The Way of Cain

The Bible, specifically the book of Jude, mentions "the way of Cain". Before finding out what this means, we first have to discuss Cain himself.

Cain was the first son of Adam and Eve, the first people. He was followed by his brother Abel. At some point after Adam and Eve's sin, a system of sacrifice was set up. This was a reminder that sin must be paid for. In Genesis chapter 4, we see that Abel brought a sacrifice from the best that he had, while Cain "brought some of the fruits of the soil." Some say that Cain should have brought an animal sacrifice like his brother did, but the text says that Cain was a tiller of the ground, so presumably bringing a sacrifice from the ground was also acceptable.

Look at the wording, though. Cain brought "some", but Abel brought the "fat portions of the first born of his flock". Abel brought his best, Cain did not. Abel brought the best of what he had, out of faith knowing God would provide more, but Cain did it out of religious duty absent of faith. Just an exercise.

God accepted Abel's offering not only because it was offered in obedience, but also out of faith. 

Cain did it wrong, without faith.

Thus, God did not accept it.

"So Cain was very angry, and his countenance fell."

Cain took God's rejection personally and so grew wrathful. His heart was in a bad place and instead of repenting, he got jealous of Abel. God asked him what he was angry about and then warned him that "sin was crouching at the door. Master it or it will master you." 

Did Cain heed God's warning?

No.

Instead, he took his brother into the field and killed him.

God wasn't happy. He asked a leading question: "Where is Abel?"

"I don't know; am I my brother's keeper?"

Cain murdered Abel and then acted like he didn't know anything! 

Now that Cain had sullied the ground with innocent blood, God cursed Cain's ability to work the ground. Cain would be a nomad, a "restless wander", always looking for a place to work but never finding it. His talent was removed from him forever.

Cain complained that his punishment was too much for him. He knew he would be away from God's presence in Eden and that someone would try to kill him. But God in His grace and mercy, undeserved by Cain, put a mark on the murderer so that no one would kill him.

That mark guaranteed that Cain's killer would suffer vengeance seven-fold.

No one killed him.

Cain moved away to the east and settled in Nod. There he had a son with his wife. Cain then built a city, possibly the first city, and named it after his son. From there a long line of wicked people emerged. How do we know they were evil?

They all died in the Flood.

What then, is The Way of Cain? This term is mentioned in Jude 11 in regards to false prophets:

"Woe to them! They have taken the way of Cain; they have rushed for profit into Balaam's error: they have been destroyed in the rebellion of Korah."

The way of Cain is one of selfishness, envy, and murder. It is self-religion: spirituality without The LORD. It is man's way of reaching God, and the persecution of God's true people. 

It is the way of the religious elite crucifying Jesus because He did not accept their self-righteous religiosity.

The Way of Cain is the path to eternal torment.

Satan Lies To You

The title says it all. Satan lies to you, and to everyone else. He hates God, and he hates you. You are a creation of God therefore he despises you. He will do anything to keep you from knowing God. He will lie, steal, kill, and destroy to get his way.

He is "The principality of the air", as it says in The Bible. His goal is to deceive the world, and he does it well. He invents religions, ideas, memes, institutions and traditions to deceive us. Satan twists truth just enough so we don't even know we are believing a lie. Look at "Christian" cults as an example.

He invents expectations for relationships and watches as marriages fall apart because those false expectations are not met. He fools us into believing life without God is normal, and satisfying. He lurks behind false preachers, religious gurus, politicians, celebrities, spewing out a false idea of what the world should be. A place either without God, or one where God is relegated to the backseat.

Satan, The Adversary, disguises himself as an angel of light. It's easier to seduce people as an angel than as an ugly demon. He's smart and has had a long time to watch us. He knows what we want to hear.
He is at war, and we are losing!

The truth, however, is in Jesus the Christ. He alone saves us from the eternal penalty of our sin. His truth casts out Satan's lies and frees our minds from his influence. When we believe Jesus died for us, He sends His Holy Spirit to dwell in us, and so seals us until Jesus returns. We may live in a world ruled by the Devil, but with Christ we are now in God's kingdom!
Amen!
 

