Cheating Christ

<body topmargin=0 leftmargin=0 marginheight=0 marginwidth=0> <table cellpadding=0 cellspacing=0 border=0><tr> <td valign="top" colspan=2 height=100 BGCOLOR="#CCCCFF" TEXT="#080000" bgproperties="fixed" background="04000640egdysm.jpg"> <div> <FONT SIZE="5" COLOR="#000066" FACE="Arial" ><B>Church of God, In Truth</B></FONT><FONT SIZE="5" COLOR="#000099" FACE="Arial" ><B> </B></FONT><B>    |     </B><A HREF="index.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Church of God, In Truth"><B>home</B></A></div> <div> back to<B>  </B><A HREF="id18.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Edification Articles"><B>Edification Articles</B></A></div> <div> </div> </td> </tr><tr> <td valign="top" width=200 BGCOLOR="#0000BF" TEXT="#F7F7FF"> <div> <A HREF="man_made_traditions.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Man Made Traditions">Man Made Traditions</A></div> <div> <A HREF="safety_in_numbers.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Safety In Numbers?">Safety In Numbers?</A></div> <div> <A HREF="will_everyone_be_saved.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Will Everyone be 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<B>CHEATING CHRIST AND GOD </B></div> <div> <B>OUT OF THE BIBLE</B></div> <bR> <div> Christianity is the world's largest religion It has more than two billion adherents.. Since the printing of it's foremost authority, the Bible, it had penetrated even the most far flung places in the world. It had sent thousands of missionaries to inaccessible islands like India, Japan and the Philippines. Mysterious and dark places like Africa and Tibet are no exceptions to its missions. Christianity had prevailed. Roman Catholics, Protestants and Orthodox Churches were established in both pristine and rugged and wild regions. The name of God and Christ was the banner under which people risked life and limbs.</div> <div> So today, wherever you venture into the civilized world, chances are, the name of God and Christ and the Bible had been there. Yet, strange as it may seem, the Bible, dubbed by many, as the world's best seller book, is also "the book nobody knew" according to a famous agnostic. This world's Christians are cheating God and Christ out of the Bible. They do this by not presenting the truth. They paint a different or fake God and Christ than what is pictured or described in the Bible.</div> <div> A blatant example was in my parents home. Right in the living room is a large picture of a handsome Jew. He had long hair down to the shoulders and sad sanctimonious eyes. When asking my 3 year old nephew who the man in the picture is? he right away answered without batting an eyelash, "Papa Jesus." Also in the dining room was a picture of Jesus. This time a caption below it reads, "Jesus is the head of this house, the unseen guest at every meal, the silent listener to every conversation." My beloved mother, who died years ago treasured these pictures so much.</div> <div> My family who were all Protestants (Baptists), believed the pictures they have is Jesus, then they had been cheated of the truth in the Bible. Their Christ is handsome while the Bible prophesied an ordinary man in Isaiah 53:2, "For He shall grow up before Him as a tender plant, and as a root out of dry ground. He has no form or comeliness; And when we see Him, There is no beauty that we should desire Him." Jesus was so ordinary looking that Judas Iscariot had to kiss Him to point Him to the soldiers to arrest Him.</div> <div> My family reasoned that Jesus had long hair because He was a Nazarite like Samson. Nazarites had vowed not to cut their hair, not to drink wine nor come near or touch a dead person. My family had probably mistaken Nazarene for Nazarite. Jesus was often called a Nazarene because He was from the town of Nazareth (Matthew 2:23). Jesus was not a Nazarite, He had short hair. He drank wine and had come near dead bodies of men. In fact Jesus was even accused as a wine bibber and a glutton (Luke 7:34). He could never have been a Nazarite for He had broken all the vows of the Nazarite.</div> <div> The apostle Paul in 1 Corinthians 11:14 said that it is dishonor for a man to have long hair. If Jesus had long hair, His number one critic and accuser would be the apostle Paul. Paul believed and obeyed Jesus, if He had long hair would He not be contrary to His own teaching to His apostle?</div> <div> The picture that today's Christianity is presenting to the world is not the picture of the real Jesus of the Bible. This is cheating truth. The common logic is, if I who cannot even know how my great grandfather who died only 10 years before I was born, how could people have the correct picture of Jesus who died some 2,000 years ago? The answer is guess work and wrong presentation. They are cheating God and Christ out of the Bible. They are doing this by not presenting the true picture as revealed in the Bible.