God's Eternal Marks Upon His Covenant People (PART THREE)

by GC LaMar

Only until God the Father calls you, places upon you the gift of repentance, properly baptized, and has hands laid upon you ── receiving the glorious gift of God’s Spirit ── you will remain under Satan the Devil’s authority, regardless of your religious claims.

The very words of our Savior, Jesus Christ ──

“’ Why do you not understand My speech? Because you are not able to listen to My word. 44) You are of your father the devil, and the desires of your father you want to do. He was a murderer from the beginning, and does not stand in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaks a lie, he speaks from his own resources, for he is a liar and the father of it.’” – John 8:43-44.

Our Lord Jesus spoke those words to religious people who claimed to know God and that He is their Father. Yet, their outright incredulous disbelief and their disobedience to the LORD God revealed their true father: Satan the Devil.

Again, speaking to those people who claim to be religious ── “’ Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ shall enter the kingdom [from] heaven, but he who does the will of My Father in heaven. 22) Many will say to Me in that day, ‘Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in Your name, cast out demons in Your name, and done many wonders in Your name? 23) And then I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness!’” – Matthew 7:21-23.

The Greek word for “iniquity” (from the King James Version) is anomia, which means “wickedness, lawlessness, lawless deeds.”

Most who claim to be “Christian” will be rejected by our Lord Jesus Christ, because they practice lawlessness. They are outright, or because of ignorance, rejecting the LORD God’s commandments──including His Sabbaths and Holy Days.

The Apostle Paul ── under divine inspiration, writing to his close companion, Titus ── “For there are many insubordinate, both idle talkers and deceivers, especially those of the circumcision [those that are Jewish], 11) whose mouths must be stopped, who subvert whole households, teaching things which they ought not, for the sake of dishonest gain. … 16) They profess to know God, but in works they deny Him, being abominable, disobedient, and disqualified for every good work.” – Titus 1:10 11, 16. 

Again, the Apostle Paul, writing to Timothy, speaks about people claiming to be religious, yet in the end denying the very God they claim to worship ── they “[have] a form of godliness but denying its power. And from such people turn away!” – 2 Timothy 3:5.

A great many have a form of godliness ── they have a religious appearance ── but they deny the very power of God by either outright refusal, ignorance, or disobedience. In truth, they continue in their religiosity to remain spiritually dead, “belonging” to Satan the Devil. 

The LORD God’s People: Identified by Commandment Keeping

Our Lord Jesus Christ reveals to us in the Book of Revealing ── Revelation, the identity of His people toward the end of this present evil age: by them having within them the Spirit of God, and by their obedience to His commandments.

Romans 8:14 ── “For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, these are [children] of God.”          

Revelation 12:17 ── “And the dragon [Satan the Devil] was enraged with the woman [Judah – the nation today called Israel], and he went to make war with the rest of her offspring [the Church of God], who keep the commandments of God and have the testimony of Jesus Christ.” 

Revelation 14:12 ── “Here is the patience of the saints; here are those who keep the commandments of God and the faith of Jesus.” 

The very nature of the universe is a pairing of positive and negative. Things are dual, and so will be the final conflict: good vs evil. Our Lord Jesus Christ’s people are clearly marked: ‘For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, these are children of God, along with those who keep the commandments of God and the faith of Jesus.’ The two groups of people ── even today ── are clearly visible: those who obey the LORD God and those who do not, those who claim faith all the while rejecting obedience to God and the keeping of His commandments. 

Revelation 22:14 ── “Blessed are those who do His commandments, that they may have the right to the tree of life, and may enter through the gates into the city [New Jerusalem].”   

The Seal of God

The Apostle John ── inspired by a vision while on the Isle of Patmos, was told to write in a book that the LORD God would begin sealing, on their foreheads, their people throughout these two thousand years of all the tribes of the children of Israel ── “Then I saw another angel ascending from the east, having the seal of the living God. And he cried with a loud voice to the four angels [more than likely the four demons that are ‘bound’ at the great river Euphrates that are waiting for God to release them, see Rev. 9:13-15] to whom it was granted [eventually] to harm the earth and the sea, 3) saying, ‘Do not harm the earth, the sea, or the trees till we have sealed the servants of our God on their foreheads.’” – Revelation 7:2-3.

The seal of God marks ownership and divine protection ── spiritually marking throughout these last two thousand years 144,000 servants of God on their foreheads of all the tribes of the children of Israel: From Judah, Reuben, Gad, Asher, Naphtali, Manasseh, Simeon, Levi, Issachar, Zebulun, Joseph [Ephraim], and Benjamin.

