Counterfeit Religion

“So you must be very careful for yourselves, because you did not see any form on the day Yahweh spoke to you at Horeb from the midst of the fire,  so that you do not ruin yourselves and make for yourselves a divine image in a form of any image, a replica of male or female

Deuteronomy 4:15–16 (LEB)

Why do Christians celebrate days that are not celebrated by Jesus (Yeshua) and His disciples, and disparage the special days that they actually celebrated? Why are we told we do not have to follow the instructions of the Creator? Why are we making and using divine images like the ones in the featured image of this post when Yahuah clearly told His people not to do this? Did God change His mind? Christians have been tricked, duped and bamboozled, and I will tell these things a thousand different ways hoping someone will be interested enough to search themselves out of the deception and condition of cognitive dissonance. The following is from psychologytoday.com regarding cognitive dissonance:

The theory of cognitive dissonance proposes that people are averse to inconsistencies within their own minds. It offers one explanation for why people sometimes make an effort to adjust their thinking when their own thoughts, words, or behaviors seem to clash with each other.

When one learns new information that challenges a deeply held belief, for example, or acts in a way that seems to undercut a favorable self-image, that person may feel motivated to somehow resolve the negative feeling that results—to restore cognitive consonance. Though a person may not always resolve cognitive dissonance, the response to it may range from ignoring the source of it to changing one’s beliefs or behavior to eliminate the conflict.

When being taught scripture in Sunday school or Bible study, I had to deal with cognitive dissonance. For a long time I had to ignore the source, that is scripture, until I finally had to change my behavior. In the Christian religion, we are told many things that directly contradict the scriptures. In order to reconcile this we have to chalk it up to not understanding, completely ignore scripture, place traditions of men higher than scripture or assign the uncomfortable things we find to someone else, such as “the Jews”, as is done in dispensational theology.

Romans 3:1–2 (LEB)

3 Therefore, what is the advantage of the Jew, or what is the use of circumcision? ² Much in every way. For first, that they were entrusted with the oracles of God.

Paul tells us the Jews were entrusted with the oracles of God. Yahuah, the Creator, shared with His people how He wants someone to conduct their life if they are to be called His people. Do you consider yourself one of God’s people? Then why don’t you follow His instructions? Are you feeling some cognitive dissonance right about now? Do not ignore the source, reconcile it!

Yeshua (Jesus) told us the Father’s commandments are eternal life. Through Moses they were shared with us also. Yeshua told us how to apply them: “I want mercy and not sacrifice.”

John 12:49–50 (LEB)

⁴⁹ For I have not spoken from myself, but the Father himself who sent me has commanded me what I should say and what I should speak. ⁵⁰ And I know that his commandment is eternal life. So the things that I say, just as the Father said to me, thus I say.”

Nowhere in your New Testament pages will you find an early believer celebrating the “birthday” of Jesus, Easter, All Saints Day or the Sabbath day on a Sunday. These are all corruptions to deceive people away from worshiping the Father in spirit and truth because these days are all based on lies and pagan rituals otherwise known as witchcraft.

Daniel 7:21–25 (LEB)

²¹ I continued watching, and this horn made war with the holy ones and it prevailed over them, ²² until the Ancient of Days came and gave judgment to the holy ones of the Most High; and the time arrived and the holy ones took possession of the kingdom. ²³ “And he said, ‘The fourth beast is the fourth kingdom that will be on the earth that will be different from all the other kingdoms, and it will devour the whole earth and it will trample it and it will crush it. ²⁴ And as for the ten horns coming from it, from this kingdom ten kings will arise, and another will arise after them. And he will be different from the earlier ones, and he will subdue three kings. ²⁵ And he will speak words against the Most High, and he will wear out the holy ones of the Most High, and he will attempt to change times and law, and they will be given into his hand for a time and two times and half a time.

