Reconsidering Christmas

The purpose of this document is twofold. First, I want to bring to the reader's attention the facts regarding the Christian holiday of Christmas. The second purpose of my document is to warn Yahowah's people away from participating in Christmas holiday activities of all kinds. I will be taking my stand alongside King Dowd (see note below), the sweet psalmist of Isra'el, who declared:

Song / Mizmowr / Psalm 119:128a  (see note below)
Therefore, God,
    I completely concur with all of Your precepts,
    those instructions which You have entrusted to us,
    encouraging us to carefully examine for guidance
        so that we respond appropriately to You. …

That is, I consider Yahowah's opinions and prescriptions for living—as recorded in His Word, i.e., the Teachings, Prophets, and Songs—to be correct, trustworthy, applicable, timely, and appropriate for those of us who love Him and observe His teachings. If tradition or public opinion differ from or contradict Yahowah's opinion, then that tradition or that public opinion is wrong and untrustworthy. It is my opinion that such a view or tradition would therefore be inappropriate in the lives of Yahowah's children, the true Yahudim.

Be forewarned: I hold political correctness in the highest contempt. I will not spare drawing intellectual and/or emotional blood here.

Rise up and live in Yah's protected shelter / Yirmeyahu / Jeremiah 48:10
Cursed is he who is slack in doing the work of Yahowah,
    and cursed is he who withholds his sword from blood.

If passion frightens you, then I feel sorry for you. I am passionate. I am zealous for my God, Yahowah of the vast array of armies, Creator of the heavens and earth, and for the work of His only begotten Son, Yahowsha of Nazareth, the Ma’aseYah (the Useful and Beneficial Implement, or Tool, of Yah).

Now let's get this show on the road.

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The Origin of the Christmas Holiday

The following is a quote from the 2000 Encyclopedia Britannica, Volume 11, page 390 (One used to be able to access this resource free of charge, but that is no longer the case):

During the later periods of Roman history, sun worship gained in importance and ultimately led to what has been called a "solar monotheism." Nearly all the gods of the period were possessed of solar qualities, and both Christ and Mithra acquired the traits of solar deities. The feast of Sol Invictus on December 25 was celebrated with great joy, and eventually this date was taken over by the Christians as Christmas, the birthday of Christ.

"[B]oth Christ and Mithra acquired the traits of solar deities." Excuse me? How on earth did the Lamb of God come to acquire the traits of the solar deities of the pagan peoples?

It came about like this: Leaders of the Roman Catholic Church, who hate anything and everything Hebrew, paganized Yahowsha, Yahowah's "only begotten Son", to make Him more attractive to the heathen. They officially brought the "feast of the unconquered sun" into their worship in 336 AD. They embraced a pagan custom, integrated some of their "Christian" terms and names into it, and called their abominable creation, Christmas.

Some might complain, "They were just trying to win souls! It's just a harmless tradition that promotes joy and goodwill! What's wrong with that?"

Oh, nothing, I guess. I mean, what's wrong with someone trying to bend impressionable minds to their will? Let's allow everyone free reign to do everything! We wouldn't want to offend anyone by behaving as though we disapprove of their actions! Heaven forbid! Why, let's allow pedophiles free and unrestrained access to our children. Let's let teachers, clergy, politicians, entertainers, and homosexuals persuade our kindergartners that "alternative sexualities" are normal and healthy. Let's continue to turn a blind eye to the sexual abuse, the enslavement of immigrants, the public beatings and beheadings that are routine in Muslim nations. Let's say that it's all right for imams to preach that everyone who will not submit to Islam must be slaughtered without mercy, as the Quran and Hadith teach (read more on that here). Right? I mean, they're just being themselves, after all! What's wrong with that?

Don't be a fool. There is a lot wrong with corrupting the truth, and there is much wrong with allowing religious leaders to do what the Roman Catholic Church did.

Moshe advised the children of Isra'el,

Words / Dabarym / Deuteronomy 18:9
(see Towrah in Footnotes)
"When you enter the land which Yahowah your God gives you, you must not learn to imitate the detestable things of those nations."

That stern warning makes it clear how Yahowah feels about His people learning and participating in the detestable things which His enemies do. He was speaking to the nation of Isra'el, and that means that He was speaking to each of us who have freely chosen to love Him, to cling to Him, to trust and rely on Him, and to align our lives with His teachings, whether we are natural descendents of Abraham, Iza'aq, and Ya'aqob or not.

We who love Yahowah love His Towrah, i.e., His teaching, guidance, and instruction. We have been provided with the truth from our Father and have come to understand it through our Mother, the Set-Apart Spirit. Therefore, we have no reason or excuse to participate in the pagan celebration of Christmas. "Let no one deceive you!"

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"Christmas" literally means "mass for Christ". A "mass" is a celebration of death. It is a Roman Catholic invention borrowed from pagan religions.

We who know the truth realize how pointless it is to do anything for the dead. They're dead. It's over for them. They were given life and now their life is finished. Whatever the deceased were going to do, good or evil, they have done it and that's the end of it. They are not "looking down on us from Heaven" and they are not "right here with us". They're dead, gone: it's over. We need to remove and throw away our religious sunglasses.

Look, here's what happens when someone dies:

• Those who just cease to exist:
  Those souls who did not accept the terms and conditions of Yahowah's family-oriented Covenant and who did not actively promote one or more of the religious, political, economic, and/or military systems of men simply cease to exist. They are gone forever.
   
      Yah Strengthens / Yehezqel / Ezekiel 18:20
      "The person who sins will die."
   
  Death is not a punishment. All animals live and die. That's the natural order of things. Yahowah tells us that those who miss the mark of participation with Him in a familial relationship through His one and only Covenant, which is what sin means, will cease to exist when their body dies. It is not a punishment. They ignored Him while they lived, so He ignores them when they die. They missed the mark: a relationship with Him. They're not being tortured forever "in a sinner's hell-fire". Nor are they "up there" looking down on us from some cotton candy cloud paradise. They're just gone. They might as well have never even lived, because they wasted their opportunity to get to know their Maker on His terms and according to His conditions.
   
  It is important to note that, because they have died and no longer exist, these souls will not be present at the Judgment. Also, Yahowah is not going to judge His children. The Judgment is the time reserved for those who led others away from Yahowah. It is an actual Royal Courtroom setting wherein they will hear His hate-filled rebuke and receive their sentence of eternal separation from Him. Read on to learn more.
   
• Those who are sent to Sheol/Gehenna (see note below):
  The souls of those who did not accept the terms and conditions of Yahowah's family-oriented Covenant and who actively promoted one or more of the religious, political, economic, and/or military systems of men, such as Judaism, Christianity, Islam, Secular Socialist Humanism, politics, etc., are being held in Gehenna , awaiting Yahowah's formal judgment.
   
  Did you know that Yahowah never said, "Thou shalt not take the name of the LORD thy God in vain; for the LORD will not hold him guiltless that taketh his name in vain?" That is a deliberate mistranslation of the actual Hebrew record. Properly translated (and I cannot urge you strongly enough to verify this by yourself and for yourself), this is what Yahowah declared (see 3rd Statement footnote for the actual Hebrew words and their definitions):
   
      Names / Shemowth / Exodus 20:7
     "You should never deceive or delude through the Name or reputation of Yahowah your God, advancing worthless and lifeless deceptions. For indeed, Yahowah will never forgive nor leave unpunished those who consistently deceive, actually beguile, and habitually delude in association with His Name, to promote and effect vain and ineffectual lies which lead to lifelessness and destruction."
   