Notice that Dan is not in this group. Dan is most likely the people of Ireland. And, they are sort of hard-headed, and sort of pugnacious – they want to fight, they want to argue. And at the present time – and for a long time – they have been totally bound up in bondage to the Roman Catholic Church. 

For two thousand years – even before Jesus Christ – were servants of God that are going to be in the glorious kingdom of God – and quoting from the King James Version – “ … These are they which [will come after] great tribulation, and have washed their robes, and made them white in the blood of the Lamb.” Friends, these are people who will come AFTER tribulation – after trouble, in this end time - and, maybe not even in this end-time, maybe it had been in the Middle Ages (from the 5th to the 15th century), and the plagues which were all around–they were in tribulation.

But to me, the implication is, ‘don’t do any of these terrible things to the earth and the sea until we make sure they possess God’s Spirit.’ So, these people here ── throughout these nearly two thousand years, and even before, have obeyed the LORD God, have been in deep prayers before the LORD God, have properly repented and been baptized, and have had hands laid upon them ── receiving the glorious Holy Spirit of God, which is the seal upon their foreheads.

Revelation 9:1-12 ── “Then the fifth angel sounded: And I saw a star fallen from heaven [the atmosphere] to the earth. [Satan the Devil and his demons are being ejected from the atmosphere and being confined only to the earth!]. To him was given the key to the bottomless pit. 2) And he opened the bottomless pit, and smoke arose out of the pit like the smoke of a great furnace. Then the sun and the air were darkened because of the smoke of the pit. 

3) Then out of the smoke locusts came upon the earth. And to them was given power, as the scorpions of the earth have power. 4) They were commanded not to harm the grass of the earth, or any green thing, or any tree, but only those men who do not have the seal of God on their foreheads. 5) And they were not given authority to kill them, but to torment them for five months. Their torment was like the torment of a scorpion when it strikes a man. 6) In those days men will seek death and will not find it; they will desire to die, and death will flee from them.”   

The LORD God’s seal protects His people from harm and destruction. Without this spiritual seal on your forehead ── the angels (more than likely the four demons that are ‘bound’ at the great river Euphrates) will be given permission to torment people for five months because they have been participating in outright disobedience to the LORD God!

Our Lord Jesus Christ Fulfilled the Law & the Prophets ── Not Abolished

Our Lord Jesus plainly says ── “’ DO NOT THINK that I came to destroy the Law or the Prophets [the first five Books of Moses and the Books of the Prophets]. I did not come to destroy but to fulfill. 18) For assuredly, I say to you, till heaven and earth pass away [surely a reference to Revelation 21:1], one jot or one tittle will by no means pass from the law till all is fulfilled.’” – Matthew 5:17-18. 

He came to fulfill the prophecies that were spoken concerning Him.

Also, He kept and observed His seventh-day Sabbath and kept and celebrated His Holy Days ── providing for us His example. 

Luke 4:16 ── “So He came to Nazareth, where He had been brought up. And as His custom was, He went into the synagogue on the Sabbaths day, and stood up to read.”   

John 7:2, 10, 14 ── “Now the Jews’ Feast of Tabernacles was at hand. …” – Minister Leonard Johnson speaks concerning why this phrase was said in that way in “Let Us Observe the Feast of Tabernacles!” 10) But when His brothers had gone up, then He also went up to the feast, not openly, but as it were in secret. … 14) Now about the middle of the feast Jesus went up into the temple and taught.” 

Our Lord Jesus kept His Passover, the Feast of Unleavened Bread, the Day of Pentecost, the Feast of Trumpets, the Day of Atonement, the Feast of Tabernacles, and the ‘Last Great Day.’ He never suggested that His feasts were only temporary or would be abolished.

Our Lord Jesus continued ── “’ Whoever therefore breaks one of the least of these commandments, and teaches men so, shall be called least in the kingdom [from] heaven; …’” – Matthew 5:19.

Our Lord Jesus came to fulfill (to complete, fill to the full, demonstrate the true meaning of) the Law ── not to abolish it. Anyone who breaks even one of His commandments has broken them all ── including the breaking of remembering and keeping the Sabbath holy, and the keeping and celebrating the Holy Days ── they will be called ‘least in the kingdom from heaven.’

