Page 377                     Nov 7, 2009

The Way of False Worship

Our Messiah came to us almost 2,000 years ago to teach us
his Father’s name and how to worship him in truth and spirit.
Thus, Christianity began as a pure religion that the apostles
and disciples began spreading throughout the known world.

According to the World Book Encyclopedia,

“Christianity spread rapidly, due to the work of St. Paul and the other
apostles. The Romans persecuted the Christians for many years.”
-World Book Encyclopedia “Christianity” Copyright 1963

This work of promoting true Christianity continues today, although
the vast majority of people in the world do not recognize this work
as being beneficial. This is understandable due to the fact that soon
after Christ and his apostles died, numerous false religions sprang
into existence. There were already many false religions in existence
before he was even born, but the most insidious of the false religions
was “Christendom”.

What is “Christendom”?

It was prophesied by our Lord and Saviour, himself that
soon after he and his apostles died false religions would
mislead the masses:

²⁴ For false messiahs and false prophets will rise up and
perform great miraculous signs and wonders so as to
deceive, if possible, even God's chosen ones.
(Matthew 24:24) (New Living Translation)

Many encyclopedia accounts tell of the torture and death of
many thousands of true Christians at the hand of false
pagan religions simply because the Christians refused to
worship false gods, which angered the Pagan leaders.
However, persecution and execution did not stop the spread
of true Christianity; something even more insidious occurred
that nearly succeeded!

“Emperor Constantine the Great of Rome granted freedom
of religion to the Christians in A.D. 313 and 'Christianity'
became the official religion of Rome by 350 A.D.”
-WBE “Christianity” Copyright 1963

At first, this seems like wonderful news! However, Emperor
Constantine corrupted the teachings of Christ by combining
them with all of the known Pagan beliefs in an attempt to
create a universal religion. Sadly, this is the origin of the wide
variety of false religions known as Christendom that exists
today. The emperor appointed himself the first “Pontifix Maximus”
or “Pope” of the first newly developed religion known today as
the Catholic religion. Any dictionary will give the definition of
“catholic” as meaning “universal” or “all-encompassing”.

Cath - O - lic

1.	broad or wide-ranging in tastes, interests, or the like; having sympathies with all; broad-minded; liberal.

2.	universal in extent; involving all; of interest to all.

From: http://dictionary.reference.com/

This aptly describes the hodge-podge of beliefs of Catholocism
today. The protestant reformation was a noble effort to get away
from the many false beliefs incorporated into the “new Christianity”
but it did not remove all of the false beliefs. No, they did not get
far enough away from them but tended to incorporate even more
stupidity such as snake handling, faith healing, speaking in tongues,
gospel rock music and other non-Christian beliefs.

Many people believe that a false religion is at least better
than no religion at all. They cling to a belief that they find
to be comfortable and sensible as a way of life.

Is it true that if a religious belief seems good and we practice the
belief with sincerity then we will attain Jehovah’s approval?

Here is a warning from the vision of the Apostle John:

⁴ Then I heard another voice from heaven say: “Come out
of her, my people, so that you will not share in her sins, so
that you will not receive any of her plagues; ⁵ for her sins
are piled up to heaven, and God has remembered her crimes.
(Revelation 18:4-5) (New International Version)

Who is “She”?

“She” is false religion. False religion has a history of injustice,
deception and widespread misery as a legacy. The people who
promote false religions will pay soon for their evil deeds. No
prophecy from Jehovah has ever failed to be fulfilled by Him in
his own time. It would be wise to do as the Apostle John suggests
and get out of false religion now and seek the one true one.

How do we find the one true religion?

The Bible states that we will find what we seek!
Jehovah, Himself will guide us:

⁷ “Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find;
knock and the door will be opened to you. ⁸ For everyone
who asks receives; he who seeks finds; and to him who
knocks, the door will be opened.
(Matthew 7:7-8) (NIV)

How do we recognize the one true religion now?

