Archive for December, 2008

The 1260 Days Did Not Start This Month Ronald Weinland

Friday, December 26th, 2008

VS.
Ronald Weinland Says His Books and His Interpretations of the Bible Are What He Wants Potential Supporters to Study. The COGwriter Site Instead Urges Those Interested in Him and End-Time Prophecies to Spend More Time Checking His Writings with the Bible.

COGwriter

It was nearly twelve days ago that the 1260 days of the Great Tribulation was supposed to start according to the teachings of the self-appointed false prophet CGPFK’s Ronald Weinland.

CGPFK’s website declared:

1260 Days: The blowing of the first Trumpet will occur/occurred on the 14th of December, 2008. This is the beginning of the Great Tribulation and 3 1/2 years until the return of Jesus Christ…

Yet, the Great Tribulation has not began.

Nor has the following biblically required event began (a time, times, and half a time equals 3 1/2 years or 1260 days):

25 He shall speak pompous words against the Most High,
Shall persecute the saints of the Most High,
And shall intend to change times and law.
Then the saints shall be given into his hand
For a time and times and half a time (Daniel 7:25).

Also, notice what Jesus taught:

15 “Therefore when you see the ‘abomination of desolation,’ spoken of by Daniel the prophet, standing in the holy place” (whoever reads, let him understand), 16 then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains. 17 Let him who is on the housetop not go down to take anything out of his house. 18 And let him who is in the field not go back to get his clothes. 19 But woe to those who are pregnant and to those who are nursing babies in those days! 20 And pray that your flight may not be in winter or on the Sabbath. 21 For then there will be great tribulation, such as has not been since the beginning of the world until this time, no, nor ever shall be (Matthew 24:15-21).

Those in Jerusalem did not flee to the mountains.  Christians were not given into the hand of the Beast power.

Surely by now the biblically-required events should have been fulfilled if the Great Tribulation began.

But they have not.

Hence, once again, Ron Weinland’s delusional prophecies have failed.

And lest he continue to claim that the fulfillments are spiritual and only for those who are properly spiritually enlightened to see, let me remind everyone that Ronald Weinland specifically claimed that something happened to Pope Benedict XVI on April 17, 2008 that began the 1260 days then (please see Ronald Weinland Again Calls for Death), and confirmed in a December 2008 sermon that the April 17th pope event did happen. It has been 8 months since Ronald Weinland claimed:

And the 17th marked the identifying and the beginning of Satan’s direct power and influence of a great false prophet, the Pope of the Roman Catholic church.

And, if something of that nature occurred to Pope Benedict XVI, surely eight months later there would be some evidence of some massive change in the Pope’s behavior.  But that simply does not seem to be the case.

Whatever spiritual insight Ronald Weinland has had continues to be clouded by his own delusional views of himself as one of the two witnesses.

Notice what else Ronald Weinland taught:

…I think about what Daniel said when he said there are things we would understand and there’s only one reason and that’s because of God’s Spirit leading, guiding, directing and working with us, and that’s the only way anyone can really hear, spiritually, what was being given (Back to the Future. Sermon, 4/26/08).

If by Pentecost {June 8, 2008) I’m just going to make this real clear to everyone. If by Pentecost it is not powerfully and abundantly clear that there has been a great deal of destruction that will clearly encompass a third of all plant life in the US and at least the clear results of this mingled with blood the death of very much animal life and the beginning of large numbers of human life then I will stop preaching (Sermon, 3/29/08).

Ronald Weinland: We are we are not we are at our end as far as our country is concerned. I’ve made many comments on different interviews here that we may be able to scrounge together having elections in November but there will not be a new president take office in January…If it doesn’t pan out the only thing I would do is uh . So if I responded to anything at all was to explain to people I was a false prophet that’s the only answer. That I’m no longer a minister.

MM: So if by Labour Day we’re still having a picnic.

Ronald Weinland: Well then I’m I’m through.

MM: Then you would find a different line of work.

Ronald Weinland: Absolutely…(Ronald Weinland Interview on The Mike McConnell Show Radio on April 7, 2008).

Ronald Weinland is clearly not one who can be trusted to keep his word–nor can he be relied upon.  Remember that the Bible teaches:

21 “And if you say in your heart, ‘How shall we know the word which the LORD has not spoken?’– 22 when a prophet speaks in the name of the LORD, if the thing does not happen or come to pass, that is the thing which the LORD has not spoken; the prophet has spoken it presumptuously; you shall not be afraid of him (Deuteronomy 18:21-22).

Ronald Weinland immediately should do the following:

  1. Apologize to leaders of various Churches of God to whom he sent letters warning them of their impending deaths about three years ago.
  2. Apologize to his followers for misleading them.
  3. Go back on the few radio programs he was on and apologize for his presumptuousness for appointing himself as a prophet and one of God’s two witnesses.  (He even told one or more of them that he would come back and do that, but still refuses to keep his word.)
  4. Apologize to me (and now others) for the disdain whereby he treated me about three years ago, and how he has treated those that pointed out why he was wrong (including me) ever since.  He even called for our deaths as well (see Ronald Weinland Again Calls for Death)–an un-Christian act that he should apologize for.
  5. Give me the www.the-end.com URL :) since he misused it, while the cogwriter website has been properly explaining end-time events during the time he has been around.
  6. Shut down the Church of God, Preparing for the Kingdom organization so that it cannot continue.
  7. Spend a lot of time communicating with people he has misled to attempt to help them understand that he was wrong and that they should have relied much more on the Bible and not on his false interpretations of biblical prophecy.

Circumstances continue to prove that Ronald Weinland is a false prophet.  Those who hear him need to compare his teachings to the Bible to realize that he is not God’s prophet.

2008 is almost over.  I for one disagree with Ronald Weinland’s original premise that 2008 was to be the year of “God’s FInal Witness” as his latest book title claims.  Yet, in sermons he still refers to it.

No one should follow this repeatedly proven false prophet.

Some articles of related interest may include:

Who Are The Two Witnesses? What is their job? What does the Bible reveal? What has the Church of God taught on this subject? Might even Roman Catholic prophecies give some clues here?
Concerns About Ronald Weinland’s Church of God-Preparing for the Kingdom of God Ronald Weinland falsely claims to be one of the two witnesses God is raising up and that the end will come in 2008. Is he a false prophet? He has at least one other view that suggests that he is not part of the COG.
Can the Great Tribulation Begin in 2009, 2010, or 2011? Can the Great Tribulation begin today? When is the earliest that the Great Tribulation can begin? What is the Day of the Lord?
Who is the King of the North? Is there one? Do biblical and Roman Catholic prophecies point to the same leader? Should he be followed? Who will be the King of the North discussed in Daniel 11? Is a nuclear attack prophesied to happen to the English-speaking peoples ofthe United States, Great Britain, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand? When do the 1335 days, 1290 days, and 1260 days (the time, times, and half a time) of Daniel 12 begin?
There is a Place of Safety for the Philadelphians. Why it May Be Petra This article discusses a biblical ‘place of safety’ and includes quotes from the Bible and Herbert W. Armstrong on this subject–thus, there is a biblically supported alternative to the rapture theory.
End of Mayan Calendar 2012–Might 2012 Mean Something? There is a Mayan calendar prediction for change in 2012. 2012 changes were also centuries ago predicted by the Hopi Native Americans and the Hindu Indians (who were not even on the same continent). Do these Mayan/Hindu/Hopi prophecies have any value? Why might Satan have inspired this date? Can the great tribulation start before 2012?

Learn More About Christianity, Today

Thursday, December 25th, 2008

COGwriter

If you are a regular reader of this page, you know that the real reason that December 25th was chosen as “Christmas” to supposedly honor Jesus was because that date is the birthday of the sun-god Mithras.

So, since you do not celebrate it, and in most nations most of the stores are closed, other than cleaning up around the house, what can you do?

Game Seat

For amusement, you might want to play the Who Wants to be a Biblical Millionaire? game.  It is fairly popular and my son Michael is adding questions to it all the time.  Actually, if you have not played it in a while, you may be pleased to find that there are about twice as many questions as there were last year.

