Holidays vs Holy Days: By Whose Authority? #6

Fred R. Coulter

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We're going to look at some things in the book of Jeremiah. Jeremiah had to bring some of the most harsh prophesies of any prophet except Ezekiel. Ezekiel had to bring some very difficult prophesies, but let's see what God says that:

• in spite of all the warnings that Israel would be punished for their sins
• in spite of all the warnings to obey His voice, but they didn't
• in spite of all the dire predictions

we find many, many points of mercy that God still extended to them.

I'd like you to read the whole book of Jeremiah; that will be very instructive. You will see that not only the people had their sins, but they had their sins because they were taught them by their ministers and pastors. That's what we need to ask ourselves today: Are our ministers and pastors teaching us lies? whether you go to church on Sunday or Sabbath? We know the Sabbath is the right day, but those who teach on Sunday are teaching a lot of lies mixed in with some Truth. Sooner or later, God is going to call His judgment because of:

• rejecting Him
• rejecting His voice
• rejecting His laws
• rejecting His commandments
• rejecting His statutes
• rejecting His judgments

All we have to do is just look around at the world today and see that that is true:

• God is living
• He's on His throne
• He is the One Who raises up nations
• He's the One Who pulls down nations

Here's something to always realize:

• God is the One Who judges all the nations,
• God is the One Who judges the hearts of all men and women
• God is the only One Who truly knows the heart so He alone can make that judgment

Here's what He says:

Jeremiah 18:6: "O house of Israel…" Let's understand. This is not just the Jews. This has to do also with the other ten tribes that were carried away into captivity. Though they had been lost, they never really were lost. This applies to all twelve tribes.

"'…can I not do with you even as this potter?'…. [He told Jeremiah go in and watch this potter make vessels] …says the LORD. 'Behold, as the clay is in the potter's hands, so are you in My hand, O house of Israel. If at any time I shall speak concerning a nation, and concerning a kingdom, to pluck it up and to pull it down, and to destroy it; ifthat nation, against whom I have spoken, will turn from their evil…'" (vs 6-8).

If you want to know how God will do that, read the book of Jonah, because they repented at Jonah's preaching and God held back the invasion that He promised was coming.

"'…I will repent of the evil that I thought to do to them. And if at any time I shall speak concerning a nation, and concerning a kingdom, to build it and to plant it; if it does evil in My sight, that it not obey My voice…'" (vs 8-10).

Why does God say this to nations? God certainly is not calling the nations to conversion at this point. That won't happen until the return of Jesus Christ. What He expects is a level of obedience to His laws in the letter of the law! This is what it's telling us. All they have to do is read the Ten Commandments; those were the words of the voice of God. God spoke all these words. This is what He's talking about, here—"…that it not obey My voice..." So, God judges all the nations.

"'…then I will repent of the good with which I said I would do them good'" (vs 10). That's how God operates. Let's see how that even in the midst of:

• all the warnings against sin
• all the dire consequences that would happen because of the sin
• all of the warnings that a captivity was coming
• all of the cries for repentance

we're going to see that right here in the middle of it Jeremiah had two messages

• repentance
• catastrophe and disaster if they didn't repent

Let's see what he says here with the message of repentance. This is very similar to what we are living in here today. We're living in days where God's judgment is coming and it's going to come with more fury, with more power and with more devastation. We also need to realize that God holds out hope! Just like God said that He would 'turn' if the nation would 'turn,' and He would hold back the evil.

There are other examples of it in the Bible, too. One of the kings during the time of Jeremiah and his prophetic ministry was Josiah. You can read about Josiah in 2-Chron. 34 and 35 where he repented, and because of his repentance and making all the people of Judah to serve God and throw away:

• all their idols
• all their statues
• everything to Baal

which is sun-worship, which includes:

• Sunday
• Christmas
• Easter
• New Years
• Halloween

God turned from the punishment He thought to do to them.

By the way, behind the Christian mask that has been put upon these, are occult practices. {note book: Occult Holidays or God's Holy Days—Which? (part 1)}You need to be aware of that. Just like we've been talking about—by whose authority?—you're either under God's authority and Jesus Christ, or you're under Satan the devil and his world! If your ministers and teachers have been lying to you, just remember this: That's not from God! Satan the devil is the author of lies and is a liar.

Because of what the Jews were doing just before the destruction of the temple in 585B.C., God held out hope for them to repent, just like we read in Jer. 18.

Jeremiah 17:19: "Thus the LORD said to me… [here's what God told Jeremiah to do]: …'Go and stand in the gates of the children of the people, by which the kings of Judah come in, and by which they go out, and in all the gates of Jerusalem. And say to them, "Hear the Word of the LORD, kings of Judah, and all Judah, and all the people of Jerusalem who enter in by these gates! Thus says the LORD, 'Take heed to yourselves…'" (vs 19-21). That's what we need to do.

That's the reason for going through this. Every one of us need to examine what we are doing in the light of God's Word, take heed to ourselves. Is it really of God? or Is it of the world and Satan?

"'…and carry no burden on the Sabbath Day…'" (v 21). They're talking about the Sabbath. What I want you to understand is how God held out for them the hope of repentance so that they would not go into captivity. Going into captivity was not the will of a hostile God, but the will of the people who rejected the pleas of repentance by God so that they wouldn't go into captivity.

Verse 22: "Nor carry out a burden from your houses on the Sabbath Day…" You think about it today. Let's just stop and think about it today.

The seventh day and every Sunday-keeping minister will affirm that Saturday is the seventh day. The Bible affirms that it is the seventh day. It is the Sabbath of God. God does expect us to refrain from working and to refrain from doing those things that are related to business. It is a day that we assemble together:

• to learn of God's Word
• to hear it preached where we assemble together
• to fellowship with God with His Spirit and with each other through His Spirit

think about today:

• When do they have all the business sales?
• When do people carry out most of their work?
• When are these things done?
• What about Friday night, because the Sabbath begins Friday night?
• What is Friday night? Friday night is a time to go out and:
  • whoop it up
  • go to parties
  • go to dances
  • go to theatres
  • go to different things
• all of the evil and sin that is done on Friday night

They're desecrating the Sabbath! They have been taught that it's okay to do so.

