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December 2012 realTruTh.orgThe

A magazine restoring plain understanding

TM

Mideaston the brink

What Happens Next?


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A R T I C L E S realTruTh.org

Vol. X | No. 10 | December 2012

the

a magazine restoring plain understanding

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PUBLISHER/EDITOR-IN-CDaVID c. PacK

EXECUTIVE EDITORJeFFreY r. ambroSe

SENIOR EDITORSWIllIam h. behrer

KeVIN D. DeNeegabrIel N. lISchaK

CONTRIBUTING WRITERDaVID c. PacK

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Personal from the Editor-in-ChiefChristmas Unveiled!Page 1

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December 2012 1

Christmas Unveiled!

Christmasisthought to be a wonderful

time, focusing participants on giving, family

togetherness, beautiful music and decora-

tions, feasting on special foods, and singing tra-

ditional carols. All of this is supposedly centered

around the worship of Jesus Christ, and His birth

on December 25.Where did Christmas originate? What is the origin

of Santa ClausmistletoeChristmas treeshollywreathsYule logsand exchanging gifts? Many

seek to put Christ back into Christmas. Was He ever

there? Surely the Bible instructs to do all these things.

Or does it?I grew up keeping Christmas, and it was a big event

in our family every year. We left out none of the usual

trimmings of this occasion. On Christmas Eve, excite-

ment grew with every passing minute. After going to bed,

I could neither sleep nor wait until morning to see all that

Santa had brought me.

Christmas certainlyfeltwonderful to me. I trusted what

my parents told me. I had no reason to doubt them. I wasnot taught to question the true origin of Christmas!

Most never reflect on why they believe what they

believe or do what they do. We live in a world filled with

customs, but few ever seek to understand their origin. We

generally accept them without question. Most people basi-

cally do what everyone else doesfollowing the crowd

because it is easy!

Lets look at the roots of Christmas. Lets see why peo-

ple follow the customs associated with it. Why is it kept

on December 25? The early New Testament Church never

kept it. Why?

This Personal introduces facts from history and

Scripture that, when placed together, paint a complete pic-

ture. Lets avoid all assumptions and only accept what can

beproven!

The truth of this holiday celebration will shock you!

True Origi

Nearly all aspects of Christmas observance have theirroots in Roman custom and religion. We will look at many

respected sources (all emphasis will be mine), starting

with the following admission from The Buffalo News:

The earliest reference to Christmas being marked on Dec.

25 comes from the second century after Jesus birth. It is

considered likely the first Christmas celebrations were in

reaction to the Roman Saturnalia, a harvest festival that

marked the winter solsticethe return of the sunand

honored Saturn, the god of sowing. Saturnalia was a

rowdy time, much opposed by the more austere leaders

among the still-minority Christian sect. Christmas devel-

oped, one scholar says, as a means of replacing worship

of thesun with worship of the Son. By A.D. 529, after

Christianity had become the official state religion of the

Roman Empire, Emperor Justinian made Christmas a civic

holiday. The celebration of Christmas reached its peak

some would say its worst momentsin the medieval

period when it became a time for conspicuous consump-

tion and unequaled revelry.

Think. It was 300 years after Christ when the Roman

church began keeping Christmas!and not until hundreds

Personal from


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2 Thereal TruTh

of years after this that it was mandated to be kept through-

out the empire as an official festival honoring Christ.Consider these admissions from the Catholic

Encyclopedia, under Christmas: Christmas was

notamong the earliest festivals of the Churchthe firstevidence of the feast isfrom Egypt. Further, Pagan cus-

toms centering around the January calends [the early daysof each month] gravitated to Christmas. Under the topicNatal Day, Origen, an early Catholic writer, admitted,

In the Scriptures, no one is recorded to have kept a feastor held a great banquet on his birthday. It is only sin-ners (like Pharaoh and Herod) who make great rejoicings

over the day on which they were born into this world.TheEncyclopedia Americana reveals, Christmas

was not observed in the first centuries of the Christianchurch, since the Christian usage in general was tocelebrate the death of remarkable persons rather than

theirbirtha feast was established in memory of thisevent [Christs birth] in the 4th century. In the 5th century

the Western church orderedthe feast to be celebrated[forever] on the day of the Mithraic rites of the birth ofthe sun and at the close of the Saturnalia, as no certain

knowledge of the day of Christs birth existed.Here are more facts from theEncyclopaedia

Britannica, under the heading Christmas: In the

Roman world the Saturnalia (December 17) was a time ofmerrymaking and exchanging of gifts.December 25 wasalso regarded as the birth date of the Iranian mystery god

Mithra, the Sun of Righteousness. On the Roman NewYear (January 1), houses were decorated with greenery

and lights, and gifts were given to children and the poor.To these observances were added the German and Celtic

Yule rites when the Teutonic tribes penetrated into Gaul,Britain, and central Europe. Food and good fellowship,the Yule log and Yule cakes, greenery and fir trees, giftsand greetings all commemorated different aspects of this

festive season. Fires and lights, symbols of warmth andlasting life, have always been associated with the winter

festival, both pagan and Christian.Stunning information! I ask: do you care?Consider what The Democrat and Chronicle admitted

regarding who mandated the celebration: The Romanfestival of Saturnalia, Dec. 17-24, moved citizens to deco-

rate their homes with greens and lights and give gifts tochildren and the poor. The Dec. 25 festival ofnatalis solisinvicti, the birth of the unconquered sun, was decreed by

the emperor Aurelian in A.D. 274 as a Winter Solstice cel-ebration, and sometime (later)was Christianized as adate to celebrate the birth of the Son of Light.

Dr. William Gutsch further publicly confirmed thetrue origin and nature of Christmas with this: The early

Romans were not celebrating Christmas but rathera

pagan feastcalled the Saturnalia. It occurred each yeararound the beginning of winter, or the winter solstice.

This was the time when the sun had taken its lowest path

across the sky and the days were beginning to lengthen,thus assuring another season of growth.

If many of the trappings of the Saturnalia, however,

seem to parallel what so many of us do today, we cansee where we borrowedour holiday traditions. And

indeed, it has been suggested that while Christ was mostlikely not born in late December, the early Christiansthen still an outlawed sectmoved Christmas to the time

of the Saturnalia to draw as little attention as possible tothemselves while they celebrated their own holiday.

Lets understand. Saturnalia simply means festival or

celebration of Saturn. Saturday derives from the name ofthis god, as do all the other days of the week from pagan

godsSuns day, Moons day, Tiws day, Wodens day,Thors day, Friggas day, and Saturns day.

But who was Saturn? Saturn was the god of sowing

or plantingthe fire godbecause heat from the sun wasrequired to allow for planting and growth of crops. He

was also worshipped in this dead-of-winter festival so thathe would come back (remember, he was the sun) andwarm the earth again so that spring planting could occur.

The planet Saturn was later named after him because,among all of the planets, with its rings and bright redcolor, it best represented the god of fire!

Virtually every civilization has a fire/sun god. TheEgyptians (and sometimes Romans) called him Vulcan.The Greeks named him Kronos, as did the Phoenicians

but they also called him Saturn. The Babylonians calledhim Tammuz, Molech or Baal, as did the Druids. These

were all simply the various names forNimrod, the infa-mous biblical rebel of Genesis 10. Nimrod was considered

the father of all the Babylonian gods.There is no mistaking the origin of the modern

Christmas celebration. And many more sources could becited. Lets tie in other facts.