The game is a fun way to test your knowledge and hopefully grow in knowledge (cf. 2 Peter 3:18).

History of Early Christianity

Another option would be to study more about the The History of Early Christianity.  There is always more to learn and I am always updating articles there.

Of course, you should “pray always” as Paul taught, and it is usually a good idea for Christians to Read the Bible.

Anyway, for those of you not working today, have a great day off!

Brazil Acquiring French Arms

Wednesday, December 24th, 2008


Upper “Sail” of French Nuclear Submarine Casabianca

COGwriter

For some time, I have reported that despite various reports about the so-called BRIC nations (Brazil, Russia, China, and India), that the economic and military future of Brazil would be more strongly tied to Europe than to the other nations that compose BRIC.

The following news item from the New York Times seems to also confirm that:

Brazil Signs Arms Deal With France

Published: December 24, 2008

Brazil and France signed a defense agreement on Tuesday worth more than $12 billion that will give Brazil technology to develop its arms industry and build a nuclear-powered submarine, the two governments said. Under the accord, signed by President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva of Brazil and President Nicolas Sarkozy of France in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil will buy 50 EC-725 Super Cougar helicopters from France, and the two countries will jointly develop a nuclear submarine and four diesel submarines. Brazil is increasing military spending as part of a new defense strategy that emphasizes protecting the Amazon and newly discovered deep-water oil fields.  (http://www.nytimes.com/2008/12/24/world/americas/24briefs-BRAZILSIGNSA_BRF.html)

The acquisition of French helicopters and ultimately a nuclear submarine by Brazil shows that the nation is clearly emerging on the world scene to be more than simply a supplier of natural resources and some manufactured goods.

This new deal seems to indicate that much of Brazil’s future leading-edge military technology is likely to come from Europe.  But I also suspect that because of its manufacturing abilities that Brazil ultimately may sell some military hardware to Europe in a few years.

Some articles of possibly related interest may include:

Mexico, Central America, South America, and Brazil in Prophecy [Español: México, America Central, Suramérica, y el Brasil en profecíal] [Português: México, América Central, Ámérica do Sul, e Brasil na profecia] What will happen to those of Latin America? Will they have prosperity? Will they cooperate with Europe? Will they suffer in the future? What rule might the various Caribbean nations/territories play?
Europa, the Beast, and Revelation Where did Europe get its name? What might Europe have to do with the Book of Revelation? What about “the Beast”? What is ahead for Europe?
India, Its Biblical Past and Future: Any Witness? The Bible discusses the origins of those of Indian heritage (India, Sri Lanka, Pakistan, Bangladesh) and discusses some of the witness to them.
China, Its Biblical Past and Future, Part 1: Genesis and Chinese Characters This article provides information showing that the Chinese peoples must have known about various accounts in the Book of Genesis up until their dispersion after the Tower of Babel.
China, Its Biblical Past and Future, Part 2: The Sabbath and Some of God’s Witness in China When did Christianity first come to China? And is there early evidence that they observed the seventh day sabbath?
Asia in Prophecy What is Ahead for China? Is it a “King of the East”? What will happen to nearly all the Chinese, Russians, and others of Asia? China in prophecy, where? Who has the 200,000,000 man army related to Armageddon?
Russia: Its Origins and Prophesied Future Where do the Russians come from? What is prophesied for Russia? What will it do to the Europeans that supported the Beast in the end?

Catholic Scholars on Christmas

Wednesday, December 24th, 2008

COGwriter

The early Catholic Church did not celebrate Christmas. Furthermore, Tertullian (one of its leading 2nd/3rd century writers) warned that to participate in the winter celebrations made one beholden to pagan gods.

Notice what Tertullian wrote about winter celebrations, such as Saturnalia (from a pagan deity whose name meant plentiful):

The Minervalia are as much Minerva’s, as the Saturnalia Saturn’s; Saturn’s, which must necessarily be celebrated even by little slaves at the time of the Saturnalia. New-year’s gifts likewise must be caught at, and the Septimontium kept; and all the presents of Midwinter and the feast of Dear Kinsmanship must be exacted; the schools must be wreathed with flowers; the flamens’ wives and the aediles sacrifice; the school is honoured on the appointed holy-days. The same thing takes place on an idol’s birthday; every pomp of the devil is frequented. Who will think that these things are befitting to a Christian…? (Tertullian. On Idolatry, Chapter X. Translated by S. Thelwall. Excerpted from Ante-Nicene Fathers, Volume 3. Edited by Alexander Roberts and James Donaldson. American Edition, 1885. Online Edition Copyright © 2004 by K. Knight).

But, however, the majority (of Christians) have by this time induced the belief in their mind that it is pardonable if at any time they do what the heathen do (Tertullian. On Idolatry, Chapter XIV).

The Catholic Encyclopedia teaches that:

Christmas was not among the earliest festivals of the Church (Martindale C. Transcribed by Susanti A. Suastika. Christmas. The Catholic Encyclopedia, Volume III. Copyright © 1908 by Robert Appleton Company. Online Edition Copyright © 2003 by K. Knight. Nihil Obstat, November 1, 1908. Remy Lafort, S.T.D., Censor. Imprimatur. +John Cardinal Farley, Archbishop of New York).

The above is true.

An Armenian scholar called Ananias of Shirak, circa 600 A.D., wrote:

The Festival of the holy Birth of Christ, on the 12th day before the feast of the Baptism, was not appointed by the holy apostles, nor by their successors either, as is clear from the canons of the holy apostles…which is 6th of January, according to the Romans.

But many years after their fixing the canons, this festival was invented, as some say, by the disciples of the heretic Cerinthus; and was accepted by the Greeks, because they were truly fond of festivals and most fervent in piety; and by them it was spread and diffused all over the world.

But in the days of the holy Constantine, in the holy Council of Nice, this festival was not received by the holy fathers (Ananias of Shirak, On Christmas, The Expositor, 5th series vol. 4 (1896) Translation. pp.323-337, as reported by ccel).

Twelve days before January 6th is December 25th (see also Conybeare F.C. The Key of Truth: A Manual of the Paulician Church of Armenia. Clarendon Press, Oxford, 1898, pp. 185). Hence, the above report suggests that December 25th was originally developed by the heretic Cerinthus.

Why would Cerinthus pick December 25th?

Probably because that was the day of celebration of the birthday of the sun-god Mithra (also spelled Mithras). December 25th also took place during the Saturnalia, hence it was acceptable to at least two groups of pagans. Followers of Mithra represented an influential group in the Roman Empire. Other practices associated with Mithraism have become part of the Roman and Orthodox Catholic churches (such as their communion services).

Cerinthus was a heretic who the Apostle John publicly denounced towards the end of the first century. Notice that Irenaeus wrote that John detested Cerinthus so much that he would not even take a bath in the same building as him:

There are also those who heard from him that John, the disciple of the Lord, going to bathe at Ephesus, and perceiving Cerinthus within, rushed out of the bath-house without bathing, exclaiming, “Let us fly, lest even the bath-house fall down, because Cerinthus, the enemy of the truth, is within.” (Irenaeus. Adversus Haeres. Book III, Chapter 3, Verse 4).

Why would anyone want to observe a holiday started by an “enemy of truth” that was denounced so strongly by the Apostle John?

Well, at least until the Council of Nicea, the December 25th Christmas holiday was not even accepted by the Roman Catholics.

The Roman Catholics have also condemned Cerinthus as a heretic:

Cerinthus A Gnostic-Ebionite heretic, contemporary with St. John…Cerinthus was an Egyptian, and if not by race a Jew…Cerinthus’s doctrines were a strange mixture of Gnosticism, Judaism, Chiliasm, and Ebionitism (Arendzen J.P. Transcribed by William D. Neville. The Catholic Encyclopedia, Volume III. Published 1908. New York: Robert Appleton Company. Nihil Obstat, November 1, 1908. Remy Lafort, S.T.D., Censor. Imprimatur. +John Cardinal Farley, Archbishop of New York).

Yet, the Church in Rome did endorse Christmas, however, no later than by the latter half of the fourth century. Astoundingly the Roman Catholics adopted it when it essentially absorbed the followers of Mithraism.

