I Hate Christmas, But There are Alternatives

Once again, its time to celebrate the Roman Winter Solstice, the holiday that has been disguised by the Roman Catholic Church as being a Christian holiday.  Jesus is not "the reason for the season".  Christmas is for Sun worshipers,  not Son worshipers!  Its a holiday for suckers!  The Roman Catholic Church just took the Roman temples and changed the names of their idols into the names of Christian saints so that the idol worshipers could keep worshiping their idols and so that Christians would be fooled into thinking that it was a good thing.  The Pope's mitre comes from the Philistine god Dagon--it is not a Christian symbol.  Somehow, most of these paganisms were not carried over into Protestantism, but the celebrating Easter and the Roman Winter Solstice persisted for some reason.

Today the Christmas holiday is used by retailers to take advantage of well-meaning, but deceived Christians.  Every year Christian preachers tell their congregations that they need to not get caught up in all the hustle and bustle, commercialism, and over-preparation for this unholy day and that instead they should remember the real reason for Christmas.  But by perpetuating the celebration of the Roman Winter Solstice, they themselves participate in the societal pressure to keep the useless time-consuming and money-consuming traditions of this terrible holiday.  Most gifts that are given at Christmas are not given out of love, but peer pressure.

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

2 Corinthians 9:7 (KJV)

But there are alternatives to Sun worshiping.

16 And it shall come to pass, that every one that is left of all the nations which came against Jerusalem shall even go up from year to year to worship the King, the LORD of hosts, and to keep the feast of tabernacles. 17 And it shall be, that whoso will not come up of all the families of the earth unto Jerusalem to worship the King, the LORD of hosts, even upon them shall be no rain. 18 And if the family of Egypt go not up, and come not, that have no rain; there shall be the plague, wherewith the LORD will smite the heathen that come not up to keep the feast of tabernacles. 19 This shall be the punishment of Egypt, and the punishment of all nations that come not up to keep the feast of tabernacles.

Zechariah 14:16-19 (KJV)

The King mentioned in the above passage is Yahshua Messiah (Jesus Christ).  The time that this prophecy will be fulfilled is yet to come because it wasn't until after New Testament that Jerusalem's walls were completed as partially described in Zechariah 14:10, and the war mentioned in verse 16 has not yet taken place.  Furthermore this war will be concluded with cleaving of the Mount of Olives which is a clear reference to the physical return of Messiah neither of which has taken place.

4 And his feet shall stand in that day upon the mount of Olives, which is before Jerusalem on the east, and the mount of Olives shall cleave in the midst thereof toward the east and toward the west, and there shall be a very great valley; and half of the mountain shall remove toward the north, and half of it toward the south.

Zechariah 14:4 (KJV)

Some people think that Yahshua (Jesus) was born during the Feast of Tabernacles and that there are signs in the observance of it which point to Yahshua's birth.  It is also possible that this observance was the real origin of the original Thanksgiving holiday.  I have no opinion about these one way or the other, but it clearly would be much better to celebrate the Feast of Tabernacles and observe its traditions, rather than the traditions of a pagan holiday.  It is much more clear that Passover and the Feast of Firstfruits (which are two days apart) are for the remembrance of the death and resurrection of Yahshua Messiah (see 1 Corinthians 15:20-24).   If you would like to celebrate the Feast of Tabernacles, read Leviticus 23:33-44, Deuteronomy 16:16, and Nehemiah 8:14-18.  Yahshua also celebrated this feast (John 7:10).

The only redeeming tradition of the Christmas holiday is the singing of carols (the ones which are actually about Yeshua and are Biblically correct).  This tradition could carried over into any part of year (minus the songs about Santa Claus, reindeer, snowmen, bells and so forth) and all the rest of the Christmas junk could be completely forgotten as far as I'm concerned.

Obama Signs Monsanto Protection Act

There are a lot of people, both Christians and non-Christians who are upset about how genetically modified foods (GMO's).  From a biblical perspective, we know that God created the heavens and the earth and everything that is in them in six days.  In the beginning everything was perfect.  Though we live in a fallen world now, man's efforts to re-engineer God's creation into something better is bound to fail.  There are instances in which the consequences of man's sin can be temporary alleviated by technological advances, but to destroy God's creation in this manner will result in disastrous consequences in the long run.  This is all being driven by greed. Monsanto produces genetically modified seeds which are resistant to Round-Up so that the crops can be sprayed with this poison which Monsanto also produces and sells.  Thus it is both the pesticide and the fact that the food comes from a genetically modified organism which are a danger to the American public.  There may be many diseases that are caused by GMO's--especially digestive disorders. We have yet to see the worst of this because children (including the unborn) are more susceptible to these problems. This is yet another proof that Barack Obama has no respect for live, God's word, or morality.

