An interesting article from http://www.ucg.org/ about Labor Day and the Sabbath. This follows this post about China's military and trade. This follows this post about the Lost 10 Tribes.  This follows this post about Zika. For a free magazine subscription or to get the books recommended for free click HERE! or call 1-888-886- 8632.

"In It You Shall Do No Work"

A Labor Day Look at God's Sabbath

 by Kevin Greer Listen Estimated reading time: 3 minutes

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Labor Day was instituted to honor those who work. At the very beginning of creation God set apart a special day to honor His rest. Learn why the Sabbath command can be a blessing in your life.

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You can reap the benefits of God's Sabbath every week!

According to the United States Department of Labor , Labor Day was created to honor the contributions that workers have made to the social and economic well-being of America. President Grover Cleveland first made it a federal holiday in 1894. Labor Day is the first Monday in September, falling on Sept. 5 this year. As an American college student myself, it makes a nice transition from working full-time to going back to classes for the year, giving summer one last hurrah.

God’s “work week” is a marvelous schedule that works. He pushes us to work hard at our jobs and various other responsibilities throughout the week, and then gives us the seventh day off to both relax and focus on Him.

Here’s an odd question: Have you ever stopped to consider God’s perspective on labor, or, as we might say today, “work”? It’s interesting to think and read about. God actually expects us to work for most of the week. In Exodus 20:9 we read God’s command that for “six [out of seven] days you shall labor and do all your work.” He also encourages us to work with passion and diligence: “Whatever your hand finds to do, do it with your might” (Ecclesiastes 9:10). Work is important and allows us to do many honorable things in life, such as provide for our families, grant help to those in need, and leave an inheritance for our children.
Are we then to work and slave away at all times? Certainly not! God understands that we aren’t tireless robots who can run all seven days of the week. He tells us—commands us even—to take the seventh day off!
Let’s return to Exodus 20 to get the rest of God’s important directive: “Six days you shall labor and do all your work, but the seventh day is the Sabbath of the LORD your God . In it you shall do no work” (Exodus 20:9-10; emphasis added). God wants us to take the seventh day off so bad that He makes it the fourth requirement in the most well-known section of His law: the Ten Commandments!
But there’s still more to the story besides not working! What are we supposed to do with these 24 hours of seemingly free time? The core of God’s Fourth Commandment is this: “Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy .” (Exodus 20:8; emphasis added).
One important way that we keep this day holy is by resting instead of working, as we already mentioned. Another significant way we honor the Sabbath is by attending church services, which are a holy convocation appointed by God Himself (Leviticus 23:3). Going to church allows us to converse with and encourage others who believe as we do and to worship and learn more about God and His truth. Please click here to find the congregation closest to you.
God’s “work week” is a marvelous schedule that works. He pushes us to work hard at our jobs and various other responsibilities throughout the week, and then gives us the seventh day off to both relax and focus on Him. This “recharge day” doesn’t come around just once a year; you can reap the benefits of God’s Sabbath every week! As you prepare for fall and for the upcoming holiday weekend, remember to always put God first and keep His Sabbaths holy. Have a blessed and restful Sabbath and Labor Day weekend.
For a more in-depth look at God’s instruction to keep the Sabbath, how to keep it, and its plethora of benefits, please reflect on the following writings:
Sunset to Sunset: God’s Sabbath Rest — our extensive booklet investigating the seventh-day Sabbath as it is mentioned throughout the Bible, from beginning to end.
“The Fourth Commandment: Key to a Relationship With Our Creator” — a look at the Sabbath as a command from God, demonstrating its deep importance to you individually.
“The Benefits of the Sabbath” — this article examines just a handful of the many benefits that you can experience right now by keeping God’s Sabbath.

Sabbath Ten Commandments

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  Kevin Greer

  Kevin Greer attends the United Church of God with the Kalamazoo, MI congregation. Some of his favorite hobbies include music and spending time with family and friends.
  

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Did mankind subsequently get from the Star Wars universe to here?

An interesting article from http://www.ucg.org/ about Star Wars. This follows this post about U.S. development. For a free magazine subscription or to get the books recommended for free click HERE! or call 1-888-886- 8632.
Please follow me here for continued posts.

If the Milky Way

 by George Carter Estimated reading time: 4 minutes

If God moved at the speed of light, would anything really get accomplished? 

 

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Long, long ago in a galaxy far away, the forces of the dark side were finally overcome and hopes of a brilliant future beat afresh in the hearts of men. Did mankind subsequently get from there to here? Technology back then was so much more advanced than ours on earth today, was it not? But no, that was just fiction brilliantly brought to the silver screen by George Lucas and a superb crew of technicians, providing background for a stellar cast in the Star Wars series.
Man’s imagination is a wonderful thing—it can transport him to the far reaches of the universe or compel him to at least make some preparations for life beyond the confines of planet earth. Man has already walked on the moon and now plans that a few people might soon live for a month or so on Mars. But can we realistically hope to travel to other galaxies?

