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Church of God Message 

MODERN ROMANS: A WARNING TO AMERICA, BRITAIN AND ISRAEL

Chapter 9

Other Sins Of America, Britain And Israel

We Keep Pagan Holidays Instead of God’s Holy Days

What do trees, rabbits, eggs, hot cross buns, sunrise services etc. have to do with the worship of the God of the Bible? 

Does it not stand to reason that the God who inspired a 1,500 page book would instruct us on how He should be worshipped? Where do you find God commanding us to celebrate the birthday of Jesus Christ as virtually all Christians do on Christmas by decorating trees, or celebrate the resurrection of Jesus Christ with sunrise services at Easter and with rabbits and eggs. What have eggs anything to do with rabbits? Rabbits don’t lay eggs. None of these irrational ways of worship are mentioned in the Bible. Even the words Christmas and Easter are not mentioned in the Bible. And anybody can easily research that Jesus was not born anywhere near December 25th; nor was He crucified on Friday nor resurrected on Easter Sunday on the basis of which Good Friday and Easter Sunday are celebrated.

The word Easter is mentioned only once in the King James Version of the Bible in Acts 12:4: “And when he [Herod] had apprehended him [the apostle Peter], he put him in prison, and delivered him to four quaternions of soldiers to keep him, intending after Easter to bring him forth to the people.” All scholars agree that the original inspired word here is “Passover” not Easter. Modern translations correct this error. So the holidays that all of Christianity celebrates were not commanded by God to be kept as holy days, but are traditions of men.

Good Friday is supposed to commemorate the death of Jesus Christ, and Easter Sunday the resurrection from the dead three days and three nights after His death. 

When the Scribes and Pharisees (the religious leaders in Jesus’ day) asked Jesus for a sign, He answered and said to them in Matthew 12:39-40: “An evil and adulterous generation seeks after a sign, and no sign will be given to it except the sign of the prophet Jonah. For as Jonah was three days and three nights in the belly of the great fish, so will the Son of Man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth.”

Thus, Jesus said that after His death He will be in the grave for 3 days and 3 nights, and will rise after that. But there is no way we can fit three days and three nights between Friday sunset and Sunday sunrise. That is how utterly ridiculous mainstream Christianity’s holidays are. These were all pagan festivals dressed in Christian garb and made to appear Christian. Christians may think they are showing their love for God by celebrating these holidays, but God says the way to love Him is to KEEP HIS COMMANDMENTS (John 14:15) not our own traditions. Keeping our own traditions and celebrating holidays that God did not command and attaching our own significance to them, cannot be showing love for Him.

Here is why Jesus could not have been born anywhere near December 25th. The Bible gives us three clues about the time Jesus was born.

First, we know that shepherds were in the fields watching their flocks at the time of Jesus' birth (Luke 2:7-8). Shepherds are not in the fields during December around Jerusalem. According to “Celebrations: The Complete Book of American Holidays”, Luke's account "suggests that Jesus may have been born in summer or early fall. Since December is cold and rainy in Judea, it is likely the shepherds would have sought shelter for their flocks at night" (p. 309) in December.

Similarly, The Interpreter's One-Volume Commentary says this passage argues "against the birth [of Christ] occurring on Dec. 25 since the weather would not have permitted" shepherds watching over their flocks in the fields at night.

Second, Jesus' parents came to Bethlehem to register in a Roman census (Luke 2:1-4). Such censuses were not taken in winter when temperatures often dropped below freezing and roads were in poor condition. Taking a census under such conditions would have been self-defeating.

Third, the Bible does indicate that Jesus was most likely born in autumn of the year, based on the conception and birth of John the Baptist. Since Elizabeth (John's mother) was in her sixth month of pregnancy when Jesus was conceived, as Luke 1:24-36 states, we can determine the approximate time of year Jesus was born if we know when John was born.  

John's father, Zacharias, was a priest serving in the Temple at Jerusalem during the course of Abijah, as stated in Luke 1:5. Historical calculations indicate this course of service corresponded to June 13-19 in that year (The Companion Bible, 1974, Appendix 179, p. 200).

As described in Luke 1:8-13, it was during this time of temple service that Zacharias learned that he and his wife, Elizabeth, would have a child (Luke 1:8-13). After he completed his service and went home, Elizabeth conceived (verses 23-24). Assuming John's conception took place near the end of June, adding nine months brings us to the end of March as the most likely time for John's birth. Adding another six months (the difference in ages between John and Jesus) brings us to the end of September as the likely time of Jesus' birth.