  It took me several readings to fully understand what He was telling us. Yahowah tells us plainly that promoting religion is unforgiveable. Using His Name and/or reputation as a means to gain control over others is extremely hostile to Yahowah's purpose. His single reason for creating the heavens and the earth and everything in them was so that He could engage in a close, personal, family-oriented relationship with each one of us. Religions, including man's secular religions of politics, humanism, etc., lead souls away from Yahowah's Family-oriented Covenant, and that is an act so evil that He will never forgive anyone for doing it. Those who set themselves against Him in that way will find themselves grouped together with others of their ilk, and they will be herded by Heaven's bailiffs to stand before Yahowsha, the Son of God, where the following will occur:
   
      A Gift From Yah / MattanYah / Matthew 25:41
      "Then He will also say to those on His left, 'Depart from Me, accursed ones, into the eternal separation which has been prepared for the accuser and his agents.' "
   
  Those who worked hand in hand with Yahowah's enemy, the Adversary (Hebrew ha Satan, which literally translates into English as The Lord), to turn souls away from Yahowah's Towrah and from His One and only Family-oriented Covenant will be separated forever from Yahowah in a condition not unlike solitary confinement. Yudah describes the place of their incarceration as the "blackness of darkness". It will be excrutiatingly lonely, one's only companionship being the torturous self-recriminations of their own conscience and the burning memory of Yahowsha's fierce denunciation and rejection. Yahowsha declared that the mental torment will be so intense that it will produce "weeping and gnashing of teeth".
   
  You do not want to go there.
   
• Those who live forever with Yahowah:
  Those who took advantage of the opportunity to get to know Yahowah by accepting the terms and conditions of His family-oriented Covenant will spend eternity engaging in a joy-filled life with our Creator and all who love Him.
   
      Songs / Mizmowr / Psalms 23:6b
      I will dwell in the house of Yahowah forever!
   

Whichever group one belonged to, no one who has died participates in the goings on of this world, ever. Those creatures who appear at seances, when they actually do appear, are not the spirits of departed human beings. They are demons. Ghosts, poltergeists, and their like are also demons. Yahowah's rules are firm and inviolate. He doesn't allow those who have died to return to mess with the heads of the living. The dead are dead, the condemned deceased are in Sheol, Yahowah's holding cell for the filth of the universe, and the righteous deceased are asleep.

The deplorable fact that certain men in the Vatican insist that they have the right to speak for Yahowah's Son does not mean that they do indeed possess that right. Their claims are dishonest and are not supported by the Word. It doesn't matter that they proclaim that their words have the weight of Scripture even when their words contradict the written Word of Yahowah (yes, the Roman Catholic clergy actually make that very claim, just like the rabbis do). Their arrogance does not create for them any authorization at all from our heavenly Father.

What the Roman Catholics say and teach contradicts the written Word, and their persistence in honoring pagan deities and practices marks them as servants of ha satan, aka the Lord (which is the exact English translation of the Hebrew words, ha satan), aka the devil. Yahowsha plainly declared, "No one can serve two masters." Therefore, because they have proven themselves to be the servants of Yahowah's worst enemy, Roman Catholics cannot be among those who work alongside Yahowah. It follows, then, that the things they love to do—their holidays and festivals—are as evil as are they and their master, the father of lies. And those who participate in those holidays and festivals publicly declare themselves to be for Satan and against Yahowah. There is no gray area here. Deal with it.

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Only the Name Has Been Changed (to Protect the Instigators)

The name of the Christmas holiday is actually much newer than the holiday itself. In one form or another, the customs associated with Christmas have been celebrated for literally thousands of years. "Christmas" is just a new name for a very old variety of pagan rites and holidays.

There is no doubt that the customs associated with Christmas, as well as the idea of a deity being born on December 25th, are of pagan origin. History attests to this inescapable truth. The real issue is whether or not we, those who love and walk with and work alongside of Yahowah, should participate in those heathen customs. After all, what's so bad about it? I mean, what's the big deal, anyway?

We have already learned our Father's opinion concerning this. That ought to be enough to seal the deal and end this document.

But not everyone is willing to recognize the plain truth and act on it in a rational and appropriate way. So we'll pursue the matter further. Once we know that something is of the Adversary, that it is a deed of darkness, we who love the Truth would do well to not continue to participate in it. Continuing to take part in something which we know displeases our heavenly Father is to shake our fist in His face in open defiance, daring Him to do something about it. And anything born of a lie, such as the Christmas season, displeases Him. Therefore, to stubbornly and defiantly continue to take part in Christmas is to defy and tempt our Father, the Sovereign of heaven and earth. I'd say that's a very big deal, wouldn't you?

Now, despite all the proof I have already presented, most of those who read this article will celebrate Christmas the next time it rolls around because, "That's just what we've always done. It's a harmless tradition. It isn't as bad as you're saying it is, man. Besides, who are you to tell me what's right and what's wrong? You would have us rob our children of the joy and wonder of a truly great tradition!"

That is exactly the foolish, proud attitude that the Slanderer wants you to adopt. Do not be a fool! I am not telling you what's right or wrong, Yahowah's Word is doing that. I'm only sharing with you what He has to say. His Words are plain and straightforward. Religious practitioners make them out to be complicated and mysterious, but they're lying to us. I am showing you the historical facts and the Word of Yahowah. History and Yahowah are telling you what is right and what is wrong. It ain't me, babe. Don't like it? Take it up with the Creator. Leave me out of it.

A study of established historical facts proves that for centuries December 25th was celebrated by pagans as the birth of the sun, and that the Roman Catholics "took it over" and now declare that it is the day on which the Anointed One, Yahowsha of Nazareth, was born. They call Him by the completely made-up name of Jesus Christ, but that's for another article (see "First Things First"). But the festival is indeed based on the worship of ancient false deities, and everyone who participates in the Christmas festival belongs to that group of rejects whom Yahowsha called destructive weeds. That is the truth, and it is indisputable. Do with it as you will.

If some of this sounds hateful to you, then you're reading with understanding. I hate my Father's enemies. He stated emphatically, "Ya'aqob I have loved, and Esau I have hated." (My Messenger / Malaki / Malachi 1:2,3) Contrary to popular myth, Yahowah does indeed hate some people. I am my Father's son, and I shall ever emulate my Father. Those who draw souls away from Him are His enemies. Therefore, they are my enemies as well. Yahowah told us not to tolerate those who deceive through religion (see 3rd Statement footnote), and I choose to take Him at His Word. Those who promote and participate in the Christmas celebration deliberately and willfully pull away from God and do their dead-level best to take others with them, especially their little children. Yahowah hates them for doing that and so do I.

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The Truth About Yahowsha's Birth

The truth is that the Anointed One was not born on December 25th. Recall that one popular record tells us:

Lucas / Luke 2:8  (see note below)
In the same region there were some shepherds staying out in the fields and keeping watch over their flock by night.

