Doomsday or the Age of Aquarius

From http://el-paso.ucg.org/  or call 1-888-886-8632.


Doomsday or the Age of Aquarius






article by David Hulme





One of the world's best-selling books in recent times is The Late Great Planet Earth, the work of a religious author who has attempted a prophetic explanation of future geopolitical events from a biblical perspective. For some, their fascination with prediction is ever present and insatiable, and, while many others publicly discount the efforts of the end-time prognosticators, they themselves are privately curious about such forecasts.







Is doomsday coming?



Source: Photos.comPerhaps, in times of uncertainty, we long for some degree of assurance that there will be a future. We want certainties.



If we are realistic about the human condition and just a dash pessimistic, we can easily drift toward the cataclysmic secular prophets.



If we are more optimistic and perhaps a little unrealistic about human nature, we will probably overestimate the positive possibilities of the years just ahead. From the human perspective it's hard to achieve a really objective fix on the future.



Whether you believe the 20th century ends immediately after the stroke of midnight on December 31, 1999, or one year later, the much anticipated third millennium since Christ is upon us. The contending visions of the optimist and the pessimist are all around us.



There are those who foresee a world in which our major problems will finally be solved; there are others who predict more crises, more turmoil, more upset.



What does the beginning of the next millennium portend?



For some inclined to religion, it is a significant road sign on the way to the fulfillment of a major biblical prophecy. A recent letter from an evangelical group invited me to participate in a fast for the successful completion of the preaching of the gospel by the year 2000. Obviously for some the end of the 20th century has become an important benchmark. But, whether it's a religious interest or a secular fascination, the year 2000 carries its own attraction.



Author Hillel Schwartz has studied the effect of the end of centuries on the human psyche. He says that a kind of hysteria sets in as centuries approach their end. At the close of the past several centuries, public discourse has included alternate scenarios for the century ahead. Either the world would end in a series of catastrophes or undergo a positive transformation. It's Doomsday or the age of Aquarius, the End of the Ages or the New Age.



Earlier apocalyptics

The Roman author Lucretius wrote during the first century B.C. that "the mighty and complex system of the world, upheld through many years, shall crash in ruins. Yet I do not forget how novel and strange it strikes the mind that destruction awaits the heavens and the earth...My words will perhaps win credit by plain facts, and within some short time you will see violent earthquakes arise and all things convulsed with shocks...The whole world can collapse, borne down with a frightful-sounding crash" ( De Rerum Natura , MCMLXXV, p. 387).



The year A.D. 1000 may also have incited similar fears and some strange human behavior. A kind of millennial madness seemed to strike Europe, if the 15th-century German Monk Tritheim is to be believed. He wrote:



"In the thousandth year after the birth of Christ, violent earthquakes shook all of Europe and throughout the continent destroyed solid and magnificent buildings. The same year a horrible comet appeared in the sky. Seeing it, many who believed that this was announcing the last day, were frozen with fear" (Yuri Rubinsky and Ian Wiseman, A History of the End of the World , p. 66).



This preoccupation with heavenly signs may have had its effect on the Holy Roman Emperor of the time. Otto III is reputed to have said, "The last year of the thousand years is here, and now I go out in the desert to await, with fasting, prayer, and penance, the day of the Lord, and the coming of my Redeemer" (Hillel Schwartz, Century's End , p. 13).



While such accounts of spectacular signs and end-time fears in the year 1000 are disputed by scholars, the idea is strong in the human imagination that cataclysmic events in the heavens will announce the end of the world and the great judgment of God.



Close of the 19th century

As the last century was coming to an end, Parisians were enjoying la belle époque, the beautiful era: All was well with the world in the eyes of a sophisticated city. The Paris Exhibition of 1900 was ablaze with electricity. The age of dirty coal was disappearing, and a new, clean power was here. It seemed the world was on the verge of a civilized rebirth.



Lurking in the shadows, of course, was the coming horror of World War I. Its antecedents were present as the century turned over and some recognized the possibilities of catastrophic war. While some were enjoying X-ray parties (photographing their hands in an effort to energize themselves for the new century, X-ray technology being a recent discovery), others heard the words of Germany's Kaiser Wilhelm II: "The first day of the new century sees our army-in other words, our people-in arms, gathered around their standards, kneeling before the Lord of Hosts."



In a diary entry from 1898, Claude Bowers wrote of the pessimistic- optimistic view of the near future. Of his friend's concern with impending war, he wrote: "This he thought was probably what people looked forward to as the end of the world. It would be the end of conditions existing at the time, but the dawn of a far more splendid era."



The end of the world

Some portrayals of the end of the world trace their origins, of course, to the Bible. The Bible, a book open to much misinterpretation, indeed may be the most misunderstood and misinterpreted book ever written. Those end-time images of comets and earthquakes, wars and famines, judgment and retribution, come from the prophetic passages of the Bible, both Old and New Testament.



Sad to say, many can't bring themselves to take the Bible seriously because others have so misused it, those 19th- and 20th-century prophets who have said the world would end on a specific date only to be proven wrong over and over.



But, as you'll discover in The Good News , the Bible does not say a lot of the things people claim that it says. It actually makes it clear that we are not to know the precise time of Jesus Christ's return, and that we should not misinterpret wars, earthquakes, famines and signs in the heavens as the end of the world-steps along the way, perhaps, but not necessarily signs of the end.



The prognosticators who have come and gone with their failed prophecies have made a common mistake. They have misinterpreted as signs those events and activities that occur in the general course of human life, or they have devised elaborate time sequences to project a date for the end of this age. Many are the disappointed who have accepted too precise an interpretation of the Bible's prophetic passages.



But Jesus Christ did say, "Then the sign of the Son of Man will appear in heaven, and then all the tribes of the earth will mourn, and they will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of heaven with power and great glory" (Matthew 24:30And then shall appear the sign of the Son of man in heaven: and then shall all the tribes of the earth mourn, and they shall see the Son of man coming in the clouds of heaven with power and great glory.



See All...).



In this and other places the Bible is replete with references to Christ's second coming. The early disciples clearly believed and taught that their Master would return to set up a kingdom. Was this just wishful thinking, as one group of theologians suggests?



For that to be true, we are asked to believe that passages written after Jesus Christ's life on earth were inserted deliberately to mislead. Moreover such references would have to have been inserted consistently over many years, as many as 30 or 40.



The biblical emphasis

Consider this:



•According to The Encyclopedia of Bible Prophecy , 535 verses in the Bible refer to Jesus Christ's second coming.

•The four Gospel writers all comment on the second coming, even though they wrote in different places over a span of decades.

