Along with the other posting I just placed here are some additional facts and history for you about Halloween. SERVICE DEDICATED TO THE DEAD How is it that this service to the dead arrived in Mexico? Where did it come from? And the reasons why we should not participate in any pagan traditions are such as Halloween. HISTORICAL PRECEDENTS: The Roman influence over the Celtics. The Romans conquered the Celtics in the year 43 of our era and they ruled in what is now considered Great Britain for an approximate 400 years. During that time frame, 2 Roman festivals that took place in the fall were combined with the Gaul festival of Samhain: FERACIA: Is a Festival that is celebrated during the last days of October in honor of the dead? POMONA: Is a celebration in honor of Pomona, which is the goddess of the fruits and trees, her idol is a young lady carrying a basket of fruit or fruit carried in her lap, and she has a crown of fruit on her head. Now this is the emblem of Pomona. In the state of California they celebrate this holiday in the fall do you think that it is coincidence. When Rome introduced its pagan practices to the church and it resulted in apostasy rising from the same Catholic emergence, and all the festivities was given a Christian mask, and that’s the way the holiday arrived to our generation. Once Catholicism dominated Hispanic territories it opened the door to their pagan practices which resulted in the celebration of the dead, and is defended as a beautiful tradition passed down by our fore fathers. LESSON: The Bible declares in Mathew 22:32 I am the God of Abraham, and the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob? God is not the God of the dead, but of the living. This scripture declares that God is a God of the living not the dead and that Jesus assures life and offers his children abundant and eternal life. He that identifies with death and speaks death and is in the path of death is because they have never had an encounter with life or simply confuses the issues of life and death. Christians are identified with life and that is the reason we don’t offer service to death but to the God of life. In Luke 9:60 and in Deuteronomy 18:9-12 the counsel of the Bible states that we are not to consult with the dead, this is why we don’t offer sacrifices nor do we participate in Halloween nor any of the activities the schools require our kids to participate in. The word Halloween is a contraction that means on the eve of the saints. And others believe that it means “May Satan be reverenced.” OFFERINGS: The custom of placing offerings is now a strong tradition within the Hispanic race. The old customs in the night of the saints, the dead would raise from the grave and they would come to eat what ever they had a craving for. This was such an old tradition that in some areas it has been buried under the passing of time. In ancient Rome and Greece they were accustomed to offer sacrifices to the dead there offerings consisted of food and beverages to please their dead family members. These traditions have reached Mexico, Egypt and China and most cultures of the world. In Mexico each year through commercialism, education and the methods of communication they teach this tradition as something beautiful for the purpose of an excellent bridge for financial gain. Do you really think that the dead could crave mole, tamales, oatmeal? And do you think that they have teeth to chew chocolate skulls? Could they possibly possess a digestive system to digest these offerings? The proof that the dead cannot eat is that they are dead. Only he that lives can eat and if the living partake of these offerings this food can poison there digestive system and of course their spirit, because they are consuming food that has been offered to Satan and his demons according to 1 Corinthians 10:18-20 We studied in the last session that according to Ecclesiastes9:4-6 that there is hope and an opportunity to help the living once dead nothing that happens here on earth effects you nor do you learn anything from the world of the living. Do you want to ask someone for forgiveness do it now while they live? Is there someone that has hurt or offended you forgive them now while both of you live, don’t wait to go to their funeral service with regrets, if you wait until their funeral it will be of no good to ask them for forgiveness, or to make a peace offering it is to late…it will not help you or them… It is better to enjoy life than to desire death, because of our fear, deception, or desperation remember as long as we live there is hope. THE DEAD: 1) they are aware of nothing, they don’t know that we miss them, they don’t know that there is a vacant spot in our heart, they don’t know that there clothes are being wore by someone else. 2) there is no more reward for them, if they had great qualities or being recognized for some great accomplishment they will never know. 3) there memory has been forgotten the Catholic bible says “there memory has been buried with them. The Jerusalem bible says “the memory of them has been lost. This does not mean that we totally forget our family members that have passed before us, but it is he that has no memory of us. (Psalms 146:3-4) 4) Also their love, hatred and envy has passed here the scripture refers to the sentiments of the dead. How can they come back from the dead and visit the living, to visit their loved ones, or to come and torment those they hated. We find ourselves with total separation that exists between the dead and those of us that are amongst the living, AND GOD FORBIDES CONSULTING WITH THE DEAD. Deuteronomy 18:10-11 if it be either praying to them or asking them for protection. WHAT TO DO THEN: Not neither to fall into the traps of the devil nor to believe his lies. The Bible states in Colossians 2:8 Beware lest any man spoil you through philosophy and vain deceit, after the traditions of men, after the rudiments of the world, and not after Christ. {not to follow those things not established by Christ.