Our own Milky Way galaxy is 100,000 light-years across and about 1,000 light-years thick. It contains at least 200 billion stars (perhaps twice that many), but we really aren’t quite sure. Ours is only one of 50 galaxies in this little corner of the universe, each pinwheel disc rotating at 600 kilometers a second (360 miles per second), which is the preferred estimate, and it means that the earth is traveling around the galaxy at something over 50 million kilometers a day, or 19 billion kilometers a year.
All of these numbers put a transit of the Milky Way ridiculously far beyond the reach of mankind. We are never likely to visit even our closest neighbor in this local group of galaxies, at least not as we are today. Something must first be changed—must, indeed, be drastically changed.

If the Milky Way is 100,000 light-years across, it would take 2,500 generations of mankind to cross it at the speed of light (assuming 40 years per generation); and that sort of Star Trek becomes practically useless.

Now science fiction can take us into the universe at “warp speed” by means of some faster-than-light propulsion that ignores the laws of physics. Imagination is a wonderful thing, but the idea of warp speed seems to be a physical impossibility for any space vehicle and its crew, unless we can reduce them all to a beam of photons to be reassembled, complete with life and intelligence, at the proposed destination. Don’t hold your breath, as they say.
And yet, as one of my of my old college masters used to observe laconically, “God doesn’t poke around at the speed of light.” If there be a God, how else would He traverse this far-flung universe wherein there are galaxies without number, indiscernible to human eyes, but spotted by our best telescopes only as milky droplets in the vast stygian darkness of space? Would God take uncountable eons of time to get from place to place in the universe? To think so makes little sense, but we don’t know what time is anyway. All mankind’s history is contained in a brief span encompassing less than 10 millennia. What went before the story of man began is of little consequence, but what lies ahead is of paramount importance. We cannot be forever contained within these mortal frames, but must be released if ever the glories of the heavens are to be explored.

We measure time on earth in years, months and days, and project it onto the cosmos at 186,000 miles per second, but that relates to energy and light as we see it, and we cannot see beyond our limited physical framework.

What is the speed of thought? Is that God’s speed? Does thought have substance—“I think, therefore I am,” as René Descartes observed? That reaches into the realms of philosophy, but what is the reality?
One thing is absolutely certain—that God is! The wonderful all-inclusive name of God is I AM, and it encompasses all that there is in time and space. If indeed, we are to become as He is (1 John 3:2), we must study the Bible and then we will understand. We must become faster to ever understand God’s neighborhood. Then we may travel beyond the Milky Way, and intergalactic journeys will probably not occupy light-years of our time.

Request our free booklets Life’s Ultimate Question: Does God Exist? and Who Is God?

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An interesting article from http://www.ucg.org/ about Thanksgiving and Christmas. This follows this post about climate change. This follows this post about Star Wars. For a free magazine subscription or to get the books recommended for free click HERE! or call 1-888-886- 8632.
Please follow me here for continued posts.

Thanksgiving vs. Christmas

 by Denny Luker 8 comments Estimated reading time: 2 minutes

America just largely ignored its most biblical holiday: Thanksgiving.
Christmas shopping ad campaigns like Black Friday, Cyber Monday, Green Tuesday—even Black Friday Month—dominated advertising and even news coverage at the end of November. But so little attention was given to Thanksgiving.
Some Christians denounce the commercializing of the religious meaning of Christmas, but sadly, they miss many vital points of truth. However, our premise with The Good News magazine is that you don’t have to miss those points!

Three reasons why Thanksgiving is more biblical than Christmas:

1. Jesus Christ did give thanks to God the Father.
When He fed the 4,000 and the 5,000 hungry men plus women and children, Jesus gave thanks and blessed the food (Matthew 15:30-39; John 6:1-14). At the end of His ministry He specifically thanked God for the unleavened bread and wine of the Passover ceremony that commemorated the sacrifice of His own life for our sins (Luke 22:14-23).
The principle of thanking God for all our physical and spiritual blessings and for life itself is woven throughout the Bible. As national holidays America’s and Canada’s Thanksgiving Days are based on honoring the blessings that God has given their people. ( Is Thanksgiving Rooted in a Biblical Festival? )
2. Jesus Christ did not command that His birthday be observed.
Part of developing Christianity decided to observe Christ’s day of birth, but “Christ-mass,” as it came to be called, was not widely observed until A.D. 354! However, Jesus, His disciples and the apostles did not observe His birthday.
Instead of His day of birth, Christ commanded His followers to observe the day of His death—the Passover (1 Corinthians 11:26). Unfortunately, Christianity long ago rejected the Passover and substituted Easter—a day named after and honoring the pagan fertility goddess Ishtar. This is something that Jesus doesn’t approve of!  ( Easter: Masking a Biblical Truth )
3. Jesus Christ was not born on December 25.
Despite the popular idea, the shepherds did not stay out at night with their flocks in mid-winter. It got too cold for that during winter near Bethlehem! Also, the Christmas-observing part of Christianity had no clear idea when He was born, so they suggested dates from all over the calendar during the early centuries after Christ.
However, had they more carefully read the details in the Bible, those early church leaders could have found that although the exact day of His birth is not revealed, Jesus of Nazareth was born in the autumn—not in the winter. ( Biblical Evidence Shows Jesus Wasn't Born on December 25 )
We want to thank you for being a reader of The Good News and encourage you to share it with your friends and family. Keep reading and learning more!