Cristmas Tree

The modern Christmas tree originated in Germany. Butthe Germans got it from the Romans, who got it from the

Babylonians and the Egyptians.The following quote from Curiosities of Popular

Customs demonstrates what the Babylonians believed

about the origin of the Christmas tree: An old Babylonishfable told ofan evergreen tree which sprang out of adead tree stump. The old stump symbolized the dead

Nimrod, the new evergreen tree symbolized that Nimrodhad come to life again in Tammuz [a false god con-

demned in Ezekiel 8 as abominable]! Among the Druidsthe oakwas sacred, among the Egyptians it was the palm,and in Rome it was the fir, which was decorated with red

berries during the Saturnalia!

Please seepERSOnAL, page 21


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December 2012 3

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December 2012 5

Representatives), and 73 percent felt

the same about the executive branch,led by the president.

The same poll conducted in early

September 2012 found that 67 percenthad a great deal or fair amount of trust

for the federal judiciary. Having fluctu-

ated from a low of 63 percent in 1976to a high of 80 percent in 1999, that

figure has returned to near its 1972baseline.

But the 2012 figures for the other

two branches were very different. Theexecutive branch garnered only 56 per-

cent, while Congress fared even worseat 34 percent!

Let that sink in: two-thirds of

Americans do not trust the group thatauthors the laws of the land, by whichthey must live. Almost half do not have

confidence in its CEO (the presi-dent), who is entrusted with oversight

of the ongoing American Experiment,not to mention holding the most pow-erful single office in the world. And

these are the men and women they and

their fellow Americans chose to putinto office!

Further, the branch they trust mostis headed by nine people who are nomi-natedand confirmedby the executiveand legislative.

But is this just an American phe-

nomenon?The picture is scarcely better in

Europe. A March 2011 Guardian

article stated, The results of theunique Guardian ICM poll of

Britain, France, Germany, Spain andPoland show common trends and somedistinctive differences between coun-

triesThe main message from all fiveis that European citizens do not trusttheir governments or the honesty of

their politicians

Only 6% of people across Europesay they have a great deal of trust intheir government, 46% say they havenot very much and 32% none at all.

Only 9% of Europeans think their poli-ticiansin opposition or in poweract with honesty and integrity.

[Few] Europeans think theirpoliticians are honest. In Poland, only

3% of those questioned agree; in Spain8%; in Germany 10%; in France 11%;

in Britain 12%. Overall, the percentage

of those who think politicians are not atall, or not very, honest outweighs thosewho disagree by a massive 89 percent-

age points.Yet this view is not reserved solely

for politicians.

Beyod Govermet

Another part of society increasinglyviewed with suspicion is the world of

business, finance and banking. Distaste

or open hostility toward these groupswas a mainstay of the Occupy move-ment, which became a global phenom-

enon in 2011.In the U.S., discontent has been

simmering since 2008, when the firstlarge banks collapsed due to massiveexposure to high-risk loans. Since then,

growing numbers have come to believethere is too much disparity betweenthe wealth of what they call the one

percent (the richest top percentile ofthe population) and the ninety-nine

percent (everyone else).This resentment is stoked by head-

lines such as, Corporate Profits Reach

Record High, While Workers Struggle.The article stated, Corporate prof-its reached a record high in the

third quarter [2012], according to aCommerce Department reportAnd

the financial sector is doing particular-ly well. Financial companies account-ed for all of the net growth in domestic

corporate profits during the third quar-ter

Meanwhile, workers are strug-

gling. Average hourly pay, whenadjusted for inflation, has fallen 0.7

percent over the past year, accord-ing to the Labor Department. And theunemployment rate in October was 7.9

percentit was at a low of 4.4 percent

in May 2007 before the recession (TheHuffington Post). The article is accom-

panied for good measure by a photoslideshow titled CEOs Who Look like

Villains.How has this dynamic affected

the upcoming generationthe youth

vote now carefully courted in electioncampaigns? According to an opinion

poll of high school students commis-

sioned by the University of Arizonas

Take Charge America Institute forConsumer Financial Education and

Research, it appears that youngpeoples opinions about the financial

system have been shaped by the con-stant drumbeat of negative stereotypesand criticisms so dominant in the pub-

lic discourse during and since the[global economic] crash. The result?A healthy skepticism about financial

institutions has soured into cynicism,where teenagers almost expect to be

victimized by financial firms. Thepollshows that the majority stronglydistrusted financial institutions even

while expressing great confidence inother things like their likelihood tofind employment and to achieve finan-

cial security. Many of them failed todisagree with even the most extreme

negative characterizations of the finan-cial services industry.

For example, 60 percent of stu-

dents polled firmly believe that creditcard companies often entice people

into taking on more debt that they canhandle, while 70 percent believe that

businesses try to trick young people

into spending more than they should.Only 25 percent of students disagreedwith the statement, the stock mar-

ket is rigged mostly to benefit greedyWall Street bankers, and only 17

percent disagreed with the statement,banks are mostly interested in get-ting my money through hidden fees

(American Banker).While these views are not unreason-

able in light of recent events, younger

Americans ignorance also plays apart: Sixty-eight percent did not know

that owning stocks is a riskier formof investment than owning govern-ment bondsWhen asked about credit

scores, more than half didnt know that

a high credit score is better than a lowscore (ibid.).

British banking confidence took asimilar massive hit in summer 2012,

with revelations that large banks hadcolluded to manipulate the Libor(London Interbank Offered Rate),

which affects loan interest rates aroundthe globe.

The Independentcaptured the pub-

lic response: Nearly two-thirds of


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6 Thereal TruTh

banking customers no longer trust their

lender to look after their money, a pollhas revealed.

As public outrage over the unfold-

ing banking crisis grows, a YouGovpoll commissioned by the SundayTimes showed 60% of people losing

faith in their bank.Some 49% believe the high-street

banks to be dishonest while 45%think of them as incompetent, the pollrevealed.

And just 1% of respondents believethat senior executives of the biggest

banks have improved their behaviorsince the financial crisis began.

The article went on to quote a con-

sumer advocate who stated, rev-elations about widespread interest ratefixing have obliterated any remaining

consumer trust in the big banks.With confidence in those who gov-

ern, employ and provide financing tothem fading, where do citizens turnnext?

Te Rest of te Story

How do other institutions of societyfare in citizens eyes? A number of

recent polls are as eye-opening as theone tracking trust in government (allquotes below from Gallup):

g Education: Americans confi-dence in public schools is down five

percentage points from last year, with

29% expressing a great deal or quitea lot of confidence in them. That

establishes a new low in public schoolconfidence from the 33% measured inGallups 2007 and 2008 Confidence in

Institutions polls. The high was 58%the first time Gallup included publicschools, in 1973.

g Media: The majority ofAmericans still do not have confidence

in the mass media [newspapers, radioand television] to report the news fully,accurately, and fairly. The 44% of

Americans who have a great deal orfair amount of trust and the 55% whohave little or no trust remain among

the most negative views Gallup hasmeasured.

g Religion: Forty-four percent of

Americans have a great deal or quitea lot of confidence in the church or

organized religion today, just below

the low points Gallup has found inrecent years, including 45% in 2002and 46% in 2007. This follows a long-

term decline in Americans confidencein religion since the 1970s.

Gallups list goes on: among the

following institutions, these were theproportions of poll respondents who

professed a great deal or quite a lotof confidence in them: the police56

percent; the medical system41 per-

cent; the criminal justice system29percent; organized labor21 percent;

big business21 percent; health main-tenance organizations (HMOs, a typeof insurance provider)19 percent.

The military tops the list with 75 per-cent, with, again, Congress in the base-ment at 13 percent.

Root of te problem

Why cannot modern men and women

trust in their institutionswhich, afterall, are comprised of other men andwomen?

Author George F. Will once opinedthat those who hold to some ideologiesaccept a delusionthe belief that they

can make something straight from thecrooked timber of humanity.