This applies to us today just as well as to them. God's prophesies are living prophecies and what caused those people difficulties and problems and to go into captivity back then, the same thing will happen today and, yes, it's prophesied to happen. We need to think about it.

"'…nor do any work, but keep the Sabbath Day Holy, as I commanded your fathers'" (v 22). God made the Sabbath Holy and the way we hallow the Sabbath is by our conduct:

• with not working
• with not seeking pleasure
• with not seeking our own

But to do the things that God wants us to do. Let's see what God said concerning the Sabbath, because it becomes very important. It shows us how we need to view the Sabbath.

Keeping the Sabbath was one of the great downfalls of the ten tribes of Israel because they instituted the golden calf worship and they had all the pagan religious practices, and so forth. They did exactly the same thing that the ministers of the world today do. They say this is done to the Lord. If we do it to the Lord it's all right, regardless of what the practice is, because if we do it to the Lord then God has got to accept it. That is false thinking! That is false reasoning!

If you're going to do anything 'to God,' you have to do it His way because He's God. God will not accept our form of worshipping Him anyway that's contrary to what He's commanded. We're to worship Him in Spirit and in Truth, which does not mean doing away with the laws and commandments of God by any means. Here's a prophecy.

Isaiah 58:13: "If you turn your foot away from the Sabbath, from doing your own desires on My Holy day…" The Sabbath is God's Holy Day. He made it Holy. That's why the true, fourth commandment is: 'Remember the Sabbath Day to keep it Holy,' because He made it Holy.

"…and call the Sabbath a delight, the Holy of the LORD, honorable… [not dishonorable] …and shall honor Him…" (v 13).

• How do we honor Him?
• How do we honor God on the Sabbath?

"…not doing your own ways, nor pursuing your own desires, nor speaking your own words" (v 13). What does that mean? It means exactly what it says!

• you don't seek sports
• you don't seek work
• you don't seek your sales
• you seek God on the Sabbath Day

What does it mean by "…nor speaking your own words"? You talk about the things of salvation, the Word of God and to hear the Word of God preached on the Sabbath! You can hear it preached on any other day, that is true, but there's a special blessing for hearing it on the Sabbath because God's Spirit is there to give more understanding. God's Spirit is there to bless you because God has blessed the day; He has made it Holy.

Verse 14: "Then you shall delight yourself in the LORD; and I will cause you to ride upon the high places of the earth, and feed you with the inheritance of Jacob your father, for the mouth of the LORD has spoken it." God is saying that there are great blessings for keeping the Sabbath.

When you keep the days of Baal… That's one of the reasons that they were sent off into captivity—because they were following all the same days that the so-called 'Christian religious' organizations today follow:

• Sunday
• Easter
• Christmas
• New Years
• Groundhog's Day
• Valentine's Day
• May Day
• Halloween

All of those are of the world and Satan the devil and have deep profound occult connections and have nothing to do with God. That is all under the authority of Satan the devil. If you go strictly by the Bible, which God intends us to do, and reject the so-called traditions of men and the 'traditions of the fathers' of the church, so-called, and go by what the Bible says, you will find that:

• God condemns every one of them
• God does not sanction them
• God has not joined them

The God Who said, 'You shall have no other gods before Me,' is not going to cause His people to make an alliance with the gods of this world and to call it by 'God's way.'

This is very, very important to comprehend and understand. Most people think they know about God because they're 'religious,' supposedly. They do what their ministers or priests tell them to do, but they rarely read the Bible to understand what God tells them to do. The first thing you need to realize is that there are many, many lies coming from the pulpits. You are held responsible before God to prove whether these things are so or not, whether what they is saying is true or not. You can be guaranteed this:

• any minister who says that the laws of God have been abolished is a liar
• any minister who says that you don't have to keep the Sabbath and Holy Days is a liar
• any minister who says that Christ changed the Sabbath from the seventh day to the first day is a liar

It doesn't matter how many sweet, purry, feel-good sermons that they give, they're liars! God calls them that.

When they tell you, 'Oh, well, the Gentiles don't have to keep it.' Christ came to save Gentiles, too. Let's see how He saves Gentiles and what He expects them to do when they are saved. Let's read this from the point of view that this is also talking about the end-times.

Isaiah 56:1: "Thus says the LORD, 'Keep justice and do righteousness; for My salvation is near to come, and My righteousness to be revealed.'" You can go back and see where that righteousness is revealed (Rev. 6:12). It's going to be revealed in a mighty and a powerful way.

Verse 2: "Blessed is the man who does this, and the son of man who lays hold on it; who keeps the Sabbath from profaning it; and keeps his hand from doing any evil."
I'll tell you another lie that's preached on Sunday: They say if you keep the Sabbath you're cursed. That's a lie! They say if you keep the Sabbath, that you're trying to earn salvation. That is a lie! Christ said, through the prophet Isaiah, "Blessed!…." Do you want the blessing for keeping the Sabbath? or Do you want the curses for continuing in Sunday?

God lays before us life and death, good and evil, blessing and cursing and it's up to us to choose. If we choose God, He's with us. If we don't choose God, He's not with us. It's that simple. So, by whose authority do you do what you do? He said that you're blessed if you're doing this and "…keeps his hand from doing any evil."

• What does that mean?
• What defines evil?
• Do not the laws, commandments, statutes and judgments define evil?
• Did not Jesus Christ define evil?
• Did not Jesus Christ say that evil comes from within the heart—'out of the heart of men proceed evil thoughts?' Yes!
• What about the Gentiles?

Verse 3: "And do not let the son of the stranger… [a Gentile] …who has joined himself to the LORD… [salvation to the Gentiles] …speak, saying, 'The LORD has utterly separated me from His people.' And do not let the eunuch say, 'Behold, I am a dry tree.' For thus says the LORD, 'To the eunuchs who keep My Sabbaths…'" (vs 3-4).