Star Wars: What Makes a Hero Go Bad?

An interesting article from http://www.ucg.org/ about Star Wars. This follows this post about the Paris attacks. For a free magazine subscription or to get the books recommended for free click HERE! or call 1-888-886- 8632.
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Star Wars III

What Makes a Hero Go Bad?

Posted on Nov 4, 2005 by John Gould Estimated reading time: 5 minutes

As the Star Wars series finally comes to a close, what lessons can we learn from its story line and characters?

Beginning with the initial offering of the saga of Star Wars in 1977, we watched with fascination as Luke Skywalker battled the evil Darth Vader. In many ways the six episodes were as suspenseful as an old-time serial melodrama. If you’re an older person, you may recall the ones they showed, 10 minutes at a time, in the local movie theater. They kept us on the edge of our seats, and we came back to the theater over and over again until we saw the end of the series.
Throughout history, people have loved epic stories with heroes. Some conquered dragons and saved maidens from sure death. Others fought the invading enemies; and even if their own lives were lost, they saved the lives of many others. Some followed complex paths of one demanding task after another, until the authorities were satisfied that the hero was really a prince in disguise, and gave him a crown.
What happens, then, when such a hero turns bad? That is the underlying theme and question behind the Star Wars saga.
To the cynic, Star Wars is either a massive effort to make money in the name of entertainment or it is a gigantic retelling of a heroic epic based on the continual struggle between good and evil.

You make the choice!

The six-part epic is based on a simple premise: We are responsible for the choices we make. Almost all literature has a theme of choosing between good and evil. This probably goes back to our original parents, Adam and Eve, in the Garden of Eden. When they ate the fruit of the tree of knowledge (Genesis 3), they accepted both good and evil into their lives.
Anakin Skywalker was born to a woman of lowly status, who supposedly had never had sexual relations with a man. As a child, he gains knowledge and skills far beyond his own contemporaries, and is recognized as having the potential to “bring balance to the Force.” In other words, he is perceived as a “hero” but, as yet, an untrained one.

There is a moral to the story of Anakin Skywalker: “The choices we make define our destiny.”

As he reaches the stage of young manhood, he is tempted to use his powers in a situation, that is above the law, thus becoming a law-breaker, all as a result of his anger at the death of his mother. In seeking justice, he oversteps the bounds of social responsibility, and turns to vengeance. The act is an irreversible one, in which he eventually turns away from the path of truth (including the path of protecting the weak from evil) to a life of focusing on gain and self.
In the Bible, Judas Iscariot faced a similar crisis. Judas was chosen by Jesus to become one of His closest companions. He participated in the early evangelistic tours—God’s miracles and healing went with them, and even demons were subject to their commands. He was even treasurer of the group, but the power of such responsibility turned his heart; he became a thief and eventually betrayed Jesus.
Star Wars IV follows a new hero, Luke, the son of Anakin, from a humble beginning to learning the ways of truth and the difference between right and wrong. He is the hero that his father could have been. He sticks with obedience to law and a commitment to restore right behavior in the universe. He then becomes a Jedi knight, and a champion who fights against the evil that seduced his father.
In the end, there is a battle, a contest of the will between Luke and what his father had become. It is a struggle, and there is temptation. He can either die or turn over to a lust for power, control and selfishness. This is what George Lucas has termed the “dark side of the Force.”
There is a moral to the story of Anakin Skywalker: “The choices we make define our destiny.” It is equally true regarding our human potential. God created mankind with free moral agency. He instructed the first man and woman to follow His ways and laws or face death. And today He presents us with the same choice. If we will submit to Him, and follow His plan for success, we will eventually become like God.
Behind this story, we realize Anakin was strongly influenced by his mentors. Both Obi-Wan and Qui-Gon had strong streaks of independence! We see this same streak of independence repeats itself—a resistance to listen to the advice of friends or to the wise opinions of the Jedi Council. Eventually, Anakin decides to allow the dark side, which is in reality his own selfishness, into his life.
This process bears a strong resemblance to what turned Lucifer from a beautiful angel of light into the devil, a process that was revealed when he decided, “I will be[come] like the Most High” (Isaiah 14:14).
At the end of episode VI, Luke gains the self-control needed to become and remain a successful Jedi knight. He seems destined to become a leader of a new dynasty, a family of rulers that will serve for the greater good of all life.
It is much like the promise that God made to humanity in Revelation 19 There is a hero, Jesus the Messiah, riding in from outer space (heaven) to fight against evil and restoring good to all humanity. He then leads us toward a wonderful world tomorrow.