Similarly, President AbrahamLincoln, in an 1860 speech deliveredin New York City, stated, Human

action can be modified to some extent,but human nature cannot be changed.

In essence, both these quotes

acknowledge human nature as aninsoluble problem.

The most popular, widely ownedbook in history, the Bible, most likelyinformed Lincolns belief. It confirms

that his view is correctunder cur-rent circumstances. The apostle Peterdescribed the corruption that is in

the world through lust(II Pet. 1:4).His counterpart John stated that the

whole world lies in wickedness (IJohn 5:19). So it is no surprise thatelsewhere in the same Book we find,

Put not your trust in princes, norin theson of man (Psa. 146:3).

But for those who believe the Bible,

is the situation hopeless?Ultimately, only God is truly trust-

worthy. There is a solution, however,

for mankind. A lesson from the worldof business illustrates it.

In 1920, just ahead of a marketcrash and flash depression, prominentstatistician Roger Babson warned

business executives and bankers theywere about to enter the most severe

economic depression of their lifetime.I advise you all to set your houses inorder, he said (Herbert W. Armstrong

His Life in Proper Perspective).Mr. Babson explained that he

was able to know a depression was

coming by looking at the way peo-ple livedhow they dealt with one

another as a whole.He said, I looked to the source

which determines future conditions.

I have found that the source may bedefined in terms of righteousness.

When 51 percent or more of thewhole people are reasonably righ-teous in their dealings with one

another, we are heading into increas-ing prosperity. When 51 percent ofthe people become unrighteous in

their business dealings with their fel-lows, then we are headed for badtimes economically! (ibid.)

While the term righteous canconjure many images in the mind,

there is a simple definition: all[Gods] commandments are righ-teousness (Psa. 119:172). The laws

of God, which many in this age dis-miss as harsh, arbitrary thou shaltnots, are based on love for God,

as well as loveoutflowing con-cernfor neighbor. It follows that if

one is habitually acting out of lovefor others in his business dealings

being righteoushe will become

known as generally trustworthy, onthe human level.

So righteousness, far from being

a sanctimonious notion that belongsonly to Sunday morning preachers,

is actually the solution to all the trustproblems that pollsters uncover.

Would you like to become more

trustworthy yourselfand to get onthe path to overcominghuman nature?Take the next step of learning exactly

what it isread the free booklet DidGod Create Human Nature? at rcg.org/dgchn. c


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December 2012 7

After eight days, 1,506 Hamas rockets, and roughly 1,500

Israeli airstrikes, a truce was ordered in a conflict centered in the

Gaza Strip. On November 21, Palestinians and Israelis returned

to a strained stalematethe status quo for the region since the 1948

creation of the Jewish state.

Despite a ceasefire, Israel, Gaza and the entire

Middle East remain far from lasting peaceand one

step from all-out war.

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Mideast on the BrinkWhat Happens Next?


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8 Thereal TruTh

Since the ceasefire began, a

dozen or so rockets have shot across

the border from Gaza. The Weekly

Standard reported that a television

station run by Islamist Hamas, the

ruling political party in Gaza, aired

a Death to Israel music video. Ashort time later, the Israel Defense

Forces successfully tested Davids

Sling, a missile defense system

capable of intercepting mid- to

long-range missiles.Yet what can be lost in the heated

rhetoric and political/media biases is

the human tollthe mounting deaths

of both Israelis andPalestinians. And

citizens on both sides of the conflict

continue to live with the daily possibil-

ity of a full-scale war.

Uresolved Issues

To launch what was labeled Operation

Pillar of Cloud, the Israel Defense

Forces (IDF) ordered a pinpoint mis-

sile strike that killed Ahmed Jabri,

the head of the Hamas military wing.

The move was in response to contin-

ued rocket fire from Gazawith 451

rocket attacks from January to October

2012, The Christian Science Monitor

reported. The strikes were aimed at

destroying Hamas caches of advancedweaponry and hindering the organi-

zations ability to carry out terrorist

attacks.

Gaza responded with Operation

Stones of Baked Clay, upping its

steady stream of rocket fire and

employing Fajr-5 missiles, which

could strike at the heart of the Jewish

state, including Jerusalem and TelAviv.

The IDFs new Iron Dome missile

defense system limited Israeli casual-

ties to fiveyet there were still 252

people wounded. Airstrikes and stray

friendly fire rockets killed more than

140 in the Gaza Strip, some of whom

were Hamas militants.

Ultimately, the eight-day clash

punctuated an increasingly unstable

Middle East. During Operation Pillar

of Cloud, a handful of the rocketsshot at Israel originated from terrorist

groups in Egypt and Syria.

As a sign of his increasing political

clout in the region, Egyptian President

Mohammed Morsi helped facilitate a

truce, bringing praise from the United

States and United Nations alike. On

the following day, however, Mr. Morsi

made a grab for sweeping power in his

nation. The move drew criticism that

the president had set himself up as a

modern-day pharaoh. His declara-

tion spawned mass protests in CairosTahrir Square, reminiscent of the Arab

Spring movement that ousted strong-

arm President Hosni Mubarak.Also, since the ceasefire, the United

Nations upgraded Palestine to a non-

member observer state, which meansit now has the same status within theorganization as the Vatican.

While Israeli military strikes mayhave hindered Hamas ability to strike

at Jerusalem and Tel Aviv, Israel andits neighbors remain at an impasse,the peace process stalled. A New YorkTimes article title summed it up: AFragile Cease-Fire Achieved by LeavingThorny Issues Unresolved.

Arabs and Israelis are engaged in aseemingly habitual blood feud. The two

sides fought in 2008s Gaza War fol-lowing regular clashes after Hamas roseto power in 2006. The Arab League,

with Egypt, Syria and Jordan takingstarring roles, mounted the Yom KippurWar in 1973, Six-Day War in 1967, and

Arab-Israeli War in 1956.Given the track record, these periods

of peace and ceasefire were, in asense, code words for a lull in a warthat has continued throughout Israels

history.Conflict has raged in Israel for mil-

lennia. Look at the Crusades. Greece

and Rome conquered it, as did Babylonand Assyria. Year after year, century

after century, nations have lifted swordsagainst Jerusalemoften with Arab/Israeli involvement.

Culture Clas

Religion on either side of Arab-Israeliviolence plays a huge factor in both

cultures.Notice Hamas mission title:

Operation Stones of Baked Clay. To

most Westerners, this name seems a bitstrange, even odd. What does baked

clay have to do with anything?To Muslims, however, the messageis loud and clear. The phrase comes

from the 105th chapter of the Quran.For Hamas, the reference alludes toEthiopians attacking Islams holiest site,

Mecca, in AD 570. The chapter tells astory of Allah intervening to destroy an

invading army.The five-verse chapter reads, Seest

thou not how thy Lord dealt with the

g STEADy STREAM: Tis f sk n in t sky ft kts nd f tPstinin gz Stip twd stn Is (ot. 24, 2012).

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10 Thereal TruTh

Most scoff at this notion. Many

professing Christians get confused byprophecy and skip over it or readthrough it the best they cangaining

little understanding. Others attempt toput things together using their own pet

theories and misinformed insights.

What is missing in all of theseapproaches are the keys to properly

handling the subject of prophecy.First, you must know whether the

Bible is absolutely true. Fulfilled proph-

ecy is a crucial way to prove that it is infact Gods Word. A small example of

this was already seen in the verse show-ing that Ishmaels descendants will beagainst every man, and every mans

hand against him. (There are manyother towering examples of this. Someof these can be found in the booklet

Bible AuthorityCan It Be Proven?available at rcg.org/bacibp. God does

not leave the answer up to blind faith!)Once biblical validity is confirmed,

the next step is understanding the mod-

ern identities of nations named through-out the Bible. Especially important iswhere the United States and British

Isles fit into the proverbial RubiksCube that is prophecy. Read David C.