•The Gospel historian Luke says in the Acts of the Apostles that Peter attested to Christ's second coming with these words: "And that He may send Jesus Christ, who was preached to you before, whom heaven must receive until the times of restoration of all things, which God has spoken by the mouth of all His holy prophets since the world began" (Acts 3:20-21 [20] And he shall send Jesus Christ, which before was preached unto you:

[21] Whom the heaven must receive until the times of restitution of all things, which God hath spoken by the mouth of all his holy prophets since the world began.





See All...). Here Peter, as one of the eyewitnesses of Jesus' ministry, said that all the holy prophets (of the Old Testament) spoke of Jesus' return to restore all things on earth.

•The apostle to the gentiles, Paul of Tarsus, author of at least 13 letters, or 25 percent, of the New Testament, mentions Jesus' return at least eighteen times during the 14 years of his writings.

•The book of Revelation (or the Apocalypse) shows a prophetic sequence without any dates that includes Christ's return.

•The book of Revelation, with its images of the return of Jesus Christ as King of Kings and Lord of Lords, is the final book of the New Testament, setting the capstone on the New Testament canon.

What we face here is a paradox. Countless religious devotees have written and spoken about Bible prophecies, including Christ's return, yet have consistently failed to get the message straight. In their attempts to be zealous scholars and students of the Word, many have inspired others to doubt the Bible's faithfulness.



Faith in the Word of God as God's Word has been undermined. Not only do so many misinterpret the Bible's prophecies; they cause others to stumble as a result. But, as the apostle Paul said, "let God be true but every man a liar" (Romans 3:4God forbid: yea, let God be true, but every man a liar; as it is written, That thou mightest be justified in thy sayings, and mightest overcome when thou art judged.



See All...). God's Word will always stand, though a thousand misinterpret.



What, then, can we know about Bible prophecy in general and about the year 2000-the last year before the new millennium-in particular? The answer to the first question is rich in information for our natural curiosity. Those images of earthquakes, famines, pestilence, judgment and retribution are from Christ Himself.



Matthew's Gospel contains a prophetic passage reiterated in Mark 13 and Luke 21. Known as "the little Apocalypse," the predictions in Matthew 24 spring from questions posed by Jesus' disciples. Matthew records that, in response to Jesus' statement that one day Herod's magnificent temple would be destroyed, "the disciples came to him privately saying, 'Tell us, when will these things be? And what will be the sign of Your coming, and of the end of the age?'" (Matthew 24:3And as he sat upon the mount of Olives, the disciples came unto him privately, saying, Tell us, when shall these things be? and what shall be the sign of thy coming, and of the end of the world?



See All...)



The answers to their two questions frame the rest of Matthew 24 and 25. It is instructive that Jesus does not directly answer the "when" of the questions in any definitive way. He does not set a date; in fact, as we saw earlier, He states that only the Father knows (Matthew 24:36But of that day and hour knoweth no man, no, not the angels of heaven, but my Father only.



See All...).



He disabuses His hearers of any thought that the kind of signs that people historically look for to indicate the end are valid. Acknowledging that wars, rumors of wars, famines, pestilences and earthquakes will occur, He nevertheless makes it clear that "the end is not yet" and that "these are the beginning of sorrows" (Matthew 24:6And ye shall hear of wars and rumours of wars: see that ye be not troubled: for all these things must come to pass, but the end is not yet.



See All..., Matthew 24:8All these are the beginning of sorrows.



See All...).



A real clue

One clue that the end is near will be the international preaching of "this gospel of the kingdom" as a witness (Matthew 24:14And this gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in all the world for a witness unto all nations; and then shall the end come.



See All...). Clearly that will not be a sign like an earthquake or a war, or a famine or a pandemic.



Jesus also speaks of events in the Middle East as precursors to His return. In so doing He refers to the prophet Daniel's writings in the Old Testament: "'Therefore when you see the "abomination of desolation," spoken of by Daniel the prophet, standing in the holy place' (whoever reads, let him understand), 'then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains'" (Matthew 24:15-16 [15] When ye therefore shall see the abomination of desolation, spoken of by Daniel the prophet, stand in the holy place, (whoso readeth, let him understand:)

[16] Then let them which be in Judaea flee into the mountains:





See All...).



Some claim that this was fulfilled in the Roman destruction of Jerusalem in A.D. 70. Yet Jesus calls that idea into question by saying, "For then there will be great tribulation, such as has not been since the beginning of the world until this time, no, nor ever shall be. And unless those days we shortened, no flesh would be saved; but for the elect's sake those days will be shortened."



These statements describe terror such as the world has never seen. Because of the intense danger to all humanity, the "tribulation" will be halted for the sake of "the elect," the people of God. Only then will the heavenly signs of the sun, moon and stars in disruption occur.



The return of Jesus Christ will take place accompanied by the sign of the son of man, a visible appearance of the returning Jesus Christ in the heavens. This will follow a time of unparalleled suffering brought on by man's own hand and Satan's wrath, as we discover in the book of Revelation: "Then the fourth angel poured out his bowl on the sun, and power was given to him to scorch men with fire. And men were scorched with great heat, and they blasphemed the name of God who has power over these plagues; and they did not repent and give Him glory" (Revelation 16:8-9 [8] And the fourth angel poured out his vial upon the sun; and power was given unto him to scorch men with fire.

[9] And men were scorched with great heat, and blasphemed the name of God, which hath power over these plagues: and they repented not to give him glory.





See All...).



Soon after, there is a time of great happiness during which at last the human misery can end: "And I heard, as it were, the voice of a great multitude, as the sound of many waters and as the sound of mighty thunderings, saying, 'Alleluia! For the Lord God Omnipotent reigns! Let us be glad and rejoice and give Him glory, for the marriage of the Lamb has come, and His wife has made herself ready'" (Revelation 19:6-7 [6] And I heard as it were the voice of a great multitude, and as the voice of many waters, and as the voice of mighty thunderings, saying, Alleluia: for the Lord God omnipotent reigneth.

[7] Let us be glad and rejoice, and give honour to him: for the marriage of the Lamb is come, and his wife hath made herself ready.





See All...).



Where does the year 2000 fit into all of this? What do the end of the second millennium and the beginning of the third signify?



From a strictly biblical perspective the beginning of the next thousand years signifies nothing and the turn of the century means nothing more nor less than the progression in a humanly devised system of counting years. Remember that the year 2000 is the year 5761 for the Jews, 1421 for the Muslims and 4698 for the Chinese. In our limited awareness we often assume that dates that may be important to us should be important to everyone else on the planet.



God doesn't follow man's calendars

As we've seen, no one knows the day nor the hour of the end of this phase of human civilization, and it's unlikely that God the Father is operating according to any of these human calendars.



The prophecies of the Word of God will come to pass on time, when He determines. In the meantime, we have more than enough to busy ourselves with. The apostle Peter wrote two letters toward the end of his life. In them he distills his Christian experience. Thinking about the future day of judgment he writes: "But the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night, in which the heavens will pass away with a great noise, and the elements will melt with fervent heat; both the earth and the works that are in it will be burned up. Therefore, since all these things will be dissolved, what manner of persons ought you to be in holy conduct and godliness...?" (2 Peter 3:10-11 [10] But the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night; in the which the heavens shall pass away with a great noise, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat, the earth also and the works that are therein shall be burned up.

