“And all the earth followed the beast in wonder. And they worshipped the dragon because he gave authority to the beast, and they worshipped the beast, saying, ‘Who is like to the beast, and who will be able to fight with it?”
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It’s Christmas time once again. The season of joyful celebrations has begun. In my country, the Philippines, thoughtful preparations and wonderful emotions begin to swallow up the mind and hearts of most Filipinos – young and old, rich and poor, weak and strong, the free and the bond – concerning this yearly event of Christmas that starts in September up to January.
But what is Christmas all about? It’s about everything and anything that everyone and anyone perceived and conceived by the timid deliberations of his limited human perceptive capabilities.
Generally speaking, Christmas is the offspring of human tradition involving rituals, ceremonies, beliefs and religious practices that were handed down from one generation to another with the passage of time. And as in all cases, tradition always suffer marked changes, be it for the better or for the worse, in the course of its oral transmission as in the parent to the children.
This bit of information is provided by Wikipedia via the internet, stating:
"Christmas or Christmas Day is a holiday observed generally on December 25 to commemorate the birth of Jesus, the central figure of Christianity. The date is not known to be the actual birthday of Jesus, and may have initially been chosen to correspond with either the day exactly nine months after some early Christians believed Jesus had been conceived, the date of the winter solstice on the ancient Roman calendar, or one of various ancient winter festivals. Christmas is central to the Christmas and holiday season, and in Christianity marks the beginning of the larger season of Christmastide, which lasts twelve days.
"Although nominally a Christian holiday, Christmas is also widely celebrated by many non-Christians, and many of its popular celebratory customs have pre-Christian or secular themes and origins. Popular modern customs of the holiday include gift-giving, music, an exchange of greeting cards, church celebrations, a special meal, and the display of various decorations; including Christmas trees, lights, garlands, mistletoe, nativity scenes, and holly. In addition, several similar mythological figures, known as Saint Nicholas, Father Christmas and Santa Claus among other names, are associated with bringing gifts to children during the Christmas season.
"Because gift-giving and many other aspects of the Christmas festival involve heightened economic activity among both Christians and non-Christians, the holiday has become a significant event and a key sales period for retailers and businesses. The economic impact of Christmas is a factor that has grown steadily over the past few centuries in many regions of the world.
"The Christmas tree is often explained as a Christianization of pagan tradition and ritual surrounding the Winter Solstice, which included the use of evergreen boughs, and an adaptation of pagan tree worship.”
The Catholic theologians also explained:
“Christmas is the feast celebrating the Nativity, the birthday of our Lord. The name, which means ‘Christ’s Mass,’ is a relic of the old English usage of designating feast days by the Mass of the day (e.g., Michaelmas) or by reference to ceremonies connected with the Mass (e.g., Candlemas).
“The date of Christmas, now December 25, varied until the fourth century in the Western Church and until the fifth century in the Easter Church. Egypt and Greece formerly celebrated the birth of Christ on January 6, the Epiphany. Christmas is, in the West, the most beloved of all Christian feasts, and the one most praised in song and story.
“Each priest is privileged to say three Masses on Christmas and three different Masses are provided in the Missal: Midnight, Dawn, and on Christmas Day. The custom of saying three Masses arose in Rome. The original Mass was our Mass of Christmas Day then said after Terce (about 9 A.M.) in Saint Peter’s. The Dawn Mass was introduced about the year 400 for the convenience of those who had attended the night office and found it difficult to return for the nine-o’clock Mass. Pope John III (561-74) began celebrating the feast of St. Anastasia on this date with a Mass at the church of the Byzantine court in Rome. The proper for the saint was presently replaced by that of the Dawn Mass of Christmas, but the Christmas Mass continued to be said at her shrine and she is still commemorated in the second Mass. The Midnight Mass was instituted after 431 and was said originally at the Basilica of St. Mary Major, which was rebuilt and rededicated about that time. St. Mary Major likewise became the stational church for the Mass of Christmas Day, probably because of its association with Bethlehem, i.e., the veneration of the relic of the Crib in this church.
“The three Masses may also suggest the threefold birth of Christ; the birth according to the flesh (Luke 2:1-14); the spiritual birth in men’s hearts (Luke 2:15-21); the eternal birth of Christ from the Father (John 1:1-14). Nativity is the birth of Jesus, the Son of God, at Bethlehem. This event, the fulfillment of the promises made to the patriarchs, to David, and to the Chosen People, had been clearly prophesied as to its place (Micheas 5:2). It was as a result of a decree of Caesar Augustus that Mary and Joseph journeyed from Nazareth to David’s town. This was the dawn of the Messianic age, and a scene dear to Christian hearts, lived again each year on the feast of Christmas.” - The Catholic Dictionary.
So, what knowledge did the Wikipedia encyclopedia and the Catholic dictionary provide about Christmas? Now, these are specific information about Christmas. And generally, there are a lot more from everywhere. All of this information provides knowledge of Christmas that are both wonderful, magnificent, breathtaking, amazing, great, astonishing, fantastic and brilliant. Wikipedia is just one of many websites providing information it sourced from many references by a lot of literary works, researches and continuing observations and conclusions concerning the many different manners that men conduct their way of life in this world. The Catholic dictionary, on the other hand, provides information of the manner the Catholic Church organization conducts her religious beliefs and practices. However, all the available information surrounding Christmas stands on vague and incredible foundations if only because of the fact that these had been and continue to be transmitted through tradition which is vulnerable to alterations in the process of its oral transmission. In short, Christmas then is no longer the same Christmas today and shall perhaps even be more different in the days ahead.
Christmas day is December 25 of every year. But that is not so some generations ago. There is one very significant change I noticed from the given information which says:
“The Christmas tree is often explained as a Christianization of pagan tradition and ritual surrounding the Winter Solstice, which included the use of evergreen boughs, and an adaptation of pagan tree worship.”
Now, this information is a wonderful lie which true Christians must have to completely and immediately reject. For the truth is that the Christmas tree and everything it is there for is the paganism of Christianity whereby Christians and non-Christians alike have been misled and deceived to involve themselves in pagan tradition and rituals.
Indeed, that part of humanity within the world of faith and religion had acknowledged, embraced and observed this wonderful knowledge and understanding of Christmas. Precisely, it means that generations of people, tribe, tongue and nations involve themselves in this Christmas celebrations with very little knowledge and understanding of what it is all about or none at all. And even that little that they have is erroneous.
Everybody must have to admit that Christmas is all about Jesus Christ. Thus, all information about Christmas, if it must be true, correct and real, should come only from the revelations of Jesus Christ that is fully taken into account in the Holy Bible. We learn directly from the Biblical revelations that Jesus was conceived and brought forth from the virgin womb of a woman whose name is Mary. Jesus Christ’s coming into the world, from the time He was sent, he was conceived, He was born and grew up, walked on earth, was seen and conversed with men, suffered and died on the cross, resurrected, ascended into heaven and up to that time when He returns once more, are all prophesied and written down in the pages of the Holy Bible. But there is not one verse, one account that speaks of the specific day when He was born. Jesus Christ has no birthday to celebrate!!! And that is the fundamental and Biblical truth that all true Christians must hear, believe, and observe.
The chosen apostles of Jesus Christ who enjoyed the pleasure and blessing of His companionship never celebrated His birthday in whatever manner, whether impliedly or explicitly. Neither did they celebrate their own birthdays. There is only one specific Biblical account of that fateful night when Jesus was born; and it is written:
“And there were shepherds in the same district living in the fields and keeping their watch over their flocks by night. And behold, an angel of the Lord stood by them and the glory of God shone round about them; and they feared exceedingly. And the angel said to them, ‘Do not be afraid, for behold, I bring you good news of great joy which shall be in all the people; for today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you, who is Christ the Lord. And this shall be a sign to you: you will find an infant wrapped in swaddling clothes and lying in a manger.’ And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying, ‘Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace to men of goodwill.’
“And it came to pass, when the angels had departed from them into heaven that the shepherds were saying to one another, ‘Let us go over to Bethlehem and see this thing that has come to pass, which the Lord has made known to us.’ So they went with haste and they found Mary and Joseph and the babe lying in a manger. And when they had seen, they understood what had been told them concerning this child. And all who heard marveled at the things told them by the shepherds. But Mary kept in mind all these things, pondering them in her heart. And the shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all that they had heard and seen, even as it was spoken to them.” – Luke 2:8-20.
The angel of the Lord brought the good news of great joy which shall be in all the people when he told the shepherds that a Savior was born in the town of David. His name is to be called Jesus, because He will save His people from their sins. Jesus is the Savior who is Christ the Lord. In that precise moment of His birth, the multitude of the heavenly hosts praised God and said, “Glory to God in the highest; and on earth peace to men of good will.” Indeed, all glory and praise belonged to God for sending His only-begotten Son into the world in order that the world may be saved through Him. If there is indeed a cause for celebration for mankind, it should not be the day when the Savior was born, but for the greatest act of love of God for mankind – His singular act of salvation for the man that must die and perish due to his sins. The birth of Jesus Christ must therefore be seen and acknowledged as the commencement of His work of salvation. And birthday celebrations have no part at all in the divine and loving effort to save His people from their sins first and finally, from the eternal punishment and destruction in the fires of hell.