Packs bookAmerica and Britain in

Prophecy at rcg.org/aabibp to learn theexciting answerwhich is backed by

the Bible and extensive historical facts.Another critical principle is that

prophecy is often dual, meaning that

many foretold events may havesmallerfulfillments before a final majorfulfill-ment in the near future. Duality is themissing piece to solving dozens of

prophecies.Using these keys to study prophecy

reveals what will soon befall modern

Israel and the Arab world. It also showswho will rule the Middle East and what

nations will rally against Israel.The Bible speaks of threesoon-com-ingpower players that will vie for influ-

ence in the Middle Eastespeciallyover Jerusalem. Two are symbolicallyknown as the king of the north and

the king of the south (Dan. 11). Thethird is detailed in the New Testament

book of Revelation as the kings ofthe east (16:12). (Note that the com-

pass directions north, south and

east are from the vantage point ofJerusalem.)

These coming power blocs will

include multinational alliances. All ofthem will want to take a starring role inthe Middle East.

Comig CoalitiosToday, Arab nations tend to stick

together against the common adversaryof Israel. Yet the Bible reveals that therewill be a split among Islamic nations.

Notice: For they have consultedtogether with one consent: they are con-

federate against you [meaning modern

Israel] (Psa. 83:5).The nations making up this confed-

eration are listed in verses 6-8: The tab-ernacles of Edom [modern Turkey], andthe Ishmaelites [Saudi Arabia]; of Moab

[southern Jordan], and the Hagarenes[Syria]; Gebal [Lebanon], and Ammon[northern Jordan], and Amalek [scat-

tered in the Middle East]; the Philistines[Palestinian Arabs, including Gaza]

with the inhabitants of Tyre [Lebanon];Assur [Assyria, whose descendants nowlive in Germany] also is joined with

them: they have helped the children ofLot [Jordan and western Iraq].

These Arab nations align themselves

with Germany, who will be the militaryarm for the king of the north. As men-

tioned many times beforein The Real Truth, this civilleader will be given power

by 10 European nations(Rev. 17:8-9, 12). (Read thearticle Germanys Renewed

Nationalism, available atrealtruth.org, for more on

this modern nations connec-tion with ancient Assyria.)

Egypt is conspicuously

missing from this list, as it

will lead a separate confed-eration of nations as the king

of the south.Daniel 11 reveals that

north and south will clashwhen the king of thenorth brings his army to

Jerusalem, most likely as apeace-keeping force: Andat the time of the end shall

the king of the south push at

him [the European army]: and the kingof the north shall come against him

like a whirlwind, with chariots, andwith horsemen, and with many ships;

and he shall enter into the countries,and shall overflow and pass over (vs.40).

The king of the north shall enteralso into the glorious land [modern

Israel], and many countries shall beoverthrown: but these shall escape outof his hand, even Edom, and Moab, and

the chief of the children of Ammon(vs. 41). Recall that these three nationswill be allies of Europe.

Verses 43-45 show that the king ofthe north will subdue Egypt, Libya and

Ethiopia.After this, tidings out of the east

and out of the north shall trouble the

European power bloc (vs. 44). Thesetidings are from the aforementionedkings of the east, which will be an

eastern coalition led by Russia andChina. This group of Asiatic countries

will enter the Middle East likely to cutoff oil supplies from a rapidly expand-ing European empire.

Soon the armies in the regionwill take part in a climactic battle forworld power, popularly known as

Armageddon. (Read the article What IsArmageddon? at rcg.org/wia to learn

more.)For a detailed verse-

by-verse explanation of

Daniel 11, which outlinesthe future for Israel andArab nations, read David

C. Packs The Mid-East inBible Prophecy available atrcg.org/tmeibp.

The recent clash andceasefire in Israel and the

Gaza Strip are but tiny birth

pangs of what is coming forthe Middle East.

Watch Europe as itmorphs into a tight-knit

group of 10 nations. Watch asRussia and China grow morevocal on the world stage.

Watch as Egypt coalescespower.

Watch the middLe

east! c


13/28

December 2012 11

MorethantWo billion peo-

ple on Earth profess to be

Christian. In other words,

nearly every third person believes

he is following Jesus Christ and

the Bible.Dominant in Western nations,

Christianity is the worlds most pop-

ular religion, appearing in all sorts of

shapes, sizes and varieties.Huston Smith, author ofThe Worlds

Religions, described the world of

Christianity this way: From the majes-

tic pontifical High Mass in St. Peters tothe quiet simplicity of a Quaker meet-

ing; from the intellectual sophisticationof Saint Thomas Aquinas to the moving

simplicity of spirituals such as Lord, Iwant to be a Christian; from St. Paulsin London, the parish Church of Great

Britain, to Mother Teresa in the slumsof Calcuttaall this is Christianity.

Was he correct? Is this the picture

oftrue Christianity?

Traditioal Curces

Have you ever wondered why there

are so many different groups? Have

you ever thought to yourself: Is this

what Christ meant when He said, I

will build my Church? Additionally,

have you asked, What is the difference

between these groups?Which one

is the exact continuation of the first-

century Church?If you are religious, then your beliefs

are important to youreligion is a cen-

tral part of your life.

But have you ever examined the

traditional view of Christianity? Have

you compared it with your Bible? Or do

you simply assume that the church you

attend is correct?

If religion is an important part of

your life, then you should not take

the answers to these questions lightly.

On the other hand, if you do not con-

sider yourself religious, this article will

change your perspective of those who

call themselves followers of Christ.

Wat Did te Curc Look Like?

Suppose you are living during the first

century, and you are asked what you

think Christianity will look like in 2,000

years. The only item you have to deter-

mine your answer is the Bible. What

picture would you paint? Would it look

similar to what exists today? Since the

Holy Bible is Christianitys foundation,

it must hold the answers to the religion

that comes from it.

Why, therefore, are there so many

groups today claiming to be Christian?The simplest answer is that they all

teach different things. If they taught the

same doctrines, they would be united

under one Church governmentin one

group.

The book of Acts begins with the

birth of the New Testament Church.

Therefore, this is the place to begin.

Notice how the Church was described

after 3,000 people were baptized in one

day: And they continued steadfastly

in the apostles doctrine and fellow-ship (Acts 2:42).

Why is this significant? The two

most defining features of Gods Church

are evident: steadfast continuation in (1)

the apostles doctrine (teachings), and

(2) fellowship. Verse 43 explains that

the fear of God was apparent in every

soul, with verse 44 adding, all that

Cucnw tm

What Did the

Professing Christianity is comprised of many groups and endless schools

of thought. But does the picture today reflect the New Testament Church of

2,000 years ago?

b Y K e V I N D . D e N e e

Look Like?

Please seeChURCh, page 18


14/28

12 TheREAL TRUTh

Five Sigs of aFragmetig World

A Look Back at 2012


15/28

December 2012 13

Whenever a year kicks

off with fears of nuclear

war in the Middle East or

end-of-the-world predictions, it is

not a sign of good things to come.

So began 2012. From rumors of

Iran building a nuclear bomb to sup-

posed cataclysmic predictions by an

ancient culture, it has been a wild

year.Presidential elections in multiple

countries, including the United States,

Mexico, Russia, France, Venezuela and

Egypt, as well as leadership changes in

North Korea and China, added to the

years volatile recipe. And if those

were not concerning enough, the assas-

sination of an American ambassador in

Libya on the anniversary of 9/11 and

renewed violence between Israel and

Hamas should have at least sounded a

few warning bells.