Luke 16:17 ── “’ The law and the prophets were until John. …’” – The first five books of Moses and the books of the Prophets were until John the Baptist. “ … ‘Since that time the kingdom of God has been preached, and everyone is pressing into it. 17) And it is easier for heaven and earth to pass away than for one tittle of the law to fail.’”  

The Apostle Paul explains ── “Do we then make void the law through faith? CERTAINLY NOT! On the contrary, we establish the law.” – Romans 3:31. 

Faith does not nullify the Law of God ── it establishes it. Faith produces good works ── obedience. 

The Apostle James ── inspired by God’s Spirit, explains ── “For whoever shall keep the whole law, and yet stumble in one point, he is guilty of all. 11) For He who said, ‘Do not commit adultery,’ also said, ‘Do not murder.’ Now if you do not commit adultery, but you do murder, you have become a transgressor of the [whole] law.” – James 2:10-11.

We are all judged by the Law of God. Breaking any one point of the law ── including the breaking of the seventh-day Sabbath ── makes you guilty of breaking all of the commandments of God. 

The Church of God Continued Observance After Christ’s Resurrection 

Our Lord Jesus Christ’s apostles continued observing the holy Sabbath and keeping and celebrating the Holy Days even after the death and resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ ──  

Acts 13:14 ── “But when they departed from Perga, they came to Antioch in Pisidia, and went into the synagogue on the Sabbath day and sat down.” 

Acts 13:42, 44 ── “So when the Jews went out of the synagogue, the Gentiles begged that these words might be preached to them the next Sabbath. … 44) On the next Sabbath almost the whole city came together to hear the word of God.” 

So, the Gentiles of the city had asked the Apostle Paul if he would preach again the following Sabbath ── in the first century, Saturday was referred to as “dies Sāturnī” (Saturn’s Day), or rather in Greek, Ημέρα του Κρόνου “Imera tou Kronou” ── it was not Ημέρα του Ήλιου “Imera tou Iliou” – Sun’s Day. If the LORD God’s holy Sabbath had been changed to Sunday, the Apostle Paul had the perfect opportunity here to say to the Gentiles that it had been. Instead, he met with them the following Sabbath.

Acts 17:2 ── “Then Paul, as his custom was, went in to them, and for three Sabbaths reasoned with them from the Scriptures.” 

Acts 18:4 ── “And he reasoned in the synagogue every Sabbath, and persuaded both Jews and Greeks [Gentiles].”

The Apostle Paul’s ── and to note: He was called “Saul” by our Lord Jesus in the Hebrew language, and was born to a devout Jewish family that was living in Tarsus, which is now a municipality and district of Mersin Province, Turkey ── custom was to keep and observe the holy Sabbath.

And even some 24 years after the death and glorious resurrection of our Savior, Jesus Christ ── the Apostle Paul, writing to the saints in ancient Corinth ── “Therefore purge out the old leaven, that you may be a new lump, since you truly are unleavened. For indeed Christ our Passover was sacrificed for us. 8) Therefore let us keep the feast, not with old leaven, nor with the leaven of malice and wickedness, but with the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth.” – 1 Corinthians 5:7-8. 

Sincerity and truth, being our Lord Jesus Christ! The Apostle Paul instructs the Gentile converts there in ancient Corinth to observe the feast ── speaking here of the Feast of Unleavened Bread ── not with the leaven of malice and wickedness, but with the unleavened bread (our Lord Jesus is the bread, the bread of life) of sincerity and truth, for Jews and Gentiles alike. 

Acts 20:6 ── “But we sailed away from Philippi after the Days of Unleavened Bread, …” 

The Church of God that was there in Philippi ── a predominantly Gentile congregation ── observed the Feast of Unleavened Bread of the New Covenant, demonstrating continued keeping and observance by the early Church. □

to be continued ....  

God's Eternal Marks Upon His Covenant People (PART TWO)

by GC LaMar

Some people are no longer bearing eternal “marks” that distinguish them as belonging to the LORD God. The very abandonment of God’s appointed times results in loss of identity ── which is also called spiritual death.

The LORD God ── through the Prophet Hosea ── has prophesied judgment. “’ I will also cause all her mirth to cease, Her feast days, Her New Moons, Her Sabbaths ── All her appointed feasts.’” – Hosea 2:11.

Dead to the LORD God: Condition of Disobedience

Those who refuse or outright reject the LORD God’s commandments──including the keeping of His Sabbaths and Holy Days──are spiritually dead, separated from the Life of God. 

