to their parents,
ungrateful, unholy, 3 without love, unforgiving, slanderous,
without selfcontrol, brutal, not lovers of the good,
4 treacherous, rash, conceited, lovers of pleasure rather
than lovers of God– 5 having a form of godliness but denying
its power. Have nothing to do with them.”
(2Timothy 3:2-5) (NIV) Soon Jehovah will rid the earth of all evildoers and pave the
way for a world filled with only peace and prosperity for all: 10 In just a little while, the wicked will be no more;
though you look carefully at his place, he will not be there.
11 But the meek shall inherit the land and delight themselves
in abundant peace.
(Psalms 37:10-11) (English Standard Version) "...And you will destroy all who have caused destruction
on the earth."
(Revelation 11:18) (New Living Translation) "21 For the upright shall dwell in the land, and the perfect
shall remain in it. 22 But the wicked shall be cut off from
the earth, and the transgressors shall be rooted out of it.
(Proverbs 2:21,22) (King James Version) "The harvest is the end of the age, and the harvesters
are angels. The Son of Man will send out his angels,
and they will "weed out" of his kingdom everything
that causes sin and all who do evil."
(Matthew 13:39-41) (New International Version)
What do respected secular sources have to add? "God's Kingdom Rule must come here in this world. The
consequences of its coming would be the suppression of
the evil activities of the wicked spirits, the end of suffering,
the end of death and disaster, and the full establishment
once more of God's complete sovereignty on the earth."
-The Encyclopedia Americana; 1958 edition
Volume 16, page 43 "The main subject of his public message was the
Kingdom of God, the perfect Reign of God which
was about to come upon the earth."
-The Encyclopedia Americana; 1958 edition
Volume 16, page 42 "His apocalyptic utterances were intended to describe the
"end" of human history. In other words, Jesus was not talking
about a finish so much as he was talking about a continuing
feature of life seen under the judgment of God. "
- Encyclopedia Britannica; 1968 edition
Volume 12; page 1019 "Jesus' expectation that a radical change was in the
offing, to affect not only political and national destiny,
but the arrangement of the universe itself. Jesus
confidently expected the end of the world to come
in the near future. His death was the way that he
expected the coming of the end to be set in motion."
- Encyclopedia Britannica; 1968 edition
Volume 12; page 1019 A RADICAL CHANGE UPON THE EARTH? Only by the removal of all wickedness can God fulfill his promises
for an earth filled with justice, and peace. Many optimists believe
that our world leaders and peacemakers can solve our many problems
and bring about world peace. It is becoming increasingly obvious that
they will never be enough. Obviously we need God's intervention to
bring peace and security to this troubled world. "But God has promised us a new heaven and a new earth,
where justice will rule. We are really looking forward to that!"
(2Peter 3:13) (Contemporary English Version) 17 And the world is passing away along with its desires,
but whoever does the will of God abides forever.
(1John 2:17) (English Standard Version) "...the leaders and rulers of this age, who are being
brought to nothing and are doomed to pass away."
(1Corinthians 2:6) (Amplified Bible) Does this mean that the earth, itself, will be destroyed?
18 For thus saith Jehovah that created the heavens, the God
that formed the earth and made it, that established it and
created it not a waste, that formed it to be inhabited:
I am Jehovah; and there is none else.
(Isaiah 45:18) (ASV) "In the time of those kings, the God of heaven will set up a
kingdom that will never be destroyed, nor will it be left to
another people. It will crush all those kingdoms and bring
them to an end, but it will itself endure forever."
(Daniel 2:44) (NIV) NO MORE TERRORISM - VIOLENCE - OR FEAR "Every man will sit under his own vine and under his
own fig tree, and no one will make them afraid,"
(Micah 4:4) (NIV) "...and they shall dwell securely,
and none shall make them afraid."
(Ezekiel 34:28) (American Standard Version) "And I will provide a place for my people... and will plant
them so that they can have a home of their own and no
longer be disturbed. Wicked people will not oppress
them anymore... I will also give you rest from all your
enemies."
(2Samuel 7:10,11) (NIV) "He will make wars cease to the ends of the earth..."
(Psalm 46:9) (NIV) Christ, himself, prophesied... 5 Blessed are the meek: for they shall inherit the earth.
(Matthew 5:5) (King James Version)
But what will be so different about the “New earth”? 5 Then will the eyes of the blind be opened and the ears of
the deaf unstopped. 6 Then will the lame leap like a deer,
and the mute tongue shout for joy. Water will gush forth
in the wilderness and streams in the desert.
(Isaiah 35:5-7) (NIV) 25 The wolf and the lamb shall feed together, and the lion shall eat
straw like the ox; and dust shall be the serpent's food. They shall
not hurt nor destroy in all my holy mountain, saith Jehovah.