Sodom

Sodom will always be known as the "gay city". The sin that was on display in genesis 19 was indeed homosexuality, at least on the surface. But there was more to it than that, as we shall see.
  Sodom was a wealthy city. Their wealth was fueled by the land it sat on, which was considered another Eden. It was lush and capable of supporting its inhabitants and their livestock. Sodom was thought to have been located in the Jordan river Valley just north of the Dead Sea. Water = wealth, especially in the ancient world. the city was known for its abundance, and also for its perversion. with every need filled, people seek for every want to be fulfilled, and over time a nation will become decadent.

We see this in Genesis 19:20:
    "The outcry against Sodom and Gomorrah is so great and their sin so grievous that I will go down and see if what they have done is as bad as the outcry that has reached me."

What was their sin that so offended God? Was it homosexuality? Homosexuality was just the symptom of a greater ill. Ezekiel 16:49-50 says this:
   "Now this was the sin of your sister Sodom: She and her daughters were arrogant, overfed, and unconcerned: they did not help the poor and needy. They were haughty and did detestable things before Me. Therefore I did away with them as you have seen."

God didn't mention homosexuality per se there. Instead, he mentioned what their hearts were like: proud, gluttonous, apathetic.These heart-issues led to the outward sin that Sodom is famous for. And God erased them for it.

Look at what goes on in Genesis 19: God sends two of his angels to Sodom to see if there are at least ten righteous people there. They attempt to spend the night in the city square but Lot persuades them to come to his house, presumably because he knows its not safe for them.
 He knows what the people are like.
 However, they weren't safe in lot's house either. The men of "every part of Sodom-both young and old-" surrounded Lot's house and demanded sex from the two strangers.
 Let that sink in.
The whole city wanted to gang rape two guys. That was how they treated strangers! So Sodom was guilty of inhospitality for one, and rape. But it goes further. Lot, being hospitable like people were in that area of the world, decides to take normal hospitality and make it retarded. He offers his two virgin daughters to the madmen so they won't harm his guests!
And they refuse! They just want the men.

That's where the whole issue of homosexuality comes in. Straight men down through the ages have read this and are horrified. Not only is every men in Sodom up for gay sex, they want to rape the men too. So the issue becomes about homosexuality because its the most alarming.
Now how can an entire city become so vile? What went wrong? Pride, arrogance, apathy. When you don't care, you continue to not care and then teach the next generation not to care. They did not care about God or their neighbor, but only cared about satisfying their desires. They become hedonists, and the city rotted out morally. In an old rabbinic tradition, the homeless of Sodom were given gold ingots with their owner's names inscribed on them. But when they went to spend them, no one would sell them anything! Then when they starved to death, the owner of the ingot would reclaim their money.
In other words, Sodom was guilty of treating people poorly. It finally culminated when the men of Sodom attempted to rape two angels.

But...
The angels blinded the men after they cursed Lot and tried to break down his door. The angels saw that there weren't ten righteous people in Sodom and told Lot and his family to leave immediately. reluctantly they did. I guess Sodom was still in their hearts and they didn't want to leave their comforts. That's why they moved to Sodom in the first place.
 Then God firebombed Sodom, Gomorrah, Admah, and Zeboiim. Zoar was spared because Lot ran there, afraid for his life. Whether God actually rained fire down from out of heaven or He used lightning to set off explosions, it doesn't matter. He destroyed them. They had grown a reputation for mistreating people, so much so that God had to annihilate them.
So was it just because they were gay? No. It was what they had become as a nation. But if homosexuality was indeed so prevalent, what other kinds of sin were they practicing?

 (Go watch "The Bible" from 1966, starring John Huston as Noah and George C. Scott as Abraham. When the two angels enter Sodom you'll understand why God had to judge it.)

Sodom's heart was wicked. It was focused on itself and it putrefied. The behavior was the symptom of a heart far from God. Look at America or any other nation. Is your nation rotting? What about our own individual hearts? Do we disgust God? Has our behavior gotten him angry?
Or have you received the gift of The Holy Spirit and been reborn by trusting Jesus Christ as your savior? Ignoring Him is not the answer. The destruction of Sodom serves as an example of God's wrath at the final judgment. You don't have to be there!
You don't have to be caught in the fire!

 

My Biblical Art

This will be a simple post, a little gallery of my Biblical art that I've done over the years, and some commentary.

I was imagining Noah sitting alone with his tools and blueprints. I bet he was lonely at times, being the only righteous human on earth. No wonder he got drunk after he saw the world die...

Here are Adam and Eve in the Garden. The circles show the days of creation. Yes, it's crooked.

