Dec 2008
Who's New Year?
28/12/08 17:49
In just a few short days from now, most of the world will usher in the “New Year” with huge celebrations and parties. Many will be looking forward to what the next year has in store and happy to be seeing the end of the present year. This year especially, with all of the problems that this nation faces in the months ahead, people are looking more than ever at the New Year as a new beginning. The new President will take office and a new administration will begin governing this country.
A lot of people make promises and resolve to make changes in their lives as the New Year begins. Most of these New Year’s resolutions will be tossed out within the first few weeks of the New Year’s beginning and in a very short time will be forgotten altogether as people resume their normal routines after the holiday season. Just as with the observance of the Christmas holiday, most people will observe the New Year celebration without even stopping to think about why.
Man’s New Year begins in the middle of the night, in the dead of winter. It is a time when most of the living things in our environment are dead, or in a state of suspension for the winter. The trees have lost all of their leaves and stand bare, the grass has all turned brown and appears dead, no flowers are anywhere to be seen and in most places snow covers the ground giving everything the same stark, white appearance. The sky is cloudy and gray for days on end and the daylight hours are short providing much less light then at any other time of year.
In contrast, God’s New Year begins in the spring. God tells us exactly when the New Year begins:
Exodus 12:1
1 Now the Lord spoke to Moses and Aaron in the land of Egypt, saying, 2 "This month shall be your beginning of months; it shall be the first month of the year to you.
What month was God referring to?
Deuteronomy 16:1
2 "Observe the month of Abib, and keep the Passover to the Lord your God, for in the month of Abib the Lord your God brought you out of Egypt by night.
So here the month is identified for us, the month of Abib. This month is now called Nisan in the Jewish calendar. When we examine where God placed and fixed the beginning of the year, we can clearly see the incredible mind of God for doing so.
The month of Abib, or Nisan as it is called today, occurs in the spring. Spring is a time of rebirth, of newness of life. All around trees are coming back to life and beginning to bud with blooms and leaves. The grass begins to grow and turn green, flowers are coming up everywhere and insects begin to come forth. Many of the animal species give birth to their young just before, or right at springtime. The whole earth is coming back to life after a long winter. The sun shines brightly, bringing warmth back to the land and the days begin to grow longer providing more light.
The observance of Passover also takes place in the first month, at the beginning of the year. The Passover pictures a beginning of new life for those who accept Christ’s sacrifice and the Passover they receive from the death penalty for sin. God fixed and appointed times for a reason, springtime is a time of rebirth and new beginnings. In His perfect wisdom, God fixed His New Year at that time where it makes complete and perfect sense. What God has set in place, cannot be changed.
Man has corrupted and polluted the true New Year, God’s New Year, and placed it where it does not belong. God does not tell us anywhere in His word to celebrate a New Year. Man has incorporated pagan celebration and traditions and made them into a false New Year beginning, that holds no meaning at all. God has clearly fixed and appointed the days and observances that He wants us to keep forever. Leviticus 23 lists all the appointed days and observances of God and they are still valid for us today. God says they are to be kept as an ordinance (a fixed observance) forever, throughout all of our generations (Leviticus 12:24-25).
Until next time…
A lot of people make promises and resolve to make changes in their lives as the New Year begins. Most of these New Year’s resolutions will be tossed out within the first few weeks of the New Year’s beginning and in a very short time will be forgotten altogether as people resume their normal routines after the holiday season. Just as with the observance of the Christmas holiday, most people will observe the New Year celebration without even stopping to think about why.
Man’s New Year begins in the middle of the night, in the dead of winter. It is a time when most of the living things in our environment are dead, or in a state of suspension for the winter. The trees have lost all of their leaves and stand bare, the grass has all turned brown and appears dead, no flowers are anywhere to be seen and in most places snow covers the ground giving everything the same stark, white appearance. The sky is cloudy and gray for days on end and the daylight hours are short providing much less light then at any other time of year.
In contrast, God’s New Year begins in the spring. God tells us exactly when the New Year begins:
Exodus 12:1
1 Now the Lord spoke to Moses and Aaron in the land of Egypt, saying, 2 "This month shall be your beginning of months; it shall be the first month of the year to you.
What month was God referring to?
Deuteronomy 16:1
2 "Observe the month of Abib, and keep the Passover to the Lord your God, for in the month of Abib the Lord your God brought you out of Egypt by night.
So here the month is identified for us, the month of Abib. This month is now called Nisan in the Jewish calendar. When we examine where God placed and fixed the beginning of the year, we can clearly see the incredible mind of God for doing so.
The month of Abib, or Nisan as it is called today, occurs in the spring. Spring is a time of rebirth, of newness of life. All around trees are coming back to life and beginning to bud with blooms and leaves. The grass begins to grow and turn green, flowers are coming up everywhere and insects begin to come forth. Many of the animal species give birth to their young just before, or right at springtime. The whole earth is coming back to life after a long winter. The sun shines brightly, bringing warmth back to the land and the days begin to grow longer providing more light.
