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Interests: 7 Surely the Sovereign LORD does nothing without revealing his plan to his servants the prophets.
(Amos 3:7) (NIV) Expertise: 11 Then I was told, "You must prophesy again about many peoples, nations, languages and kings."
(Revelation 10:11) (NIV)
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3/2/2005
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| The Bible - The Book of God
Most people will agree that the Bible is God’s book yet many people do not read it very much because they believe the information contained in the Bible is ancient and obsolete in these modern times.
What can we learn from the Bible that is relevant to today?
There was One True Faith in the days of ancient Israel when they were in a covenant agreement with the one true God - Jehovah. "And Jehovah said unto Moses... I have made A COVENANT with thee and with Israel." (Exodus 34:27) (American Standard Version) "Jehovah made a covenant with the children of Israel, when they came out of the land of Egypt." (1Kings 8:9) (ASV) After Christ came to the earth, he established “The Way” and reinstated the One True Worship of his Father, Jehovah God, and he concluded a New Covenant with God's people. Those teachings were considered the One True Faith at that time. "and many of the sons of Israel will he turn back to Jehovah their God." (Luke 1:16) (New World Translation) (WWW.Watchtower.org) "For this reason Christ is the mediator of a new covenant..." (Hebrews 9:15) (New International Version) But Christ and the Apostles foretold that once they left the world, a great Apostasy would take over the True Faith. They warned of ravenous wolves attacking the flock of God's sheep. "Beware of false prophets, who come to you dressed as sheep, but inside they are devouring wolves..." (Matthew 7:14) (Amplified Bible) "I know that after I am gone, ferocious wolves will get in among you, not sparing the flock." (Acts 20:29) (Amplified Bible) These “wolves” would corrupt the pure teachings of Christ and begin a period of utterly unbelievable terror and cruelty. "I see the great Apostasy, I see the desolation of Christendom... the ruined women, the murdered innocents; I hear the lying absolutions, the dying groans; I hear the cries of the victims; I hear the anathemas, the curses, the thunders of the interdicts; I see the racks, the dungeons, the stakes; I see that inhuman Inquisition, those fires of Smithfield, those butcheries of St. Bartholomew... that dreadful multitude of massacres. I see it all, and in the name of the ruin it has brought in the Church and in the world, in the name of the truth it has denied, the temple it has defiled, the God it has blasphemed, the souls it has destroyed; in the name of the millions it has deluded, the millions it has slaughtered, the millions it has damned; with holy confessors, with noble reformers, with innumerable martyrs, with the saints of ages, I denounce it as 'the masterpiece of Satan', as the body and soul and essence of antichrist." - 1880s, Dr. H. Grattan Guinness "In Rome, in 1849, I myself visited every convent. I was present at all the investigations. Without a single exception we found instruments of torture, and a cellar with the bodies of infant children." -- The Italian patriot, Garibaldi Today, The Pope and his priests will tell anybody that the Catholic Church is the holiest religion on the face of the earth. Yet this same religion is responsible for the torturing and deaths of many millions of people. What will our Savior say about the handiwork of these evil people? 22 Many will say to me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and in your name drive out demons and perform many miracles?’ 23 Then I will tell them plainly, ‘I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers!’ (Matthew 7:22,23) (NIV) Along with this bad news is good news - Christ preached that in the Last Days - The time of "The End" - that God would gather out of the nations a people for his name. These people would be the only ones called by God's name and they would restore many other people back to the pure worship of Jehovah God. They would preach world wide and would still be actively preaching when Christ returns to the earth. 14 "Simeon has related how God first visited the Gentiles, to take from them a people for his name." (Acts 15:14,17) (English Standard Version) "Jehovah will establish thee unto himself a holy people ...and all peoples of the earth shall see that thou art called by the name of Jehovah..." (Deuteronomy 28:9,10) (Young’s Literal Translation) "Ye are my witnesses, saith Jehovah, and my servant whom I have chosen." (Isaiah 43:10) (ASV) What are these people with Jehovah’s name doing right now? "But before the end comes, the good news must be preached to all nations." (Mark 13:10) (Contemporary English Version) But a lot of people do not want to be preached to. Many people say: “I don’t like people who preach to me. I don’t want to hear it.” What about them? 4 They are stubborn and hardheaded. But I, the LORD God, have chosen you to tell them what I say. 5 Those rebels may not even listen, but at least they will know that a prophet has come to them. (Ezekiel 2:4-5) (CEV) 1 And so I solemnly urge you before God and before Christ
Jesus--who will someday judge the living and the dead when he appears to set up his Kingdom: 2 Preach the word of God.
Be persistent, whether the time is favorable or not. Patiently correct, rebuke, and encourage your people with good teaching. (2Timothy 4:1,2) (New Living Translation) This would not be a single person or clergy group but rather a massive crowd of devoted people preaching the imminent return of Christ. When the time was right, they were sent just as John the Baptist was - to pave the way for Christ's return.