(Isaiah 65:25) (American Standard Version) 4 He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will
be no more death or mourning or crying or pain,
for the old order of things has passed away.”
(Revelation 21:4) (NIV) 
| | |
| The Power of Prayer Most of the people in this world follow a religion
and in many religions is a provision for communicating
with a deity. Christendom, especially Catholicism,
promotes the idea that mindless repetition of the
Lord’s Prayer is the accepted way to pray to their
nameless lord and that is exactly what they do. A lot!
This is not really what Jehovah, the true God, wants
from us. To worship Jehovah properly we need to
pray to our Heavenly Father, but not repetitiously.
After all, how would we like it if people came up to
us and muttered the same phrases to us over and over? People would not conceive of talking to other people like a
"broken record", so why do people treat The God who created
the universe as if He would like to hear monotonous repetition? Jehovah’s Son never taught that :"But when ye pray, use not vain repetitions, as the heathen do:
for they think that they shall be heard for their much speaking."
(Matthew 6:7) (King James Version) People around the world love to pray repetitiously to their false
gods, so we should want to avoid being like them. When Christ
gave us the "Lord’s prayer", he made it plain that it was a guide
to go by: "Be not ye therefore like unto them: for your Father knoweth
what things ye have need of, before ye ask him."
(Matthew 6:8) (King James Version) What else do we need to know? A lot more than the bumbling preachers of Christendom teach!
Prayer should only be directed to Jehovah – as He requires –
not His Son or anybody else! 1 And God spake all these words, saying, 2 I am Jehovah thy God,
who brought thee out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage.
3 Thou shalt have no other gods before me.
(Exodus 20:1-3) (ASV) Proper prayer to Jehovah is a serious business. If we want Jehovah
to listen to our prayers, we must do it the way He requires. Jehovah
has strict requirements but He doesn’t really ask for much! Most people know to pray to Jehovah in His Son’s name.
This is why: 6 Jesus answered, "I am the way and the truth and the life.
No one comes to the Father except through me."
(John 14:6) (NIV)
But more importantly,
"If you ask anything in my name, I will do it."
(John 14:14) (New Living Translation) Most Christians are more than happy to pray to God in Jesus’ name.
About two billion Christians around the world pray to God in Jesus’
name every day. Their first mistake is praying to God without specifying
which God. Consequently, Jehovah may disregard their prayers. What is the second mistake? Oddly enough, it is praying in Jesus’ name! And why is that? Jehovah’s Son is not named Jesus! According to the
Catholic Encyclopedia: http://www.catholicity.com/encyclopedia/ JESUS The word Jesus is the Latin form of the Greek Iesous,
which in turn is the transliteration of the Hebrew Jeshua,
or Joshua, or again Jehoshua, meaning "Jehovah is salvation." From: http://www.catholicity.com/encyclopedia/j/jesus_christ,origin_of_name_of.html This is a widespread and popular belief. Many people are
already aware that the Son of God’s name in Hebrew is
Yeshua or Jeshua. That is True enough. What else is true? "Joshuah" or "Jehoshuah" translates
as "The Salvation of Jehovah". "(Joshua) Yahshua/Yahushua/Yahoshua, is the
correct Name for the Savior. In all spellings and
pronunciation, the Name is rendered to mean
"salvation of YAH" or "YAH'S salvation/ (His)
Savior." The Name (Joshua) in its fullest translation
means, "He (YAH) shall save His people. (Yah or
Jah - is an abbreviation for Jehovah) (Just as Yeshua
(Joshua) is an abbreviation for Yehoshuah or Jehoshuah) -
(meaning - The Salvation of Jehovah - or Jehovah's Savior)."
-COME OUT OF HER MY PEOPLE,
by C. J. KosterWe can see that Jehoshuah means "Jehovah's Savior" "The name "Jehoshua" means the same as Joshua."
-Hitchcocks’s Dictionary of Bible NamesSince "Jehoshuah" or "Joshua" literally means "the
Salvation of Jehovah" - we can see why people said
that he came in his Father's Name. 9 And the multitudes that went before, and that followed,
cried, saying, Hosanna to the son of David: Blessed is
he that cometh in the name of the Lord; Hosanna
in the highest.
(Matthew 21:9) (NIV) We can also see why Jehovah chose this name for his Son -
because "Joshua" is to be the means by which Jehovah
would provide salvation to Mankind. This is in total
agreement with the prophet Joel, who said that only those
calling upon the name of "Jehovah" would be saved. "And it shall come to pass, that whosoever shall call
on the name of Jehovah shall be delivered..."
(Joel 2:32) (ASV) So what is wrong with calling our Savior "Jesus"?