I want you to look at that word Sabbaths very carefully, because we'll come back to this a little later. That's plural—isn't it? That's not the weekly Sabbath alone. That's is "…My Sabbaths…" because:

• the First Day of Unleavened Bread is a Sabbath
• the Last Day of Unleavened Bread is a Sabbath
• Pentecost is a Sabbath
• Trumpets is a Sabbath
• Atonement is a Sabbath of Sabbaths
• the First Day of the Feast of Tabernacles is a Sabbath
• the Last Great Day is a Sabbath

As I've said before, if the names of those Holy Days of God sound strange to you it's because you have never been taught the Truth concerning them. "…who keep My Sabbaths…" not reject them.

What we're going to see is that we're talking here about New Testament doctrine, as well. Never forget this: Jesus said that He is Lord even of the Sabbath Day. Why? Because as the Lord God of the Old Testament, He created that time Holy, blessed it and sanctified it! Therefore, He is Lord of it. The KJV says that the 'Son of man is Lord also of the Sabbath Day,' which people tend to read like this: 'Yes, He's the Lord of the Sabbath Day as well as Sunday.' That's not what it means. He is Lord even of the Sabbath Day, because He kept it. "…keep My Sabbaths…"

What does God mean by keep the Sabbath? He means honor the Sabbath! Keep it as He says. You have to study the Bible to know how to keep the Sabbath. That's another whole topic. We'll get to that later.

"…and choose things that please Me…" (v 4).

• What pleases God?
• Why was Jesus the beloved Son in Whom the Father had delight? Because as Jesus said, 'I always do the things that please My Father!'
• What pleases God?
  • obedience or disobedience?
  • seeking the will of God or seeking your own opinion?
  • seeking to do God's Way or seeking your way and coming to God and telling Him that He must accept your way because you feel good about it?

Frankly, God could care less how you feel about it if it's not in conformity to what God says.

"…and take hold of My covenant" (v 4). That's a prophesy of the New Covenant. What do you have here? We have a prophesy of Sabbath and Holy Day-keeping as the things that please God in the prophecy of the New Covenant!

Let's understand what God is telling us in 1-John 3, how He is telling us, and what the Apostle John wrote. Of course, when you realize that the Apostle John was the one who did the final canonization of the New Testament, and when he writes this, it's telling us a great deal.

1-John 3:18: "My little children, we should not love in word, nor with our tongues…" Too many people do that. Lot of nice words on Sunday, 'Hello. How are you? Oh, it's wonderful blah, blah, blah.' Then they go live their lives in a different way.

"…rather, we should love in deed and in Truth" (v 18). What is Truth? Jesus said of the Father's Word, 'Your Word is the Truth!'

• the commandments are true
• the statutes are true
• all the precepts of God are true

Verse 19: "And in this way we know that we are of the Truth…" You have to ask yourself:

• Are you really of the Truth?
• Can you believe a lie and say you're of the Truth?
• Can you follow false doctrines that are contrary to what is in the Bible and that God has condemned and said that you shall not do, and say that you are of the Truth?

This is New Testament doctrine—isn't it? Yes!

"…and shall assure our hearts before Him, that if our hearts condemn us…" (vs 19-20).

• How do our hearts condemn us? When we are guilty!
• Why are we guilty? Because of sin!

Sin pricks our hearts when we do wrong and we condemn ourselves. We know that we have missed the mark. This is why we are to repent. God wants you to repent. He doesn't want to destroy you, but if the wicked will not repent it is their choice to be destroyed by God, because they won't repent.

Likewise with us. When we sin, which we all do because we're all human beings and our heart condemns us, then what should we do? Confess our sins! 'He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.' So that we won't have the condemnation and that we will be able to approach God in confidence and assurance. Part of that is keeping His commandments and doing His will, etc.

"…God is greater than our hearts…" (v 20). Even if you sin and do that which is wrong and repent, God will lift you out of it. God will forgive you for it.

"…and knows all things. Beloved, if our hearts do not condemn us, then we have confidence toward God" (vs 20-21).

Notice v 22, the very key. This ties in with Isa. 56 about doing the things that please Him; "And whatever we may ask we receive from Him because we keep His commandments… [not reject them] …and practice those things that are pleasing in His sight." We can do that. If we love God and keep His commandments, that's pleasing in His sight! If we love the fatherless and the stranger and we love each other, that's pleasing in the sight of God.

Verse 23: "And this is His commandment: that we believe on the name of His Son Jesus Christ, and thatwe love one another, exactly as He gave commandment to us." You can't learn to love each other unless you love God first. That's why the Sabbath is so important because this establishes you with God the Father and Jesus Christ so that you can truly love them with all your heart, mind, soul and being. Then you can love your neighbor as yourself and you can love the brethren as Christ has loved us.
Verse 24: "And the one who keeps His commandments is dwelling in Him, and He [Christ] in him…" God wants to give you of His Spirit. When you repent and are baptized so that He with His Spirit is dwelling in you.

"…and by this we know… [we have to know we have the Spirit of God] …that He is dwelling in us: by the Spirit which He has given to us " (v 24). This is exactly what it means in Isa. 56.

Isaiah 56:4: "For thus says the LORD…" This is part of 'living by every word that proceeds out of the mouth of God,' as Jesus said.

"…To the eunuchs who keep My Sabbaths… [part of His commandments] …and choose things that please Me, and take hold of My covenant… [prophecy of the New Covenant] …even to them will I give within My house and within My walls a place…" (vs 4-5).

What did Jesus say on the Passover night? He told His disciples He said, 'If I go I will come again' and 'I'm going to prepare a place for you so that where I am, you may be also' (John 14) That's New Testament doctrine. This is talking about preparing a place in New Jerusalem for the Gentiles and for the eunuchs.

Let's think about this a little more in relationship to the eunuch. This is got to be New Testament doctrine talking about the reward of eternal life because the eunuch could not reproduce himself with a wife. This is talking about eternal life for keeping the Sabbaths. If you do the things that are pleasing to God in addition to it. That's why there is the grace of God, which comes through the New Testament and the Spirit of God, which gives us the ability to do these things. This is what it's talking about.