Let us begin by looking for the obvious signs of false religion.
First, members of the true religion worship only Jehovah.
He requires us to worship him in spirit and truth.

²⁴ God is a Spirit: and they that worship him must worship
him in spirit and in truth.
(John 4:24) (King James Version)

He provided guidelines right in the Bible for us to follow.
For example, consider the 2^nd Commandment:

"You shall not make for yourself an idol in the
form of anything in heaven above or on the
earth beneath or in the waters below.”
(Exodus 20:4) (NIV)

It should be clear that we are forbidden to make any kind of
symbol for the purpose of utilizing it for worship.

And yet, what do we see with your own eyes
in the places of false worship?

Statues, crosses, fish symbols, flags, etc. To this very day the
elements of false worship inhabit the churches and temples of
the false religions, just as the Catholic movement established
them 1700 years ago. The Pagans have had statues and other
idols in their temples for many thousands of years longer.

What about The "Christian" Cross?

'That which is now called the Christian cross was originally
no Christian emblem at all, but was the mystic Tau of
the Chaldeans (Babylonians) and the Egyptians."
- Alexander Hislop, The Two Babylons, 2nd American edition.
(Neptune, New Jersey, U.S.A: Loizeaux Brothers, 1959;
(originally written in 1862), pp. 197-205.

'There is hardly a Pagan tribe where the cross has not been
found. The cross was worshipped by the Pagan Celts
long before the incarnation and death of Christ.'
- 'Crabb's Mythology, p. 163.'

"Various objects, dating from periods long anterior to the
Christian era, have been found, marked with crosses of
different designs, in almost every part of the old world.
India, Syria, Persia and Egypt have all yielded numberless
examples. The use of the cross as a religious symbol
in pre-Christian times and among non-Christian
peoples may probably be regarded as almost
universal, and in very many cases it was connected
with some form of nature worship."
—Encyclopædia Britannica (1946), Vol. 6, p. 753.

"An enormous body of evidence proves that the cross is
not a Christian symbol but has its roots in rank paganism.
Nominal Christians adopted this pagan symbol as a sign
of their religion, even though it had nothing to do
with true Christianity."
-The Cross:
Christian Banner or Pagan Relic?
by Earl L. Henn (1934-1997)
Forerunner, May 1996

Therefore, one sign of a false religion is the presence of
pagan symbols. Idols have been a feature of many false
religions for many centuries.

What is the only Christian religion that
rejects the cross and worships only
Jehovah in spirit and in truth?

Jehovah's Witnesses have a wide reputation for being
the only people on the face of the earth who reject the
cross as a sacred symbol of Christianity and worship
only Jehovah, the one true God.

Page 376          Nov 2, 2009

The Harvest

Page 375            Oct 28, 2009 

Cleaning House

Many people think that although the world has problems,

things will get better by themselves but the Bible has many
scriptures in it that show how God will have to intervene
in order to save the world from total destruction by the
forces of evil:

"The nations were angry with you, but now the time
of your wrath has come. It is time to judge the dead
and reward your servants. You will reward your prophets
and your holy people, all who fear your name, from the
least to the greatest. And you will destroy all who
have caused destruction on the earth."
(Revelation 11:18) (New Living Translation)

"Behold, I will create new heavens and a new earth.
The former things will not be remembered, nor
will they come to mind."
(Isaiah 65:17) (New International Version)

"But God has promised us a new heaven and a
new earth, where justice will rule. We are really
looking forward to that!"
(2Peter 3:13) (Contemporary English Version)

WHEN THE TIME IS RIGHT - JEHOVAH WILL
"CLEANSE" THE EARTH.

Can we “clean house” without removing the rubbish,
the garbage, the decaying matter, the offensive sludge 
and the dangerous debris?

Good House cleaning requires complete removal
of all dangerous, toxic, and offensive matter.