The observance of Passover also takes place in the first month, at the beginning of the year. The Passover pictures a beginning of new life for those who accept Christ’s sacrifice and the Passover they receive from the death penalty for sin. God fixed and appointed times for a reason, springtime is a time of rebirth and new beginnings. In His perfect wisdom, God fixed His New Year at that time where it makes complete and perfect sense. What God has set in place, cannot be changed.
Man has corrupted and polluted the true New Year, God’s New Year, and placed it where it does not belong. God does not tell us anywhere in His word to celebrate a New Year. Man has incorporated pagan celebration and traditions and made them into a false New Year beginning, that holds no meaning at all. God has clearly fixed and appointed the days and observances that He wants us to keep forever. Leviticus 23 lists all the appointed days and observances of God and they are still valid for us today. God says they are to be kept as an ordinance (a fixed observance) forever, throughout all of our generations (Leviticus 12:24-25).
Until next time…
What About Christmas?
21/12/08 09:58
Greetings everyone! I apologize for taking so long to get a new commentary posted. It has been extremely busy for me lately, but I am working on some new things and will have some more articles to post shortly.
The entire world is preparing to observe the Christmas holiday. Everyone is filled with the “holiday spirit”, “goodwill” toward their fellow man and the “joy” of giving. People will go down to volunteer at soup kitchens, give to charities and many will attend a church service, but what about the rest of the year?
For one short day, most of the nations of the world will be simultaneously observing what is considered to be one of the “holiest” of the religious holidays. In reality, Christmas has very little to do with Christ. Christmas is deeply rooted in paganism and its roots can easily be traced back to its pagan origins. Christ was NOT born in winter and there is no place in the bible that tells us that we should observe this day.
Many people have been brought up observing the Christmas tradition, but they really do not understand why, or where, Christmas originated. Parents tell their children a false story of a benevolent person who lives at the North Pole and maintains a list of good girls and boys. Once a year he sets out to bring gifts to those whose names are on his list. Soon after the holiday “cheer” has worn off, people will resume their normal routines and the so called “spirit of Christmas” will be soon forgotten.
There are specific days set apart that God tells us to observe and they CAN be proven from scripture. God calls them His Feast Days (Leviticus 23:1-2). They do not belong to anyone else! They are God’s and He is the one who set them in place and ordained them to be observed forever throughout the generations of man (Leviticus 23:41).
God set these Holy Days in place to show us His plan for all of mankind and to keep us in remembrance of that plan always. God’s Feast Days are set up on an annual cycle and by observing them at their appointed times, we are reminded annually of His plan.
God tells us that these days will be observed in the future (Zechariah 14:16-21). What an amazing and incredible time that will be and what a sight to see the entire world pause from their normal activities and collectively observe God’s Feast Days at their appointed times! It is truly a blessing beyond measure to understand God’s Holy Days and to observe them, as He has told us to observe them.
God will not accept any other days, other than those He has ordained and put in place to be observed. Man does not have the authority to set any other days of observance in place, instead of, or in addition to, God’s Feast Days. God’s Days are holy! Only God can set a day apart and mark it as holy. These days have special meaning to God and there are important events that have occurred on these same days since the beginning of creation. These days are special and holy to God and always have been.
Christmas is a holiday invented by man, with no religious significance to God. There is no place in scripture where we are told to observe the birth of God’s Son in the first place. We are told to observe the Passover and commemorate His death. In reality, God is the one who maintains a list and it is called the Book of Life. Those whose names are found written there will receive eternal life in God’s Kingdom.
We can all look forward with hope and anticipation to that time when God’s word will cover the earth as the waters cover the sea (Isaiah 11:9). All the peoples of the world at that time will cease from what they are doing and the entire world will observe God’s Feast Days in unison! What an awesome time that will be!
Until next time...
The entire world is preparing to observe the Christmas holiday. Everyone is filled with the “holiday spirit”, “goodwill” toward their fellow man and the “joy” of giving. People will go down to volunteer at soup kitchens, give to charities and many will attend a church service, but what about the rest of the year?
For one short day, most of the nations of the world will be simultaneously observing what is considered to be one of the “holiest” of the religious holidays. In reality, Christmas has very little to do with Christ. Christmas is deeply rooted in paganism and its roots can easily be traced back to its pagan origins. Christ was NOT born in winter and there is no place in the bible that tells us that we should observe this day.
Many people have been brought up observing the Christmas tradition, but they really do not understand why, or where, Christmas originated. Parents tell their children a false story of a benevolent person who lives at the North Pole and maintains a list of good girls and boys. Once a year he sets out to bring gifts to those whose names are on his list. Soon after the holiday “cheer” has worn off, people will resume their normal routines and the so called “spirit of Christmas” will be soon forgotten.
There are specific days set apart that God tells us to observe and they CAN be proven from scripture. God calls them His Feast Days (Leviticus 23:1-2). They do not belong to anyone else! They are God’s and He is the one who set them in place and ordained them to be observed forever throughout the generations of man (Leviticus 23:41).