For some guidance (but not full-proof protection) on how to spot GMO produce click here.  As the video points out, Europe has virtually banned GMO's.

For nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom: and there shall be famines, and pestilences, and earthquakes, in divers places.
Matt 24:7 (KJV)

And because iniquity shall abound, the love of many shall wax cold.
Matt 24:12 (KJV)

And woe unto them that are with child, and to them that give suck in those days!
Matt 24:19 (KJV)

And except those days should be shortened, there should no flesh be saved: but for the elect's sake those days shall be shortened.
Matt 24:22 (KJV)

And I heard a voice in the midst of the four beasts say, A measure of wheat for a penny, and three measures of barley for a penny; and see thou hurt not the oil and the wine. And when he had opened the fourth seal, I heard the voice of the fourth beast say, Come and see. And I looked, and behold a pale horse: and his name that sat on him was Death, and Hell followed with him. And power was given unto them over the fourth part of the earth, to kill with sword, and with hunger, and with death, and with the beasts of the earth.
Rev 6:6-8 (KJV)

Where is your treasure?

Below is a letter that I wrote to local Christian radio station after a comment made by one of morning show personalities.

I was listening to your station one morning and I heard a comment that you made about a man who built some kind of bomb shelter, possibly for the reason that he wanted to be safe in case of a nuclear attack or tornado or something.  To show that this man was not doing what is right, you quoted Matthew 6:19-21:

Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal; but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.

And you also may have quoted Matthew 6:25-29:

Therefore I say to you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink; nor about your body, what you will put on. Is not life more than food and the body more than clothing? Look at the birds of the air, for they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they?  Which of you by worrying can add one cubit to his stature? So why do you worry about clothing? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin; and yet I say to you that even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these.

Well, I have a few verses of my own.  (I hope that you will bear with me because this is a long letter.)  But first, I want to explain that I am what you call a “prepper”.  I do not have a bomb shelter, and I am not planning on building one any time soon.  But as a “prepper”, I do believe in preparing myself in case that there is a disaster.  I do store food with a long shelf life, I have means of storing and purifying water, and I am working on obtaining alternative power sources.  And I don’t believe that there is anything wrong with this for the following reasons. 

It is most obvious that Jesus is not teaching that people should not take reasonable precautions.  Notice he uses the word “treasure” in Matthew 6:19-21.  In my book, necessities like food, clothing, and shelter are not treasures (i.e. luxuries).  You may ask, “But what about verses 25-29?  Don’t they teach that “prepping” is unwise?”  No it doesn’t for this simple reason:  I am not worrying about what is going to happen.  I know that God will take care of me no matter what.  But that doesn’t mean you should completely throw caution to the wind.  I know that God can destroy even the best bomb shelter. And He can save someone from mortal harm who takes no precautions at all.  I know such people.  I know God takes care of them.  Some are not able to “prep” because they can barely get by even day to day.  But those who “prep” can be blessing to those who don’t if something happens.  God doesn’t call everyone to do this.  Some people He chooses to live by the seat of their pants (e.g. Matthew 10:9).

Think about this in terms of other precautions like smoke detectors, fire extinguishers, first aid kits, and insurance policies of various kinds.  And what about saving money?  Is it wrong to have CDs, IRAs, 401Ks, saving accounts, annuities, stocks, bonds, or mutual funds?  Aren’t these also “stored treasures”? (See footnote below.)  When people do these things, it isn’t that they don’t trust God, they are just trying to be wise stewards of what God has given them just as many righteous people did in the Bible.  For example, Joseph took the precaution of storing lots of food in order to preserve the people from the forthcoming famine.  (See Genesis 41:28-36.)

“A prudent man foresees evil and hides himself, But the simple pass on and are punished.”  Proverbs 22:3

So I think that your real problem with what this “bomb shelter” man is doing is one or more of the following:

1. The measures that this man is taking are too extreme.  He is spending too much money on precautions which could be spent on advancing the Kingdom of God (i.e. evangelism, giving to the poor, and other ministries). 
2. The threat that this man is preparing for is too remote to justify this amount of preparedness.
3. The precautions would not succeed for very long (if at all) even if that type of disaster really did happen.

For reason number 1, I would say that that is up to God to judge.  As I indicated above, God uses different people for different purposes and just because what someone else is doing isn’t what God has called you to do, doesn’t mean that they are outside of God’s will.

For reason number 2, I would agree with you depending on the circumstances.  I blame the news media, politicians, and even some Christian preachers for using fear to drive people to such extremes.  The chances of Iran or any other nation hitting us with a nuclear weapon is zero.  This is just a case of people playing on your fears in order to promote the bottom line of the military-industrial complex.  It may also have to do with racism and hatred of Muslims. 