Eight days after the Savior was born, He was circumcised and His name was called Jesus. And then He was presented to the Lord as the Law of Moses prescribed. After fulfilling all things prescribed in the Law, they returned to Galilee into their town of Nazareth. And Jesus grew and became strong. He was full of wisdom and the grace of the God was upon Him. Still, there was not any kind of birthday celebration.
When He was twelve years old, they went up to Jerusalem to take part in annual Feast of the Passover. But Jesus chose to remain in Jerusalem, His parents unaware that He did. They thought He was with the caravan all along. It was only after a day’s journey that they came looking for Him among their relatives and acquaintances. And so they returned to Jerusalem. It was after three days that they found Him in the temple, sitting in the midst of the teachers, listening to them and asking them questions. They were astonished upon seeing Him.
“And His mother said to Him, ‘Son, why hast thou done so to us? Behold, in sorrow thy father and I have been seeking thee.’ And He said to them, ‘How is it that you sought me? Did you not know that I must be about my Father’s business?’ And they did not understand the word that He spoke to them.
“And He went down with them and came to Nazareth, and was subject to them; and His mother kept all these things carefully in her heart. And Jesus advanced in wisdom and age and grace before God and men.” – Luke 2:48-52.
At the age of twelve, Jesus was already doing His Father’s business which at that time was beyond human understanding. He had been in the temple for some time, sitting in the midst of the teachers, listening to them and asking questions. Still, there was no birthday celebration up to this point in time; not even when He began His work, when He was about thirty years old. In fact and in truth, Jesus and all of His apostles and followers had never taken any occasion to celebrate His birthday up until that day when He ascended into heaven. So, what are these big fuss and commotions and excitement and much ado with celebrating the birthday of Jesus Christ via this wonderful proposition that is Christmas? These are Biblically uncalled for, meaningless and unacceptable to God. Yet the greatest majority of people in the world of faith and religion observe Christmas insistently, frantically and persistently in great wonder. Indeed, it is not only through the Christmas tree but through the whole celebration and trappings of Christmas that Christianity had been so cleverly immersed in paganism.
Man, in his human nature, is inherently mortal, corruptible, vain and sinful. He must inevitably die and perish as a matter of course unless he willingly undergoes a drastic change, a complete transformation and a refashioning of his earthly being by the almighty power and loving mercy of the only true God who created him. Since it is God’s divine will to save the perishing man, man, for his part must also be willing to be saved by God through faith and obedience in His Son, Jesus Christ.
Faith in the name of the Son of God and obedience to His words is a willful human act of seeking the truth, seeing the truth, keeping the truth and rejecting everything that is false. For the Word of God that Christ alone speaks is the truth that sanctifies those who hear and abide it. On the other hand, falsities and lies are evil; and these condemn and finally destroy the man who loves and practices it, either willfully or otherwise. Truth is good and lies are evil. And man has acquired that knowledge of good and evil from the beginning, in willful transgression of God’s commandment. And thus do men always do both the good and the evil that they have come to know. The Scriptures speak in this regard, and it is written:
“Say not: ‘It was God’s doing that I fell away’; for what he hates he does not do. Say not: ‘It was he who set me astray’; for he has no need for wicked man. Abominable wickedness the Lord hates, he does not let it befall those who fear him. When God, in the beginning, created man, he made him subject to his own free choice. If you choose you can keep his commandments; it is loyalty to do his will. There are set before you fire and water; to whichever you choose, stretch forth your hand. Before every man is life and death, whichever he chooses shall be given him. Immense is the wisdom of the Lord; he is mighty in power, and all-seeing. The eyes of God see all he has made; he understands man’s every deed. No man does he command to sin, to none does he give strength for lies.” - Ecclesiasticus 15:11-20.
Man is inherently free in his will to choose to do either the good or the evil that he knows. However, in choosing between good and evil, man is confronted with the problem of determining what is true and what is false. For lies are always craftily presented as truths in order for it to be willfully accepted and observed by men. False and lying propositions complicate the simple things and simplify the complicated ones in order to confuse, mislead and deceive. But the truth is always clear, simple and frank. While truth may sometimes be profound, it remains within the perceptive capabilities of the human being to find, if he so wills to seek it in faith. And thus did the apostle John testify and wrote:
“God so loved the world that he gave his only- begotten Son, so that those who believe in him may not perish but may have life everlasting. For God did not send his Son into the world in order to judge the world, but that the world may be saved through him. He who believes in him is not judged; but he who does not believe is already judged, because he did not believe in the name of the only-begotten Son of God. Now this is the judgment: The light has come into the world, yet men have loved the darkness rather than the light, for their works are evil. For everyone who does evil hates the light, and does not come to the light, that his deeds may not be exposed. But he who does the truth comes to the light that his deeds may be made manifest, for they have been performed in God.” - John 3:16-21.
To come to the light is to choose and remain in the truth of God’s word that His only-begotten Son was sent and came for to speak and teach to every man who will believe in Him and in His name. It is by willfully and constantly doing the truth that a man receives the promised life everlasting.
So, the relevant and very important issue that must be finally resolved is the truth or fallacy of Christmas. Jesus Christ established the perfect manner of determining what is true and what is false.
“Enter by the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad is the way that leads to destruction, and many there are who enter that way. How narrow the gate that leads to life! And few there are who find it. Beware of false prophets who come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly are ravenous wolves. By their fruits you will know them. Do men gather grapes from thorns, or figs from thistles? Even so, every good tree bears good fruit, but the bad tree bears bad fruit. A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, nor can a bad tree bear good fruit. Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. Therefore, by their fruits you will know them. Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ shall enter the kingdom of heaven; but he who does the will of my Father in heaven shall enter the kingdom of heaven. Many will say to me in that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in thy name, and cast out devils in thy name, and work many miracles in thy name?’ And then I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you. Depart from me, you workers of iniquity!’” - Matthew 7:13-23.
The opposing difference between the good fruit and the bad fruit is exactly the same as that of the truth and the lie, the good and the evil. The Christmas proposition is the tree that suddenly grew up and stood tall and strong in the eyes of humanity. It has been bearing fruits during the month of December for many generations and people of all walks of life have been picking it and eating it without knowing what it is, whether it is good or bad for their spiritual health and well-being. They perceived the Christmas fruit as something that is good for food, pleasing to the eyes, and desirable for the knowledge it gives. Such are exactly the same considerations which the woman deliberated upon in her final choice to partake of the forbidden fruit, giving it to her husband who took it and also ate it. And so, humanity was convinced that the Christmas tree is really good because its fruit looked good in their mind and in their hearts. Was it not the information we gathered?
“The Christmas tree is often explained as a Christianization of pagan tradition and ritual surrounding the Winter Solstice, which included the use of evergreen boughs, and an adaptation of pagan tree worship.”
“The three Masses may also suggest the threefold birth of Christ; the birth according to the flesh (Luke 2:1-14); the spiritual birth in men’s hearts (Luke 2:15-21); the eternal birth of Christ from the Father (John 1:1-14). Nativity is the birth of Jesus, the Son of God, at Bethlehem. This event, the fulfillment of the promises made to the patriarchs, to David, and to the Chosen People, had been clearly prophesied as to its place (Micheas 5:2). It was as a result of a decree of Caesar Augustus that Mary and Joseph journeyed from Nazareth to David’s town. This was the dawn of the Messianic age, and a scene dear to Christian hearts, lived again each year on the feast of Christmas.”
If we can finally establish this information as Biblical truth, then we can correctly conclude that both the Christmas tree and its fruits are really good. So what is the fruit that the Christmas tree has brought forth? Is it good or is it bad? Jesus spoke these His words, saying, “Beware of false prophets who come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly are ravenous wolves. By their fruits you will know them. Do men gather grapes from thorns, or figs from thistles?” The grapevine has no thorns and figs are not thistles. And it is always foolish to expect to find grapes from vines that have thorns; and neither can one find fig fruits from thistles which the fig tree is not. The truth therefore is that grapes come from grapevines and figs come from fig trees. And so is the truth which God alone not only speaks through His Christ but which He truly is and always will be: God is the Truth. On the other hand, the devil is the liar whom Jesus has made manifest in His words of truth. He said:
“If God were your Father, you would surely love me. For from God I came forth and have come; for neither have I come of myself, but he sent me. Why do you not understand my speech? It is because you cannot listen to my word. The father from whom you are is the devil and the desires of your father it is your will to do. He was a murderer from the beginning, and had not stood in the truth because there is no truth in him. When he tells a lie, he speaks from his very nature, for he is a liar and the father of lies. But because I speak the truth you do not believe me. Which of you can convict me of sin? If I speak the truth, why do you not believe me? He who is of God hears the words of God. The reason why you do not hear is that you are not of God.” - John 8:42-27.
God did not revealed the exact day of the birth of His Son, Jesus Christ, nor did He ever commanded any man or group of men to celebrate His birthday in whatever kind, form or manner: no festivities, no rituals, no solemnities either, no revelries and most especially and most definitely, no gift-giving whether in cash or in kind.
