Should Christians Drink? Wine in the Bible

There are many arguments among Christians about the use of alcohol. Some believe in total abstinence while others believe that alcohol can be used moderately. So what does the Bible say about the use of alcohol? One thing is certain, nothing has snapped more wedding rings, caused more violence in the home, crime, sickness and death.

As when we approach any study of a particular subject we must be careful not to build a doctrine on the basis of one or two scriptures. We have to look at all that God says on any one thing and take the sum of all the parts. We must also look at the context in which it is used.

In William Patton's book, Bible Wines, pg. 46 we quote: It should be constantly borne in mind that the Authorized Version was translated when the drinking usages were well-nigh universal. The translators, with the most honest purpose, faithfully according to their ability, rendered into English the original scriptures, but were nevertheless unintentionally and unconsciously influenced by the philosophy and usages of their day. We would not distrust, much less weaken, confidence in the Word of God. We should, however remind the reader that ONLY THE ORIGNAL TEXT IS INSPIRED; that no translation, much less no mere human interpretation, is ultimate authority.

The confusion is that on one hand God gives the wine as a blessing and also calls it a curse. How can something be both a blessing and a curse? Does this mean that one can drink in moderation? As long as we partake of a little then it's okay? So why doesn't the Bible say how much we can drink?

The wine that is a blessing
Isa 65:8 Thus saith the LORD, As the new wine (tirosh) is found in the cluster, and one saith, Destroy it not; for a blessing is in it: so will I do for my servants' sakes, that I may not destroy them all.

The Hebrew word for harvested grape juice is tirosh and should be translated in every one of its 38 Old Testament occurrences as either fresh grape juice or harvested grape juice. The Authorized Version translated as 'wine' or 'new wine' are both misleading translations. The new wine that is a blessing was the product of the land in its natural state, the grape and its juice. It is unfermented.

Isa 55:1 Ho, every one that thirsteth, come ye to the waters, and he that hath no money; come ye, buy, and eat; yea, come, buy wine and milk without money and without price.

Here God is giving milk and wine, both are blessings and nutritious. Both the milk and the wine (grape juice) are good for you.

Would the Lord give us something meant to be a blessing in the form of an intoxicating beverage? The Lord's Prayer: Mat 6:13 And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil: For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, for ever. Amen.

The Temperance Bible Commentary by F. R. Lees and D. Burns pg. 24 "Tirosh is not wine at all, but the fruit of the vineyard in its natural condition."

Was fermented wine used at the Lord's Supper?
On the night of His betrayal, when celebrating the Passover with His disciples, Matthew 26:26 And as they were eating, Jesus took bread, and blessed it, and brake it, and gave it to the disciples, and said, Take, eat; this is my body. 27 And he took the cup, and gave thanks, and gave it to them, saying, Drink ye all of it; 28 For this is my blood of the new testament, which is shed for many for the remission of sins. 29 But I say unto you, I will not drink henceforth of this fruit of the vine, until that day when I drink it new with you in my Father's kingdom.
The wine represents the blood atonement at the Lord's Supper. It was the symbol of His shed blood for our sins. The bread representing His body was unleavened bread. All leaven and fermentation is excluded from the Passover for seven days, it is forbidden.

Psa 16:10 For thou wilt not leave my soul in hell; neither wilt thou suffer thine Holy One to see corruption. Would the Lord allow a fermented wine to be used as the symbol of His atoning blood, He who saw no corruption? "Fermentation is to them always a symbol of "corruption."

Easton's Bible Dictionary
Heb. seor (Ex. 12:15, 19; 13:7; Lev. 2:11), the remnant of dough from the preceding baking which had fermented and become acid. (2.) Heb. hamets, properly "ferment." In Num. 6:3, "vinegar of wine" is more correctly "fermented wine." In Ex. 13:7, the proper rendering would be, "Unfermented things [Heb. matstsoth] shall be consumed during the seven days; and there shall not be seen with thee fermented things [hamets], and there shall not be seen with thee leavened mass [seor] in all thy borders." The chemical definition of ferment or yeast is "a substance in a state of putrefaction, the atoms of which are in a continual motion."
Fruit of the vine:
(2.) The fruit of the vine, "vintage-fruit" (Heb. tirosh); grapes, whether moist or dried.

Josephus calls the freshly squeezed grape juice the "fruit of the vine."

Pro 20:1 Wine (yayin) is a mocker, strong drink is raging: and whosoever is deceived thereby is not wise.
Notice that the quantity consumed is not mentioned only that wine in itself is a mocker.

The problem lies in the word wine, which can mean either fermented or unfermented grape juice.

In Wine The Biblical Imperative: Total Abstinence by Robert P. Teachout he writes: Not only have contemporary Bible scholars failed to consult the older reference works which would refute their superficial conclusion; they have also neglected to do adequate research in the primary sources themselves. Instead of making a person search through the classical Greek and Latin writings to see (for example) how oinos and vinum were used by the ancient authors they have simply assumed that the modern lexicons are correct. It is initially important to recognize that lexicons are, ideally based on such primary research. However, lexicons are inerrant. If the research on which they are based is not thorough, or if it is biased, then important information is omitted. Thus, an adequate investigation f the meaning of any word especially if the meaning is disputed) must include actually studying it in the context in which it occurred in the original literature rather than simply assuming that the modern lexicons have done a thorough job of presenting the evidence. The difficulty of doing such primary research should make those who take an opposing position more careful about being dogmatic concerning matters, which they themselves are unwilling or unable to thoroughly investigate. (Pg. 40-41)

Mertereologica by Aristotlerefers to a sweet grape beverage (glukus), which Though called wine [oinos], it has not the effect of wine, for it does taste like wine and does not intoxicate like ordinary wine. (388.b.9-13)

Definitions of "Wine"
oinos- grape juice or wine
gleukos- fresh grape juice
oxos - vinegar
tirosh- harvest grape juice
shekar- wine or strong drink, (Hebrew) to drink copiously
yayin- grape juice, wine

Kitto's Cyclopaedia, article Wine: "Yakin in Bible use is a very general term, including every species of wine made from grapes (oinos ampelinos), though in latter ages it became extended in its application to wine made from other substances."

Did Jesus use alcohol? Some say that the new wine that Jesus made was alcohol in His first miracle at the wedding at Cana. John 2:1 - 11

Now we know that Jesus is our High Priest who makes intercession for our sins and the priest is forbidden to drink fermented drink.

Heb 4:14 Seeing then that we have a great high priest, that is passed into the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold fast our profession. We also know that the Lord forbids the priests to drink alcohol.

Lev 10:8 And the LORD spake unto Aaron, saying, 9 Do not drink wine nor strong drink, thou, nor thy sons with thee, when ye go into the tabernacle of the congregation, lest ye die: it shall be a statute for ever throughout your generations: Can Jesus break His own rule? Jesus is our High Priest. Jesus made new wine. New wine is pure grape juice. It has not been allowed to ferment. The Lord would not further the act of making an intoxicating wine to people who were presumed to be already drunk!

1Ti 3:8 Likewise must the deacons be grave, not doubletongued, not given to much wine, not greedy of filthy lucre;

Tit 2:3 The aged women likewise, that they be in behaviour as becometh holiness, not false accusers, not given to much wine, teachers of good things;

Do you not also know that when you accept Jesus as your personal Savior you become part of the royal priesthood?