On page 92 of his book "The Two Babylons, or The Papal Worship Proved to be the Worship of Nimrod and His Wife" [published in America by Loizeaux Brothers, Neptune, NJ], Alexander Hislop quotes Joseph Mede:

At the birth of Christ every woman and child was to go to be taxed at the city whereto they belonged, whither some had long journeys; but the middle of winter was not fitting for such a business, especially for women with child, and children to travel in. Therefore, Christ could not be born in the depth of winter. Again, at the time of Christ's birth, the shepherds lay abroad watching with their flocks in the night time; but this was not likely to be in the middle of winter. And if any shall think the winter wind was not so extreme in these parts, let him remember the words of Christ in the gospel, "Pray that your flight be not in the winter." If the winter was so bad a time to flee in, it seems no fit time for shepherds to lie in the fields in, and women and children to travel in.
[Note from Richard: Small Caps and Dark Red emphases my own]

Hislop explains in a footnote: "The above argument of Mede goes on the supposition of the well-known reasonableness and consideration by which the Roman laws were distinguished." In other words, the Roman government was known for passing laws that took into consideration the well-being and comfort of its subjects. They would not have passed a law requiring pregnant women and children to travel great distances in the harsh conditions of winter.

Hislop also quotes someone named Gill, who wrote a commentary on Luke 2:8, in which he said,

There are two sorts of cattle with the Jews … there are the cattle of the house that lie in the city; the cattle of the wilderness are they that lie in the pastures. On which one of the commentators (Moshe Maimonides, in Misn. Netza, cap.5, sect.7), observes, "These lie in the pastures, which are in the villages, all the days of the cold and heat, and do not go into the cities until the rains descend." The first rains fall in the month Marchesvan, which answers to the latter part of our October and the former part of November … From whence it appears that Christ must be born before the middle of October, since the first rain was not yet come.

Another commentator, Kitto, observed that the first rain in the region occured in September or October, which would make the time of the removal of the flocks from the fields somewhat earlier. At any rate, "… there is no doubt," concludes Hislop, "that it could not be later than there stated, according to the testimony of Maimonides, whose acquaintance with all that concerns Jewish customs is well known."

For more on the Talmudic Rabbi Moshe Maimonides, also known as the Rambam, see this page. Hopefully you already know that I do not endorse any doctrines taught by Yahowah's enemy, Moshe Maimonides. I do, however, accept his expert opinion on matters regarding the customs and practices of the people of Isra'el.

So, because the shepherds were still spending the night out in the field, we know that the time of Yahowsha's birth could not have been any later than sometime in the early to mid Fall.

Thus the myth that the Son of Yah was born on December 25th is destroyed.

Because the above information is demonstrably true, where did that December 25th date come from?

Again, let's listen to author Hislop:

Long before the fourth century, and long before the Christian era itself, a festival was celebrated among the heathen, at that precise time of the year, in honour of the birth of the son of the Babylonian queen of heaven; and it may fairly be presumed that, in order to conciliate the heathen, and to swell the number of the nominal adherents of Christianity, the same festival was adopted by the Roman Church, giving it only the name of Christ. This tendency on the part of Christians to meet Paganism half-way was very early developed …
—Ibid., Hislop, p 93

In fact, Tertullian, one of the so-called Ante-Nicene Fathers (see explanatory note below), wrote:

By us, to whom Sabbaths are strange, and the new moons and festivals formerly beloved by God, the Saturnalia and New-year's and Midwinter's festivals and Matronalia are frequented — presents come and go — New-year's gifts— sports join their noise — banquets join their din! Oh better fidelity of the nations to their own sect, which causes no solemnity of the Christians for itself! Not the Lord's day, not Pentecost, even if they had known them, would they have shared with us; for they would fear lest they should seem to be Christians. We are not apprehensive lest we seem to be heathens! If any indulgence is to be granted to the flesh, you have it.
—"Ante-Nicene Fathers" Vol. 3, p. 70, 2004, Hendrickson Publishers, Inc., Peabody, MA

Tertullian, himself a member of the Christian clergy and therefore an enemy of the Truth, tells us that the pagans would not have participated in "the Lord's day" (Sunday), or Pentecost, or any other "Christian" celebration — even if they had known of them — because they would not have wanted others to think they were Christians. Yet, the Christians themselves, he complained, had no such problem: they eagerly took part in the demonic celebrations of the pagans—their banquets, their sports activities, their new year's parties, etc.

Like author Hislop reported, "This tendency on the part of Christians to meet Paganism half-way was very early developed." Yes, it truly was. And it still is today. That tendency is in complete opposition to Yahowah's instruction not to learn the ways of the heathens. That should be pretty clear. So, if you're a Christian, why are you still a Christian?

Now, remember, Tertullian was describing conditions that existed way back in the 3rd and 4th centuries. Historical evidence indicates that nothing has improved in that regard; in fact, things have become markedly worse! Christians can be seen openly and proudly debauching at Mardi Gras celebrations, praying selfishly before, during, and after meaningless sporting events of every kind (prayers which Yahowah calls abominations and which He attests He never allows Himself to hear), and publicly commending high-profile people, many of whom openly blaspheme Yahowah, scoff at His Word, and disregard His personal teaching, guidance, and instructions for living (His Towrah) as "old, taken out of the way", treating it with contempt, as something that was blocking our path to freedom. It is the Christian way, and it proves that Christianity cannot possibly be what Yahowsha and His true representatives actually taught.

Pagans are those who openly defy Yahowah, our God, those who refuse to eagerly and joyfully take His Fatherly guiding hand. We know now that the roots of the Christmas holiday are pagan. On those grounds alone, shouldn't we immediately reject the Christmas holiday?

Song / Mizmowr / Psalm 119:59,60  (see note below)
I considered the merit of my ways,
    and then I turned my feet and steps
    to God's witness and testimony.
I am coming quickly
    —without hesitation, reservation, or question—
to observe, to focus upon, to consider, and to embrace
the terms and conditions of Your relationship agreement.
[That passage provides the best description I have ever read of what true "repentance" is all about.]

Our relationship to the Father must be firmly rooted in the Towrah, Prophets, and Writings and in nothing else. Consider that the Towrah, Prophets, and Writings plainly proclaim that the keeping of pagan festivals and customs is contrary to Yahowah's recorded wishes. If I may be so bold, I would like to suggest that you seek out for yourself the origins and meanings of the following holidays and customs: Christmas, the Christmas tree (which is the exact same thing as that which is called a "grove" in the Towrah, Prophets, and Writings), mistletoe, the Yule log, Easter, Halloween, Valentine's Day, the crucifix, the sign of the cross, and steeples [called "high places" throughout the Towrah, Prophets, and Writings]. Just as I want you to proactively research and verify everything that I write, so I want you to research the origins and meanings of your religious holidays and traditions. Why? Because then you will personally know the truth about these things. It won't be something Richard said. It will be something you learned through your own diligent efforts, and that will mean something to you.

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O Christmas Tree! O Christmas Tree!

Now consider this passage from the prophet YermiYahu:

Rise up and live in Yah's protected shelter / Yermiyahu / Jeremiah 10:1-4
Hear the word which Yahowah speaks to you, O house of Isra'el. Thus says Yahowah, "Do not learn the way of the nations, and do not be terrified by the signs of heaven (even though the nations are terrified by them). For the customs of the people are delusion. It is wood cut from the forest, the work of the hands of a craftsman with a cutting tool! They decorate with silver and with gold, they fasten it with nails and with hammers so that it will not totter."

