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| − | ===Easter, Baal and Israel=== | + | ==='The Coming of the Lord'=== |
| − | It will come as a surprise to most that Easter is mentioned repeatedly in the Bible—but never in a good context. In fact, God condemns it in the strongest possible terms. We will see that Easter is interwoven with the worship of Baal and sun worship.
| + | ===Introduction=== |
| | + | Some churches and Christian fellowships give great prominence to teaching on the 'Second Coming' of Jesus Christ. You can hardly get through a meeting without at least a reference to this great event, and frequently whole messages or sermons are preached on the subject. Other fellowships hardly mention the 'second coming' and many of their members are almost entirely ignorant of what the Bible has to say about it. |
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| − | Before concluding that this cannot be, force yourself to consider the facts of history. It is vital to understand the origin of Easter, and its connection to the Jesus worshipped by millions, because this spring celebration is considered the holiest in the Christian calendar.
| + | For some people then this writing will be an introduction to the subject, while for others it may be a re-examination of what they believe. We will examine various Bible passages on which the teaching of the 'second coming' is based, and see if they mean what at first sight they may appear to. I have put the phrase 'second coming' in quotation marks as, surprisingly for many people, it occurs nowhere in the New Testament. |
| | | | |
| − | So then, who or what is Easter? From where does this term derive?<br>
| + | It helps to compare today's situation with the way it was in New Testament times. The Pharisees of those days were expecting the Messiah to come. Not only were they expecting him, but they also had clear ideas about his coming. In spite of this they failed to recognise Jesus as the Messiah when he came. They could state confidently through their knowledge of the scriptures that the Messiah would come from Bethlehem. The fact that Jesus appeared to come from somewhere else - Nazareth - was one of the reasons why they rejected him. |
| − | The following sources answer the question: “What means the term Easter itself? It is not a Christian name. It bears its Chaldean origin on its very forehead. Easter is nothing else than Astarte, one of the titles of Beltis, the queen of heaven…Now, the Assyrian goddess, or Astarte, is identified with Semiramis by Athenagoras (Legatio, vol. ii. p. 179), and by Lucian (De Dea Syria, vol. iii. p. 382)…Now, no name could more exactly picture forth the character of Semiramis, as queen of Babylon, than the name of ‘Asht-tart,’ for that just means ‘The woman that made towers’…Ashturit, then…is obviously the same as the Hebrew ‘Ashtoreth’” (Alexander Hislop, The Two Babylons, pp. 103, 307-308, emphasis ours).
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| − | Notice this conclusive quote from Microsoft Encarta Multimedia Encyclopedia: “Ishtar was the Great Mother, the goddess of fertility and the queen of heaven.” In Jeremiah 7:18, God condemned baking cakes (hot cross buns) to the “queen of heaven.” So, in actuality, Ashtaroth (Ishtar) was Nimrod’s (Gen. 10:8-10) harlotrous, mother/wife widow, Semiramis, as many other ancient historians attest! Easter is now established as none other than the Ashtaroth of the Bible! More proof will follow, but we can now examine the scriptures that show how God views the worship of this pagan goddess—by any name!
| + | The disciples of Jesus heard the scriptures (what we call the Old Testament) read every week at the synagogue, and they probably knew them better than most people do today. However they had nowhere near the level of scriptural knowledge that the Pharisees had. In spite of this Peter recognised Jesus as the Messiah and the Pharisees failed to do so. This was not because Peter had studied all the scriptures more diligently and more carefully than the Pharisees. It was because he was drawn to Jesus himself, and he received a revelation from God. He said, 'You are the Christ, the Son of the living God'. Jesus replied, 'Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah, for this was not revealed to you by man, but by my Father in heaven' (Matthew 16: 16, 17). |
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| | + | So today, as then, we know nothing properly unless we know it from God. The scriptures confirm what we have learnt from him inwardly in our hearts. |
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| − | Now that we know that Easter is the goddess Ashtaroth, we need to look into the Bible and see what God thinks of her, and notice her connection to Baal.
| + | ===How Prophecies are Fulfilled=== |
| − | Now that we know that Easter is the goddess Ashtaroth, we need to look into the Bible and see what God thinks of her, and notice her connection to Baal.