1Pe 2:9 But ye are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar people; that ye should shew forth the praises of him who hath called you out of darkness into his marvelous light;

1Pe 4:1 Forasmuch then as Christ hath suffered for us in the flesh, arm yourselves likewise with the same mind: for he that hath suffered in the flesh hath ceased from sin; 2 That he no longer should live the rest of his time in the flesh to the lusts of men, but to the will of God. 3 For the time past of our life may suffice us to have wrought the will of the Gentiles, when we walked in lasciviousness, lusts, excess of wine, revellings, banquetings, and abominable idolatries:

Jesus was accused.
Mat 11:19 The Son of man came eating and drinking, and they say, Behold a man gluttonous, and a winebibber, a friend of publicans and sinners. But wisdom is justified of her children.

The scripture says Jesus came eating and drinking, not that He came drinking alcohol, just eating and drinking. He befriended those who needed Him. There were those who would have liked to destroy the reputation of our Savior.

Mat 9:12 But when Jesus heard that, he said unto them, They that be whole need not a physician, but they that are sick.

John too was accused of being of the devil. Luk 7:33 For John the Baptist came neither eating bread nor drinking wine; and ye say, He hath a devil.

We are to bring glory to God!
1Co 10:31 Whether therefore ye eat, or drink, or whatsoever ye do, do all to the glory of God.

Eph 5:18 And be not drunk with wine, wherein is excess; but be filled with the Spirit…

But the Bible says a little wine is good for us.
Did Paul tell Timothy to drink a fermented wine for his stomach?

1Ti 5:23 Drink no longer water, but use a little wine (oinos) for thy stomach's sake and thine often infirmities.
Earlier in the same Epistle Paul states: Tit 1:7 For a bishop must be blameless, as the steward of God; not selfwilled, not soon angry, not given to wine, no striker, not given to filthy lucre;

Grape juice was used for medicinal purposes during Bible times. Athenaeus (AD 280) makes the suggestion to use unfermented grape juice for stomach disorders.

Is this contradiction? No. Pure grape juice is known to be beneficial for our health. Onios- The juice of the grape in all conditions.

Problem verse
Deuteronomy 14:22-26 contains an ordinance stating that those who live a long distance from the sanctuary can use part of their tithe money on their annual journey to the sanctuary as follows:
And spend the money for whatever you desire, oxen, or sheep, or wine (Yayin) or strong drink, (shekar) whatever your appetite craves; and you shall eat there before the LORD your God and rejoice, you and your household. Deut. 14:26 (RSV)
The phrase "strong drink" is from the word shekar. Shekar was condemned by Solomon as "raging" (Prov. 20:1), and Isaiah pronounces a woe upon those who "follow after strong drink [shekar]" (Isa. 5:11). Strong drink was also forbidden for the priests (Lev. 10:9-11) and Nazarites (Num. 6:2-4; Jud. 13:3-5). Would God condemn the use of "strong drink" in one place in the Bible, and yet approve of it in another place?
Like yayin ("wine"), shekar is a generic term that could refer to either an alcoholic beverage, as noted above, or to a sweet, unfermented drink as is indicated in Isa. 24:9. Shekar is defined by The Popular and Critical Bible Encyclopedia as: Sweet Wine or Syrup.
Shatter, luscious, saccharine drink or sweet syrup especially sugar or honey of dates or of the palm-tree
Date or Palm Wine in its fresh and unfermented state.
Our English words "sugar" and "cider" derive from the word shekar. Therefore, since shekar could mean either a sweet unfermented drink, or an intoxicating drink, we must interpret the word according to the context of the verse. Would God encourage the use of tithe money to purchase a beverage that causes intoxication, health problems, and diminishing of moral capacities? The only reasonable conclusion is that this verse is referring to the sweet palm-wine beverage in its fresh and unfermented state.

Robert P Teachout Wine The Biblical Imperative pg. 66 reads: The Hebrew verb, which is, related etymologically, shakar, means to 'drink deeply' rather than 'to become drunk,' as many lexicons imply. (Note especially Song of So 5:1). The idea of drunkenness so often associated with both the noun and the verb is dependent upon the context (and the beverage that is imbibed), then, and not an innate meaning of the word, despite the simplistic rendering of Hebrew lexicons. The two words yayin and shekar together give the one idea in Deu 14:26 of 'satisfying grape juice' (a anendiadys). The context demands this understanding, since it specifically indicates that the beverage was to be imbibed' before the Lord over what He has provided, one would have to be sober. Since God had explicitly denied intoxicants (on pain of death-Lev 10:9 to the priests serving in His presence, it would be totally out of character for God to command the use of these intoxicants by the worshippers in one of their infrequent appearances before him, especially when they were in the company of those priests.

But I need a few drinks to help me relax. It makes me happy.
Our happiness is in Christ. He is our joy!

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

Mat 25:21 His lord said unto him, Well done, thou good and faithful servant: thou hast been faithful over a few things, I will make thee ruler over many things: enter thou into the joy of thy lord.

Gal 5:22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith,

Alcohol can have a great cost.
We see the first recorded incident of drunkenness and immoral behavior and the result of a curse being placed on Canaan:
Gen 9:20 And Noah began to be an husbandman, and he planted a vineyard: 21 And he drank of the wine, and was drunken; and he was uncovered within his tent. 22 And Ham, the father of Canaan, saw the nakedness of his father, and told his two brethren without.23 And Shem and Japheth took a garment, and laid it upon both their shoulders, and went backward, and covered the nakedness of their father; and their faces were backward, and they saw not their father's nakedness. 24 And Noah awoke from his wine, and knew what his younger son had done unto him. 25 And he said, Cursed be Canaan; a servant of servants shall he be unto his brethren. Gen 9:26 And he said, Blessed be the LORD God of Shem; and Canaan shall be his servant.
The result of Lot's drinking was incest. Gen 19: 32 Come, let us make our father drink wine, and we will lie with him, that we may preserve seed of our father. 33 And they made their father drink wine that night: and the firstborn went in, and lay with her father; and he perceived not when she lay down, nor when she arose. 34 And it came to pass on the morrow, that the firstborn said unto the younger, Behold, I lay yesternight with my father: let us make him drink wine this night also; and go thou in, and lie with him, that we may preserve seed of our father. 35 And they made their father drink wine that night also: and the younger arose, and lay with him; and he perceived not when she lay down, nor when she arose. 36 Thus were both the daughters of Lot with child by their father.

Drinking causes a lack of concern for others:
Amos 6:6 That drink wine in bowls, and anoint themselves with the chief ointments: but they are not grieved for the affliction of Joseph.

Drinking causes shame and humiliation:
Hab 2:15 Woe unto him that giveth his neighbour drink, that puttest thy bottle to him, and makest him drunken also, that thou mayest look on their nakedness! 16 Thou art filled with shame for glory: drink thou also, and let thy foreskin be uncovered: the cup of the LORD's right hand shall be turned unto thee, and shameful spewing shall be on thy glory.

Exo 34:7 Keeping mercy for thousands, forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin, and that will by no means clear the guilty; visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children, and upon the children's children, unto the third and to the fourth generation.
Seventy-five percent of the children of alcoholics either become drinkers themselves or become codependents.

Hos 4:11 Whoredom and wine and new wine take away the heart.

Luk 21:34 And take heed to yourselves, lest at any time your hearts be overcharged with surfeiting, and drunkenness, and cares of this life, and so that day come upon you unawares. 35 For as a snare shall it come on all them that dwell on the face of the whole earth.36 Watch ye therefore, and pray always, that ye may be accounted worthy to escape all these things that shall come to pass, and to stand before the Son of man.