We are at war with the fourth beast, and changing times and laws seems to fit our situation very well in Christianity. Look at the special days that Yahuah calls His days, which the fourth beast hates and taught its children to hate also.

Leviticus 23:1–2 (LEB)

23 Then Yahweh spoke to Moses, saying, ² “Speak to the Israelites, and say to them, ‘The festivals of Yahweh that you shall proclaim are holy assemblies; these are my appointed times.

Yahuah told the Israelites what His appointed times are and we have the advantage of knowing them because “the Jews were entrusted with the oracles of God”. His appointed times are called Mo’ed or Mo’edim (plural) in Hebrew, and are the designated meeting times for Yahuah and His people. These are God’s best days that He shares with His people. There is nothing about birthdays, dying and resurrecting sun gods and celebrating a day of the dead, even if it is changed to dead “saints”. Yeshua and his disciples celebrated Passover and First Fruits which are a shadow of the Messiah’s sacrifice and resurrection. We should not be making images, or mixing bunnies and eggs from the spring sex goddess into these celebrations.

Psalm 95:8–11 (LEB)

⁸ “Do not harden your heart as at Meribah, as in the day of Massah in the wilderness, ⁹ when your ancestors tried me. They put me to the test, even though they had seen my work. ¹⁰ For forty years I loathed that generation, and said, ‘They are a people whose heart wanders. And my ways they do not know.’ ¹¹ Therefore I swore in my anger, ‘They shall surely not enter into my rest.’ ”

The writer of Hebrews quotes these verses in Psalms when speaking about the Sabbath. He also tells us not to abandon meeting together.

Hebrews 10:24–25 (LEB)

²⁴ And let us think about how to stir one another up to love and good works, ²⁵ not abandoning our meeting together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging each other, and by so much more as you see the day drawing near.

What better times to meet together than the appointed days of Yahuah? He gave us His festivals, Sabbaths and feast days that we find the Messiah and His disciples meeting on and celebrating. The fourth beast changed the special days of the Creator to the special days of the beast, honoring the forever resurrecting sun god and springtime sex goddess. We are even found posting “he is risen” on social media Easter morning as if he just “rose again” in the yearly sun god cycle. Yeshua resurrected once on first fruits, and by celebrating Passover and First Fruits we honor this event as Yahuah intended. Everything else is counterfeit.

Leviticus 23:1–36 (LEB)

Yahweh’s Feasts

23 Then Yahweh spoke to Moses, saying, ² “Speak to the Israelites, and say to them, ‘The festivals of Yahweh that you shall proclaim are holy assemblies; these are my appointed times.

Yahweh’s Sabbath

³ “ ‘For six days work is to be done, and on the seventh day shall be a Sabbath of complete rest, a holy assembly; you shall not do any work; it shall be a Sabbath for Yahweh in all your dwellings.

The Passover

⁴ “ ‘These are Yahweh’s appointed times, holy assemblies, which you shall proclaim at their appointed time. ⁵ In the first month, on the fourteenth of the month at the evening is Yahweh’s Passover. ⁶ And on the fifteenth day of this month is Yahweh’s Feast of Unleavened Bread; for seven days you shall eat unleavened bread. ⁷ On the first day there shall be a holy assembly for you; you shall not do _⌊any regular work_⌋. ⁸ And you shall present an offering for Yahweh made by fire for seven days; on the seventh day there shall be a holy assembly; you shall not do any regular work.’ ”

The Feast of Firstfruits

⁹ Then Yahweh spoke to Moses, saying, ¹⁰ “Speak to the Israelites, and say to them, ‘When you come to the land that I am about to give to you and you reap its harvest, then you shall bring a sheaf of the firstfruit of your harvest to the priest. ¹¹ And he shall wave the sheaf before Yahweh for your acceptance; the priest shall wave it on the day after the Sabbath. ¹² And on the day of your waving the sheaf you shall offer a yearling male lamb without defect as a burnt offering to Yahweh. ¹³ And its grain offering shall be two-tenths of an ephah of finely milled flour mixed with oil, an offering made by fire for Yahweh, an appeasing fragrance; and its libation shall be a fourth of a hin of wine. ¹⁴ And you shall not eat bread or roasted grain or ripe grain until this very same day, until you present your God’s offering. This must be a lasting statute for your generations in all your dwellings.