The gifts which the three wise men brought and offered to the child are symbolic: gold, frankincense and myrhh. There is not one Biblical account which commanded or even suggested that the birth of the Savior required the Christians to engage in gift-giving among themselves. But gold, frankincense and myrhh are indeed gifts that speak of truth more profound and divine which Christ the Lord truly deserved and whihc God expects every true Christian to offer to Him through His Son. Consider that these gifts have been presented with wisdom that was undoubtedly symbolized by three wise men.
Now to reject this truth is to embrace the lie. That is the choice that man must finally and willfully decide upon and make. And every man must inevitably enjoy the good fruit of the right choice or suffer the evil consequences of the wrong choice that He made by His own free will. There is no room for compromise. It is only between the good or the bad, the truth or the lie he may choose from. The man who comes to the light cannot make wrong choices; but he who refuses the light shall remain in darkness and will always err in his choices.
The Christmas proposition is of men and not of God. But men can either be children of God or children of the devil. When men, as children of the devil, propose whatever they thought of in their mind and hearts, we can be certain that the proposition is a lie. In contrast, the children of God do not propose. They just hear and abide the counsel of God who is their Lord. So how can the children err in their acts that God has chosen for them to do? And God never counseled anyone of His children to celebrate the birthday of His Son, Jesus Christ, at any time during the whole length of their earthly life. Christmas used to be the day. But it has now become a season much anticipated by many people in many nations. Slowly but very surely, Christmas has become a far cry from what it used to be: a simple and meaningful commemoration of the birth of the Savior that should keep the hopes of salvation alive and reassuring. It is supposed to fill the mind and hearts of men with the presence of a loving and forgiving God who will answer every one who calls upon His name. Like the multitude of the heavenly hosts, true Christians also praise and glorify God with gratitude for having sent to them the Savior who is Christ the Lord but not only in one day or season of His birth but in their every thought, word and deed.
However, such simple and meaningful commemoration was inundated by traditional information handed down from one generation to another which all the more rendered the celebrations of Christmas more wonderful, devoid of purpose and full of vanities. Changes and substitutions have taken over completely. Materialism has taken over the spirituality of Christmas. The lies have overwhelmed the truth. Wise, prudent, and enterprising businessmen took the reins in their hands and led Christmas to that road of greed, exploitation and everything evil with money and temporal joy as its end. And today, Christmas will not come around without money that is necessary in order to buy and sell. Yes indeed, Christmas has been the perfect season for buying and selling. Moneyed people are burning with wanton desire to buy things they don’t need. They have planned to give it away beforehand. Of course, those who sell are just too happy on their way to the bank. So what is wrong or evil about that? But the apostle Paul has this to say:
“And godliness with contentment is indeed great gain. For we brought nothing into the world and certainly we can take nothing out; but having food and sufficient clothing - with these let us be content. But those who seek to become rich fall into temptation and a snare and into many useless and harmful desires, which plunge men into destruction and damnation. For covetousness is the root of all evils; and some in their eagerness to get rich have strayed from the faith and have involved themselves in many troubles.” – 1st Timothy 6:6-10.
Is there covetousness that reign in the hearts of men during Christmas time? Statistics show over and over again that the crime rate swells up during the Christmas season. Often you will hear those who were caught robbing, stealing and snatching another’s possessions say that he did it because he needed money to spend for his loved ones for Christmas. People in government, mostly those elected officials, are confronted with this urgent need for money because friends and supporters are bound to hound them for gifts and presents in cash or in kind because it is Christmas. And so they are conveniently led to commit graft and corruption in the exercise of their government authorities. Almost all operators and owners of business must raise the prices of their merchandise not only to ensure bigger profit but in order to give bonuses and cash gifts to their expectant employees because the law provides it. Often, almost all business establishments are closed on Christmas day and most people do not earn even as they must spend. So, most people will say that that's the way Christmas is. And they find nothing wrong with that. Indeed, there's nothing wrong with the way that Christmas turned out to be, but that is if we do not make God and Christ a part of it. For the divinity of God and His Christ has no part at all in every vain and foolish behaviour of men.
The Wikipedia encyclopedia published the following information about Christmas and its celebrations:
Main article: Christmas Controversy
“Throughout the holiday's history, Christmas has been the subject of both controversy and criticism from a wide variety of different sources. The first documented Christmas controversy was Christian-led, and began during the English Interregnum, when England was ruled by a Puritan Parliament. Puritans (including those who fled to America) sought to remove the remaining pagan elements of Christmas. During this period, the English Parliament banned the celebration of Christmas entirely, considering it ‘a popish festival with no biblical justification’, and a time of wasteful and immoral behavior.
“Controversy and criticism continues in the present-day, where some Christian and non-Christians have claimed that an affront to Christmas (dubbed a 'war on Christmas' by some) is ongoing. In the United States there has been a tendency to replace the greeting Merry Christmas with Happy Holidays. Groups such as the American Civil Liberties Union have initiated court cases to bar the display of images and other material referring to Christmas from public property, including schools. Such groups argue that government-funded displays of Christmas imagery and traditions violate the First Amendment to the United States Constitution, which prohibits the establishment by Congress of a national religion. In 1984, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled in Lynch vs. Donnelly that a Christmas display (which included a Nativity scene) owned and displayed by the city of Pawtucket, Rhode Island did not violate the First Amendment. In November 2009, the Federal appeals court in Philadelphia endorsed a school district's ban on the singing of Christmas carols.
“In the private sphere also, it has been alleged that any specific mention of the term 'Christmas' or its religious aspects was being increasingly censored, avoided, or discouraged by a number of advertisers and retailers. In response, the American Family Association and other groups have organized boycotts of individual retailers. In the United Kingdom there have also been some controversies, one of the most famous being the temporary promotion of the Christmas period as Winterval by Birmingham City Council in 1998. There were also protests in November 2009 when the city of Dundee promoted its celebrations as the Winter Night Light festival, initially with no specific Christmas references.”
“One economist's analysis calculates that, despite increased overall spending, Christmas is a deadweight loss under orthodox microeconomic theory, because of the effect of gift-giving. This loss is calculated as the difference between what the gift giver spent on the item and what the gift receiver would have paid for the item. It is estimated that in 2001, Christmas resulted in a $4 billion deadweight loss in the U.S. alone. Because of complicating factors, this analysis is sometimes used to discuss possible flaws in current microeconomic theory. Other deadweight losses include the effects of Christmas on the environment and the fact that material gifts are often perceived as white elephants, imposing cost for upkeep and storage and contributing to clutter.”
The world will surely be much better off without this Christmas celebrations. It is a big lie and falsity that all true Christian faithful must forsake, ignore and reject. For all the anticipation, conduct and observance of this pagan feast amounts to nothing before God. Jesus Christ has no part or will never take part in it. Christmas is nothing but the product of tradition which, in its whole purpose and being, has been nullified and voided by the commandment of God and the gospel of Jesus Christ. He said:
“And why do you transgress the commandment of God because of your tradition? For God said, ‘Honor thy father and thy mother’; and, ‘Let him who curses father or mother be put to death.’ But you say, ‘whoever shall say to his father or mother, “Any support thou mightest have had from me is dedicated to God,” does not have to honor his father or his mother.’ So you have made void the commandment of God by your tradition. Hypocrites, well did Isaias prophesy of you, saying, ‘This people honor me with their lips, but their heart is far from me; and in vain do they worship me, teaching as doctrine the precepts of men.’” - Matthew 15:3-9.
The perfect knowledge and understanding of the divine truth surrounding the birth of the Savior must be firmly founded on the information transmitted by the Scriptures only and never by oral handing down of information from generation to generation which is called tradition. And thus did Jesus teach that those who seek God’s truth and fear Him with the doctrines and precepts of men transgress the commandments of God because of their tradition. The only conclusion is that men will never know and understand God in His truth by means of information obtained from and provided by traditional doctrines and practices. Yet the Catholic ruling and teaching authorities have officially claimed:
“Scripture and tradition are related. The two are distinct when considered as two different means by which revelation comes to us, namely in the inspired books and in the official teaching of the apostles and their successors respectively. But in one way, tradition may be said to include Scripture because the Bible, as the Vatican Council states, has been entrusted by God to the Church, and the teaching authority of the Church is the sole infallible interpreter of the inspired books.” – The Catholic Dictionary
The revelations of Scriptures are all truth. But revelations of tradition concerning the divine realities are false. Tradition may be said to include tradition by mere allegations but Scriptures have no need for tradition as its means of transmitting God’s revelations. For Scriptures are written words of God but tradition are spoken words of men. The Vatican claims before the whole world that the Bible has been entrusted by God to the Catholic Church and that the teaching authority of the Catholic Church establishes her as the sole infallible interpreter of the inspired books. Now, such claim is a patent allegation that cannot be proven true, simply because it is a great lie. Anybody can make such an allegation, but nobody can ever prove it true. The fact is that revelations by tradition are mere theological presumptions and twisted interpretations of the words of Scriptures.