} HISTORICAL AND BIBLICAL FACTS: Before I continue allow me to amplify with historical and Biblical facts, because we can prove that these traditions do not come from Christ. DAY OF ALL THE SAINTS: Information taken from the Catholic Encyclopedia; It is described as follows: the festival celebrated on the 1st. of November and was instituted by the Pope Urbano the IV to honor all the saints known and unknown, to fulfill any requests of the faithful, in celebrating them each year. During the persecution of the church headed up by Dioclesiano in the year 303, the number of martyrs was so great that they couldn’t assign just one special day to celebrate each of them throughout year, so the church established a holiday to honor all the martyrs at once. In the beginning only the martyrs and John the Baptist were honored on this special day, it wasn’t until later that they gradually added other saints in on this celebration, and the number of saints celebrated kept growing until canonization process which is still popular today. Pope Gregory III between the years of 731-741 consecrated a section in of the chapel in San Pedro to all the saints, establishing there a holiday to honor all of them on the 1st. of November. That is how we know the origin of festival of the saints and who established it. CELEBRATED MASS: The celebrated mass on November 1st. is called “All Hallow Mass” (mass honoring all the saints.) related to the festivities celebrated on the day before October 31st. which was called “All Hallowe’en” or simply Halloween {eve of all the saints}. Could that be a coincidence? By the year 800 of our era the Catholic Church was already established in Rome as their headquarters. Many of the customs of the Gauls as mentioned earlier were dominated by the Romans that survived, along the Catholic Church trying not to lose its followers it permitted such celebrations, and thus Christianizing them. DAY OF THE DEAD OR OF THE FAITHFUL DECEASED: The Catholic Church says that in reference to the commemoration of all the faithful that have departed (deceased) we pay tribute to them on November 2nd. The theological basis for this is doctrine teaches that when the soul leaves the body if it has not been totally cleansed from its sins or if their transgressions have not been expiated that they are excluded from the vision of heaven. That is when those that are alive believe they can help those that have passed through their prayers and offerings and especially through the sacrificial mass. So tentatively where are these souls? Are they in purgatory? We will talk about that a little later. There is a question asked in Job 14:14 If a man die, shall he live again? All the days of mine appointed time will I wait, till my change come. This is a question not only asked by one man but by all the different cultures, turning into quit a large debate. EGYPT: History teaches us that all different cultures offer an organized service to the dead (the book of the dead proves). Remember that the Egyptians were very superstitious concerning the dead and the beyond. Where many of there daily activities would deal with the separation of the soul and body. The ancient Egyptians believed that the people had two spirits. When a person died one spirit went to the beyond and the other would wonder about the land to find what it needed to eat. They believed that this spirit lived in the body that they carefully embalmed, thus the spirit continued to live. This was the spirit that would receive the offerings. THE EGYPTIANS BELIEVED AND TAUGHT MANY THINGS JUST LIKE THE FOLLOWING: 1) They would offer food offerings to their dead. 2) As soon as the tomb containing the dead was sealed the relatives called upon the gods of hell so that they would admit the deceased in the reserved place made for them. The crowds would add their own cries and prayers so that the deceased would receive permission to enjoy their eternal life in the beyond, in the society of the good… IRAN: The doctrine forbids for it to be said that the dead that are waiting to be judged spend a certain amount of time before the (god of the dead), described many times as the under world. Where their deeds good and bad are balanced and there they can find an intermediate place for a short period of time. GREECE: Between (427-347 a.C.) believes that a “good” person when they died was taken to a special place for future sanctification and later moved to a better world, thus believing that the influence of the living could help transfer the dead to a better place. Their philosophy profoundly influenced the Catholic philosophies, like San Augustine. ROME: As mentioned they realized two celebrations; a) RELATIVE… a celebration dedicated to offer sacrifices in honor of the dead from the 13th through the 21st of February. During this time the temples remained closed and the all the members of the different families celebrated different rituals over the graves of their ancestors, which were buried in their own properties, which was called land of the dead, and not an inheritable property. There the living would go and offer offerings of wine, water, milk, honey, and flowers, and in conclusion said activities were celebrated with that of the “Feralias.” b) FERALIAS…party for the dead, the Romans considered their dead