Dangerous and devious deceptions are abundant these days. If you look one direction, you see a lie, and if you look in the opposite direction, you will see a lie. All around you, lies are flowing freer than water. Am I talking about our President? Our Congress? Other elected officials?
I am talking about those who profess to be Christians. Many are wolves among the sheep. Others are sheep who stand to benefit by acting like a wolf. Some are just ignorantly parroting a lie to those around them. What is a Sabbath? Does it even matter? Isn’t this something that Judaizers, Seventh Day Adventists, Jehovah’s Witnesses, Hebraic Roots movements, and others emphasize? We will deal with some of these groups later in this article.
Scripture tells us the definition of “sabbath” or “shabbath” as it describes the first one that took place.
“And on the seventh day God ended his work which he had made; and he rested on the seventh day from all his work which he had made.” – Gen 2:2
In the Hebrew lexicon, you will find that the word “shabbath” means “rest” or “cease“. Throughout Scripture, GOD created Sabbaths for His people which included the Seventh-Day Sabbath and many other Biblical feast Sabbaths. For example, around the time of Jesus’ death and resurrection, there were multiple Sabbaths taking place due to the Feast of Unleavened Bread and its Sabbaths landing around the time of the normal weekly Sabbath on the seventh day. Therefore, when you read about Sabbaths surrounding that time period in Scripture, you must keep this in mind. To learn more about how this concept actually impacted the timing of Christ’s death, burial, and resurrection, be sure to read the article at this link.
Sabbaths are where the term “holy day” originated. In turn, the word “holy day” became associated with other pagan religious day observances and known eventually as “holidays”. All of this said, most people’s view of holidays or Sabbaths is ignorant at best and Satanic at worst. Few understand what the concept of a Sabbath is supposed to denote. GOD, in His wisdom, knew that we needed rest. He also wanted to place certain days above other days. For example, He created Sabbath days and festivals that would be physically representative of the work of the Messiah on Earth. To see how certain days were symbols of the Messiah’s work, be sure to read the article at this link.
Furthermore, Jesus observed the seventh-day Sabbath as Luke, the physician and disciple of Jesus, pointed out in His Gospel (Luke 4:16) using the words “as his custom was”. Israel had observed the seventh-day Sabbath from the time they were formed into a nation as they departed from Egypt in the Exodus. In fact, it was as they were departing Egypt that they were given their next festival Sabbaths known as Passover Day and the Feast of Unleavened Bread as seen in Exodus chapter 12. At the time of the Exodus, three significant additions were handed to Israel that would set a pattern for things to come involving the Messiah.
First, Feast Sabbaths were set up for GOD’s people. Second, a seventh-day Sabbath was set up for GOD’s people. Third, holy convocations or holy assemblies of GOD’s people were set up to land on both Feast Sabbaths and the seventh-day weekly Sabbath which set the pattern for Jesus and the early Christians who met once per week on the Sabbath. I was a pastor’s son and I was taught from the time I was a child that Sun Day was the “LORD’s Day”. In fact, I didn’t realize that history and Scripture had an entirely different story. I was taught that we should attend an assembly of believers, or “holy convocation” as Scripture calls it, every Sunday. In fact, I was taught I needed to also attend additional services during the week as well, although Scripture gave no commands or precedence for all the services and activities in which we were involved.
As a child, I was also taught that Sabbaths such as Christ’s Mass and Easter were Biblical. I had no idea that they were the Sabbaths of Baal witchcraft and had been syncretically renamed by the Roman Emperor Constantine the Great in a very crafty method by which they gave Christian names and meanings to the pagan Roman religion of Baal and its implements and players and united the Roman Empire’s pagans and Christians into one big religion known as Roman Catholicism. The way that I learned about the Sabbath being the day that Jesus rose from the dead, was from simply studying the Scripture one day. I came across the original Greek text for “first day of the week” in the New Testament and found it really said “sabbath” and not “first day of the week”. That discovery made me search deeper.To learn more about my discoveries, be sure to read the article at this link.
I also had been given a book years earlier by a young man saved out of Catholicism that helped me begin my journey into ancient history and Scripture to understand the ancient history of pagan Baal Sabbaths and how Rome had changed almost everything to isolate and persecute the Jews and Christian believers, while also promoting Baal worship under the guise of Christianity. Many of the so-called holidays today are not Biblical but Babylonian Baal worship which has been adopted by Roman Catholics and then held as a tradition by Protestants in violation of Scripture. To read more about these facts, be sure to read the article at this link. In Foxes’ Book of Martyrs, we read of those who died because they were unwilling to celebrate these pagan holidays.