Now is that time! "Preaching and teaching were NOT confined to a particular class, but every convert would proclaim the gospel... and every Christian... could pray and teach..." - History of the Christian Church, by Philip Schaff, vol. 2, p. 124. And what will happen after that?
"...At the time that God has already decided, HE will send Jesus Christ back again." (1Timothy 6:15) (Contemporary English Version) This preaching work was started in the late 1800's and is still in active motion today with almost seven million preachers on foot going from city to city and door to door with their grand preaching commission. Indeed - in these last days - one group of Christians stand out from the rest In their worldwide preaching campaign to vindicate The Great God Jehovah and announce the return of his Son. "And I will hallow my great name, which was profaned among the nations... and the nations shall know that I am Jehovah." (Ezekiel 36:23) (Young’s Literal Translation) "As it is written in Isaiah the prophet: 'BEHOLD, I SEND MY MESSENGER AHEAD OF YOU, WHO WILL PREPARE YOUR WAY; ' " (Mark 1:2) (NASB) Yes, people in The Last Days would witness a return to pure first century Christianity - as the Bible foretold - where all of the members would speak in agreement, and be of the same line of thought. Thus there would be worshipers that Christ foretold would worship THE FATHER in Spirit and Truth. Yet a time is coming when the true worshipers will worship "the Father" in spirit and truth, for they are the kind of worshipers the Father seeks. God is spirit, and his worshipers must worship in spirit and in truth.' " (John 4:23,24) (NIV)
"with ONE heart and mouth you may glorify THE GOD and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ." (Romans 15:6) (NIV) The pure worship of Jehovah God under the direction of his Son would be marked by their unity of beliefs in worship. No matter where in the world that they live or preach - this group's unity of thought and their oneness of purpose - and their complete agreement in all aspects of beliefs and worship is what would mark them as being the True Faith that Christ foretold would arise in the last days - preceding his return.
"one Lord,ONE faith, one baptism" (Ephesians 4:5) (NIV)
"The goal is for all of them to become one heart and mind." (John 17:21) (MSG) "Be united in what you think, as if you were only one person. " (Philippians 2:2) (CEV) "YOU should all speak in agreement... YOU may be fitly united in the same mind and in the same line of thought." (1Corinthians 1:10) (NWT) (WWW.Watchtower.org) Do these prophesied people exist?
Yes, they do!
Would it be better to turn Jehovah's Witnesses away or Invite them in the next time they come to your door? Most people turn them away. How wise is that? 14 If anyone will not welcome you or listen to your words, shake the dust off your feet when you leave that home or town. 15 I tell you the truth, it will be more bearable for Sodom and Gomorrah on the day of judgment than for that town.
(Matthew 10:14-15) (NIV) 
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| How Much Does God Love Us? If this question were asked of a typical member of Christendom, most people would claim that “God loves us just the way we are” because that is what they are usually taught. Some people might even respond with a fairly well-known Bible Scripture:
“For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life.” (John 3:16) (New Living Translation) Of course we know that Jehovah loves us because He is our Father who created us and He loves us just as a parent would. On the other hand, does Jehovah love the ones of us who are disobedient to Him? Yes, a parent can love hateful children but it is not easy. We are all children of Jehovah; we are all brothers and sisters. Why do so many people mistreat other people; our brothers and sisters? Jehovah God, in His infinite wisdom, gave all of us free will and allowed us to exercise it to our own discretion. Jehovah gave us guidelines to follow but He does not force us to follow His rules. What is the result of this? What kind of world are we living in now?
9 All this I have seen while thinking about every work that has been done under the sun. There is a time when one man has power over another man and makes him suffer. (Ecclesiastes 8:9) (New Life Version) 18 If only you had listened to My Laws! Then your peace would have been like a river and your right-standing with God would have been like the waves of the sea. (Isaiah 48:18) (New Life Version) So while it is true that Jehovah loves us, it is far easier for Him to love the ones who are obedient and loving. Unfortunately, those are the ones who are always victimized by the bad ones. What will be the fate of those who do not change their ways and become obedient to our Parent? Will Jehovah continue to forgive and love them?