The Feast of Weeks

¹⁵ “ ‘And you shall count for yourselves from the day after the Sabbath, from the day of your bringing the wave offering’s sheaf—there shall be seven full weeks. ¹⁶ Until _⌊the day after the seventh Sabbath you shall count fifty days; then you shall present a new grain offering for Yahweh. ¹⁷ You shall bring from your dwellings for a wave offering two loaves of bread made with two-tenths of an ephah of finely milled flour; they must be baked with leaven—the firstfruits belonging to Yahweh. ¹⁸ And, in addition to the bread, you shall present seven yearling male lambs without defects and one young bull and two rams—they shall be a burnt offering for Yahweh with their grain offering and their libations, an offering made by fire, an appeasing fragrance for Yahweh. ¹⁹ And you shall offer one he-goat as a sin offering and two yearling male lambs as a sacrifice of fellowship offerings. ²⁰ And the priest shall wave them with the bread of the firstfruits as a wave offering before Yahweh; in addition to the two male lambs, they shall be holy for Yahweh for the priest. ²¹ And you shall make a proclamation on this very same day; it shall be a holy assembly for you; you shall not do any regular work; this is a lasting statute in all your dwellings throughout your generations. ²² And when you reap the harvest of your land, you must not finish the edge of your field at your reaping, and you must not glean the remnants of your harvest—you shall leave them behind for the needy and for the alien; I am Yahweh your God.’ ”

The Feast of Trumpets

²³ Then Yahweh spoke to Moses, saying, ²⁴ “Speak to the Israelites, saying, ‘In the seventh month, on the first day of the month, you must have a rest period, a remembrance of the trumpet blast, a holy assembly. ²⁵ You must not do any regular work, and you shall present an offering made by fire to Yahweh.’ ”

The Day of Atonement

²⁶ Then Yahweh spoke to Moses, saying, ²⁷ “Surely the Day of Atonement is on the tenth day of the seventh month; it shall be a holy assembly for you, and you shall deny yourselves, and you shall present an offering made by fire to Yahweh. ²⁸ And you must not do any regular work on this very same day, because it is the Day of Atonement to make atonement for you before Yahweh your God. ²⁹ If there is any person who does not deny himself on this very same day, then he shall be cut off from his people. ³⁰ As for any person who does any work on this very same day, I will exterminate that person from the midst of his people. ³¹ You must not do any work; it is a lasting statute throughout your generations in all your dwellings. ³² It is a Sabbath of complete rest for you, and you shall deny yourselves on the ninth day of the month in the evening—from evening to evening you must observe your extraordinary Sabbath.”

The Feast of Booths

³³ Then Yahweh spoke to Moses, saying, ³⁴ “Speak to the Israelites, saying, ‘On the fifteenth day of the seventh month, this shall be the Feast of Booths for seven days for Yahweh. ³⁵ On the first day there shall be a holy assembly; you must not do any regular work. ³⁶ For seven days you must present an offering made by fire to Yahweh. On the eighth day it shall be a holy assembly for you, and you shall present an offering made by fire to Yahweh; it is a celebration; you must not do any regular work.

Paul tells believers in Colossae not to be troubled by people judging them for keeping the Sabbaths or festivals. The Colossians were mostly converted pagans and polytheists coming out of those traditions. Much like when a Christian tries to honor the Sabbath, Passover, Unleavened Bread and Shavaout, people will mock and criticize them, especially in Christian circles. The standard Christian holy days, such as Christmas and Easter, are the same days the polytheist people of Colassae would be celebrating. They were festivals for the gods of their culture that were “Christianized”. The whole culture honored these days, much like today with Christmas and Easter. Think about it: why does the whole world celebrate Christmas and Easter and pay no regard to the Creator or His son?