Thus mainstream Christianity does not celebrate the birth of the real Jesus on Christmas.

Americans and Britons are not looking to God and His Word the Bible for guidance on how to worship Him, but want to keep their own traditions. This is what Jesus told the Pharisees in His day in Mark 7:6-7, “6 He answered and said unto them, Well has Isaiah prophesied of you hypocrites, as it is written, This people honors me with their lips, but their heart is far from me. 7 Howbeit in vain do they worship me, teaching for doctrines the commandments of men; and in verse 9: “Full well you reject the commandment of God, that you may keep your own tradition.”  

That’s what mainstream Christianity is doing today. Jesus Christ calls such worship vain. Its of no value to Him, and of no value to the worshippers. We have full freedom to do whatever we want. But don’t expect help from the God of the Bible in your distress, or in time of war, or protection from catastrophes if you are not worshipping Him the way He wants you to, not obeying His commandments, and doing what He condemns and forbids us to do.

Search the Bible to see examples of how God commands to be worshipped. All of Christianity understands that animal sacrifices and ceremonial laws related to the Temple are no longer required due to the sacrifice of Jesus Christ. Once you leave that aside, all you ever see the apostles doing is explaining God’s ways and singing hymns. We don’t see any other rituals added. The only thing Jesus added was about how to keep the Passover with unleavened bread and wine and washing each other’s feet. And the Passover is kept annually, not weekly, monthly, quarterly or any other man-made schedule. Besides this, there is no other way, with any rituals that God wants to be worshipped. The whole emphasis is on learning God’s law and His way of life and living it diligently. That is how Jesus Christ instructed us to show love towards God. We learn His commandments during weekly Church services and diligently keep them in our lives. That is what worshipping and loving God is about.

God warned our ancestors the ancient Israelites in Deuteronomy 12:29-32, “When the Lord your God shall cut off the nations from before you…and you succeed them, and dwell in their land; Take heed to yourself that you be not snared by following them, after that they be destroyed from before you; and that you enquire not after their gods, saying, How did these nations serve their gods? Even so will I do likewise. You shall not do so unto the LORD your God: for EVERY ABOMINATION to the LORD, which HE HATES, have they done unto their gods; for even their sons and their daughters have they burnt in the fire to their gods. What thing soever I command you, observe to do it: you shall not add thereto, nor diminish from it.”

God warned our ancestors, the ancient Israelites, not to inquire from the nations whose lands they were going to occupy how they worshipped their gods and start copying them. They were to do what God commanded them without diminishing anything from it or adding their own practices. That means we are not to mix worship of God with any practices taken from paganism.

And who was it that the ancient Canaanite pagans worshipped that the Israelites copied?

The Bible identifies the Canaanite gods as Baal and Ashtaroth, or the Queen of Heaven. Judges 2:11,13 says, “And the children of Israel did evil in the sight of the LORD…And they forsook the LORD, and served Baal and Ashtaroth [Easter].” 

Then Jeremiah 7:18, identifies another goddess as the Queen of Heaven, “The children gather wood, and the fathers kindle the fire, and the women knead their dough, to make cakes to the queen of heaven, and to pour out drink offerings to other gods, that they may provoke me to anger.” 

Alexander Hyslop in his book “The Two Babylons” identifies who this queen of heaven is, and what the cakes are that are offered to her. He writes, “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). Then on page 107, Alexander Hyslop states that  the cakes offered to the queen of heaven were these same hot cross buns that millions of children sing about today.


Microsoft Encarta Multimedia Encyclopedia states: “Ishtar was the Great Mother, the goddess of fertility and the QUEEN OF HEAVEN.”

Hyslop also identifies Semiramis as Ashtaroth or Easter, the mother and wife of Nimrod, who was deified under numerous names such as Baal the Sun-fire god and Molech, to whom infant sacrifices were made. The same god and goddess were worshipped under different names by the nations all around such as the Syrians, Zidonians, Moabites, Ammonites, Philistines, Assyrians and Babylonians and other nations living around Israel.

Easter is thus actually the name of Ashtaroth the goddess, the worship of whom is condemned repeatedly in the Bible. Baal is the worship of her son and husband Nimrod of the Bible. We have already quoted Judges 2:11-13 in which God calls their worship evil. 