Not only did Protestants take away many pagan traditions of Rome as addressed in the two previous links I shared, but they also adopted the Sunday “sabbath” of Rome and refrained from adopting the Biblical Sabbath that Rome had discarded during the Council of Laodicea. Under the guise of persecuting Judaizers, the Roman Catholic council of Laodicea condemned the Biblical Sabbath and set up the Baal Sabbath of Sunday in its stead as what they called the “Lord’s Day”. In verity, the “lord” of whom they spoke was the pope and the Biblical believers and Jews were who were being persecuted and not the “Judaizers” as they implied in their council. Furthermore, there were five popes set up around the time of Constantine:
- Miltiades (A.D. 311-314)
- Silvester I (A.D. 313-335)
- Mark (A.D. 336)
- Julius I (A.D. 337-352)
- Liberius (A.D. 352-366)
Ecumenical councils (which are condemned by Scripture) took place during the reigns of these popes and other popes (or bishops of Rome). These false teachers are the ones cited by false teachers today as being the “church fathers”. Scripture tells a different story. In Ephesians 2, we are told that the prophets and apostles were the “rocks” upon which His Christian people, the Temple of Christ, was built with Jesus being the chief Cornerstone of His people. The “church fathers” of Rome and their councils are extra-Biblical traditions and are to be treated as such. One of those traditions started by Rome was the setting forth of Sunday as the “LORD’s Day” as seen in the encyclopedia article at this link and this day was changed under the authority of Pope Liberius in A.D. 363 during the Council of Laodicea. The Sabbath day in Christianity has evolved due to Rome’s directives and not Scripture as can be seen in the encyclopedia article at this link.
Also, the Roman Catholic theologians state themselves that Sunday was a Roman creation and not Scriptural. They use this fact to convince Protestants that if they have accepted the Pope’s authority in the matter of Sunday’s replacement of the true Sabbath that they should also recognize that the Pope is able to change GOD’s laws in other matters too. Such teaching is heretical, but most Protestants today still observe Sunday even though the Bible never condemns the Saturday holy convocation and Sabbath, and the Bible also never promotes Sunday as a “new holy convocation” or “Sabbath”. In fact, as shown in clear detail in an article to which I directed you earlier in this presentation, the Greek word “sabbaton” is used in reference to the Resurrection Day of Jesus Christ. Let’s see what the Roman Catholic theologians and even the Baptists and Scripture have to say about how Sunday became “the LORD’s Day” as seen in the article at this link.
I have not included much material in this article on the Scriptural and historical understanding of Sabbaths, but instead I have sought to provide you links to other articles which present a very clear, detailed description of the Scriptural basis and use of Sabbaths. After visiting each of the links, you should be able to understand why I no longer agree with family, friends, and beloved Christians regarding the Sabbaths and how they are to be used and when they are to be kept. All of this said, I believe Christians can assemble together any day of the week that they so desire, and I also condemn those who would require you to keep Biblical Feasts or Sabbaths for salvation or other such legalistic practices as the early Judaizers did. Romans 14:1-12 is very clear on not requiring the observance of all the holy days or Sabbaths, and we are not to become the judge of another man’s conscience who wishes to observe or not observe Biblical feasts and holy days. This has nothing to do with pagan assimilation, however, or the adopting of pagan days to celebrate GOD. Such pagan assimilation was despicable to GOD who strongly condemned the use of pagan rituals, feasts or practices for Himself.
Also, we are to render history and Scripture accurately, so that we are not seen as completely ignorant by those who know the history of the Sabbaths and so that we can be a worthy ambassador of our Savior Jesus Christ. We are also to show our allegiance to GOD and His commands, not to Rome, their affections for the sun, their papal system, and their usurpation of Scripture. I highly doubt that a call for early believers to obey the pope instead of GOD was what Paul meant in Romans 14 when he said not to be dogmatic, considering the papal system wasn’t even in place at that time. While GOD oftentimes chooses the foolish to accomplish His purposes on earth, we must realize that He does not want us to remain foolish. Today, we are being decimated by Satan due to our lack of knowledge, which reminds me of this verse.