Luk 12:45 But and if that servant say in his heart, My lord delayeth his coming; and shall begin to beat the menservants and maidens, and to eat and drink, and to be drunken; 46 The lord of that servant will come in a day when he looketh not for him, and at an hour when he is not aware, and will cut him in sunder, and will appoint him his portion with the unbelievers.

1Co 6:10 Nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners, shall inherit the kingdom of God.

When is it all right to drink?
Pro 31:6 Give strong drink unto him that is ready to perish, and wine unto those that be of heavy hearts. Give to those who are dying or in great pain.

Parents, when you drink you are teaching your children to drink.
They are learning from you. They are not learning coping skills. It does not teach them to control themselves. Did you know that 90% of those on death row came from homes where alcohol and drug abuse was a prominent part of their lives? Your attitude toward alcohol and drugs directly affects how your children will view them. If you need to have a few drinks to cope with stress then you are teaching your child this is how to deal with stress. Think about it parents. Remember your children are a gift from God and they are on loan to you. Your job is to lead them to Christ and how to walk in His ways. You are responsible for their welfare.

There are many warnings about the use of alcohol in the Bible.
Pro 21:17 He that loveth pleasure shall be a poor man: he that loveth wine and oil shall not be rich.

Pro 23:20 Be not among winebibbers; among riotous eaters of flesh:
Pro 23:21 For the drunkard and the glutton shall come to poverty: and drowsiness shall clothe a man with rags.

Pro 23:29 Who hath woe? who hath sorrow? who hath contentions? who hath babbling? who hath wounds without cause? who hath redness of eyes? 30 They that tarry long at the wine; they that go to seek mixed wine. 31 Look not thou upon the wine when it is red, when it giveth his colour in the cup, when it moveth itself aright (fermented wine). 32 At the last it biteth like a serpent, and stingeth like an adder. 33 Thine eyes shall behold strange women, and thine heart shall utter perverse things. 34 Yea, thou shalt be as he that lieth down in the midst of the sea, or as he that lieth upon the top of a mast. 35 They have stricken me, shalt thou say, and I was not sick; they have beaten me, and I felt it not: when shall I awake? I will seek it yet again.

Isa 5:11 Woe unto them that rise up early in the morning, that they may follow strong drink; that continue until night, till wine inflame them!

Isa 5:22 Woe unto them that are mighty to drink wine, and men of strength to mingle strong drink:

Isa 28:7 But they also have erred through wine, and through strong drink are out of the way; the priest and the prophet have erred through strong drink, they are swallowed up of wine, they are out of the way through strong drink; they err in vision, they stumble in judgment.

Rom 13:13 Let us walk honestly, as in the day; not in rioting and drunkenness, not in chambering and wantonness, not in strife and envying.

Rom 14:21 It is good neither to eat flesh, nor to drink wine, nor any thing whereby thy brother stumbleth, or is offended, or is made weak.

Many Christians justify their drinking because they believe they have God's approval because the word wine is used in the Bible. Being drunk is clearly condemned as sin.

Gal 5:21 Envyings, murders, drunkenness, revellings, and such like: of the which I tell you before, as I have also told you in time past, that they which do such things shall not inherit the kingdom of God.

1Th 5:5 Ye are all the children of light, and the children of the day: we are not of the night, nor of darkness.6 Therefore let us not sleep, as do others; but let us watch and be sober.7 For they that sleep sleep in the night; and they that be drunken are drunken in the night.

1Co 5:11 But now I have written unto you not to keep company, if any man that is called a brother be a fornicator, or covetous, or an idolater, or a railer, or a drunkard, or an extortioner; with such an one no not to eat. God clearly tells the Christian not to even associate with one who claims to be a Christian and they drink.

The word "wine" is also used to denote God's wrath or judgment
Easton's Bible Dictionary
1) wine 2) metaph. fiery wine of God's wrath
The "treading of the wine-press" is emblematic of
divine judgment (Isa. 63:2; Lam. 1:15; Rev. 14:19, 20).
Also see Revelation 14:8& 10; 16:19; 18:3.

We have by no means covered all that is available on the wines of the Bible. I can only encourage you to study for yourself and pray for understanding. We must each stand before the Lord and ask Him what He would have us to do.

For those who use to justify drinking in the Bible because they believe that there was no way to keep the grape juice from fermenting during Bible times I suggest you read The Laws of Fermentation by William Patton.

Suggested study materials:
Kitto's Cyclopaedia
Bible Wines by William Patton
Wine The Biblical Imperative by Robert P. Teachout
The Jewish Encyclopedia
Dr. William Smith Dictionary of the Bible Wine in the Ancient World by Charles Seltman
The Temperance Bible Commentary by F. R. Lees and D. Burns
Antiquities of the Jews William Whiton's translation
The Laws of Fermentation by William Patton
Language Helps
A Concordance of the Ugaritic Literature by Richard E. Whitaker
The Englishman's Greek Concordance of the New Testament.
The Englishman's Hebrew and Chaldee Concordance of the Old Testament
The Septuagint intertestament translation of the Hebrew Bible into Greek

Heavenly Father, Help us to be more like You. Give us understanding of Your Word. Help us to be overcomers so we might spend eternity with You. Amen

Read Revelation 2, 3 to see what overcomers inherit!

Money: The Tithe

The buck grabs us all by the rear. When we don't have any, we pray for some. When we have it, we forget we prayed for it. Lately I've been watching the money thing and what it does to people, and I pray the dollar doesn't get to me. Sure, I could do with more cash (couldn't we all?) but my prayer is that I keep in mind what it is, and what God expects me to do with it.

First, it's like cocaine. It never satisfies although it promises to.

Second, it alienates us.

Third, it puts us on a pedestal and moves us away from God.

Having money is akin to a dog with a bone. He's afraid to walk away from it although he doesn't want it, so he guards it with his life. When he has to go relieve himself it worries him, so he holds it as long as he can. When he finally succumbs to the urge, another dog tries to steal the bone and the fight is on. He knew it would happen and it did. We always thought we were better than the animals, but all you have to do is turn your back on your bone (or cash) for a moment and somebody'll be there to take it from you. The worry never ceases, it's true. The more is at stake, the longer we'll stay up at night being worried or suspecting our best friends of coveting our bone. It just isn't worth it.

Our Master, our King by the way, didn't have so much as a coin on Him. Matthew 22:19 "(Jesus said) 'Show me the coin used for the poll tax.' And they brought Him a denarius." If He had the cash in His pocket, surely He would have dug out a coin and made His point, instead of waiting for 2 or 3 minutes for somebody to ante up one. It is no coincidence that Jesus never carried money. If you have noticed, Jesus always had money EXACTLY when He needed it. We're promised the same thing, too! Jesus was a human with a need for money just like the rest of the world. It just wasn't His point of interest, except when it was needed. Our Master, our Example, took His need to the Father and it was done.

Jesus guarantees us that God loves the little sparrows so much He feeds them, and He actually means to put it to us in our minds like we think of sparrows... worthless little birds. He goes on with if God the Father loves them enough to make sure they don't die of hunger, neither will He let us die. We are not ensured caviar and imported wine. The children of Israel in the desert got tired of manna. I guess it didn't taste like a steak dinner, but nobody died of malnutrition, either.

Personally, I was reared to believe that God is a fat man wearing a red suit going ho-ho-ho. Years later I find out that God isn't real interested in what kind of car I drive or what kind of after dinner wine I serve. It boils down to the book. He only wants 10 percent of what He gives me. Don't think for a minute He needs it. The Creator owns all of this anyway. He wants me to want to give it up willingly and without worry. The rest, He leaves me in charge of to do what I think is right. I find that if I live by the greatest Commandment, I will do what is right. "Love the Lord thy God with all your heart."