Here is another account in Judges 10:6-20, “6 And the children of Israel did evil again in the sight of the Lord, and served Baalim, and Ashtaroth, and the gods of Syria, and the gods of Zidon, and the gods of Moab, and the gods of the children of Ammon, and the gods of the Philistines, and forsook the Lord, and served not him. 7 And the anger of the Lord was hot against Israel, and he sold them into the hands of the Philistines, and into the hands of the children of Ammon. 8 And that year they vexed and oppressed the children of Israel: eighteen years, all the children of Israel that were on the other side Jordan in the land of the Amorites, which is in Gilead. 9 Moreover the children of Ammon passed over Jordan to fight also against Judah, and against Benjamin, and against the house of Ephraim; so that Israel was sore distressed. 10 And the children of Israel cried unto the Lord, saying, We have sinned against you, both because we have forsaken our God, and also served Baalim. 11 And the Lord said unto the children of Israel, Did not I deliver you from the Egyptians, and from the Amorites, from the children of Ammon, and from the Philistines? 12 The Zidonians also, and the Amalekites, and the Maonites, did oppress you; and you cried to me, and I delivered you out of their hand. 13 Yet you have forsaken me, and served other gods: wherefore I will deliver you no more. 14 Go and cry unto the gods which you have chosen; let them deliver you in the time of your tribulation. 15 And the children of Israel said unto the Lord, We have sinned: You do unto us whatsoever seems good to You; deliver us only, we pray You, this day. 16 And they put away the strange gods from among them, and served the Lord: and his soul was grieved for the misery of Israel.”

This time God used Jephthah the Gileadite to deliver Israel from the Ammonites. God was grieved when He saw ancient Israel being oppressed by the nations around them and living in misery. The reason that happened was that the Israelites forsook God and worshipped Baal and Ashtaroth instead. So He simply withdrew His protection from them and the Gentile nations around them were able to attack and plunder them.

After God had delivered the Israelites from the Ammonites through Jephthah, they sinned again, and God let the Philistines oppress them for many years. I Samuel 7:3-4 records what happened, “3 And Samuel spoke unto all the house of Israel, saying, If you do return unto the Lord with all your hearts, then put away the strange gods and Ashtaroth from among you, and prepare your hearts unto the Lord, and serve him only: and he will deliver you out of the hand of the Philistines. 4 Then the children of Israel did put away Baalim and Ashtaroth, and served the Lord only.” 

This time God used Samuel the prophet to save Israel from the Philistines.

Even wise King Solomon could not resist this evil. I Kings 11:4-6 says: “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.” What was the result? The kingdom was split in the days of his son who lost most of it.

Did ancient Israel and Judah stop worshipping Baal and the Queen of Heaven? No. Not till God got fed up with the northern kingdom known as the House of Israel and let them become slaves to the ancient Assyrians. Neither did the southern kingdom known as the House of Judah or the Jews in the days of Jeremiah, and they wore God down Who then got fed up with them and let them become slaves of the Babylonians. 

Jeremiah 7:16-20 says, “17 Do you not see what they do in the cities of Judah and in the streets of Jerusalem? 18 The children gather wood, and the fathers kindle the fire, and the women knead their dough, to make cakes to the queen of heaven [these cakes are identified by Alexander Hyslop as hot cross buns of Easter], and to pour out drink offerings unto other gods, that they may provoke me to anger. 19 Do they provoke me to anger? says the Lord: do they not provoke themselves to the confusion of their own faces? 20 Therefore thus says the Lord God; Behold, my anger and my fury shall be poured out upon this place, upon man, and upon beast, and upon the trees of the field, and upon the fruit of the ground; and it shall burn, and shall not be quenched.” God did pour out His fury and allowed them to be defeated by the Babylonians to be carried out of their land in slavery.

Even after being carried away in slavery, has our worship of pagan gods ever stopped. No. The northern House of Israel under the Druids actually got worse in their pagan practices and continued with horrible infant sacrifices. The Jews who were carried captive to other nations actually gave up their religion altogether and adopted the religions of the nations they settled in, as did my ancestors in India. Those who came back to Jerusalem and are known as Jews today also corrupted the true religion by the time of Jesus and Jesus had to rebuke the Pharisees, Sadducees and the high priests. Then most did not even recognize and acknowledge the God of the Old Testament as Jesus Christ and still reject Him. The Jews in Israel today and all the world are mainly secular and do not keep the laws of the Old Testament even today. They keep the Sabbath, but in name only. Not in the way it should be kept. So our people continue to rebel against the true God even to this day.

Now see how our modern worship practices are condemned in the Bible. Prophecy is often dual. It has a former fulfillment in the days of the prophets, and a latter fulfillment in the end time, meaning our time. When Jeremiah and Ezekiel wrote their messages, the northern House of Israel had already been in captivity more than a century ago. So the messages of Jeremiah and Ezekiel for the House of Israel are prophecies for our day.