God set these Holy Days in place to show us His plan for all of mankind and to keep us in remembrance of that plan always. God’s Feast Days are set up on an annual cycle and by observing them at their appointed times, we are reminded annually of His plan.
God tells us that these days will be observed in the future (Zechariah 14:16-21). What an amazing and incredible time that will be and what a sight to see the entire world pause from their normal activities and collectively observe God’s Feast Days at their appointed times! It is truly a blessing beyond measure to understand God’s Holy Days and to observe them, as He has told us to observe them.
God will not accept any other days, other than those He has ordained and put in place to be observed. Man does not have the authority to set any other days of observance in place, instead of, or in addition to, God’s Feast Days. God’s Days are holy! Only God can set a day apart and mark it as holy. These days have special meaning to God and there are important events that have occurred on these same days since the beginning of creation. These days are special and holy to God and always have been.
Christmas is a holiday invented by man, with no religious significance to God. There is no place in scripture where we are told to observe the birth of God’s Son in the first place. We are told to observe the Passover and commemorate His death. In reality, God is the one who maintains a list and it is called the Book of Life. Those whose names are found written there will receive eternal life in God’s Kingdom.
We can all look forward with hope and anticipation to that time when God’s word will cover the earth as the waters cover the sea (Isaiah 11:9). All the peoples of the world at that time will cease from what they are doing and the entire world will observe God’s Feast Days in unison! What an awesome time that will be!
Until next time...
Vision...
05/12/08 18:55
New article posted!! “How Do You Make Disciples?”
God has a plan that is being worked out here on this earth. The sun comes up and the sun goes down, but every single thing that happens is moving us ever so closer towards the culmination of what God has set into motion. Nothing that occurs here is beyond the sight of Almighty God. Men may conceive and devise all of the plans that they want in secret, but God sees all...God knows all...nothing is hidden from Him!
All of the devices, schemes and grandiose dreams that men conceive, are foolishness to God. Man in his arrogance and under the influence of Satan, actually believes that he holds the destiny and the history of this world in his own hands. As it says in Psalm 14:1 The fool has said in his heart, “There is no God.”
Men fancy themselves visionaries and they sit and dream up all of these different scenarios of the future and how things will be. Even now, they plot and lay out plans to control the world and the course of the nations. Man intends to build another tower of Babel, only this time the entire world will be used in the construction.
Even though man believes himself to be so intelligent and forward thinking, that he is a creature of vision, he still cannot bring himself to believe in a higher power that sustains and powers all that we know and understand. How blind and pathetically ignorant!
Vision, the people of God rely on it...thrive on it...it is vision that keeps God’s people moving forward towards the ultimate goal. God’s people believe His promise, they see His plan and realize that without Him there is no future...the vision perishes. God has set His plan in motion and it will not fail. The future and the fate of this world is in His hands and everything will come about exactly as He has decided.
There is an incredible future awaiting those who trust and believe in God and all that He has said will come to pass. Those who love God and have believed in His promise will be rewarded. 1 Corinthians 2:9, But as it is written: “Eye has not seen, nor ear heard, Nor have entered into the heart of man The things which God has prepared for those who love Him.”
God’s vision...catch it!
Until next time...
God has a plan that is being worked out here on this earth. The sun comes up and the sun goes down, but every single thing that happens is moving us ever so closer towards the culmination of what God has set into motion. Nothing that occurs here is beyond the sight of Almighty God. Men may conceive and devise all of the plans that they want in secret, but God sees all...God knows all...nothing is hidden from Him!
All of the devices, schemes and grandiose dreams that men conceive, are foolishness to God. Man in his arrogance and under the influence of Satan, actually believes that he holds the destiny and the history of this world in his own hands. As it says in Psalm 14:1 The fool has said in his heart, “There is no God.”
Men fancy themselves visionaries and they sit and dream up all of these different scenarios of the future and how things will be. Even now, they plot and lay out plans to control the world and the course of the nations. Man intends to build another tower of Babel, only this time the entire world will be used in the construction.
Even though man believes himself to be so intelligent and forward thinking, that he is a creature of vision, he still cannot bring himself to believe in a higher power that sustains and powers all that we know and understand. How blind and pathetically ignorant!
Vision, the people of God rely on it...thrive on it...it is vision that keeps God’s people moving forward towards the ultimate goal. God’s people believe His promise, they see His plan and realize that without Him there is no future...the vision perishes. God has set His plan in motion and it will not fail. The future and the fate of this world is in His hands and everything will come about exactly as He has decided.
There is an incredible future awaiting those who trust and believe in God and all that He has said will come to pass. Those who love God and have believed in His promise will be rewarded. 1 Corinthians 2:9, But as it is written: “Eye has not seen, nor ear heard, Nor have entered into the heart of man The things which God has prepared for those who love Him.”
God’s vision...catch it!
Until next time...