Quite a few events throughout the

year gave stark warnings that instead

of being more unified, the world is

becoming increasingly fragmented.

Five trends are of particular note as

another calendar year begins.

(1) Gridlock Betwee Americas Liberal

Left ad Coservative Rigt

In June 2012, a Pew Research poll

showed Americans are more polar-

ized along partisan lines than at any

point in the past 25 years. Six months

later, during the presidential election,

incumbent President Barack Obamas

victory of approximately 50.6 percent

over Mitt Romneys 47.9 percent con-

firmed it.

Did the nations divisive atmo-

sphere dwindle after election night?

Perhaps the best answer is exemplified

by the fact that dissatisfied Americans

from every state requested secessionfrom the union following the vote

results.

Just days after the election, on the

White Houses We the People online

platform in which citizens can file

petitions to the federal government,

North Carolina, Tennessee, Alabama,

Georgia, Louisiana and Texasall

states that voted for former Gov. Mitt

Romneyas well as Florida each

had accumulated more than 25,000

signatures, the threshold needed totrigger an official response from the

Obama administration, Yahoo! News

reported. Collectively, the secession

petitions now have more than 700,000

digital signatures.

With a Republican-majority House

of Representatives, a Democrat-

majority Senate, and unending chal-

lenges such as a potential fiscal cliff,

it appears continued division in 2013 is

b Y N e S T o r a . T o r o

g DIVISION AND DEVASTATION: btt ft, ppsit p, unitd Ntins Sty-gn bn Ki-n (it) ts wit eyptinPsidnt md msi din unitd Ntins gn assy in Nw Yk city (Spt. 25, 2012). btt it, ppsit p, t iniPinss ctt, it in 1855, ins y stndin ft in vd y fdin in unin b, Nw Jsy (Nv. 21, 2012). Tp ft, miDi, psidnt f t epn cnt bnk, divs sp t t epn bnkin cnss in Fnkft, gny (Nv. 23, 2012). Tpit, vi ns ft it ws st n fi insid t unitd Stts nst pnd in bnzi, liy (Spt. 11, 2012).

PhoToS: SPeNcer PlaTT/ (boTTom leFT, oPPoSITe Page); marIo Tama/ (boTTom rIghT, oPPoSITe Page); DaNIel rolaND/aFP/ (ToP leFT); STr/aFP/ (ToP rIghT)

geTTY ImageS

Across the globe, it was a year of constant political,

ethnic and religious clashes.


16/28


17/28

December 2012 15

pendent Scotland would significantly

weaken the foremost military and dip-lomatic ally of the United States, whilecreating another European mini-state

unable to contribute meaningfully toglobal security.

(3) Rise of Radical GrousGlobal turmoil has led to the rise of far-

left and far-right groups, which havepushed harder for extreme change towhat they consider failing governmen-

tal systems.According to The Hill, In recent

months, Greeces economic woes have

continued their downward spiral, cou-pled with an alarming rise in violence

and political extremism, and the rheto-ric has now spread into Greek diasporacommunities in the United States. The

movement is being led by the ultra-nationalistic, neo-Nazi party GoldenDawn, which has emerged from the

shadows of Greek society to win 18seats in Parliament, and which has

reportedly opened satellite officesinNew York City.

The article added,The worsening

economic crisis in Greece has provid-ed a fertile breeding ground for groupslike Golden Dawn, whose leaders deny

the Holocaust and whose membershave been implicated in violence and

hate crimes against immigrants, politi-cal opponents and native citizens ofnon-Greek originGroups of non-

Greek ethnicity are forced to hide ordisavow their own identity and culture.Meanwhile, religious groups, such as

the Macedonian Orthodox Church,fare no better.

But Greece is not the only countrythat has seen a rise in such groups.

A Hungarian far-right politician

urged the government to draw up lists

of Jews who pose a national securityrisk, stirring outrage among Jewish

leaders who saw echoes of fascist poli-cies that led to the Holocaust,Reuters

reported.Marton Gyongyosi, a leader of

Hungarys third-strongest political

party Jobbik, said the list was necessarybecause of heightened tensions follow-ing the brief conflict in Gaza and should

include members of parliament.

According to the media outlet,The group gained notoriety after

founding the Hungarian Guard, anunarmed vigilante group reminis-

cent of World War Two-era far-rightgroups. It entered Parliament at the2010 elections and holds 44 of 386

seats.Far-right parties in Sweden,

Ukraine and Russia have also garneredclout.

Thousands of black-clad Russian

nationalists have marched through cen-tral Moscow to mark a National UnityDay holiday created by Vladimir Putin

by calling for an end to his rule andexpressing hostility to ethnic minori-

ties, The Heraldstated.Mr Putin instituted the holiday in

2005 to replace the annual Soviet-era

celebration of the Bolshevik revolu-tion. However, civil rights activists sayhis own flirtation with ethnic nation-

alism has stoked a rise in far-rightviolence, and is partly to blame for the

hijacking of the holiday by hardlinemilitants.

In addition, Germany has experi-

enced this trend, as shown by a Timesof London article.

Chancellor Merkel is known to

be worried about the potential spreadof far-right views and her government

is considering making another attemptto ban the National Democratic Partyafter a previous effort failed in 2003.

According to a report about the topicby the Friedrich Ebert Foundation,Xenophobia was the most common

prejudice, held by 25.1 per cent of thewhole population, the highest since

East and West Germany were reunitedin 1990, and most prevalent amongrespondents from the East at 38.7 per

cent (ibid.).

The United States has not beenimmune either. The rise of extreme

political agendas has seen a rebirth infringe cultures.

Currently, there are 1,018 knownhate groups operating across the coun-try, including neo-Nazis, Klansmen,

white nationalists, neo-Confederates,racist skinheads, black separatists, bor-der vigilantes and others, Southern

Poverty Law Center reported.

Since 2000, the number of hategroups has increased by 69 percent.

This surge has been fueled by angerand fear over the nations ailing econ-

omy, an influx of non-white immi-grants, and the diminishing whitemajority, as symbolized by the election

of the nations first African-Americanpresident.

Extremist groups that experienced

a resurgence in membership includethe Ku Klux Klan and New Black

Panther Party.In Philadelphia, the New Black

Panther Party was back in election

news after a reporter at Philadelphiamagazine snapped a picture of a uni-formed member of the group in front

of one polling place, The WashingtonTimes reported. In 2008, members of

the group were at the center of a vot-ing-intimidation complaint filed by theGeorge W. Bush Justice Department

but later dropped by the Obama admin-istration.

Elsewhere in the country, a sover-eign citizen movement is under way,as an Anti-Defamation League report

showed.The sovereign citizen movement

is an extreme anti-government move-

ment whose members believe the gov-ernment has no authority over them. It

began a resurgence of activity, includ-ing criminal activity, in 2009 that hasshown no signs of stopping. In 2012,

the sovereign citizen movement is cur-rently one of the most problematicdomestic extremist movements in the

United States.

(4) Religious Divisio

Nowhere was there more apparent

religious division than in the CatholicChurch. The year 2012 forced

Catholics everywhere to contemplatewhat it meant to stand by their reli-gion.

The Leadership Conferenceof Women Religious (LCWR),Americas largest organization of

nuns, disputed with the Vatican overa church-issued controversial reviewthat charged the group with promot-

ing radical feminism, among otherissues.


18/28

16 Thereal TruTh

These same conflicts are grip-

ping the Catholic Church at large,The New York Times stated. Nearly50 years after the start of Vatican II,

which was intended to open the churchto the modern world and respond to

the signs of the times, the church

is gravely polarized between a pro-gressive wing still eager for change

and reform and a traditionalist flankfocused on returning to what it sees asdoctrinal fundamentals.