Yahowah tells us yet again in the 2nd statement (or verse), "Do not learn the way of the nations." Once again He counsels us not to even learn the ways of those who reject Him and His ways. How much more would we want to be sure that we do not actually practice their ways or incorporate them into our lives as we walk hand-in-Hand with Him?

Secondly, He tells us that the heathen were terrified at the signs of heaven. History confirms this. According to historians, in the winter, as the days grew shorter because the earth's orbit moved the planet further away from the sun, the heathen, believing the sun to be a god with feelings and all that nonsense, feared that the sun might not return. Therefore, they held religious festivals to appease their finicky god(s) just after the time of the Winter Solstice (December 21st or 22nd in the northern hemisphere), when the sun began its return to longer daytime appearances. This return of the sun is a primary reason why December 25th is celebrated as the birthday of the solar deity. Their "Invincible Sun God" had returned to them, and they were just beside themselves with joy about it.

One of their customs was to cut down a tree, decorate it with glittering ornaments, and fasten it so that it wouldn't topple. That sounds a lot like what Christians do during Christmastime today, doesn't it?

Yahowah warns us against learning the ways of the heathen. He even went as far as to describe a specific custom that is one of the heathen ways—a custom which just happens to exactly parallel the Christmas Tree custom of today. Why, it's as though the Father looked down the highway of time, saw the great deceptions which lay ahead, and then set up a warning sign so that we, His people, could discern right from wrong! Imagine that! Praise Yahowah!

With all the evidence provided in the Towrah, Prophets, and Writings, and with all the other well-documented and easily verifiable historical evidence available, we still see this forbidden pagan custom practiced today by those who claim to know and love Yahowsha (even though they reject and will not exclusively use His real Name). Today that grove, that beautifully decorated tree, is called the Christmas tree. During the Christmas season we find one (or more) in millions of Christian homes and in tens of thousands of "church buildings". Why do you suppose that is?

There are thousands and thousands of professional "clergymen" who have attended seminaries, who are paid mid- to upper-level executive salaries to know and preach the truth, and who have instant access to an unprecedented amount of knowledge from the Internet. Why, then, are they not revealing to their flocks the facts that I have just shown to you? They are not members of Yah's Family, that's why. They are, as Yahowsha said, children of the one whom He dubbed the father of lies. Do you really believe that you should be submitting yourself to their rulership and following their teachings? Do you really think it appropriate that you go to work every day so that you can give a tenth of your earnings to help support them while they work hand in hand with your soul's enemy? Think about that.

Walk away from your religion. Do it now! And don't ever look back: just take Yahowah's hand and keep on heading towards Heaven.

The Christmas tree custom, along with every other pagan custom, is clearly condemned in the Towrah, Prophets, and Writings. We don't need a prophet to come along and tell us today that the Christmas tree custom is evil. Yahowah told us centuries ago that it is wrong.

Other Christmas customs taken directly from paganism include the Christmas Mistletoe, the Yule log, the Christmas wreath, the lighting of candles, and Santa Claus. If you seek, you will find out for yourself that those beliefs and traditions are rooted in idolatry just like the Christmas tree is.

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The King Who Got It Right

2 Kings / Melekim / Kings 23:1-7
The king summoned all the leaders of Yahudah and Yarushalaim. The king went up to the House of Yahowah, accompanied by all the people of Yahudah, all the residents of Yarushalaim, the priests, and the prophets. All the people were there, from the youngest to the oldest.
 
He read aloud all the words of the scroll of the Covenant that had been discovered in the House of Yahowah.
 
The king stood by the pillar and renewed the Covenant before Yahowah, agreeing to follow Yahowah and to observe His teachings, instructions, and prescriptions for living with all his heart and being, by carrying out the terms of the Covenant recorded on this scroll. All the people agreed to keep the Covenant.
 
The king ordered the high priest, Hilkiyahu, the priests of the second order, and the doorkeepers to bring out of the House of Yahowah all the items that were used in the worship of the Lord (literally, ha Ba'al), of Asherah, and of all the stars in the sky. The king burned them outside of Yarushalaim in the terraces of Qidron, and he carried their ashes to Beyth El.
 
He executed the pagan priests whom the kings of Yahudah had appointed to offer sacrifices upon the steeples in the cities of Yahudah and in the area right around Yarushalaim. (They offered sacrifices to the Lord, to the sun god, to the moon god, to the constellations, and to all the stars in the sky.)
 
He removed the Asherah pole from the House of Yahowah and took it outside Yarushalaim to the Qidron Valley, where he burned it. He smashed it to dust and then threw the dust into the public graveyard.
 
He tore down the quarters of the sodomites in the House of Yahowah, where women were weaving hanging decorations for the Asherah tree.

The above is an example in the Towrah, Prophets, and Writings of how a godly man behaves when he discovers the Truth of Yah's family-oriented Covenant. It is informative to learn that the everyday people, the go-along-to-get-along folks, would decorate trees and carved images in their houses and apartments, just like today's "normal" American citizen. Nothing much ever really changes, does it?

A Note About "Gays"

I want to draw your attention to how the people of Isra'el had taken a gentle, "more tolerant" approach towards their society's sodomites, or "gays" as they call themselves today. I personally believe that homosexuals and society's unthinking masses choose the term "gay" because "gay" suggests a carefree, happy, and harmless creature; whereas more accurate terms such as sodomite, homosexual, lesbian, and sexual deviant are considered to be too harshly honest. Their attempts have proven surprisingly successful in deflecting attention away from the unchallengable fact that they are indeed sexual deviants, numerous but relatively few enough to still be considered abnormal.

At any rate, just like today, the ladies liked to hang out with the girly boys, and they would spend time in their apartments, gossiping with them as though they were all real females while sewing ornaments and other tapestries to hang on the Asherah tree. Notice, too, how the king who loved Yah dealt with those sexual deviants who had the gall to take up residence in Yahowah's House! Their doing so was the same as their saying, "See? Yahowah doesn't judge us, so you can't either!" He tore down the rooms in which they lived and forcibly removed them from Yahowah's House. He was passionate, zealous, ardent; he was not all gooey with warm fuzzies and soupy tolerance for those who spurn Yahowah's instructions and guidelines for living. Today's societies would have hated him, just as they hate Yahowah, Yahowsha, the Family-Oriented Covenant, correct translations of the Towrah, Prophets, and Writings, and all who love and embrace them.

Yes, sodomites and lesbians are rejected by Yahowah. They're not the only ones, and they're certainly not the most wicked ones in the bunch. In fact, many sodomites and lesbians are beautiful and lovable people whom I would not hesitate for a second to befriend or to call my friend. After all, we are all just flesh and blood, and none of us is without fault. Neverless, they have separated themselves from Yahowah by choosing to embrace a lifestyle that He expressly condemns in the Towrah. That is the heartbreaking truth of the matter. So while I would not hesitate to befriend and physically defend a homosexual, at the same time I must draw the line at lying to them by telling them that what they're doing is all right with their Creator, because it just isn't.
 
And no, most sodomites and lesbians are not going to burn forever and ever in "a sinner's Hell fire". That whole "Hell" thing is another of religion's ploys to control its congregants through fear and threats. Sodomites and lesbians have chosen to live their lives out of phase with Yahowah's plan, and for that they forfeit their right to eternal life as His child. But that's it. They haven't been singled out for unending tortures. That is not Yahowah's way. It is totally inconsistent with Who He is. When they die, they die. That's it.
 