An interesting article from http://www.ucg.org/ about giving thanks and not getting caught up in "gift buying." This follows this post about an assassination in the Bible. For a free magazine subscription or to get the books recommended for free click HERE! or call 1-888-886- 8632.
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Don't Forget to Give Thanks

Thanksgiving Day in America has expanded to include other activities. What is at the heart of the day's observance?

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[Darris McNeely] What will you be doing on Thanksgiving Day? In a few days in America, this is going to be America's day of Thanksgiving. The fourth Thursday of every November, wonderful holiday that we have here. I've been noticing a trend in recent years, and it really seemed to accelerate last year in that we have always had what they call "Black Friday", the day after Thanksgiving shopping frenzy that takes place, to open up the winter shopping season of American retailing industry. But last year they began to open on Thanksgiving Day, in many of the major retailers in America. Now there's a bit of a backlash this year, because while many will still be open on Thanksgiving Day, several have made a point of saying that they will not be open on Thanksgiving Day to give their employees time to be with their families and to keep Thanksgiving as they choose, which is being met with a great deal of applause by some, in that we don't want to make this day so overly commercialized. And so, that's going to be playing itself out. I guess people will have a choice.
There's another trend that I noticed in an article that people are doing more and more on Thanksgiving – believe it or not, they're exercising. 5k runs, walks, extreme events that are taking place on Thanksgiving Day in many parts of the world, and especially picking up in the United States, to get out and do things. Interestingly, I guess, you can work off a lot of calories before you sit down at the table and eat your turkey and dressing and put those calories back on.
I don't know what you'll be doing, but whatever it is – shopping, exercising, watching football, gathering with family – I hope that whatever you do, you will indeed stop and offer a prayer of gratitude and thanksgiving to God for the blessings that you have, whatever they may be, in front of you on that Thanksgiving Day. It is a traditional holiday with religious overtones, it is certainly one that is secular in a sense that it has been sanctioned by the United States government, and a day set aside on the calendar for it. But being thankful is a spiritual matter. And it doesn't hurt any of us to make sure that that is a part of what we do on that day. Gratitude, giving thanks on a day of thanksgiving, is a very important matter to do. Whatever you do, be sure you put that first.
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Ban Christmas?

An interesting article from http://www.ucg.org/ about the history of Christmas in the U.S. This follows this post about the bible's view on Christmas. For a free magazine subscription or to get the book shown for free click HERE! or call 1-888-886- 8632.

Ban Christmas?

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Christmas was not always celebrated in America. Why?

 
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[Steve Myers] Ban Christmas? Well, did you know that at one time in America Christmas was banned? If you go all the way back to the time of the Puritans you will find some interesting things. In fact, I challenge you. Go back and find out why did the Puritans ignore Christmas? Why did they discourage people from observing Christmas? Check it out.
I challenge you to find out why they didn't celebrate Christmas, and then ask yourself, "Why do I celebrate Christmas? Should I be celebrating Christmas?" Is this a tradition that actually honors God? I hope you'll check it out.
Look at all the reasons why William Bradford and many of the other Puritans did not celebrate Christmas, and compare that to your own practice, and then write us or make comments on this video and let us know what you find and what you find out when you examine what you do. I think you'll find some interesting things.
That's BT Daily . We'll look forward to your comments next time.

An interesting article from http://www.ucg.org/ about the Christmas tree. This follows this post about living together while unmarried. For a free magazine subscription or to get the book shown for free click HERE! or call 1-888-886- 8632.

Is there any connection between the tree mentioned in Jeremiah 10 and the Christmas tree?

Jeremiah 10:3-4 describes a custom involving cutting a tree from the forest; carving and then decorating it with silver and gold. Is this decorated tree connected to the modern day Christmas tree? What should we as Christians learn from these verses in Jeremiah about our relationship with God and the use of idols?