[11] Seeing then that all these things shall be dissolved, what manner of persons ought ye to be in all holy conversation and godliness,





See All...).



The idea that we live in the shadow of Judgment Day ought to make us ask ourselves about the spiritual condition of our lives. There is a way that leads to holy conduct and godliness in this life.



Peter pleads with his readers to find that way. It comes down to accepting responsibility before our Creator for what we are and what we've done and learning how to be forgiven of sin and that sin will be obliterated.



That's the relief that God's elect find as they begin their new life now. They can be assured of God's protection in the progression of events up to Jesus Christ's return. In the meantime, they live their lives not in fear but in enthusiasm for a new way that will be eternally satisfying in the ongoing work of God.

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...You Might Be an Alcoholic

From http://el-paso.ucg.org/  or call 1-888-886-8632

...You Might Be an Alcoholic

by Janet McGuire Hendershot





Jeff Foxworthy has a routine that goes, "If your porch falls down and kills four of your five dogs, you might be a redneck."



I have a similar scenario to pose to you. If you answer "yes" to any of the following questions, you might be an alcoholic.



Do you find yourself drawn to TV shows or novels where the main character has a major drinking problem?

Do you find it necessary to have a drink every evening just to unwind?

Do you often have a drink of something alcoholic before going out to a party to be sure you are fortified enough to have a good time?

Do you avoid parties or social gatherings where you know alcohol will not be served?

Do you need an alcoholic drink to feel comfortable on the dance floor?

Do you always have alcohol in the house even if you don't drink every day?

Are you more comfortable with people who drink alcohol socially than those who do not?

Do you ever drink alcohol in the morning?

Do you frequent restaurants where alcohol is served rather than restaurants where drinks are nonalcoholic?

Have you ever made a mark on the label of a bottle of alcohol and told yourself you will drink only to that mark and no more?

Scary, eh? I remember in my drinking days, I used to be drawn to tests like this and think how stupid the questions were. So what if alcohol was a part of my life. It was a part of the lives of everyone I knew. Did I need a different group of friends? No. People who did not drink were boring stick-in-the-muds, maybe religious fanatics. Watch any old black and white movie and see how all the cool characters live life with a cigarette in one hand and a martini in the other. Well, maybe the cigarette ought to go.



Alcohol in America and Europe has become almost patriotic. In Europe, it is hard to get a cup of coffee after five. Beer and wine flow like water, but beg your waitress for a cup of coffee with your evening meal and she will say, "Pardon?" and be sure her English hasn't run amuck. Been there. Done that. I finally settled for "fruit-soft." That they understand and will bring you a glass of whatever it is the kids are drinking.



Alcoholism is a progressive disease. You may be concerned you might have a little obsession with alcohol now, but trust me, if you do, it will only grow into a huge obsession. Alcoholism is not a stagnant entity. It does not reverse itself. It does not exist in a vacuum. It moves forward, day by day, week by week, year by year, decade by decade until it has you totally encompassed in its victory. Then it does a lively "River Dance" on your unconscious psyche.



Now we all know people who can drink like fishes, who party hardy every Saturday night and not miss a beat, have six-packs of booze in their fridges for weeks on end and only have a wine cooler every other Thursday. The rest of the time, they live on Mountain Dew and cold tea. Good for them, though drinking to excess is never a good thing. Don't let them influence you into thinking you can "drink like a fish and party hardy" today and tomorrow pop the top on a Diet Coke. Maybe you can. Maybe you can't. It's the "can't" possibility that can ruin your life. Is it worth the gamble? I say, no, it's not. Don't spin that wheel. Life's game of roulette may not be your forte.



When you're at a party, and you're drinking alcohol, can you have two drinks and stop? If so, great! You are probably not sliding down that slippery slope that leads to death or insanity, which are the two choices at the end of unconquered alcoholism. But if you need just one more drink to feel right, drinker beware!



No one ever buys a six-pack of Coke and drinks the whole thing in one sitting. So why do people buy a six-pack of beer or wine coolers (four-pack of them—see? I do know of what I speak), and drink the whole thing in an evening? The answer is simple. Beer and wine coolers contain the little hairy demons that get into your blood stream and crawl up and down your veins and scream for more of them to join the party. And the next drink calms the little critters down, until that buzz wears off, and then they holler for more booze. It's a vicious cycle.



The Bible says no drunkard or gluttonous person will enter God's Kingdom. That's what drove me to Alcoholics' Anonymous on Aug. 1, 1976. Gluttony is difficult to resolve as we all have to eat, something, sometime, so we can't quit food cold turkey. But to control drunkenness should be easy. We don't have to drink. I have a button that says, "It's okay not to drink," and I've had the nerve to wear it to cocktail parties. I carry my can of soda in my purse in the event there is NOTHING there that is nonalcoholic to drink, and believe me, I've been to several of those type of events. So you have to be serious about your attack on this problem, and always be prepared with the armor to make your attack succeed. With me, I had to succeed. There was no issue like marriage, or job, or friendship in the balance. It was more serious than that. There was my salvation, being there when the roll is called at Christ's return that was at stake. Failure was not an option.



I learned that "one day at a time" is a workable axiom. Christ said, "Sufficient for the day is its own trouble" (Matthew 6:34). He must have known we'd mess up and need help getting out of the addiction trap, and that plan of action would help us.



We can't beat an enemy we can't see. Many alcoholics I have known in my life just don't see it. They like feeling good. Who doesn't? They say, "How can something that makes me feel this good be bad for me?" Well, my friend, that's why they call it addiction. It's a "feel good" drug, not unlike cocaine, oxycodone and heroin, except that it's legal.



The confusing element is that once you begin to ingest cocaine, oxycodone or heroin, you are hooked. Not everyone who drinks alcohol is hooked, and therein lies the rub, to quote our good buddy, Will Shakespeare. So alcohol appears less threatening than the addictive controlled substances, and in some cases, it is. But in some cases it is not.



I am 100 percent Irish, and there is a rumor out there that Irish people should never drink alcohol. I think there might be a lot of truth in that belief. I was in trouble with alcohol from day one, and it took eight years for me to become a full blown alcoholic. I was baptized in the Church at the time. Things like that should NOT happen to converted, baptized, seriously religious church people who think they are with the program and living a good life as they march down the path to God's Kingdom. But bad things do happen to seriously converted church people because we are physical, and we are subject to physical shortcomings. Being Irish and introducing alcohol into my bloodstream appears to have been a disastrous shortcoming, big time. Once it became so obvious, it had to be addressed. It could no longer be evaluated, thought about and ultimately ignored. I was a "closet drinker" so many of my friends did not know about me. Thankfully, there were also some of my friends who did know about me, and disapproved of me. Vain as I am, I can't have that.