We have already seen that hot cross buns of Easter celebrations are identified as cakes offered to the queen of heaven in Jeremiah 7:18 and are condemned. Here is how Easter sunrise services are condemned in Ezekiel 8:13-18. Here God is speaking to Ezekiel the prophet, “…Turn you yet again, and you shall see greater abominations that they do…and, behold, there sat women weeping for Tammuz [Tammuz is the Babylonian name for Nimrod or Baal]…And He brought me into the inner court of the Lord’s house, and, behold, at the door of the temple of the Lord, between the porch and the altar, were about five and twenty men, with their backs toward the temple of the Lord, and their faces toward the east; and they worshipped the sun toward the east. Then He said unto me, Have you seen this, O son of man? Is it a light thing…that they commit the abominations which they commit here? For they…have returned to provoke Me to anger…Therefore will I also deal in fury: Mine eye shall not spare, neither will I have pity: and though they cry in Mine ears with a loud voice, yet will I not hear them”.

Here is how tree worship is condemned in Jeremiah 10. 

Jeremiah 10:1-6, “10 Hear the word which the Lord speaks unto you, O house of Israel: [House of Israel is America and Britain] 2 Thus says the Lord, Learn not the way of the heathen, and be not dismayed at the signs of heaven; for the heathen are dismayed at them. 3 For the customs of the people are vain: for one cuts a tree out of the forest, the work of the hands of the workman, with the axe. 4 They deck it with silver and with gold; they fasten it with nails and with hammers, that it move not. 5 They are upright as the palm tree, but speak not: they must needs be borne, because they cannot go. Be not afraid of them; for they cannot do evil, neither also is it in them to do good.”

What is different about the Christmas tree than what is described here by Jeremiah. God tells our people not to learn the ways of the heathen, or gentiles or pagans. But that is precisely what we are doing to worship God. Christians cut down a tree for Christmas, deck it with all kind of decorations, fasten it to the ground with nails. But God says the customs of the people are vain. We are worshipping God in vain.

The relics of human and infant sacrifices can be found in our Christmas tree decorations. Notice the following chilling quote from the Dictionary of Greek and Roman Antiquities, “Oscilla” 3rd edition, volume II: “…all ranks devoted themselves to feasting and mirth, presents were exchanged among friends, and crowds thronged the streets, shouting ‘Lo Saturnalia.’ An offering was made beneath a decorated evergreen tree, according to the pagan poet, Virgil. Figurines and masks—called ‘oscilla’—were hung on the tree, as are Christmas decorations today. History admits…there can be no doubt that we have in these ‘oscilla’ a relic of human sacrifice…”

God Almighty has prophesied the result of our worship practices in Ezekiel 9:4-11, “4 And the Lord said unto him [the angel], Go through the midst of the city, through the midst of Jerusalem, and set a mark upon the foreheads of the men that sigh and that cry for all the abominations that be done in the midst thereof [this is talking about people who acknowledge these worship practices as evil]. 5 And to the others he said in mine hearing, Go after him through the city, and smite: let not your eye spare, neither have pity: 6 Slay utterly old and young, both maids, and little children, and women: but come not near any man upon whom is the mark; and begin at my sanctuary. Then they began at the ancient men which were before the house.[these are the elders and Church pastors who teach people to do these things] 7 And he said unto them, Defile the house, and fill the courts with the slain: go forth. And they went forth, and slew in the city. 8 And it came to pass, while they were slaying them, and I was left, that I fell upon my face, and cried, and said, Ah Lord God! will you destroy all the residue of Israel in your pouring out of your fury upon Jerusalem? 9 Then said he unto me, The iniquity of the house of Israel and Judah is exceeding great, and the land is full of blood, and the city full of perverseness: for they say, The Lord has forsaken the earth, and the Lord sees not. 10 And as for me also, mine eye shall not spare, neither will I have pity, but I will recompense their way upon their head.11 And, behold, the man clothed with linen, which had the inkhorn by his side, reported the matter, saying, I have done as you have commanded me.”

God of Israel is the same yesterday, today and forever, as stated in Hebrews 13:8. He does not change as stated in Malachi 3:6. Worshipping Baal and Ashtaroth or the goddess Easter by America and British Commonwealth nations is going to produce the same result in the coming wars and catastrophes. We simply will not change our ways until war and distress are upon us again. Only then will we acknowledge that we are sinning by worshipping the pagan god Baal or Nimrod in Christmas, and his wife and mother, the pagan goddess Ashtaroth or Easter in Easter worship, just as our ancestors the ancient Israelites did when war was upon them. Only then will we seek the true Jesus Christ, the God of ancient Israel, and God the Father. 