Answer:

Source: Photos.com

The symbolism of Jeremiah 10 is briefly explained in this excerpt from our Bible study aid Holidays or Holy Days: Does It Matter Which Days We Observe? :

Regrettably, the Israelites failed to permanently heed God's warning. Time and time again they let their fascination with the religious practices of those around them get the better of them as they lapsed into idolatrous worship.
Around 600 B.C. God gave three more warnings against this kind of behavior. First, through the prophet Jeremiah, God said, ' Do not learn the way of the Gentiles; do not be dismayed at the signs of heaven, for the Gentiles are dismayed at them' (Jeremiah 10:2Thus saith 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.
See All...). Here God cautioned His people against following the gentile (non-Israelite) practices of worshiping the heavenly bodies (like the sun on Dec. 25) and against astrology in general.
In the following verses (Jeremiah 10:3-5 [3] For the customs of the people are vain: for one cutteth 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.

See All...), God describes some of their idolatrous customs. They cut a tree from the forest, shaped it with an ax and overlaid it with precious metals. Although this account is specifically referring to the making of an idol (Jeremiah 10:6-8 [6] Forasmuch as there is none like unto thee, O LORD; thou art great, and thy name is great in might.
[7] Who would not fear thee, O King of nations? for to thee doth it appertain: forasmuch as among all the wise men of the nations, and in all their kingdoms, there is none like unto thee.
[8] But they are altogether brutish and foolish: the stock is a doctrine of vanities.

See All...), God's command, 'Do not learn the way of the Gentiles,' applies to all pagan customs. Christmas trees, mistletoe and colorful lights that come from pagan winter-solstice celebrations, rabbits and Easter eggs as fertility symbols, and demonic concepts at Halloween, all fit this prohibition. In giving this instruction against learning the way of the gentiles, God wanted His people to avoid the type of sin their forefathers had committed with the golden calf.

A more extensive explanation of Jeremiah 10 is found in the UCG Bible Commentary :

In this chapter, God makes it very clear: "Learn not the way of the heathen...for the customs of the peoples are vain" (Jeremiah 10:2-3 [2] Thus saith 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 cutteth a tree out of the forest, the work of the hands of the workman, with the axe.

See All..., KJV), stressing His total rejection of practices adopted from other religions even if they are intended to honor Him. For God is never honored by disobedience. We can read Deuteronomy 12:29-32 [29] When the LORD thy God shall cut off the nations from before thee, whither thou goest to possess them, and thou succeedest them, and dwellest in their land;
[30] Take heed to thyself that thou be not snared by following them, after that they be destroyed from before thee; and that thou enquire not after their gods, saying, How did these nations serve their gods? even so will I do likewise.
[31] Thou shalt not do so unto the LORD thy God: for every abomination to the LORD, which he hateth, have they done unto their gods; for even their sons and their daughters they have burnt in the fire to their gods.
[32] What thing soever I command you, observe to do it: thou shalt not add thereto, nor diminish from it.

See All... and 2 Corinthians 6:14Be ye not unequally yoked together with unbelievers: for what fellowship hath righteousness with unrighteousness? and what communion hath light with darkness?
See All... along with these verses.
God first points out here that pagans were "dismayed at the signs of heaven" (Jeremiah 10:2Thus saith 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.
See All...). As believers in astrology, they considered their lives to be controlled by celestial events. Today, it is no different among the huge number of people who make daily decisions based on their horoscopes. This practice is utterly condemned by God. Even if astrological forces existed—which they do not—the Almighty Creator and Ruler of the universe would have power over them.
Worse still, the sun, moon, planets and stars were actually  worshiped  by ancient nations—and their movements were used to determine times for worship. Again, this was all based on fear and superstition. For instance, the winter solstice was observed because the sun reached its lowest zenith on that day, the shortest day of the year. It was believed that worship, fires and sacrifices were needed to encourage and boost the sun god back to his higher station. Afterward, the people celebrated the rebirth of the sun.
Indeed, the sun god was understood to have been born of his mother goddess around the time of the winter solstice—in fact, by the reckoning of various ancient cultures, on December 25. Evergreen plants and trees were used in this particular worship because they seemed to retain life through the winter months. These customs have continued down to our day in the form of the Christmas tree and decorations of holly and mistletoe.
Continuing then in Jeremiah 10:3-5 [3] For the customs of the people are vain: for one cutteth 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.