I call this "War" , for obvious reasons. I did this in 2000 but I still like it. I know angels don't have wings in the Bible, but no one would know that it's an angel unless he has wings.

Here is an extra-biblical piece representing Enoch preaching to a nephilim. Enoch was one of only two people who did not die but were taken to Heaven by God. He, like Noah, was a righteous man. He 'walked' with God, meaning he had a relationship with Him.

That's just four pieces; I have more on my Deviantart page. Thanks for looking.

Some People Should Die

The death penalty is a touchy subject. It deals with DEATH, after all. There are some who believe it is right, that it is necessary, and some who believe the opposite, that it is not just and not the mark of a modern, civilized society. 'Eye for an eye is dead, we can rehabilitate. We don't have to kill the killer.'

But is it the government's job to rehabilitate? No. It's role is to protect it's citizens from threats both inside and out. It is the vehicle of God's justice. If people want to write laws that include rehabilitation of criminals, that's fine. But where is the justice in letting a murderer not pay with his life?

When Noah got off the ark, God told him that "if any man sheds another man's blood, so by man must his blood be shed." In another words, God instituted the death penalty. Before the Flood, violence was the prime characteristic of society. What they were known for. It was so out of control that God was sorry that He had even made Man, and destroyed the world. Once He started over with Noah's family, He had to put a check on the violence that was sure to start again, so He instituted capital punishment. Any newly-formed government had the responsibility to administer consequences to murderers. Their right to life was over because of their crime.

Their are a few arguments against the death penalty, one of which is: "Is it right to kill the killer?" No, it isn't right to seek revenge, but that's not what capital punishment is about! It's about the government administering justice, and if it's doing that, individuals won't have to seek revenge.

The death penalty has it's flaws, no doubt about that. It's been used to get rid of political opponents and other undesirables, and worst of all, been used to kill innocent men. Putting the wrong person to death is a tragedy. But with DNA testing it's much easier to prove a person's guilt or innocence. Don't throw out the baby with the bath water.

Remember that quote from Perry Farrell? "Some people should die, that's just unconscious knowledge..." That one has always stuck with me. There really are people who should die for their crimes. It's called 'execution', which is not the same as 'murder'. Execution is a judgment, murder is a crime. Don't confuse the two! Should a man like John Evander Cooey be allowed to live? If you think so, why? He kidnapped, raped, and murdered a little girl. Why shouldn't he be executed?
(By the way, he died of cancer in prison.)

Here is another argument: If you oppose abortion, you should be consistent and oppose the death penalty, too.
Huh?
This is an asinine argument. Abortion is the murder of unborn children who committed no crimes, while the death penalty is the punishment for murder. In one group, innocents die. In the other, guilty die. Killing unborn babies is not justice, executing murders is.

Sometimes, I think people get so caught up in a 'feel-good' moment they can't tell their ass from their elbow.

What did Jesus say about the death penalty? Nothing. Did He overturn it in Israel? No. He didn't talk about it, much like He didn't talk about homosexuality. He didn't need to. He talked about self-righteousness, repenting from sin, and following Him. Remember, It was He who gave the government the sword back in Genesis chapter 9. It is allowed and expected to use it under the right conditions.

Personally, allowing a murderer to live off our taxes for decades because someone is too weak to execute them or because the prison system likes the money is stupid. There is no justice in that! Flip the switch! Sometimes that is what's needed. If lethal injection is inhumane, then go back to the firing squad. It's quicker and cheaper. Remember the victim! The murderer is human, too, but he lost his privilege to live when he planned and then killed someone.

Some people should die, that's just conscious knowledge.

A Nazi general

 

90's Christian Rock!

Christian music today tends to be bland. It's all "worship" music, meaning it's meant for Sunday morning services. There's nothing wrong with that, but where is all the storytelling in music these days? Aside from Christian metal, there is a vacuum of Christian rock and alternative bands. The older bands have morphed into worship, such as Audio Adrenaline and the Newsboys. So I was happy when I dug out some old CDs that I forgot I had, CDs that fall into the category of :

90's CHRISTIAN ROCK

Here are four bands that pretty much epitomize what I'm talkin' about.