The Apostle Paul ── inspired by the Spirit of God tells us ── “And you He made alive, who were dead in trespasses and sins, 2) in which you once walked according to the course of this world, according to THE PRINCE OF THE POWER OF THE AIR, the spirit who now works in the sons of disobedience, 3) among whom also we all once conducted ourselves in the lusts of our flesh, fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, just as the others.” – Ephesians 2:1-3.

In the Epistle to the Colossians, he wrote ── “And you, …” – speaking to true Christians “ … being dead in your trespasses and the uncircumcision of your flesh, He has made alive together with Him, having forgiven you all your trespasses.” – Colossians 2:13. 

So, until God the Father calls you, places upon you the gift of repentance, properly baptized, and has hands laid upon you ── receiving the glorious gift of God’s Spirit ── you will remain dead in your trespasses and sins. You, officially, do not belong to the LORD God; instead enslaved to the god of this present evil age.

Satan the Devil: The god of this world and his deceived followers 

The Apostle Paul reveals a shocking truth ── “But even if our gospel is veiled, it is veiled to those who are PERISHING, 4) whose minds the god of this age has blinded, who do not believe, lest the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine on them.” – 2 Corinthians 4:3-4.

God’s living word calls Satan the Devil “the god of this age.” And that he has blinded the minds of those people who are perishing. Those who outright reject the LORD God’s holy and righteous commandments ── including the keeping of His Sabbaths and Holy Days ── continue to remain under the blindness and dominion of Satan the Devil and his demons, even if they are proclaiming that they are a “Christian.”

The Apostle John draws a stark red line ── “He who sins is of the devil, for the devil has sinned FROM THE BEGINNING. For this purpose the Son of God was manifested, that He might destroy the works of the devil. 9) Whoever has been born of God [which means resurrected into the very family of God – into the kingdom of God] does not sin, for His seed remains in him; and he cannot sin, because he has been born of God. 10) In this the children of God and the children of the devil are manifest: Whoever does not practice righteousness is not of God, nor is he who does not love his brother.” – 1 John 3:8-10.

He also defines what the LORD God defines as sin ── “Whoever commits sin also commits lawlessness, and sin is lawlessness.” – 1 John 3:4.

Those who continue in their transgressions ── the transgression of God’s Law ── are witnessing to the world that they “belong” to the devil, and not to the LORD God. In this the children of God and the children of the devil are manifested. 

The Grave Deception of Worship on Sunday 

Those who claim to be “Christians,” yet observe Sunday as their Sabbath, instead of the seventh-day Sabbath, which is now called Saturday ── are also witnessing to the world that they “belong” to the devil. Sunday observance has no biblical foundation and is but a tradition of men that disobeys the LORD God’s holy command. 

Our Lord Jesus crying out unto those who lay aside His commands for men’s traditions ── “ … ‘Well did Isaiah prophesy of you hypocrites, as it is written: ‘This people honors Me with their lips, But their heart is far from Me. 7) And in vain they worship Me, teaching as doctrines the commandments of men.’ 8) For LAYING ASIDE THE COMMANDMENT OF GOD, you hold the tradition of men ──’” – Mark 7:6, 7, 8. 

13) ‘making the word of God of no effect through your tradition which you have handed down. And many such things you do.’” 

Our Lord GOD has never changed His Sabbath from the seventh day to the first day. 

Sunday worship originated from pagan sun-worship, and was later adopted by “BABYLON THE GREAT, THE MOTHER OF HARLOTS AND OF THE ABOMINATIONS OF THE EARTH” ── the Roman Catholic Church.

Those who observe Sunday, while claiming to be “Christian,” are not children of God, but are rather children of the devil ── and are following man-made traditions. 

The Apostle Matthew recorded for us ── “ …’ Why do you also transgress the commandment of God because of your tradition? … 6) … Thus you have made the commandment of God of no effect by your tradition. 7) Hypocrites! Well did Isaiah prophesy about you, …’” – Matthew 15:3, 6, 7.

Again, in the Epistle to the Colossians, the Apostle Paul warns us ── “Beware lest anyone cheat you through philosophy and empty deceit …” – like someone trying to tell you that “man didn’t land on the moon in 1969,” or “the earth is flat,” or the “Devil’s Tower in Wyoming is one giant petrified tree.” Vain philosophy and empty deceit! “ … according to the tradition of men, according to the basic principles of the world, and not according to Christ.” – Colossians 2:8. 

The Rejection of the Lord’s Holy Days Because They Are “Jewish”? 