"…and a name better than of sons and of daughters…" (v 5). God promises to give a new name (Rev. 2 and 3).

"…I will give them an everlasting name that shall not be cut off" (v 5). If it's everlasting, that means eternal life. That's precisely what it says.

Verse 6: "Also the sons of the stranger…" Now, we're into the second generation, because He said, 'to the stranger.' Now here are "…the sons of the stranger…"; their children.

"'…who join themselves to the LORD to serve Him, and to love the name of the LORD, to be His servants, everyone who keeps from profaning the Sabbath, and takes hold of My covenant…'" (vs 6). That's quite a promise. It extends to them.

Verse 7: "Even them I will bring to My Holy mountain… [New Jerusalem] …and make them joyful in My house of prayer. Their burnt offerings and their sacrifices shall be accepted upon My altar; for My house shall be called a house of prayer for all people."

Remember what Jesus did on the Passover during the Feast of Unleavened Bread in John 2? He drove out the money exchangers and all the commercialization and merchandising going on right in the very house of God, and He told them, 'You have made My house a din of thieves' when it should be called a 'house of prayer for all nations.'

Today we worship toward God in heaven above. We have access to His throne in heaven above, and we don't offer the burnt offerings or sacrifices; we have our spiritual sacrifices that we offer.

Verse 8: "The Lord GOD who gathers the outcasts of Israel, says, 'Yet, I will gather still others of him beside those who are gathered unto him.'" In other words, a prophesy of bringing Gentiles into the Church.

The reason that I want to go through this is that lest someone get the feeling or think that because God has to condemn sin to wake people up from their sin so they can repent, that He doesn't offer any hope.

Concerning the Sabbath command that He gave, He said to hallow the Sabbath, but they didn't do it:

Jeremiah 17:23: "But they did not obey, nor inclined their ear, but made their neck stiff, so that they might not hear nor receive instruction."

This is also something very important to understand. Never get yourself into an attitude that you will not hear the Word of God! This also important from the point of view that don't let any man and his words separate you from God!

I want to show you the hope that God held out for all of Judah, the kings of Judah, all the people, and that He did not want to bring this captivity. He did not want to have to raise up Nebuchadnezzar and take Nebuchadnezzar's side against His own people because of their sins, which is a great lesson for us today.

Here in America I'm telling you flat out that unless there's repentance on a mass scale, that God is going to take the side of our enemies and we are going to come down just exactly as God had to take the side of the enemies against Judah, because they wouldn't do the things that God said. He holds up this hope and promise:

Verse 24: "'And it shall be, if you diligently hearken to Me,' says the LORD…"—not half-hearted, not ho-hum, not being forced to, but diligently, you choose to diligently do God's Way, listen to His Word:

"…to bring in no burden through the gates of this city on the Sabbath day, but keep the Sabbath Day Holy, to do no work in it; then kings and rulers sitting on the throne of David shall enter into the gates of this city, riding in chariots and on horses, they, and their rulers, the men of Judah, and the people of Jerusalem. And this city shall remain forever" (vs 24-25). What happened to it? It has ended up being one of the most cursed places on earth because of sin!

Verse 26: "And they shall come from the cities of Judah, and from the places about Jerusalem, and from the land of Benjamin, and from the plain, and from the mountains, and from the south, bringing burnt offerings, and sacrifices, and grain offerings, and incense, and bringing sacrifices of praise to the house of the LORD."

Does this not fit into what God has always said to choose to obey My voice? Yes! Now He gives the alternative. You need to ask yourself:

• Whose authority are you going to choose to put yourself under?
• The authority of God the Father and Jesus Christ and the Holy Word of God?

or

• The authority of Satan the devil and the men of this world and the religions of this world?

You have to choose! IF you choose God, then you choose to love Him and keep His commandments, His Sabbaths and His Holy Days. IF you choose the world, then you will keep:

• your Sunday
• your Easter
• your New Years

Maybe not even keep anything and maybe not even believe in God! Then that's a worse fate that's going to come upon you. Then God gives a warning. He hold's our promise and then He gives a warning.

Verse 27: "But if you will not hearken to Me to keep the Sabbath Day Holy, and not to carry a burden, even entering in at the gates of Jerusalem on the Sabbath Day; then I will kindle a fire in its gates, and it will devour the palaces of Jerusalem, and it will not be put out."

You can read Josephus about the destruction of the temple in 585B.C. and that happened. Also, about the destruction in 70A.D., which was a far worse carnage because of sin.

Let's survey some things in the book of Jeremiah. By the way, where did they get the term 'Holy Week,' which they say about the week leading up to so-called Easter? Not from God!, Not from the Bible! Easter is a day that worships the goddess Ishtar, who was married to her own son and produced a child called Tammuz. Ishtar was called the 'mother of God.' Tammuz was slain and resurrected on Ishtar Sunday.

{note books: The Two Babylons by Alexander Hislop. The Golden Bough by Sir James George Frazer and you can see where all of these things have come from. They haven't come from God! This becomes important when we read the first couple of verses in Jer.

Jeremiah 10:1: "Hear the word, which the LORD speaks to you, O house of Israel."

• How many times does God say hear?
• How many times does God say hearken?

If you want a good Bible study and you have an online Bible study or you have a computer Bible study, go and look up the words listen, hearken, hear and various other words that go along with it, and see how many times God said it.

What did Jesus say of some of the things that He said? He said, 'He who has an ear let him hear!' It's exactly the same thing. This false, lying notion that the Old Testament has been done away and has nothing to do with the New Testament, it's like throwing away a glove that covers the hand. Then you complain because you have cold hands and say that you don't need the glove, when it is the glove that will keep your hands warm. It's just like this: the Old Testament and the New Testament go together like a hand in a glove. They work together and they are inseparable. That's what you need to understand.

Verse 2: "Thus says the LORD…" Is this not out of the mouth of God—'Man shall live by every Word that proceeds out of the mouth of God.' Here's what He says:

"…Do not learn the way of the heathen…" (v 2). Every one of the holidays of this world are the 'ways of the heathen!'