30 In the past God overlooked such ignorance, but now he commands all people everywhere to repent. (Acts 17:30) (New International Version) And what will happen to those people if they do not change for the better soon? 10 A little while, and the wicked will be no more; though you look for them, they will not be found. 11 But the meek will inherit the land and enjoy great peace. (Psalms 37:10-11) (NIV) What exactly will happen to "the wicked"? Will they be endlessly forgiven? "And the word of Jehovah continued to occur to me, saying... ‘An end, the end, has come upon the four extremities of the land. Now the end is upon you, and I must send my anger against you, and I will judge you according to your ways and bring upon you all your detestable things. And my eye will not feel sorry for you, neither will I feel compassion, for upon you I shall bring your own ways, and in the midst of you your own detestable things will come to be; and YOU people will have to know that I am Jehovah.’ "
(Ezekiel 7:1-4) (New World Translation) Watchtower.orgJehovah's Son foretold what will happen in the model prayer most Christians are familiar with:
9 After this manner therefore pray ye: Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name. 10 Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven. (Matthew 6:9-10) (King James Version) What does it mean in plain English? 9 You should pray like this: Our Father in heaven, help us to honor your name. 10 Come and set up your kingdom, so that everyone on earth will obey you, as you are obeyed in heaven. (Matthew 6:9-10) (Contemporary English Version) Set up a kingdom? A Heavenly kingdom? Right here on earth? Here is what Christ, himself, prophesied almost 2,000 years ago: 14 And the Good News about the Kingdom will be preached throughout the whole world, so that all nations will hear it; and then, finally, the end will come. (Matthew 24:14) (NLV) The end of - what? 44 "In the time of those kings, the God of heaven will set up a kingdom that will never be destroyed, nor will it be left to another people. It will crush all those kingdoms and bring them to an end, but it will itself endure forever.” (Daniel 2:44) (NIV) So we will have a world-wide kingdom ruled by - whom? 4 I saw thrones on which were seated those who had been given authority to judge. And I saw the souls of those who had been beheaded because of their testimony for Jesus and because of the word of God. They had not worshiped the beast or his image and had not received his mark on their foreheads or their hands. They came to life and reigned with Christ a thousand years. 6 Blessed and holy are those who have part in the first resurrection. The second death has no power over them, but they will be priests of God and of Christ and will reign with him for a thousand years. (Revelation 20:4,6) (NIV) And then what will happen after that?
6 The wolf also shall dwell with the lamb, and the leopard shall lie down with the kid, and the calf and the young lion and the fatted beast together, and a little child shall lead them. 7 And the cow and the she-bear shall feed; their young ones shall lie down together; and the lion shall eat straw like the ox. 8 And the sucking child shall play on the hole of the adder, and the weaned child shall put forth its hand to the viper's den. 9 They shall not hurt nor destroy in all my holy mountain; for the earth shall be full of the knowledge of Jehovah, as the waters cover the sea. (Isaiah 11:6-9) (Darby)
What happens when the thousand years are over? 7 When the thousand years are over, Satan will be released from his prison 8 and will go out to deceive the nations in the four corners of the earth—Gog and Magog—to gather them for battle. In number they are like the sand on the seashore. 10 And the devil, who deceived them, was thrown into the lake of burning sulfur, where the beast and the false prophet had been thrown. (Revelation 20:7,8,10) (NIV) 24 the grand consummation when, after crushing the opposition, he hands over his kingdom to God the Father. 28 When everything and everyone is finally under God's rule, the Son will step down, taking his place with everyone else, showing that God's rule is absolutely comprehensive--a perfect ending! (1Corinthians 15:24,28) (Message Bible) 
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| The World As We Know It Is Passing Away! Most Christians today believe that this modern world has problems but the problems will all be solved in time. They also believe that the world is a temporary habitat and our true destiny is to live forever in Heaven or Hell.
The Bible actually tells a slightly different story. According to the ancient prophets, the world is experiencing problems now that mankind will not solve. Our world leaders have had several thousand years to show God what they can do. What do we see all around us today? Paradise? Love? Prosperity for all? What do we see?
The world as we know it is passing away. It's ever so obvious with each passing day. The violence and terror have made earth a mess we need intervention we need God to bless Yes, soon He will save us from the darkness of night He'll turn back our nightmare with His blessed light. Jehovah is sending His precious Son To cleanse all our problems a New world begun Mankind will reap blessings from Christ's loving rule life that's worth living an earth that's brand new No one will grow old and no one will die no pain and no crying no sorrowful sigh The dead will arise to a world filled with peace to a world filled with pleasure that never will cease. ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ 9 I noticed all this and thought seriously about what goes on in the world. Why does one person have the power to hurt another? (Ecclesiastes 8:9) (Contemporary English Version)