“My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge: because thou hast rejected knowledge, I will also reject thee, that thou shalt be no priest to me: seeing thou hast forgotten the law of thy God, I will also forget thy children.” – Hosea 4:6
While many Christians fought to keep the Ten Commandments on the walls of government buildings, their pastors were working hard to make the Ten Commandments no longer applicable to Christians.
Requiring works for salvation is evil. Not requiring works for sanctification is evil. We must find a balance. Christ demands faith for salvation, but obedience for sanctification. Since we are Christ’s slave since He purchased those of us who trust in Him, there’s a difference between not being a slave to the Law and just plain not obeying His Law or commands – quite a difference. The Apostle Paul stated we are never to sin in order that grace may abound. Such behavior is forbidden. Jesus came to fulfill the law and the prophets, not to destroy them.
Also, keep in mind that the Devil is very clever. I believe he has created deceptive entities such as the Roman Catholic religion for himself in order to blaspheme GOD’s name. By having that version of the religion of Baal cloak itself under the guise of Christianity, he has carried out Inquisitions, Crusades, Holocausts, and bloody massacres in the name of Jesus Christ when the Bible teaches that Jesus’ kingdom was not of this world. While the men of Rome have accumulated great wealth, Jesus stated that the foxes had holes and the birds of the air had nests, but that He had nowhere to lay His own head.
The Devil is also clever enough to create religions like the Hebraic Roots movement, the Seventh Day Adventists and the Jehovah’s Witnesses, who emulate Judaizers from the New Testament and whose history appears to have emanated straight from Rome as well as seen in this article and in this article and this article. Did you not know that the Roman Jesuits are told to pretend to be the enemy and to loudly decry the Vatican in order to accomplish their goal of world domination as shown in the article at this link?
By creating the Seventh Day Adventists, the Jehovah’s Witnesses, the Hebraic Roots movement, and Judaizers, and having them expose the Vatican’s evil, which even many mainstream Protestants and conservatives refuse to expose, including evil related to Sabbaths, these false religions have been used by Satan to gain a great following. Why? Because they use the truth on the Sabbaths which they share to gain men’s confidence and then spin a lie about the Gospel. Another reason, these groups flourish is because many Christian pastors failed to thoroughly study the Word and history in exposing Rome and her lies, and have failed to promote the Biblical view of Sabbaths which must be kept free of Roman influence. If Christian pastors told the truth about the Sabbaths, it would remove the engine that drives many of these false religions since these false teachers are using the Sabbath lies to discredit all the Truth that many Christian pastors are teaching.
Satan knows how to exploit chinks in our armor and he knows how to use knowledge of the Truth for his own gain, but that’s why true believers should know the Scriptures and know their history. It should also be pointed out that the weekly seventh-day Sabbath was around since the dawn of Creation long before the Law of Moses was given. Also, the pattern of the Sabbath is seen over and over throughout the Bible from GOD’s theocratic laws regarding the seventh year cessation of slaves from bondage and the cessation of debts to the seventh Millennium of human history possibly serving as a cessation or rest known as the Millennial Reign of Christ as seen in an entirely separate article on this site regarding the Day of the LORD and the LORD’s Day Sabbath (one of Christ’s titles is Lord of the Sabbath).
I have attempted to list many articles in this article (and very little in this article) to explain how Rome has changed the purpose and timing of Sabbaths to ensure that the people of GOD are enjoying witch Sabbaths instead of the true Sabbaths of the Bible. Meanwhile, we must also know how to answer those who would use this knowledge of true and false Sabbaths to gain more of a following in their belief systems.
I will point you again to some very good resources and I will also list the top major reasons that Hebraic Roots, Seventh Day Adventists and Jehovah’s Witnesses are false in their teaching.
First, the easier one to expose is Hebraic Roots who are a fairly mirror copy of the Judaizers in the Bible. Not much has changed since those days, except now we have Gentiles who are Judaizers too. Any religion that requires you to keep certain days, do certain sacraments, earn “means of grace” through various works, or who add anything to the Work of Christ are considered to be heretics and anathema according to GOD’s Word as delivered through the Apostle Paul’s writings in the Book of Galatians.