(go to the next track)

That tells you that no man anywhere, at any time, can take the practices of heathen religions and put Christian-sounding names upon them and say that God accepts it because they have changed the name. That is a fraud! It is a counterfeit! It is against God!

Let me give you an example to make it very clear: What if you had a Volkswagon Jetta and you had a Rolls Royce. You wanted to make money on selling the Jetta, so you wanted to defraud the buyer. So, what you did was you changed all the name plates and you made the Volkswagon Jetta say that it is a Rolls Royce, when it isn't.

That is exactly and precisely what the ministers of this world and the religions of this world have done with God and His Holy Days, by rejecting them. Then having the audacity to take the name of God and Jesus Christ and put it on the way of the heathen and call it of God, when God never had any presence or anything to do with them! That's why He says—this is God speaking:

"…and do not be terrified at the signs of the heavens; for the nations [heathen] are terrified at them" (v 2)—astrology, occult, tarot cards, and so forth. We'll come back to the rest of it because it says the 'customs of the people are vain.'

I want you to read the whole book of Jeremiah, and as your reading it what I want you to do is think about Western civilization today. In particularly the United States, Britain and Australia, because they are the ten lost tribes of Israel. Think about what it is saying here. Understand that these prophesies have a dual application—a first fulfillment and a second fulfillment. All of these prophesies are going to come upon the United States, Britain and Australia as punishment from God:

• for rejecting God
• for keeping Sunday
• for keeping the holidays of this world
• for rejecting God's Sabbath and His Holy Days

Even in spite of that, God gave another opportunity to hold back the expulsion of the people from Jerusalem in 585B.C. so that they wouldn't go into captivity. God told Jeremiah this:

Jeremiah 5:1: "Run to and fro through the streets of Jerusalem, and see now, and know, and seek in her open places, if you can find a man…" Now it's down to one man. God honors a lot because of what one man will do or what one woman will do.

"…if there is one who does justice, who seeks the Truth; and I will pardon her…" (v 1). In other words, God would pardon all the sins of all the people in Jerusalem if there could have been found one single man that was seeking Truth! That's a lot of mercy—isn't it? So, as we read some of the very destructive prophecies, I want you to understand the mercy that God shows.

Verse 2: "And though they say, 'As the LORD lives.'" Isn't that what they say? 'Come to church on Sunday. Know the Lord, brother. The Lord lives! Christ lives!'

"'…surely they swear falsely.' O LORD, are not Your eyes on the Truth?" (v 2-3). Of course, it's always on the Truth, and God knows the heart. That's why there has to be conversion and change of heart and mind through the Spirit of God.

"…You have stricken them, but they have not grieved…" (v 3). Think about 9/11. Think about all the catastrophes that have happened.

"…You have destroyed them, but they have refused to receive correction…" (v 3). It's an awesome thing to refuse to receive the correction of God. Christ expects you to let the Word of God correct you:

• to change the way that you think
• to change the way that you live
• to change from practicing sin to keeping the commandments of God

"…they have made their faces harder than rock; they have refused to return" (v 3). If you want to put this verse in action, it would be interesting to see what would happen if someone would go to one of these mega, mega Sunday-keeping churches and stand up there and tell them that:

• they have refused God
• they have stolen the name of Jesus Christ
• they are worshipping on the wrong day
• they are worshipping a false Christ
• God is not here
• if you want God, you better repent

you need to stop:

• your Sunday
• your Christmas
• your Easter
• your sacrifice of the Mass
• your Eucharist
• your idols

—all the things that are contrary to the commandments of God and contrary to God. You need to get rid of them and repent with all your heart. I don't think he'd get out alive! He'd be just like Jeremiah. What happened to Jeremiah because he did that? All the princes rose up and threw him down in the sewer, in the muck of human swill and left him there to die! What does God's prophets have to go through to preach the Truth, besides bad behavior and a lot of human 'crapola'?

"…they have refused to receive correction; they have made their faces harder than rock; they have refused to return." (v 3). That means they refused to repent. You need to ask yourself:

• Are you made at me for saying what I'm saying?
• Are you upset at me for saying what I'm saying?
• If I read to you the Word of God and you're upset at the Word of God, who are you upset against?
• Me?

or

• God?
• What will you do?

Verse 4: "Therefore, I said, 'Surely these are poor; they are foolish…'" What does God say about those who do these things? It's the way of the heathen—they are foolish!

"'…for they do not know the way of the LORD…'" (v 4). What way did they know? The way of the heathen! We'll see when we get to Jer. 7 that they did it at the temple and they did it unto the Lord God while they were worshipping Baal, the sun-god, which everyone who worships on Sunday is doing that.

"'…nor the judgment of their God. I will go up for myself to the great men, and will speak to them; for they have known the way of the LORD and the judgment of their God.' But these had altogether broken the yoke and had torn off the bonds!" (v 4-5).

• you look at our Congress
• you look at our judges
• you look at all of those who lead this nation

It's right there; Jeremiah is talking about it.

Verse 6: "Therefore, a lion out of the forest shall kill them, and a wolf of the deserts shall rob them; a leopard shall watch over their cities…." It's talking about the heathen who are going to come and cause destruction.

What is the greatest fear that we have now and so we have to all clamp down on everybody's rights, because we have terrorists in our midst? The greatest thing of which we are fearful is a biological attack or a dirty bomb attack!

Rather than repent and return to God, we try and work it out ourselves! This a good description of it here:

• they watch us
• they're waiting for the time
• they're looking for the opportunity

Unless there's repentance on a mass scale in the United States, it is going to happen, just like it did to Jerusalem.

"…Everyone who goes out from them shall be torn in pieces because… [What's the cause?]: …their sins are many and their backslidings are multiplied. 'How shall I pardon you for this? Your children have forsaken Me, and have sworn by them that are not gods…'" (vs 6-7).