| + | |
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| | + | God reveals to his servants the prophets what is to come. That much is plain from the pages of the old testament. But prophecies were not always fulfilled in the way their recipients expected. God's ways are higher than our ways, and this is particularly true in the fulfilment of prophecy. Let us look then at how some ancient prophecies were fulfilled. |
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| − | [[File:Ttigtio-nimrod_small1.jpg]]<br>
| + | From the book of Genesis on there are prophecies of the coming Messiah. God told Eve that her offspring would bruise the serpent's head. Eve was greatly consoled and encouraged with this word from God, but she had no idea how it would happen. Probably she imagined some physical conflict. Perhaps she envisaged dead snakes lying around on the ground. With hindsight we can look back on events enormously greater and more significant than anything she could have imagined. Her far off descendant defeated all the powers of darkness, not by force of physical arms, but by offering himself as a sacrifice for the sins of the world. |
| − | Nimrod
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| | + | God told Abraham that his descendants would be as numerous as the stars in the sky and as the sand on the seashore, and that through his offspring all nations on earth would be blessed. Millions of people today claim Abraham as their physical ancestor, and probably this is what Abraham understood the promise to mean. Four thousand years on we know that God's eye rested primarily on the multitudes of spiritual descendants that would be followers of Abraham's faith. The true fulfilment of the prophecy was better and higher than Abraham could have seen at the time. |
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| − | This first of two sources about Baal comes from Encyclopedia Britannica, and it begins to connect Baal to Ashtaroth: “The Semitic word baal, meaning owner or master, was also used in ancient religions for lord or god, and it is still defined as a Canaanite or Phoenician deity. Among the greatest of the Semitic peoples’ deities were Baal and Astarte—both symbols of fertility. Baal, the god of the sun, was supposed to make crops grow and flocks increase. Astarte [was] the goddess of the moon…”
| + | God told Moses to tell the people that he would raise up a prophet like him from among their brothers. Jesus was like Moses in ways that a spiritual mind would understand. In other ways he was very different and many people would have totally failed to recognise the similarity. Moses delivered his people from the yoke of slavery in Egypt. Jesus did not deliver his people from their hated Roman overlords. Instead he delivered them from a far worse tyranny. He broke the yoke of sin and Satan from their backs. |
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| − | Now read this quote from The Columbia Electronic Encyclopedia, Sixth Edition: “Baal had become the ruler of the universe. The Ugarit tablets make him chief of the Canaanite pantheon. He is the source of life and fertility, the mightiest hero, the lord of war, and the defeater of the god Yam. There were many temples of Baal in Canaan, and the name Baal was often added to that of a locality, e.g., Baal-peor, Baal-hazor, Baal-hermon. The Baal cult penetrated Israel and at times led to syncretism…The practice of sacred prostitution seems to have been associated with the worship of Baal in Palestine and the cult was vehemently denounced by the prophets…” (emphasis ours).
| + | God told David that he would establish the throne of his kingdom for ever. I imagine David was wonderfully happy to think of his descendants for hundreds and thousands of years sitting on his throne in Jerusalem. The fulfilment was very different, but much better than he had imagined. His throne was occupied for several hundred years by his descendants, but not for ever. A tragic day came when after a long siege the Babylonians breached the walls of Jerusalem. They put out king Zedekiah's eyes and led him captive to Babylon. They set fire to the royal palace and every important building in the city. What had happened to the prophecy God gave to David? The physical throne of David became desolate, but the spiritual throne of David will be occupied for all eternity. Jesus will reign, and his saints will reign with him, till he has put all enemies beneath his feet. The earthly Jerusalem has been trodden down by the gentiles for centuries and its throne left vacant, but the heavenly Jerusalem has Jesus on its throne. The fulfilment of the prophecy was better than David could have ever dreamt. |
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| − | Baal was the most popular and powerful god of his time, considered to be “ruler of the universe” and Israel wanted to be associated with—to worship—both Baal and the true God. Hence, the above reference to “syncretism,” which is the mixing of true and false religion—the worship of the true God mixed with customs, practices and worship of other gods.
| + | We can learn from these past fulfilments of prophecy. Before events take place we may know that wonderful things are coming, and we must prepare ourselves as best we can to play our part in God's purposes. Only with hindsight if ever will we fully understand God's plans, and, like the faithful of old, we will find they are far greater and more wonderful than we have ever imagined. |
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| − | Merging worship of the true God with Baal worship was Israel’s problem. Remember, it led Elijah to indict all Israel: “How long halt you between two opinions? If the Lord be God, follow Him: but if Baal, then follow him. And the people answered him not a word” (I Kgs. 18:21).
| + | ===I will come again and receive you to myself=== |
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| − | Now let’s examine Israel’s involvement with Baal and Ashtaroth: “And the children of Israel did evil in the sight of the Lord…And they forsook the Lord, and served Baal and Ashtaroth[Easter]” (Judges 2:11, 13).