Second, the Seventh Day Adventists (SDAs) like to play as close to traditional Christianity as possible with a few very heretical exceptions. They believe Jesus is really Michael the archangel (just like the Jehovah’s Witnesses do) but at the same time they do not deny Christ’s Deity as explained in the article at this link. They also believe in the teachings of Ellen White and other false prophets. The apostle Paul states that the Jews were reserved by GOD to be the oracles of GOD. Ellen White was not Jewish and her prophecy does not correlate with our understanding of Scripture as shown in her failed prophecies as shown in the article at this link. The Old Testament was clear that if a prophet made a prediction and it did not come true that such a prophet was false and was to be stoned. In other words, the test of a true prophet is that he doesn’t give false prophecies … EVER. His prophecies are ALWAYS true. Ellen White was also quoted as denying the Deity of Christ as shown in the article at this link. That article and others like it also explain the SDA religion believes that the wicked are annihilated and deny an eternal lake of fire. Those who follow such false teaching as that described above had best submit to Christ and His Word, lest they find themselves in that very lake of fire forever.
Finally, the Jehovah’s Witnesses deny the Deity of Christ, claim that He is actually Michael the archangel, and believe in a works salvation. Hebrews chapters one and two refute both the Jehovah’s Witnesses and the Seventh Day Adventists regarding their beliefs that Jesus is an angel. They have a number of other perverted beliefs as seen in this apologist article regarding the Messiah Jesus Christ and the Scriptures, but we will deal mainly with the one related to Christ’s Deity.
Click to see a LARGER VERSION of this photo.
I asked a Jehovah’s Witness to look at their own translation of the Bible regarding the following verses and I also offered to him a plethora of ancient manuscripts to do his own translation of the ancient Hebrew and Greek texts. I then asked him to go to the Septuagint Greek Old Testament that was translated before the time of Christ and read the words that were used for GOD in that translation, and compare those words to the names used for Jesus Christ in any Greek New Testament. Specifically, I referred to the two names of GOD “Kyrios” and “Theos“. He immediately lost interest in trying to propagate his false teachings to me. Why? Well, I’ll give you the same assignment, and then perhaps you’ll know ‘why’.
Read the following four verses in any translation, including the JW’s errant translation, and you will see what I mean.
- Matthew 1:23
- Isaiah 9:6
- Titus 2:13
- John 5:18
The easy solution is the Blue Letter Bible (http://www.blueletterbible.org) with which you can click the Tools on each verse and look at the Hebrew or Greek for each word. I have included links below as well for each of the oldest ancient manuscripts of the Bible. Some of these have only small portions of the Bible in them, because keep in mind that there are about 15,000 ancient manuscripts of the Bible which means that the Bible is the most easily authenticated and verified for accuracy of any ancient text or historical record in the world.
However, the Masoretic Text in Hebrew and the Textus Receptus in Greek have very complete manuscripts and have less of the Vatican’s hands on them which is why the KJV which was translated from them was considered such a great translation by many (including the Jesuits evidently who planned numerous plots against King James at the time). While some go so extreme as to say it’s the only translation, I take the balanced view that it is probably a great translation, because of its source manuscripts. I do not know of any translation that doesn’t have some minor errors. That’s why I consult the original manuscripts on the “big questions”. All of this said, I’ll list several manuscript links and list the Masoretic and Textus Receptus manuscript links at the end of the list for you to use in your translation of the above verses.
- Codex Amiatinus
- Codex Sinaiticus
- Codex Alexandrinusr
- Septuagint
- Masoretic text (Hebrew Old Testament)
- Textus Receptus (Hebrew Old Testament)
- Textus Receptus (Greek New Testament)
When this Jehovah’s Witness attempted to sell me on Jesus being the same as Michael the archangel using Christophanies, I pointed out to him that Hebrews 1 and 2 teach Jesus was not an angel. I also pointed out that Jesus was man and GOD, and thus He had the unique ability to be seen by mankind, while the Father could not be seen by mankind. Therefore, when you see a plethora of Scriptures saying that GOD cannot be seen of mankind, and a plethora of Scriptures where GOD has been seen of mankind as shown in the article at his link, it’s not a contradiction. In fact, it’s just that much more proof that Jesus is GOD and that the Trinity exists. This explains the Christophanies, and it also explains how GOD can be seen at times (Jesus Christ), while at other times GOD cannot be seen by mankind (Father) according to Scripture. Jehovah’s Witnesses have no answers for these matters, except to say that Jesus is an angel which the first two chapters of the Book of Hebrews clearly and adamantly refutes. I also shared a link with this Jehovah’s Witness regarding how Scripture teaches that the Lake of Fire is forever, since JWs do not believe in an eternal lake of fire much like the Seventh Day Adventists.