Notice the following:

Mithraism A pagan religion consisting mainly of the cult of the ancient Indo-Iranian Sun-god Mithra. It entered Europe from Asia Minor after Alexander’s conquest, spread rapidly over the whole Roman Empire at the beginning of our era, reached its zenith during the third century, and vanished under the repressive regulations of Theodosius at the end of the fourth century…Helios Mithras is one god…Sunday was kept holy in honour of Mithra, and the sixteenth of each month was sacred to him as mediator. The 25 December was observed as his birthday, the natalis invicti, the rebirth of the winter-sun, unconquered by the rigours of the season (Arendzen. J.P. Transcribed by John Looby. Mithraism. The Catholic Encyclopedia, Volume X. Published 1911. New York: Robert Appleton Company. Nihil Obstat, October 1, 1911. Remy Lafort, S.T.D., Censor. Imprimatur. +John Cardinal Farley, Archbishop of New York).

The World Book Encyclopedia notes,

In 354 A.D., Bishop Liberius of Rome ordered the people to celebrate on December 25. He probably chose this date because the people of Rome already observed it as the Feast of Saturn, celebrating the birthday of the sun (Sechrist E.H. Christmas. World Book Encyclopedia, Volume 3. Field Enterprises Educational Corporation, Chicago, 1966, pp. 408-417).

It needs to be understood that some scholarly sources believe that the celebration in Rome of Christmas may have began 2-3 decades earlier (by Constantine), but none I am aware of suggest it was prior Constantine in the fourth century.

There have been scholars who believe that Constantine was involved as tradition claims a certain church in Rome as the first site of a December 25th “Christmas” celebration as the following news account indicates:

The church where the tradition of celebrating Christmas on Dec. 25 may have begun was built near a pagan shrine as part of an effort to spread Christianity, a leading Italian scholar says.

Italian archaeologists last month revealed an underground grotto that they believe ancient Romans revered as the place where a wolf nursed Rome’s legendary founder, Romulus, and his twin brother, Remus. A few feet from the grotto, or “Lupercale,” the Emperor Constantine built the Basilica of St. Anastasia, where some believe Christmas was first celebrated on Dec. 25…

It opted to mark Christmas, then celebrated at varying dates, on Dec. 25 to coincide with the Roman festival celebrating the birth of the sun god, Andrea Carandini, a professor of archaeology at Rome’s La Sapienza University, told reporters Friday. The Basilica of St. Anastasia was built as soon as a year after the Nicaean Council. It probably was where Christmas was first marked on Dec. 25, part of broader efforts to link pagan practices to Christian celebrations in the early days of the new religion, Mr. Carandini said. “The church was built to Christianize these pagan places of worship,” he said. “It was normal to put a church near these places to try to ‘save’ them.” Rome’s archaeological superintendent, Angelo Bottini, who did not take part in Mr. Carandini’s research, said that hypothesis was “evocative and coherent” and “helps us understand the mechanisms of the passage from paganism to Christianity.” (Scholars link 1st yule church to pagan shrine. Washington Times – Dec 23, 2007 ROME (AP). http://washingtontimes.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20071223/FOREIGN/924350661/1001 viewed 12/24/07).

And the December 25th date was adopted apparently because the Greco-Roman church was filled with people who did not care that this was the Saturnalis/Mithra birthday, so calling it by the name of Christ somehow was believed to make the sun rebirth activities more acceptable.

And the December 25th Christmas did not become part of the observations in Constantinople until the famous hater of Jews, John Chrysostum, introduced it there:

We may take it as certain that the feast of Christ’s Nativity was kept in Rome on 25 December…It was introduced by St. John Chrysostom into Constantinople and definitively adopted in 395 (Thurston. H. Transcribed by Rick McCarty. Christian Calendar. The Catholic Encyclopedia, Volume III. Published 1908. New York: Robert Appleton Company. Nihil Obstat, November 1, 1908. Remy Lafort, S.T.D., Censor. Imprimatur. +John Cardinal Farley, Archbishop of New York ).

Furthermore, here is even more that The Catholic Encyclopedia admits this about Christmas:

Christmas…Irenaeus and Tertullian omit it from their lists of feasts; Origen, glancing perhaps at the discreditable imperial Natalitia, asserts (in Lev. Hom. viii in Migne, P.G., XII, 495) that in the Scriptures sinners alone, not saints, celebrate their birthday; Arnobius (VII, 32 in P.L., V, 1264) can still ridicule the “birthdays” of the gods.

Alexandria. The first evidence of the feast is from Egypt. About A.D. 200, Clement of Alexandria (Strom., I, xxi in P.G., VIII, 888) says that certain Egyptian theologians “over curiously” assign, not the year alone, but the day of Christ’s birth, placing it on 25 Pachon (20 May) in the twenty-eighth year of Augustus…

Cyprus, Mesopotamia, Armenia, Asia Minor. In Cyprus, at the end of the fourth century, Epiphanius asserts against the Alogi (Hær., li, 16, 24 in P. G., XLI, 919, 931) that Christ was born on 6 January…

Rome. At Rome the earliest evidence is in the Philocalian Calendar (P. L., XIII, 675; it can be seen as a whole in J. Strzygowski, Kalenderbilder des Chron. von Jahre 354, Berlin, 1888), compiled in 354, which contains three important entries. In the civil calendar 25 December is marked “Natalis Invicti”…

By the time of Jerome and Augustine, the December feast is established, though the latter (Epp., II, liv, 12, in P.L., XXXIII, 200) omits it from a list of first-class festivals. From the fourth century every Western calendar assigns it to 25 December…

The Gospels. Concerning the date of Christ’s birth the Gospels give no help; upon their data contradictory arguments are based. The census would have been impossible in winter: a whole population could not then be put in motion…

Natalis Invicti. The well-known solar feast, however, of Natalis Invicti, celebrated on 25 December, has a strong claim on the responsibility for our December date. For the history of the solar cult, its position in the Roman Empire, and syncretism with Mithraism, see Cumont’s epoch-making “Textes et Monuments” etc., I, ii, 4, 6, p. 355…The earliest rapprochement of the births of Christ and the sun is in Cypr., “De pasch. Comp.”, xix, “O quam præclare providentia ut illo die quo natus est Sol . . . nasceretur Christus.” – “O, how wonderfully acted Providence that on that day on which that Sun was born . . . Christ should be born.”…

Cards and presents. Pagan customs centering round the January calends gravitated to Christmas…

The yule log. The calend fires were a scandal even to Rome, and St. Boniface obtained from Pope Zachary their abolition (Martindale C. Christmas, 1908).

Hence it is clear that even early Roman writers such as Irenaeus, Tertullian, and Origen did not endorse Christmas, nor did Augustine even list it as an important holiday. And that even later Catholic sources recognize that it is not likely that a census (as shown in Luke 2:1) would be done during the winter–making a December 25th date of birth unlikely (it was also too cold for shepherds to spend the night with their flocks out in an open field, as shown in Luke 2:8, making a December 25th birth basically impossible).

It appears that towards the beginning of the third century, there were some in Alexandria (not Asia Minor, or even Rome) who began to feel that Jesus’ birth should be celebrated, and that it would be on May 25th. But later, in the fourth century, Christmas began to be celebrated with January 6th or December 25 being the dates observed (and that is believed to be because the sun-worshiping Emperor Constantine, or one of his successors, wanted to have a Sun holiday at the time of Saturnalia and Brumalia to placate the Gentiles–it should be noted that while Catholic scholars admit the probable pagan origins of the date and celebrations associated with Christmas, they tend to not believe that it was derived from Saturnalia).

Although it contains certain errors, even the popular novel The Da Vinci Code understood some of the relationship between sun worship and Christmas when it stated:

In Constantine’s day, Rome’s official religion was sun worship–the cult of Sol Invictus, or the Invincible Sun–and Constantine was its high priest…By fusing pagan symbols, dates, and rituals into the growing Christian tradition, he created a type of hybrid religion…

The pre-Christian God Mithras – called the Son of God and the Light of the World – was born on December 25…By the way, December 25 is also the birthday of Osiris, Adonis, and Dionysus (Brown D. The Da Vinci Code. Doubleday, New York, 2003, p. 232).