The king of Isra'el did the right thing: as soon as he learned the truth by reading Yahowah's Towrah teaching, he responded properly and immediately. We would do well to emulate his example in every area of our lives.
 
If you got to the above discussion from another page, click here to go back.

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Let's Talk About Santa Claus

The lie of Santa Claus is alive and well today. To children all over the world, but especially in the United States of America, Santa Claus is presented as being like the god of the pagans: all-knowing and all-seeing.

Not even Yahowah Himself claims to be all-knowing, which is why He has workers in Heaven watching the goings on here and keeping meticulous records. That is why He told Abraham, "I have come down to see if what I've heard about Sodom and Gomorrah is true." He didn't know if the reports He was receiving in Heaven were completely accurate or not. He was unwilling to accept the reports of His recorders, to believe that men could be so utterly wicked, until He saw it for Himself. To do that, He had to diminish a part of Himself and adopt the form of a man so He could check it out for Himself. That's the reliable testimony recorded in the Towrah, Prophets, and Writings. Deal with it.

By the way, the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah were not destroyed just because their inhabitants were practicing sodomy and lesbianism. Yes, the men there were violent sodomites willing to rape Lot's visitors to death. And that wasn't good. But the real reason Yahowah destroyed those cities is revealed in these statements:
 
God strengthens / Yechezqel / Ezekiel 16:49-50
"Behold, this was the iniquity of your sister Sodom: pride, fullness of bread, and prosperous ease was in her and in her daughters; neither did she strengthen the hand of the poor and needy. They were haughty and committed abomination before Me: therefore, I took them away when I saw it."
 
They were well off and they were stingy. They were proud and self-centered. They were unconcerned about those who suffered homelessness, nakedness, and hunger. They had adopted a gang mentality, not unlike many frat boys and spoiled athletes in colleges today. And they arrogantly practiced deviant sex. It wasn't just the one thing that got them destroyed, it was the whole package.

Speaking of Santa Claus to their children, parents and other authority figures purposefully and deliberately lie to them, telling them that "He knows when you are sleeping, he knows when you're awake. He knows if you've been bad or good…" That lie is a thinly disguised threat, a way to manipulate impressionable children into being compliant. "He's watching you! And his elves are writing down everything you do! If you're not good, then Santa Claus won't bring you the things you want for Christmas!" In other words, "God is watching you! His angels are writing down everything you do! If you don't submit to Him and do what He says, then He'll burn you in Hell forever and ever!"

If that's love, who needs it? But that isn't love. It's deception. It's lying. And it's evil.

Can you see how that lie about Santa exactly matches the lie that they and their preachers tell each other and the world, that God is closely watching them and stands ready to torment them in Hell forever if they don't make themselves compliant to His "rules"? It is the way of religions and political systems the world over.

Think about this stuff. Stop ignoring the truth!

The legend of Santa Claus is a lie. Therefore, to teach a child about Santa Claus is to lie. It is clearly loathsome to Yahowah, our Set-Apart One, because by His own admission He abhors lying and He hates liars [See Song / Mizmowr / Psalms 119:163 and Word Pictures / Mishlay / Proverbs 6:16-17 below.].

Yahowah is the only true God. The mythical creature, Santa Claus—whom I like to refer to as Satan's Cause—is not God.

Since our little children look to us for knowledge and believe every word we say, do they not deserve to hear only the truth from our lips? How unspeakably evil it is for a parent to teach their child to believe in Santa Claus! When they do this, they are being an open conduit through which the father of lies pumps his fear-fostering deceptions straight into the ears of their children! Their little ones learn to believe in an imaginary giver of gifts, in a fictional being who defies gravity, space, and time, who knows everything about everyone, who has no use for Yahowah or His Word, and who rewards the rich while disdaining the poor.

Word Pictures / Mishlay / Proverbs 26:28a
A lying tongue hates its victims.

You read that right. We hate the person to whom we lie. We only lie to someone we hate. If you tell your child that there's a Santa Claus, then Yahowah states plainly that you hate your child. Face that awful truth and do the right thing.

Dare we continue to characterize the promotion of the Santa Clause myth as "a harmless tradition" any longer?

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The Traditional Nativity Scene Is A Lie

We have established that the very foundation of the Christmas holiday is a lie because it is based on pagan customs and beliefs. Moreover, Yahowsha did not command or otherwise authorize us to celebrate His birthday. He did not give us permission to violate Yahowah's clear instructions by setting up a tree in our house and decorating it with lights and ornaments. He did not suggest that we should decorate our houses with anything at all, except to display His Word throughout it. (See Words / Dabarym /Deuteronomy 6:6-9 below.)

We all know that Santa Claus does not exist in the real world. Therefore, he doesn't have reindeer that fly and he will not come on December 25th to leave gifts for anybody.

Likewise, the traditional Nativity scene is a lie.

Yah is giving us a Gift / Mattanyah / Matthew 2:1-16
Now after Yahowsha was born in Beyth Lehem of Yahuwdah in the days of Herod the king, behold, scientists from the east arrived in Yarushalaim, saying, "Where is He who has been born King of the Yahuwdim? For we saw his star in the east and have come to see and proclaim Him."
 
When Herod the king heard this, he was troubled, and all Yarushalaim with him. Gathering together all the chief priests and scribes of the people, he inquired of them where the Masseyah was to be born. They said to him, "In Beyth Lehem of Yahuwdah; for this is what has been written by the prophet, 'And you, Beyth Lehem, land of Yahuwdah, are by no means least among the leaders of Yahuwdah; for out of you shall come forth a Ruler Who will shepherd My people Isra'el.' "
 
Then Herod secretly called the scientists from the east and determined from them the exact time the star appeared. And he sent them to Beyth Lehem and said, "Go and search carefully for the Child; and when you have found Him, report to me, so that I too may come and acknowledge Him."
 
After hearing the king, they went their way; and the star, which they had seen in the east, went on before them until it came and stood over the place where the Child was. When they saw the star, they rejoiced exceedingly with great joy. After coming into the house, they saw the Child with Miriam, His mother, and they acknowledged Him. Then, opening their treasures, they presented to Him gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh. And having been warned in a dream not to return to Herod, the scientists left for their own country by another way.
 
Now when they had gone, behold, a messenger from Yahowah appeared to Yoseph in a dream and said, "Get up! Take the Child and His mother and flee to Mizraim, and remain there until I tell you; for Herod is going to search for the Child to destroy Him."
 
So Yoseph got up and took the Child and His mother while it was still night, and left for Mizraim. He remained there until the death of Herod. This was to fulfil what had been spoken by Yahowah through the prophet: "Out of Mizraim I called My Son."
 
Then when Herod saw that he had been tricked by the scientists from the east, he became very enraged, and sent and murdered all the male children who were in Beyth Lehem and all its vicinity, from two years old and under, according to the time which he had determined from the scientists from the east.

A "magi" was an Oriental scientist, which is why I used that term in the narrative above. Notice that Mattanyah does not say that there were three scientists. He reports that the scientists offered three gifts, but he does not say that there were three scientists. There may have been only two of them. There could have been a dozen or more. Apparently, the number isn't important. Neither does Mattanyah bother to tell us the names of these men, nor what they were wearing. Typically, we see them dressed like stately Muslims, even though it would be hundreds years in the future before the child-molesting terrorist Muhammad would create the filth known as Islam. Mattanyah did not say that the scientists were kings, either. All that fluff is religious myth.