In conclusion, we must know the truth regarding Biblical Sabbaths. Instead of siding with traditions of Protestants that they received from Roman Catholicism that give us pagan Sabbaths in the guise of Biblical Christianity, and instead of being lured by false teachers who share the true history of Rome’s pagan practices which Protestants have adopted in order to teach you a false gospel, we must reject both extremes and their heresies. Instead, we must adopt the Biblical Sabbath and its many Sabbaths, not due to a legalistic requirement, but due to a love for Christ. We must shun pagan assimilation which teaches that it’s acceptable to take the unholy Sabbaths of Baal and use them for Jesus Christ. In doing so, we shun tradition, pagan assimilation, and prevent false teachers such as the JWs, Adventists and their ilk from finding chinks in our armor.
We must learn the Truth in order to be set free of pagan traditions and in order to set others free of false teachers.
What did the martyrs have to say about pagan or Catholic holy days or festivals such as Christmas, Easter, Sunday, Good Friday, or Hallow-even?
Catholic holidays were a time when barbaric acts were carried out upon Christians.
“The first effects Mr. Lithgow felt of the determination of this bloody tribunal was, a sentence to receive that night eleven different tortures, and if he did not die in the execution of them, (which might be reasonably expected from the maimed and disjointed condition he was in) he was, after Easter holy-days, to be carried to Grenada, and there burnt to ashes.” – FOXE’S BOOK OF MARTYRS (p. 150)
“James Austoo and his wife, of St. Allhallows, Barking, London, were sentenced for not believing in the presence. Richard Roth rejected the seven sacraments, and was accused of comforting the heretics by the following letter written in his own blood, and intended to have been sent to his friends at Colchester: “O dear Brethren and Sisters, “How much reason have you to rejoice in God, that he hath given you such faith to overcome this blood-thirsty tyrant thus far! And no doubt he that hath begun that good work in you, will fulfil it unto the end. O dear hearts in Christ, what a crown of glory shall ye receive with Christ in the kingdom of God! O that it had been the good will of God that I had been ready to have gone with you; for I lie in my lord’s Little-ease by day, and in the night I lie in the Coal-house, apart from Ralph Allerton, or any other; and we look every day when we shall be condemned; for he said that I should be burned within ten days before Easter; but I lie still at the pool’s brink, and every man goeth in before me; but we abide patiently the Lord’s leisure, with many bonds, in fetters and stocks, by which we have received great joy of God. And now fare you well, dear brethren and sisters, in this world, but I trust to see you in the heavens face to face.” – FOXE’S BOOK OF MARTYRS (p. 376, 377)
“In one of the commotions, the Eutychians determined to wreak their vengeance on Proterius, who fled to the church for sanctuary: but on Good Friday, A. D. 457, a large body of them rushed into the church, and barbarously murdered the prelate; after which they dragged the body through the streets, insulted it, cut it to pieces, burnt it, and scattered the ashes in the air.” – FOXE’S BOOK OF MARTYRS (p. 80)
Do not American Protestants also participate today in the Feasts (holidays) and Spectacles (entertainment) of Catholicism and pagan Rome?
“At the fetes [FEASTS] and spectacles that were given at the public expense, the absence of the protestants was charged on them as a proof of their disloyalty; and in the midst of the cries of “Vive le Roi,” the discordant sounds of “A bas le Maire,” down with the mayor, were heard. M. Castletan was a protestant; he appeared in public with the prefect M. Ruland, a catholic, when potatoes were thrown at him, and the people declared that he ought to resign his office. The bigots of Nismes even succeeded in procuring an address to be presented to the king, stating that there ought to be in France but one God, one king, and one faith. In this they were imitated by the catholics of several towns.” – FOXE’S BOOK OF MARTYRS (p. 495)
While pastors today refuse to preach against Easter and stand against Catholic holidays, the early martyrs were willing to die for Christ over such matters.
“Irenæus, bishop of Lyons, was born in Greece, and received both a polite and a christian education. It is generally supposed, that the account of the persecutions at Lyons was written by himself. He succeeded the martyr Pothinus as bishop of Lyons, and ruled his diocese with great propriety; he was a zealous opposer of heresies in general, and, about A. D. 187, he wrote a celebrated tract against heresy. Victor, the bishop of Rome, wanting to impose the keeping of Easter there, in preference to other places, it occasioned some disorders among the christians. In particular, Irenæus wrote him a synodical epistle, in the name of the Gallic churches. This zeal, in favour of christianity, pointed him out as an object of resentment to the emperor; and in A. D. 202, he was beheaded.” – FOXE’S BOOK OF MARTYRS (p. 49)
The following historical account sounds like a conversation today, except instead of between Christians and Catholics, it’s now held between Christians and Protestants also … sadly.