GOD WILL SEND HIS SON TO CLEAN UP THE EARTH

"...At the time that God has already decided,
he will send Jesus Christ back again."
(1Timothy 6:15) (CEV)

¹⁹ "Now it's time to change your ways! Turn to face God so
he can wipe away your sins, pour out showers of blessing
to refresh you, ²⁰ and send you the Messiah he prepared
for you, namely, Jesus. ²¹ For the time being he must remain
out of sight in heaven until everything is restored to order
again just the way God, through the preaching of his holy
prophets of old, said it would be. ²² Moses, for instance, said,
"Your God will raise up for you a prophet just like me from
your family. Listen to every word he speaks to you. ²³ Every
last living soul who refuses to listen to that prophet
will be wiped out from the people.'
(Acts 3:19-23) (Message Bible)

"But who will be able to stand up to that coming?
Who can survive his appearance? He'll be like the
strongest lye soap at the laundry."
(Malachi 3:2) (MSG)

IT WILL BE LIKE CLEANING OUT THE 
GARDEN - ROOTING OUT “THE WEEDS”

"For the upright shall dwell in the earth, and the
righteous shall remain in it. But the wicked shall
be cut off from the earth, And the treacherous
shall be rooted out of it."
(Proverbs 2:21,22) (NIV)

"The harvest is the end of the age, and the harvesters are
angels. The Son of Man will send out his angels, and they
will "WEED OUT" of his kingdomeverything that causes
sin and all who do evil."
(Matthew 13:36-41) (NIV)

"As the "WEEDS" are pulled up and burned
in the fire, so it will be at the end of the age."
(Matthew 13:14) (NIV)

THE EARTH WILL BE SWEPT CLEAN OF ALL EVIL

"Just a little while longer, and the wicked ones
will be no more; though you look for them,
they will not be found. But the meek will
inherit the earth and enjoy great peace."
(Psalm 37:10,11) (NIV)

"...This will happen when the Lord Jesus is revealed
from heaven in blazing firewith his powerful angels.
He will punish those who do not know God and do
not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus. They will be
punished with everlasting destruction and shut out
from the presence of the Lord and from the majesty of
his power on the day he comes to be glorified."
(2Thessalonians 1:7-10) (NIV)

"I have come to bring fire on the earth,
and how I wish it were already kindled! "
(Luke 12:49) (NIV)

"On the wicked he will rain fiery coals and burning
sulfur; a scorching wind will be their lot."
(Psalm 11:6) (NIV)

What is the wise thing for us to do now?

"In the past God overlooked such ignorance, but now
he commands all people everywhere to repent. For he
has set a day when he will judge the world with justice
by the man he has appointed. He has given proof
of this to all men by raising him from the dead."
(Acts 17:30,31) (NIV)

Page 374             Oct 23, 2009

The Holiday Called Halloween

On October 31, people will celebrate a fun holiday
that is a traditional favorite around the world. Before
that day arrives Christian people should take a fresh
look at the holiday and ask themselves, "should we
participate in Halloween festivities?"

What do reputable encyclopedias have to say?

According to Wikipedia online:

From: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Halloween

As we can see from the article, there are many ways to
think about and celebrate October 31 as a holiday.

But the question is, is it a good idea?

How pagan is the origin of the holiday?

According to Encyclopedia Encarta online:

"Halloween, holiday observed on the evening of October
31 in most areas of North America and in some areas of
Western Europe. The holiday is symbolically associated
with death and the supernatural. Halloween falls on the
eve of All Saints’ Day, also known as Allhallows or
Hallowmas, a holy day in the Roman Catholic and Anglican
churches. Originally a pagan festival of the dead, All
Saints’ Day was established by the Catholic Church in the
9th century to honor Christian saints. All Souls’ Day, a holy
day established by the Catholic Church in the 10th century,
is also closely linked to Halloween. All Souls’ Day, on
November 2, is observed to help purify the spirits of the
dead.

Halloween is historically related to similar folk holidays
celebrated in other countries. The Day of the Dead, a
Mexican holiday that coincides with All Souls’ Day, blends
Roman Catholic and Native American traditions about the
souls of the dead. On the Day of the Dead, Mexicans
decorate their homes with playful imagery of animated
human skeletons, leave offerings of food for wandering
spirits, and tend the graves of their deceased relatives."