But on the other hand, if the reason for the underground bunker is a precaution against a tornado or hurricane, and if you live in area where such disasters are common, then I have no problem with it.

For reason number 3, again it depends on the circumstances.

Finally I would like to say that for me, preparedness isn’t just about surviving some impending disaster, but it’s about leverage and dependency.  There is nothing wrong with being dependent on God or the (local) church.  But the more you are dependent on the world, the more leverage the world has against you to cause you to stumble.  For example, if you have your own means of providing for your own healthcare needs instead of a health insurance policy or government program, then you don’t have to worry about your payments into the system being used for abortions or other sinful practices.  Your electric company may subsidize television programs which are not family friendly, so it’s better not to be absolutely dependent on them.  Think of it as keeping your options open so that you do not become a slave of evil.  I might even describe some people who unwilling to make the extra effort to divest themselves of the world in these ways as being lazy.  But I am not accusing any specific people because I also realize that not everyone is able to do these things.

Footnote:

All of the investments I mentioned are usually dependent on U.S. dollars.  This is legal tender that we have now in the U.S. and is called “Federal Reserve Notes”.  These are not backed by silver or gold as they once were.  They are subject to inflation and could be become worthless if the Federal Reserve Bank produces massive quantities of them, and it is in their power to do so.  This type of hyperinflation happened in Germany about 100 years ago.  People had to bring wheelbarrows full of cash to buy bread.  There is no reason to think that it can’t happen again in America.  If even gold (very stable element) can rust away and other tangible assets can likewise perish, how much more foolish is it to put your trust in “the full faith and credit of the United States” (mere pieces of paper with numbers printed on it!)

Respectfully,

Matthew Miller

Concerned Citizen

Why not call them what they really are?

This post is about semantics.  In particular, why is it that the names we use to describe political opponents and their ideologies are important? 

For years, we tended to call Democrats like Bill Clinton liberals.  To us, the word liberal was a negative term.  But actually, a liberal is someone who believes in liberty.  The word liberal can also be used to describe one who is generous.  But when we talk about Bill Clinton or Barack Obama as being liberal, this is hardly what we mean.  In fact, they are quite the opposite.  So I don’t think that we should use this term.

In recent years, the word progressive has perhaps become a more popular term for the type of political bent we are trying to describe.  There is even an auto insurance company which has taken on this name (and they are, in fact, very progressive in that sense).  But progressive really just means someone who is in favor of progress.  This is not necessarily bad.  Despite what Michele Bachmann says, the United States did start as a Republic in which slavery was legal (in most states, at least).  In other words, after winning the Revolutionary War, not everyone was instantly free.  Although other approaches to gain racial equality were actually detrimental to the cause of freedom, nonetheless there were beneficial progressive measures like the 13^th and 15^th Amendments.  In fact, the American Revolution itself and the adoption of the original Constitution and Bill Rights were, at the time, very progressive as well.  In a larger sense, positive progress can take place in areas other than political, such as science.  The word progress (in regards to science) even appears in the Constitution.  But “progress” is not good when it comes to mean legalizing murder and forcing people to support and condone degrading behavior such as homosexuality.  “Progress” which denies parental rights and accepts the neglecting of the parental responsibilities is also not beneficial.

Everybody has probably seen the bumper sticker “Socialism Doesn’t Work”.  If you are thinking that word Socialist is better to use for the type of people we are talking about, you are getting a lot warmer.  But here is why that word is still not quite right.  A socialist tends to want to take away all private property by means of government legislation.  In contrast, a fascist (or corporatist) is someone who wants all property to be confiscated by means of a corporate takeover of everything.  Same result, different means.  But modern leftists in America seem to be employing both tactics simultaneously.  So the distinction between “left” and “right” is now nothing but a mere illusion.  An umbrella term for this desire to put all property into a central ownership is called collectivism which is a form of totalitarianism or statism.  Another reason why Socialist isn’t quite right is because there is such a thing as voluntary socialism (i.e. utopian socialist societies).  But we are really talking about people who want to force this way of living onto everyone.  And thirdly, the words socialism, collectivism, totalitarianism or statism do not necessarily encompass things like abortion, homosexuality, and other social issues as the words liberal and progressive did (although sometimes erroneously). 

So what is the best word to use?  How about extortionist, murderer, kidnapper, thief, or pervert?  If you want to sum all these up into one word, that one word could be God-hater, criminal or lawbreaker.  Why not call them what they really are?

Audi Threatens America

The above commercial may be humorous to some and others may take it as a Democrat/Obama bashing. But let me assure you, this is no joke. This is a blatant use of TV advertising to condition the public to become amenable to the idea of a police state. If you’re a Democrat/liberal, you most likely see corporations like this advertiser on the side of fewer regulations and the common man on the other side. If you’re a Republican/conservative, you most likely falsely see this car maker on the side of American progress and jobs and the tree huggers on the other side.