But right now, God has had enough of us. When distress of war and other catastrophes is upon us, He’ll simply tell us as stated in verse 14: Go and cry unto the gods which you have chosen; let them deliver you in the time of your tribulation.” In other words, He’ll tell us: go cry to the god whom we worship in Christmas, and the goddess or queen of heaven we worship in Easter to deliver us out of the hand of our enemies. He is not going to do it. He will simply sell us as nations for nothing to our enemies.

However, individuals in our nations can and will repent, acknowledge their sin during the Great Tribulation. Literally millions of our people will repent. But it will take the horrors of the Great Tribulation in the form of national slavery to the Germans, Islamists and their alliance partners to get our attention to return to the real God, and His ways. That is very important. We have to worship Him the way He asks us to worship Him, and not in the ways the pagans worship their gods Baal and Easter in Christmas and Easter.

And nobody is in doubt that demons are worshipped during Halloween.  

Americans and Britons are not looking to God and His word the Bible for guidance in how to worship Him, but want to keep their own traditions. 

Not only do our people keep their pagan traditions, but also don’t do what God commanded us about keeping certain holy days, which are very rich in meaning and significance. All these holy days are mentioned in Leviticus 23. God said in verses 2,4, “2 Speak unto the children of Israel, and say unto them, Concerning the feasts of the Lord, which you shall proclaim to be holy convocations, even THESE ARE MY FEASTS…4 These are the feasts of the Lord, even holy convocations, which ye shall proclaim in their seasons.” These are not Jewish feasts, but God’s feasts which shall be proclaimed as holy convocations year after year.

All these festivals are explained in great detail in my book “God’s Plan of Salvation for Mankind” available free on my web site www.ChurchofGodMessage.com.

Briefly, these festivals are 1) the PASSOVER which pictures the sacrifice of Jesus Christ for our sins, making forgiveness of sins, and with obedience to His laws, qualifying to receive eternal life possible for us. 2) FEAST OF UNLEAVENED BREAD. Leaven symbolizes sin. Putting away leaven for 7 days pictures putting away sin in thoughts, actions and attitudes completely out of our lives. 3) Feast of PENTECOST pictures the giving of God’s holy spirit and the smaller harvest of souls for God’s kingdom. These are the few people who are called by God in the first 6,000 years of man’s history, may be just hundreds of thousands or a few million. The rest will be called later. 4) FEAST OF TRUMPETS, or ROSH HASHANAH as the Jews call it  - pictures the return of Jesus Christ to earth to set up God’s Kingdom. All those who were called in the first 6,000 of human history and remained faithful to the end will be resurrected to immortal life to reign with Jesus Christ for 1,000 years; 5) DAY OF ATONEMENT, or Yom Kippur as the Jews call it - pictures putting all of humanity’s sins on the head of Satan and he being banished into the abyss, and the demons also imprisoned for 1,000 years.6) FEAST OF TABERNACLES - pictures the reign of Jesus Christ over all the earth for 1,000 years when all of humanity will be taught God’s ways and live in abundance, peace, justice, happiness and joy. Billions born in this period will qualify to receive eternal life; 7) LAST GREAT DAY - pictures the resurrection of all human beings, tens of billions of them, to physical life who were not called during the first 6,000 years of human history. They will learn God’s way of life, receive God’s holy spirit to live that way. Most will accept it and will qualify to receive eternal life. 

Thus these holy days picture God’s incredible plan to offer salvation to all of humanity. The good news is that most will qualify to receive it, as compared to every other religion which says only a few will receive it. These were statutes in the Law that Americans and the British have not kept for more than 3,000 years. Though the Jews keep some of them, but they don’t understand the deep meaning behind them. They also do not keep the festivals as they should be kept and have added their own rituals and traditions with concocted meaning.

Jesus and the disciples kept all seven of God’s holy annual feasts. God does not want to be worshipped with any rituals. The whole emphasis is on learning God’s law and His way of life and living it diligently. That is how Jesus Christ instructed us to show love towards God. We learn His commandments during weekly Church services and diligently keep them in our lives. That is what worshipping and loving God is about.