</div> <div> So the description of an agnostic about the Bible as "the book nobody knows" is right. In fact few people understand the Bible. Many wrongly present it or give presumed answers! Here are some of the misunderstanding of people presuming to be Christians. The Bible nowhere says Jesus was born December 25. It doesn't tell us which day Jesus was born. It doesn't even tell us the month. The Bible does, however, show that Jesus' birth did not take place in late December or, for that matter, in any of the winter months! In fact, when Jesus was born, "there were in the same country shepherds living out in the fields, keeping watch over their flock by night" (Luke 2:8 RAY).</div> <div> Shepherds would not be doing this during the cold and rainy winter months. Contrary to what some may have assumed, it does get cold during winter in Judea. Even in April, in the early spring when Jesus was crucified, certain "servants and officers.....made a fire of coals.... for it was cold, and they warmed themselves. And Peter stood with them and warmed himself' (John 18:18).</div> <div> Even foolish men won't dare sleep out in the field as cold as this. What parent would have his baby wrapped in swaddling cloths and lay him in a manger on a cold night as this?</div> <div> We now have the idea as to when Jesus was not born. There is however a small group of Christians that believe that Jesus as born on the first day the feast of Tabernacles during Fall. This is on the 15`h day of the seventh month. They likewise believe that Jesus was circumcised on the 8'h day of the same feast or the Last Great Day. Even today this period is not yet cold and is ideal for living out in the field at night while watching flock grazing.</div> <div> The fact that the birth date of Jesus was not recorded was evidence enough to know that God does not like us to celebrate the birthday of His Son. The Bible is very clear that when God wants His people to observe days, God would clearly and plainly give the exact date. Check Leviticus 23 if you are in doubt.</div> <div> When Jesus birth was announced to the shepherds they heard "a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying: `Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men! " (Luke 2:3-14). The reason one of the members of the God family came to earth as Jesus Christ is as generally misunderstood as are the events surrounding His birth. "Peace on earth, good will to men," proclaim Christmas decorations and greeting cards at this time of the year. </div> <div> And "The Christ child came to bring peace," But where is that peace? For the last 2,000 years that peace was nowhere to be found.</div> <div> Wars and armed conflicts and terrorism have been growing. The World Trade Center in New York had disappeared still peace is illusive. Bitterness and hated divided races, nationalities and religions.</div> <div> Jesus Himself declared, "Do not think that I came to bring peace on earth. I did not come to bring peace but a sword" (Matthew 10:34). Many people have not heard this scripture quoted. This world's churches seldom quote this scripture. What is often quoted is that Jesus came to save the world. This world have not understood the import of Christ's first coming. The angels' proclamation "Peace on earth, good will toward men" is a prophecy that Jesus who was born in Bethlehem will--in the near future--impose world peace. He will do it at His Second Coming, for which the way now is being prepared.</div> <div> Jesus, the Christ came over 2,000 years ago to die for the sins of humanity, to qualify to replace Satan as ruler of this dying world. His first coming was also to establish His Church. But Jesus promised He will come again (John 14:3), this time to bring that peace that the angel before foretold when He first came. This time as King of Kings and establish and maintain worldwide peace. It is then that "of the increase of His government and peace there will be no end" (Isaiah 9:7).</div> <div> Over the centuries between Jesus First and Second coming, however, it is impossible to calculate how much hatred, persecution and warfare have been the result even of misunderstanding Jesus' teachings. The angels' proclamation to the shepherds, however, did include a second truth: that, even though surrounded by a society gone awry, those who yield to God and obey His laws now experience peace and good will in their individual lives (Psalm 119:165).</div> <div> This article is not only to point out how people cheat God and Christ out of the Bible, but is also for our own edification. People who admit their sins or error can come to make amends by asking Gods forgiveness and begin to live God's way of life. Almost all are familiar with the "Nativity scenes" --  representation of a stable showing a haloed baby in a manger, Mary and Joseph nearby being joined by a shepherd and three "wise men" and varying numbers of winged angels. Such scenes make good business here in the Philippines and elsewhere. They were usually made of cardboard and sold at department stores during Christmas. The people here call it "Belen". Most Christians home here had their own Belen. What people don't realize is that such depiction of Christ's birth differ extensively from the real biblical account of how it was. The first thing that one will notice are the winged angels. I have finished reading the entire Bible just last year and I have never come across a verse that angels have wings. This is cheating God's word of the truth. The shepherds, who were from the region close to Bethlehem, as soon as they were told about Jesus' birth, they immediately sought out the stable as they were instructed to do. They quickly found it (Luke 2:16).