Look at our younger generation; they are given over to the occult, to witchcraft, and to Satanism through everything that they do; starting with cartoons when they're babies clear up to the time of:

• rock music
• rap music
• sex being taught in the schools to absolutely destroy their hearts and their minds

Nothing can be done about that. Then you go to church on your Sundays and you're worshipping other gods.

• How many are following the gods of the other nations?
• How many go to their guru's?
• How many are following the idiotic things of the teachings of the heathen where God said, 'Learn not the way of the heathen'?

"…When I had fed them to the full, then they committed adultery, and gathered themselves by troops in a harlot's house" (vs 7). True today—isn't it? Yes, indeed! Tens of millions of men and over 30-million women are hooked on online pornography. No one is faithful with husband and wife anymore. It's a rare thing to find someone who has been married for 30, 40, 50, 60 years.

Verse 8: "They were like lusty, well-fed stallions in the morning; every one neighing after his neighbor's wife." Isn't there a TV program by that name: Desperate Housewives[transcriber's correction]? What are they doing? Seducing their neighbor's husband! There you have it. God says, because God knows all these things are going on:

Verse 9: "Shall I not punish for these things?' says the LORD. 'And shall not My soul be avenged on such a nation as this?" It's going to come unless there is vast and tremendous repentance this nation is going to go down.

God holds out hope for everyone who will repent! Always remember that. As I pointed out, those who have the Spirit of God, God's protection will be upon them, because He promised that. It doesn't mean that we won't have to go through things such as Jeremiah being thrown into the sewer, but he was rescued.

Here's what God says. Here's why I want you to read the whole thing. I'm going to cover most of Jer. 5, 6 and 7 because that is the heart and core of the whole message. It's repeated over and over, chapter and verse, through all 51 chapters of the book of Jeremiah. Let's see what God says is going to happen. Remember, God said He would pardon the whole thing if there was one man who was doing right, but there wasn't.

Verse 10: "'Go up upon her walls and destroy; but do not make a full end; take away her branches, for they are not the LORD'S. For the house of Israel and the house of Judah… [both; all 12 tribes] …have dealt very deceitfully against Me,' says the LORD. They have lied against the LORD and said, 'It is not He; neither shall evil come on us; nor shall we see sword nor famine. And the prophets shall become as wind, for the word is not in them; thus it shall be done to them.' Therefore, thus says the LORD God of hosts, 'Because you have spoken this word, behold, I will make My words in your mouth fire… [God's talking about Jeremiah] …and this people wood, and it shall devour them" (vs 10-14).

Here's a promise that God gave and He fulfilled twice to Jerusalem. He's going to fulfill it to the United States of America, Britain, Australia and so forth.

Verse 15: "'Lo, I will bring a nation upon you from afar, O house of Israel,' says the LORD. 'It is a mighty nation, it is an ancient nation, a nation whose language you do not know, nor understand what they say. Their quiver is as an open grave… [sepulcher] …they are all mighty men. And they shall eat up your harvest and your bread, your sons and your daughters they shall eat up. They shall eat up your flocks and your herds; they shall eat up your vines and your fig trees. They shall beat down your fortified cities with the sword. But even in those days,' says the LORD, 'I will not make a complete end with you'" (vs 15-18). Again, mercy!

Remember that whenever God gives judgment of death, doom and destruction, there is mercy for those who will repent!

Verse 19: "And it will be, when they shall ask, 'Why does the LORD our God do all these things to us?….'" Isn't that what they say? 'Where's God? Why did this happen?'

"…Then you shall answer them…" (v 19). Here's the reason. I want you to think about this and I want you to ask yourself honestly before God:

• Are you part of this?
• Is this your attitude?

"…Just as you have forsaken Me and served strange gods in your land…" (v 19).

• Do you keep the pagan days of this world?
• Have you learned the way of the heathen?
• Have you turned your back on God?
• Are you an atheist who thinks there is no God?
• What is it that you are?

God knows and He's going to judge. You're far better off judging yourself by the Word of God and repenting.

"'"…so you shall serve strangers in a land that is not yours." 'Declare this in the house of Jacob, and cry it in Judah, saying, "Now hear this, O foolish people and without understanding; who have eyes and see not; who have ears and hear not; do you not fear Me?" says the LORD. "Will you not tremble at My presence, even I Who have placed the sand for the boundary of the sea by a never-ending decree, so that it cannot pass it? And though they toss themselves, yet, they cannot prevail; though its waves roar, yet, they cannot pass over it"'" (vs 19-22).

God expects you to look to the creation and see that God is the One Who has done all these things. If you don't believe God and believe His Word, then believe His creation and what He has made and then turn to God.

Verse 23: "But this people has a revolting and a rebellious heart; they have revolted and are departed from Me."

• How about you?
• Have you revolted against God?
• Do you believe the commandments are abolished?
• Do you believe that you don't have to keep the Sabbaths of God?
• Do you believe that it's okay to learn the way of the heathen and keep all the days that God said that you shall not do?

Let's also understand something else. If God did sanctify the renaming of these heathen customs and joined Himself to them, He Himself would be hypocritical because the first commandment would mean nothing to Him when He said, 'You shall have no other gods before Me.' It would make everything that God has said hypocritical. It would make everything that God said a lie. It would make God a liar when God is not a liar and His word is True.

Verse 23: "But this people has a revolting and a rebellious heart; they have revolted and are departed from Me."

• Are you willing to repent and submit to God?
• Are you willing to repent and keep His commandments?

Christ died for you and your sins to bring you forgiveness, not for you to continue to live in your sins, not for you to continue to live in your paganism with Christian-sounding names, but to serve God and to love God with all your heart, mind, soul and being. Here's the way it is with too many people:

Verse 24: "And they do not say in their heart, 'Let us now fear the LORD our God, Who gives both the former and the latter rain in its season; He reserves to us the appointed weeks of the harvest.' Your iniquities have turned away these things, and your sins have withheld good things from you. For among My people are found wicked ones; they lie in wait, as one who sets snares; they set a trap, they catch men" (vs 24-26). This is talking about all the schemes and evil things that go on. The world is full of them.