"It is known that the Greek name endings with sus,
seus, and sous were attached by the Greeks to names
and geographical areas as means to give honour to
their supreme deity, Zeus."
-Dictionary of Christian Lore and Legend
Professor J. C. J. Metford So what does the name, "Jesus" Mean, in Greek? "Some authorities, who have spent their entire
lives studying the origins of names believe
that "Jesus" actually means - "Hail Zeus!"
For Iesous in Greek IS "Hail Zeus."
"Ie" translates as "Hail" and "sous"
or "sus" translates as Zeus. The English
name "Jesus", therefore, stems etymologically
from "Jupiter-Zeus" the chief god of the
ancient Greek Olympus."
-"Yeshua" or "Jesus" -- Which?
Biblical Research Institute; 1996
by Les Aron Gosling From: http://www.meguiar.addr.com/End_Times_Table_of_Contents.htm How did "Joshua" mutate into "Jesus"? "And so it is throughout Christendom. The name of
Jahwah is ignored by the apostate religion. When
the Savior was born into the world his mother was
a Hebrew maid of the tribe of Judah; but His Father
was the Almighty whose name alone is Jahwah, or Jah. Strong's, Hebrew # 3050; Jah; the sacred name. As
He was the Son of Jahwah, it was evident that He
would carry His Father's name, and He plainly states
saying, " I am come in My Father's Name." John 5; 43. Our translated scripture says that Jahwah's Son's name
is Jesus, a compound word of Ie and Zeus. But remember
the heavenly messenger spoke unto a Hebrew, and
declared His name in the Hebrew, which the writer
explained to mean, "Jah is Salvation." This name, Jahshuwah, being Hebrew, was objectionable
to the Greeks and Romans, who hated the Judeans, and
so it was deleted from the records, and a new name inserted. Jahshuwah was thus replaced by Ie-Sous, now known to
us as Jesus. The new religion was known as Christianity, because the
supreme deity of it was called Christos, and so we ask,
whence came Christos ? The Hebrews called their coming Savior the Messiah.
The disciples of the Savior accepted Him as such, and
to them He was known as Jahshuwah the Messiah.
The Greeks, however, rejected the Hebrew name, and
called Him Christos, similar to Chrisna ( Krisna ), name
of the deity-savior of the East. Among the people of the East, a sun-god savior was
worshipped by the name of Krisna, and so among the
Greeks of the new religion the Savior was known as
Kristos, or Christos. Thus the Sanskrit name was of
the Indian messiah became the name of the messiah
of the new religion, and it was known as the new Christian
( Krisna ) faith. They had worshipped Zeus, or Jupiter, as the supreme
deity, so now they were told the new name was Theos,
or Dios, or God. Their savior was Zeus, so now they
were to accept Jesus ( Iesous, or Zeus ). He came in His Father's Name and by that we must
adore Him. Away with the pagan name Christ, heathen
name Jesus, and exalt the Savior, Jahshuwah, the Son
of Jahwah, by His own name."
THE ORIGIN OF CHRISTIANITY: by A.B. Traina From: http://www.meguiar.addr.com/origin_of_christianity.htm Other Scholars agree. "Many people think that we are just trying to be different
and make another cult, but let us examine the facts. It is
admitted that the Saviour never heard himself addressed
as Jesus Christ, not even when Greeks went to Philip and
said, "We would see Yahushua" (John 12:20-21). The
Greek proselytes knew him as Yahushua, and as the
Messiah, for there is no other NAME under heaven, given
unto men, whereby we must be saved. The name "Jesus"
was never applied to the Saviour during His lifetime, nor
for nearly 300 years after His death and resurrection." From: http://yahushua.net/nicolaitan.htm "Jesus. That was a name given to him
by the early church many years after
His death. They wanted to remove any
Jewishness from the new church.
They eliminated His Jewish name and
blended the name of Zeus into the
Christian church to make it comfortable
for all those who previously worshipped
the Greek and Roman gods. It made it
easier for the pagans to become Christians.
Since Zeus was the top god of their experience,
attaching the name Ioesus to Yahshua gave
Him top priority in the worship hierarchy."
-Winds of Praise Broadcasting
Believer or Follower?
The Sound of the Shofar
By Jon Thompson So we can plainly see that the name, "Jesus" is the opposite
of the name, "Jehoshua". Now that we understand that, we
now know better than to pray to a nameless lord in Jesus’
name. Now that "The End" of this world is so near, people
have an extra incentive to pray to Jehovah is His Son’s actual
name as Bible prophecy requires. "Hail Zeus" or "Salvation of Jehovah"? ...this is what was said through the prophet Joel,
"And in the last days," God says... everyone who
calls on the name of Jehovah will be saved."