The U.S. presidential election hasserved to further complicate the issue.

The Catholic Church in theUnited States has been at odds withthe Obama administration over his

healthcare law, which requires privateemployers, including most religious

private institutions, to provide work-

ers with health insurance that coverscontraceptives,Reuters wrote.

The Church has seen this asa threat to the freedom of religionenshrined in the U.S. constitution,

a cry that was taken up by PopeBenedict this year.

The pope has also been active in

advocating for peace in the fracturingMiddle East. In September, he vis-

ited Lebanon for three days to stressthe need to bring stable and lasting

peace to the region.

Elsewhere, in Nigeria, followersof Islam and professing Christianityhave increasingly come to blows. The

Associated Press reported, Christiansand Muslims have lived together

peacefully across the country of 160million for years, but the growing vio-lence is creating a climate of religious

distrust and local communities havelost faith in the governments abilityto protect them.

There has also been a drastic

increase in religious persecution inChina and surrounding nations. Onenon-profit group reported a 400 per-cent increase in persecution of pro-

fessing Christians over the last 10years.

In addition, Sunni and Shiite

Islamic sects continued to clash.Syrias ongoing civil war can be boiled

down to this bitter division, as can themajority of terrorist attacks in Iraq.

(5) East/West Slit

Perhaps the largest form of worldfragmentation has been relationships

between countries in the Eastern andWestern hemispheres. Old alliances

that once existed are now being disre-

garded and new ones created.This has especially been illustrated

during the Syrian crisis.Russia and China have opposed

military intervention in Syria through-

out 17 months of bloodshed and havevetoed three UN Security Council reso-

lutions backed by Western and Arabstates that would raise pressure onDamascus to end violence, according

to The Jerusalem Post.While initially joining the West in

favor of certain actions being taken in

the region, such as deposing MuammarGaddafi in Libya, Russia has publicly

declared support of Syria and Iran intheir respective conflictsand turnedits nose up at the U.S.

Russia is not alone in its support ofcertain countries in the region. Chinawill not easily give up its abundance of

natural resources from the Middle Eastor jeopardize relationships so vital to

its economic well-being.In addition, Russia and China have

continued increasing their military ties.

China has pledged to strengthenmilitary ties with Russia during a visit

by its defense minister Sergei Shoigu

to Beijing, China Daily reported.Egypt was another example of a

nation that moved farther away from theWest by electing Muslim Brotherhoodcandidate Mohammed Morsi.

Islamists in the Middle East arespeaking out following PresidentBarack Obamas re-election a

CBSDC/AParticle showed.

The Egyptian Muslim Brotherhoodfeels that the only foreign policy changeObama can bring is by accepting thewill of the Arab people.

We must rely on ourselves andon our resources and build our coun-try, Issam Al-Aryan, a top Muslim

Brotherhood official, said, accord-ing to The Times of Israel. In the

absence of direct American influence,Egypt can affect and lead the process

of building a democratic and consti-

tutional regime that will become adream for African and the southernhemisphere.

That dream, however, means mak-ing Islamic Sharia law the foundationof the countrys revamped constitution

and giving the presidency more abso-lute power, including the ability to be

exempted from any legal challenges.The change in leadership has

meant that Egypt has opted to support

Palestinians over maintaining peacewith Israel.

The Muslim Brotherhood has

expressed sympathy for the Palestinianpopulation under embargo in Gaza

and skepticism toward Egypts trea-ty with Israel, The Washington

Post stated. It is also more sensi-

tive to Egyptian public opinionwhich is not terribly pro-Israelthan

was Hosni Mubaraks government.The Egypt-Israel relationship hasremained generally stable since the

Egyptian revolution, and Egypt hasheld up its end of the embargo, butanalysts have worried that an Israeli

assault on Gaza could change CairoscalculusEgypt has already recalled

its ambassador from Israel over theGaza strikes, something it threatenedto do in August over an Israeli air-

strike that killed three Egyptians.(For more about this topic, read

Mideast on the Brink What Happens

Next? in this issue.)

Umistakable Sigs

Notice each of these five signs portrays

dynamic changes between peoples ofdifferent mindsets, countries or ethnici-ties.

As these conflicts brew, note thatthey match exactly with the Bibles

description about conditions at the endof the age. One such verse is Mark13:4, in which Jesus disciples asked

Him about the sign when all thesethings shall be fulfilled

His detailed answer included: And

when you shall hear of wars and rumorsof wars, be you not troubled: for such

things must needs be; but the end shallnot be yet.For nation shall rise againstnation (Mark 13:7-8).


19/28


20/28

18 Thereal TruTh

believed were together. Verse 46 alsostates that they continued to be of one

accord [agreement], meeting together

daily in various houses in singlenessof heart.

The Church of God was unified!not divided in varying and disagreeing

groups all calling themselves Christian.

Oe Curc or May?

Professing Christianity believesthat Gods Church is split into dif-ferent branches. Perhaps The United

Methodist Church best explains ontheir website the common position ofChristianity: Nourished by common

roots of this shared Christian heri-tage, the branches of Christs church

have developed diverse traditions thatenlarge our store ofshared understand-ings. Our avowed ecumenical commit-ment as United Methodists is to gath-er our own doctrinal emphases intothe larger Christian unity, there to

be made more meaningful in a richerwhole (emphasis added).

While this sounds honorable, is itwhat Christ intended? Were there to bemany groups of diverse traditions all

with their own doctrinal emphases?Even Roman Catholics, who, for the

most part, believe that Gods Church

cannot be divided, say this: Those[outside the Roman Catholic Church]

who believe in Christ and have beenproperly baptized are put in some,though imperfect, communion with the

Catholic Church (Catechism of the

Catholic Church).Again, did Christ intend for all

these differing groups?

The Bible is clear that the ChurchChrists Body (Eph. 1:22-23; Col.1:18)is unified. Notice:

g I Corinthians 1:10: Now Ibeseech you, brethren, by the nameof our Lord Jesus Christ, that you all

speak the same thing, and that therebe no divisions among you; but that

you be perfectly joined together inthe same mindand in the same judg-ment.

g I Corinthians 12:25: there

should be no schism in the body.g Ephesians 4:16: From whom

the whole body fitly joined togeth-

er[Moffatt translation: weldedtogeth-er] and compactedby that which every

joint supplies

Do these scriptures describe modernChristianity? The answer is clear!

The world is filled with all sortsof different groups professing to

be Christian, and most profess that

the other competing groups are alsoChristian. Yet notice Christs words:

And if a house be divided againstitself, that house cannot stand (Mark3:25). The Greek word for stand can

also mean abide, continue, be estab-lished, hold up. A house or any orga-nization cannot standabide, continue,

hold upif divided. But the world ofChristianity is divided!

Would Christ have built His Churchto contradict His statement in Mark3:25? Of course not.

Simply put, Christ said, I will buildMy church (Matt. 16:18)not church-es!

This is only the first ofmany differ-ences.

Is God a Triity?

When researching the statements ofbelief of various Christian denomina-tions, invariably, the description of

God is listed first. Of course, sinceChristianity should be based on follow-

ing the God of the Bible, it is under-standable that God is central.

Notice the common view of conven-

tional Christians: The most distinctivebelief of mainstream Christianity is thedoctrine of the Trinity, which views the

one God as consisting of three Persons:the Father, the Son (Christ) and the

Holy Spirit (ReligionFacts).Yet nowhere in the entire Bible is thetrinity mentioned, even if one combines

a number of verses to try to prove it!(One scripture does mention this triune

relationship in the King James transla-tion, but biblical scholars admit that thisverse was not part of the original text.)