1. The Waiting

https://youtu.be/qW8b_zxOa2A

There is a link above to their song 'Number 9'. It's a great track; go check it out.
These guys were popular twenty years ago, but have been on hiatus since 2003.They put out a few albums, all of them great. They are sort of like a Christian REM, but better in my opinion. I really dig this band, so much that I'm going to drop another link. This is for a song about Jesus (duh), called A Thousand Years is Not Enough. Enjoy it.
Anybody out there remember these guys? Speak, Hands in the Air, Never Dim, these were good songs...

2. DC Talk

https://youtu.be/Aomv5EtXA44

I know you know this trio. The mighty DC Talk! They were on top in the 90s, going platinum twice  and double platinum once for 'Jesus Freak'. You know, Jesus Freak: What will people think when they hear that I'm a Jesus freak, what will people do when they find out it's true...
Anyway, from left to right: Kevin Max, Tobymac, Michael Tait. In 2001 they split up and went solo, which was a good thing. Kevin went on to make some awesome alternative music , then as singer for Audio Adrenaline for an album; Toby is mega popular in and out of Christian music, beginning as rap/hard rock and doing more pop-hip hop-island type music, and Michael Tait had his own band, Tait. They made two albums, and the Mike became the singer for the Newsboys.
Above is a link to a live version of 'Dive', off the last album "Supernatural". Who remembers Colored People, My Friend, The Hardway, Mind's Eye?


3. Audio Adrenaline

https://youtu.be/9SVahsiPQx8

Ah, Audio A's big hit. Check out the link and listen to 'Never Gonna Be as Big as Jesus'. These guys had a sense of humor, and could rock, too. Listen to 'Secret' off of 'Bloom". Mark Stuart had that raspy, Rod Stewart-like voice. Sort of grungy. But he retired from AA because of vocal problems, which led to the band hiring Kevin Max as singer. He recorded one album and went on tour, and then went solo again. The band has  another new singer, and I don't think any of the original members are in the band anymore. Like Underoath or something...

4. Newsboys

https://youtu.be/fKe_VqqEAH8

The masterpiece of 90s Christian rock right here! If you click the link, you will be treated to 'Lights Out', a hard techno rocker. This album is fantastic, the whole way through. Christian or no, this will float your boat!
At this time, John James was singer. He sang on the next album, Take me To Your Leader, and then left due to 'pursuing ministry', aka drugs and women. You know, sin. A rocker's lifestyle.  He has since repented, and tours America talking about what God has done in his life. And throwing the Newsboys under the bus. But his time was the best time for the band. There was Not Ashamed , Going Public, and Take Me To Your Leader. All great albums. Peter Furler, the drummer, took over as singer and was there until 2009. They still make albums and tour, and might be bigger than they ever were, but in the 90s they were the best. Go listen. Strong Love, Elle G., Spirit Thing, Love Comes True; oh yeah! And listen to those bass lines!
Speaking of bass lines, I saw the Newsboys twice, but the first time I saw them blew me away. It was 1997 I think, right after Take Me To Your Leader came out. Maybe 1998. They were great, but around the sixth song Phil Joel's bass suddenly got louder and about knocked my pants off. No, seriously, my pants shook from the bass. It was awesome.

What these bands had that is lacking in today's Christian scene is talent. Or at least the desire to tell a story, to write a real rock song rather than an emotional tribute to one's self. They were clean, but they said it the way it was. They also had a sense of humor, such as in Newsboy's 'Breakfast', and The Waiting's 'Better off as Friends'. Gallows humor, but humor.

"When the toast has burned, and all the milk has churned
and Cap'n Crunch is waving farewell!
When the big one finds you, may this song remind you
that they don't serve breakfast in Hell!"

 

SAVED! What does that mean?

Thank you to Russia!
Somebody over there has been looking at this blog quite a lot this past week. Here is a new one for you:

Christians use the word "saved" like everyone knows what it means. But what does it mean? Saved from what? And how?
'Salvation' is a magnificent word, especially in New Testament terminology. It means to be rescued from damnation. When Christians say "saved", they are talking about being saved from the eternal consequences of sin. 'Going to Hell', as it is said. Jesus Christ is the One who saves. The Rescuer. He is the shepherd who goes out and finds the lost sheep and brings them home.
They become His.

Now let me explain a few things. This isn't religion. Religion is man's way of reaching God. It doesn't work. He isn't listening. If man invents a way to please God, how does he know that it's really pleasing Him? But if God tells man how to please Him, there's no question that it works. That is a relationship established by God. Notice that when Jesus came here, He didn't come here as a rule-enforcer. He came as the Savior. He healed people, raised the dead, comforted the hurting. He brought people back to Yahweh. He was and is the bridge to Heaven.