From a Go'er - Be'er - and Do'er

(But usually a Walk'er - Try'er - and Pray'er)

Is the Celebration of Easter Biblical?

It is March 1st and the stores are full of Easter bunnies and chocolate eggs and all sorts of advertisements for new Easter clothes. Something for every member of the family. Even many of those who never attend church go at this time.

We often talk of the traditions of men in the church. …..This people honors Me with their lips, But their heart is far from Me. But in vain do they worship Me, teaching as doctrines the precepts of men. Neglecting the commandments of God, you hold fast to the traditions of men Mark 7:6-8

Is Easter a tradition of men or a commandment of God? We use the term Easter as a celebration in commemoration of the resurrection of Christ, but is in the Bible? In the King James version in Acts 12:4 we read: And when he (Herod) had apprehended him, he put him in prison, and delivered him to four quaternions of soldiers to keep him; intending after Easter to bring him to bring him forth to the people. "Easter" is actually the Greek word pasha or Passover, but Easter is not another name for Passover. The American Standard translates Passover in verse 4.

According to Webster’s dictionary we read: Easter had it’s origin in pagan times. Eastre or Eostre, the old English spelling of Easter, was originally the name of a Germanic goddess who was worshipped at a festival at the spring equinox. Her name is closely related to Latin aurora and Greek eos, both of which mean "dawn".

Just as satan has managed to infiltrate the church with other pagan customs, this too what we call Easter is pagan in origin. In Genesis 10:8-10 we see the grandson of Noah, Nimrod, and we learn the beginning of his kingdom was Babel, Erech, Accad and Calneh in the land of Shinar. Nimrod lead his people in rebellion against God and they practiced a form of satanic worship. Every kind of perversion and evil was used in this religion. They worshiped the sun, moon, stars and even offered human sacrifices as well as animals. Their practice in their ceremonies were things that are unspeakable.

Most of these practices originated at Babel. Most of us know the story in Genesis 11 of the tower of Babel and how the tower was to be built reaching into heaven. And the Lord said, "Behold, they are one people, and they all have the same language. And this is what they began to do, and now nothing which they purpose to do will be impossible for them. Come, let Us go down and there confuse their language, that they may not understand on another’s speech." So the Lord scattered them abroad from there over the face of the whole earth; and they stopped building the city. Genesis 11:6-8 This is perhaps how this religion was scattered also.

Nimrod married Queen Semiramis who was even more wicked than he. When Nimrod died the mystery religion continued on and the Queen deified him as the Sun-god.. He was later known as Baal, the Great Life Giver, the god of fire, Bel, Baalim, Molech as well as others. Semiramis had an illegitimate son Tammuz, she claimed was an immaculate conception and that he was the savior promised by God in Genesis 3:15. He was also worshiped as the reincarnate of Nimrod. She was then the goddess of fertility and the moon. Tammuz was worshiped in the spring. After he was killed through the weeping of his mother he was revived in the springing forth of the vegetation in the Spring. Every Spring represented this supposed resurrection from the underworld.

In Ezekiel 8:13-16 we read: And He said to me, "Yet you will see still grater abominations which they are committing." Then He brought me to the entrance of the Lord’s house which was toward the north; and behold, women sitting there weeping for Tammuz. And he said to me, "Do you see this , son of man? Yet you will see still grater abominations that these." Then He brought me into the inner court of the Lord’s house. And behold, at the entrance to the temple of the Lord, between the porch and the altar, were bout twenty-five men with their backs to the temple of the Lord and their faces toward the east; and they were prostrating themselves eastward toward the sun.

Israel had turned their back on God and had turned to idolatry. Worship of the sun. Tammuz was a Babylonian god. Like Christ Mass and New Year’s and Easter, all began in Babylon.



Some called this evil woman the Mother Goddess, "Ishtar" originally pronounced Easter, wife of Baal, Eostre, Ashtartoth or Astoreth, Queen of Heaven etc. She was also worshiped as a mediator between God and man. To gain her favor there were sexual orgies and temple prostitutes.

In 325 AD the Nicean Council decreed Easter be celebrated on the 1st Sunday after there vernal equinox, anywhere between March 22nd to April 25th.

In the 4th century Easter became a Christian festival. All early Christians celebrated Passover on the 14th day of the 1st month. In the first month, on the fourteenth day of the month at twilight is the Lord’s Passover. Leviticus 23:5 We cannot confuse the pagan holiday of Easter with the Passover.



THE EASTER RABBIT

The Easter rabbit is actually a hare. The hare was sacrificed to Eostre. The hare was the symbol of fertility and the return of spring.

EASTER EGGS

The egg goes back to some of the oldest known civilizations. It was believed to have played an important part in mythical accounts of the creation of the world. The Easter egg is a symbol of continuing life and the resurrection. Pope Paul V appointed a prayer that the eggs be blessed. The eggs were then eaten in thankfulness for the resurrection of the Lord.

HOT CROSS BUNS

The hot cross bun is eaten on Good Friday. They too are pagan in origin.

"The children gather wood, and the fathers kindle the fire, and the women knead dough to make cakes for the queen of heaven; and they pour out libations to other gods in order to spite me. Jeremiah 7:18

We read in Jeremiah 44:17-19 "But rather we will certainly carry out every word that has proceeded from our mouths, by burning sacrifices to the queen of heaven and pouring out libations to her, just as we ourselves, our forefathers, our kings and our princes did in the cites of Judah I and in the streets of Jerusalem; for then we had plenty of food, and were well off, and saw no misfortune. But since we stopped burning sacrifices to the queen of heaven and p9uring out libations to her, we have lacked everything and have met our end by the sword and by famine." And, said the women, when we were burning sacrifices to the queen of heaven, and were pouring libations to her, was it without our husbands that we made for her sacrificial cakes in her image and poured out libation to her?



The celebration of Easter has nothing to do with Christianity. It is an abomination to God. It is not a celebration of the resurrection. It is a pagan custom that has been brought into the house of God with the traditions of men , not of God and not a command from the Bible. God gave us a celebration for the resurrection and it is called Baptism. Therefore we have been buried with Him through baptism into death, in order that as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, so we too might walk in newness of life. Romans 6:4

"You shall have no there gods before Me. Exodus 20:3

Lukewarm: GoBeDo's Message to the Church

Revelation 3:14-16 And to the angel of the church in Laodicea write: The Amen, the faithful and true Witness, the Beginning of the creation of God, says this: I know your deeds, that you are neither cold nor hot; I would that you were cold or hot. So because you are lukewarm, and neither hot nor cold, I will spit you out of My mouth.
Beginning in the 2nd chapter of Revelation we see the letters given to John to write to the 7 churches. These churches existed simultaneously then and now. Does this in any way describe your church or you. Are we sitting on our blessed assurances in a pew somewhere every Worship day, Wednesday nights, at Bible studies, prayer groups and all the fun things at Church activities? Are we eating the deliciously prepared meals of a church social? We are loyal in our attendance. But, what are we doing beyond the walls of the comfortable air-conditioned padded pew.
Do you enjoy the sermons prepared by your pastor with his added humor that you laugh at. Have we been properly entertained when we leave. Are we being fed week after week with exquisite morsels from the Word. But, did you pick up your Bible this week and study. Did you study, not just read a few scriptures here and there. Did you research everything you heard. Did you look up the other scriptures that might pertain to that subject so that you have a clear and accurate understanding of what we heard.