While some may wish to argue with The Da Vinci Code the truth, as even all the Catholic scholars admit, is that Christmas was not observed in the second century by the post-apostolic New Testament Church.

They also admit that practices associated with Christmas are of pagan origin, and many of them were condemned by early Catholic leaders. And even the name Natalis Invicti, which the Catholics admit the date of the Christmas celebration apparently came from is a pagan festival that literally means invincible birth and that is referring to the so-called invincible birth of the sun, not Christ.

Why, as Catholic scholars admit, would the Gospels not be of no help in determining the date?

Precisely because God did not have the date recorded. Nor is it likely that Jesus was born in the winter.

It is of interest to note that God said He did not let the children of Israel see Him, lest they try to make images of Him (Deuteronomy 4:15-19). Thus it is logical that God did not have the date of Christ’s birth clearly recorded as He did not want it to be observed. It should also be understood that early Christians did not celebrate any birthdays (see also Did Early Christians Celebrate Birthdays?).

Perhaps I should add that a book I bought at the Vatican in 2004 states the following about the eighth bishop of Rome (now called Pontiffs) and Christmas:

8. TELESPHORUS, ST. (125-136)…He prescribed fasting and penance in the seven weeks before Easter, thus initiating a practice that is still alive in the Christian world. He established that on Christmas eve priests could say three masses and he introduced the Gloria in excelsis Deo, which he himself may have composed, at the beginning of the mass (Lopes A. The Popes: The lives of the pontiffs through 2000 years of history. Futura Edizoni, Roma, 1997, p.3).

That passage is clearly in error as there is no evidence that any in the second century celebrated Christmas.

More recently, a Roman Catholic author admitted the following:

So we don’t reject the use of trees at Christmas time because they were pagan, we continue to use them, because as symbols of life they now point to Christ. (Killian Brian. Halloween, as autumn celebration, reminder God’s name is hallowed. Catholic Online International News. 10/31/06. http://www.catholic.org/international/international_story.php?id=21818).

Yet, the Catholic accepted English translation of the Bible, Douay Old Testament Of Anno Domini 1609 (DOT), teaches:

2 Thus saith our Lord: According to the ways of the Gentiles learn not: and (a) of the signs of heaven, which the heathen fear, be not afraid:
3 Because the laws of the people are vain: because the work of the hand of the artificer hath cut a tree out of the forest with an axe.
4 with silver and gold he hath decked it: with nails and hammers he hath compacted it, that it fall not asunder.. (Jerermie/Jeremiah 10:2-4, The Original And True Douay Old Testament Of Anno Domini 1609. Prepared and Edited by Dr. William von Peters, Ph.D. Copyright © 2005, Dr. William G. von Peters. Ph.D. 2005 copyright assigned to VSC Corp.).

29 When the Lord thy God shall have destroyed before thy face the nations, that thou enterest in to possess, and thou shalt possess them, and dwell in their land:
30 beware lest thou imitate them, after they be subverted at thy entering in, and thou require their ceremonies, saying: As these nations have worshipped their Gods, so will I also worship.
31 Thou shalt not do in like manner to the Lord thy God. For all the abominations, that our Lord doeth abhor, have they done to their Gods, offering their sons and daughters, and burning them with fire (Deuteronomy 12:29-31, DOT).

God does not approve of trees that are decorated in worship or other practices associated with pagan worship. Such things should not be done by Christians. God warns against imitating the ways of the pagans.  This is also shown in Protestant preferred translations of the Bible, like the King James Version as any one can check.

Of course, many do know that the reason that December 25th was chosen was because that was the birthday of Mithra, the sun-god.  Here is a carving of Mithra:

This radiating from the head ultimately ended up in painting, etc. of Greco-Roman saints.  And this is part of why people started to equate the “Son of God” with the “God of the Sun” (even though the words for son/sun in Greek and Latin do not sound the same like they do in English).

But would God want people to imitate pagan practices and adopt pagan dates for celebrations?

The Bible teaches:

24 God is Spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth. (John 4:24, NKJV)

It is NOT truth to worship God on pagan holidays.  It is NOT truth that December 25th is Jesus’ birthday.

Also notice what the last chapter of the last book of the Bible teaches:

14 Blessed are those who do His commandments, that they may have the right to the tree of life, and may enter through the gates into the city. 15 But outside are dogs and sorcerers and sexually immoral and murderers and idolaters, and whoever loves and practices a lie. (Revelation 22:14-16, NKJV)

Most scholars understand that Jesus was NOT born on December 25th.  God does not want His people to adopt pagan practices.  Is not observing Christmas practicing a lie?

Some articles of possibly related interest may include:

What Does the Catholic Church Teach About Christmas and the Holy Days? Do you know what the Catholic Church says were the original Christian holy days? Was Christmas among them?

Is January 1st a Date for Christians Celebrate? Historical and biblical answers to this question about the world’s New Year’s day.

Did Early Christians Celebrate Birthdays? Did biblical era Jews celebrate birthdays? Who originally celebrated birthdays? When did many that profess Christ begin birthday celebrations?

Sunday and Christianity Was Sunday observed by the apostolic and true post-apostolic Christians? How clearly endorsed Sunday?

What Did the Early Church Teach About Idols and Icons? Did Catholic and Orthodox “saints” endorse or condemn idols and icons for Christians?

TPM: Obama – King of the World?

Tuesday, December 23rd, 2008

Senator (now also President Elect) Barack Obama

COGwriter

TPM’s William F. Dankenbring wrote an article titled  Obama – King of the World? where he made the following comments:

America has chosen a new President – one devoted to “CHANGE”! He is a virtual “unknown” – has grown up with radical friends and was mentored by a Communist while a youth in Hawaii…Obama is slick, clever, an eloquent, spell-binding orator. What does his election bode for America? Is America and the world entering a perilous passage leading up to global catastrophe?…

Are You Prepared for KING Obama?

The Word of God tells us in advance that in the “end of days”, “when the transgressions have reached their full measure, a king of BOLD countenance shall arise,, skilled in intrigue. He shall grow strong in power, shall cause fearful destruction, and shall succeed in what he does. He shall destroy the powerful and the people of the holy ones. By his cunning he shall make deceit prosper under his hand, and in his own mind he shall be great. Without warning he shall destroy many an shall ev4n {sic} rise up against the Prince of princes. But he shall be broken and not by human hands” (Dan.8:23-25),NRSV).

Moffatt has it, “There shall arise a king who is defiant, a master of craft . . . he shall make monstrous claims and prosper in his policy, destroying his powerful foes. His designs shall be directed against the sacred people, and he shall ply his intrigues successfully; he shall plot proud plans and ruin many when they are off their guard.”

The KJV calls him “a king of fierce countenance”; “having fierce features,” says the NKJV. “A stern-faced king, a master of intrigue,” says the NIV Bible.

It is interestding that the first world despot and dictator,, Nimrod of Babylon, the youngest son of Cush, was a black man (Gden.10:8). “He behan to be a mighty one in the earth.” A “despot,” Moffatt says. A “mighty warrior,” says the NRSV.

Could the FINAL, age-ending world empire of the earth also be a “black man,” yet also related to British royalty, and therefore a descendant also of king David, and having also a Danite (Irish) pedigree? Could he become the end-time Antichrist, prophesied in the Scriptures?

The answer to the last question is no. As I have mentioned many times before, Barack Obama is not the Antichrist (see, for example the article Barack Obama is Not the Antichrist).

TPM’s William Dankenbring has made many prophetic errors in the past.  He is a false and heretical leader (Why Be Concerned About False and Heretical Leaders?).  And while he is correct that much of the change that President-elect Obama intends to make will tend to lead to the end, TPM’s William Dankenbring is absolutely wrong that Barack Obama can be the King of the World.

TPM’s William Dankenbring has often misunderstood prophecy and no longer understands that it is the USA and its Anglo-allies who will be defeated by a European beast power.