“What is my sin, except that I conversed with some individuals, shewing them the errors of the church of Rome?” Then he requested me again, to say, that I believed as did that church, and said, grasping me firmly by the chin, “see how I will take you if you do not repent.” I begged him to appoint some one to shew me the truth, by way of discussion, but he would not, and continued expressing his own sentiment, that we are bound to hold fast to the church, even to such a length, that if she should even reject the gospel, we should reject it too.” – Foxe’s Book of Martyrs
FOXE’S BOOK OF MARTYRS STATES of the Catholic feast days:
“The trial of Jerom was brought on the third day after his accusation and witnesses were examined in support of the charge. The prisoner was prepared for his defence, which appears almost incredible, when we consider he had been three hundred and forty days shut up in loathsome prisons, deprived of daylight, and almost starved for want of common necessaries. But his spirit soared above these disadvantages, under which a man less animated would have sunk; nor was he more at a loss for quotations from the fathers and ancient authors than if he had been furnished with the finest library. The most bigoted of the assembly were unwilling he should be heard, knowing what effect eloquence is apt to have on the minds of the most prejudiced. At length, however, it was carried by the majority, that he should have liberty to proceed in his defence, which he began to such an exalted strain of moving elocution, that the heart of obdurate zeal was seen to melt, and the mind of superstition seemed to admit a ray of conviction. He made an admirable distinction between evidence as resting upon facts, and as supported by malice and calumny. He laid before the assembly the whole tenor of his life and conduct. He observed that the greatest and most holy men had been known to differ in points of speculation, with a view to distinguish truth, not to keep it concealed. He expressed a noble contempt of all his enemies, who would have induced him to retract the cause of virtue and truth. He entered upon a high encomium of Huss; and declared he was ready to follow him in the glorious track of martyrdom. He then touched upon the most defensible doctrines of Wickliffe; and concluded with observing that it was far from his intention to advance any thing against the state of the church of God; that it was only against the abuse of the clergy he complained; and that he could not help saying, it was certainly impious that the patrimony of the church, which was originally intended for the purpose of charity and universal benevolence, should be prostituted to the pride of the eye, in FEASTS, foppish vestments, and other reproaches to the name and profession of christianity.
CHAPTER VII.
The trial being over, Jerom received the same sentence that had been passed upon his martyred countryman. In consequence of this he was, in the usual style of popish affectation, delivered over to the civil power: but as he was a layman, he had not to undergo the ceremony of degradation. They had prepared a cap of paper painted with red devils, which being put upon his head, he said, “Our Lord Jesus Christ, when he suffered death for me a most miserable sinner, did wear a crown of thorns upon his head, and for His sake will I wear this cap.” Two days were allowed him in hopes that he would recant; in which time the cardinal of Florence used his utmost endeavours to bring him over. But they all proved ineffectual. Jerom was resolved to seal the doctrine with his blood; and he suffered death with the most distinguished magnanimity. In going to the place of execution he sung several hymns, and when he came to the spot, which was the same where Huss had been burnt, he knelt down, and prayed fervently. He embraced the stake with great cheerfulness, and when they went behind him to set fire to the fagots, he said, “Come here, and kindle it before my eyes; for if I had been afraid of it, I had not come to this place.” The fire being kindled, he sung a hymn, but was soon interrupted by the flames; and the last words he was heard to say these:–“This soul in flames I offer.”
Upon the observance of CandleMass in February, we read:
“In November, fifteen martyrs were imprisoned in Canterbury castle, of whom all were either burnt or famished. Among the latter were J. Clark, D. Chittenden, W. Foster of Stone, Alice Potkins, and J. Archer, of Cranbrooke, weaver. The two first of these had not received condemnation, but the others were sentenced to the fire. Foster, at his examination, observed upon the utility of carrying lighted candles about on Candlemas-day, that he might as well carry a pitch fork; and that a gibbet would have as good an effect as the cross.” – FOXE’S BOOK OF MARTYRS (p. 363)
FOXE’S BOOK OF MARTYRS shows clearly that Pagan and Catholic festivals were NOT redeemable for Christian use.