God gave you a mind and the Holy Spirit to help you to understand what He has to say to you. You don’t need to be a scholar, all you need is a willingness to listen to the Spirit of God. He is eager to teach you. You need only ask. In James 1:5-7 If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all men generously and without reproach, and it will be given to him. But let him ask in faith without any doubting, for the one who doubts is like the surf of the sea driven and tossed by the wind. For let not that man expect that he will receive anything from the Lord
Hebrews 5:12-14 For though by this time you ought to be teachers, you have need again for someone to teach you the elementary principles of the oracles of God, and you have come to need milk and not solid food. For everyone who partakes only of milk is not accustomed to the word of righteousness, for he is a babe. But solid food is for the mature, who because of practice have their senses trained to discern good and evil. How many sermons do we need to be weaned form the bottle and take solid food?


Praise God for those shepherds (pastors) who get down on their knees everyday asking God for guidance in the giving of his sermon that week. Who study continuously in God’s Word instead of pulling a sermon out of a text book. Those who have discerned truth themselves in the Word of God. Those who pray and encourage their sheep to study and pray for themselves for the will of God in their own lives. That equip their sheep to go out into the world as witnesses for Christ.


Has your church reached out to your community. Is there a person in need anywhere near your church, perhaps across the street or maybe in the church building itself. Is your church seeing miracles, God still does them) changed lives, and love for one another more than self. Are you willing to give up something for another of God’s children. Does your pastor preach the gospel.? Many do not even know what the gospel is. Romans 1:16-20 For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek. For in righteousness of men, who suppress the truth in unrighteousness, because that which is known about God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who suppress the truth in unrighteousness, because that which is known about God is evident with them; for God made it evident to them.
Most will say they believe these are the last days but, are we living like it. Or are we more concerned with what we want, rather than sharing the gospel. Is the Church on fire for Jesus and do we desire His truth above all else in this world


Are we prepared for the things that are quickly coming upon this world or have we been lulled into a false sense of security. Has your pastor prepared you so you might understand all that God is doing and why. Can you share these things with others. We are not exempt from the tribulation and the urgency of the Antichrist’s appearing. Has your church prepared you for this. If your church has mislead you on this issue, could there be other areas too?


STUDY HIS WORD FOR YOURSELF, LIKE YOU HAVE NEVER STUDIED BEFORE. GET INTO HIS WORD WITH THE HELP OF THE HOLY SPIRIT. TIME IS SHORT MY FRIENDS, STOP BEING LUKEWARM AND GET ON FIRE FOR JESUS AND HIS REVEALING.

Does Your God Look Like This?

How many times do we go to God when we are having financial problems or we are sick and we need help or just want something? Maybe you want a new car or boat. Is God like a heavenly Santa Claus to you? "Give me, give me, give me." We turn to Him whenever we are in trouble. Have you ever been that way are known someone like that. Then God answers and we forget all the promises we made to Him and perhaps even forget to praise Him for all that He does in our lives. How do we feel when our own children or friends treat us that way. Or maybe we just plain don't like His answer.

1Thessalonians 5:18 In every thing give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you.

Did you notice that, this is His will concerning you. Our heavenly Father knows just the right time to answer us and sometimes His answer is not yet, or no. Would you buy your son a sports car when you knew he was not mature enough to handle the consequences of his misuse? God has to answer in the same way. He loves us enough to say no sometimes or not yet, because He knows what lies ahead for each of our lives and He protects us from things we cannot see. He also knows what might draw us away from Him. Hallelujah!

James1:2 My brethren, count it all joy when ye fall into divers temptations;

1:3 Knowing this, that the trying of your faith worketh patience.

1:4 But let patience have her perfect work, that ye may be perfect and entire, wanting nothing.

God wants to meet our every need, but sometimes He withholds something for our good.

Romans 8:28 And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose.

IS THIS YOUR GOD?

1Timothy 6:10 For the love of money is the root of all evil: which while some coveted after, they have erred from the faith, and pierced themselves through with many sorrows.

Matthew 6:24 No man can serve two masters: for either he will hate the one, and love the other; or else he will hold to the one, and despise the other. Ye cannot serve God and mammon.

God never said it was wrong to have material possessions. Many of those we admire in the Bible were rich in fact. Solomon, Abraham, Job and Isaac were some of the richest men in their day. God's doesn't have a problem with us having things. His problem is when those things become our god and the possessions become the center of our lives rather than Him. When anything takes us away from God as our focus of worship then that thing becomes our idol.

John Wesley had a three-fold philosophy about money. He said, "Make all you can; Keep all you can; and give all you can."

Many times we give the Lord our leftovers. One of the hardest things for some is to give of their money. The tithe belongs to the Lord and if we use it for ourselves then we rob God.

Malachi 3:8 Will a man rob God? Yet ye have robbed me. But ye say, Wherein have we robbed thee? In tithes and offerings.

3:9 Ye are cursed with a curse: for ye have robbed me, even this whole nation.

3:10 Bring ye all the tithes into the storehouse, that there may be meat in mine house, and prove me now herewith, saith the LORD of hosts, if I will not open you the windows of heaven, and pour you out a blessing, that there shall not be room enough to receive it.

3:11 And I will rebuke the devourer for your sakes, and he shall not destroy the fruits of your ground; neither shall your vine cast her fruit before the time in the field, saith the LORD of hosts.

Does God need our money? No, everything already belongs to HIM! We show our love and trust in God by giving back a portion of that which He has given to us. We must remember that it is God that has given us the ability to earn and invest. We are only stewards of what God has given to us and He expects us to be frugal with our spending on ourselves.

John 3:27 ….. A man can receive nothing, except it be given him from heaven.

Many of us spend everything we have and then some on things. How often have you heard the statement, "You can't take it with you." Why do you not labor for that which you can take with you for an eternity!

Matthew 6:19 Lay not up for yourselves treasures upon earth, where moth and rust doth corrupt, and where thieves break through and steal:

20 But lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust doth corrupt, and where thieves do not break through nor steal:

21 For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.

We show our love and trust of God by giving back a portion of that which He has given to us. Quite often I hear someone say, "There just isn't enough for me to tithe". No, and there never will be. We don't trust God.

Luke 12:20 But God said unto him, Thou fool, this night thy soul shall be required of thee: then whose shall those things be, which thou hast provided?

Luke 12:34 For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.

42 And the Lord said, Who then is that faithful and wise steward, whom his lord shall make ruler over his household, to give them their portion of meat in due season?

43 Blessed is that servant, whom his lord when he cometh shall find so doing.

44 Of a truth I say unto you, that he will make him ruler over all that he hath.

Does God care if we have needs?

Matthew 6:25 Therefore I say unto you, Take no thought for your life, what ye shall eat, or what ye shall drink; nor yet for your body, what ye shall put on. Is not the life more than meat, and the body than raiment?

26 Behold the fowls of the air: for they sow not, neither do they reap, nor gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father feedeth them. Are ye not much better than they?

27 Which of you by taking thought can add one cubit unto his stature?

28 And why take ye thought for raiment? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow; they toil not, neither do they spin:

29 And yet I say unto you, That even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these.

30 Wherefore, if God so clothe the grass of the field, which to day is, and to morrow is cast into the oven, shall he not much more clothe you, O ye of little faith?

31 Therefore take no thought, saying, What shall we eat? or, What shall we drink? or, Wherewithal shall we be clothed?

32 (For after all these things do the Gentiles seek:) for your heavenly Father knoweth that ye have need of all these things.