One of the reasons for governance in the church (see also Polycarp, Herbert W. Armstrong, and Roderick C. Meredith on Church Government) is so to not be swayed by false doctrines of those who say something that may, for a while at least, seem plausible:

11 And He Himself gave some to be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, and some pastors and teachers, 12 for the equipping of the saints for the work of ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ, 13 till we all come to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a perfect man, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ; 14 that we should no longer be children, tossed to and fro and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the trickery of men, in the cunning craftiness of deceitful plotting, 15 but, speaking the truth in love, may grow up in all things into Him who is the head–Christ– 16 from whom the whole body, joined and knit together by what every joint supplies, according to the effective working by which every part does its share, causes growth of the body for the edifying of itself in love (Ephesians 4:11-16).

This is one of the many reasons that I advise those who wish to be faithful to heed the call in Zephaniah:

1 Gather yourselves together, yes, gather together, O undesirable nation,  2 Before the decree is issued, Or the day passes like chaff, Before the LORD’s fierce anger comes upon you, Before the day of the LORD’s anger comes upon you!  3 Seek the LORD, all you meek of the earth, Who have upheld His justice. Seek righteousness, seek humility. It may be that you will be hidden In the day of the LORD’s anger (Zephaniah 2:1-3).

And while Barack Obama is not the Antichrist and will not be the King of the World (the biblical King of the North), it does make sense for those who wish to be faithful to check out my writings.  Notice:

10 Then the brethren immediately sent Paul and Silas away by night to Berea. When they arrived, they went into the synagogue of the Jews. 11 These were more fair-minded than those in Thessalonica, in that they received the word with all readiness, and searched the Scriptures daily to find out whether these things were so (Acts 17:10-11).

It is my hope and prayer that those that do will support the Living Church of God and “gather together” with us before it is too late.

Several articles of possibly related interest may include:

Prophecies of Barack Obama? Are there biblical and non-biblical prophecies about Barack Obama. Did Nostradamus predict Barack Obama dealing with the Antichrist?  Might Barack Obama set the stage for the kings of the North and South as at least one Shiite prophecy suggests.
Barack Obama, Prophecy, and the Destruction of the United States Some claim that Barack Obama is the prophesied “son of Kenya”, based up an early 20th century writing.
Barack Obama in Islamic Prophecy? There is actually a 17th century Shiite prophecy that some believe that Barack Obama will fulfill that will lead to a rising up of Islam.
Barack Obama Carries Hindu Monkey God Although there are some strange and false stories about Barack Obama, this one seems to be true.
There is a Place of Safety for the Philadelphians. Why it May Be Petra This article discusses a biblical ‘place of safety’ and includes quotes from the Bible and Herbert W. Armstrong on this subject–thus, there is a biblically supported alternative to the rapture theory.
Is There A Secret Rapture for the Church? When and Where is the Church Protected? What does the Bible really teach? Does the Church flee or is it taken up just prior to the great tribulation? Who really is left behind?
Anglo – America in Prophecy & the Lost Tribes of Israel Are the Americans, Canadians, British, Scottish, Welsh, Australians, Anglo-Southern Africans, and New Zealanders descendants of Joseph? Where are the lost ten-tribes of Israel? Who are the lost tribes of Israel? Will God punish the U.S.A., Canada, United Kingdom, and other Anglo nations? Why might God allow them to be punished first?
Polycarp, Herbert W. Armstrong, and Roderick C. Meredith on Church Government
What form of governance did the early church have? Which form of governance would one expect to have in the Philadelphia remnant? The people decide and/or committee forms, odd dictatorships, or the same type that the Philadelphia era itself had?

Economic Problems Propelled Hitler

Monday, December 22nd, 2008

European Union Tower of Babel Poster

The above poster was produced by the Europeans over a decade ago. The poster tower was based upon a painting of the Tower of Babel by a European, Pieter Brueghel the Elder, in 1563.

The following news item yesterday reminded me of what should be obvious:

The ripples of recession

Desperate adversaries might lash out

Pittsburgh Post-Gazette – Dec 21, 2008    excerpt…

This is a good time to remember that if it hadn’t been for the Great Depression, Adolf Hitler never would have become ruler of Germany. In the German parliamentary elections of 1928, the Nazis won less than 3 percent of the vote, and just 12 of the 608 seats in the Reichstag.

After the U.S. stock market crashed in 1929, our government called in the loans it had made to Germany, throwing Germany into depression. Unemployment there rose from 1.5 million (10 percent) in 1928 to 5.5 million (30.1 percent) in 1932.  Hard economic times radicalized the German electorate. The Nazis won 230 seats in the Reichstag in the election of July 1932, nearly a hundred seats more than the second-largest party. http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/08356/936369-373.stm

In a sermon on July 7, 1984, the late Herbert W. Armstrong reported:

And I can see now, the event that is going to trigger the formation of the reunification in Europe; the resurrection of the medieval Holy Roman Empire that we’ve been looking forward to that is prophesied to come…

But I believe that some event is going to happen suddenly just like out a blue sky that is going to shock the whole world and is going to cause the nations in Europe to realize they must unite! … Well now I think I can see what may be the very event that is going to trigger…that is the economic situation in the world

The whole banking structure in the United States is a network all jointed together. But not only that, one nation has to deal with other nations and imports and exports. And so they have to have a means of transforming money from one nation to another. And so the banking structure is international and interwoven…

Now when the financial structure breaks down, all civilization is going to break down…

Europe is more and more uniting because of the economic crisis.  If the USA falters much more, this will further encourage this European empire to form.

The time for the King of the North to emerge is getting closer.

Some articles of possibly related interest may include:

Europa, the Beast, and Revelation Where did Europe get its name? What might Europe have to do with the Book of Revelation? What about “the Beast”? What is ahead for Europe?
Who is the King of the North? Is there one? Do biblical and Roman Catholic prophecies point to the same leader? Should he be followed? Who will be the King of the North discussed in Daniel 11? Is a nuclear attack prophesied to happen to the English-speaking peoples of the United States, Great Britain, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand? When do the 1335 days, 1290 days, and 1260 days (the time, times, and half a time) of Daniel 12 begin? When does the Bible show that economic collapse will affect the United States?
Does God Have a 6,000 Year Plan? What Year Does the 6,000 Years End? Was a 6000 year time allowed for humans to rule followed by a literal thousand year reign of Christ on Earth taught by the early Christians? When does the six thousand years of human rule end?
Can the Great Tribulation Begin in 2009, 2010, or 2011? Can the Great Tribulation begin today? When is the earliest that the Great Tribulation can begin? What is the Day of the Lord?
SDA/LCG Differences: Two Horned Beast of Revelation and 666 The Living Church of God is NOT part of the Seventh-day Adventists. This article explains two prophetic differences, the trinity, differences in approaching doctrine, including Ellen White.

Rumors of War

Monday, December 22nd, 2008


India Highlighted with Pakistan in Upper Left

COGwriter

Jesus warned about wars and rumors of wars.  Here is one from the news today:

Rumours of war create panic in Pakistan

IANS – Dec 22, 2008

ISLAMABAD (IANS): The Pakistan Air Force has increased its vigilance flights creating panic and sparking war rumours, as Defence Minister Ahmad Mukhtar Chaudhry Monday warned that the country had the potential and right to defend itself if forced to war.

“If India tried to thrust war, then the armed forces of Pakistan have all the potential and right to defend (the country),” Chaudhry told reporters, as he said the defence of Pakistan was in strong hands.

Chaudhry said India would never want war because “if it breaks out, then god forbid the situation might develop into a nuclear war.”

He said Congress president Sonia Gandhi’s statement relating to war with Pakistan was nothing but an election stunt…

Several jets were seen flying close to Lahore and Islamabad, alarming some residents, witnesses said.

Last weekend, Pakistan said Indian jets violated its airspace in two parts of the country, but were chased back over the border. New Delhi said there was no violation.

Nuclear-armed India and Pakistan have fought three wars over the last 60 years.

India accuses Pakistani militants of planning and carrying out the attacks on Mumbai. Pakistan has promised to cooperate, but the strikes have raised tensions nevertheless.http://www.expressbuzz.com/edition/story.aspx?Title=Rumours+of+war+create+panic+in+Pakistan&artid=Fg3bCZkylXg=.

Remember that Jesus taught:

6 And you will hear of wars and rumors of wars. See that you are not troubled; for all these things must come to pass, but the end is not yet (Matthew 24:6).