And so we learn that the traditional Christmas song "We Three Kings" is nothing more than a silly religious fantasy loosely based on an actual historical record.

Moreover, we already know that our Father wants our love and fellowship, never our worship. So He would not have told the scientists from the East to worship His Son. The Hebrew word most often translated as "worship" also means "to proclaim" and "to acknowledge as accurate", and that meaning is much more in line with what Yahowah would have wanted the men from the East to do, to acknowledge that this Child was truly the Son of the Most High, the Prophet to be raised up from among the Isra'elites. Remember: prostrating oneself in submission to someone is man's idea, not Yahowah's.

When the scientists found Yahowsha, He was living in a house; He was not in the stable anymore. According to MattanYah, He could have been as old as two by that time. Bear in mind that the ancient scientists did not see His star in the east, fill a U-Haul with treasure, hook it up to their Range Rover, and embark on a happy-go-lucky, frat-boy road trip across the deserts and mountains to Yahuwdah. They traveled either by camel, horse, or mule, or else they walked. The point is, it took them quite a bit of time to make the trip from "the east", wherever that actually was. So Yahowsha could have been as old as two. He was definitely no longer a newborn baby lying in a feeding trough inside a stable!

We see then that the whole Nativity scene as usually depicted with three Arabic-looking kings gathered beneath a lean-to of sticks with Miriam, Yoseph, the newborn Yahowsha wrapped in burial clothes, and a little white lamb—all with halos shining behind their heads—is complete religious make-believe. Be aware also that the whole notion of halos is pagan, having to do with sun worship and spiritual illumination, a favorite theme of—surprise!—the Roman Catholics.

The entire Christmas holiday, including the revered Nativity scam, is nothing more than another heaping helping of Roman Catholic bull manure, part of their occult system of wicked traditions, make-believe history, mystical priestcraft, mind control, and soul-destroying superstition. It has no support whatsoever in Yahowah's reliable testimony or any other historical fact. And you know what else?

Protestants have swallowed the whole lot of it—hook, line, and sinker! No big surprise there, since they obey the Mother Church's decree to replace Yahowah's Sabbath (Hebrew Shabat), His seventh day for us to rest up and refresh ourselves, with compulsory Sunday worship. And yet they think they have separated themselves from the rule of the papacy! O! You who are slow to understand!

The episode with the oriental scientists recorded in Mattanyah establishes for us the fact that Yahowah had people everywhere who were waiting for His Prophet to appear in the flesh. It was not recorded so that we could concoct warm fuzzy myths based very loosely upon the actual events and then have our children re-enact them once a year in church buildings which have been built for the expressed purpose of propagating a religion opposed in every way to Yahowah's Towrah. We were not left with an historical record so that we could use it as justification for teaching materialism, covetousness, and lies to our children. Is that plain enough for you? Could He possibly be making this any clearer for you?

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The Whole Christmas Season is a Lie

The Christmas celebration consists of one lie built upon another. Was it not then the father of lies who started the Christmas tradition? So no matter how homey and warm and fuzzy all that Christmas spirit feels, there can be no real love or good found in it. It is evil.

That Christmas spirit you are feeling is not your Creator.
That Christmas spirit feeling you up is a demon.
You are being brain-raped by an evil spirit.
That is a fact, my friend.

Yahowsha condemned the religious leaders of His generation (the rabbis), declaring them to be sons of the slanderer and liars just like their father:

Yah is Merciful / Yaochanan / John 8:44
"You are of your father the slanderer, and you want to do the desires of your father. He was a murderer from the beginning and does not stand in the truth, because there is no truth in him. Whenever he speaks a lie, he speaks from his own [nature], for he is a liar and the father of lies."

He would level that same blistering charge on today's preachers who celebrate Christmas and encourage their congregants to do the same. Every one of those sorry "shepherds" has an inescapable date with His vengeance, and rightly so. My brothers and sisters and I will be right there, too, watching their trial. It would be better for you to be standing with us rather than to be standing with those who are being sentenced to spend an eternity in the blackness of darkness, banished forever to solitary confinement because they refused to reject man's ways and encouraged others to reject Yahowah with them.

It is high time that we forsake lying! Let us determine once and for all to abide in the truth. Let us forever turn away from the foolish, abominable practice of yoking the Son of Yahowah together with man's lies, for He has nothing to do with lying.

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True Doctrines or Man-Made Traditions?

Yahowsha, speaking on behalf of our heavenly Father, chided the scribes and Pharisees for placing their traditions above Yahowah's written instructions.

Yah has given us a gift / Mattanyah / Matthew 15:1,2
Then some Pharisees and scribes came to Yahowsha from Yarushalaim and said, "Why do your students break the tradition of the elders? For they do not wash their hands when they eat bread."

The religious leaders of the Hebrews, who called themselves "Exalted Ones" (rabbis in Hebrew), had developed a complex ritual of hand washing which they required each person to perform before they ate. This ritual was not based on any written instruction from Yahowah. In fact, the rabbis themselves were an illegal order of self-appointed religious leaders about whom Yahowah spoke nothing to Moshe! Nevertheless, they would assemble themselves and discuss things, and they would determine what was to be considered right and what was to be considered wrong based solely on their own reasonings and debates. If their decision was contrary to the written Word, then they fully expected Yahowah to capitulate to their decision since they had Him outnumbered. I kid you not, they actually believed that! They even went so far as to write it into their Talmud. It is the Talmud which today's Jews slavishly obey; they do not observe the Towrah. Then, whatever these criminals, these so-called "Exalted Ones", had decided was right would eventually take on the strength of law in the public eye.

Therefore, the scribes and Pharisees, all of whom were rabbis themselves, were indignant because Yahowsha's students did not submit to their self-declared authority, as evidenced by their refusal to follow the prescribed washing procedures before they ate.

"Hey, Yahowsha! Yeah, you! What's wrong with your students?" the self-appointed leaders demanded to know. "Why don't they obey our laws? Don't they acknowledge our right to dictate standards of behavior to them? Haven't You taught them not to be rebellious towards religious authority?"

It's no different today. "What? You don't celebrate Christmas? Don't you love Jesus?" Invariably, the question comes across in a tone of undisguised hostility, issued as a challenge, as though they were ready to knock my block off or something unless I jump onto their religious and patriotic bandwagon. (No, I don't celebrate Christmas. No, I don't love Jesus. No, I will not pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America, nor to the republic for which it allegedly stands, nor to any other nation's flag. No, I will not stand for your national anthem or remove my hat in respect to your nation's flag. Yes, I am a veteran of the United States Marine Corps, and no, I do not think of myself as a hero and you should not thank me for my "service". As far as I can tell, my time in the Marines did not contribute one iota to the protection of a single American freedom or citizen. Not one. To the contrary, the U.S. used me and others in uniform to force their foreign policy goals down the throats of weaker nations. So what the hell was heroic about that?! I left Babylon, just like my Father in Heaven told me to. Would you care to join those of us who side with the Creator?)