The Scriptures, in its entirety, as well as the teachings of the apostles of Jesus Christ are all inspired by the Holy Spirit of God. But the teachings of those who claim to be successors of the apostles are not inspired at all for the plain and simple reason that the apostles of Christ have no successors. All these lies in the Catholic doctrines and precepts have been loosely founded on traditional revelations. And their allegations are supported by more allegations which they know they themselves cannot prove to be Biblically true. One of the information mentioned in the Wikipedia report says,
“Puritans (including those who fled to America) sought to remove the remaining pagan elements of Christmas. During this period, the English Parliament banned the celebration of Christmas entirely, considering it ‘a popish festival with no biblical justification’, and a time of wasteful and immoral behavior.”
The English Parliament hit it right on the head when they forcefully banned the celebration of Christmas on the firm ground that it is merely “a popish festival with no Biblical justification, a time of wasteful and immoral behavior.” It can be said though that this popish festival derives its vanities out of traditional allegations and presumptions.
Tradition also substituted the truths surrounding the birth of Jesus in that little town of Bethlehem. A specific day and month of the year was appointed as the birthday of Jesus because the Scripture did not reveal it. And so, according to tradition, a day was set for the birthday of Jesus to coincide with the pagan celebration of their sun god with the purpose of uniting the Jews and the pagans in their opposing religious beliefs and practices. It did not take very long for these traditional commemorations and celebrations to turn from bad to worse. The reason is that everything about Christmas is founded on fallacies and distortions of the Scriptural revelations. The three wise men that followed the star which led them to Jesus were replaced by the three kings. Even the season when He was born, which could only be either spring or summer, was changed to winter. The shepherds are out in the field that night, tending their sheep; so that winter cannot possibly be the season when Jesus was born. There was no more room in the inn where Mary could give birth, so they were offered the manger because it was vacant at that time, the sheep being out in the field.
It is very common to see this specific Christmas message weeks and days before and after the alleged birthday of Jesus which says,
“Glory to God in the highest; peace on earth, good will to men!”
That message is also a counterfeit. For the real one says:
“Glory to God in the highest; and on earth, peace among men of good will!”
The falsified message has wonderfully led the world into false beliefs, vain efforts, and false expectations in searching and praying and working for peace on earth which is not and cannot be there. It is humanity that fills the earth. And the true message says that peace is only meant for men of goodwill. Who are men of goodwill except them who fear God and keep His commandments? And so, peace is only found in the heart, mind, and soul of every man in this world who keeps the commandment of God and holds fast the testimony Jesus. God has already spoken in this regard, and so did Jesus Christ. And these are written:
“Stand ye on the ways, and see, and ask for the old paths, which is the good way, and walk in it; and you shall find refreshment for your souls. And they said: We will not walk. And I appointed watchmen over you, saying: Hearken ye to the sound of the trumpet. And they said: We will not hearken. Therefore hear, ye nations, and know, O congregation, what great things I will do to them. Hear, O earth: Behold I will bring evils upon this people, the fruits of their own thoughts: because they have not heard my words, and they have cast away my law. To what purpose do you bring me frankincense from Saba, and the sweet smelling cane from a far country? Your holocausts are not acceptable, or are your sacrifices pleasing to me. Therefore thus saith the Lord: Behold I will bring destruction upon this people, by which fathers and sons together shall fall, neighbor and kinsman shall perish.” - Jeremias 6:16-21.
There is no peace that men can find in this world. The peace that God promised is for men of good will, men who have surrendered their free will to God to do His divine will and abide His whole counsel. Humanity does not need a lifetime to admit that there can never be peace in this world unto its end. And every human effort, both individually and collectively, to make this earth a peaceful place to live in shall certainly fail; and fail miserably. But the United Nations of the world just would not give up despite their continuing disappointments. For all of their leaders have been misled and deceived by tradition. Yes, it is the unseen but great authority of tradition which substitute and counterfeit the truth of the words of God with the lies of the words of men.
The virgin, Mary, in whose womb was the Savior conceived and brought forth has been replaced by tradition with a very subtle counterfeit. The written words of Mary in Scriptures admit that she is the handmaid of the Lord. But now Mary has been introduced and identified as the Mother of God with intercessory power and authority that can facilitate the granting of man’s supplications to God. Consider these wanton and blasphemous public pronouncements of the Catholic hierarchs:
“Mariology is the name given to that part of theology which concerns the Blessed Virgin in her relation to God (Mother of God) and in relation to men (spiritual motherhood).
“The first principle of this science is the divine motherhood and on this depend Mary’s fullness of grace from the instant of her immaculate conception, her virginal purity of body and soul, and all her other privileges. Mary is the Mother of God, the Redeemer, not alone His mother in the physical order, but also His chosen companion in the work of the Redemption.
“Coredemptrix is the title given to the Blessed Virgin to show her special share in the work of redemption . . . How was Mary coredemptrix? First, she is the Mother of Christ; hers was the honor of giving birth to God-made-man, and of caring for the Child who had come to lay down His life as a victim for the sins of mankind. Secondly, Mary is the ‘associate of the Redeemer.’ As Eve was associated with Adam in the fall, so Mary, the ‘new Eve,’ is at the side of Christ, the ‘New Adam.’ Mary offered her Son on Golgotha to the eternal Father for all the children of Adam, sin-stained by his fall. At the cross, there was a common sharing of will and suffering between Christ and Mary. Joining in His intention, she offered her Son to appease God’s wrath. ‘Insofar as it was hers to do,’ Benedict XV wrote, ‘she immolated her Son to placate God’s justice, so that she herself may justly be said to have redeemed together with Christ the whole human race.’” - The Catholic Dictionary.
These Catholic pronouncements are directly in contempt of the supreme and almighty power and authority of God and His Son, Jesus Christ. It is a devious and covert effort to bring exalted divine nature of God down the level of human beings. If Mary’s relation to men is a spiritual motherhood, then what is her motherhood in her being the Mother of God? If it is not a spiritual motherhood then it can only be a physical one. But God is the supreme and almighty Spirit Being!!! The only answer that can be made here is that Mariology is yet another theological falsity and wonderful lie.
And now, Mary is given the title of Coredemptrix to show her share in the work of Redemption. Of course this is just an allegation. And to prove it true, allegations are proposed, one after another as proof. Jesus Christ is the only Redeemer that God has chosen and appointed. He alone is to fulfill that work and does need the help or support of anybody. He said it:
“I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for his sheep. But the hireling, who is not a shepherd, whose own the sheep are not, sees the wolf coming and leaves the sheep and flees. And the wolf snatches and scatters the sheep; but the hireling flees because he is a hireling, and has no concern for the sheep. I am the good shepherd, and I know mine and mine know me, even as the Father knows me and I know the Father; and I lay down my life for my sheep. And other sheep also I have that are not of this fold. Them also I must bring, and they shall hear my voice, and there shall be one fold and one shepherd. For this reason the Father loves me, because I lay down my life that I may take it up again. No one takes it from me, but I lay it down myself. I have the power to lay it down, and I have the power to take it up again. Such is the command I have received from my Father.” - John 10:11-18.
All of these ratiocinations promulgated by the Catholic teachers that are meant to elevate Mary’s stature in equal footing with Jesus Christ are proven vain, imprudent and foolish by the words of God. And it will require writing another book just to point out all these man-made doctrines formulated by the Catholic Church concerning Christmas and other pertinent issues related to it. So here is one last important point concerning Christmas. The Catholic teachers claim:
“Each priest is privileged to say three Masses on Christmas and three different Masses are provided in the Missal: Midnight, Dawn, and on Christmas Day.
“The three Masses may also suggest the threefold birth of Christ; the birth according to the flesh (Luke 2:1-14); the spiritual birth in men’s hearts (Luke 2:15-21); the eternal birth of Christ from the Father (John 1:1-14). Nativity is the birth of Jesus, the Son of God, at Bethlehem.”
Again, this Catholic doctrine is spoken and taught with a lot of guile and sophistry that is beyond the simple mind to really comprehend. The condition is for one to either take it or leave it, whether he understood it or not. The Catholic suggestion speaks of three Masses corresponding to the threefold birth of Christ. All of these – the birth according to the flesh, the spiritual birth in men’s hearts and specifically the eternal birth of Christ from the Father – are not true and cannot be true. It must be heavily underlined that Christ is the Word of God; and the Word exists with God as the beginning and the end. The Word of God was never born just as the only true God who sends forth His Word out of His mouth was never born. To say that Christ was born is to put a beginning to His existence. But His existence is without beginning and without end. It was the flesh which God had prepared and fitted to His Word which the virgin conceived and brought forth from her womb. There is no Biblical account which states that the only-begotten Son of God was ever born. It says:
“I will proclaim the decree of the Lord: The Lord said to me, ‘You are my son; this day I have begotten you. Ask of me and I will give you the nations for an inheritance and the ends of the earth for your possession. You shall rule them with an iron rod; you shall shatter them like an earthen dish.’” - Psalms 2:7-9.
The word, begotten, has only two definitions: one, to cause to be; and then, to be the father of. To cause to be is to bring into existence.
“In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God; and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things were made through him, and without him was made nothing that has been made.” - John 1:1-3.
The Word exists with God whose existence has no beginning. Thus, the only correct conclusion is that God has begotten His Word by being to Him a Father and His Word to Him a Son.