But this is a false dichotomy. Corporations push for unreasonable regulations like these so that they can squeeze out their competition, especially small businesses, because it is more difficult for the small business owner to comply with tough regulations. They are really sticking it in our faces with this commercial. They are basically saying this :

We (the almighty large corporation) are going to ram through Cap and Trade and then you will have no choice but to buy our cars. We will invade your privacy and take away your property rights. There is no way you can defeat our agenda because our pockets are deep enough to bribe any politician with enough campaign contributions to push this through. They will also bail us out with your tax dollars whenever we need it. You are really, really, screwed and we are arrogant enough to stick it in your face.

We Must Change

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oguCNqCE0Kc
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u1STWYCn-hc
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=44p6wzlYMvo
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Yh9W5YyGSC4
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vEdTCYeZh6w

As the above video series indicates, the Federal Reserve System is wicked and manipulative. When you go to take out a loan at a bank, the money that the bank lends to you is not money that has been deposited into someone’s savings account. The bank itself may not be one of the privileged few that can create money out of nothing, but they borrow money from (Central) banks that can. Of course, there are the restrictions on how much money these banks can create (fractional reserve requirements) and how much interest they can charge (the prime rate), but every time they do this, they are essentially robbing every American (or anyone holding U.S. Dollars) of the value of their money. The system encourages people to live beyond their means, and as, you may already see (explained further below) leads both citizens and governments into an endless cycle of debt.

THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT ITSELF DOES NOT CREATE NEW MONEY. They borrow it from the Federal Reserve.

Now, whenever a loan is paid off, the principal (but not the interest) ceases to exist, just as it was created when it was loaned. So the banks get to earn interest on money that was created out of thin air. Almost all of the U.S. dollars that exist were created this way—out of debt. Therefore, this is a system of perpetual indebtedness to the banks. There is only enough money loaned out to pay back the principal of the loans. Every time you take out a loan at bank, you are creating debt that can NEVER be paid off. Even if the bank repossesses someone’s car, house, or other property, these things can’t be used as currency—they must be sold for paper money because it is the only “legal tender”—the only thing that will feed the monster we have created. It will get worse and worse until the system collapses or we ABOLISH THE SYSTEM ENTIRELY (unless, as the video series points out, we sustain exponential economic growth indefinitely). The U.S. DOLLAR IS AN ELABORATE PONZI SCHEME (OR PYRAMID SCHEME).

When Adam and Eve sinned in the Garden of Eden, God said:

…cursed is the ground for thy sake; in sorrow shalt thou eat of it all the days of thy life; Thorns also and thistles shall it bring forth to thee; and thou shalt eat the herb of the field; In the sweat of thy face shalt thou eat bread, till thou return unto the ground; for out of it wast thou taken: for dust thou art, and unto dust shalt thou return.

Genesis 3:17-19 (KJV)

This punishment for sin was a necessary consequence of God's sense of justice. But it made it harder for mankind to abstain from sinning. Because it then took hard work to get things to grow for food, there was more temptation to steal and kill for it instead. And in turn, other sins became more enticing as well. Later God established a covenant with Israel by which their sins could be “rolled back” through performing sacrifices. But just as the debt of money (under our current system) can never be paid off, so too was it impossible for the sins of mankind to be paid under the Old Covenant. Just as the incurring of debts under the Federal Reserve System inevitably leads to more debt and eventual collapse, so also sin inevitably leads to more sin and eventually death (both physical death and eternal separation from God). But when Christ died on the cross, the “system” of sin and death was changed. To be saved from eternal death you must believe in the One sent by God, admit that you are morally bankrupt, and turn away from sin. This is our “bankruptcy protection” from sin.

I applaud activists of various political stripes whose efforts are dedicated to restoring sound money and abolishing the Federal Reserve. But I suspect that their efforts will ultimately fail without spiritual revival. Christ is the only one who can “change the system” so as to eliminate the source of all corruption. To read more about how to saved from the curse of sin, click here.

WakeUpWalmart.com

Speaking of Walmart

What does the asterisk stand for?

* Made in China

Here are two videos about the Walmart - China connection. Visit WakeUpWalmart.com to see more about this dastardly partnership.

Walmart, New Logo, New Slogan

“Walmart is overhauling their image.

“They’re even considering changing their slogan from ‘Save Money, Live Better,’ to ‘Walmart, Some of Our Employees Now Speak English.’”

- - - NewsBusted, Episode 184

NewsBusters is a conservative news and comedy website. Their newest NewBusted episode includes the excerpt below. See right panel of this blog and click on the video to watch this 2-3 minute comedy YouTube video.