| + | The best starting point in the study of any teaching is Jesus himself. What did he have to say on the subject, and how does it relate to his life, death and resurrection? So we will begin with what people have taken to be a plain statement from his mouth with regard to his coming. |
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| − | The context of the passage shows that God allowed His people to be taken from their land into foreign captivity as a result of this sin! It continues, explaining how God delivered His people over and over again through a series of judges. After each deliverance, Israel returned to the same false gods, which in turn brought another captivity, via conquest by the nations around them. They never seemed to learn, as Judges 2:19 makes clear: “And it came to pass, when the judge was dead, that they returned, and corrupted themselves…in following other gods…and…they ceased not from their own doings, nor from their stubborn way.” In Judges 10:6, Israel repeats this pattern of rebellion and stubbornness. And God, just as insistently, called it evil—as He still does today.
| + | 'In my Father's house are many dwellings; if it were not so, I would have told you. I am going there to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am' (John 14: 2,3). |
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| − | Baal and Ashtaroth worship reappeared during the prophet Samuel’s time. Samuel told Israel, “…put away the strange gods and Ashtaroth from among you, and prepare your hearts unto the Lord, and serve Him only…Then the children of Israel did put away Baalim and Ashtaroth, and served the Lord only” (I Sam. 7:3-4). Later, in I Samuel 12:10-11, Samuel publicly recounted Israel’s history to them. He reminded them that they continually returned to obeying God, only to fall backwards into idolatry again and again!
| + | When I was young I learnt many Bible verses by heart, and I have never regretted the time I spent so doing. Sadly the practice is much less common now than it was then. However the disadvantage of learning verses by heart is that they can easily be taken right out of their context. This is particularly true of the verses just quoted. It occurs near the beginning of a long discourse recorded by John on the night of the last supper. It occupies part of chapter 13 and all of chapters 14, 15 and 16. We will look now at what Jesus said before and after these familiar verses. |
| | | | |
| − | Let’s read one final example. The Bible states that King Solomon was the wisest man who ever lived. Yet, he made a mistake that God considered so great that, after his death, He punished Solomon by removing the kingdom from his son.
| + | ===Troubled Hearts=== |
| | + | John 14:1 reads: 'Do not let your hearts be troubled. Trust in God; trust also in me.' Jesus was about to depart from this world and was preparing his disciples for the trauma that lay ahead and his physical absence from them. Telling them that he was going to come back physically very soon and take them away to their heavenly home, when he was not going to do that for 2000 years, would not be very good or honest comfort! It would simply be a false promise. If a friend promised to come and see me, and then waited till a long time after I was dead before he rang my door bell, I would hardly think (if I were still thinking about it) that he had kept his promise. Hope deferred makes the heart sick, but a longing fulfilled is a tree of life (Proverbs 13:12). |
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| − | His mistake?
| + | Did the disciples have troubled hearts for the rest of their lives, because Jesus had left them and hadn't come back? Should we have troubled hearts until he returns in person and takes us away to our future home with him? That is certainly not the impression you get from reading the book of Acts, or from hearing the testimonies of many saints from that day to this. |
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| − | He married a woman who led him into the worship of Easter (Ashtaroth). Notice I Kings 11:4-6: “For it came to pass, when Solomon was old, that his wives turned away his heart after other gods…For Solomon went after Ashtaroth the goddess of the Zidonians…And Solomon did evil in the sight of the Lord, and went not fully after the Lord, as did David his father.” I Kings 11:11-12 demonstrate that the kingdom was, in fact, taken from his son.
| + | Their hearts were very troubled when Jesus was arrested and tried and put to death. When he came back from the grave and walked and talked with them, and when 50 days later the Holy Spirit came on them with wonderful power, their hearts were troubled no more. Jesus was no longer with them but in them, and unbelievably they had gained more than they had lost. |
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| − | God considered worship of this goddess as outright “evil.” This was even though Solomon was only “not fully” seeking the true God.
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| − | It has been said that “The only thing man has learned from history is that no one learns from history.” George Santyana took it further, stating, as we saw, “Those who do not learn the lesson of history are doomed to repeat it.”
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| − | This lesson describes ancient Israel—but it also describes today’s modern world. Because Israel could not stay on track, they were eventually taken into captivity, eventually becoming lost to history! (After one more captivity and punishment, prophecy reveals that God will gather them from captivity for the last time just before Christ’s Return.)