I thank God every day of my life that He gave me the power to hunt down this villainous culprit within me and beat it into a coma. I know it isn't dead. It's in a coma waiting for the next drink to revitalize it. Then it can rear itself into its sword-wielding monstrous power, take over my life and lead me down the path to self-destruction once again. No way. If only for today, God has helped me to keep it comatose. Comatose is good, one sleeping moment at a time.







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Amend the Bible?

From http://el-paso.ucg.org/  or call 1-888-886-8632.

Amend the Bible

On a recent edition of CNN's "Piers Morgan Tonight"  the host engaged Saddleback Church's Rick Warren in a debate about same sex marriage and gay rights. Morgan suggested the Bible needed to be "amended" to accommodate modern social mores. Warren's reply was, "not a chance." Warren is right, it is not going to happen.



Amending the Bible is a bold call—not that others have not tried to amend its text down through the centuries. But textual criticism can usually determine where that has been done. But we don't need to go there today.



My thought after listening to the exchange was that people have already amended the Bible by ignoring its plain teaching on just about any major matter of substance in the book. The law? It's been changed, don't need to keep it. The Sabbath and holy days? Changed to Sunday and pagan festivals substituted. Adultery and marital fidelity? Let's do what feels right in our own eyes.



For many modern minds today there is no need to "amend" holy scripture—their lifestyle denies its authority and in effect says to God "We don't want you telling us what to do. You are not admitted into our conscience" (Romans 1:28And even as they did not like to retain God in their knowledge, God gave them over to a reprobate mind, to do those things which are not convenient;And even as they did not like to retain God in their knowledge, God gave them over to a reprobate mind, to do those things which are not convenient;



See All...).



How about you? Do your actions say that you have amended God's plain teaching to suit what you want to do with your life? Revelation 22:19 says not to "take away from the words of the book of this prophecy." Doing so causes God to remove our names from the Book of Life.



Far better to "amend" our life to conform with the Bible. It's safer that way.







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America's National Debt: Growing With No End in Sight

From http://el-paso.ucg.org/  or call 1-888-886-8632.

America's National Debt: Growing With No End in Sight





article by Mike Kelley





In the last few months and years the United States has racked up some impressive records, but none of them are good. Its debt is exploding at unprecedented rates. What's behind the problem, and where is it leading?







Source: iStockphotoAmerica's fixation with the slug-fest between Barack Obama and Mitt Romney and the looming presidential election obscures a huge but little-noticed milestone. Well before Election Day, the debt of the United States will surpass the U.S. economy's entire national output, or gross domestic product (GDP).



You read that right. America's national debt, at $15.79 trillion at mid-year, has surpassed the entire output of the sluggish U.S. economy. And it's still growing fast.



This has happened only once before in U.S. history. In the all-out effort to defeat Nazi Germany and Imperial Japan in World War II, the United States racked up a national debt that exceeded the nation's yearly output. But that debt was quickly repaid following the war, as millions of U.S. soldiers returned home and found jobs in an economy that quickly turned from a war footing to domestic consumption. With a booming economy, the debt stabilized and fell rapidly as a percentage of GDP until, by 1973, the debt had shrunk to 26 percent of GDP.



But that's not happening today. Instead, expenditures for Social Security, Medicare, Medicaid, interest on the national debt and other aspects of federal spending keep growing with no end in sight. An increasingly polarized Congress, embroiled in election-year politics, seems powerless to make the policy changes needed to stop the hemorrhage of red ink.



An unprecedented debt binge

Most Americans seem unaware of just how fast the debt has grown. In 1950, five years after the end of World War II, the national debt was only $260 billion. The debt grew to $5.7 trillion or about 40 percent of GDP by 2000, fueled by the Vietnam War in the 1970s, major defense spending increases in the 1980s and rising numbers of Americans retiring and drawing Social Security and Medicare.



Since 2000, however, the debt growth rate has exploded, the result of massive expenditures in response to the September 2001 terrorist attacks and huge deficit spending to stimulate the U.S. economy beginning in 2008. From fiscal 2003 through 2007, the debt grew by roughly $500 billion a year, but debt exploded beginning in fiscal 2008 as deficits ballooned, averaging almost $1.5 trillion from fiscal 2008 through 2011.



Consider this: The growth in the debt of nearly $6 trillion in the past four years roughly equals all the debt accumulated from the creation of the United States in 1776 to 2000!



In light of these facts, it's hard to believe that in 2001 the Congressional Budget Office (CBO) forecast a total elimination of the federal debt by 2006 and a $2.3 billion surplus by 2011!



Since fiscal 2010, the government has borrowed nearly 40 cents of every dollar it spends. A family spending at this reckless rate would soon go into bankruptcy, but Congress and the president skirt the impending crisis by merely issuing more debt and raising the debt ceiling.



More than a year has passed since Congress passed the Budget Control Act in an effort to get out ahead of the debt debacle. The mandated severe cuts in overall spending amounted to $1.7 trillion over the next decade, but this would barely make a dent in the $16 trillion debt. Congress, however, has returned to congressional deadlock over the debt crisis, and even the president's own fiscal reform plans show the debt continuing to rise for decades.



The fiscal crisis of last summer combined with the failure of Congress and the president to come to terms over the debt prompted Standard and Poor's, the major international credit rating agency, to downgrade the credit rating of the United States from AAA to AA+. It was the first downgrade since the AAA rating had been issued in 1917, and many observers predict the rating could fall to AA within two years if something isn't done to rein in the explosive growth of the U.S. debt.



Most of that debt is held by other nations, with China, at $1.15 trillion, the largest single holder. Many Chinese are nervous about the huge amount of debt owed them, and last year's downgrades have only added to their feelings that it might not be wise to continue investing in U.S. government securities.



Is this what Americans really want?

What has led to this state of affairs? As is most often the case, complex problems often have several causes. Most economists and observers, however, point to the growing welfare state status as the single largest factor contributing to the rapid growth of U.S. national debt.



Today, half of all American households open their mailboxes each month and pull out a check from a supposedly rich uncle—Uncle Sam. Retiring baby boomers and rapid increases in the elderly population have swelled recipients of Social Security and Medicare, while a recent spike in the U.S. poverty rate has boosted Medicaid expenditures.



Nearly 1 in 7 Americans receives food stamps. That program, begun in the 1960s to fight poverty in the eastern part of the United States and the country's inner cities, now feeds more than 47 million Americans, which is greater than the combined populations of Florida, Texas, Colorado, Arizona and New Mexico. The food stamp program has grown 70 percent just since 2007. Mean-while, 8.7 million Americans—more than the population of New York City—are receiving federal disability payments, a 17 percent increase in the last 3½ years.