Many who claim “Christianity” outright reject the seven annual Holy Days because they claim they are “Jewish.” Yet, the LORD God specifically calls them “the feasts of the LORD” – Leviticus 23:2, 4. So, they belong to the LORD God, not any ethnic group.

Leviticus 23:2 ── “’ Speak to the children of Israel, and say to them: ‘The feasts of the LORD, which you shall proclaim to be holy convocations, THESE ARE MY FEASTS.’”          

Leviticus 23:4 ── “’ These are the feasts of the LORD, holy convocations, which you shall proclaim at their appointed times.’”

The LORD God gave these feasts to the children of Israel first, but they were always intended for all people. The false teaching that they are only for the Jews contradicts the living word of God. 

Notice the Apostle Paul, inspired by the Spirit of God, explains ── “For he is not a Jew who is one outwardly, nor is circumcision that which is outward in the flesh; 29) but he is a Jew who is one INWARDLY; and circumcision is THAT OF THE HEART, in the Spirit, not in the letter; whose praise is not from men but from God.” – Romans 2:28-29.

He also explains to us in the Epistle to the Galatians ── “There is neither Jew nor Greek [Gentile], there is neither slave nor free …” – this phrase from the first century AD, the Apostle Paul is emphasizing that there is accountability before the LORD God and equal value of all people. “ … there is neither male nor female; for you are all one in Christ Jesus.” … again, this phrase from the first century AD, the Apostle Paul is emphasizing the unity of all true Christians, regardless of whether you are male or female. 29) And if you are Christ’s, then you are Abraham’s seed, and heirs according to the promise.” – Galatians 3:28-29.

So, true spiritual identity transcends ethnicity, gender, or social status. All who belong to Christ Jesus are Abraham’s seed, and heirs according to the promise ── they are spiritual Israel ── and are therefore heirs of the covenant promises, including the commandment of the keeping and observance of the LORD God’s appointed times. 

He reminds us ── “Therefore remember that you, once Gentiles in the flesh ── who are called Uncircumcision [unclean] by what is called the Circumcision made in the flesh by hands ── 12) that at that time you were without Christ, being [strangers] from the commonwealth of Israel and strangers from the covenants of promise, having no hope and WITHOUT GOD in the world. 13) But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far off have been brought near by the blood of Christ. … 19) Now, therefore, you are no longer strangers and foreigners, but fellow citizens with the saints and members of the household of God.” – Ephesians 2:11-13, 19.

So Gentile believers are “grafted” into the house of Israel, becoming fellow citizens with the saints and members of the household of God. They are no longer strangers and foreigners of the Old and New Covenants of promise. Sadly, to reject the LORD God’s Holy Days because they are “Jewish” is to remain a stranger and a foreigner to the household of God.

Inspired by the Spirit of God, the Apostle Paul explains this to us via the Epistle to the Romans ── “And if some of the branches were broken off, and you, being a wild olive tree, were grafted in among them, and with them became a partaker of the root and fatness of the olive tree, 18) do not boast against the branches. But if you do boast, remember that you do not support the root, but the root supports you.” – Romans 11:17-18.

This analogy illustrates the relationship between Israel and the Gentiles, where the cultivated olive tree represents Israel, while the wild olive branches represent Gentile believers. The Apostle Paul uses this metaphor to explain how Gentiles have come to share in the promises originally given to Israel, emphasizing the inclusion of Gentile believers in the spiritual blessings and promises. 

Verse 24 ── “For if you were cut out of the olive tree which is wild by nature, and were grafted contrary to nature into a cultivated olive tree, how much more will these, who are natural branches be grafted into their own olive tree?”

So, Gentile believers are “grafted” into the spiritual olive tree, which represents the house of Israel. To outright reject the house of Israel’s covenant signs, while claiming that you are “grafted” into the spiritual olive tree, is contrary to God’s living word,  and you are spiritually blind. 

Replacing God’s Holy Days With Pagan Holidays

Not only do most outright reject or explain away the LORD God’s Holy Days, but they also replace them with worldly holidays that originated in paganism. Such as Easter, New Year’s Day, Christmas, St. Patrick’s Day, St. Valentine’s Day, Halloween, Ash Wednesday, Good Friday, Mardi Gras, Palm Sunday, St. Stephen's Day, Shrove Tuesday ── and the list is virtually endless! Celebrations with absolutely no biblical basis, but rather have their roots in ancient paganism. 