</div> <div> The "wise men" or Magi, on the other hand, came from a considerable distance. Traveling from the East, searching for the one who was born "King of the Jews," they came to Jerusalem first and even met with king Herod. Then they traveled to Bethlehem. When they reached Bethlehem they found Jesus no longer in a manger but in a house (Matthew 2:11). At the time of the arrival of the Magi, Jesus must have been two to three months old. When king Herod learned from the Rabbis and the Magi that Jesus was born to be a ruler, he was worried for his own position's sake. He decided that this child must be eliminated. So when he questioned the Magi, who was at that time in Jerusalem en route to find Jesus, he was able to determine the initial appearance of a star announcing Jesus' conception and birth. When the time was estimated, Herod ordered the slaughter of all male children "from two years old and under" (Matthew 2:16). Note that Moses was the type of Jesus, Moses was also ordered to be killed when he was a baby. Herod did not order the slaying of all newborn babies, or all babes a few weeks old. He extended the limit to two years old to prevent any possible escape.</div> <div> When the Magi finally located the house where the "young child" Jesus was (Matthew 2:11), they presented gifts they had brought. These were not birthday gifts, the day of Christ's birth having long since passed. The Magi, aware that Jesus was born to be a king, offered gifts to Him because it was, and still is, customary in such circumstances to bring costly gifts when entering the presence of royalty. The giving of gifts by the Magi is often used to justify the practice of exchanging Christmas gifts. What is overlooked is that the Magi did of exchange gifts among themselves. This practice is cheating the truth of God from what really happened. People should note that the Magi presented all their gifts to the young Jesus. How different from the modern custom of trading Christmas gifts and giving nothing to Christ on a day mistakenly assigned as His birth date. Can you imagine a birthday celebration where all the guests bring gifts, exchange those gifts among themselves and the person they are supposedly honoring receive nothing? It doesn't make sense. Neither does the modern custom of trading Christmas gifts while supposedly honoring Christ.</div> <div> Most Nativity scenes portray three Magi. Usually one each of the three general racial divisions of mankind. But this is pure imagination. The Bible does not say there were three "wise men." There may have been as many as twelve. Nor does the Bible indicate that they were of different races. The Bible states that the Magi were led to Jesus from their land from the East by a "star"(Matthew 2:2). Exactly which presumed star or planet this was has given rise to much speculation. The Bible, however, leave little doubt on the subject. The "star" moved, leading on the Magi on their long journey and finally stood over the house where Jesus was (verse 9). A planet, asteroid or distant star could not move and position itself in such a way as to point out a specific house in a little city in a small country on earth. This "star" was something else.</div> <div> In the Scripture, angels are sometimes referred to as stars (Job 38:7; Revelation 1:20). The righteous angels are spirit beings, ministering in God's service, able to appear as flames of fire (Hebrews 1:7, 14). The "star" that guided the Magi was such an angel. Angels do not have wings as most Nativity scenes and popular notion portray them. There exist some spiritual beings called seraphim and cherubim. They do have wings. Satan the devil, is a cherub. The Bible never describe ordinary angels as having wings, or always playing harps of gold, nor appearing as chubby infants so prevalent in medieval paintings. Even the halos artists had placed over the heads of their representation of Jesus and various saints are not biblical. Some of these are results of rich and fertile writers such as Dante in his Dante's inferno or hell. The terms Noel and Yuletide never appear in the Bible. </div> <bR> <div> The Bible does talk about what has come to be called the Christmas tree. The Christmas tree is not a modern invention. Its history goes back to distant antiquity, a few thousand of years before Jesus' birth. People were decorating such trees in the Prophet Jeremiah's day. Read this in Jeremiah 10:1-5 to be sure.</div> <div> We then can see that God and Christ had been cheated out of the Bible by the misrepresentation, misinformation and fake description about them and the truth as revealed in the Bible. Revelation 22:18-19 tells us that we could lose our salvation by adding or taking away from God's word. </div> <DIV ALIGN="LEFT"></DIV> <div> Sotero Sonza</div> <bR> </td> </tr></table></body>