What else did the ancient prophets say about our present day? "17 And the world is passing away along with its desires, but whoever does the will of God abides forever.” (1John 2:17) (English Standard Version) "This world as you see it - is on its way out." (1Corinthians 7:31) (Message Bible) "But God has promised us a new heaven and a new earth, where justice will rule. We are really looking forward to that!" (2Peter 3:13) (Contemporary English Version) "...At the time that God has already decided, He will send Jesus Christ back again." (1Timothy 6:15) (CEV) But what kind of a new world do we look forward to? "He will swallow up death for ever; and the Lord Jehovah will wipe away tears from off all faces; and the reproach of his people will he take away from off all the earth." (Isaiah 25:8) (American Standard Version) "...And He will wipe away every tear from their eyes; and death shall be no more, neither shall there be anguish nor grief nor pain any more, for the old conditions and the former order of things have passed away." (Revelation 21:1-5) (Amplified Bible) "But the meek shall inherit the earth, And shall delight themselves in the abundance of peace." (Psalm 37:11) (King James Version) "The righteous shall inherit the earth, And they shall live forever upon it." (Psalm 37:29) (KJV)
Even God's Son, himself verified this prophecy: "Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth." (Matthew 5:5) (KJV)
What about all of the evil in the world? "For evil-doers shall be cut off; But those that wait for Jehovah, they shall inherit the earth. For just a little while longer, and the wicked ones shall be no more: Yea, thou shalt diligently consider his place, and he shall not be. But the meek shall inherit the earth, And shall delight themselves in the abundance of peace... The righteous shall inherit the earth, And dwell therein for ever... Wait for Jehovah, and keep his way, And he will exalt thee to inherit the earth; When the wicked are cut off, thou shalt see it." (Psalm 37:9-11,29,34) (ASV) "The harvest is the end of the age, and the harvesters are angels. The Son of Man will send out his angels, and they will "WEED OUT" of his kingdom everything that causes sin and all who do evil." (Matthew 13:36-41) (NIV) "...And you will destroy all who have caused destruction on the earth." (Revelation 11:18) (New Living Translation) "...This will happen when the Lord Jesus is revealed from heaven in blazing fire with his powerful angels. He will punish those who do not know God and do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus. They will be punished with everlasting destruction and shut out from the presence of the Lord and from the majesty of his power on the day he comes to be glorified." (2Thessalonians 1:7-10) (NIV) "As the "WEEDS" are pulled up and burned in the fire, so it will be at the end of the age." (Matthew 13:14) (NIV) 22 For this is the time of punishment in fulfillment of all that has been written. 23 How dreadful it will be in those days for pregnant women and nursing mothers! There will be great distress in the land and wrath against this people. 25 “There will be signs in the sun, moon and stars. On the earth, nations will be in anguish and perplexity at the roaring and tossing of the sea. 26 Men will faint from terror, apprehensive of what is coming on the world, for the heavenly bodies will be shaken. 27 At that time they will see the Son of Man coming in a cloud with power and great glory. 28 When these things begin to take place, stand up and lift up your heads, because your redemption is drawing near.” (Luke 21:22-23, 25-28) (NIV) And what awaits Jehovah's people?
5 Then will the eyes of the blind be opened and the ears of the deaf unstopped. 6 Then will the lame leap like a deer, and the mute tongue shout for joy. Water will gush forth in the wilderness and streams in the desert. (Isaiah 35:5-6) (NIV) 25 The wolf and the lamb shall feed together, and the lion shall eat straw like the ox; and dust shall be the serpent's food. They shall not hurt nor destroy in all my holy mountain, saith Jehovah. (Isaiah 65:25) (ASV) 6 And the wolf shall dwell with the lamb, and the leopard shall lie down with the kid; and the calf and the young lion and the fatling together; and a little child shall lead them. 7 And the cow and the bear shall feed; their young ones shall lie down together; and the lion shall eat straw like the ox. 8 And the sucking child shall play on the hole of the asp, and the weaned child shall put his hand on the adder's den. 9 They shall not hurt nor destroy in all my holy mountain; for the earth shall be full of the knowledge of Jehovah, as the waters cover the sea. (Isaiah 11:6-9) (ASV) 
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| Christian Mythology What is the number one religion in the world? According to http://www.adherents.com there are 2.1 billion Christians in the world, making Christianity the number one religion globally.
From: http://www.adherents.com/Religions_By_Adherents.html But there are numerous sects and the only thing that the sects have in common is their apparent originator – Christ! Why do so many kinds of Christianity exist if our Savior only brought one belief to us? The corruption of the Christian religion was foretold soon after he died. "I know that after I leave, savage wolves will come in among you and will not spare the flock. Even from your own number men will arise and distort the truth in order to draw away disciples after them."
(Acts 20:29-30) (New International Version) Who is responsible for corrupting Christianity? "The Apostasy - that fatal period when the Emperor Constantine called himself a Christian; From this time onward - the Christians had no more of the Spirit of Christ than the heathens."
-John Wesley (Wesley's Works, vol 7, Sermon 89, pp. 26-27)Roman Emperor Constantine the Great is credited for taking the pure teachings of Christ and distorting them to his satisfaction. "It was this man who is credited with making 'Christianity' the lawful religion of the Empire, but Constantine, himself not knowing what Christianity is, turned to the Catholic bishops, who gave him various answers. That was intolerable. And for that reason, Constantine summoned councils in an attempt to unify the Empire theologically, just as he had unified it militarily in 324, when he defeated Licinius, his last rival for power. Councils assembled in response to his orders and those of subsequent emperors; and creedal formulations from the fourth century onward become the creedal formulations approved by the Roman Emperor. All who disagreed were banished from the Empire, or punished in more painful ways."