The convoluted, confused picture ofGod that professing Christianity pres-ents is simply not there.

Of course, the true nature of Godcannot be explained in a few shortstatements. Nevertheless, Gods Word

is clear on who and whatGod is. Thereare only two god-beingsthe Father

and Jesus Christ. The Holy Spirit is nota person. (To understand Gods true

nature, read the book The Trinity IsGod Three-in-One? found at rcg.org/

ttigtio.)

True Gosel

Another common emphasis amongmodern Christian churches is themission of spreading and teach-

ing the gospel. But how do all thesegroups define Christs gospel?

The word gospel means good

news. Christ was a Messenger whopreached a message of good news.

Almost every church, however, believesand teaches that the gospel message isabout Jesus Christ Himselfin effect,

their message is about the Messenger.They focus on teaching and spreadingstories about His life to new believers.

Christ does play an extremely impor-tant and central role in Christianity, but

He is not the gospel. The Bible clearlyshows that Jesus preached the gos-

peland He did not talk about Himself

when He did so! (Read John 7:18.)Methodists believe the following,

as stated by their website: Gospel has

a number of distinct meanings. It refersto the Good News concerning Christ,

the Kingdom of God, and salvation. Italso refers to the teachings of Jesus andthe apostles.

As can be seen from this definition,Christianity takes a vague approach tothis basic, fundamental teaching. As a

result, the actual mission of Christianityis watered down, confused and simply

taught incorrectly.

How does the Bible define the gos-pel? Notice Mark 1:14: Jesus came

into Galilee, preaching the gospel ofthe kingdom of God. This is the gos-

pel that Jesus preached. It was in this

same context that He said, Repentyou, and believe the gospel (vs. 15).

Which gospel? of the kingdom ofGod. (The booklet Which Is the TrueGospel? thoroughly explains this topic

and is available at rcg.org/wittg.)

ChURChContinued from page 11


21/28


22/28

20 Thereal TruTh

Tis te Seaso?hw did cists t ? Wt is t iin f Sntcsisttcists tsy wtsnd t st fxnin ifts?

T ndstnd t stnnin nsws, d The True Origin ofChristmas,vi t rcg.org/ttooc.


23/28

December 2012 21

The bookAnswers to Questions,by Frederick J. Haskin, states, The

Christmas tree is from Egypt, and

its origin dates from a period longanterior to the Christian Era.How many know the Christmastree long preceded Christianity?

Did you?

Wat te Bible Says

Most aspects of Christmas are notreferred to in the Bible. Of course,the reason is that they are not from

Godthey are not part of the wayHe wants people to worship Him.The Christmas tree, however, is

mentioned in the Bible! ReadJeremiah 10, verses 2-5, Thus says

the Lord,Learn not the way of the

heathen, and be not dismayed atthe signs of heaven; for the heathen

are dismayed at them [I ask: whydo countless millions ignore Godand read their horoscopes every

day?] For the customs of the peopleare vain: for one cuts a tree out ofthe forest, the work of the hands of

the workman, with the axe. Theydeck it with silver and with gold;

they fasten it with nails and withhammers, that it move not. They areupright as the palm tree, but speak

not: they must needs be borne [car-ried], because they cannot go [of them-selves]. Be not afraid of them; for they

cannot do evil, neither also is it in themto do good.

This description of the modernChristmas tree is plain. God direct-ly refers to it as the way of the

heathen. Just as directly, He com-

mands: Learn notthe way of the hea-then, calling these customs vain.(Remember this word vain. It willreturn.)

Next , the Encyclopedia

Americana states, The holly, themistletoe, the Yule logare rel-

ics ofpre-Christian times. In otherwords, paganism! The Yule log wascommonly used in a rite of Teutonicnature worship.

Frederick Haskin further states,

The use of the Christmas wreath isbelieved by authorities to be traceableto the pagan custom of decorating

buildings and places of worship at thefeast which took place at the same time

as our Christmas.

Britannica exposes the origin of

the holly wreath, under the topicCelastrales, which are flowering

plants: European pagans brought

holly sprays into their homes, offer-ing them to the fairy people of the for-ests as refuges from the harsh winter

weather. During the Saturnalia, theRoman winter festivalhow many

times have we seen this celebra-tion directly referenced in relation toChristmas?branches of holly were

exchanged as tokens of friendship.The earliest Roman Christians appar-ently used holly as a decoration at the

Christmas season.There are dozens of types of holly.

Almost all come in male and female

varietiessuch as Blue Prince andBlue Princess or Blue Boy and

Blue Girl or China Boy and ChinaGirl. Female holly plants cannothave berries unless a nearby male

plant pollinates them. It is easy to seewhy the holly wreath found its way

into pagan rituals as a token of friend-shipandfertility!

Christmas is incomplete to many

unless it involves kissing underthe mistletoe. This also pagan cus-

tom was natural on a night thatinvolved much revelry duringwhat were drunken sex orgies. Just

like Christmas today, this kiss-ing usually occurred at the begin-ning of the Saturnalia celebration.

Mistletoe was considered to havespecial powers of healing for thosewho reveledunder it.

The Encyclopaedia Britannica,under Santalales, states, The

European mistletoe is thought tohave had special ritual significance

in Druidical ceremonies and livesin folklore today, its special statusas the Christmas mistletoe having

come from Anglo-Saxon times.Mistletoe is a parasite that lives

on oak trees. (Recall the Druids

worshipped in oak tree groves.)The ancient Celticsassociatedwith the Druidsused to give mis-

tletoe as an herbal remedy to bar-ren animals to make them fertile.

This herb is still referred to as allhealer in Celtic.

Like mistletoe, holly berries

were also thought to be sacred to thesun god. The original sun log cameto be called the Yule log. Yule sim-

ply means wheel, which has longbeen a pagan representation of the

sun. No wonder people today com-monly speak of the sacredyule-tideseason.

How interestingand sobering!are the facts of history.

The most common justification

one will hear regarding Christmasis that people have replaced old

pagan intents and customs by assert-ing that they are now focusingon Jesus. I have heard many say

they are honoring Christ in theirChristmas-keeping. The problem isthat God does not say this is accept-

able to Him! We saw He plainly com-mands against it! Keeping Christmasdishonors Christ!

pERSOnALContinued from page 2

The bookAnswers

to Questions,

by Frederick J.

Haskin, states,

The Christmas

tree is from Egypt,

and its origin dates

from a period long

anterior to the

Christian Era.


24/28

22 Thereal TruTh

First, Jesus made a stunning state-

mentbut how many believe it? Hesaid in Matthew, But in vain theydo worship Me, teaching for doc-

trines the commandments of men(15:9). Christmas is not a command

of God, it is a tradition of mena

vain one, meaning empty or useless.Christ added this in Mark: Full well

you reject the commandment of God,that you may keep your own tradi-tion (7:9). Every year, throughout the

world, on December 25, hundreds ofmillions do just that! No wonder Jesus

asked this in Luke: Why call you Me,Lord, Lord and do not the things whichI say? (6:46).

We saw God plainly commands,Learn not the way of the heathen.But most people do not fear God,

and He allows them to make theirown decisions. Human beings are free

moral agentsfree to learn or notlearn what God instructsfree to obeyor disobey Him!

God Wared!

Notice how specific Gods warningwas to ancient Israel in Deuteronomy

12and why His warning! Whenthe Lord your God shall cut off thenations from before youand you

succeed them, and dwell in their land;take heed to yourself that you be not

snared by following themand thatyou enquire not after their gods, say-ing, How did these nations serve their

gods? Even so will I do likewise. Youshall not do so unto the Lord yourGod: for every abomination to the

Lord, whichHe hates, have they doneunto their gods (vs. 29-31).