(Acts 2:16,17,21) (NWT) www.watchtower.org "For the Scripture says... 'everyone who calls on the name
of Jehovah will be saved.'"
(Romans 10:11,13) (NWT) www.watchtower.org
Lastly, we have a quaint way of ending our prayers
that has got to stop. Now is a good time! Amen According to the online Encyclopedia Wikipedia: "Amun (also spelled Amon, Amoun, Amen, and
rarely Imen, Greek Ἄμμων Ammon, and Ἅμμων
Hammon, reconstructed Egyptian Yamānu) was
the name of a deity, in Egyptian mythology, who
gradually rose to become one of the most important
deities in Ancient Egypt, before fading into obscurity."From: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Amun We have all been tricked into ending our
prayers with the name of an Egyptian god! We can be sure that Jehovah does not want to hear that!
We can be equally sure that Jehovah does not want to
hear "Hail Zeus" either. Our Saviour already knew
well in advance and warned us all that many devout
followers would make grave mistakes based upon
their faulty knowledge. 22 On judgment day many will say to me, ‘Lord! Lord!
We prophesied in your name and cast out demons in your
name and performed many miracles in your name.’
23 But I will reply, ‘I never knew you. Get away from
me, you who break God’s laws.’
(Matthew 7:22-23) (NLT) Now is the time to discard utterly worthless beliefs and
put true and accurate beliefs to work for us. Successful
communication with the true God, our Father, Jehovah,
depends on it! 4 But you, Daniel, shut up the words and seal the book,
until the time of the end. Many shall run to and fro, and
knowledge shall increase."
(Daniel 12:4) (ESV) That time is right now!
| | |
| They Would Rather Have Statues of gods... According to Encyclopedia Wikipedia, 1/3 of the world's
population is "Christian". 
From: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Religion Yet most of the world, even the so-called Christians, have rejected
the Glorious God, Jehovah, in favor of their pagan holidays, pagan
doctrines, pagan sun god worship, trinity worship, etc.
The world does very little to show honor for Jehovah. There
are Kingdom Halls of Jehovah's Witnesses all over the world
and everyone knows what those buildings are designated for,
the worship of Jehovah, the true God. Jehovah's Witnesses
know what idols are. What about the rest of the world? 22 They claimed to be wise. But they made fools of themselves.
23 They would rather have statues of gods than the glorious
God who lives forever.
(Romans 1:22-23) (New International Reader's Version) Such as...
It is easy to identify a pagan sun god. The sun's rays radiate
from their heads either as "spikes" or a disk behind the head. Even here in modern America? 
Most Christians have done nothing at all to honor Jehovah,
our Father, but we have fine statues all over the world to
honor the common people's preferred gods. 
One of the most familiar commandments for Christians is:
4 "You shall not make for yourself an idol in the form of anything in
heaven above or on the earth beneath or in the waters below. 5 You
shall not bow down to them or worship them;"
(Exodus 20:4-5) (New International Version) That should be clear enough. But what do we find in abundance all over the world? 
What does the Bible say about our idols? 23 Their statues of gods are made to look like people, birds, animals
and reptiles. 25 They chose a lie instead of God's truth. They
worshiped and served created things. They didn't worship the
Creator. But he must be praised forever. Amen.
(Romans 1:23, 25) (NIRV) "See, I have taught you statutes and judgments,
as Jehovah my God hath commanded me -- "
(Deuteronomy 4:5) (Young's Literal Translation ) "And Jehovah commanded me at that time to teach you statutes
and ordinances, that ye might do them... And take great heed...
lest ye corrupt yourselves, and make you a graven image, the
form of any figure, the pattern of male or female, and lest thou
lift up thine eyes to the heavens, and see the sun, and the moon,
and the stars, the whole host of heaven, and be drawn away and
bow down to them and serve them,"
(Deuteronomy 4:14-16,19) (Darby) Most cross-clutching Christians smugly assume that they do not
worship idols like the pagans do. They would never suspect that,
among other things, pagan sun god worship has crept into their lives... "The real secret of Constantine and the bishops of Rome is their
cunning introduction of sun worship and paganism into
Christianity. It was done so shrewdly that, incredibly, it has
been veiled within the faith for centuries. Through Constantine,
paganism and Christianity joined hands in the Roman Empire.
Sun worship, which appears in nearly every pagan religion in
the world, soon appeared in Christian art, imagery, and theology.
The halo often seen on Christ and Mary is actually a
symbol of sun worship."
--Beyond The Da Vinci Code
by Alan Parker, Th.D
 Not all idols are of living things. 
Notice that the Celtic cross is a cross combined with the sun?
Glory and honor is given to idols even by the nominal Christians.