See All..., at least in the King James, New King James or Jewish Publication Society translations, the Christmas tree must surely come to mind. However, many mainstream Christian scholars, and other Bible versions, identify the objects addressed in this section as wooden poles or idols. That is certainly possible. In fact, it may even be likely if the word translated 'workman' in Jeremiah 10:3For the customs of the people are vain: for one cutteth a tree out of the forest, the work of the hands of the workman, with the axe.
See All... can only mean a skilled craftsman and if the word translated 'ax' here can mean a carving tool, as some have rendered it. The exact meaning of the verse remains unclear.
Interestingly, it should be noted that the Hebrew word translated 'wooden idol' in Jeremiah 10:8But they are altogether brutish and foolish: the stock is a doctrine of vanities.
See All..., ets, is normally translated 'tree' in the Bible. Notice God's instruction back in Deuteronomy 16:21Thou shalt not plant thee a grove of any trees near unto the altar of the LORD thy God, which thou shalt make thee.
See All...: 'You shall not plant for yourself any tree [ ets ], as a wooden image [ asherah ], near the altar which you build for yourself to the LORD your God.'
There are a number of references in Scripture to Asherah—understood to be an idol representation of the goddess Ashtoreth or Astarte, the mother goddess referred to in Scripture as the 'queen of heaven' (mentioned in the highlights on Jeremiah 7:1-27 [1] The word that came to Jeremiah from the LORD, saying,
[2] Stand in the gate of the LORD's house, and proclaim there this word, and say, Hear the word of the LORD, all ye of Judah, that enter in at these gates to worship the LORD.
[3] Thus saith the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel, Amend your ways and your doings, and I will cause you to dwell in this place.
[4] Trust ye not in lying words, saying, The temple of the LORD, The temple of the LORD, The temple of the LORD, are these.
[5] For if ye throughly amend your ways and your doings; if ye throughly execute judgment between a man and his neighbour;
[6] If ye oppress not the stranger, the fatherless, and the widow, and shed not innocent blood in this place, neither walk after other gods to your hurt:
[7] Then will I cause you to dwell in this place, in the land that I gave to your fathers, for ever and ever.
[8] Behold, ye trust in lying words, that cannot profit.
[9] Will ye steal, murder, and commit adultery, and swear falsely, and burn incense unto Baal, and walk after other gods whom ye know not;
[10] And come and stand before me in this house, which is called by my name, and say, We are delivered to do all these abominations?
[11] Is this house, which is called by my name, become a den of robbers in your eyes? Behold, even I have seen it, saith the LORD.
[12] But go ye now unto my place which was in Shiloh, where I set my name at the first, and see what I did to it for the wickedness of my people Israel.
[13] And now, because ye have done all these works, saith the LORD, and I spake unto you, rising up early and speaking, but ye heard not; and I called you, but ye answered not;
[14] Therefore will I do unto this house, which is called by my name, wherein ye trust, and unto the place which I gave to you and to your fathers, as I have done to Shiloh.
[15] And I will cast you out of my sight, as I have cast out all your brethren, even the whole seed of Ephraim.
[16] Therefore pray not thou for this people, neither lift up cry nor prayer for them, neither make intercession to me: for I will not hear thee.
[17] Seest thou not 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, and to pour out drink offerings unto other gods, that they may provoke me to anger.
[19] Do they provoke me to anger? saith the LORD: do they not provoke themselves to the confusion of their own faces?
[20] Therefore thus saith the Lord GOD; Behold, mine 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.
[21] Thus saith the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel; Put your burnt offerings unto your sacrifices, and eat flesh.
[22] For I spake not unto your fathers, nor commanded them in the day that I brought them out of the land of Egypt, concerning burnt offerings or sacrifices:
[23] But this thing commanded I them, saying, Obey my voice, and I will be your God, and ye shall be my people: and walk ye in all the ways that I have commanded you, that it may be well unto you.
[24] But they hearkened not, nor inclined their ear, but walked in the counsels and in the imagination of their evil heart, and went backward, and not forward.
[25] Since the day that your fathers came forth out of the land of Egypt unto this day I have even sent unto you all my servants the prophets, daily rising up early and sending them:
[26] Yet they hearkened not unto me, nor inclined their ear, but hardened their neck: they did worse than their fathers.
[27] Therefore thou shalt speak all these words unto them; but they will not hearken to thee: thou shalt also call unto them; but they will not answer thee.

See All...). 'From the Biblical references, it appears that Asherah is referred to in three manifestations: (1) as an image, probably a statue or figurine representing the goddess herself; (2) as a tree; and (3) as a tree trunk. The latter two are, in effect, symbols of the goddess' (Ruth Hestrin, 'Understanding Asherah: Exploring Semitic Iconography,' Biblical Archaeology Review, Sept.-Oct. 1991, p. 50). Indeed, the phrase 'under every green tree' (Deuteronomy 12:2Ye shall utterly destroy all the places, wherein the nations which ye shall possess served their gods, upon the high mountains, and upon the hills, and under every green tree:
See All...), is used a number of times in Scripture to denote a pagan sacred place—that is, not just trees but evergreen trees.
Jeremiah 10 is indeed talking about the setting up of idols. But what many fail to realize in reading through the chapter is that sometimes trees themselves were set up by ancient pagans as idols. Depending on the exact meaning of the words translated workman and ax in the chapter, a carved idol or an actual tree could be meant. Both were cut from the forest, with stands fashioned to keep them fixed and upright but still able to be moved and set up anywhere (Jeremiah 10:3-5 [3] For the customs of the people are vain: for one cutteth 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.