When a person gets "saved", it isn't a religious experience, it is being "born again", or literally becoming a new creation. Your flesh doesn't change, but your spirit does. There is a 'quickening', a rejuvenation that happens as God's Holy Spirit actually comes to live in your body and bond with your spirit. You are no longer alone! There is now an awareness that was not there before. An intimate knowledge of God that was impossible before. This is not simply an emotional response to a good sermon, but a transformation that only God can do.

Yes, people can get emotional when they become a Christian. They should! You have just realized your need of a savior and received His pardon. You were guilty of offending a holy God, and yet He forgave you anyway based on the sacrifice of His Son. Of course you should cry, or shout for joy!
But make no mistake: Christians, real born-again believers in Jesus, have what others do not, which is a relationship with the Creator. They know this because they have faith in the message they heard. And because of that faith, Jesus sends His Spirit to live in them and seal them for future residence in Heaven. God has made them aware of Himself. It isn't a person's imagination or fantasy-prone flare-up, it's real.

This is not easy to explain, but I can tell you that God really does live in me. At one time, He did not. Then He did. And there was a difference between the two states. Sure, at first that outward behavior did not change. Inside, however, was a new awareness of right and wrong, a heightened sense of conscience. I knew God was there with me. It wasn't a feeling, but an supernatural knowledge that was beyond emotion. Eventually the outward behavior changed and I wanted to know God more, to love Him and listen to Him.

Christians do get mixed up and manipulated, and can appear to be flaky and strange. And...sometimes we are! But that does not change the message: Man sins, he is unholy and does not deserve a place in a perfect Heaven. God loves man anyway, and prepared a sacrifice to atone for man's rebellion. That sacrifice is Christ. Believing in Him, trusting Him for your eternal life will bring the Holy Spirit into you, who will then save you from eternal punishment and prepare you for eternal life with God.

It's simple, yet difficult. Difficult to follow this Jesus. But the rewards are immeasurable!

 

Hal Jordan Sucks

Hal Jordan sucks. Yes, you read that twice. He blows. He's boring. Ryan Reynolds should not have played him. He should've been Kyle Rayner. Somebody ho-hum, like Josh Brolin, should've played Hal.

Hal was always sort of bland. His comic was good because  Gil Kane and Neal Adams drew it, and not to mention Green Arrow showed up for a while. Quite a dynamic there! All the cool Green Lanterns were there too: Guy Gardner, John freakin' Stewart, Kyle. They were definitely better than death-dealer Hal Jordan.

Neal Adams art

Forgot about that didn't you? Hal's little "issue". Let me recap:

"Hi, I'm Hal Jordan, well respected super hero. I'm sad because my home city got wiped out by a mega-powerful villain with a bad name (Mongul). So what I'm gonna do, what I am going to do is KILL all my friends and steal their rings so I can undo the deaths of millions of Coast City residents, including my girlfriend. That's right, KILL.

"See ya, Kilowog. Then I'm going to go crazy:

"Yes, loony, and become arch-villain #1 (Parallax). I will lose to Oliver Queen, who puts an arrow in my mighty chest, and disappear for awhile before I return to tackle a big black star-eating cloud (Sun-Eater). I have redeemed myself by dying! And then I become The Spectre, you know, the living embodiment of GOD'S Wrath.

"Later, I will return to life as good ol' Hal, and everyone will love me again! Even Kilowog. See, it wasn't really me, it was the one-armed man. Oops, wrong guy! It was the real Parallax, that evil yellow entity. It possessed me and made me do bad stuff."

Yeah, good one, DC. That's why nobody reads comics, because they're stupid.

Anyway, Hal is still boring in my mind. I haven't read the new 52, for the above reason. But come on, Hal should have stayed evil or dead. This "ret-con" junk is a dumb word for a dumb idea.

Bye Hal. I never liked you.

Give me John Stewart instead.

 

God Sends Good And Bad

Reading through the book of Job is an interesting enterprise. Bad stuff happens, more bad stuff happens, people complain, people accuse, God shows up. God doesn't explain his actions, but does give a monologue about how awesome He is.
Only God can brag.

It appears as though God manipulates Satan into attacking Job. Maybe God wanted to show the spirit world that there were a few humans who would not curse Him even when life falls apart. That there were indeed a few people with integrity.
Unlike Satan, who fell into apostasy because he couldn't be as big as God.