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| | + | '''To Read More''' [[Category:Revelation]] |
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Come To Jesus.wmv
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dxrDZp6q_Xc
"Come To Jesus" sung by the choir of Shadow Mountain Community Church, El Cajon/CA
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=90JmTrBxPIo
a worship service from the Headquarters of the teaching ministry of Dr. David Jeremiah
 April's featured article
THE END IS NEAR Click Link
Creation and the Flood
Spiritual Forces of the Last Days,
'The Coming of the Lord'
Introduction
Some churches and Christian fellowships give great prominence to teaching on the 'Second Coming' of Jesus Christ. You can hardly get through a meeting without at least a reference to this great event, and frequently whole messages or sermons are preached on the subject. Other fellowships hardly mention the 'second coming' and many of their members are almost entirely ignorant of what the Bible has to say about it.
For some people then this writing will be an introduction to the subject, while for others it may be a re-examination of what they believe. We will examine various Bible passages on which the teaching of the 'second coming' is based, and see if they mean what at first sight they may appear to. I have put the phrase 'second coming' in quotation marks as, surprisingly for many people, it occurs nowhere in the New Testament.
It helps to compare today's situation with the way it was in New Testament times. The Pharisees of those days were expecting the Messiah to come. Not only were they expecting him, but they also had clear ideas about his coming. In spite of this they failed to recognise Jesus as the Messiah when he came. They could state confidently through their knowledge of the scriptures that the Messiah would come from Bethlehem. The fact that Jesus appeared to come from somewhere else - Nazareth - was one of the reasons why they rejected him.
The disciples of Jesus heard the scriptures (what we call the Old Testament) read every week at the synagogue, and they probably knew them better than most people do today. However they had nowhere near the level of scriptural knowledge that the Pharisees had. In spite of this Peter recognised Jesus as the Messiah and the Pharisees failed to do so. This was not because Peter had studied all the scriptures more diligently and more carefully than the Pharisees. It was because he was drawn to Jesus himself, and he received a revelation from God. He said, 'You are the Christ, the Son of the living God'. Jesus replied, 'Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah, for this was not revealed to you by man, but by my Father in heaven' (Matthew 16: 16, 17).
So today, as then, we know nothing properly unless we know it from God. The scriptures confirm what we have learnt from him inwardly in our hearts.
How Prophecies are Fulfilled
God reveals to his servants the prophets what is to come. That much is plain from the pages of the old testament. But prophecies were not always fulfilled in the way their recipients expected. God's ways are higher than our ways, and this is particularly true in the fulfilment of prophecy. Let us look then at how some ancient prophecies were fulfilled.
From the book of Genesis on there are prophecies of the coming Messiah. God told Eve that her offspring would bruise the serpent's head. Eve was greatly consoled and encouraged with this word from God, but she had no idea how it would happen. Probably she imagined some physical conflict. Perhaps she envisaged dead snakes lying around on the ground. With hindsight we can look back on events enormously greater and more significant than anything she could have imagined. Her far off descendant defeated all the powers of darkness, not by force of physical arms, but by offering himself as a sacrifice for the sins of the world.
God told Abraham that his descendants would be as numerous as the stars in the sky and as the sand on the seashore, and that through his offspring all nations on earth would be blessed. Millions of people today claim Abraham as their physical ancestor, and probably this is what Abraham understood the promise to mean. Four thousand years on we know that God's eye rested primarily on the multitudes of spiritual descendants that would be followers of Abraham's faith. The true fulfilment of the prophecy was better and higher than Abraham could have seen at the time.
God told Moses to tell the people that he would raise up a prophet like him from among their brothers. Jesus was like Moses in ways that a spiritual mind would understand. In other ways he was very different and many people would have totally failed to recognise the similarity. Moses delivered his people from the yoke of slavery in Egypt. Jesus did not deliver his people from their hated Roman overlords. Instead he delivered them from a far worse tyranny. He broke the yoke of sin and Satan from their backs.
God told David that he would establish the throne of his kingdom for ever. I imagine David was wonderfully happy to think of his descendants for hundreds and thousands of years sitting on his throne in Jerusalem. The fulfilment was very different, but much better than he had imagined. His throne was occupied for several hundred years by his descendants, but not for ever. A tragic day came when after a long siege the Babylonians breached the walls of Jerusalem. They put out king Zedekiah's eyes and led him captive to Babylon. They set fire to the royal palace and every important building in the city. What had happened to the prophecy God gave to David? The physical throne of David became desolate, but the spiritual throne of David will be occupied for all eternity. Jesus will reign, and his saints will reign with him, till he has put all enemies beneath his feet. The earthly Jerusalem has been trodden down by the gentiles for centuries and its throne left vacant, but the heavenly Jerusalem has Jesus on its throne. The fulfilment of the prophecy was better than David could have ever dreamt.