They rejected Jehovah God but cherish the old rugged cross... 
"The wise men are put to shame, they are dismayed and taken:
lo, they have rejected the word of Jehovah; and what manner
of wisdom is in them?"
(Jeremiah 8:9) (American Standard Version)
Is there an answer? "The fear of Jehovah is the beginning of wisdom;
And the knowledge of the Holy One is understanding."
(Proverbs 9:10) (ASV) "...I am Jehovah thy God, who teacheth thee to profit,
who leadeth thee by the way that thou shouldest go.
Oh that thou hadst hearkened to my commandments!
then had thy peace been as a river, and thy righteousness
as the waves of the sea:
(Isaiah 48:17-19) (ASV) "The fear of Jehovah is the beginning of wisdom; A good
understanding have all they that do his commandments..."
(Psalm 111:10) (ASV) "The fear of Jehovah is the beginning of knowledge;
But the foolish despise wisdom and instruction."
(Proverbs 1:7) (ASV) "The fear of Jehovah is a fountain of life, That one may
depart from the snares of death."
(Proverbs 14:27) (ASV) "The fear of Jehovah is the instruction of wisdom..."
(Proverbs 15:33) (ASV) "The reward of humility and the fear of Jehovah
is riches, and honor, and life. "
(Proverbs 22:4) (ASV) "Blessed is the man that feareth Jehovah, That delighteth
greatly in his commandments."
(Psalm 112:1) (ASV) Falling Away From Jehovah When people fell away from Jehovah God - they began to invent new
and different ways to think of "God". Man's imagination ran rampant
until, among other things, they finally invented a polytheistic - triune
god to further corrupt their view of Jehovah, the true God. The "Christian Trinity" came from the pagans.
"So we see that the earliest forms of various pagan religions -
were really deviations away from the One True God, Jehovah.
Their doctrines concerning the One God - were obviously
lacking specific truths - as they departed from the true faith.
The more that people crept away from faith in God - the more
elaborate the concoctions became regarding their view of
God, until a 'trinity' of three persons was invented."
-- From the Book --
The Pagan Influence Upon the Development
of the Doctrine of the Trinity; - by Michael F Blume "The trinity got its start in Ancient Babylon with Nimrod - Tammuz -
and Semiramis. Semiramis demanded worship for both her husband
and her son as well as herself. She claimed that her son, was both
the father and the son. Yes, he was 'god the father' and 'god the son' -
The first divine incomprehensible trinity."
--The Two Babylons ;
Alexander Hislop; p.51
"Long ago - right after the Flood, a man named Nimrod emerged on the
scene of history. His name means 'let us rebel'. He led the founding of
the first great civilization – Babylon... He led them to rebel against
Jehovah God. He had tremendous power, so much that he became a
god in the eyes of the people. When he died, his wife, Semiramis,
recognized that without him she might lose power herself, so she
devised a clever plan. Semiramis was pregnant. She told everyone that
the child in her womb was none other than Nimrod being reborn. This
was the beginning of the greatest perversion... the concept of
father/son deity, the very first incomprehensible divine trinity (the
unexplainable mystery)..."
- Resurrection Sunday and
the Babylonian Connection; By Errol Hale "Nimrod of Ancient Babylon became both the husband and son of
Semiramis, and was worshiped as - both god the father - and god
the incarnate son. In the Bible, Nimrod was called Tammuz and
Molech. He was worshiped in Babylon as El-Bar, meaning 'god the
son.' In Assyria, Nimrod was called Baal, Bal or Belus meaning 'lord.'"
--The Two Babylons ; Alexander Hislop
Louizeaus Brothers; Neptune, N.J.
"History reveals that the trinity concept is a pagan invention and
belief found in many ancient countries. The worship of the trinity
traces back to the worship of Nimrod, Semiramis, and Tammuz
(of ancient Babylon) soon after the Flood!"
-Forerunner Commentary
"Trinity" by John W. Ritenbaugh
under - The Nature of God - Elohim Babylon was just the beginning...
"All Pagan religions from the time of Babylon have adopted in one
form or another a Trinity doctrine or a triad or trinity of gods. In
Babylon it was Nimrod, Semiramas, and Tammuz. In Egypt it was
Osiris, Isis, and Horus. The Greek triad was composed of Zeus,
Athena and Apollo. The Romans had the Trinity of Jupiter, Mercury
and Venus. Since the doctrine of the trinity is unscriptural, it took
an emperor to make Christianity start embracing the concept. The
Emperor Constantine had spoken, and no one dared touch the creed
of the Trinity during his lifetime. The great majority of the Eastern bishops
found themselves in a false position. Satan has deceived people into
believing that God is a 'Trinity.'"