Here we see definite pagan origins.

Is there anything else we should know?

"The most important of these holidays to influence later
Halloween customs was Samhain, a holiday observed by
the ancient Celts, a tribal people who inhabited most of
Western and Central Europe in the first millennium bc.
Among the Celts, Samhain marked the end of one year
and the beginning of the next. It was one of four Celtic
holidays linked to important transitions in the annual
cycle of seasons.

Samhain began at sundown on October 31 and extended
into the following day. According to the Celtic pagan
religion, known as Druidism, the spirits of those who
had died in the preceding year roamed the earth on
Samhain evening. The Celts sought to ward off these
spirits with offerings of food and drink. The Celts also
built bonfires at sacred hilltop sites and performed
rituals, often involving human and animal
sacrifices, to honor Druid deities."

From: http://encarta.msn.com/encyclopedia_761572079/Halloween.html

Is this a popular day for non-Christians as well?

"Halloween is a day that witches celebrate above all
other days. It is a festival of the dead, and represents
the "end and the beginning of the witches year. It
marks the beginning of the death and destruction
associated with winter. At this time the power of the
underworld is unleashed, and spirits are supposedly
freed to roam about the earth; it is considered the
best time to contact spirits"
-Halloween and Satanism, P. Phillips and J.H. Robie, 1987, p.146

"There is another religious group which is equally
serious about its Halloween celebrations: the Satanists.
Halloween to them is a more sinister and direct celebration
of death and Satan; they celebrate [it] as one of his two
highest holy days. At Halloween the sacrifices of some of
these satanic cults are unspeakably vicious and brutal"
-Like Lambs To The Slaughter, Johanna Michaelsen, 1989, p.190

The celebration of Halloween is not mentioned in the
entire Bible. There are other things that are mentioned
that apply to people who wish to adhere to Bible principles:

17 The Lord has said, "So come out from among them.
Do not be joined to them. Touch nothing that is sinful.
And I will receive you.
(2Corinthians 6:17) (New Living Translation)

In spite of these scriptures written in the Bible, Christians
will participate in the usual traditions involving parties,
costumes, Trick-or-Treat, pranks and vandalism.

Why do so many people in the world embrace
such obviously non-Christian customs?

1 But understand this, that in the last days there will come times of
difficulty. 2 For people will be lovers of self, lovers of money, proud,
arrogant, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy,
3 heartless, unappeasable, slanderous, without self-control, brutal,
not loving good, 4 treacherous, reckless, swollen with conceit, lovers
of pleasure rather than lovers of God, 5 having the appearance of
godliness, but denying its power. Avoid such people.
(2Timothy 3:1-5) (ESV)

Is celebrating a harmless holiday such a bad thing for Christians?

"Formerly, when you did not know God, you were slaves to those
who by nature are not gods. But now that you know God--or rather
are known by God--how is it that you are turning back to those
weak and miserable principles? Do you wish to be enslaved by
them all over again? You are observing special days and months
and seasons and years! I fear for you, that somehow I have wasted
my efforts on you. "
(Galatians 4:8-11) (NIV)

What would be the wise course of action?

"Listen to this carefully. I'm warning you."
(Mark 3:28) (MSG)

"The eyes of Jehovah are toward the righteous,
And his ears are open unto their cry. The face
of Jehovah is against them that do evil, To cut
off the remembrance of them from the earth."
(Psalm 34:15,16) (American Standard Version)

"For the ways of man are before the eyes of Jehovah..."
(Proverbs 5:21) (ASV)

Don't say, "I didn't know it!" God can read your mind.
He watches each of us and knows our thoughts.
And God will pay us back for what we do.
(Proverbs 24:12) (Contemporary English Version)

What is the wisdom in ignoring
non-Christian festivities?