What people today are really saying is this: "Christmas is a Christian tradition! Aren't you a Christian? Are you trying to say that Christmas is not of God? Just who do you think you are to question ancient Christian traditions? All of the Christian leaders celebrate Christmas. Are you saying that they're wrong and you're right? Who do you think you are? What qualifies you to say such things?" And sometimes they go all the way with their foolishness and get into credentials and all that idiocy, as though one would have to have endured years of man's tutelage in some prestigious university in order to listen to Yahowah Himself through His Word. But that's how it is out here in the real world. The deceived can be nothing short of brutally maniacal in their inability to reason intelligently. And it shows.

Nowhere in the Towrah, Prophets, and Writings, or in the eyewitness testimonies of MattanYah and Yahowchanan, or in the letters from Kephas, Ya'aqob, and Yahowchanan are we advised or given permission to celebrate the birth of Yahowsha. That is a fact. Just as it a verifiable fact that there is no reliable record of Yahowsha or His students ever celebrating any birthday at all, ever. We are not forbidden to celebrate birthdays, but we are not encouraged to celebrate them either.

My answer to the question, "Why don't you celebrate Christmas?" would have to be, "Why do you reject the instruction of Yahowah because of your tradition?"

Yah has given us a gift / Mattanyah / Matthew 15:3-6 (continued from above passage)
And He answered and said to them, "Why do you yourselves violate the instruction of Yahowah for the sake of your tradition? For Yahowah said, 'Honor your father and mother,' and, 'He who speaks evil of father or mother is to be put to death.' But you say, 'Whosoever says to his father or mother,"Whatever I have that would help you has been given to Yahowah," he is not to honor his father or his mother.' And by this you nullify the Word of Yahowah for the sake of your tradition!"

Here is an example of how the rabbis blithely tossed aside the Word of Yahowah in favor of their tradition. It was purely coincidence, I'm sure, that their reinterpretation of Yahowah's teaching made them enormously rich. As we have seen, participating in the observation of the Christmas season is also rejecting the Word of Yahowah in order to keep the traditions of men. What do you reckon Yahowsha thinks about this, my friend?

Yah has given us a gift / Mattanyah / Matthew 15:7-9
"You hypocrites! Rightly did Yashayahu prophesy of you: 'This people honors Me with their lips, but their heart is far away from Me. But in vain do they acknowledge Me, teaching as doctrines the precepts of men.'"

The Christmas celebration reportedly exists to honor the Son of Yahowah, but it cannot possibly honor Him, because Christmas is a holiday based on ancient idol worship. Since Christmas is pagan, it originates from the heart of the father of lies; it does not come from Yahowah. Christmas is really just one more of the many Yahowah-hating religious traditions and rituals created by unrighteous men. Again, I want to emphasize to you that there is not a single passage in all of the Towrah, Prophets, or Songs that tells us that we are to celebrate the birth or the alleged resurrection of Yahowsha. And nowhere in the Scriptures are we ever told to do anything the way men do it! In fact, just the opposite is true.

Words / Dabarym / Deuteronomy 12:29-32
"When Yahowah your God cuts off before you the nations which you are going in to dispossess, and you dispossess them and dwell in their land, beware that you are not ensnared to follow them, after they are destroyed before you, and that you do not inquire after their gods, saying, 'How do these nations serve their gods? I shall do likewise!' You shall not behave thus toward Yahowah your God, for every abominable act which Yahowah hates they have done for their gods. They even burn their sons and daughters in the fire to their gods! You are to pay careful attention to whatever I instruct you. You will not add to nor take away from it."

I submit without apology or hesitation that teaching one's children to believe in Santa Claus, Rudolph the red-nosed reindeer, Christmas trees, the manger scene, or any of the other Christmas myths is in no way any different at all from tossing those children into the fire of Molech. You see, while their physical bodies are not immediately consumed, their impressionable minds are. Their souls are thereby put in imminent peril by those charged with raising them in the Word of Yahowah Almighty. Such wayward parents are helping Yah's great archenemy to indoctrinate their children into the mysteries of this world's religious systems; they are teaching them lies and covetousness; they are teaching them to submit to man's authority; they are leading their own little children by the hand right into eternal separation from Yahowah, laughing and singing all the way while chattering on and on about silly, worthless things like entertainment, business, fashion, and sports.

That is why Yahowah proclaimed that fathers propagate their own sins down to the third and fourth generations. That is what you are doing when you pass on religious traditions to your children.

I sincerely believe that all will do well to re-examine their religious traditions. Few possess the courage or integrity to question the teachings that have been handed down to them by their parents, teachers, and religious, national, and military leaders because, like some of the people mentioned in the Towrah, Prophets, and Writings and in the eye witness testimonies, they fear rejection and condemnation from their families and from the leaders of the religious community.

Yah is merciful / Yahowchanan / John 7:11-13
So the Yahudim were seeking Him at the feast* and were saying, "Where is He?" There was much grumbling among the crowds concerning Him. Some were saying, "He is a good man." Others were saying,"No, on the contrary, He leads the people astray." Yet no one was speaking openly of Him for fear of the Yahuwdim.
* — This was the Festival of Booths, or Tabernacles. Click here to read about it in Qara' / Called Out / Leviticus 23:33-43 in my article, "The Feasts of Yahowah".

Yah is merciful / Yahowchanan / John 19:38
After these things Yoseph of Arimathaea, being a student of Yahowsha, but a secret one for fear of the Yahuwdim, asked Pilate if he might take away the body of Yahowsha, and Pilate granted permission. So he came and took away His body.

Yah is merciful / Yahowchanan / John 20:19
So when it was evening on that day, the first day of the week, and when the doors were shut where the students were, for fear of the Yahuwdim, Yahowsha came and stood in their midst and said to them, "Peace be with you."

Notice that in each passage someone did something "for fear of the Yahuwdim." (Yahuwdim is the Hebrew word we know as Jews.) Now, since the people being described werew Yahudim, the Yahuwdim they feared had to have been the scribes and Pharisees, the rabbis, who were the powerful self-appointed religious leaders of the Isra'elites. Those wicked men "had already agreed that if anyone confessed Yahowsha to be the Ma'aseYah, he was to be put out of the synagogue."(Yah is merciful / Yahowchanan / John 9:22) In other words, to maintain their hold on the people, the scribes and Pharisees threatened them with public infamy and religious banishment. Religion's "shepherds" are such wonderful people, aren't they? So, the Yahuwdi people discussed whether Yahowsha was good or evil, but they did it secretly "for fear of the religious leaders of the Yahuwdim". Yoseph of Arimathea acknowledged that Yahowsha was the Prophet Moshe had promised, but didn't let it be known in public "for fear of the religious leaders of the Yahuwdim". Yahowsha's students were gathered together behind closed doors "for fear of the religious leaders of the Yahuwdim".

Fear of rejection by family and friends, fear of becoming social outcasts, or fear of the wrath of the religious leaders, terrorized them all into hiding their feelings about Yahowsha from the religious authorities. Those same kinds of fears prevent most who learn the truth from embracing it. That fear is spiritual suicide.

If we fear anything, we ought to fear
the idea of eternal separation from Yahowah!