So what about the flesh that was born of the virgin? The news of great joy brought by the angel of God says that a Savior was born in the town of David. That Savior is the flesh which was born. He was to be called Jesus because He will save His people from their sins. That body of flesh must not be seen in the same nature of the body of flesh of the human being. And the difference between the two – the human body and the body of Jesus – is clearly distinguish by the fact of the virgin birth. Jesus, the Savior, was born not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of men, but of God. No human being was ever born of a virgin. And thus did the apostle Paul testify in truth, saying,
“If there is a natural body, there is also a spiritual body. So also it is written: ‘The first man Adam became a living soul’; the last Adam became a life-giving spirit. But it is not the spiritual that comes first, but the physical, and then the spiritual. The first man was of the earth, earthy; the second man is from heaven, heavenly. As was the earthy men, such also are the earthy; and as is the heavenly man, such also are the heavenly. Therefore, even as we have borne the likeness of the earthy, let us bear also the likeness of the heavenly.” - 1 Corinthians 15:39-49.
Jesus is the spiritual body, meaning His body is meant as a spiritual dwelling place of the only-begotten Son of God who is a true spirit being. In comparison, the natural body of a man is the natural dwelling place of his soul. And thus did the apostle Paul say that the first man, Adam, became a living soul after God breathed into his nostrils the breath of life. The last Adam, (Paul did not say the last man) became a life giving spirit. It means that Jesus became the Christ who is supposed to be a life giving spirit. For indeed, Jesus spoke these words
“I am the resurrection and the life. The flesh profits nothing. The words I have spoken to you are spirit and life.”
And when Jesus asked His disciples who they say He really is after having been with them for a significant period of time, Peter answered and said, “Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God.”
Now Peter and his fellow apostles did not receive this revelation of the true nature of Jesus from men but from His Father in heaven who is the only true God. The Word of God, by dwelling in that spiritual body of flesh who is called Jesus, has completely taken over His fleshly nature to become the Christ, the Son of the living God. In this divine manner has the last Adam become a life giving spirit. The revelations of Scriptures have then made clearly manifest that Jesus Christ is not a man like you and me. Jesus Christ was never born which leaves no reason for true Christians to celebrate His birthday which never happened.
Yet the celebration of Christmas to mark the birth of Jesus is here to stay in a manner subject to constant change until the consummation of the world. No amount of explanation or revelation of Scripture can convince all these self claiming Christians that Christmas is a myth, the product of a great lie and an objectionable doctrine of faith. For Christmas has been celebrated and shall continue to be celebrated by the inhabitants of the earth in wonder. For there is an unseen force, mighty in power and authority, that lead the world astray. Consider these words of Scripture which were long spoken in prophecy:
“And I saw a beast coming up out of the sea, having seven heads and ten horns, and upon its horns ten diadems, and upon its heads blasphemous names. And the beast that I saw was like a leopard, and its feet were like the feet of a bear, and its mouth like the mouth of a lion. And the dragon gave it his own might and great authority. And one of its heads was smitten, as it were, unto death; but its deadly wound was healed. And all the earth followed the beast in wonder. And they worshipped the dragon because he gave authority to the beast, and they worshipped the beast, saying, ‘Who is like to the beast, and who will be able to fight with it?’ And there was given to it a mouth speaking great things and blasphemies; and there was given to it authority to work for forty-two months. And it opened its mouth for blasphemies against God, to blaspheme his name and his tabernacle, and those who dwell in heaven. And it was allowed to wage war with the saints and to overcome them. And there was given to it authority over every tribe, and people, and tongue, and nation. And all the inhabitants of the earth will worship it whose names have not been written in the book of life of the Lamb who has been slain from the foundation of the world. If any man has an ear, let him hear. He who is for captivity, into captivity he goes; he who kills by the sword, by the sword must he be killed. Here is the patience and the faith of the saints. – Apocalypse 13:1-10.
The prophecy has come to pass. The beast of the sea continues to exercise the great might and authority that it received from the great dragon. And all the earth followed and worshipped the beast in wonder. The beast of the sea assigned a specific day for the inhabitants of the earth to celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ. And they all began and continued to celebrate Christmas in wonder, ignorant of the divine truth that Jesus, the Christ who is the Son of the living God was never born. Mankind need only to look at the many evil consequences of these Christmas celebrations to find out for sure that such is never God’s counsel, but a grievous transgression of His divine will. Consider that the whole counsel of God is well within the capabilities of the human being to faithfully abide. But the present manner of celebrating Christmas which for the most part is symbolized by gift giving and materialism has now been cleverly placed beyond the capabilities of the poor and impoverished. Rather than hope, faith and love, Christmas today, and most likely in the coming generations, has only brought forth despair and gloom to all of them who suffer the miseries and wickedness in the evils that men do to one another.
When the hierarchs of the Roman Catholic Church organization claimed universal power and authority over humanity, she changed the commemoration of the seventh day of the Lord to Sunday, which is the first day. And they did just that one more time when they appointed a day in which all of humanity must celebrate the birth of the Savior, Christ the Lord. In the first place, the evil implication is that God rested on the first day wherein He was just to begin His work of creation. This is in utter contradiction against the Biblical revelations. And then they want to celebrate the birth of the Savior on a day wherein He has not even begun His work of salvation. The apostle Paul speaks of victory as one reason for all Christian celebration. And he wrote:
"But when this mortal body puts on immortality, then shall come to pass the word that was written, 'Death is swallowed up in victory! O death, where is thy victory? O death where is thy sting?' Now the sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the Law. But thanks be to God who has given us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ. Therefore, my beloved, be steadfast and immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that your labor is not in vain in the Lord." - 1st Corinthians 15:50-58.
The time, money, effort and emotions that humanity continue to spend to celebrate Christmas will never lead them to that victory that God will give His people through His Son, Jesus Christ. This Christmas wonder of the world is rather seen by God as works of vanity and foolishness that merits no reward at all. Anyway, merry Christmas and a happy new year to you all. ///
THE WORD AT HAND
God's wisdom encompasses all knowledge and understanding of all things visible and invisible in heaven, in the earth below and under the earth. God comprehensively knows the beginning and end of all things; remembering the past, seeing all things present and all things that must come to pass long before they come to pass. And all those things came to pass which He has long foretold shall come to pass.
Mankind is God’s creation; and it will not matter to Him whether any man or group of men admit it or not. For those who acknowledge God as their Creator, it is of utmost importance that they know and understand His real intent and purpose for creating them. Man must answer correctly the question why he was created in order that he may live in conformity with the right answer. For one, God did not create man for nothing – to be born, exist for a time and then die. Surely, like the piece of furniture that the carpenter designed and constructed to either be a chair to sit on or a bed to sleep on or a table to eat on, man was created to serve and satisfy the whole purpose and intention of God in creating him. The carpenter may have made a lot of chairs, a lot of beds, a lot of tables, yet he did not made them all for his own use, but for others also. And he is not only pleased with what he does because he earns a living out of it but because he is able to satisfy the needs of others. God is the Creator of all things, but unlike the carpenter, He does not make a living out of His creations. He need not make a living because it is Him who gives life and fills the needs of His creations. God has revealed to mankind what it is in man that will please Him; and He said:
“Thus saith the Lord: Let not the wise man glory in his wisdom, and let not the strong man glory in his strength, and let not the rich man glory in his riches; but let him that glorieth glory in this, that he understandeth and knoweth me, for I am the Lord that exercise mercy, and judgment, and justice in the earth: for these things please me, saith the Lord.” - Jeremias 9:23-24.
Perhaps, the first truth that every man must consider is that he was created in a manner that is uniquely different from the rest of God’s creations. First of all, God did not simply send forth His Word out of His mouth to say, “Let there be man;” and there was man - as He did with the others. But God formed man out of the dust of the ground and breathed the breath of life into his nostrils; and man became a living soul. And then God endowed man with certain authority over the rest of His creations when He said,
“Be fruitful and multiply; fill the earth and subdue it. Have dominion over the fish of the sea, the birds of the air, the cattle and all the animals that crawl on the earth. See, I give you every seed-bearing plant on the earth and every tree which has seed-bearing fruit to be your food. To every wild animal of the earth, to every bird of the air, and to every creature that crawls on the earth and has the breadth of life, I give the green plants for food.” – Genesis 28-30.
Man, in his inherent wisdom and prudence, may have actually considered a lot of different and often opposing ideas, conjectures and propositions as to the real reason why he came to be or how he came to be. But no matter what, the indisputable presumption is that there must be a reason or purpose, whether natural or spiritual, for man’s earthly existence which in having a beginning must also have an end. However, it is this - man’s insistent efforts to find out for himself the meaning and purpose of his earthly existence by his human wisdom and prudence which conceal rather than reveal God’s true, perfect and divine intention and purpose for creating mankind. This kind of effort only shows the utter disregard of man for God’s whole counsel in His own will and pleasure to reveal Himself, His thoughts and ways to those who seek His truth. And so it is written:
"For what man knows God’s counsel, or who can conceive what the Lord intends? For the deliberations of mortals are timid, and unsure are our plans. For the corruptible body burdens the soul and the earthen shelter weighs down the mind that has many concerns. And scarce do we guess the things on earth, and what is within our grasp we find with difficulty; but when things are in heaven, who can search them out? Or who ever knew your counsel, except you had given Wisdom and sent your holy spirit from on high? And thus were the paths of those on earth made straight, and men learned what was your pleasure, and were saved by Wisdom.” - Wisdom 9:13-18.