33 But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.

34 Take therefore no thought for the morrow: for the morrow shall take thought for the things of itself. Sufficient unto the day is the evil thereof.

God never forces anyone to give, He wants us to give out of love.

2Corinthians 9:7 Every man according as he purposeth in his heart, so let him give; not grudgingly, or of necessity: for God loveth a cheerful giver.

God also has a principle for receiving.

Luke 6:38 Give, and it shall be given unto you; good measure, pressed down, and shaken together, and running over, shall men give into your bosom. For with the same measure that ye mete withal it shall be measured to you again.

2Corinthians 9:6 But this I say, He which soweth sparingly shall reap also sparingly; and he which soweth bountifully shall reap also bountifully.

Ecclesiastes 11:1 Cast thy bread upon the waters: for thou shalt find it after many days.

In other words if we want more material things we must first be willing to give to those in need.

1Jo 3:17 But whoso hath this world's good, and seeth his brother have need, and shutteth up his bowels of compassion from him, how dwelleth the love of God in him?

3:18 My little children, let us not love in word, neither in tongue; but in deed and in truth.

Isaiah 58:7 Is it not to deal thy bread to the hungry, and that thou bring the poor that are cast out to thy house? when thou seest the naked, that thou cover him; and that thou hide not thyself from thine own flesh?

HE WANTS OUR TIME!

God wants to spend time with us. He deserves our time. He is our Creator and we the created. We cannot know God without spending time with Him. He wants to be your best friend, your Father. He is a husband or wife to those who are alone. He wants to hear your praise and for you to worship Him. He wants us to set a little time aside each day to commune with us. He wants to be included in all that we do. He asks us to set aside one day a week to be totally with Him. That day being His Holy Sabbath. It is one of His commandments and He asks us to remember this day in honor of creation.

Exodus 20:8 Remember the sabbath day, to keep it holy.

9 Six days shalt thou labour, and do all thy work:

10 But the seventh day is the sabbath of the LORD thy God: in it thou shalt not do any work, thou, nor thy son, nor thy daughter, thy manservant, nor thy maidservant, nor thy cattle, nor thy stranger that is within thy gates:

11 For in six days the LORD made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that in them is, and rested the seventh day: wherefore the LORD blessed the sabbath day, and hallowed it.

The Sabbath is a day of physical and spiritual renewel. It is a gift to man because after working all the week we need that rest. Time spent with Christ will last an eternity! Leave a legacy of faith and time spent with God.

Heavenly Father,

Forgive us when we withhold from You, whether it is our money our time or ourselves. Give us a generous heart that gives back to You what is rightfully Yours. Give us the faith we need to always trust You in all our ways. Help us to realize You won't be found in the obvious places but rather in the still small voice that says, "Be still and know that I am God." How could You love us so, these unworthy creatures that we are? Thank you for that love and forgive us for ever doubting you. May we praise You each and every day for the price You paid for us. Amen

Church Building or Home Church?

Church Building or Home Church

The Bible tells us that we are to come together as believers. Hebrews 10:23-25 Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for He who promised is faithful; and let us consider how to stimulate one another to love and good deed, not forsaking our own assembling together (as the habit of some) but encouraging one another; and the more, as you see the day drawing near. We have come to believe that bigger is better.
Matthew 18:20 states: "For where two or three have gathered together in My name, there I am in their midst."
The new testament church met from house to house.

Acts 2:46-47 quotes: "And day by day continuing with one mind in the temple, and breaking bread from house to house, they were taking their meals together with gladness and sincerity of heart, praising God and having favor with all people. And the Lord was adding to their number day by day those who were being saved.
Acts2:20 reads: "And I did not shrink from declaring to you anything that was profitable, and teaching you publicly and from house to house.

In the large congregation there is no personal contact. There are many hurting and lonely people sitting in pews right now and their needs are not being met. Some have the idea that going to a building where people meet is a church, simply because it hangs a sign outside calling itself a church.

The church is not a building. It is all born again believers.

Christ in you, Jesus with skin on. Not every church that bears the name is the true church. We all know people who attend church regularly, yet the rest of the week we would hardly know that they are even a Christian. All the joy and Bible study and praising God is left behind after the sermon is over.The sermon is delivered by a preacher with an audience. It is all a one way street. There is no interaction.

Can you imagine someone interrupting to ask a question or offer an opinion or to express an immediate need?
Some have even been isolated by the so called church because they differ in their beliefs, or they don't look right or they are poor. This is done in the name of unity.

I was recently asked to attend a prayer meeting with someone and he said they would accept me because I was with him. (I worship on a different day.) I don't believe that I want to be apart of a group where you have to be with someone in order to be accepted. We of the true churchof God are all one body with many members.
Romans 12:5 says: "So we, who are many, are one body in Christ, and individually members of one another."
These same people were even embarrassed to pray at a restaurant before their meal after their meeting. God's people should be welcome anywhere in the church because of who they are, a child of the King. God's true church will keep the commandments of God. In the home church, groups are small and intimate. Everyone knows the others needs, strengths, and gifts. Everyone has a part in the meeting, and Bible study is not just one way. Questions and opinions can be given freely.Searching of the scriptures and use of the concordance is readily available. Prayer is offered by everyone in one accord. Everyone is welcome regardless of how they look or talk or believe.There is no need of a formal preacher in a home church.

I Peter 2:5 states: "You also, a living stones, are being built up as a spiritual house for a holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices acceptable o God through Jesus Christ." I Peter 2:9 proclaims: "But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for God's own possession, that you may proclaim the excellencies of Him who has called you of darkness into His marvelously light." Revelation 1:6 says: "And He has made us to be a kingdom, priest to his God and Father; to Him be the glory and the dominion forever and ever."

The home church is a body of believers who have many gifts. Some to teach, some who have the gift of mercy, some who know how to put our web pages together, some to give out books, some to do outreach and some even send cards of encouragement and visit the sick. Everyone has a gift and it can be utilized in a small group.
I Corinthians 14:26 reads: "What is the outcome then, brethren? When you assemble, each one has a psalm, has a teaching, has a revelation, has a tongue, has an interpretation. Let all things be done for edification."

Within the traditional church there is a need to put most of the finances into the buildings and the maintaining of them. There are also pastors salaries and the rest of the staff as well. In the home church the finances can be spent on outreach as well as helping those in need. In our groups we have a food ministry. We believe in a practical way of reaching people for Christ. We also have a lending library as well as giving free books. There is no building, pastor or utilities to pay. All the money goes for God's work.When we do something for someone else, it is to be in secret so the recipient will be able to thank God. God will reward the giver.

Matthew 6:3-4 states: "But when you give alms, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing that your alms may be in secret; and Your Father who sees in secret will repay you."

I recall a deacon who made a young woman stand before the congregation to show her new false teeth after they footed the bill. In the large traditional church you can get lost if you want, or even if you don't want to. You can feed on milk as a babe in Christ the rest of your life listening to sermon after sermon and never growing. In the small home church you are accountable for your walk with Christ. Everyone is there, willing to help you mature with encouragement. Your faith can't help but grow and you will read the Bible yourself, to see God's truths because everyone participates.