Let this passage sink in. Then

read Deuteronomy 20:18, whichbluntly labels any practice of pagan

customs to be sin. Many similar vers-es condemning the practices of falsegods should be studied. Read Exodus

34:10-17 and chapter 23:23-33, aswell as Leviticus 20:22-26, amongothers. These passages are so clear, so

strongand so many!In the Second Commandment

forbidding all forms of idolatryand

in other passages, God declares He isa jealous God. He wants His people

doing what HE commands, not whatfalse gods say!

Men want to observe their own

holidaysincluding New Years andEaster, Halloween and ValentinesDayin place of Gods annual Holy

Days, and then tell themselves that

they are pleasing and worshipping thetrue God.

Deuteronomy 12:32 makes clearthat God does not want us to mix His

ways with any false ways: What

thing so ever I command you, observeto do it: you shall not add thereto,nordiminish from it. In other words,

do exactly what I saynothing more,nothing less!

These are Gods plain words toall who say they can mix the horriblecustoms of outright paganism with a

supposed focus on Jesus. Am I ascrooge for reporting the truth? Thenwhat about God, who declares He

hates the pagan customs associatedwith a pagan celebration? Will you

listen to confused, deceived minis-tersor to God?

The real Jesus Christ was neverin and never will be in Christmas!

Nor can He be put back into whereHe never was. You cannot re-enter

a house you never entered. But thegod of this world, Satan the devil

(II Cor. 4:4), has always been inChristmas. In fact, he is seen to beits author!

The God of the Bible commandsthat His true worshippers MUSTworship Him in spirit and in truth

(John 4:23-24). This does not meshwith all the pagan Christmas lies.

There is no safety in numbersfor those who keep Christmas becauseSatan, the Bible states, deceives

the whole world! (Read Revelation

12:9.) He is also called the fatherof lies (John 8:44). Recognize that

Christmas is truly a testimony to thetremendous power of deception.

Christ calls His Church a littleflock (Luke 12:32). Other versesshow this. This Church does not have

the large numbers of the respected,established brands of what can only becalled humanly devised Churchianity.

But it does obey God!

Whatever you do this season,read the booklet The True Origin of

Christmas at rcg.org/ttooc. You willlearn Christ was not born on or near

December 25whether it is scrip-tural to exchange giftsthe originof Santa Clausabout Christmas

roots in child sacrifice, and howthis connects to parents today withthe Santa Claus and Christ-is-in-

Christmas falsehoodsabout religiousleaders the Bible warns will change

times and lawsand how the dayis associated entirely with anotherJesus, the one the apostle Paul directly

warned against.Jesus said twice that you shall

know them by their fruits (Matt.

7:16, 20). Everything that people say ordo, good or bad, has fruits. Thefruits of

Christmas are terrible. Christmas isabout getting for the selfand purecommercialism.

This season also leads the entireyear in adultery, loneliness, jealousy,drunkenness and drunk driving, family

arguments (and worse), and accumula-tion of debt that often lasts until March.

This problem is so significant thatalmost all churches report that theirincomes drop during this period as

people recover from all their spending!Obey God!andsave your money!

Reject the falsehoods about the sup-

posed right, purpose-driven Christmas.Do not be fooled by Christian-sounding

names pasted over rank paganism andidolatry.

God declares it issin to observe the

customs of false gods! Make yourselfread this in Deuteronomy 20:18, beforereading I John 3:4.

The prophet Isaiah was inspired towrite, Cry aloud, spare not, lift up

your voice like a trumpet, and show

My people their transgression, and thehouse of Jacob their sins (58:1).

This has been done. The writersof The Real Truth magazine also dothis, and will continue to do it, on many

topics.But you have only begun to learn

the realorigin of Christmas. I repeat,read The True Origin of Christmas atrcg.org/ttooc before getting caught up

in the holiday spirit this year. c


25/28

December 2012 23

T he Black Friday deals through-out the retail world again causedwidespread mayhem in the UnitedStates with huge crowds, long lines,and violent shopping incidents.

Around 247 million Americanswent shopping over the Black Friday

weekenda new record, and almostequal to the 2010 census statisticsof the total number of American

citizens over 14 years of age. A stag-gering $59.1 billion was spenta 13

percent increase over last year.

During the spending spree, vio-lence broke out. In one instance, a

mob of young girls rushed a store innorthern California, leading to fistfights and a giant brawl.

Of the incident, one employeestated, Ive been in the retail busi-ness six years now, and Ive never

[seen] a Black Friday this badThey were throwing merchandise

in the air, and we had some boxed

gift sets and it hit another girl in the

headSome people got trampled on,

and a 15-year-old got punched in thestomach (New York Daily News).The damage to the store took all dayto clean up.

Although the stories are toonumerous to list, a few examplesinclude:

g Two people were shot in

Tallahassee, Florida, in a Walmartparking lot.

g In Moultrie, Georgia, one

Walmart saw an uncontrollablecrowd fighting over cheap cell-

phones, despite having six policeofficers there to help control thethrongs of people.

g One man in San Antonio, Texas,

pulled a gun at a mall after beingpunched in the face by another man

trying to cut in front of him in line.A telling aspect of this trend is

the shift in focus from observing

Thanksgiving Day to shopping thatnight. The holiday has been changed

by the advent of stores opening

their doors at 9:00 p.m. Thursdaynight, with many Americans nowleaving their table after finishing

their Thanksgiving Day meal to headstraight to the mall.

It begs the question: how longbefore Black Friday is changed toBlack Thursday Night? c

Society & Lifestyles

Aoter Violet Black Friday

W o r l d n e W s d e s k

g SHOPPING FRENzy: av, pp sp n Tnksivin nit t Tt dpt-nt st in hind, Indin (Nv. 22, 2012). rit, wds t tsid mysin Nw Yk in dvn f t idnit Nv 23 pnin t stt t sts bkFidy sppin wknd.

PhoToS: TaSoS KaToPoDIS/ (aboVe); STaN hoNDa/aFP/ (rIghT) geTTY ImageS


26/28


27/28

December 2012 25

Amassive storm system bring-ing heavy rain and fierce windscaused widespread flooding across

Britain. So far, three people have diedfrom the wild weather and more than900 homes, mostly in the southwest,

have been flooded.Agence France-Presse reported,

The Cornish village of Millbrook

was reportedly under five feet (1.5metres) of water with 40 homes evacu-ated, a BBC reporter who lives there

said, after torrents of muddy waterswept through the villageMany

communities were cut off after policeshut water-logged roads in Cornwall,

where four severe flood warnings wereissuedover rapidly rising river lev-els, and neighbouring Devon.

The flooding is some of the worstthe nation has ever experienced.

Britains Prime Minister DavidCameron said in a Twitter messagethat it was shocking.

To make matters worse, if a dealis not struck between the government

and insurance companies,over 200,000 homes that areat a high risk of flooding will

be uninsurable.Mary Creagh, an envi-

ronmental spokesperson for

the Labour Party, one of themain political factions in

Britain, urged the govern-ment to come up with a dealto give residents universal

flood insurance coverage in aFinancial Times article.

If they cant sort this outit would be catastrophic forhouseholders who could be

left with properties that they cannotinsure, cannot mortgage and cannot

sell, she said.

As of this writing, more rainfall isexpected for the area. c

Weather & Environment

Britai Iudated by heavy Rais

g DELUGE: av, stndin wt n sn in fids n gstny, ennd (Nv. 25, 2012). bw, t ity f St. asp isvwd y fd wts in ntn Ws (Nv. 27, 2012).

PhoToS: maTT carDY/ (aboVe); Paul ellIS/aFP/ (beloW) geTTY ImageS


28/28

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