“Seek ye the Lord, while he may be found: call upon him while he is near. Let the wicked forsake his way and the unjust man his thoughts, and let him return to the Lord, and he will have mercy on him, and to our God: for he is bountiful to forgive.” - Isaias 55:6-7.
“All wisdom comes from the Lord and with him it remains forever.” - Ecclesiasticus 1:1
The real reason and purpose of man’s creation is an essential part of the entire knowledge and understanding of the true realities of God in His actual existence that should establish that meaningful and lasting relationship between God and man. And in as much as a man ardently desire to know and understand God in His truth, God, on the other hand is so willing to reveal Himself to those who seek Him: those who are found worthy to receive His truth.
"Love justice, you who judge the earth; think of the Lord in goodness, and seek him in integrity of heart; because he is found by those who test him not, and he manifests himself to those who do not disbelieve him. For perverse counsels separate a man from God, and his power, put to the proof, rebukes the foolhardy; because into a soul that plots evil Wisdom enter not, nor dwells she in a body under debt of sin. For the holy spirit of discipline flees deceit and withdraws from senseless counsels; and when wickedness occurs it is rebuked.” - Wisdom 1:1-5.
Indeed, to know and understand God in His truth is to receive His supreme Wisdom which should enable him to learn what is His pleasure, make his path on earth straight, and save him in the end from his otherwise inevitable destruction. But man must seek God and His Wisdom in integrity of heart, believe Him in living faith by hearing and obeying His counsel only. He said it and caused it to be written: “Perverse counsels separate a man from God.” And what are perverse counsels; from where do these counsels come and persistently being offered to mankind? Certainly, a counsel is at once perverse if it is not of God. And thus are perverse counsels always found wicked, stubborn, vicious, rebellious, unreasonable, difficult, and discordant with God’s divine and perfect will. On the other hand, the whole counsel and intention of God are just and good and thus are meant only for those who are likewise just and good in mind and heart.
Everything can only be right with God and you through that meaningful and lasting relationship whereby His whole counsel is the only rule you follow in your every thought, word, and deed. It is written:
“The last word, when all is heard: Fear God and keep His commandments; for this is man’s all; because God will bring to judgment every work, with all its hidden qualities, whether good or bad.” - Ecclesiastes 12:13-14.
Fear God and keep His commandments. This is man’s reason for being, the whole purpose and intention of God for creating him. In the end, the works that man has done in the conduct of his earthly life shall be determined in goodness by his faithful obedience to the counsel of God. Otherwise, his works shall be judged in wickedness. So, everything should be all right with God and every man who fears Him and keeps His commandments during his lifetime on earth, while he is yet alive and well; for there is no more work that the dead can do. And thus is it imperative for the living to learn and keep the whole counsel of God while yet he is still able to obey it.
So, why ask, “Is everything right with God and you?” First, it is not always right with God and everybody. It has always been and always will be that this world is divided between men who fear God and keep His commandments and those who do not, either consciously or unconsciously. And secondly, there will always be those who know and understand God by the divine providence of His Wisdom and His Word and those who know and understand God by the vain perceptions of the timid deliberations of the human heart and mind. For so it is written:
“Forasmuch as this people draw near me with their mouth, and with their lips glorify me, but their heart is far from me, and they have feared me with the commandment and doctrines of men; therefore, behold I will proceed to cause an admiration to this people by a great and wonderful miracle: for wisdom shall perish from their wise men, and the understanding of their prudent men shall be hid.” - Isaias 29:13-14.
“For there were false prophets also among the people, just as among you there will be lying teachers who will bring in destructive sects. They even disown the Lord who bought them, thus bringing upon themselves swift destruction. And many will follow their wanton conduct, and because of them the way of truth will be maligned. And out of greed they will with deceitful words use you for their gain. Their condemnation, passed of old, is not made void, and their destruction does not slumber.” - 2 Peter 2:1-3.
Now it becomes well within the easy comprehension of every one to determine the fact of his/her actual relationship with God; to find out for sure whether it pleases Him or not. For it must be underlined that the relationship between God and man is individual, between Him and the person alone. Finally, “Is everything all right with God and you?”
RELATIONSHIP IN LOVE
The counsel of God says: Fear God and keep His commandments. Do you fear God? And how do you fear God? First, bear in mind the words of Scripture, “. . . and they have feared me with the commandments and doctrines of men. . .” Now it is not difficult to understand that you must fear God with His commandments and doctrines only and not with those of men. What exactly have you been doing in your relationship with God? Was it by His doctrines and commandments that you fear Him or by those of men? You can find that out for sure by first knowing the commandments and doctrines of God which are all indelibly written in His Holy Book. But for now, let it be proclaimed that the commandments of God are all contained and revealed in the commandment of Jesus Christ; and His doctrines, in the doctrine of Jesus Christ. Consider this pertinent Biblical account:
“But the Pharisees, hearing that he has silenced the Sadducees, had gathered together. And one of them, a doctor of the Law, putting him to the test, asked him, ‘Master, which is the great commandment in the Law?’ Jesus said to him, ‘Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with thy whole heart and with thy whole soul and with thy whole mind. This is the greatest and the first commandment. And the second is like it, 'Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself.' On these two commandments depends the whole Law and the Prophets.’” – Matthew 22:34-40.
Every word that Jesus Christ has spoken and commanded is His doctrine and His commandment which cannot deviate from the doctrines and commandments of God. In other words, the doctrine and commandment of Christ are exactly the complete revelation of the doctrines and commandments of God. How is that? Jesus declared that the greatest and first commandment in the Law (the commandments of God for His people Israel) is for His people to love Him with their whole heart, soul and mind. The second one enjoins the people of God to love their neighbor as they love themselves. And then He said that the whole Law and the Prophets depend on those two commandments.
Any individual becomes one of the people of God if he or she is able to obey and observe these two commandments in the entire conduct of his or her earthly life. But an individual is only able to observe these two commandments if he or she has attained that perfect knowledge and understanding of the true meaning and intent of those commandments through the revelation of Jesus Christ in His words. And how did Jesus reveal the meaning and intent of those two commandments in His doctrine? He said it and it is written:
“But when the Son of Man shall come in his majesty, and all the angels with him, then he will sit on the throne of his glory; and before him will be gathered all the nations, and he will separate them, one from another, as the shepherd separates the sheep from the goats; and he will set the sheep on his right hand, but the goats on the left.
“Then the king will say to those on his right hand, ‘Come, blessed of my Father, take possession of the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world; for I was hungry and you gave me to eat; I was thirsty and you gave me to drink; I was a stranger and you took me in; naked and you covered me; sick and you visited me; I was in prison and you came to me.’ Then the just will answer him, saying, ‘Lord, when did we see thee hungry, and feed thee; or thirsty, and give thee to drink? And when did we see thee a stranger, and take thee in; or naked, and clothe thee? Or when did we see thee sick, or in prison, and come to thee?’ And answering the king will say to them, ‘Amen I say to you, as long as you did it for one of these, the least of my brethren, you did it for me.’
“Then he will say to those on his left hand, ‘Depart from me, accursed ones, into the everlasting fire which was prepared for the devil and his angels. For I was hungry, and you did not give me to eat; I was thirsty, and you did not give me to drink; I was a stranger and you did not take me in; naked, and you did not clothe me; sick, and in prison, and you did not visit me.’ Then they also will answer and say, ‘Lord, when did we see thee hungry, or thirsty, or a stranger, or naked, or sick, or in prison, and did not administer to thee?’ Then he will answer them, saying, ‘Amen I say to you, as long as you did not do it for one of these least ones, you did not do it for me.’ And these will go into everlasting punishment, but the just into everlasting life.” - Matthew 25:31-46.
“The woman said to him, 'Sir, I see that thou art a prophet. Our fathers worshipped on this mountain, but you say that at Jerusalem is the place where one ought to worship.’ Jesus said to her, ‘Woman, believe me, the hour is coming when neither on this mountain nor in Jerusalem will you worship the Father. You worship what you do not know; we worship what we know, for salvation is from the Jews. But the hour is coming, and is now here, when the true worshippers will worship the Father in spirit and in truth. For the Father also seeks such to worship him. God is spirit; and they who worship him must worship in spirit and in truth.’ The woman said to him, ‘I know that Messias is coming (who is called Christ), and when he comes he will tell us all things.’ Jesus said to her, ‘I who speak to thee am he.’” - John 4:6-26.
To really love God with one’s whole heart, soul and mind is to worship Him; and worship Him only in spirit and in truth. The doctrine of Christ says so. But how does one worship God in spirit and in truth? Jesus says that God is a spirit. Indeed, God is the supreme and almighty Spirit Being and that establishes Him as an inscrutable and ineffable, invisible and intangible in the true and eternal realities of His actual existence. So, how should His people worship Him as their Father in a spiritual manner? The apostle Paul testifies in this regard and says,
“Now faith is the substance of things to be hoped for, the evidence of things that are not seen; for by it the men of old had testimony borne to them. By faith we understand that the world was fashioned by the word of God; and thus things visible were made out of things invisible.” - Hebrews 11:1-3.