Growth rates of the "Big Three" social programs—Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid—are projected to continue to increase. Each year, more of the 76 million baby boomers retire and join the ranks of Social Security recipients. Americans of the "greatest generation" who are still living are in their upper 80s and older, when the need for medical services is the greatest. And a sluggish economy will keep joblessness and poverty high, ensuring that millions will continue to receive Medicaid health-care and unemployment benefits.



Most baby boomers enter retirement blithely confident that their check will arrive each month. But they fail to consider that $2.7 trillion of the nearly $16 trillion debt represents money borrowed from the Social Security Trust Fund to cover other government expenditures. That contributes to another problem that worries millions of baby boomers—various studies show the trust fund to be headed for insolvency as early as 2018.



Looming crisis in unfunded liabilities

America is learning the meaning of the term "unfunded liability" as it applies to Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid. The Congressional Budget Office estimates current obligations under these three programs at about $45.8 trillion, with $7.7 trillion allotted to Social Security and the rest to Medicare and Medicaid.



Certainly federal policy makers are aware of the looming crisis. On June 17, 2008, CBO director Peter Orszag gave this assessment in his statement to the U.S. Senate Finance Committee: "Future growth in spending per beneficiary for Medicare and Medicaid—the federal government's major health care programs—will be the most important determinant of long-term trends in federal spending. Changing those programs in ways that reduce the growth of costs—which will be difficult, in part because of the complexity of health policy choices—is ultimately the nation's central long-term challenge in setting federal fiscal policy" ("The Long-Term Budget Outlook and Options for Slowing the Growth of Health Care Costs.")



A bland but true assessment of a major looming crisis.



If present trends continue, the end of this decade will see a federal budget in which the vast majority of federal tax revenue will be eaten up by interest on the debt and payouts to Medicare, Medicaid and Social Security. Little would be left for vital national defense and hundreds of other areas of the federal government.



All this debt portends slower U.S. economic growth. A recent study by economists Carmen Reinhart of the Peterson Institute for International Economics and Kenneth Rogoff of Harvard University calculated that countries with public debt above 90 percent of GDP grow by an average of 1.3 percentage points per year slower than less indebted countries. The drag of debt will likely cause slower economic growth to an already sluggish economy, making it more difficult for the economy to "grow out" of serious fiscal problems.



In a decision that shocked millions of Americans, the U.S. Supreme Court in late June 2012 narrowly upheld the Obama Administration's health-care reform act. This legislation, whose centerpiece is the mandate that all Americans must have health insurance by 2014 or pay a penalty, will expand the power of government in the lives of Americans and impose a new "tax" that will only spur the growth of the national debt.



And already some states are balking at the hundreds of millions of dollars in increased spending that will be added to stretched state budgets to cover expansion of Medicaid costs called for in the president's health-care act.



Is this what Americans really want? A growing chorus of voices sees these facts and wonders how America can remain the world power it has been for much of the past century. They look abroad and notice the growing economic and political strength of China, India, Brazil, and other rapidly growing economic powerhouses. The 20th century was America's century, but the 21st century will see the United States eclipsed by some other power.



Change to national character

A number of observers of American life have noted a change to the country's national character in recent years. Many have commented on how millions of Americans increasingly look to government to solve all financial, medical and even emotional problems. Increasingly, Americans are happy to see government play an ever-larger role in daily life, and see no problem with the nation taking on increasing debt to meet real or perceived needs.



Of course, that debt must eventually be repaid. The nearly $16 trillion federal debt, which will surpass $20 trillion within five years at present growth rates, presents a huge burden to children and grandchildren not yet even born.



For generations, Americans have looked forward to working productively through their lives, then at death transferring most of that wealth to their children. It's a principle set forth in your Bible. Proverbs 13:22A good man leaveth an inheritance to his children's children: and the wealth of the sinner is laid up for the just.



See All... says, "A good man leaves an inheritance to his children's children."



Of course, you can't leave an inheritance unless you've accumulated something. But, sadly, more and more Americans today die penniless or even in debt, with nothing to show for a lifetime of work.



It's likely that America's national legacy of debt will lower living standards for future generations by reducing the stock of capital available for future investment, a concern being voiced by a growing legion of economists.



Economists such as MIT professor and Nobel Laureate Robert Solow are worried that saddling future generations with massive debt payments will reduce savings and investments needed to fund new factories and infrastructure investments. The result? Slower economic growth, fewer jobs and lower living standards for generations to come. Edward Mantell of Pace University in New York states it simply: "Instead of transferring our wealth to them, we are transferring their wealth to us."



But it seems that people are unable to see beyond their own immediate needs and wants, perfectly content to allow children and grandchildren to bear the costs of profligate spending today. Instead of leaving a national legacy of prosperity, we may well leave a legacy of higher taxes and reduced economic growth as they struggle to pay the interest on the massive national debt bill we have created.



Does your Bible say anything about debt?

Your Bible, believe it or not, has something to say about America's economic condition. It would be worth your time to study Leviticus 26 and Deuteronomy 28, known as the "blessings and curses" chapters.



One very critical verse, Deuteronomy 28:44He shall lend to thee, and thou shalt not lend to him: he shall be the head, and thou shalt be the tail.



See All..., is especially revealing. Referring to foreigners, it says, "He shall lend to you, and you shall not lend to him; he shall be the head, and you shall be the tail." For about a quarter century after World War II, America was the world's greatest creditor nation. But the situation has completely reversed over the last 30 years as the United States has become the greatest debtor nation in human history.



We should ask ourselves: Does Deuteronomy 28:44He shall lend to thee, and thou shalt not lend to him: he shall be the head, and thou shalt be the tail.



See All... seem to read exactly like America's situation today?



Notice also Proverbs 22:7The rich ruleth over the poor, and the borrower is servant to the lender.



See All...: "The rich rules over the poor, and the borrower is servant to the lender." A popular current restatement of the Golden Rule is expressed as "he who has the gold makes the rules." As of mid-2010, some 52 percent of U.S. foreign debt was held by foreign nations or foreign citizens. Rival or hostile nations such as China, Iran, Russia, Venezuela and Libya own in aggregate more than $2 trillion of our debt, a fact unknown to the average American today.



Just as many Americans find it so easy to swipe a credit card, Washington finds it so easy to issue government notes and bonds to cover more government spending. It all seems so simple, so painless—at least until the bill becomes due. And just as breaking the credit card habit is so painful to many individuals, so is breaking a borrowing habit painful for a nation.



Today, we see the United States operating under a curse, a curse foretold in your own Bible.



As a nation, by collective choices over the past 50 years, the United States has created a debt unlike anything else in human history. Your Bible reveals that this massive debt is a major factor that will ultimately lead to the demise of America as a free nation.