--The Lost Doctrines of Christianity
The Doctrine of the Trinity
The Reluctant Messenger Constantine and Rome
"The basis of modern Christianity is the Trinity, Constantine decided
that God was three-in-one based on the Greek theologians. To this
day, Constantine’s Nicean Creed on the Trinity is used as the basis for
determining who is a Christian, which is why Jehovah’s Witnesses
are still labelled as heretics today. The effects of pagan influences
on Christian traditions can also be clearly seen in its’ celebrations, for
every single one has a pagan celebration as its origin. Perhaps
we should ponder if it would have been better for Jesus' teachings to
have disappeared than to have them so utterly corrupted and perpetuated
as his own."
--Ancient paganism
and the dangers of compromise
Constantine and The Trinity The nominal Christians reject Jehovah and surround themselves
with crosses, statues and other images of their gods. They may
not knowingly worship those images, but they have still fulfilled
the Bible's prophecies nonetheless. They rejected Jehovah and...
They Would Rather Have Statues of gods!
They would even rather have crosses. That is not what true Christians want.
| | |
| What Kind of Holiday Is
Halloween for Christians?  The pagan holiday, Halloween, is a highly popular
occasion celebrated in many countries worldwide. Should Christians indulge in the festivities? According to Wikipedia online:
Halloween has origins in the ancient Celtic festival known as Samhain
(Irish pronunciation: [ˈsˠaunʲ]; from the Old Irish samain, possibly derived
from Gaulish samonios).[5] The festival of Samhain is a celebration of
the end of the harvest season in Gaelic culture, and is sometimes[6]
regarded as the "Celtic New Year".[7] Traditionally, the festival was a
time used by the ancient Celtic pagans to take stock of supplies and
slaughter livestock for winter stores. The ancient Celts believed that
on October 31, now known as Halloween, the boundary between the
living and the deceased dissolved, and the dead become dangerous
for the living by causing problems such as sickness or damaged crops.
The festivals would frequently involve bonfires, into which the bones
of slaughtered livestock were thrown. Costumes and masks being worn
at Halloween goes back to the Celtic traditions of attempting to copy the
evil spirits or placate them, in Scotland for instance where the dead were
impersonated by young men with masked, veiled or blackened faces,
dressed in white.[8][9] From: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/HalloweenAs we can see from the article, there are many ways to
think about and celebrate October 31 as a holiday. The question is, is it a good idea? How pagan is the origin of the holiday? According to Encyclopedia Encarta online: "Halloween , holiday observed on the evening of October
31 in most areas of North America and in some areas of
Western Europe. The holiday is symbolically associated
with death and the supernatural. Halloween falls on the
eve of All Saints’ Day, also known as Allhallows or
Hallowmas, a holy day in the Roman Catholic and Anglican
churches. Originally a pagan festival of the dead, All
Saints’ Day was established by the Catholic Church in the
9th century to honor Christian saints. All Souls’ Day, a holy
day established by the Catholic Church in the 10th century,
is also closely linked to Halloween. All Souls’ Day, on
November 2, is observed to help purify the spirits of the
dead.Halloween is historically related to similar folk holidays
celebrated in other countries. The Day of the Dead, a
Mexican holiday that coincides with All Souls’ Day, blends
Roman Catholic and Native American traditions about the
souls of the dead. On the Day of the Dead, Mexicans
decorate their homes with playful imagery of animated
human skeletons, leave offerings of food for wandering
spirits, and tend the graves of their deceased relatives." Is there anything else we should know? "The most important of these holidays to influence later
Halloween customs was Samhain, a holiday observed by
the ancient Celts, a tribal people who inhabited most of
Western and Central Europe in the first millennium bc.
Among the Celts, Samhain marked the end of one year
and the beginning of the next. It was one of four Celtic
holidays linked to important transitions in the annual
cycle of seasons.Samhain began at sundown on October 31 and extended
into the following day. According to the Celtic pagan
religion, known as Druidism, the spirits of those who
had died in the preceding year roamed the earth on
Samhain evening. The Celts sought to ward off these
spirits with offerings of food and drink. The Celts also
built bonfires at sacred hilltop sites and performed
rituals, often involving human and animal
sacrifices, to honor Druid deities." From: http://encarta.msn.com/encyclopedia_761572079/Halloween.html Here we see definite pagan origins. "Halloween is a day that witches celebrate above all
other days. It is a festival of the dead, and represents
the "end and the beginning of the witches year. It
marks the beginning of the death and destruction
associated with winter. At this time the power of the
underworld is unleashed, and spirits are supposedly
freed to roam about the earth; it is considered the
best time to contact spirits"
-Halloween and Satanism, P. Phillips and J.H. Robie, 1987, p.146 "There is another religious group which is equally
serious about its Halloween celebrations: the Satanists.