It is very important to God that we keep His holy days. In Zechariah 14:16-19 God describes the punishment for those nations that won’t keep the Feast of Tabernacles, one of the seven annual holy days, in His Kingdom“ 16 And it shall come to pass, that every one that is left of all the nations which came against Jerusalem shall even go up from year to year to worship the King, the Lord of hosts, and to keep the feast of tabernacles. 17 And it shall be, that whoso will not come up of all the families of the earth unto Jerusalem to worship the King, the Lord of hosts, even upon them shall be no rain. 18 And if the family of Egypt go not up, and come not, that have no rain; there shall be the plague, wherewith the Lord will smite the heathen that come not up to keep the feast of tabernacles. 19 This shall be the punishment of Egypt, and the punishment of all nations that come not up to keep the feast of tabernacles.”

The punishment will be no rain, leading to famine conditions and dependence on other nations. Keeping His holy days is that important to God. God will punish us with no rain if we persist in violating His laws concerning His holy days.

Instead of keeping God’s feasts, mainstream Christianity keeps pagan holidays such as Christmas, Easter, Valentine’s Day, New year’s Day, Halloween and such others. Keeping these pagan holidays is condemned in the Bible. Worship services on these pagan days are condemned through Isaiah the prophet, and God also prophesies the result in Isaiah 1:12-20 (NKJV), “13 Stop bringing meaningless offerings! Your incense is detestable to me. New Moons, Sabbaths and convocations - I cannot bear your worthless assemblies. 14 Your New Moon feasts and your appointed festivals I hate with all my being. They have become a burden to me; I am weary of bearing them. 15 When you spread out your hands in prayer, I hide my eyes from you; even when you offer many prayers, I am not listening…19 If you are willing and obedient, you will eat the good things of the land; 20 but if you resist and rebel, you will be devoured by the sword.” For the mouth of the Lord has spoken.”

God says if we repent and change our ways, we can live and eat the good of the land He has given us. But if we don’t, then the sword will devour us, leading to slavery for the survivors.

God also says through Hosea 2:11, “11 I will also cause all her [meaning Israel’s] mirth to cease, her feast days, her new moons, and her sabbaths [meaning Sunday worship services], and all her solemn feasts” [Christmas, Easter and others]. God is angry with our nations for violating His holy days for failing to keep them. 

Besides the Ten Commandments, God gave other statutes and judgments through Moses and the prophets which are to be obeyed as well. We must live by every word of God. Proverbs 30:5 says, “Every word of God is pure:” And Luke 4:4 says, “man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word of God.” There are other statutes and judgments of God that physical Israel violates, which the prophets condemn.

Mainstream Christianity Worships Pagan gods

Whom does Mainstream Christianity (MC) obey? We have seen that MC does not obey God’s two test commandments: not use idols of images in worship; and keep the Sabbath day holy. It claims that Christians are no longer required to obey God’s Law, meaning the Ten Commandments and other statutes and judgments, because of the sacrifice of Jesus Christ. That is contrary to what Jesus Christ taught. MC does not keep God’s commanded holy days. Thus MC does not obey the God of the Bible, which are none other than God the Father and Jesus Christ.

But whom does MC obey? Sunday is the day of Sun worship. Baal and Astarte, or the Queen of Heaven were worshipped on Sunday. Christmas and Easter were ancient pagan holidays on which Baal and Astarte were worshipped. All the rituals associated with these and other MC’s holidays were the same that were used in the worship of pagan gods Baal, Molech, Astarte and others. The Roman Catholic Church, in order to lure pagans to join the Church, allowed them to keep their pagan celebrations, but gave them concocted Christian significance, which we have seen makes no sense. Jesus was nowhere born near December 25th, and three days and three nights cannot be fitted between Friday evening and Sunday sunrise, in keeping with the Good Friday and Easter Sunday tradition, which was the only sign Jesus gave of His being the Messiah.   

MC, therefore, disobeys Jesus Christ, but obeys pagan gods, Baal (whose other names were Molech, Tammuz and numerous others) and goddess Astarte. In obeying pagan gods in Sunday worship and celebrating their pagan holidays, MC does not worship the true God of the Bible, God the Father and Jesus Christ, but pagan gods. 

Paul stated in Romans 6:16: “Know you not, that to whom you yield yourselves servants to obey, his servants you are to whom you obey; whether of sin unto death, or of obedience unto righteousness?” 

MC yields to false gods by obeying them, and not the true God of the Bible which it disobeys in virtually every commandment. Therefore, it worships false gods.

God’s Dietary Laws

Almost universally Americans and Britons violate God’s dietary laws. God condemns eating swine’s flesh and other unclean animals, birds, reptiles and shellfish. Leviticus 11 and Deuteronomy 14 mention the clean and unclean animals. But our people eat swine’s flesh, rabbits, shellfish such as lobster, shrimp and other unclean fish, and unclean birds in abundance. God warned in Deuteronomy 14:3, “You shalt not eat any abominable thing.”