We live in perilous times, but the end is not yet.

Several articles of possibly related interest may include:

Can the Great Tribulation Begin in 2009, 2010, or 2011? Can the Great Tribulation begin today? When is the earliest that the Great Tribulation can begin? What is the Day of the Lord?
Does God Have a 6,000 Year Plan? What Year Does the 6,000 Years End? Was a 6000 year time allowed for humans to rule followed by a literal thousand year reign of Christ on Earth taught by the early Christians? When does the six thousand years of human rule end?
India, Its Biblical Past and Future: Any Witness? The Bible discusses the origins of those of Indian heritage (such as India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, and Bangladesh), and discusses some of the witness to them.

SDA Samuele Bacchiocchi Died

Monday, December 22nd, 2008


Samuele Bacchiocchi

COGwriter

Famed SDA scholar and historian Samuele Bacchiocchi died yesterday:

Expert on Bible, Sabbath dies at 70
Samuele Bacchiocchi best known for explaining shift toward Sunday worship

Posted: December 21, 2008
12:49 pm Eastern

Bacchiocchi earned his doctorate in Church History at the Pontifical Gregorian University in Rome and was awarded a gold medal by Pope Paul VI for his summa cum laude class work and dissertation, “From Sabbath to Sunday: A Historical Investigation of the Rise of Sunday Observance in Early Christianity.”

A Seventh-Day Adventist, Bacchiocchi believed there was no Scriptural mandate to change or eliminate Sabbath-keeping, and he singled out the Catholic Church for its role in changing the day.

Biblical scholar Dr. Samuele Bacchiocchi, best known for his teachings on how Sabbath observance shifted toward Sunday worship in much of Christendom, died yesterday at his Michigan home at the age of 70 after a two-year battle with fourth-stage liver cancer.

The retired theology professor from Andrews University in Berrien Springs, Mich., passed away shortly after midnight Saturday, surrounded by his three children and wife, who would have marked their 47th wedding anniversary today…

Bacchiocchi previously told WND: “Anti-Judaism caused the abandonment of the Sabbath, and pagan sun worship influenced the adoption of Sunday”.

He said evidence of anti-Judaism is found in the writings of Christian leaders such as Ignatius, Barnabas and Justin in the second century. He noted these three “witnessed and participated in the process of separation from Judaism which led the majority of the Christians to abandon the Sabbath and adopt Sunday as the new day of worship.”

The adoption of the 25th of December for the celebration of Christmas is perhaps the most explicit example of sun worship’s influence on the Christian liturgical calendar,” Bacchiocchi wrote. “It is a known fact that the pagan feast of the Dies Natalis Solis Invicti – the birthday of the Invincible Sun, was held on that date.”

Funeral services will be held Saturday, Dec. 27, at 4:00 pm at the Pioneer Memorial Church on the campus of Andrews University.  http://www.worldnetdaily.com/index.php?fa=PAGE.view&pageId=84204

Although he was not in the COG, within the COG community Dr. Bacchiocchi is probably best known for not only his support of the Sabbath, but for that fact that Dr. Bacchiocchi adopted observing the annual holy days as well (most SDAs do not observe the annual holy days).

Dr. Bacchiocchi and I corresponded off and on for the past several years on a couple of matters of mutual interest. In the first instance, I pointed out to him how he made an error in a citation in his From Sabbath to Sunday text when he inaccurately cited Epiphanius as support that Passover was kept on the 15th.  Essentially the citation he referred to in Epiphanius only mentions 15 bishops who kept Passover, not the date of Passover (which is on the 14th).  I had hoped that he would correct that error if he republished the book, as he said to me in an email he would look into it.

The other primary matter was that although WND indicates otherwise, Dr. Bacchiocchi agreed with me that Ignatius did not change the Sabbath to Sunday.  Not only did Dr. Bacchiocchi concur with what I wrote in my paper Another Look at the Didache, Ignatius, and the Sabbath, he also had written something similar in one of his books.  Hence the WND writer perhaps misunderstood what Dr. Bacchiocchi was trying to state regarding Ignatius–or WND writer was referring to an earlier comment by Dr. Bacchiocchi that he later changed once he looked into the subject in more detail.  The reality is, that many have falsely used Ignatius’ writing as inaccurate proof that the Sabbath was changed to Sunday at an early date, and Dr. Bacchiocchi agreed with me on it.

The fact is that Ignatius kept the entire ten commandments, including the Sabbath.  As did his colleague Polycarp (for more details, please see the article Polycarp of Smyrna: The Heretic Fighter).

Here is some of what the last newsletter from Dr. Bacchiocchi stated about Christmas:

THE CELEBRATION OF CHRIST’S BIRTH

The celebration of Christ’s birth poses two problems: the date and the manner of the celebration. Regarding the date of Christ’s birth, we shall shortly see that the adoption of the date of December 25th by the Western Church to commemorate Christ’s birth was influenced by the pagan celebration of the return of the sun after the winter solstice.

Several scholarly studies suggests that the Feast of Tabernacles in September/October provides a much more accurate Biblical timing and typology for celebrating Christ’s birth than the pagan dating of December 25th. The latter date is not only removed from the actual time of Christ’s birth, but also is derived from the pagan celebration of the return of the sun after the winter solstice…

The good news of the date of Christ’s birth, is not a festival, with its gifts, parties, fun, feasting, yule log, and lighted Christmas tree–for these are but vestiges of a pagan culture that knows nothing of the true God. The good news of Christ’s birth centers around a person–God’s unspeakable gift, a Saviour who is Christ the Lord.

The Celebration of Christ’s Birth in Some Adventist Churches

Several fellow believers asked me to comment specifically on the celebration of Christ’s Birth in some Adventist churches. It is not uncommon for our larger Adventist churches to have a Christmas eve religious service. Somebody asked me the question: “Could you explain to me why some Adventist churches have special Christmas’ eve services while others do not?”

Frankly, I do not understand why some Adventist churches today are adopting the popular practice of an evening church service on December 24. Perhaps they may not be aware that they are imitating the Catholic “Christ—Mass” celebrated at midnight of December 24. They may also ignore the pagan origin of the date of Christ’s birth, which will discussed later. Most likely, for these churches it may be just a matter of cultural conformity, namely, the desire to imitate the impressive Christmas eve services held in Catholic and Protestant churches.

The religious celebration of Christmas in Adventist churches is a recent development…Gradually things have changed during the past 50 years. This is evident by the profusely illuminated and decorated front-end area of many Adventist churches at Christmas time. Some churches seem to compete with the rich decorations usually found in Greek Orthodox churches.

Personally I am not inspired by the elaborate Christmas decorations and celebration, because as a church historian I am aware of their pagan origin…

It was the celebration of the birth of the Sun-god in ancient Rome that was accompanied by a profusion of lights and torches and the decoration of trees. To facilitate the acceptance of the Christian faith by the pagan masses, the Church of Rome found it expedient to make not only the Day of the Sun the weekly celebration of Christ’s resurrection, but also the Birth Day of the Invincible Sun-God on December 25, the annual celebration of Christ’s birth…

THE DATE OF CHRIST’S BIRTH

Surprisingly, there is no mention in the New Testament of any the celebration of the anniversary of Christ’s birth. The Gospels’ accounts of Jesus’ birth are very brief, consisting only of few verses found only in Matthew 1:16-24 and Luke 2:1-20). By contrast, the accounts of what is known as “The Passion Week,” are lengthier, taking several chapters…

The Early Christians commemorated annually Christ’s death and resurrection at Passover, but we have no clear indications of an annual celebration of Christ’s birth. A major controversy erupted in the latter part of the second century over the Passover date, but the date of Christ’s birth did not become an issue until sometimes in the fourth century. At that time the dispute centered primarily over two dates for Christ’s birth: December 25 promoted by the Church of Rome and January 6, known as the Epiphany, observed by the Eastern churches. “Both these days,” as Oscar Cullmann points out, “were pagan festivals whose meaning provided a starting point for the specifically Christian conception of Christmas.”