Verse 29: "'Shall I not punish for these things?' says the Lord…."

• we had a shooting up in Wisconsin—eight students killed
• we had a shooting in a Church of God—eight people killed
• we had Columbine
• all the other shootings and things that go on

• How many people are shot every day in America?
• How many people are killed and stabbed?
• How many people suffer at the hands of others?
• You think that God is not going to visit for these thing?

"…Shall not My soul be avenged on such a nation as this?" (v 29).

• notice how it's done
• notice how it's accomplished
• notice who God holds responsible primarily and every individual particularly

Verse 30: "An astounding and horrible thing has happened in the land. The prophets prophesy falsely…"  (vs 30-31). That's exactly what's done when they rename the way of the heathen with Christian-sounding names. They "…prophesy falsely…"

"…and the priests bear rule by their means… [instead of serving the people the way God intended] …and My people love to have it so" (v 31). You don't want to serve God the way He says. You want to serve God the way you say. You want God to accept you the way you are when God says, 'Repent! Then I will accept you.'

"…and what will you do at the end of it?" (v 31). What's going to happen? What are you going to do? Inevitably, it's going to happen. Inevitably, God's judgment is going to come and will culminate in the return of Christ.

I want you to take this to heart; I want you to read the book of Jeremiah as if it were a message to the United States of America and all the ministers in the land beginning with:

• Gerald Falwell
• Pat Robertson
• Billy Graham and his son and daughter
• Dr. Kennedy in Florida
• the bishops
• the archbishops
• the priests
• the deacons

in all the churches everywhere, that's what this is written for

• all the people everywhere
• all their sins
• all of the rottenness
• all the vileness that they are committing

All the time decrying the terrible and heinous things that are taking place. Yet, they reject the Word of God, and in the name of Christ they preach falsehoods and lies.

Jeremiah 6:13: "For everyone from the least of them even to the greatest of them…"

• Who do you consider the least
• Who do you consider the greatest?

"…is greedy for gain… [covetousness] …and from the prophet even unto the priest everyone deals falsely. They have also healed the hurt of the daughter of My people slightly, saying, 'Peace, peace,' when there is no peace. Were they ashamed when they had committed abomination? No, they were not at all ashamed, nor could they blush…'" (vs 13-15).

You stop and think about our past Presidents. How many have really been faithful to their wives? Very few! Those who are counted the greatest Presidents—liberal or conservative, it doesn't make any difference—they weren't ashamed! People are not ashamed. They have pornography, wretched and rotten television and music; no one is ashamed. If someone corrects them or speaks out to them, they couldn't even blush.

I'll give you an example: There's a man I know who went into an office and here is a woman there who is a receptionist and her blouse was so low-cut that two-thirds of her breasts were exposed publicly. He being a man wanting to do what is decent, he said to the young woman, 'Don't you think that your dress is totally inappropriate to receive people into the office. Don't you think that this reflects upon your employer? She got down right mad. No shame! No blushing! No nothing! Women today are taught to make their daughters little whores.

I'll give you an example: JonBenét Ramsey who was killed in Colorado. They were putting her into a situation where she was like a sex siren queen at age seven or eight. Teaching them to be whores; dressing them up to expose their body parts. God's judgment is coming! The women love it and they do it. Not all, but more and more the majority is that way.
"…No, they were not at all ashamed, nor could they blush, therefore, they shall fall among those who fall. At the time that I punish them, they shall be cast down,' says the LORD. Thus says the LORD, 'Stand in the ways and see, and ask for the old paths where the good way is and walk in it, and you shall find rest for your souls…'" (vs 15-16). Again, I want you to see that God holds out opportunity for repentance and change.

• What are you going to do that God is holding out that opportunity for you?
• Are you going to repent and change?

"…But they said, 'We will not walk in it.' Also I set watchmen over you, saying, 'Hearken to the sound of the ram's horn.' But they said, 'We will not hearken.' Therefore, hear, you nations, and know, O congregation, what will happen to them'" (vs 16-18).

Here's a promise. The congregation are those few of the Churches of God and those people that have the Holy Spirit of God, that's who God is talking to. So, He's talking to the earth, the whole world, nations. "…and know, O congregation, what will happen to them" God does not want His people caught off guard. He wants them to know ahead of time.

Verse 19: "Hear, O earth; behold, I will bring evil on this people, even the fruit of their thoughts because they have not hearkened to My words, nor to My law, but have rejected it." Isn't that what's preached in the pulpit every Sunday when they say that Christ did away with the Law, Christ abolished the Law? Is it not? Yes, indeed!

Verse 20: "To what purpose does frankincense come to Me from Sheba, and the sweet cane from a far country?…." Put it this way today: What purpose is it that you go to church on Sunday?

• when you reject the Word of God
• when you have lawless preachers who say that the Word of God has been made null and void
• that all you have to do is to have a good feeling in your heart
• that what you think is right, that is what you can do

That is a lie! That is a lie! That is a lie!

Let's see what Jeremiah had to do. Let's see what he had to preach. Then we will see the reasons for it. We will see that those very same reasons are in our nation today. Since God is the same yesterday, today and forever and the Lord says, 'I change not,' know that these judgments are going to come! God is laying it out before you:

• Will you repent and love God and keep His way?

or

• Will you continue going the way that you are going?

Here's what Jeremiah had to do, and he was a priest.

Jeremiah 7:1: "The Word that came to Jeremiah from the LORD, saying… [these are the Words of God]: …'Stand in the gate of the LORD'S house, and proclaim there this Word, and say, "Hear the Word of the LORD, all Judah, who enter in at these gates to worship the LORD"'" (vs 1-2). They weren't worshipping the Lord. Here's the message:

Verse 3: "Thus says the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel, 'Amend your ways…" That means to change from doing the things that you think are right and start doing the things that God tells you that are right.