27 Turn from evil and do good; then you will dwell
in the land forever. 28 For the LORD loves the just
and will not forsake his faithful ones. They will be
protected forever, but the offspring of the wicked
will be cut off; 29 the righteous will inherit the land
and dwell in it forever. 30 The mouth of the righteous
man utters wisdom, and his tongue speaks what is just.
(Psalms 37:27-30) (NIV)

Page 373        Oct 18, 2009

Why?

Why is there injustice? Why do we have pain, sickness,

death and misery? Is this what the God who created this

universe wanted for us?

How many gods are there? How many religions are

there? Why are there so many? Is there a real God

and a real religion? How will we find the real one?

People who ask these questions are usually frustrated and

confused. Many are so cynical about ever finding the truth

that they have given up.

Who can blame them?

Religion is a way of life for the vast majority of the people in the world.

But - are they in the right religion?

¹³ "Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and
broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter
through it. ¹⁴ But small is the gate and narrow the road that
leads to life, and only a few find it.”

(Matthew 7:13-14) (New International Version)

But how does someone find the right path?

⁷ "Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find;

knock and the door will be opened to you. ⁸ For everyone

who asks receives; he who seeks finds; and to him who
knocks, the door will be opened.”
(Matthew 7:7-8) (NIV)

There has always been only one right path. 

Where is it?

Looking back thousands of years ago, we see that the ancient Jews
knew who their God was, and their story is in God’s book, the Bible.

¹³ And Moses said unto God, Behold, when I come unto the

children of Israel, and shall say unto them, The God of your

fathers hath sent me unto you; and they shall say to me,
What is his name? What shall I say unto them? ¹⁶ Go, and
gather the elders of Israel together, and say unto them,
Jehovah, the God of your fathers, the God of Abraham, of
Isaac, and of Jacob, hath appeared unto me, saying, I have
surely visited you, and seen that which is done to you in Egypt.
(Exodus 3:13,16) (American Standard Version)

How do we know that Jehovah is God’s name?

God’s name has been in the Bible for many centuries.

Some versions of the Bible do not have Jehovah’s name

in them because the translators removed His name and

replaced it with “LORD” or “GOD”.

The King James Version of the Bible has Jehovah’s name in four
scriptures because the translators forgot to replace these. They are:

³ And I appeared unto Abraham, unto Isaac, and unto
Jacob, by the name of God Almighty, but by my name
JEHOVAH was I not known to them.

(Exodus 6:3) (King James Version)

² Behold, God is my salvation; I will trust, and not be
afraid: for the LORD JEHOVAH is my strength and
my song; he also is become my salvation.
(Isaiah 12:2) (KJV)

Trust ye in the LORD for ever: for in the
LORD JEHOVAH is everlasting strength:
(Isaiah 26:4) (KJV)

That men may know that thou, whose name alone is

JEHOVAH, art the most high over all the earth.

(Psalms 83:18) (KJV)

Many versions of the Bible do not have Jehovah’s name

in it all. Other versions of the Bible have Jehovah’s name

restored where it originally belonged. By performing a “search”

for the word “Jehovah” at the on-line versions at

www.biblegateway.com, We can see that in the Old Testament

alone:

·        The American Standard Version has Jehovah’s name

in it 5822 times.

·        Young’s Literal Version has Jehovah’s name in it

5787 times.

·        The Darby Version Bible has Jehovah’s name in it

5791 times.

·        Also available is the New World Translation of

     the Bible published by the Watchtower Bible
     and Tract Society (WWW.Watchtower.Org)
     which has Jehovah’s name restored in it 6973 times.

Why is Jehovah’s name in the Old Testament so many times?

The prophets wrote Jehovah’s name almost 7,000 times in the Old
Testament because Jehovah wants us to know what His name is.