Most Likely Christ Was Born toward the End of September or the Beginning of October

It is a recognized fact that the adoption of the date of December 25th by the Western Church to commemorate Christ’s birth was influenced by the pagan celebration of the return of the sun after the winter solstice. More will be said later about the factors which influenced the adoption of this date. At this juncture it is important to note that the date of December 25 is totally devoid of Biblical meaning and is grossly inaccurate as far as the actual time of Christ’s birth.

If, as it is generally agreed, Christ’s ministry began when He was about thirty years of age (Luke 3:23) and lasted three and one-half years until His death at Passover (March/April), then by backtracking we arrive at the months of September/October, rather than to December 25.2 Indirect support for a September/October dating of Christ’s birth is provided also by the fact that from November to February shepherds did not watch their flocks at night in the fields. They brought them into a protective corral called a “sheepfold.” Hence, December 25 is a most unlikely date for the birth of Christ.3

The most likely date of Christ’s birth is in the latter part of September or the beginning of October. This date corresponds to the time of the Feast of Tabernacles, known also as the Feast of Booths. This feast was the last and most important pilgrimage of the year for the Jews. The overcrowded conditions at the time of Christ’s birth (“there was no place for them in the inn”—Luke 2:7) could be related not only to the census taken by the Romans at that time, but also to the many pilgrims that overrun the area especially during the Feast of Tabernacles.

Bethlehem is only four miles from Jerusalem. “The Romans,” notes Barney Kasdan, “were known to take their censuses according to the prevailing custom of the occupied territories. Hence, in the case of Israel, they would opt to have the people report to their provinces at a time that would be convenient for them. There is no apparent logic to calling the census in the middle of winter. The more logical time of taxation would be after the harvest, in the fall,”4 when people had in their hands the revenue of their harvest.

Support for the belief that Christ was born at the time of the Feast of Tabernacles, which occurs in late September or early October, is provided by the Messianic themes of the Feast of Tabernacles…

Ideal Time for the Birth of Jesus

The Feast of Tabernacles was the ideal time for the birth of Jesus because it was called “the season of our joy.” The emphasis on the joyfulness of the feast is found in the instructions given in Deuteronomy 16:13-14: “You shall keep the feast of booths seven days, when you make your ingathering from your threshing floor and your wine press. You shall rejoice in your feast, you and your son and your daughter, your manservant and your maidservant, the Levite, the sojourner, the fatherless, and the widow who are within your towns.”

A final interesting sideline supporting the possibility that Christ was born at the very time of the Feast of Tabernacles, is the reference to the wise men that came from the East to visit Christ (Matt 2:1). The land of the East is most likely Babylon, where many Jews still lived at the time of Christ’s birth. Only a remnant of the Jews returned from the Babylonian exile to Palestine during the Persian period. The wise men, most likely, were rabbis known in Hebrew as chakamin, which means wise men.

We are told that the wise men made their journey from the East to Bethlehem because they had seen “the star in the East” (Matt 2:1). Watching the stars was associated especially with the Feast of Tabernacles. In fact, the roof of the booth was built with leafy branches carefully spaced so that they would screen out the sunlight without blocking the visibility of the stars. The people watched for the stars at night during the feast because of the prophecy “a star shall come out of Jacob” (Num 24:17). It is possible that it was during the Feast of Tabernacles, the special season of star watching, that the wise men saw the Messianic star and “rejoiced exceedingly with great joy” (Matt 2:10).

In the light of the foregoing considerations, most likely Christ’s birth coincided with the Feast of Tabernacles. Being the feast of thanksgiving for God’s willingness to protect His people with the tabernacle of His presence during the wilderness sojourning, it could serve fittingly to celebrate Christ’s willingness to become a human being and pitch His tent among us in order to become our Savior.

The implications of this conclusion are self-evident. The Feast of Tabernacles in late September/October provides Christians today with much more accurate Biblical timing and typology for celebrating Christ’s birth, than the pagan dating of December 25th. The latter date not only is removed from the actual time of Christ’s birth, but is also derived from the pagan celebration of the return of the sun after the winter solstice. Why celebrate the birth of Jesus at the wrong time of December 25th,—a date derived from pagan sun-worship—when the Bible provides us with a more appropriate timing and typology for commemorating such an important event?…

The Pagan Origin of Date of Christmas

The adoption of the 25th of December for the celebration of Christmas is perhaps the most explicit example of Sun-worship’s influence on the Christian liturgical calendar. It is a known fact that the pagan feast of the dies natalis Solis Invicti—the birthday of the Invincible Sun, was held on that date…

Rome and the Origin of Sunday, Easter Sunday and Christmas

Let us note that the Church of Rome pioneered not only the observance of Sunday and Easter-Sunday, but also the new date of December 25 for the celebration of Christ’s birth. In fact the first explicit indication that on the 25th of December Christians celebrated Christ’s birthday, is found in a Roman document known as Chronograph of 354 (a calendar attributed to Fuzious Dionysius Philocalus), where it says: “VIII Kal. Jan. natus Christus in Betleem Judaeae—On the eighth calends of January [i.e., December 25th] Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea.”

(Bacchiocchi S. (ENDTIME ISSUES NEWSLETTER No. 218 “The Meaning, Celebration, and Date of Christmas”. November 2008)

The idea of a December 25th Christmas is pagan, the SDAs originally did not observe it, we in the Living Church of God do not observe it, and it should not be observed by true Christians.

Perhaps I should add that I often found Dr. Bacchiocchi’s openness about various changes in SDA doctrine helpful.  His writings helped me document the SDAs’ departure from COG doctrines like the Godhead and non-Christmas observance to the current SDA acceptance of the Trinity (see Appendix A & B in the article Did the True Church Ever Teach a Trinity?) and its at least tacit acceptance now of Christmas.

Several articles of possibly related interest may include:

Another Look at the Didache, Ignatius, and the Sabbath Did Ignatius write against the Sabbath and for Sunday? What about the Didache? What does the actual Greek reveal?
Polycarp of Smyrna: The Heretic Fighter Polycarp was the successor of the Apostle John and a major leader in Asia Minor. Do you know much about what he taught?
The Sabbath in the Early Church and Abroad Was the seventh-day (Saturday) Sabbath observed by the apostolic and post-apostolic Church?
Is There “An Annual Worship Calendar” In the Bible? This paper provides a biblical and historical critique of several articles, including one by WCG which states that this should be a local decision. What do the Holy Days mean? Also you can click here for the calendar of Holy Days.
Passover and the Early Church Did the early Christians observe Passover? What did Jesus and Paul teach? Why did Jesus die for our sins?
What Does the Catholic Church Teach About Christmas and the Holy Days? Do you know what the Catholic Church says were the original Christian holy days? Was Christmas among them?
SDA/LCG Differences: Two Horned Beast of Revelation and 666 The Living Church of God is NOT part of the Seventh-day Adventists. This article explains two prophetic differences, the trinity, differences in approaching doctrine, including Ellen White, that the COGs have from the SDAs.

Britain Considering the Euro?

Sunday, December 21st, 2008

Europa Woman Riding the Beast Coin
Greek 2 Euro Coin Shows the Woman (Europa) Riding the Beast

COGwriter

It seems that desperate times do get peoples and governments to consider desperate measures.  Notice what some in the United Kingdom are apparently considering:

Pound’s Slide Pulls Britain Closer to Euro

Deutsche Welle – Dec 20, 2008
As planeloads of European tourists roam London looking for cheap Christmas deals, the Labour government of Gordon Brown is keeping a stiff upper lip over the British pound’s relentless slide towards parity with the euro.

“We have never had a policy of targeting the pound,” Yvette Cooper, a cabinet minister and close adviser of Brown told journalists curtly…

The sterling, which this week hit a record-low exchange rate of 1.05 against the euro, has lost a quarter of its value against both the euro and the US dollar since the summer.

Analysts predict that parity could be reached against the euro zone currency early in the new year…

To join, or not to join

However, the British currency’s decline has, inevitably, reignited the debate about whether or not Britain should adopt the euro.

Speculation was fuelled by EU chief Jose Manuel Barroso who said recently that Britain was now “closer to the euro than ever before.”

“I’m not going to break the confidentiality of certain conversations, but some British politicians have already told me, ‘If we had the euro, we would have been better off’,” Barroso said in an interview with French radio.