Check out Job chapter 2. Yeah, go ahead. Satan says Job will curse God if Job gets sick. God takes that challenge, after taunting the Devil with Job's great character ("Look at my man Job! He didn't lose faith even when you killed his kids and destroyed his livelihood!").
Satan inflicts Job with nasty boils over his entire body, as drawn by John Totleben above.

This was a bad week for our pal Job.

But listen to this:
'Then his wife said to him: "Do you still hold fast to your integrity? Curse God and die!"'

Can you hear the venom spewing from her lips?

Now in her defense, her ten children had just died in a storm, and all her wealth had been destroyed. So she was grieved. But...

Job says: "You speak as one of the foolish women speak. Shall we indeed accept good from God and not accept adversity?"

Think on that for a moment.

We think all good stuff comes from God, and bad stuff from Satan or the world. Job knows better. He knows it all comes from God. He didn't get mad about it either. He did lament the day of his birth, though. But God never called him out on it. In fact, He still said Job was blameless.

In his pain, Job wished he had never been born. His friends showed up too, and after being silent for a week, decided to give him their opinions about why his life fell apart.
It was his fault, they said!
He must have had some secret sin that had offended God. These things couldn't possibly happen to a righteous man!

But they do, don't they? God hands out adversity like free tickets to a baseball game. But you can't refuse these...

In the end, Job saw God's power and forgot about himself. God then told the three friends that He wasn't pleased with their speeches. They had not spoken well of God, as Job had. There is a lesson here. God didn't come to Job's aid because his friends were accusing him, He came to his aid because Job was speaking right about God. Job hadn't cursed God. He knew Him well enough not to do that. His friends thought they knew Him, but were merely superstitious. Job understood that God hands out trouble and doesn't owe anyone an explanation for it.

I'm sure this baffled Satan. What happens when you think you know better than God?
You fall.

Job also understood that his Redeemer was coming, and that he would see Him face to face. That always puts our lives in perspective, doesn't it?
His theology was in good order!

Job now had to pray for his friends, which he did. They offered their sacrifices, and Job prayed for them. What a good friend! See, God listened to Job because he was blameless. Not sinless, but blameless. Nobody could say anything bad about him.

Fortunately, it all ends well. Job's wealth is returned to him two-fold. Double the donkeys, double the camels, etc. He even has ten more kids, evidently with the same misinformed wife. He lived another 140 years as well, probably living to 210.
God took care of him.

Here is what we don't like about God: that He gives trouble. We ask 'Why?' and don't get a reply. But God can do whatever he wants with his clay. He uses adversity, sends adversity, to mold His people into a beautiful piece of pottery. He is preparing us for Heaven, where there is no pride or lust. Adversity has a way of stripping all that away.
As Christians, we no longer are our own, but we now belong to Christ. He bought us. He can do what He wants with us. His ways are good, though, so don't forget that.

Job knew this, and was well spoken of because of it.

 

Unholy-Days

Halloween, Christmas, Easter. "Holidays" that really exist in a fantasy-land. You'll notice two of those days are in a different color. That's because they link to two other posts of mine which are freakin' fantastic pieces of fine literature.
Really.

Halloween just passed. What did you do? Did you dress up the kids and march around your neighborhood collecting candy? Why? Because that's what we did as kids? Why did we do that?

Some would say because it's fun. And it is. But have you ever noticed how you feel when the trick-or-treating is over, or when you're done unwrapping the presents, or finished finding the eggs? You might feel empty, like a dream just ended.
That's because it did. I think we enter a fantasy world three times a year, and when the day is over, the bubble bursts. The next is back to normal, like nothing happened. The festivities are forgotten and the "holiday spirit" has evaporated.
We spent all that time preparing for...what exactly?

We celebrate something at Christmas, but I'm not sure what. For Christians, it is supposed to be about Christ's birth (Christmas), but it kind of isn't. Sure, we have the holiday services, but that's for an hour, which can't compete with the two months of time leading up to the Big Day. It's really about the lights, the spectacle, the gifts. And when the 26th comes, the fantasy is over. The jolly elf is gone, nowhere to be found. We must then wipe away the evidence by putting away the presents and taking down the decorations. A lot of people try to hold on to that mystical feeling by leaving the tree up for another week or more, but it all fizzled out upon waking up the Day After.