Halloween to them is a more sinister and direct celebration
of death and Satan; they celebrate [it] as one of his two
highest holy days. At Halloween the sacrifices of some of
these satanic cults are unspeakably vicious and brutal"
-Like Lambs To The Slaughter, Johanna Michaelsen, 1989, p.190The celebration of Halloween is not mentioned in the
entire Bible. There are other things that are mentioned
that apply to people who wish to adhere to Bible principles: 27 Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless
is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and
to keep oneself from being polluted by the world.
(James 1:27) (NIV) Why do we need to stay away
from worldly customs? "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."
(James 4:4) (NIV) "The world and all its desires will pass away. But the man
who obeys God and does what He wants done will live forever."
(1John 2:17) (NLV) "Deal as sparingly as possible with the things the
world thrusts on you. This world as you see it is
on its way out."
(1Corinthians 7:31) (MSG) 21 You cannot drink the cup of the Lord and the cup
of demons too; you cannot have a part in both the
Lord's table and the table of demons.
(1Corinthians 10:21-22) (NIV) In spite of the wide availability of this information,
many Christians will attend parties and festivals
this October 31 in which children and adults will
wear costumes usually of hideous creatures and
participate in other traditions such as Trick-or-Treat,
pranks and vandalism. Why do so many people in the world embrace
such obviously pagan traditions? "All they have eyes for is the fashionable god of darkness.
They think he can give them what they want, and that they
won't have to bother believing a Truth they can't see..."
(2Corinthians 4:4) (MSG) And what is the truth? 1 You can be certain that in the last days there will be
some very hard times. 2 People will love only themselves
and money. They will be proud, stuck-up, rude, and
disobedient to their parents. They will also be ungrateful,
godless, 3 heartless, and hateful. Their words will be cruel,
and they will have no self-control or pity. These people
will hate everything that is good. 4 They will be sneaky,
reckless, and puffed up with pride. Instead of loving God,
they will love pleasure. 5 Even though they will make a
show of being religious, their religion won't be real. Don't
have anything to do with such people.
(2Timothy 3:1-5) (Contemporary English Version) Is celebrating a pagan holiday really
such a bad thing for Christians? "Like a muddied fountain and a polluted spring is a
righteous man who yields, falls down, and compromises
his integrity before the wicked."
(Proverbs 25:26) (Amplified Bible) "The LORD sees everything, and he watches us closely."
(Proverbs 5:21) (CEV) "For God carefully watches the way that people live;
he sees everything they do. No darkness is thick enough
to hide the wicked from his eyes. For it is not up to mortals
to decide when to come before God in judgment. He will
openly strike them down for their wickedness. For they
turned aside from following him. They have no respect
for any of his ways."
(Job 34:21-23) (NLT) What is the benefit of shunning
these non-Christian festivities? 4 Delight thyself also in Jehovah; And he
will give thee the desires of thy heart.
(Psalms 37:4) (ASV)
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| The Way of False Worship Our Messiah came to us almost 2,000 years ago to teach us
his Father’s name and how to worship him in truth and spirit.
Thus, Christianity began as a pure religion that the apostles
and disciples began spreading throughout the known world. According to the World Book Encyclopedia,
“Christianity spread rapidly, due to the work of St. Paul and the other
apostles. The Romans persecuted the Christians for many years.”
-World Book Encyclopedia “Christianity” Copyright 1963 This work of promoting true Christianity continues today, although
the vast majority of people in the world do not recognize this work
as being beneficial. This is understandable due to the fact that soon
after Christ and his apostles died, numerous false religions sprang
into existence. There were already many false religions in existence
before he was even born, but the most insidious of the false religions
was “Christendom” - false Christianity. It was prophesied by our
Lord and Savior, himself that soon after he and his apostles died false |
religions would mislead the masses: 24 For false messiahs and false prophets will rise up and
perform great miraculous signs and wonders so as to
deceive, if possible, even God's chosen ones.
(Matthew 24:24) (New Living Translation) Many encyclopedia accounts tell of the torture and death of
many thousands of true Christians at the hand of false
pagan religions simply because the Christians refused to
worship false gods, which angered the Pagan leaders.
However, persecution and execution did not stop the spread
of true Christianity; something even more insidious occurred
that succeeded! “Emperor Constantine the Great of Rome granted freedom
of religion to the Christians in A.D. 313 and 'Christianity'
became the official religion of Rome by 350 A.D.”