From: http://www.rapidnet.com/~jbeard/bdm/Cults/Catholicism/ch-state.htm"As this massive apostasy from His teachings was taking place, what happened to the group labeled Jewish Christians? As startling as it may sound, the religion the world knows as Christianity was not founded by Jesus Christ! Within the span of three hundred years, this religion had become a vast organization with a clergy presiding over rites taken from pagan mysteries and it had borrowed the best elements of Greek philosophy and had formed a dogma appealing to human reason and emotion. This religious organization had become a powerful political force in the Roman Empire. But it was not the Church established by Christ!"
-In Search of Early Christianity (part 1 & 2) by Wesley WhiteYes, the apostles foretold in advance two very important things that most Christians tend to ignore: a great apostasy would occur where the truth would be traded for the lies and that mankind would largely prefer the lies. For the time will come when men will not put up with sound doctrine. Instead, to suit their own desires, they will gather around them a great number of teachers to say what their itching ears want to hear. They will turn their ears away from the truth and turn aside to myths. (2Timothy 4:3-4) (New International Version) When Will That Happen? 1 Now the Holy Spirit tells us clearly that in the last times some will turn away from the true faith; they will follow deceptive spirits and teachings that come from demons. 2 These people are hypocrites and liars, and their consciences are dead. (1Timothy 4:1) (NLT) Yes, now - in the last days of this world - people are accumulating teachers for themselves in order to hear what they wish to hear. That is exactly why we not only have thousands of religions in existence in the world today, but hundreds of versions of Christianity!What do we need hundreds of different kinds of Christianity for?
John foretold in the book of Revelation that this great apostasy would be called by a name - "Babylon the Great". He likened her to a woman who prostitutes herself to the kings of the earth. 3 Then the angel carried me away in the Spirit into a desert. There I saw a woman sitting on a scarlet beast that was covered with blasphemous names and had seven heads and ten horns. 4 The woman was dressed in purple and scarlet, and was glittering with gold, precious stones and pearls. She held a golden cup in her hand, filled with abominable things and the filth of her adulteries. 5 This title was written on her forehead: MYSTERY BABYLON THE GREAT THE MOTHER OF PROSTITUTES AND OF THE ABOMINATIONS OF THE EARTH. 6 I saw that the woman was drunk with the blood of the saints, the blood of those who bore testimony to Jesus.
(Revelation 17:3-6) (NIV) Yes the Apostasy, or falling away of the true faith, would be marked by Christendom's trading the truth of Christ and his apostles for "Babylon the Great" - the lies of ancient Babylon. The stake he died on would be traded for the "Cross" of the pagans. The resurrection to eternal earthly life would be traded for the immortality of the human soul, purgatory, and the hellfire of Ancient Babylon. The worship of the Almighty God Jehovah through His mediator, His only begotten Son, would be traded for the false doctrine of the Trinity featuring "Lord Nameless" and his adopted son, Jesus, another tradition handed down from Ancient Babylon. The Sabbath on Saturday would be traded for Pagan Sunday.
Forced celibacy, Christmas, Easter, Halloween, Lent, saint worship, sunrise services and many other Babylonian doctrines replaced pure Christian worship. Paul warned us that it was coming: 1 Now the Holy Spirit tells us clearly that in the last times some will turn away from the true faith; they will follow deceptive spirits and teachings that come from demons. 2 These people are hypocrites and liars, and their consciences are dead. 3 They will say it is wrong to be married and wrong to eat certain foods. But God created those foods to be eaten with thanks by faithful people who know the truth. (1Timothy 4:1-3) (NLT) The Roman Church adopted all of these pagan philosophies, idolatries, and holidays to keep their pagan conquests satisfied. The Protestant Churches broke away from the Catholic Church but retained most of these pagan traditions. This spiritual blindness would exist for a period of time - until the time of "The End". Was everyone fooled? Most Christians are clueless but the experts are not fooled! Nominal Christians worship a Trinity god named Jesus. Why? "The doctrine that Jesus Christ the Son of God - was God the son - was decreed by worldly and ecclesiastical powers. Men were forced to accept it at the point of the sword or else. Thus, the error of the trinity was propounded to the end that ultimately people believed it to be the truth. Thus Christianity became in essence like 'Babylonian' heathenism, with only a veneer of Christian names." --- Forgers of the Word -1983 by Victor Paul Wierwille "A Great apostate pagan trinity doctrine has infiltrated the Christian Churches. Trinity or polytheism came from Babylon. The infiltration of this great apostate pagan doctrine has cause a great deception by Satan in theology. Most churches are teaching this great apostasy and worship the Trinity, which in actuality is pagan. Most Churches have departed from the true doctrine that was given unto the church by Jesus Christ and the Apostles." -Trinity Is The Great Apostasy To Infiltrate Christianity by Thunder Ministries
"By adopting the trappings of paganism, Christianity reverted to an ancient past. By converting to Catholicism, they fell back into a form of polytheism evidenced by belief in the trinity." -Those Incredible Christians; pg. 225 Sconfield And what else happened? "By the turn of the second century, there were thousands of professing Christians - but only a tiny few held fast to what they had been taught by the original apostles. This new 'Christianity' altered and rejected the true teachings of the Bible and embraced many pagan traditions and customs." - Popular Religious Holidays Where They Really Came From BY LOUIS F. MASCHIO Such as: "Easter and Christmas - These holidays represent only part of the great apostasy that has come upon God's people in the latter days. They cumulatively fulfill what are known as the latter day prophesies that predict a great apostasy before the coming of Messiah." -The Pagan History of Christmas by Dr. Joel Ehrlich