In the traditional church there are many programs from which to choose. There are youth groups, different age groups, couples groups and singles groups. In many churches these programs are geared for their entertainment and very little if any actual ministry goes on. In the home church there is one group. Everything centers around the spiritual growth of the entire group, and learning God's truths and His will for our lives. They can concentrate on projects of outreach and accomplish them. To go, be and do all that Jesus asks. We know there are many fine churches around. There are also many pastors who are teaching truth. I had a pastor in the past in my church who wouldn't accept raises in his salary, a church with no debt. He taught truth even though it was controversial. I am sorry to say that he left after his truths and he is no longer pastoring a church. Our church didn't want the truth so he left after many sessions with the deacons, telling him what he could teach. May God bless pastor's like I had and the church that once was a loving family. The same church is now a place that grew in numbers but, it is now without a pastor for the third time. It is deep in debt with a new large building and is spiritually blind. They wanted a pastor to tickle their ears.

II Timothy 4:3-4 states: "For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but wanting to have their ears tickled, they will accumulate or themselves teachers in accordance to their own desire; and they will turn away their ears from the truth, and will turn aside to myths."

Most of the original church that was warm and giving is now gone to other pastures. Each of us must make the decision of where we are to go to church. Do it prayerfully and use keen discernment.

Be with those who keep the commandments of God. Your spiritual maturity depends on it!

Christmas: Christian or Pagan?

We have come to that time of year again that Christians celebrate the birth of Christ. The holiday we call Christmas. Yet no where in the Bible do we see the early Christian church celebrating the birth of Jesus. First century believers did not celebrate the birth of Christ. Second century believers were reprimanded for trying to choose dates for the birth of Jesus. In AD 354 December 25th was listed as a pagan holiday on the calendar and it was only accepted as a Christian observance in the 5th century.

It makes many angry when we step on their toes about the traditions of men being brought into God's church, but here are the facts. The only church that Christmas is celebrated in is the church of man's tradition. You decide.

God has never accepted pagan practices with His worship. In Exodus 32 when the golden calf was built and the celebration was declared "a feast unto the Lord," God wanted to destroy the people and had not Moses pleaded with God He would have. Exodus 32:5 And when Aaron saw it, he built an altar before it; and Aaron made proclamation, and said, To morrow is a feast to the LORD.

God commanded in Exodus 20:3 Thou shall have no other gods before Me. Notice the word "before", this means not to do anything in front of Him. So you say we don't worship a calf. But the people had declared a celebration to honor God that He didn't recognize as being in His honor. Has God told us to take something that is pagan in nature, Christmas, and offer it in His honor? Do you get the point. Even though we do not bow down as sun-worshippers we do declare some thing that is pagan in nature, "a feast to the Lord."

The church at Rome assigned December 25th as the date for the celebration of the feast around AD 320 to 353 after the triumph of Constantine. Christians were celebrating Christmas on that day by the end of the fourth century. The source of the celebration of December 25th is the birthday of Mithra, the pagan sun god. Encyclopedia Britannica

Reading in the Incarta Encyclopedia:

II.Origins of Christmas

Historians are unsure exactly when Christians first began celebrating the Nativity of Christ. However, most scholars believe that Christmas originated in the 4th century as a Christian substitute for pagan celebrations of the winter solstice. Before the introduction of Christmas, each year beginning on December 17 Romans honored Saturn, the ancient god of agriculture, in a festival called Saturnalia. This festival lasted for seven days and included the winter soltice which usually occurred around December 25 on the ancient Julian calendar. During Saturnalia the Romans feasted, postponed all business and warfare, exchanged gifts, and temporarily freed their slaves. Many Romans also celebrated the lengthening of daylight following the winter solstice by participating in rituals to glorify Mithra, the Ancient Persian god of light (see Mithraism). These and other winter festivities continued through January 1, the festival of Kalends, when Romans marked the day of the new moon and the first day of the month and year. Roman Catholics first celebrated Christmas, then known as the Feast of the Nativity, as early as 336 AD. The word Christmas entered the English language sometime around 1050 as the Old English phrase Christes maesse, meaning "festival of Christ." Scholars believe the frequently used shortened form of Christmas—Xmas—may have come into use in the 13th century. The X stands for the Greek letter chi, an abbreviation of Khristos (Christ), and also represents the cross on which Jesus was crucified.

Mithraism, one of the major religions of the Roman Empire, the cult of Mithra, the ancient Persian god of light and wisdom. In the Avesta, the sacred Zoroastrian writings (see Zoroastrianism) of the ancient Persians, Mithra appears as the chief yazata (Avestan, "beneficent one"), or good spirit, and ruler of the world. He was supposed to have slain the divine bull, from whose dying body sprang all plants and animals beneficial to humanity. After the conquest of Assyria in the 7th century BC and of Babylonia in the 6th century BC, Mithra became the god of the sun, which was worshipped in his name (see Sun Worship). The Greeks of Asia Minor, by identifying Mithra with Helios, the Greek god of the sun, helped to spread the cult. It was brought to Rome about 68 BC by Cilician pirates whom the Roman general Pompey the Great had captured, and during the early empire it spread rapidly throughout Italy and the Roman provinces. It was a rival to Christianity in the Roman world. Mithraism was similar to Christianity in many respects, for example, in the ideals of humility and brotherly love, baptism, the rite of communion, the use of holy water, the adoration of the shepherds at Mithra's birth, the adoption of Sundays and of December 25 (Mithra's birthday) as holy days, and the belief in the immortality of the soul, the last judgment, and the resurrection.

Mithraism differed from Christianity in the exclusion of women from its ceremonies and in its willingness to compromise with polytheism. The similarities, however, made possible the easy conversion of its followers to Christian doctrine.

Christmas

(from Old English Cristes maesse, "Christ's mass"), Christian festival celebrated on December 25, commemorating the birth of Jesus Christ. It is also a popular secular holiday.

According to a Roman almanac, the Christian festival of Christmas was celebrated in Rome by AD 336. In the eastern part of the Roman Empire, however, a festival on January 6 commemorated the manifestation of God in both the birth and the baptism of Jesus, except in Jerusalem, where only the birth was celebrated. During the 4th century the celebration of Christ's birth on December 25 was gradually adopted by most Eastern churches. In Jerusalem, opposition to Christmas lasted longer, but it was subsequently accepted. In the Armenian Church, a Christmas on December 25 was never accepted; Christ's birth is celebrated on January 6. After Christmas was established in the East, the baptism of Jesus was celebrated on Epiphany, January 6. In the West, however, Epiphany was the day on which the visit of the Magi to the infant Jesus was celebrated.

The reason why Christmas came to be celebrated on December 25 remains uncertain, but most probably the reason is that early Christians wished the date to coincide with the pagan Roman festival marking the "birthday of the unconquered sun" (natalis solis invicti); this festival celebrated the winter solstice, when the days again begin to lengthen and the sun begins to climb higher in the sky. The traditional customs connected with Christmas have accordingly developed from several sources as a result of the coincidence of the celebration of the birth of Christ with the pagan agricultural and solar observances at midwinter. In the Roman world the Saturnalia (December 17) was a time of merrymaking and exchange of gifts. December 25 was also regarded as the birth date of the Iranian mystery god Mithra, the Sun of Righteousness. On the Roman New Year (January 1), houses were decorated with greenery and lights, and gifts were given to children and the poor. To these observances were added and Celtic Yule rites when the Teutonic tribes penetrated into Gaul, Britain, and central Europe. Food and good fellowship, the Yule log and Yule cakes, greenery and fir trees, and gifts and greetings all commemorated different aspects of this festive season. Fires and lights, symbols of warmth and lasting life, have always been associated with the winter festival, both pagan and Christian. Since the European Middle Ages, evergreens, as symbols of survival, have been associated with Christmas. Christmas is traditionally regarded as the festival of the family and of children, under the name of whose patron, Saint Nicholas, or Santa Claus, presents are exchanged in many countries.