and their graves to be divine and they called them the “Temples of Divinity.” The 22nd of February is celebrated as a “home service” in Greece they were called demons or heroes. Our ancestors would say “Apuleyo” and believed that when the manes were malefactors they should be called larvas. And when the demonized dead were benevolent and propitious they were taken from the “Old City.” These beliefs concerning the dead seem to be the oldest that have existed in this race of men. Before birthing and worshiping Indra and Zeus men worshiped the dead; they were afraid of them but they lead them in their prayers. The Romans believed that it was necessary to attend and please their dead so that they would continue to watch over their homes, their homes were large bon fires which was considered Holy Fire and it should remain light for many generations this way feeding their dead through official priestly duties. THE CUSTOMS OF MEXICO AND OTHER LATINAMERICAN CONTRIES: AFRICA: a) The tribes that inhabited East and South Africa have always practiced a powerful and important ritual for their dead, to such a degree that they hold two different funeral services for them. 1) the first one takes places a couple of days after their death, but as the dead body can not be preserved for to long a second one is held. 2) Weeks or even months afterwards, gathering all the family together to celebrate certain rituals to help the dead enter into their final resting place, and also to make sure that the dead would not return to this world as a zombie. Taking food and drinks to the graves of the dead to please them and also they believe that if there was not enough rain for the crops they would consult with the dead asking them for rain. At times only one family would pray to the dead for rain but if the drought was severe the whole tribe would put on a ceremony pleading with the dead for rain. b) MESOPOTAMIA. Believe that as the soul would pass from one life into the next life that they needed food, clothing and other items. The oldest son of the family would be responsible to periodically present food, drink and funeral services to feed their ancestors. c) CHINA. On the anniversaries of the dead they would burn incense and they would light candles and place food and offerings upon an altar. It would be in the same days that they would remember the great debts that they owed those who passed. d) THE AZTECS AND THE SERVICE HONORING THE DEAD (MEXICO). The festivals to honor the dead were set by a pre-Hispanic agriculture calendar because it was the only festival that was celebrated at the beginning of the harvest. That is to say that it was the first large festival after the long droughts of the previous months, the same they shared with their dead. For the ancient Mexicans death and life constituted a unity. Death was not the end but the transition from one life to another. The service rendered to the dead (pre-Hispanic tribes) is a concept of a new life in the beyond or in the region or atmosphere of the gods of life and substance (Ometecuhtli and Omecihuatl), and from there the idea to accompany the dead with the material items they will need for their new life, preceded by Mictlantecuhtli and mictecacihuatl, mister and mistress of the dead. Respectively are gods that live in Mictlan or place of the dead. CONCLUSION: All pagans have and still do render services to their dead searching for a way to help those that are dead, to transfer their souls to a better place. Concerning the celebration of the dead or for our faithful deceased they hold mass or special services to offer offerings, foods, drinks, clothing and other objects preferred by the dead such as cigarettes, or cd’s to name a few along with their pictures and as I already mentioned that THESE TRADITIONS are nothing more than pagan worship or service honoring the dead. The different nations to justify this celebration they base it on doctrines that are totally and completely anti biblical. PURGATORIO: From the Latin word “purgare” that means to cleanse or purify. According to the Catholic Church it is a place or condition of temporary punishment for those that have left this life in the grace of God, not permanently cleansed from their sins nor have they paid in full the required payment for their evil deeds. The council of Trento determined that: So that the Catholic Church instituted by the Holy Spirit determined through the scriptures, and the old customs of their fathers that there is purgatory and there the souls are detained, they’re helped through payments (sufferings) but primarily through the acceptable sacrifices at the altar. I recommend for further information to refer to the chic tracks especially those like “the bread of death” “are Catholics Christians” their studies are based on the book of Macabeos 12:43-46 THE BIBLE SAYS: JOHN 19:30 ------------ IT IS FINISHED HEBREWS 9:27-28--- SAYS JESUS WAS OFFERED ONCE FOR OUR SINS HEBREWS 10:12 ----- ASSURES THAT THE SACRIFICE OF OUR LORD WAS SUFFICIENT. Only by faith in his perfect sacrifice was it finished, you can receive forgiveness from all your sins through that one act of love NOTHING ELSE NEEDS TO BE DONE because Jesus defeated death at the cross. The Bible does not mention purgatory, because purgatory is non existent… JOHN 3:3 1 JOHN 1:7-9, 2:2 SHOULD WE OFFER SERVICE TO THE DEAD? NO CHRISTIANS OFFER SERVICE TO THE GOD OF LIFE, TO THE ALMIGHTY GOD AND TO NO ONE ELSE… All information contained in this study was derived from various web pages And was translated by Pastor David W. Wood Sr.
Posted on: Wed, 30 Oct 2013 03:15:06 +0000
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