Because of these violations God prophesies in Isaiah 65: 2-12, “2 I have spread out my hands all the day unto a rebellious people, which walks in a way that was not good, after their own thoughts; 3 A people that provokes me to anger continually to my face; that sacrifices in gardens, and burns incense upon altars of brick; 4 Which remain among the graves, and lodge in the monuments, WHICH EAT SWINE’S FLESH, AND BROTH OF ABOMINABLE THINGS IS IN THEIR VESSELS; 5 Which say, Stand by yourself, come not near to me; for I am holier than you. These are a smoke in my nose, a fire that burns all the day. 6 Behold, it is written before me: I will not keep silence, but will recompense, even recompense into their bosom…11 …you are they that forsake the Lord, that forget my holy mountain…12 Therefore will I number you to the sword, and you shall all bow down to the slaughter: because when I called, you did not answer; when I spoke, you did not hear; but did evil before mine eyes, and did choose that wherein I delighted not.”

Isaiah 66:15-17, “15 For, behold, the Lord will come with fire, and with his chariots like a whirlwind, to render his anger with fury, and his rebuke with flames of fire. 16 For by fire and by his sword will the Lord plead with all flesh [meaning people of all nations]: and the slain of the Lord shall be many. 17 They that sanctify themselves, and purify themselves in the gardens behind one tree in the midst, EATING SWINE’S FLESH, AND THE ABOMINATION, AND THE MOUSE, shall be consumed together, says the Lord.”

Unless people repent and give up uncleanness of eating swine’s flesh, God will impose the death penalty by fire of nuclear and other weapons. 

Indulgence in Excessive amount of Drink and Music

God also condemns our inordinate stress on drinking and music, and total disregard for how God is working on earth. He is not at all in their thoughts. 

God says through Isaiah 5:11-13, “11 Woe unto them that rise up early in the morning, that they may FOLLOW STRONG DRINK; THAT CONTINUE UNTIL NIGHT, TILL WINE INFLAME THEM! 12 AND THE HARP, AND THE VIOL, THE TABRET, AND PIPE, AND WINE ARE IN THEIR FEASTS: BUT THEY REGARD NOT THE WORK OF THE LORD, NEITHER CONSIDER THE OPERATION OF HIS HANDS. 13 Therefore my people are gone into captivity, because they have no knowledge: and their honorable men are famished, and their multitude dried up with thirst. 14 Therefore hell has enlarged herself, and opened her mouth without measure: and their glory, and their multitude, and their pomp, and he that rejoices, shall descend into it.Woe unto them that are MIGHTY TO DRINK WINE, and men of strength to mingle STRONG DRINK:”

God is very specific about our peoples’ attitude in our time, even when disaster will stare us in the face in Isaiah 22:12-14, “12 And in that day [this phrase always refers to the end-time] did the Lord God of hosts call to weeping, and to mourning, and to baldness, and to girding with sackcloth [meaning a call to repentance as God’s Church has been doing for the past 102 years]: 13 And behold joy and gladness, slaying oxen, and killing sheep, EATING FLESH, AND DRINKING WINE: LET US EAT AND DRINK; FOR TOMORROW WE SHALL DIE. 14 And it was revealed in mine ears by the Lord of hosts, Surely this iniquity shall not be purged from you till you die, says the Lord God of hosts.”

God specifically calls the British drunkards in Isaiah 28:1-3: “1 Woe to the crown of pride, to the drunkards of Ephraim [which is British Commonwealth nations], whose glorious beauty is a fading flower, which are on the head of the fat valleys of them that are overcome with wine!…3 THE CROWN OF PRIDE, THE DRUNKARDS OF EPHRAIM, SHALL BE TRODDEN UNDER FEET:…7 But THEY ALSO HAVE ERRED THROUGH WINE, AND THROUGH STRONG DRINK ARE OUT OF THE WAY [meaning out of the way of righteousness]; THE PRIEST AND THE PROPHET HAVE ERRED THROUGH STRONG DRINK, THEY ARE SWALLOWED UP OF WINE, they are out of the way through strong drink; they err in vision, they stumble in judgment. 8 For all tables are full of vomit and filthiness, so that there is no place clean.”

Isaiah 56:12, “Come, say they, I will fetch wine, and we will fill ourselves with STRONG DRINK; and to morrow shall be as this day, and much more abundant.”