¹⁸ For thus saith Jehovah that created the heavens, the
God that formed the earth and made it, that established
it and created it not a waste, that formed it to be inhabited:
I am Jehovah; and there is none else.
(Isaiah 45:18) (American Standard Version)

Some people believe that Jehovah’s name is too sacred to say
out loud. In fact, this is such a widespread belief that modern-
day Jews do not pray to Jehovah by name. Catholics and
Protestants do not either. The prevailing belief is that since
Jehovah is acknowledged to be the one true God, it is not
necessary to say His name. In fact, it might be an insult to
Him to say His sacred name out loud.

But is it forbidden to say God’s name, Jehovah?

No. Jehovah never said His name is too sacred for us to

say. In fact, Jehovah made the prophets write down many

scriptures for us that actually direct us to call on Him by name:

² And God spoke to Moses, and said to him, I am Jehovah.

³ And I appeared unto Abraham, unto Isaac, and unto
Jacob, as the Almighty ùGod; but by my name Jehovah
I was not made known to them.
(Exodus 6:2,3) (Darby)

³¹ Therefore shall ye keep my commandments, and do them:
I am Jehovah. ³² And ye shall not profane my holy name;
but I will be hallowed among the children of Israel: I am
Jehovah who halloweth you, ³³ who brought you out of the
land of Egypt,to be your God: I am Jehovah.
(Leviticus 22:31-33) (ASV)

Jeremiah was not afraid to call Jehovah by His sacred name:

⁴ Now the word of Jehovah came unto me, saying, ⁵ Before I
formed thee in the belly I knew thee, and before thou camest
forth out of the womb I sanctified thee; I have appointed thee
a prophet unto the nations. ⁶ Then said I, Ah, Lord Jehovah!
behold, I know not how to speak; for I am a child. ⁷ But Jehovah
said unto me, Say not, I am a child; for to whomsoever I shall
send thee thou shalt go, and whatsoever I shall command thee
thou shalt speak.
(Jeremiah 1:4-7) (ASV)

In fact, Jehovah’s Son had a mission to make his Father’s name known:

²⁵ O just and righteous Father, although the world has not
known You and has failed to recognize You and has never
acknowledged You, I have known You [continually]; and
these men understand and know that You have sent Me.
²⁶ I have made Your Name known to them and revealed
Your character and Your very Self, and I will continue to
make [You] known, that the love which You have
bestowed upon Me may be in them [felt in their hearts]
and that I [Myself] may be in them.
(John 17:25-26) (Amplified Bible)

Did he succeed in making his Father’s name known?

Yes. The Messiah and his followers traveled far to make
our Heavenly Father’s name known and to inform the
people of the world regardless of their religious beliefs
that all of the world’s problems will end soon:

¹⁴ And the Good News about the Kingdom will be
preached throughout the whole world, so that all
nations will hear it; and then, finally, the end will
come.

(Matthew 24:14) (New Living Translation)

Today there is only one group of people who are still doing

the work that Jehovah's Son started. They are the only people
on the face of the earth who call Jehovah by His sacred name.
This group of people was prophesied long ago to be named
after Jehovah.

¹⁴ Simeon has related how God first visited the Gentiles,
to take from them a people for his name.

(Acts 15:14) (English Standard Version)

Jehovah wants everyone to find Him.

¹ "I revealed myself to those who did not ask for me; I
was found by those who did not seek me. To a nation
that did not call on my name, I said, 'Here am I, here am I.'

(Isaiah 65:1) (NIV)

Are people trying to find Jehovah?

² "I opened my arms to my own people all day long, but they
have rebelled. They follow their own evil paths and thoughts.

(Isaiah 65:2) (NIV)

In other words, the people of the world are involved in

living their lives the way they want to and constantly

wondering what is wrong with their lives and the world.

Is it possible that Jehovah ignores people who ignore Him?

Is there an answer to the world’s problems
and people’s aimless and peril-filled lives?

 ²³ O Jehovah, I know that the way of man is not in
himself: it is not in man that walketh to direct his steps.
(Jeremiah 10:23) (ASV)

Is there a religion with a future?

Only one group of people on the whole face of the earth has the answer.

Who are these people?