Easter is another one. Some say it's pagan, some say it's Christian, some it's both. But really it's something else: A cartoon! Bunnies? Eggs? One big bunny who delivers them all? Sounds like a cartoon to me.

He doesn't like the pastels either.

We tell kids about fake entities and then tell them later that they don't exist. How stupid is that? We are perpetuating a myth...

Modern Christmas was invented by a few well-intentioned men who wanted to create an American family holiday. It worked! (I guess Thanksgiving wasn't good enough. You know, the holiday where we give thanks to God while gathered together as a family). Modern Easter took root in Germany around the 1500 and 1600's, then spread to America. How it got merged with The Resurrection I don't know, but perhaps the Roman Catholic Church had something to do with it.
Or Hallmark.

So basically we are celebrating ancient pagan traditions through the lens of commercialism. Exploit those religions!

Gotta keep it going. It's the money, honey. Holiday movies, music, toys, decorations. "The Christmas Spirit" and all that.
In other words, a fantasy.

So what do we do? Do we celebrate the pagan side, or the Christian side? Or just have fun living out the fantasy? Or not celebrate at all?
(If you decide to not tell your kids about Santa, or the Bunny, or even the Tooth Fairy, you will be ostracized, at least a little. After all, everyone does it and so should you!)

In any event, It's still sort of a free country, so you can celebrate any way you want. Just ask yourself: What am I doing and why am I doing it?

 

The Bloody Substitute

Why is there so much blood in the Bible? It's all over the place, like a Jackson Pollock painting. From Genesis to Revelation there's mention of blood: shed it, don't shed it, don't drink it, don't spill it, Jesus shed it. Blood, blood, blood.

But really. Why all the talk? And why did animals have to die? Why did people the world over sacrifice beasts, and even men?

Because "the life is in the blood". If you bleed too much, you die. Not enough blood equals death. Poisoned blood means death too. Blood is precious, both literally and figuratively. Life is precious to God. He made that clear when Noah got off the Ark. "If any man shed's another man's blood, by man must his blood be shed." (Death penalty)
Blood is important.

 Then, why sacrifice animals if blood is so precious? Why is it that people all over the globe from many different cultures felt the need to sacrifice to their gods?
Because they knew they offended them. They knew in their hearts that the gods were offended and wanted to offer up a substitute in their place. See, something has to die for our sin, for our offenses. So animals were used. And when the sin was grievous enough, humans were sacrificed, because a human is more valuable than a goat. This better sacrifice would placate the local god, for the good of the society.

Sacrificing did not originate in Babylon or Sumer, but in the Garden of Eden. Something died to cover up the first two real people. From then on, men sacrificed to Yawheh as a reminder that their sin offended Him. Sin is like an opposite of God: it's imperfect, unholy, perverse. Haven't you ever been utterly offended by some crime, or harmful words? Imagine that multiplied billions of times over and the understand how God feels...

Sin is awful, and something must die for it. The blood of an animal served as a reminder that we are sinners, and in ancient Israel, that shed blood covered over the sin of both the priest and the people. It didn't really remove sin, because the blood of an animal can't remove the sin from a human. Only the blood of a human can remove the sin from another human.
Who wants that job?

But a sinful man's blood can't take away the sin of another sinner. That's like paying bail with counterfeit money!

The only blood that can remove sin is the blood of a perfect man. And the only blood that can remove all sin for all time is the blood from a perfect, eternal man. The blood of a goat or bull could cover the sin temporarily, but the next time you sinned that blood became useless. Another sacrifice had to be made.
And another.

So an Eternal Man had to give up his life to set free an entire race. He would be the substitute for everyone who would believe. This was the Son of God Most High, the real God, the Creator of all, the one all those indigenous pagans had lost contact with after Babel. They tried to worship Him, but failed.

Sacrificing wasn't a step in evolution, it was people trying to reach God. But He reached down to us, and sent His Sacrifice so that we could be reunited again.

And so Jesus Christ, the one foretold of for millennia, came here and tore down that curtain that separates man from God. He paved the way, He bridged the gap. He fulfilled all Old Testament laws. His blood is the most important of all. He fulfilled all legal requirements. He beat the devil at the cross. He has no equal. He spoke the universe into existence. He died in our place to satisfy God's justice. He is our advocate, our guardian, our Lord, our King, and our Savior.

There is none like Him!