His remarks provoked an angry response from Downing Street. “Our position on the euro is the same. We have no plans to join the euro,” a statement said.

Officials have revealed that Brown, who is a long-standing opponent of introducing the euro in Britain, had made it clear to ministers that he would “not tolerate” a debate on the euro at present.

“Officially, the euro debate is off the agenda, but unofficially, it’s in the anteroom,” said leading British economist Will Hutton.http://www.dw-world.de/dw/article/0,,3887147,00.html

More nations want the euro as their currency
USA Today – Dec 21, 2008

LONDON — The euro is the Miss Congeniality of world currencies right now.

Icelanders are clamoring to adopt it. Danes and Swedes are having second thoughts about snubbing it in the past. The Poles and Hungarians are accelerating plans to make the euro their money.

Even in Britain, which has held to the pound with bulldog-like ferocity, there’s talk of possibly joining the euro.

These countries’ stand-alone currencies have been so buffeted by a global financial meltdown and recession in recent weeks that long-standing opposition to joining with the 15 other European countries that use the euro is dissipating.

“People in these countries have less confidence in their currencies than they do in the euro or the dollar now,” says Ralf Wiegert, senior economist at economic analysis firm IHS Global Insight in Frankfurt, Germany.

The U.S. dollar is an unlikely substitute for their own money, Wiegert says, so they’re looking for the next most stable and adoptable currency that investors won’t run from or currency speculators won’t attack. That’s the euro. Many of these countries had been doing just fine economically without the euro and have rejected joining the “eurozone” bloc of countries that use it.

The financial crisis of recent weeks has changed that — perhaps nowhere more dramatically than in Iceland. http://www.usatoday.com/money/world/2008-12-21-popular-euro_N.htm

For many reasons, I do not believe that the UK will adopt the Euro, but there is always a small chance that it might.  I suspect, however, that it will end up working closer with the USA, Australia, New Zealand, and Canada, and less ultimately with the European Union.

European Union Tower of Babel Poster

The above poster was produced by the Europeans over a decade ago. It may be of interest to note that the above inverted stars are pentagrams, a satanic symbol. The poster tower was based upon a painting of the Tower of Babel by a European, Pieter Brueghel the Elder, in 1563.

Of course, Europe with its history and symbols shows that it is the emerging Babylonian Beast power that the Bible warns against.

Britain and the rest of the world needs to be concerned about what that Babylonian power will do.

Several articles of possibly related interest may include:

Europa, the Beast, and Revelation Where did Europe get its name? What might Europe have to do with the Book of Revelation? What about “the Beast”? What is ahead for Europe?
Anglo – America in Prophecy & the Lost Tribes of Israel Are the Americans, Canadians, British, Scottish, Welsh, Australians, Anglo-Southern Africans, and New Zealanders descendants of Joseph? Where are the lost ten-tribes of Israel? Who are the lost tribes of Israel? Will God punish the U.S.A., Canada, United Kingdom, and other Anglo nations? Why might God allow them to be punished first?
Who is the King of the North? Is there one? Do biblical and Roman Catholic prophecies point to the same leader? Should he be followed? Who will be the King of the North discussed in Daniel 11? Is a nuclear attack prophesied to happen to the English-speaking peoples of the United States, Great Britain, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand? When do the 1335 days, 1290 days, and 1260 days (the time, times, and half a time) of Daniel 12 begin? When does the Bible show that economic collapse will affect the United States?
Does God Have a 6,000 Year Plan? What Year Does the 6,000 Years End? Was a 6000 year time allowed for humans to rule followed by a literal thousand year reign of Christ on Earth taught by the early Christians? When does the six thousand years of human rule end?
Can the Great Tribulation Begin in 2009, 2010, or 2011? Can the Great Tribulation begin today? When is the earliest that the Great Tribulation can begin? What is the Day of the Lord?
End of Mayan Calendar 2012–Might 2012 Mean Something? There is a Mayan calendar prediction for change in 2012. 2012 changes were also centuries ago predicted by the Hopi Native Americans (the Hindus may have some predictions for the next decade as well). Do these Mayan/Hindu/Hopi prophecies have any value? Why might Satan have inspired this date? Does the Dresden codex show destruction of the earth by flood? Can the great tribulation start before 2012?

Navies of Russia, China, & India

Sunday, December 21st, 2008

This is a July 2004 file photo of the Admiral Chabanenko, Russian anti-submarine destroyer.

COGwriter

Russia, China, and India are now cooperating much more apparently in the development of their naval capabilities:

Three navies building aircraft carriers
UPI – Dec 12, 2008
Russia, India and China will be building aircraft carriers for their navies almost simultaneously over the next five years or so, using many of the same design concepts, technologies and equipment. This is unprecedented in the history of shipbuilding. The three countries are currently enjoying healthy political relations, smoothing the way for Russia’s continued military cooperation with both China and India with regard to aircraft carrier technologies. http://www.upiasia.com/Security/2008/12/12/three_navies_building_aircraft_carriers/3135/

Furthermore, Russia wants to support India with nuclear submarines and military helicopters:

Russia Confirms Talks to India About Leasing Subs
Defense News – Dec 17, 2008

Russia is ready to lease several Shchuka-B class (NATO codename Akula) nuclear submarines to India, the director of the Russian Federal Service for Military and Technical Cooperation said Dec. 15.

“Yes, there is a true possibility to lease to India for 10 years several of our submarines with nuclear reactors of the same class and project like Nerpa submarine that had the accident aboard in November in the Sea of Japan,” Mikhail Dmitriyev told ITAR-TASS news agency.

President Dmitry Medvedev put an end to the controversy in his interview to the Indian journalists before his visit to India on Dec. 4, saying that Russia will lease the nuclear-powered submarine to the Indian Navy…

Dmitriyev’s latest remarks refer to several submarines.

Dmitriyev also said that the Indian military will buy 80 Mi-17 multipurpose helicopters within the next two to three years for $1.5 billion. The contract, which also includes training of pilots, was signed on Dec. 5, during Medvedev’s visit to India.

http://www.defensenews.com/story.php?i=3868222&c=EUR&s=TOP

For quite some time I have been telling readers of this page that we would see more military cooperation between Russia, China, and India.  Japan, and other Asian powers, will also probably also support this eventually.

The “kings of the East” must come together and ultimately provide the 200,000,000 man army that the Book of Revelation discusses (Revelation 9:13-20).

And even now, their militaries are seeking closer ties.  Though the end is not yet, events certainly are lining up for the fulfillment of many biblical prophecies.

Several articles of possibly related interest may include:

Can the Great Tribulation Begin in 2009, 2010, or 2011? Can the Great Tribulation begin today? When is the earliest that the Great Tribulation can begin? What is the Day of the Lord?
Does God Have a 6,000 Year Plan? What Year Does the 6,000 Years End? Was a 6000 year time allowed for humans to rule followed by a literal thousand year reign of Christ on Earth taught by the early Christians? When does the six thousand years of human rule end?
India, Its Biblical Past and Future: Any Witness? The Bible discusses the origins of those of Indian heritage and discusses some of the witness to them.
China, Its Biblical Past and Future, Part 1: Genesis and Chinese Characters This article provides information showing that the Chinese peoples must have known about various accounts in the Book of Genesis up until their dispersion after the Tower of Babel.
China, Its Biblical Past and Future, Part 2: The Sabbath and Some of God’s Witness in China When did Christianity first come to China? And is there early evidence that they observed the seventh day sabbath?
Asia in Prophecy What is Ahead for China? Is it a “King of the East”? What will happen to nearly all the Chinese, Russians, and others of Asia? China in prophecy, where? Who has the 200,000,000 man army related to Armageddon?
Japan, Its Biblical Past and Future, Part 1: Any Witness? This is a draft of an in-process article about Japan. Have they had any witness?
Japan, Its Biblical Past and Future, Part 2: Prophecy Japan in prophecy. What is prophesied for Japan. Will God save the Japanese?
Russia: Its Origins and Prophesied Future Where do the Russians come from? What is prophesied for Russia? What will it do to the Europeans that supported the Beast in the end?