The Muslims know Christmas has nothing to do with the Jewish Messiah, Yeshua. These days have ancient origins and are found in every culture. Anyone that does not follow suit, celebrating weird “Jewish” days are judged. Paul tells us not to worry about being judged for not partaking in these worldly holidays and keeping the days special to Yahuah. They are “a shadow of what is to come, but the reality is Christ”. This does not mean we should not celebrate God’s days and go back to pagan rituals, rebranding them in the name of Yahuah. Many understand this, but continue to ignore it.

Colossians 2:16–17 (LEB)

¹⁶ Therefore do not let anyone judge you with reference to eating or drinking or participation in a feast or a new moon or a Sabbath, ¹⁷ which are a shadow of what is to come, but the reality is Christ.

I realize these verses are usually used to impugn the people who are keeping the Sabbaths, but the context of the verse clearly shows former gentile believers were being drawn back into philosophy and pagan rituals. We can celebrate God’s feast days now with the understanding of their meaning in the reality of the Messiah.

The fall feast days are coming towards the end of September this year. There is much debate on how to keep them and how to determine the dates. When the temple was still standing in the first century, the latest calendar was proclaimed, and it was the calendar used by the apostles and Yeshua. This is the calendar our family uses because the leaders and priests were the people assigned to the task of proclaiming the days. If the days are technically wrong, it is on those leaders’ shoulders, not mine, and I do not feel that I have any authority to pick and chose the dates these feasts should be celebrated.

23 Then Yahweh spoke to Moses, saying, ² “Speak to the Israelites, and say to them, ‘The festivals of Yahweh that you shall proclaim are holy assemblies; these are my appointed times.

September 26 is the Feast of Trumpets this year, a day of trumpet blowing and a Sabbath, the Day of Atonement is October 5th, which is a day of reflection, repentance and also a Sabbath, and Booths starts October 10th, ending with Shmini Azteret on October 17th. October 10th and 17th are Sabbaths. There are no priests, no temple, and not much opportunity to return to the land; however, anyone can keep a Sabbath, blow a trumpet and reflect, repent or fast anywhere in the world. These are all days with huge prophetic implications we should be learning and putting into practice.

Next time you are slicing your ham on Easter or bowing down under the Christmas tree, a symbol of the ancient sex goddess, do not ignore the source of cognitive dissonance. These are counterfeit festivals the enemies of Yahuah celebrated in Egypt and Babylon that the fourth beast just put a new spin on to supposedly line up with Christianity. It is worship to the wrong god. There are many warnings in scripture about trying to worship Yahuah with the things of other gods. It is called sexual immorality and idolatry, and the House of Israel was punished severely for doing these things that Christians shamelessly do today. Yeshua also warned us.

Revelation 2:18–23 (LEB)

¹⁸ “And to the angel of the church in Thyatira write:“This is what the Son of God says, the one who has his eyes like a fiery flame and his feet like fine bronze: ¹⁹ ‘I know your works, and your love, and faith, and service, and patient endurance—and your last works are greater than the first. ²⁰ But I have against you that you tolerate the woman Jezebel, the one who calls herself a prophetess, and teaches and deceives my slaves to commit sexual immorality and to eat food sacrificed to idols. ²¹ And I have given her time in order to repent, and she did not want to repent from her sexual immorality. ²² Behold, I am throwing her into a sickbed and those who committed adultery with her into great affliction, unless they repent from her deeds. ²³ And I will kill her children with deadly disease, and all the churches will know that I am the one who searches minds and hearts, and I will give to each one of you according to your deeds.

Apparently our deeds do still matter. Repent, believe the gospel and worship Yahuah in spirit and truth as the Messiah told us to do!

Photo by Mateus Campos Felipe on Unsplash

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