"The forms and ceremonies of paganism gradually crept into the worship of Christendom. Some of the old heathen feasts became church festivals - with change of name." - (Story of the Christian Church, p.79) ; Jesse Lyman Hurlbut
"Like Christmas, the origins of Easter are deeply rooted in pagan customs. It was A.D. 325 when Easter displaced Christ's Passover. Christ actually commanded us to keep the Passover, in memory of him. (Luke 22:13-20)." - Popular Religious Holidays Where They Really Came From BY LOUIS F. MASCHIO "It is interesting that the holiest day of the liturgical Christian year, Easter Sunday, bears the name of the pagan sex goddess Eastre and the pagan sun god Solis." -Panati, Charles. Sacred Origins of Profound Things. New York: Penguin Books USA Inc., 1996. "It was in the fifth century that the Roman Catholic Church commanded that the birth of Christ be observed forever on December 25th, the day of the old Pagan Roman feast of the birth of Sol, one of the names of their pagan sun-god!" - Encyclopedia Americana, Vol.6, p.623 These are the most sacred days the Christian majority observe. Why don't Christendom's ministers tell people the truth? "The Christian Church is entrenched deeply in the ancient Babylonian mystery religion, only today it is referred to as 'traditions'. Many of God's people, as well as the secular earth, are guilty of giving in to Babylon's pageantry and paganism. Most Christians either don't know or care to know the truth of these pagan ties." -The Pagan History of Christmas by Dr. Joel Ehrlich "Notice how today's churches have sprung from the same root as paganism! Satan has created an entire system of "counterfeit Christianity." He has cleverly guided vain religious leaders to introduce completely pagan ideas, concepts and practices into "Christianity." -Source --Satan's Counterfeit Christianity By Roderick C. Meredith But what was the worst lie of all?
"By the end of the first century, all of the original apostles had died. This vacuum was quickly filled by false leaders, who taught that God's laws were no longer necessary and that Christians were now solely under grace. All one needed to do was simply "believe." Works were no longer required. Thus, grace was turned into a license to sin." (I John 3:4). - Popular Religious Holidays Where They Really Came From BY LOUIS F. MASCHIO And that explains the ruthless violence being perpetuated by many "Christians". Such as... "In 2001, two Rwandan Catholic nuns were convicted by a Belgian court for aiding and abetting the mass murders. A Roman Catholic priest is on trial before the Tanzania-based U.N. tribunal, accused of ordering the slaughter of 2,000 people who sought refuge in his church." From: http://abcnews.go.com/International/wireStory?id=2644027&CMP=OTC-RSSFeeds0312 These are supposedly Christian clergy doing this! Does the Bible condone this vicious behavior? Everyone who sins breaks the law; in fact, sin is lawlessness. (1John 3:4) (NIV) Lies such as "God loves us all no matter what" and "If we know Jesus then we will go to Heaven when we die" are very popular with the "Christian" Church crowd. The motto - "Once saved, always saved!" has become a highly popular and widespread "Christian" belief. But then, who wouldn't want their salvation served to them on a silver platter? "...because they did not receive the love of the truth... For this reason God will send upon them a deluding influence so that they will believe what is false..." (2Thessalonians 2:10,11) (NASB) So what is the truth? Christ Said: 8 The person who keeps on sinning belongs to the devil. The devil has sinned from the beginning. But the Son of God came to destroy the works of the devil. (1John 3:8) (New Life Version) And he is not the only one giving this warning. "If we deliberately keep on sinning after we have received the knowledge of the truth, no sacrifice for sins is left, but only a fearful expectation of judgment and of raging fire that will consume the enemies of God." (Hebrews 10:26,27) (NIV) "But when a righteous man turns away from his righteousness, commits iniquity and does according to all the abominations that a wicked man does, will he live? All his righteous deeds which he has done will not be remembered for his treachery which he has committed and his sin which he has committed; for them he will die. " (Ezekiel 18:24) (New American Standard Bible) "When the righteous turns from his righteousness and commits iniquity, then he shall die in it." (Ezekiel 33:18) (NASB) "And I saw the dead, great and small, standing before the throne, and books were opened. Another book was opened, which is the book of life. The dead were judged according to what they had done as recorded in the books." (Revelation 20:12) (NIV) Also, they warned of an end to the apostasy; so thorough an end that the people who perpetuated and embraced the myths would be destroyed along with their mythology. 9 I, the LORD, will show no mercy or pity when that time comes. In my anger I will destroy the earth and every sinner who lives on it. (Isaiah 13:9) (CEV) Christian mythology is popular and widespread. The ministers of Christendom have been spreading it for centuries. There is a people who are a Christian minority who pride themselves on the authenticity of their Christian beliefs. This is not their motto but it should be: 32 Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free." (John 8:32) (NIV) Not only will the truth set us free, it will lead to everlasting life instead of destruction! 