But there truly is good news. A new economic world order is on its way—not that of the evil end-time system foretold in Scripture, but one beyond that in a new age that will soon dawn. It will be like nothing you have imagined. You can read about it in other articles in this issue. And although America's debt has grown so huge that it will likely cripple the nation's future, you can ensure your place in the exciting, prosperous world to come. We hope and pray you'll take the necessary steps in that direction!

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Who were the wise men ("Magi," New International Version) of Matthew 2:1?

From http://el-paso.ucg.org/  or call 1-888-886-8632.

Who were the wise men ("Magi," New International Version) of Matthew 2:1?


Many people have heard of the Magi in association with the birth of Jesus Christ. But who were they, and why would they be interested in the King of the Jews?



Answer:



Matthew 2:1-2 [1] Now when Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judaea in the days of Herod the king, behold, there came wise men from the east to Jerusalem,

[2] Saying, Where is he that is born King of the Jews? for we have seen his star in the east, and are come to worship him.





See All... says, "Now after Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of Herod the king, behold, wise men from the East came to Jerusalem, saying, ‘Where is He who has been born King of the Jews? For we have seen His star in the East and have come to worship Him.'"



Matthew uses two Greek expressions for areas east of Palestine. First, Matthew says the Magi are from "the East" (or "eastern parts"—Greek, ton anatolon ), or the distant East. Second, the Magi saw the star in "the East" (Greek, te anatole )—west of the Magi's home, but east from Palestine's viewpoint, in the near East.



It seems probable that they came from Parthia. Parthia was a great empire east of the Euphrates—biblically "the distant east." This empire conquered the lands east of the Euphrates area, had Babylon as its capital and included the areas of Persia, Bactria, etc. It ruled the whole area and was the empire of the East—the land of the Magi.



The Parthians rose to power around 250 B.C. in and around the southern shores of the Caspian Sea. That was the very land into which the house of Israel—not Judah—had been taken captive by the Assyrians (2 Kings 15:29In the days of Pekah king of Israel came Tiglathpileser king of Assyria, and took Ijon, and Abelbethmaachah, and Janoah, and Kedesh, and Hazor, and Gilead, and Galilee, all the land of Naphtali, and carried them captive to Assyria.



See All...; 17:23; 18:11; 1 Chronicles 5:26And the God of Israel stirred up the spirit of Pul king of Assyria, and the spirit of Tilgathpilneser king of Assyria, and he carried them away, even the Reubenites, and the Gadites, and the half tribe of Manasseh, and brought them unto Halah, and Habor, and Hara, and to the river Gozan, unto this day.



See All...).



The Parthian Empire and surrounding areas included exiles from the lost 10 tribes of Israel—many of whom remained in the land of their captivity until about A.D. 226. It seems that certain of the ancient Magi could claim Abraham as their father (see McClintock and Strong's Cyclopedia , article "Magi"). If so, they may have had a particular interest in the prophesied King of the Jews.



For more information, please read our booklet Jesus Christ: The Real Story .

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Children Need Both a Father and Mother

From http://el-paso.ucg.org/  or call 1-888-886-8632.

Children Need Both a Father and Mother




article by Good News Editor





Marriage was designed to connect children to a loving relationship with their mother and father, offering stability for them and society at large.







Source: Photos.comStudies show that children from a stable marriage with both father and mother in the home have a better opportunity for a successful life and creating a stable family life of their own when they get married.



God seeks godly offspring (Malachi 2:15-16 [15] And did not he make one? Yet had he the residue of the spirit. And wherefore one? That he might seek a godly seed. Therefore take heed to your spirit, and let none deal treacherously against the wife of his youth.

[16] For the LORD, the God of Israel, saith that he hateth putting away: for one covereth violence with his garment, saith the LORD of hosts: therefore take heed to your spirit, that ye deal not treacherously.





See All...). That is why He hates divorce or any other violation of the sacred covenant of marriage, like same-sex relationships (Malachi 2:14Yet ye say, Wherefore? Because the LORD hath been witness between thee and the wife of thy youth, against whom thou hast dealt treacherously: yet is she thy companion, and the wife of thy covenant.



See All...).



Sexual immorality destabilizes husband-and-wife relationships and can often destabilize the family unit, negatively affecting children.



There is strong evidence that children need both a mother and a father. It seems that the absence of fathers is particularly damaging to children.



In the book Life Without Father: Compelling New Evidence That Fatherhood and Marriage Are Indispensable for the Good of Children and Society (1996), researcher David Popenoe noted that the absence of fathers was strongly linked to many societal ills—from crime to academic failure.



"Marriage must be reestablished as a strong social institution," he argued. He went on to say that "the father's role must be redefined . . . [It] must relate to the unique attributes of modern societies, to the new roles for women, and to the special qualities that men bring to childrearing" (1996, pp. 198-199).



Later he gave some of the statistics demonstrating the importance of fathers in the lives and proper social development of their children:



• 60 percent of America's rapists came from fatherless homes.



• 72 percent of adolescent murderers grew up without a father.



• 70 percent of long-term prison inmates are fatherless.

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Do You Know the Surprising Origins of the Christmas Holiday?

From http://el-paso.ucg.org/  or call 1-888-886-8632.


Do You Know the Surprising Origins of the Christmas Holiday?





article by Jerold Aust





Many people know the Bible doesn't mention Christ's followers observing Christmas. So where did the holiday come from, and does the Bible condone it? Does it make any difference as long as it's intended to honor God and bring families together?







Source: Photos.comThe popular American comedic actor Drew Carey was once interviewed on the television talk show The View. He surprised the audience when he addressed the value of telling children the truth about Santa Claus.



"I don't think you should tell kids that there is a Santa Claus," Carey said. "That's the first lie you tell your children." Instead, he told the audience, "Tell kids that Santa's a character we made up to celebrate a time of the season." Otherwise "when kids get to be 5. . . they realize their parents have been lying to them their whole life."



Earlier that same year the Arts & Entertainment cable television channel aired a program about Christmas titled Christmas Unwrapped: The History of Christmas. The promo for the program read:



"People all over the world celebrate the birth of Christ on December 25th. But why is the Savior's nativity marked by gift-giving, and was He really born on that day? And just where did the Christmas tree come from?



"Take an enchanting journey through the history of the world's favorite holiday to learn the origins of some of the Western world's most enduring traditions. Trace the emergence of Christmas from pagan festivals like the Roman Saturnalia, which celebrated the winter solstice."



Both programs addressed an uncomfortable fact—that Santa Claus is fictitious and that Christmas and its trappings emanate from pagan Roman festivals. But as we'll see, by no means are these the only sources of information about the background of Santa Claus and Christmas.



Is there more to these ancient traditions and practices than meets the eye? Does it make any difference whether we continue to participate in them? What does the Bible say about such practices?



Celebration of the sun god

It may sound odd that any religious celebration with Christ's name attached to it could predate Christianity. Yet the holiday we know as Christmas long predates Jesus Christ.