See All...). Both, in the ancient world, were decorated with silver and gold and draped with costly fabrics (Jeremiah 10:4They deck it with silver and with gold; they fasten it with nails and with hammers, that it move not.
See All... and Jeremiah 10:9Silver spread into plates is brought from Tarshish, and gold from Uphaz, the work of the workman, and of the hands of the founder: blue and purple is their clothing: they are all the work of cunning men.
See All...). With tree idols, idolatrous metal ornaments were sometimes fashioned and hung from the branches—which Jeremiah 10:9Silver spread into plates is brought from Tarshish, and gold from Uphaz, the work of the workman, and of the hands of the founder: blue and purple is their clothing: they are all the work of cunning men.
See All... could be describing. Yet the verse could alternatively be a reference to metal adornments for a carved idol.
In direct disobedience to God, the Jews under Manasseh actually set up an asherah in honor of Baal, the son and husband of Ashtoreth (see 2 Kings 21:3For he built up again the high places which Hezekiah his father had destroyed; and he reared up altars for Baal, and made a grove, as did Ahab king of Israel; and worshipped all the host of heaven, and served them.
See All...). Indeed, such was used in surrounding cultures to honor the sun-god Baal and his mother on the birthday of the sun, December 25—which is when this abomination of Manasseh may have taken place, in imitation of neighboring societies. Even if that's not exactly what Manasseh did, it is rather likely that such decorated trees in winter would have been part of the Jews' worship of Baal, as in other cultures.
More amazing to consider is the fact that in the syncretistic blending of religions, Baal ('Lord') was identified with the true Lord. Thus, the apostate Jews, in copying pagan worship customs, may well have set up decorated evergreen trees to worship the birthday of the true Lord—the One who later came to earth as Jesus Christ! And the Lord called their adoption of such customs to honor Him an abomination. Indeed, He still does.
While people today do not worship trees when they set up Christmas trees or other evergreen decorations such as holly and mistletoe, they are nevertheless using accoutrements of past idolatry to supposedly honor God. Yet the true God will have none of it. He sees it as disobedience and rebellion—and idolatrously clinging to tradition over His direct commandments. For anything that comes before the true God is an idol, whether we literally bow down to it or not. Indeed, it is even possible that modern Christmas trees are intended by Jeremiah's words—particularly when we consider that this may be, as it seems to be on some level, an end-time prophecy to the 'house of Israel' that speaks of God's coming wrath on the nations and the destruction of all idolatry (compare Jeremiah 10:1Hear ye the word which the LORD speaketh unto you, O house of Israel:
See All..., Jeremiah 10:10-11 [10] But the LORD is the true God, he is the living God, and an everlasting king: at his wrath the earth shall tremble, and the nations shall not be able to abide his indignation.
[11] Thus shall ye say unto them, The gods that have not made the heavens and the earth, even they shall perish from the earth, and from under these heavens.

See All..., Jeremiah 10:15They are vanity, and the work of errors: in the time of their visitation they shall perish.
See All...). For in the end time, the Israelite nations are not setting up wooden Asherah poles. But every winter, there are millions and millions of Christmas trees. And even if Christmas trees are not directly intended by the prophecy, the principle is the same.

Thanksgiving vs. Christmas

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An interesting article from http://www.ucg.org/ about ignoring Thanksgiving to get to Christmas. This follows this post about suicide prevention. This follows this post about the anniversary of the Gettysburg Address. This follows this post about the anniversary of the Kennedy assassination. For a free magazine subscription or to get the book shown for free click HERE! or call 1-888-886- 8632.

  Thanksgiving vs. Christmas

by Dennis Luker

America just largely ignored its most biblical holiday: Thanksgiving.



Christmas shopping ad campaigns like Black Friday, Cyber Monday, Green Tuesday—even Black Friday Month—dominated advertising and even news coverage at the end of November. But so little attention was given to Thanksgiving.

Some Christians denounce the commercializing of the religious meaning of Christmas, but sadly, they miss many vital points of truth. However, our premise with The Good News magazine is that you don’t have to miss those points.

Three reasons why Thanksgiving is more biblical than Christmas:


1. Jesus Christ did give thanks to God the Father.



When He fed the 4,000 and the 5,000 hungry men plus women and children, Jesus gave thanks and blessed the food (Matthew 15:30-39 [30] And great multitudes came unto him, having with them those that were lame, blind, dumb, maimed, and many others, and cast them down at Jesus' feet; and he healed them:

[31] Insomuch that the multitude wondered, when they saw the dumb to speak, the maimed to be whole, the lame to walk, and the blind to see: and they glorified the God of Israel.