"…and your doings, and I will cause you to dwell in this place….  [holding out hope with repentance] …Do not trust in lying words…" (vs 3-4). I want you to ask yourself: How many lying words do I trust in? How many lying words from:

• my pastor
• my minister
• my priest
• my bishop
• my pope
• my Dalai Lama
• the imams, the ministers of Islam
• whatever religious leader

As all the lying words of trusting in Santa Claus, the Easter bunny and all these things. 'Oh that's nice to do. Oh, we do it for the children.' Why do it for the children? So Satan can indoctrinate them at the earliest age possible by using their parents to do his dirty work! That's why! "…trust in lying words…"

They came to the temple. They said, 'We're in a temple. Oh, that's wonderful! That's good! We're God's people!'

"…saying, 'The temple of the LORD, the temple of the LORD, the temple of the LORD are these.'" We're God's people. We're God's chosen. Nothing will happen to us! Sound familiar?

Verse 5: "For if you thoroughly amend your ways and your doings… [not a little repentance of flattery] …if you thoroughly execute judgment between a man and his neighbor; if you do not oppress the stranger, the fatherless, and the widow, and do not shed innocent blood in this place, nor walk after other gods…" (vs 5-6).

All the holidays of this world are holidays of other gods! If you keep those, you are walking after other gods!

"…to your hurt… [if you'll repent of this]: …then I will cause you to dwell in this place, in the land that I gave to your fathers, forever and ever'" (vs 6-7).They weren't willing to do that.

• Are you willing to do that?
• What are you willing to do for God?
• How much are you sold on yourself and your vanity and what you think is right?
• Why do you believe lies?
• Why not take the other path and begin to prove it by the Word of God?
• Is what they're saying really true or is it a lie?

Verse 8: "Behold, you trust in lying words that cannot profit. Will you steal… [people steal God's time] …murder…?" (vs 8-9). How many people have been murdered in the name of Christ, as well as the murders in the land and everything like that? Just multiply this many times over from many different points of view.

"…and commit adultery, and swear falsely, and burn incense to Baal…?" (v 9). Who's Baal? Baal is the sun-god! Baal's day is:

• Sunday
• Christmas
• Easter
• New Years
• Halloween
• May Day
• Valentine's Day

Those are all Baal's days!

• Whom do you serve?
• The true God?

or

• Baal?

It doesn't matter how many Christian names they attach to it:

• it is not of God
• has never been of God
• never will be of God
• never will be accepted by God

I don't care how many:

• popes
• potentates
• leaders
• ministers
• pastors
• bishops
• priests

claim otherwise. The Word of God says they are liars! That's what it says.

"…and walk after other gods whom you do not know; and then come and stand before Me in this house…" (vs 9-10)—My very temple! That's why God destroyed it twice.

"…which is called by My name, and say, 'We are delivered to do all these abominations'?" (v 10). 'We have been given grace to do these. No! We don't have to keep the laws and commandments of God because we're under grace.' Big lie!

Verse 11: "'Has this house, which is called by My name, become a den of robbers in your eyes? Behold, even I have seen it,' says the LORD." He sees it! He knows! He spoke to them.

Verse 12[transcriber's correction]: "'But now go to My place which was in Shiloh, where I set My name at the first, and see what I did to it for the wickedness of My people Israel. And now because you have done all these works,' says the LORD, 'and I spoke to you, rising up early and speaking, but you did not hear; and I called you, but you did not answer; therefore, I will do to this house, which is called by My name, in which you trust, and to the place which I gave to you and to your fathers, as I have done to Shiloh. And I will cast you out of My sight, as I have cast out all your brethren, the whole seed of Ephraim'" (vs 12-15).

God will do it! There comes a time when the evil is so bad, like it was with Jeremiah that He commanded Jeremiah:

• if they won't accept my call for repentance
• if they won't amend their ways,
• if they won't hear Me

Verse 16: "Therefore, do not pray for this people, nor lift up cry nor prayer for them, nor make intercession to Me; for I will not hear you." That's one condition you never want to let yourself get into.

• while there's life, there's hope
• while there's belief, there can be repentance
• with repentance there comes forgiveness

What were they doing to provoke God? How was it that it was honoring other gods besides all the murder and adultery and swearing falsely and so forth?

Verse 17: "Do you not see what they do in the cities of Judah and in the streets of Jerusalem? The children gather wood, and the fathers kindle the fire, and the women knead dough, to make cakes to the queen of heaven…" (vs 17-18).

The false queen of heaven and was originally Semiramis, who is also called Ishtar or Ishtarta from which we get Easter, and is now called the 'virgin Mary' in the Roman Catholic Church. If you saw John Paul II sitting there debilitated, holding a cross of a crucified Jesus in his hand and worshipping Mary the queen of heaven.

"…and to pour out drink offerings to other gods, that they may provoke Me to anger" (v 18). We're going to see some other days that are practiced.

We need to understand that God is a God of love, mercy, kindness and compassion, but God is also a God of power and judgment, and if there is no repentance He will judge. He will bring the forces and powers to bear, to come against any people anywhere and any nation at any time that refuses to obey the Words of God. That brings us right back were we started today.

We need to understand that you cannot at any time take the pagan days of the religions of this world, put a Christian-sounding name on them and give thema Christian meaning, and have that accepted of God! That is an abomination! God says so!

All Scripture from The Holy Bible In Its Original Order, A Faithful Version

Scriptural References:

• Jeremiah 18:6-10
• Jeremiah 17:19-22
• Isaiah 58:13-14
• Isaiah 56:1-4
• 1-John 3:18-24
• Isaiah 56:4-8
• Jeremiah 17:23-27
• Jeremiah 10:1-2
• Jeremiah 5:1-26, 29-31
• Jeremiah 6:13-20
• Jeremiah 7:1-18

Scriptures referenced, not quoted:

• 2-Chronicles 34, 35
• Revelation 6:12
• John 14
• Revelation 2; 3
• John 2

Also referenced: Books:

• Occult Holidays or God's Holy Days: Which? by Fred R. Coulter
• Josephus
• The Two Babylons by Alexander Hislop
• The Golden Bough by Sir James George Frazer

FRC: nfs
Transcribed: 05-22-16
Proofed: bo—6/1/16