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| Jehovah's People - Then and Now Present-day Israel has many problems, just like the rest of the world but at one time, the ancient Israelites were the most prosperous and well-protected people in the whole world.
What separated the ancient Jews from the rest of the whole world? The ancient Jewish people not only worshipped Jehovah exclusively, but they were the only people who did! As time went by, they gradually fell away and began worshiping other gods. Every time that occurred, bad things happened to the Jews. Was this God’s punishment? Not always! But it would seem like a punishment when Jehovah withdrew His protection and favor. It is perfectly true that Jehovah has punished people before. For example: “And God saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every imagination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually. And it repented the Lord that he made man on the earth, and it grieved him at his heart. And the Lord said, I will destroy man whom I have created from the face of the earth; both man and beast, and the creeping thing and the fowls of the air; for it repenteth me that I have made them.” (Genesis 6:5-7) (King James Version) Jehovah created all of us with a free will. We think and do whatever we want to do! We have the freedom to choose to do good things or bad things with our life. Most of Noah’s relatives chose to do evil. Therefore, Jehovah had decided, at first, to destroy all of the evil people in existence on the earth. If it were not for the righteous Noah, all of mankind would have been exterminated. “And God looked upon the earth, and behold, it was corrupt; for all flesh had corrupted his way upon the earth. And God said unto Noah, The end of all flesh is come before me; for the earth is filled with violence through them; and behold, I will destroy them with the earth.” (Genesis 6:12-13) (KJV) As we know from reading the Bible account, the earth was flooded and every living thing drowned, except for every living thing on the ark. This was punishment indeed. So mankind was given a second chance. The earth was brought back to peace and harmony, for the people who survived the flood respected Jehovah. Noah, his sons Ham, Shem, Japheth and their wives had children and mankind began to flourish again. Then what happened?
8 Then a new king, who did not know about Joseph, came to power in Egypt. 9 "Look," he said to his people, "the Israelites have become much too numerous for us. 10 Come, we must deal shrewdly with them or they will become even more numerous and, if war breaks out, will join our enemies, fight against us and leave the country." 11 So they put slave masters over them to oppress them with forced labor, and they built Pithom and Rameses as store cities for Pharaoh. (Exodus 19:4-5) (New International Version) When Jehovah decided the time had come for the Israelites to leave Egypt, the Pharaoh would not allow them to leave. Jehovah bestowed ten plagues upon all of Egypt to persuade the Pharaoh to change his mind. Every Israelite and Egyptian experienced the plagues first hand and knew where they came from. When the Israelites came to the Red Sea, Jehovah parted the waters so they could cross. The Egyptians met with disaster! All of the Israelites experienced these miracles first hand. The whole fifteenth chapter of Exodus is a victory song the Israelites sang in celebration. Jehovah provided His freed people with food and water in the wilderness for forty years. Jehovah even made a new covenant with his chosen people: “YOU yourselves have seen what I did to the Egyptians, that I might carry you on the wings of eagles and bring YOU to myself. And now if YOU will strictly obey my voice and will indeed keep my covenant, then YOU will certainly become my special property out of all the [other] peoples, because the whole earth belongs to me." (Exodus 19:4-5) (New World Translation) www.watchtower.org So what happened soon after Moses went up the mountain to receive the Ten Commandments from Jehovah? “Jehovah now said to Moses: ’Go, descend because your people whom you have led out of the land of Egypt have acted ruinously. They have turned aside in a hurry from the way I have commanded them to go. They have made a molten statue of a calf for themselves and keep bowing down to it and sacrificing to it and saying: “This is your God, O Israel, who led you up out of the land of Egypt.”’” (Exodus 32:7-8) (New World Translation) www.watchtower.org The people who experienced a long string of miracles actually made an idol to worship right under the nose of Jehovah. Why a calf? Pagans commonly worshiped a golden calf as a tribute to the god of nature named Baal (BAY-al). In fact, the Israelites repeatedly turned to idol worship and away from Jehovah many times over the centuries! While visiting Jerusalem, once the pride of Jehovah, with his disciples; Jesus once lamented: “Jerusalem, Jerusalem, the killer of the prophets and stoner of those sent forth to her, - how often I wanted to gather your children together, the way a hen gathers her chicks together under her wings! But YOU people did not want it.” (Matthew 23:37) (NWT) www.watchtower.org So what was to be the fate of the city of Jerusalem? “Departing now, Jesus was on his way from the temple, but his disciples approached to show him the buildings of the temple. In response, he said to them ‘Do YOU not behold all these things? Truly I say unto YOU, By no means will a stone be left here upon a stone and not be thrown down.’” (Matthew 24:1-2) (NWT) www.watchtower.org Sure enough, by 70 A.D., only 37 years after Christ died, Jehovah withdrew His protection for His beloved city and the city of Jerusalem fell to the Romans. The destruction of the temple was so thorough that there was not a stone left upon another stone when they were finished. The Jewish nation of Israel was rebuilt many times. The Israelites of today are no longer the chosen people of Jehovah because they chose to reject Him and His son a long time ago. In turn, Jehovah withdrew His blessings and protection - and it shows! To this day, most Jewish people around the world are waiting for the Messiah to appear, not realizing that Christ has already fulfilled his role as the Messiah and is ready to return to the earth again soon to take over rule of the world, just as he was prophesied to do many centuries ago. Messianic Jews at least recognize Jesus as our savior but they are no better off than their mainstream Christian brethren since they worship the same nameless lord.