Amos 6:1-8, “Woe to them that are at ease in Zion, and trust in the mountain of Samaria, which are named chief of the nations, to whom the house of Israel came!…[You] 5 THAT CHANT TO THE SOUND OF THE VIOL, AND INVENT TO THEMSELVES INSTRUMENTS OF MUSIC, LIKE DAVID; 6 THAT DRINK WINE IN BOWLS, and anoint themselves with the chief ointments: but they are not grieved for the affliction of Joseph. 7 Therefore now shall they go captive with the first that go captive, and the banquet of them that stretched themselves shall be removed. 8 The Lord God has sworn by himself, says the Lord the God of hosts, I abhor the excellency of Jacob, and hate his palaces: therefore will I deliver up the city with all that is therein.

Americans spend $251 billion annually on alcoholic beverages and the U.K. consumers spend $69 billion annually. Music industry revenue in the USA was close to $20 billion and in the U.K. around $6 billion. Compare that to grocery stores food sales of about $700 billion in the USA. Americans and Britons do spend a great deal of money on drinking and music.

Tattoos and Other Marks on the Body 

Here are two more clear commands in the Bible in Leviticus 19:27-28, “27 YOU SHALL NOT ROUND THE CORNERS OF YOUR HEADS, NEITHER SHALL YOU MAR THE CORNERS OF YOUR BEARD. 28 You shall not make any cuttings in your flesh for the dead, NOR PRINT ANY MARKS UPON YOU: I am the Lord.”

It seems if there is a law in the Bible prohibiting something, Americans and Britons will deliberately in outright rebellion to spite God go ahead and do it proudly. Witness the tattoos printed on their bodies by celebrities and much of the population, and fancy abnormal haircuts and beards. Such defiance and rebellion against God’s law in violation of our Covenant made at the time of Moses will automatically bring the prescribed penalties, defeat in war and national slavery.

We thus see that for all our violations of God’s laws, the sword is promised for America, British Commonwealth nations and the Jewish state of Israel. God has prophesied the exact sequence of end-time events in the Book of Revelation. My book titled “World in Bible Prophecy” describes this sequence in detail. Please read the book free on my website www.ChurchofGodMessage.com.

Daniel’s Confession More Applicable Today

When seventy years of Judah’s captivity in Babylon were completed, Daniel made a confession of Israel and Judah’s sins in prayer to God. That confession is more applicable today than even in Daniel’s time. Here is that confession:

Daniel 9:2-14, “2 In the first year of his [Darius] reign I Daniel understood by books the number of the years, whereof the word of the Lord came to Jeremiah the prophet, that he would accomplish seventy years in the desolations of Jerusalem. 3 And I set my face unto the Lord God, to seek by prayer and supplications, with fasting, and sackcloth, and ashes: 4 And I prayed unto the Lord my God, and made my confession, and said, O Lord, the great and dreadful God, keeping the covenant and mercy to them that love him, and to them that keep his commandments; 5 We have sinned, and have committed iniquity, and have done wickedly, and have rebelled, even by departing from your precepts and from your judgments: 6 Neither have we hearkened unto your servants the prophets, which spoke in your name to our kings, our princes, and our fathers, and to all the people of the land.

“7 O Lord, righteousness belongs to you, but unto us confusion of faces, as at this day; to the men of Judah, and to the inhabitants of Jerusalem, and unto all Israel, that are near, and that are far off, through all the countries whither you have driven them, because of their trespass that they have trespassed against you. 8 O Lord, to us belongs confusion of face, to our kings, to our princes, and to our fathers, because we have sinned against you. 9 To the Lord our God belong mercies and forgivenesses, though we have rebelled against him; 10 Neither have we obeyed the voice of the Lord our God, to walk in his laws, which he set before us by his servants the prophets. 11 Yea, all Israel have transgressed your law, even by departing, that they might not obey your voice; therefore the curse is poured upon us, and the oath that is written in the law of Moses the servant of God, because we have sinned against him. 12 And he has confirmed his words, which he spoke against us, and against our judges that judged us, by bringing upon us a great evil: for under the whole heaven has not been done as has been done upon Jerusalem.

“13 As it is written in the law of Moses, all this evil is come upon us: yet made we not our prayer before the Lord our God, that we might turn from our iniquities, and understand your truth. 14 Therefore has the Lord watched upon the evil, and brought it upon us: for the Lord our God is righteous in all his works which he does: for we obeyed not his voice.”

As God brought evil upon ancient Israel and Judah for breaking His Law, the result will be the same in our day. Besides prophecies in the Bible, does secular history also teach us similar lessons about the rise, decline and fall of great nations? Yes it does. 

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