-WBE “Christianity” Copyright 1963 At first, this seems like wonderful news! However, Emperor
Constantine corrupted the teachings of Christ by combining
them with all of the known Pagan beliefs in an attempt to
create a universal religion. Sadly, this is the origin of the wide
variety of false religions known as Christendom that exists
today. The emperor appointed himself the first “Pontifix Maximus”
or “Pope” of the first newly developed religion known today as
the Catholic religion. Any dictionary will give the definition of
“catholic” as meaning “universal” or “all-encompassing”. Cath - O - lic | 1. | broad or wide-ranging in tastes, interests, or the like;
having sympathies with all; broad-minded; liberal. |
| 2. | universal in extent; involving all; of interest to all. |
From: http://dictionary.reference.com/ This aptly describes the hodge-podge of beliefs of Catholocism
today. The Protestant reformation was a noble effort to get away
from the many false beliefs incorporated into the “new Christianity”
but it did not remove all of the false beliefs. No, they did not get
far enough away from them but tended to incorporate even more
stupidity such as snake handling, faith healing, speaking in tongues,
gospel rock music and other non-Christian beliefs. Many people believe that a false religion is at least better
than no religion at all. They cling to a belief that they find
to be comfortable and sensible as a way of life. Is it true that if a religious belief seems good and we practice the
belief with sincerity then we will attain Jehovah’s approval? Here is a warning from the vision of the Apostle John: 4 Then I heard another voice from heaven say: “Come out
of her, my people, so that you will not share in her sins, so
that you will not receive any of her plagues; 5 for her sins
are piled up to heaven, and God has remembered her crimes.
(Revelation 18:4-5) (New International Version) Who is “She”? “She” is false religion. False religion has a history of injustice,
deception and widespread misery as a legacy. The people who
promote false religions will pay soon for their evil deeds. No
prophecy from Jehovah has ever failed to be fulfilled by Him in
his own time. It would be wise to do as the Apostle John suggests
and get out of false religion now and seek the one true one. How do we find the one true religion? The Bible states that we will find what we seek!
Jehovah, Himself will guide us: 7 “Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find;
knock and the door will be opened to you. 8 For everyone
who asks receives; he who seeks finds; and to him who
knocks, the door will be opened.
(Matthew 7:7-8) (NIV) How do we recognize the one true religion now? Let us begin by looking for the obvious signs of false religion.
First, members of the true religion worship only Jehovah.
He requires us to worship him in spirit and truth.
24 God is a Spirit: and they that worship him must worship
him in spirit and in truth.
(John 4:24) (King James Version) He provided guidelines right in the Bible for us to follow.
For example, consider the 2nd Commandment:
"You shall not make for yourself an idol in the
form of anything in heaven above or on the
earth beneath or in the waters below.”
(Exodus 20:4) (NIV) It should be clear that we are forbidden to make any kind of
symbol for the purpose of utilizing it for worship. And yet, what do we see with your own eyes
in the places of false worship? Statues, crosses, fish symbols, flags, etc. To this very day the
elements of false worship inhabit the churches and temples of
the false religions, just as the Catholic movement established
them 1700 years ago. The Pagans have had statues and other
idols in their temples for many thousands of years longer. What about The "Christian" Cross? 'That which is now called the Christian cross was originally
no Christian emblem at all, but was the mystic Tau of
the Chaldeans (Babylonians) and the Egyptians."
- Alexander Hislop, The Two Babylons, 2nd American edition.
(Neptune, New Jersey, U.S.A: Loizeaux Brothers, 1959;
(originally written in 1862), pp. 197-205. 'There is hardly a Pagan tribe where the cross has not been
found. The cross was worshipped by the Pagan Celts
long before the incarnation and death of Christ.'
- 'Crabb's Mythology, p. 163.' "Various objects, dating from periods long anterior to the
Christian era, have been found, marked with crosses of
different designs, in almost every part of the old world.
India, Syria, Persia and Egypt have all yielded numberless
examples. The use of the cross as a religious symbol
in pre-Christian times and among non-Christian
peoples may probably be regarded as almost
universal, and in very many cases it was connected
with some form of nature worship."
—Encyclopædia Britannica (1946), Vol. 6, p. 753. "An enormous body of evidence proves that the cross is
not a Christian symbol but has its roots in rank paganism.
Nominal Christians adopted this pagan symbol as a sign
of their religion, even though it had nothing to do
with true Christianity."
-The Cross:
Christian Banner or Pagan Relic?
by Earl L. Henn (1934-1997)
Forerunner, May 1996 Therefore, one sign of a false religion is the presence of
pagan symbols. Idols have been a feature of many false
religions for many centuries.
What is the only Christian religion that
rejects the cross and worships only
Jehovah in spirit and in truth? Jehovah's Witnesses have a wide reputation for being
the only people on the face of the earth who reject the
cross as a sacred symbol of Christianity and worship
only Jehovah, the one true God.
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