Elements of the celebration can be traced to ancient Egypt, Babylon and Rome. This fact doesn't cast aspersions on Jesus, but it does call into question the understanding and wisdom of those who, over the millennia, have insisted on perpetuating an ancient pagan festival that has spread through much of the world as Christmas.



Members of the early Church would have been astonished to think that the customs and practices we associate with Christmas would be incorporated into a celebration of Christ's birth. Not until several centuries had passed would Christ's name be attached to this popular Roman holiday.



As Alexander Hislop explains in his book The Two Babylons: "It is admitted by the most learned and candid writers of all parties that the day of our Lord's birth cannot be determined, and that within the Christian Church no such festival as Christmas was ever heard of till the third century, and that not till the fourth century was far advanced did it gain much observance" (1959, pp. 92-93).



As for how Dec. 25 became the date for Christmas day, virtually any book on the holiday's history will explain that this date was celebrated in the Roman Empire as the birthday of the sun god.



Explaining how Dec. 25 came to be selected as the supposed birthday of Jesus, the book 4000 Years of Christmas says: "For that day was sacred, not only to the pagan Romans but to a religion from Persia which, in those days, was one of Christianity's strongest rivals. This Persian religion was Mithraism, whose followers worshiped the sun, and celebrated its return to strength on that day" (Earl and Alice Count, 1997, p. 37).



Not only was Dec. 25 honored as the birthday of the sun, but a festival had long been observed among pagan nations to celebrate the growing amount of daylight after the winter solstice, the shortest day of the year. The precursor of Christmas was in fact an idolatrous midwinter festival characterized by excess and debauchery that predated Christianity by many centuries!



Pre-Christian practices incorporated

This ancient festival went by different names in various cultures. In Rome it was called the Saturnalia, in honor of Saturn, the Roman god of agriculture. The celebration was absorbed into the early Roman church and given the name of Christ ("Christ mass," or Christmas) to conciliate new converts who didn't want to give it up and to swell the number of nominal adherents of Christianity.



The tendency on the part of third-century Catholic leadership was to meet paganism halfway—a practice made clear in a bitter lament by Tertullian, a Catholic theologian of that time. In 230 he wrote of the inconsistency of professing Christians. He contrasted their lax and political practices with the strict fidelity of the pagans to their own beliefs:



"By us who are strangers to Sabbaths, and new moons, and festivals, once acceptable to God [the biblical festivals spelled out in the Bible in Leviticus 23, which they no longer observed], the Saturnalia, the feasts of January, the Brumalia, and Matronalia, are now frequented; gifts are carried to and fro, new year's day presents are made with din, and sports and banquets are celebrated with uproar; oh, how much more faithful are the heathen to their religion, who take special care to adopt no solemnity from the Christians" (quoted by Hislop, p. 93, emphasis added throughout unless otherwise noted).



Failing to make much headway in converting the pagans, the religious leaders of the Roman church began compromising by dressing heathen customs in Christian-looking garb. But, rather than converting them to the church's beliefs, the church became largely converted to non-Christian customs in its own religious practices.



Although at first the early Catholic Church censured this celebration, "the festival was far too strongly entrenched in popular favor to be abolished, and the Church finally granted the necessary recognition, believing that if Christmas could not be suppressed, it should be preserved in honor of the Christian God. Once given a Christian basis the festival became fully established in Europe with many of its pagan elements undisturbed" ( Man, Myth & Magic: The Illustrated Encyclopedia of Mythology, Religion, and the Unknown, Richard Cavendish, editor, 1983, Vol. 2, p. 480, "Christmas").



Celebration wins out over Scripture

Some resisted such spiritually poisonous compromises. "Upright men strove to stem the tide, but in spite of all their efforts, the apostasy went on, till the Church, with the exception of a small remnant, was submerged under Pagan superstition. That Christmas was originally a Pagan festival is beyond all doubt. The time of the year, and the ceremonies with which it is still celebrated, prove its origin" (Hislop, p. 93).



The aforementioned Tertullian, for one, disassociated himself from the Roman church in an attempt to draw closer to the teachings of the Bible.



He wasn't alone in his disagreement with such trends. "As late as 245 Origen, in his eighth homily on Leviticus, repudiates as sinful the very idea of keeping the birthday of Christ as if he were a king Pharaoh" ( The Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th edition, Vol. 6, p. 293, "Christmas").



Christmas was not made a Roman holiday until 534 (ibid.). It took 300 years for the new name and symbols of Christmas to replace the old names and meaning of the midwinter festival, a pagan celebration that reaches back so many centuries.



No biblical support for Santa Claus

How did Santa Claus enter the picture? Why is this mythical figure so closely aligned with the Christmas holiday? Here, too, many books are available to shed light on the origins of this popular character.



"Santa Claus" is an American corruption of the Dutch form Sinterklaas, short for Sint Nikolaas, a figure brought to America by the early Dutch colonists. This name, in turn, stems from St. Nicholas, bishop of the city of Myra in southern Asia Minor, a Catholic saint honored by the Greeks and the Latins on Dec. 6.



He was bishop of Myra in the time of the Roman emperor Diocletian, was persecuted, tortured for the Catholic faith and kept in prison until the more tolerant reign of Constantine ( The Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th edition, Vol. 19, p. 649, "Nicholas, St."). Various stories claim a link from Christmas to St. Nicholas, all of them having to do with gift-giving on the eve of St. Nicholas, subsequently transferred to Christmas Day (ibid.).



How, we might ask, did a bishop from the sunny Mediterranean coast of Turkey come to be associated with a red-suited man who lives at the North Pole and rides in a sleigh pulled by flying reindeer?



Knowing what we have already learned about the ancient pre-Christian origins of Christmas, we shouldn't be surprised to learn that Santa Claus, too, is nothing but a figure recycled from ancient pagan beliefs.



The trappings associated with Santa Claus—his fur-trimmed wardrobe, sleigh and reindeer—reveal his origin from the cold climates of the far North. Some sources trace him to the ancient Northern European gods Odin (or Woden) and Thor (Count, pp. 56-64). Odin, portrayed with a long, white beard, was said to ride the sky with his eight-legged horse Sleipnir.



Others trace Santa Claus even farther back in time to the Roman god Saturn and the Greek god Silenus, companion and tutor of the wine god Dionysus (William Walsh, The Story of Santa Klaus, pp. 70-71).



Was Jesus born in December?

Knowledgeable Bible scholars who have written on the subject of Jesus' birth conclude that, based on evidence in the Bible itself, there is no possible way Christ could have been born anywhere near Dec. 25.



Alexander Hislop points out regarding Jesus' birth: "There is not a word in the Scriptures about the precise day of His birth, or the time of the year when He was born. What is recorded there, implies that at what time soever His birth took place, it could not have been on the 25th of December.