“Epipodius, being compassionated by the governor of Lyons, and exhorted to join in their festive pagan worship, replied, “Your pretended tenderness is actually cruelty; and the agreeable life you describe is replete with everlasting death Christ suffered for us, that our pleasures should be immortal, and hath prepared for his followers an eternity of bliss. The frame of man being composed of two parts, body and soul, the first, as mean and perishable, should be rendered subservient to the interests of the last. Your idolatrous FEASTS may gratify the mortal, but they injure the immortal part; that cannot therefore be enjoying life which destroys the most valuable moiety of your frame. Your pleasures lead to eternal death, and our pains to perpetual happiness.” Epipodius was severely beaten, and then put to the rack, upon which being stretched, his flesh was torn with iron hooks. Having borne his torments with incredible patience and unshaken fortitude, he was taken from the rack and beheaded.”
FOXE’S BOOK OF MARTYRS explains that Catholic festivals were forbidden by those who left Rome. It is no secret what those festivals were.
“Zisca now began again to pay attention to the Reformation; he forbid all the prayers for the dead, images, sacerdotal vestments, fasts, and festivals … [he] was buried in the great Church of Czaslow, in Bohemia, where a monument is erected to his memory, with this inscription on it-“Here lies John Zisca, who, having defended his country against the encroachments of papal tyranny, rests in this hallowed place, in despite of the pope.”
History bears record that the Jews who believed in GOD during the time of the Old Testament anti-christ, Antiochus Epiphanes, were told to participate in pagan festivals and culture or face death. What did they do? They died to honor the Creator Yahweh.
“On the monthly celebration of the king’s birthday, the Jews were taken, under bitter constraint, to partake of the sacrifices; and when a festival of Dionysus was celebrated, they were compelled to wear wreaths of ivy and to walk in the procession in honor of Dionysus. At the suggestion of the people of Ptolemais a decree was issued to the neighboring Greek cities that they should adopt the same policy toward the Jews and make them partake of the sacrifices, and should kill those who did not choose to change over to Greek customs.” – 2 Maccabees 6
Today, believers in GOD do not have to be threatened. They willingly participate in pagan and Catholic holidays and culture .. to their eternal shame. Thus, we see the Gentile believers as they finish out the “time of the Gentiles” are doing far less righteously than the pre-Christ Jewish believers of the Old Testament who finished out the time of the Jews with martyrdom. I believe GOD is about to turn back to His Jewish people again with an outpouring of the Spirit … and no wonder. Gentile Christians have become no different than the lost souls around them, because they have patterned themselves after their unbelieving neighbors in violation of Romans 12:1-2, and they have assimilated the pagans and adopted the culture of unregenerate souls.
FOXE’S BOOK OF MARTYRS shows us the Black Mass of the Occult during their Easter Week, which was continued by Catholic tradition using the name of Tenebres Mass (Black Mass), occurred on the Catholic holy day of “Good Friday”.
Since human sacrifice occurred regularly during Witch Sabbaths and especially at a Black Mass, it’s no surprise that they chose to historically celebrate Jesus on a cross (instead of the resurrection) for it was the Black Mass that Satan is most proud and devoted to adoring as seen in the Eucharist where the Catholic priest also claims to “re-sacrifice Christ”. Satan and his pagans love to see Jesus hanging on a cross and then buried as often as possible; thus, the Black Mass and its ritual of recreating the sacrifice of Jesus is performed not only on Good Friday but every Sun Day, where they symbolically sacrifice Jesus (in their minds) through their Mass. Look at the Occult headgear worn on Easter Week as shown in the article at this link of Catholic’s celebration of Easter Week. Then read the following from Foxe’s Book of Martyrs:
“LUDICROUS FORMS AND CEREMONIES | At the feast of Christmas, the Roman catholics have exhibited in their churches a cradle, with an image of an infant in it, which is rocked with great seeming devotion; and on Good-Friday they have the figure of our Saviour on the cross, and then they perform the service which they call the Tenebres; having abundance of lighted candles, all of which they extinguish one by one, after which the body is taken down from the cross and put into a sepulchre, and men stand to watch it. CRUEL MAXIMS | Papists hold that heretics may not be termed children and kindred; that no faith is to be kept with heretics; and that it is lawful to torture or kill them for the good of their souls.” – John Foxe
Tenebres is Latin for “Darkness”.
Biblical Connection 