[32] Then Jesus called his disciples unto him, and said, I have compassion on the multitude, because they continue with me now three days, and have nothing to eat: and I will not send them away fasting, lest they faint in the way.

[33] And his disciples say unto him, Whence should we have so much bread in the wilderness, as to fill so great a multitude?

[34] And Jesus saith unto them, How many loaves have ye? And they said, Seven, and a few little fishes.

[35] And he commanded the multitude to sit down on the ground.

[36] And he took the seven loaves and the fishes, and gave thanks, and brake them, and gave to his disciples, and the disciples to the multitude.

[37] And they did all eat, and were filled: and they took up of the broken meat that was left seven baskets full.

[38] And they that did eat were four thousand men, beside women and children.

[39] And he sent away the multitude, and took ship, and came into the coasts of Magdala.





See All...; John 6:1-14 [1] After these things Jesus went over the sea of Galilee, which is the sea of Tiberias.

[2] And a great multitude followed him, because they saw his miracles which he did on them that were diseased.

[3] And Jesus went up into a mountain, and there he sat with his disciples.

[4] And the passover, a feast of the Jews, was nigh.

[5] When Jesus then lifted up his eyes, and saw a great company come unto him, he saith unto Philip, Whence shall we buy bread, that these may eat?

[6] And this he said to prove him: for he himself knew what he would do.

[7] Philip answered him, Two hundred pennyworth of bread is not sufficient for them, that every one of them may take a little.

[8] One of his disciples, Andrew, Simon Peter's brother, saith unto him,

[9] There is a lad here, which hath five barley loaves, and two small fishes: but what are they among so many?

[10] And Jesus said, Make the men sit down. Now there was much grass in the place. So the men sat down, in number about five thousand.

[11] And Jesus took the loaves; and when he had given thanks, he distributed to the disciples, and the disciples to them that were set down; and likewise of the fishes as much as they would.

[12] When they were filled, he said unto his disciples, Gather up the fragments that remain, that nothing be lost.

[13] Therefore they gathered them together, and filled twelve baskets with the fragments of the five barley loaves, which remained over and above unto them that had eaten.

[14] Then those men, when they had seen the miracle that Jesus did, said, This is of a truth that prophet that should come into the world.





See All...). At the end of His ministry He specifically thanked God for the unleavened bread and wine of the Passover ceremony that commemorated the sacrifice of His own life for our sins (Luke 22:14-23 [14] And when the hour was come, he sat down, and the twelve apostles with him.

[15] And he said unto them, With desire I have desired to eat this passover with you before I suffer:

[16] For I say unto you, I will not any more eat thereof, until it be fulfilled in the kingdom of God.

[17] And he took the cup, and gave thanks, and said, Take this, and divide it among yourselves:

[18] For I say unto you, I will not drink of the fruit of the vine, until the kingdom of God shall come.

[19] And he took bread, and gave thanks, and brake it, and gave unto them, saying, This is my body which is given for you: this do in remembrance of me.

[20] Likewise also the cup after supper, saying, This cup is the new testament in my blood, which is shed for you.

[21] But, behold, the hand of him that betrayeth me is with me on the table.

[22] And truly the Son of man goeth, as it was determined: but woe unto that man by whom he is betrayed!

[23] And they began to enquire among themselves, which of them it was that should do this thing.





See All...).



The principle of thanking God for all our physical and spiritual blessings and for life itself is woven throughout the Bible. As national holidays America’s and Canada’s Thanksgiving Days are based on honoring the blessings that God has given their people. ( Is Thanksgiving Rooted in a Biblical Festival?)   2. Jesus Christ did not command that His birthday be observed.



Part of developing Christianity decided to observe Christ’s day of birth, but "Christ-mass," as it came to be called, was not widely observed until A.D. 354! However, Jesus, His disciples and the apostles did not observe His birthday.



Instead of His day of birth, Christ commanded His followers to observe the day of His death—the Passover (1 Corinthians 11:26For as often as ye eat this bread, and drink this cup, ye do shew the Lord's death till he come.



See All...).
Unfortunately, Christianity long ago rejected the Passover and substituted Easter—a day named after and honoring the pagan fertility goddess Ishtar. This is something that Jesus doesn’t approve of!  ( Easter: Masking a Biblical Truth)

3. Jesus Christ was not born on December 25.




Despite the popular idea, the shepherds did not stay out at night with their flocks in mid-winter. It got too cold for that during winter near Bethlehem! Also, the Christmas-observing part of Christianity had no clear idea when He was born, so they suggested dates from all over the calendar during the early centuries after Christ.


However, had they more carefully read the details in the Bible, those early church leaders could have found that although the exact day of His birth is not revealed, Jesus of Nazareth was born in the autumn—not in the winter. ( Biblical Evidence Shows Jesus Wasn't Born on December 25)

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