Who are Jehovah’s people now? According to the World Book Encyclopedia: "Jehovah’s Witnesses are Christians who use the Watch Tower Bible and Tract Society as their governing body. They took their name from the American Standard version of the Bible, Isaiah 43:12: Ye are my witnesses, saith Jehovah, and I am God.” Jehovah’s Witnesses are a religious society of ministers who give exclusive devotion to Jehovah, and keep His command to preach “this good news of the Kingdom” (Matthew 24:14). They believe that God’s war of Armageddon will rid the earth of all wickedness in this generation. The modern organization was started in Pennsylvania in the 1870’s by Charles Taze Russell. The Watch Tower Bible and Tract Society was incorporated in 1884 with Russell as president." From: World Book Encyclopedia 1963 Of all of the religions in the world, only Jehovah’s Witnesses are named after the God of our universe, Jehovah. There is no other religion on the face of the earth at any time in the earth’s history that can make that claim. Only the ancient Hebrews and later, the Christians led by Christ acknowledged Jehovah as being the one true God. This knowledge is being proclaimed worldwide by over seven million of Jehovah’s Witnesses. As the only true religion on earth, the members take their responsibilities seriously. Their responsibilities include: · Representing Jehovah in a respectable way · Conduct that is pleasing to Jehovah · Teaching Bible Truth · Ongoing learning experience · Meaningful missionary work in every country around the world The missionary work is the means for acquainting people with the work of Jehovah’s Witnesses and to fulfill the Biblical prophecy and orders from Jesus Christ himself to preach “this good news of the Kingdom”:
14 When the good news about the kingdom has been preached all over the world and told to all nations, the end will come. (Matthew 24:14) (CEV) Jehovah’s Witnesses are the only people who relentlessly pursue the truth and make it widely available by many publications to anyone who is interested in learning it. Jehovah’s Witnesses pride themselves on using the Bible and other reputable and reliable sources for finding the truth. The amount of accurate knowledge available by publication is tremendous. Do people prefer the truth? Not always. Many people blindly and willingly cling to false beliefs because they like them better. Jehovah’s Witnesses do not force the truth on anyone. The truth is offered at no charge to anyone who wants to learn it. Why should anyone want to learn the truth? The false religions teach false ideas such as: “Everyone who dies either goes to Heaven or Hell.” “Everyone who dies is reincarnated.” “Everyone who dies goes to Nirvana, or oblivion.” "God is a triune being" “God loves everyone no matter what." "God's name is Allah."
These ideas are promoted by false religions and not supported by the Bible. Knowing the truth can be a comfort for everyone who is uncertain about life, death and their actual destiny. Is further punishment from God at hand? The vast majority of mankind is ignoring Jehovah and wondering why their lives and the world is a shambles. It is bad enough that this world is in turmoil and misery while Jehovah has withdrawn His favor from the world. Soon the people who are ignoring Him now will be destroyed just as the Bible warns: 11 Then I saw a great white throne and him who was seated on it. Earth and sky fled from his presence, and there was no place for them. 12 And I saw the dead, great and small, standing before the throne, and books were opened. Another book was opened, which is the book of life. The dead were judged according to what they had done as recorded in the books. 13 The sea gave up the dead that were in it, and death and Hades gave up the dead that were in them, and each person was judged according to what he had done. 14 Then death and Hades were thrown into the lake of fire. The lake of fire is the second death. 15 If anyone's name was not found written in the book of life, he was thrown into the lake of fire. (Revelation 20:11-15) (NIV) The Apostle John wrote this down for us living today. It would not be a good idea to keep on ignoring Jehovah and His plans for us. Now is a good time to learn more about Jehovah and His requirements. 
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