"At the time that the angel announced His birth to the shepherds of Bethlehem, they were feeding their flocks by night in the open fields . . . The climate of Palestine . . . from December to February, is very piercing, and it was not the custom for the shepherds of Judea to watch their flocks in the open fields later than about the end of October" (p. 91, emphasis in original).



He goes on to explain that the autumn rains beginning in September or October in Judea would mean that the events surrounding Christ's birth recorded in the Scriptures could not have taken place later than mid-October, so Jesus' birth likely took place earlier in the fall (p. 92).



Further evidence supporting Jesus' birth in the autumn is that the Romans were intelligent enough not to set the time for taxation and travel in the dead of winter, but during more favorable conditions.



Since Joseph's lineage was from Bethlehem, and since he had to travel from Nazareth in Galilee to Bethlehem, and since his expectant wife Mary traveled with him, it would have been nearly impossible for Joseph and Mary to make the trip in the winter. As recorded by Luke, Mary delivered Jesus in Bethlehem during the time of census and taxation—which no rational official would have scheduled for December.



What difference does it make?

The Bible gives us no reason—and certainly no instruction—to support the myths and fables of Christmas and Santa Claus. They are tied to the ways of this world and contrary to the ways of Christ and His holy truth. "Do not learn the way of the Gentiles," God tells us (Jeremiah 10:2Thus saith the LORD, Learn not the way of the heathen, and be not dismayed at the signs of heaven; for the heathen are dismayed at them.



See All...).



Professing Christians should examine the background of the Christmas holiday symbols and stop telling their children that Santa Claus and his elves, reindeer and Christmas gift-giving are connected with Jesus Christ. Emphatically they are not!



God hates lying! "These six things the Lord hates, yes, seven are an abomination to Him: a proud look, a lying tongue, hands that shed innocent blood, a heart that devises wicked plans, feet that are swift in running to evil, a false witness who speaks lies, and one who sows discord among brethren" (Proverbs 6:16-19 [16] These six things doth the LORD hate: yea, seven are an abomination unto him:

[17] A proud look, a lying tongue, and hands that shed innocent blood,

[18] An heart that deviseth wicked imaginations, feet that be swift in running to mischief,

[19] A false witness that speaketh lies, and he that soweth discord among brethren.





See All...).



Christ reveals that Satan the devil is the father of lies (John 8:44Ye are of your father the devil, and the lusts of your father ye will do. He was a murderer from the beginning, and abode not in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaketh a lie, he speaketh of his own: for he is a liar, and the father of it.



See All...). Parents should tell their children the truth about God and this world's contrary and confusing ways. If we don't, we only perpetuate the notion that it is acceptable for parents to lie to their children!



Can a Christian promote a pagan holiday and its symbols as something that God or Christ has approved? Let's see what God thinks about people using customs and practices rooted in false religion to worship Him and His Son. We find His views clearly expressed in both the Old and New Testament.



God specifically commands His people not to do what early church leaders did when they incorporated idolatrous practices and relabeled them Christian. Before the Israelites entered the Promised Land, God gave them a stern warning: "Take heed to yourself that you are not ensnared to follow them [the pagan inhabitants of the land] . . . and that you do not inquire after their gods, saying, 'How did these nations serve their gods? I also will do likewise.'



"You shall not worship the Lord your God in that way; for every abomination to the Lord which He hates they have done to their gods . . . Whatever I command you, be careful to observe it; you shall not add to it nor take away from it" (Deuteronomy 12:30-32 [30] Take heed to thyself that thou be not snared by following them, after that they be destroyed from before thee; and that thou enquire not after their gods, saying, How did these nations serve their gods? even so will I do likewise.

[31] Thou shalt not do so unto the LORD thy God: for every abomination to the LORD, which he hateth, have they done unto their gods; for even their sons and their daughters they have burnt in the fire to their gods.

[32] What thing soever I command you, observe to do it: thou shalt not add thereto, nor diminish from it.





See All...).



Many centuries later the apostle Paul traveled to and raised up churches in many gentile cities. To the members of the Church of God in Corinth, a city steeped in idolatry, Paul wrote: "What fellowship has righteousness with lawlessness? And what communion has light with darkness? And what accord has Christ with Belial? Or what part has a believer with an unbeliever? And what agreement has the temple of God with idols?



"For you are the temple of the living God . . . Therefore 'Come out from among them and be separate, says the Lord. Do not touch what is unclean, and I will receive you' . . . Therefore, having these promises, beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from all filthiness of the flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God" (2 Corinthians 6:14-17 [14] Be ye not unequally yoked together with unbelievers: for what fellowship hath righteousness with unrighteousness? and what communion hath light with darkness?

[15] And what concord hath Christ with Belial? or what part hath he that believeth with an infidel?

[16] And what agreement hath the temple of God with idols? for ye are the temple of the living God; as God hath said, I will dwell in them, and walk in them; and I will be their God, and they shall be my people.

[17] Wherefore come out from among them, and be ye separate, saith the LORD, and touch not the unclean thing; and I will receive you,





See All...; 7:1).



Instead of allowing members to rename and celebrate customs associated with false gods, Paul's instructions were clear: They were to have nothing to do with them. He similarly told Athenians who were steeped in idolatry, "Truly, these times of ignorance God overlooked, but now commands all men everywhere to repent" (Acts 17:30And the times of this ignorance God winked at; but now commandeth all men every where to repent:



See All...).



God clearly forbids adopting pagan worship days and customs to worship Him. Jesus Christ plainly tells us that "God is Spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth" (John 4:24God is a Spirit: and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth.



See All...). We cannot honor God in truth with false practices adopted from the worship of nonexistent gods.



Jesus said: "This people honors Me with their lips, but their heart is far from Me. And in vain they worship Me, teaching as doctrines the commandments of men" (Mark 7:6-7 [6] He answered and said unto them, Well hath Esaias prophesied of you hypocrites, as it is written, This people honoureth me with their lips, but their heart is far from me.

[7] Howbeit in vain do they worship me, teaching for doctrines the commandments of men.





See All...). With God no substitutes are acceptable! It makes no difference that Christians mean well when they observe Christmas. God is not pleased.



Almighty God, who made us, preserves us and gives us eternal life, has made His will in this matter known to you through His Word, the Bible. Will you honor God or follow the traditions of mankind?



To Learn More...

Does it matter to God which days and customs we use to worship Him? Why do so many of our holidays have strange customs found nowhere in the Bible? Many people are shocked to discover the origins of our most popular holidays. They're also surprised to learn that the Holy Days God commands in the Bible—the same ones kept by Jesus Christ and the apostles—are almost universally ignored today. Be sure to download or request your free copies of the booklets Holidays or Holy Days: Does It Matter Which Days We Observe? and God's Holy Day Plan: The Promise of Hope for All Mankind .

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