It is Yahowah Who saves us. Mommy and Daddy cannot save us. Grace through faith cannot save us. Faith will not save us. The preacher cannot save us. Our friends cannot save us. Cleaning up our act and going to church cannot save us. In fact, it will kill us. Only Yahowah can commend us as we observe His Towrah, as did His Son, Yahowsha, Who lived in perfect harmony with the written Word and Whose perfect example we are encouraged to follow. If that doesn't sit well with family or friends, then so be it. We do not answer to family and friends. We answer to the Father of all life.

Salvation Is Not the Goal!

Walking with Yahowah in the relaxed, loving atmosphere of a family relationship is the goal and was the purpose for the whole creation in the first place. Living joyfully and playfully together is the goal and purpose, not being "saved from the fires of a sinner's Hell." Having meaningful conversations and discussions without fear of harm is the way of Life with Yahowah, and the salvation of our souls is simply the natural by-product of our being His children. Salvation isn't the be-all end-all purpose of existence. That, too, is religious horse plop.

Does it make sense for a child to constantly beg its father to save its life? Shouldn't that be a given, that Daddy's going to ensure its safety, protecting it from all who would do it harm? Why should our Heavenly Father be expected to behave any differently? But the religious can't wrap their minds around such freedom.

It's like you're living in a house that has become infested with vermin. The infestation is so bad that your dad has to call in an exterminator to fumigate the whole house. While the toxic fumes are being delivered and are doing their lethal work, your dad takes you and the rest of your family away from the house for awhile. That's what will happen with us before the Tribulation becomes unbearable. We'll be taken out of this world while our Heavenly Father pours out His wrath on those who have hated Him and warred against Him since time began. And, because even the fumigation will ultimately be unsuccessful, He will destroy all there is and start all over. And we'll get to be there with Him, watching, and probably even getting a say in the planning process.

If we were not already a part of His Family, we would not be eligible to travel with the Family to a place of safety during the fumigation. Nor would we be allowed to stay with the Family while everything old is destroyed and the totally new is created. We will be allowed to accompany our Family because the Head of the Family, our Heavenly Father, already knows us. We aren't among those who will hear, "Get away from Me! I never knew you." Instead, we will hear, "Enter into the joy of your Father!" And that is what it's all about. It isn't about hoodwinking God with insincere promises and religious appearances so that we can con Him into sparing us from an eternity of blazing tortures (which isn't going to happen to anyone anyway).

Word Pictures / Mishlay / Proverbs 29:25
The fear of man brings a snare,
    but he who trusts in Yahowah will be lifted up.

Yah Saves / Yashayahu / Isaiah 41:10-13
"Fear not, for I am with you.
    Be not dismayed, for I am your God:
        I shall strengthen you.
        Yes, I shall help you.
        Yes, I shall uphold you
        with the right hand of My righteousness.
Behold,
    all they that were incensed against you
        will be ashamed and confounded:
    they will be as nothing!
    And they that strive with you will perish.
    You will seek them and will not find them,
        even them that contended with you.
    They that war against you will be as nothing,
        and as a thing of naught.
For I, Yahowah, your God,
    shall hold your right hand,
    saying to you, 'Fear not: I shall help you!' "

We must have the courage to compare what we have been taught by the church system and our families with what the Word of Yahowah actually teaches. And we must immediately turn away from any errors we find ourselves to be involved with.

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There's A Party Coming To Celebrate A Double Murder!

Are you familiar with the films and photos of unwashed, smelly Muslims dancing in the streets and firing rifle shots into the air while shouting "Allah u akhbar!" whenever Americans are murdered by their Muslim brothers and sisters and little children? Have you seen, or even taken part in, the revelry of Christmas parties, Mardi Gras, and/or New Year's Eve celebrations? In the book of Revelation, Yahowah paints for us a picture of a coming party eerily similar in nature to those kinds of celebrations.

The Set-Apart Spirit prophesies that in the last days Her two prophets will be murdered. She tells us that people from every race all over the world will have parties to celebrate the double murder. And they're going to send gifts to each other because they're so glad Her two prophets are finally dead.

It's beginning to sound a lot like Christmas, everywhere we go.

Here's the record we have:

Revelation 11:1-10
…[T]he Messenger stood, saying, "…I will grant authority to My two witnesses, and they will prophesy for 1,260 days, clothed in sackcloth.
 
"These are the two olive trees and the two lampstands that stand before the God of the earth. And if anyone wishes to harm them, fire comes out from their mouth and consumes their enemies. And if anyone wishes to harm them, he has to be killed in that way. They have the power to shut the sky, that no rain may fall during the days of their prophesying, and they have power over the waters to turn them into blood and to strike the earth with every kind of plague, as often as they desire.
 
"And when they have finished their testimony, the beast that rises from the bottomless pit will make war on them and conquer them and kill them, and their carcasses will lie in the street of the great city which mystically is called Sodom and Egypt, where also our Teacher was impaled. Those from the peoples and tribes and tongues and nations will look at their dead bodies for three and a half days, and will not permit their dead bodies to be laid in a tomb. And those who dwell on the earth will rejoice over them and celebrate; and they will send gifts to one another, because these two prophets tormented those who dwell on the earth."

Yahowsha's two witnesses are going to have their way with this world for 1,260 days. At the end of that time, the beast is going to hunt them down, capture them, torture them mercilessly and publicly, and then murder them in cold blood. The citizens of this world are going to rejoice over the fact that these two prophets from Yahowah are lying dead in a street in Yarushalaim (Jerusalem), "where also our Teacher was impaled." As a sign of their utter contempt for these men and the Pure Set-Apart One Whom they represented, the people of this world are not even going to let the bodies of the two precious prophets be buried. They are going to celebrate and exchange gifts with each other—just like at Christmas-time—because two righteous men have been silenced through murder. The similarity between this behavior and the celebrating of Christmas should not be lost on the discerning child of Yahowah.

Ah, but Yahowah gets the last laugh. On that third day, while the whole world is partying it up, the two dead men will stand up on their feet and everyone in the world is going to crap their pants. Especially when they hear Yahowsha speak from Heaven, "Come up here!" and the two men that had been murdered but now live again are going to ascend into Heaven right in front of everyone. It will all be caught on worldwide newsfeed cameras. And what follows next is just downright ugly for those left on this planet.

Now you know the true origin of the Christmas season, and you are aware that its celebrations and traditions originated in the mind of the father of lies. Having this new knowledge, you might want to ask yourself, "Why would I ever again celebrate Christmas?" How you answer will reveal on which side of the fence between good and evil you stand (or bow). Please choose wisely.

 = יהוה = ee-ah-oh-ah = Yahowah

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Song / Mizmowr / Psalm 19:7
Yahowah's Towrah is complete and entirely perfect, returning and restoring the soul. Yahowah's testimony is trustworthy and reliable, making understanding and obtaining wisdom simple for the open-minded and receptive.
 
Yahowah's () Towrah (torah – teaching, guidance, direction, and instruction) is complete and entirely perfect (tamym – without defect, lacking nothing, correct, genuine, right, helpful, beneficial, and true), returning and restoring (suwb – transforming) the soul (nepesh – consciousness). Yahowah's testimony ('eduwth – restoring and eternal witness) is trustworthy and reliable ('aman – verifiable, confirming, supportive, and establishing), making understanding and obtaining wisdom (hakam – educating and enlightening oneself to the point of comprehension) simple for the open-minded and receptive (pethy – easy for those who are receptive).

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Reference Passages

  From the Towrah, Prophets, Writings, and Yahowchanan

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