"In early time this day (Christmas) was not one of the feasts of the Christian Church. In fact, the church fathers frowned upon the celebration of birthdays and thought them a heathen custom." (The New Book of Knowledge. New York: Grolier, 1979. P289)

The Encyclopedia of Religion and Ethics confirms this--"MOST of the Christian customs [related to Christmas] now prevailing in Europe, or recorded from former times, are HEATHEN customs which have been absorbed or tolerated by the Church. The Christian feast has inherited these customs from two sources: Roman and Teutonic PAGANISM."

"The ancient Romans held year end celebrations to honor Saturn, their harvest god; and Mithras, the god of light. Various people in northern Europe held festivals in mid-December to celebrate the end of the harvest season. As part of all these celebrations, the people prepared special foods, decorated their homes with greenery, and joined in singing and gift giving. These customs gradual became part of the Christmas celebrations." (The World Book Encyclopedia. Chicago: World Book, 1995)

"Christmas is a very old holiday. It clearly started as a celebration of the passing of the winter solstice, and the start of the sun's journey from the north to the south…The ancient Romans observed this time with a festival dedicated to Saturn, the god of agriculture, and it was called Saturnalia…When Emperor Constantine decreed Christianity as the new faith of the Roman Empire, early in the fourth century, the Christians gave the holiday an entirely new name and an entirely new meaning." (Faer, Joseph. Holidays Around the World. Boston: Little Brown, 1953)

The Everyman's Encyclopedia declares--

"The practice of decorating churches is pagan in its origin."

"Christianity thus replaced a pagan holiday with A Christian one, while keeping the same symbolism-the birthday of Christ corresponds to the birth of a new year. Many of the pagan customs became part of the Christian celebrations." (New Standard Encyclopedia. Chicago: Standard Educational, 1991)

T.G. Crippen, in Christmas and Christmas Lore, confesses--

"The Feast of the Nativity rather incorporated than supplanted various heathen festivals. It was therefore only natural that RELICS OF HEATHEN PRACTICE should survive as traditional customs."

And the Catholic Encyclopedia (note the source) admits--

"There is NO DOUBT that the original Christian nuclei attracted PAGAN accretions."

The Schaff-Herzog Religious Encyclopedia similarly says--

"There were non-Christian elements present in the origin of Christmas. The giving of presents was a Roman custom. The Yule-tree [modern 'Christmas Tree'] and the Yule-log are remnants of old Teutonic NATURE WORSHIP."

The Encyclopedia Britannica says--"Many current customs date back to pre-Christian origins: among them are Christmas decorations. The Romans ornamented their temples and homes with green boughs and flowers for the Saturnalia [Dec. 17-23] ... The Druids gathered mistletoe and hung it in their homes; the Saxons used holly and ivy."

We can trace the basis of the Christmas celebration back to the kingdom of Nimrod, Babel. After Nimrod died Ninus was born to Beltis. He was considered to be the reincarnation of Nimrod. This is the origin of the worship of "Mother and Child". Beltis the mother of Ninus became known as the" mother of god" or "the queen of heaven". In Egypt this celebration was the same only different names. Osiris the sun god and Isis was the "queen of heaven" and Horus was the son born on December 25th. Since the time of Babel sun worshippers have recognized this time of year in the honor of their gods.

Every time we see the story of the birth of Christ in the Bible we see the wise men mentioned. They came from the East and were students of prophecy. They studied the writings of Daniel and they knew that a priest had to be 30 years of age before beginning His ministry. They calculated an approximate time when the 483 years of Daniel 9 would end. They then subtracted 30 years from their conclusion to determine when the birth of Christ would be. Their journey could have taken up to 2 years.

We also see that Christ could not have possibly been born in December. And in the same region there were some shepherds staying out in the fields, and keeping watch over their flock by night. Luke 2:8 In fact He could not have been born in the winter. The sheep were kept in corrals during the winter. The sheep in Palestine were not in the fields in December. The shepherds guarded their sheep during lambing time in the spring. So more than likely Christ was born in the spring.

Have we brought a form of worship into God's church that He does not recognize? Only you can be the judge of that. How your family uses Christmas is your decision. We can only present to you the facts. We ask, who authorized the celebration of Christmas, December 25th in honor of Christ? Did God?

THOU SHALT HAVE NO OTHER GODS BEFORE (in front of) ME.

'But in vain do they worship Me, teaching as doctrines the precepts of men.' "Neglecting the commandment of God, you hold to the tradition of men." Mark 7:7-8

Bag Full of Holes

Malachi 3:8-11 "Will a man rob God? Yet you are robbing Me, the whole nation of you! "Bring the whole tithe into the storehouse, so that there may be food in My house, and test Me now in this", says the Lord of hosts: "if I will not open for you the windows of heaven, and pour out for you a blessing until it overflows. Then I will rebuke the devourer for you, so that it may not destroy the fruit of the ground; nor will your vine in the field cast its grapes."

Verse 16-18 "Then those who feared the Lord spoke to one another, and the Lord gave attention and heard it, and a book of remembrance was written before Him for those who fear the Lord and who esteem His name. And they will be Mine, says the Lord of hosts: on the day that I prepare My own possession, and I will spare them as a man spares his own son who serves him, so you will again distinguish between the righteous and the wicked, between one who serves God and one who does not serve Him.
We hear the complaints of people continuously about how their pastors are constantly asking for money. They say that we need new bigger buildings, improvements, trips for the youth, missions, love offerings, raises for the employees and the pastor and the list goes on. By this time we have heard enough about money and "besides we have our own bills to pay."

Yet we see in the verses above that there is a blessing in the paying of our tithes and a curse when we do not. We have heard that we have only to look at a man' s checkbook to tell you who his god is. One-tenth of what we make belongs to God. Anything we give above that is a love offering.
2 Corinthians 9:7 "Let each one do just as he has purposed in his heart; not grudgingly or under compulsion; for God loves a cheerful giver." Proverbs 3:9-10 "Honor the Lord from your wealth, and from the first of all your produce; so your barns will be filled with plenty, and your vats will overflow with new wine."
We forget that it is God who blesses us with the knowledge of how we make our living. Our job itself is a blessing from God. Everything we have comes from Him. Deuteronomy 8:18 "But you shall remember the Lord your God, for it is He who is giving you power to make wealth, that He may confirm His covenant which He swore to your fathers, as it is this day.

I attended a church where the need arose of a larger building, as we grew in numbers. We were asked to make pledges of how much money we would contribute. We were told that we could borrow on our life insurance policies, our homes, even give up possessions.

We do need a place to meet and we need someone to teach. Corinthians 9:13-14 "Do you not know that those who perform sacred services eat the food of the temple, and those who serve altar have their share with the altar?" So also the Lord directed those who proclaim the gospel to get their living from the gospel.
Personally, I no longer give to church buildings. I have chosen to give to those ministries whom I believe have given their lives to go-ing, be-ing and do-ing all that Jesus asks. These do not ask for money. If it is of God then God will supply it without your asking, whether it be from someone’s tithe or a love offering. My bills on the most part out-weigh my income, yet not one bill has ever gone unpaid. God has not only supplied my needs, but also He has given me an abundance to give to others. When we give to God, He takes care of us. We can trust Him completely.

Matthew 6:31 "Do not be anxious then, saying, What shall we eat, what shall we drink or with what shall we clothe ourselves, but seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you. Therefore do not be anxious for tomorrow, for tomorrow will care for itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own."