We can learn from these past fulfilments of prophecy. Before events take place we may know that wonderful things are coming, and we must prepare ourselves as best we can to play our part in God's purposes. Only with hindsight if ever will we fully understand God's plans, and, like the faithful of old, we will find they are far greater and more wonderful than we have ever imagined.
I will come again and receive you to myself
The best starting point in the study of any teaching is Jesus himself. What did he have to say on the subject, and how does it relate to his life, death and resurrection? So we will begin with what people have taken to be a plain statement from his mouth with regard to his coming.
'In my Father's house are many dwellings; if it were not so, I would have told you. I am going there to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am' (John 14: 2,3).
When I was young I learnt many Bible verses by heart, and I have never regretted the time I spent so doing. Sadly the practice is much less common now than it was then. However the disadvantage of learning verses by heart is that they can easily be taken right out of their context. This is particularly true of the verses just quoted. It occurs near the beginning of a long discourse recorded by John on the night of the last supper. It occupies part of chapter 13 and all of chapters 14, 15 and 16. We will look now at what Jesus said before and after these familiar verses.
Troubled Hearts
John 14:1 reads: 'Do not let your hearts be troubled. Trust in God; trust also in me.' Jesus was about to depart from this world and was preparing his disciples for the trauma that lay ahead and his physical absence from them. Telling them that he was going to come back physically very soon and take them away to their heavenly home, when he was not going to do that for 2000 years, would not be very good or honest comfort! It would simply be a false promise. If a friend promised to come and see me, and then waited till a long time after I was dead before he rang my door bell, I would hardly think (if I were still thinking about it) that he had kept his promise. Hope deferred makes the heart sick, but a longing fulfilled is a tree of life (Proverbs 13:12).
Did the disciples have troubled hearts for the rest of their lives, because Jesus had left them and hadn't come back? Should we have troubled hearts until he returns in person and takes us away to our future home with him? That is certainly not the impression you get from reading the book of Acts, or from hearing the testimonies of many saints from that day to this.
Their hearts were very troubled when Jesus was arrested and tried and put to death. When he came back from the grave and walked and talked with them, and when 50 days later the Holy Spirit came on them with wonderful power, their hearts were troubled no more. Jesus was no longer with them but in them, and unbelievably they had gained more than they had lost.
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There is nothing wrong with being in business and selling things. However, if you are a church or any kind of "ministry", you may want to check your motive for how you are conducting the work of the Lord.
Remember the money changers in the temple where JESUS turned over the tables and threw them out. They were selling things in the "CHURCH". (God made it quite clear to us that we were not to charge for anything, that HE was our source.)
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Be Glorified
This, my very first full videosong, is my extremely heart-felt "THANK YOU" to all those who pray for me and support me and this ministry. I really love you more than you know and can hardly wait to enjoy the love of Jesus with you - eternaly in heaven... soon! I hope you enjoy this videosong and take it to heart. THIS IS FOR YOU. God bless!
Your ever-grateful brother in Christ,
Scottie
P.S. This is a repost of my 2012 video. I deleted the long-winded outro for ease of viewing my playlist.
P.P.S. It has nothing to do with "Saint" Valentines day. I'm just sayin'.
"Be Glorified" writen by Louie Giglio & Chris Tomlin
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Understanding the Sabbath (Genesis 2:1-3)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZfaII2pJqCw
How are we to understand the place that the Sabbath plays, if any, in the life of the people of God? Turn in your Bible for a moment to Exodus chapter 20. This is the Decalogue, the Ten Commandments. And near the middle of the Ten Commandments is the fourth commandment. We begin to read about it in verse 8. "Remember the Sabbath Day, to keep it holy. Six days you shall labor and do all your work, but the seventh day is a Sabbath of the Lord your God. In it you shall not do any work, you or your son or your daughter, your male or your female servants, or your cattle or your sojourner or stranger who stays with you, for in six days the Lord made the heavens and the earth, the sea and all that is in them and rested on the seventh day. Therefore the Lord blessed the Sabbath day and made it holy."
Guest speaker James Walker of the Watchmen Fellowship
Free Video & Profile: Only six shopping days till Armageddon? The Mayan Calendar ends next Friday and the media is giving major coverage to a growing number of "doomsday preppers" getting ready for what they fear may be the "end of the world as we know it" next week on December 21, 2012.
I think they need to be getting ready for another end-times "false alarm." Apparently, the Mayan couldn't even predict the demise of their own civilization -- much less ours. Nevertheless, thousands around the world are holding their breath, waiting for next Friday. Even some on Christian Television, such as Jack Van Impe, cannot resist the temptation of date-setting. So what is a proper Christian approach to true Bible prophecies and end-times teachings in light of all the false prophets today?
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