The singular manner by which the people of God must worship Him in spirit is through living faith in Him. And faith in God is believing His truth that His Word imparts and abiding in the same truth by keeping His Word as a rule of life one must follow in his every thought, word and deed. God is a spirit and so are His Wisdom and His Word. Thus, it is only through living faith that a man is able to see God, know and understand Him in His truth whereby he is mightily able to worship Him and love Him with his whole heart, soul and mind.
God absolutely needs nothing from man; not his money, not his services, nothing he is able to think of and do. Thus, the love with which God commands His people to love Him is exaltedly different from the love with which men love each other. The commandment spelled out in the Law and the Prophets is in this wise:
"I, the Lord, am your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, that place of slavery. You shall not have other gods besides me. You shall not carve idols for yourselves in the shape of anything in the sky above or on the earth below or in the waters beneath the earth; you shall not bow down before them or worship them. For I, the Lord, your God, am a jealous God, inflicting punishment for their fathers’ wickedness on the children of those who hate me, down to the third and fourth generation but bestowing mercy, down to the thousandth generation of those who love me and keep my commandments.” - Deuteronomy 5:6-10.
The people of God must worship Him in truth – because He is true; He is the truth. But to worship Him is to worship Him alone. You shall not have other gods besides me. It’s alright with God for you to love anybody and everybody but not with your whole heart, mind and soul, since you will be worshipping them besides God in that manner. And it definitely is NOT alright with God for you to have carved idols and images to bow down before and worship.
But the second commandment in the Law says that one must love his neighbor as himself. That is true. And that only established the difference between the love with which you must love God and the love with which you must love your neighbor. Yet, it is by loving your neighbor that you are able to prove that you really worship God in spirit and in truth. However, there is this one consideration that we must not overlook. The second commandment of the Law and the Prophets was already amended in the doctrine of Christ. And it is written:
“A new commandment I give you; that you love one another: that as I have loved you, you also love one another. By this will all men know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another?” - John 13:34-35.
"Owe no man anything except to love one another; for he who loves his neighbor has fulfilled the Law. For, ‘Thou shall not commit adultery. Thou shall not kill. Thou shall not steal. Thou shall not covet’; and if there is any other commandment, it is summed up in this saying, ‘Thou shall love thy neighbor as thyself.’ Love does no evil to a neighbor. Love therefore is the fulfillment of the Law.” - Romans 13:8-10.
Now, it is clear that there is only one commandment and one doctrine that you and I and everyone else must fulfill and abide if we must all really fear God and keep His commandments in a certain manner that will please Him. And that is the one new commandment of Jesus Christ which He distinguished and established in His doctrine that He taught and demonstrated to His brethren; not two or six or ten or two thousand four hundred fourteen commandments that men insist to preach and promulgate to the people. “Love one another as I have loved you” - that is the one new commandment that the people of God and the brethren of Jesus must now observe and follow as a way of life.
But how did Jesus love the brethren? He loved the brethren in the same exact manner that His Father has loved. And He said,
“This is my commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you. Greater love than this no one has, that one lay down his life for his friends. You are my friends if you do the things I command you. No longer do I call you servants, because the servant does not know what his master does. But I have called you friends, because all things that I have heard from my Father I have made known to you. You have not chosen me, but I have chosen you, and have appointed you that you should go and bear fruit, and that your fruit should remain; that whatever you ask the Father in my name he may give you. These things I command you, that you may love one another.” - John 15:12-17.
Are we capable of loving one another in the manner of God’s love? Of course not, unless He whom God sent to manifest His love imparts it to us by loving us (if we are indeed His brethren) with the greatest love of all – by laying down His life for us (if we are indeed His friends). So, do we have to lay down our lives for one another as Jesus did? Yes, of course. Does it mean that we also have to suffer and die on the cross as He did? That is not correct even by a long shot. Did you not hear what He just said?
“You are my friends if you do the things I command you. No longer do I call you servants, because the servant does not know what his master does. But I have called you friends, because all things that I have heard from my Father I have made known to you.”
He laid down His life for His friends by making known to them all things that He heard from the Father so that they are no longer servants who do not know what the Master does. And henceforth, if you know what the Master does in the manner that Jesus Christ has made it known, then you are no longer servants but friends for whom He laid down His life and whom He has loved with the greatest love of all. And that is why the one new commandment of Jesus Christ in His doctrine enjoins us to love one another as He loved us (if we are indeed His brethren) in order that we also may lay down our lives for one another in perfect demonstration of His great love in our every thought word and deed. And everything will surely be alright with God and you and me and everyone else. And how do we go about loving one another in the manner of God’s love? How do we lay down our lives as Jesus did?
COMPARATIVELY SPEAKING
What is the ordinary and conspicuous manner of worship that very many, many people practice and observe with which they relate with God in the effort to fear Him, keep His commandments, and thereby please Him? It is called and distinguished as faith and religion. But it is that kind of faith which is confined to belief in the existence of God and admitting that He is the almighty Creator. On the other hand, religion is defined in most dictionaries as follows:
A: a set of beliefs concerning the cause, nature, and purpose of the universe, esp. when considered as the creation of a superhuman agency or agencies, usually involving devotional and ritual observances, and often containing a moral code governing the conduct of human affairs. B: a specific fundamental set of beliefs and practices generally agreed upon by a number of persons or sects: the Christian religion; the Buddhist religion.
But the written words of God by the testimony of the apostle James define the word, religion, in this manner:
“Therefore, casting aside all uncleanness and abundance of malice, with meekness receive the in-grafted word, which is able to save your souls. But become doers of the word and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves. For if anyone is a hearer of the word, and not a doer, he is like a man looking at his natural face in a mirror: for he looks at himself and goes away, and presently he forgets what kind of man he is. But he who has looked carefully into the perfect law of liberty and has remained in it, not becoming a forgetful hearer but a doer of the work, shall be blessed in his deed. And if anyone thinks himself to be religious, not restraining his tongue but deceiving his own heart, that man’s religion is vain. Religion pure and undefiled before God the Father is this: to give aid to orphans and widows in their tribulation, and to keep oneself unspotted in this world.” - James 1:21-27.
The apostle James defines religion as the work that a man must do in compliance with the word that he heard. Obviously, his definition of religion is distinguished differently from that of the dictionaries in that it is not a set of beliefs but the work that one does according to his belief. We must believe in God and in Jesus Christ whom He sent in true, perfect and living faith. That only means that we must believe the truth of His Word accordingly as He made us to know and understand what Jesus Christ taught and demonstrated to us and do whatever we have learned from Him. And our religion is the work that we must fulfill in compliance to the Word of God that we have heard from Jesus Christ. Our religion is the proof and evidence that our faith is true, perfect and alive – the faith which will earn for us the promised everlasting life. The apostle James further said,
“For, just as the body without the spirit is dead, so faith also without works is dead.” - James 2: 26.
Understandably, the dictionary arrives at their given definitions of words in consonance with the ordinary promptings of man. And thus, its definition of religion is founded upon that conclusion resulting from its observations on how religion is being practiced in the world. If you are practicing a religion which is just a set of beliefs as defined in the dictionary, then that is not alright with God. The religion that would set everything all right with God and you is that which James defined in accordance with the truth that Jesus Christ has made known to him. Now you can compare for yourself the kind of faith and religion that you must render to God in order to please Him and serve His purpose for creating you.
How do you worship God the Father? You must love Him with your whole heart, mind and soul. And how do go about it? You must love your brethren as Jesus Christ has loved you. And how did Christ love the brethren in a manner we must understand and follow? He already said it:
“But when the Son of Man shall come in his majesty, and all the angels with him, then he will sit on the throne of his glory; and before him will be gathered all the nations, and he will separate them, one from another, as the shepherd separates the sheep from the goats; and he will set the sheep on his right hand, but the goats on the left.
“Then the king will say to those on his right hand, ‘Come, blessed of my Father, take possession of the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world; . . .for you were hungry and I gave you to eat; you were thirsty and I gave you to drink; you were a stranger and I took you in; naked and I covered you; sick and I visited you; you were in prison and I came to you.’. . . Then the just will answer him, saying, ‘Lord, when did we see thee hungry, and feed thee; or thirsty, and give thee to drink? And when did we see thee a stranger, and take thee in; or naked, and clothe thee? Or when did we see thee sick, or in prison, and come to thee?’ And answering the king will say to them, ‘Amen I say to you, as long as you did it for one of these, the least of my brethren, you did it for me.’
That’s how loved His brethren. And if you are one of His brethren indeed, then you must love as He did: give the hungry brethren to eat, give the thirsty to drink, take them in as strangers when they come to you, clothe them in their nakedness and visit them in their prison or when they are sick. But remember: the words that Jesus has spoken are spirit and life, so don’t take His word literally but spiritually. The true Christian brethren are many but they do not hunger for food or thirsty of drink for the body but for the soul. Many of them are strangers to the truth of God’s Word and still many of them are sick and imprisoned by the deceptive doctrines and commandments of men. And thus are they naked from the protective covering of God’s divine providence of grace and truth and justice. So you also lay down your life for the brethren as Jesus did. Live your life in a manner that your brethren will learn and see the things that Jesus Has made known to you which He heard from His Father. Forgive those who have done you wrong so that the Father will also forgive your sins. Act, in your thoughts, words and deeds in consonance with the manner of prayer that Jesus taught His brethren:
“But in praying, do not multiply words, as the Gentiles do; for they think that by saying a great deal, they will be heard. So do not be like them; for your Father knows what you need before you ask him. In this manner therefore shall you pray: ‘Our Father who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done on earth, as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread. And forgive us our debts, as we also forgive our debtors. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil.’ For if you forgive men their offenses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you your offenses. But if you do not forgive men, neither will your Father in heaven forgive you your offenses.” - Matthew 6:7-15.
If you can love in this truly Christian manner, then everything should be alright with God and you. However, you can only be able to love in this perfect manner if your faith and religion fall squarely under the Biblical definitions. But if your faith and religion is founded upon human interpretations of the profound revelations of the Bible, you can never establish that meaningful relationship with God whereby it would please Him. Yet your final decision to abide by the words of Jesus and keep the commandments of God remains subject under your own free will to make today while you are alive, not tomorrow or any day after because that may be too late. Jesus revealed the deceptions of these man-made doctrines and commandments that we must ignore and reject. He declared:
“The Scribes and the Pharisees have sat on the chair of Moses. All things, therefore, that they command you, observe and do. But do not act according to their works; for they talk and do nothing. And they bind together heavy and oppressive burdens, and lay them on men’s shoulders; but not with one finger of their own do they choose to move them. In fact, all their works they do in order to be seen by men; for they widen their phylacteries, and enlarge their tassels, and love the first places at suppers and the front seats in the synagogues, and greetings in the market place, and to be called by men ‘Rabbi.’ But do not you be called ‘Rabbi’; for one is your Master, and all you are brothers. And call no one on earth your father; for one is your Father, who is in heaven. Neither you be called masters; for only one is your Master, the Christ. He who is greatest among you shall be your servant. And whoever exalts himself shall be humbled and whoever humbles himself shall be exalted.
“Woe to you, Scribes and Pharisees; hypocrites! For you shut the kingdom of heaven against men. For you do not go in yourselves, nor do you allow those going in to enter. Woe to you, Scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you devour the houses of widows praying long prayers. For this you will receive a greater judgment. Woe to you, Scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you traverse sea and land to make one convert; and when he has become one, you make him twofold more a son of hell than yourselves.” - Matthew 23:2-15.
The Scribes and Pharisees during the time of Jesus on earth are the same leaders and teachers and preachers of the different church and religious organizations that we have today. And if you are presently practicing your faith and religion according to their convictions, then nothing is alright with God and you.
Are you presently a member of any one of the thousands of church and religious organizations in this world? Have you, at any time, asked yourself why you are a member thereof? Is there really any need for you or anybody to join any one of these church and religious organizations? If there is indeed a need for you to be a member thereof, who established such need? Now, if it is God who indeed established that need, then you certainly are following His counsel and living your life pursuant to His divine will and purpose. And thus, you can be certain that everything is right with God and you. Unfortunately though, no such need has ever been established by God for the plain and simple reason that there is no such need which the entire Biblical revelations ever took into account. Rather, it was men and groups of men that had established the need for every man to join and support any one of these church organizations as the essential requisite for his final salvation. For example, the Roman Catholic Church organization has officially established and pronounced this need:
“Outside the Church No Salvation is a theological axiom which means that membership in the Church founded by Christ is necessary for the salvation of every individual man. Since the Roman Catholic Church is the Church founded by Christ and since many millions of men are not members thereof, it might be thought that these millions, according to Catholic theology, will inevitably be damned. Catholic theologians have commonly held that many of those outside the Church through no fault of their own can be saved by doing God’s will as they see it; and theologians explain the axiom ‘outside the Church no salvation’ to allow for such cases. The teaching of the Church on this theological axiom can be summed up in the following seven points:
1.This axiom is a revealed truth which must be believed by Catholics; but it must be understood in the sense in which the Church understands it, not according to the personal interpretation of any individual.
2. The axiom means that Christ commands all men to be baptized into the Catholic Church and to remain therein, united to the pope, who is the Vicar of Christ on earth. Hence, anyone knowing of this strict command of Christ and refusing to obey it cannot be saved.
3. All men are not only commanded to join the Church, but Christ has made the Catholic Church the means by which they are to enter into heaven.
4. The Church is a necessary means of salvation, not because of any intrinsic necessity (i.e., Christ could have arranged other means of salvation), but because it was so established by Christ.
5. In some circumstances, according to God’s infinite mercy, salvation may be obtained by those who are not actually members of the Church but who have a wish or a desire to become members.
6.The wish or the desire that can sometimes substitute for actual membership in the Church need not always be explicit (e.g., as it is in those who are taking instructions in preparation for baptism), but it may be implicit, that is, it may be included in the good disposition of person who wishes to do God’s will.
7. For the desire of membership in the Church to be effective in insuring one’s eternal salvation, it must be joined to perfect charity or love of God and the individual must have supernatural faith.” - The Catholic Dictionary
An axiom is a statement taken to be true without proof. It is a self-evident truth. It can also be a well-established principle, rule, or law. Thus it is correctly understood that a theological axiom is either a statement, or a principle, or a rule, or a law conceived and promulgated by theologians. Theologians are experts in theology, which is the study of God and His relations with man and the universe; of religion and religious beliefs. And as experts, it can be ascertained that they fully understood what axiom means. And so they conceived a statement, stating that every man must join the Church organization founded by Christ if he must be saved. Presenting the statement as an axiom, these theologians therefore conveniently and completely divested themselves of the burden of proving the truth of their statement. So, Catholics must acknowledge the statement, ‘outside the Church no salvation,’ true without proof because it is has been presented to them as an axiom. Having established the statement true in this manner, the Catholic theologians then established the axiom as principle, rule, and law by following it up with more statements, this time directly involving the participation of Christ. First, they stated that the axiom means that Christ commands all men to be baptized into the Catholic Church and remain therein, united to the pope, who is the Vicar of Christ on earth.
The next statement says that all men are not only commanded to join the Church, but Christ has made the Catholic Church the means by which they are to enter into heaven. Finally, they stated that the Church is the necessary means of salvation because it was so established by Christ. Now, if the statement, ‘outside the Church no salvation,’ is taken for granted as an axiom that must be taken true without proof, should the next statements that say, ‘Christ commanded this,’ and ‘Christ established that,’ be likewise considered axioms? It should be, but only if the Biblical revelations should manifest complete conformity with such statements. But there is not one Biblical revelation to be found which says that Christ commanded all men to be baptized in the Catholic Church, remain therein, united to the pope who was never the Vicar of Christ on earth. Neither was it said even once in the entire Bible that Christ established the Church as the means of salvation.
“Outside the Church no Salvation” is not even an axiom in the true sense of the word. Rather than a well-established and self-evident truth, the statement is a well established human proposition in fallacy because it is not founded on the Word of God, but on the words of men, theologians though they are. The purported “axiom” is begging and bellowing for evidence and proof of truth and trustworthiness, because of the multiplied existence of other church organizations, each one saying the same thing as the Catholic Church: that it is the one founded by Christ and the rest are not.
If there is indeed only one church organization to be found in this world, then there is a possibility that Christ could be its founder and head and the Catholic statement may be considered an axiom. But since there are indeed thousands of church organizations that should certainly befuddle and confound the mind and heart of a man in choosing which one to join, then the only possibility is that salvation does not require any individual to join the Catholic Church or any other church organization, be it actually, explicitly, or implicitly. Is there anything that can prevent Jesus from speaking out the truth, especially the truth concerning the salvation of mankind which is the very will and purpose of His Father in giving Him into the world? If He truly commanded all men to join the Catholic Church, remain therein, united to the pope, why was such commandment not found in His Gospel? But such commandment to join the Catholic Church or any other church organization in order to be saved is not found in the Bible because there is absolutely no such commandment.
What we now have in the world are thousands of church and religious organizations, each one allegedly teaching and preaching the doctrine and commandment of Jesus Christ through their opposing perceptions and interpretations of the profound meanings and intentions of His words.
Indeed, it is by these vain and arrogant human efforts to interpret and explain the divine will of God in His written words that peoples, tongues and nations are misled and led astray by the doctrines and precepts of men. Correct knowledge and understanding of the divine truths of the Biblical revelations will always prove that founding, joining and supporting church and religious organizations have no part at all in God’s will and purpose to save the perishing man. The kingdom which God has prepared from the foundation of the world is meant for the just – every man who had seen to it that everything had been right between God and himself during the whole conduct of his earthly life. And in that eternal kingdom, there shall be found no Catholics, or Protestants, or whatever organizational distinctions whereby a man may have distinguished himself in this world.