Such as Saturnalia and the worship of the goddess Asherah ── “Hear the word which the LORD speaks to you, O house of Israel. 2) Thus says the LORD: ‘Do not learn the way of the Gentiles; Do not be dismayed at the signs of heaven, For the Gentiles are dismayed at them. 3) For the customs of the peoples are futile; For one cuts a tree from the forest, The work of the hands of the workman, with the ax. 4) They decorate it with silver and gold; They fasten it with nails and hammers So that it will not topple. 5) They are upright, like a palm tree, And they cannot speak; They must be carried, Because they cannot go by themselves. Do not be afraid of them, For they cannot do evil, Nor can they do any good.’” – Jeremiah 10:1-5.

The Prophet Jeremiah ── inspired by the Lord our God of the heavens and of earth ── is describing a pagan custom of decorating an ancient Asherah pole, decorating it with silver and gold. So, indeed, there are similarities between this world’s modern Christmas tree and what the LORD God is telling us through the prophets Isaiah and Jeremiah. The Christmas tree is a symbol. The evergreen tree was a symbol of life and fertility and was a custom of the ancient Sumerians. A practice that was incorporated… again… by “BABYLON THE GREAT, THE MOTHER OF HARLOTS AND OF THE ABOMINATIONS OF THE EARTH” ── the Roman Catholic Church.

The LORD God specifically commands us that we are not to worship them in that way ── “’ When the LORD your God cuts off from before you the nations which you go to dispossess, and you displace them and dwell in their land, 30) take heed to yourself that you are not ensnared to follow them, after they are destroyed from before you, and that you do not inquire after their gods, saying, …’” – saying ‘I want to know how this nation worshipped their goddess Asherah (which even more anciently was Semiramis, the wife/mother to Nimrod), because I want to worship God in this manner.’ “ …31) You shall not worship the LORD your God in that way; for every abomination to the LORD which He hates they have done to their gods; for they burn even their sons and daughters in the fire to their gods. 32) Whatever I command you, be careful to observe it; you shall not add to it nor take away from it.’” – Deuteronomy 12:29-32. 

Again, the LORD our God explicitly forbids anyone adopting pagan practices to worship Him! Yet, this is precisely what the Mother of Harlots ── the Roman Catholic Church and her daughter Protestant churches ── has done! 

We are warned by the Apostle Paul ── inspired by the LORD our God ── “Do not be unequally yoked together with unbelievers. For what fellowship has righteousness with lawlessness? And what communion has light with darkness? 15) And what accord has Christ with Belial? Or what part has a believer with an unbeliever? 16) And what agreement has the temple of God [the Church of Jesus Christ] with idols? For you are the temple of the living God. As God has said: ‘I will dwell in them And walk among them. I will be their God, And they shall be My people.’ 17) Therefore ‘Come out from among them And be separate, says the Lord. Do not touch what is unclean, And I will receive you.’” – 2 Corinthians 6:14-17.

The LORD our God calls for us to separate ourselves from all pagan practices such as Easter, New Year’s Day, Christmas, St. Patrick’s Day, St. Valentine’s Day, and Halloween. □ 

To be continued.         

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Personal From... Christmas Challenges (Audio Video)

ChristMas... It's Origin (PDF booklet)

Should Christians Keep Halloween? (Video)

True Christians Don't Need To Be Stuffy Concerning Christmas (Article)

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Commentary: X-Mas by GC LaMar (Article w/Audio)

True Christians SHOULD NOT Celebrate St. Patrick's Day! (Article)

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Satan's World (PDF booklet)

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Commentary: Happy New Year? by GC LaMar (Article w/Audio)

Commentary: History of the Sabbath by GC LaMar (Article)

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God's Eternal Marks Upon His Covenant People (PART ONE)

by GC LaMar

From the beginning of God’s living word ── the Holy Bible ── to the Book of Revelation, the LORD God (the Elohim, the family of God – which at this time consists of God the Father and our Lord Jesus Christ) has distinguished their people from all other nations through specific signs──sacred “marks” that identify them as belonging exclusively to them.

These signs transcend any religious rituals; they are divine appointments revealing a people’s wholehearted dedication to our Creator. 

Standing at the forefront of these identifying “marks” is the seventh-day Sabbath, including the seven annual Holy Days, which the LORD God established as perpetual “witnesses” between the LORD God and those people who truly belong to them. 

The Seventh-day Sabbath: An Eternal Covenant Sign

The Lord’s Sabbath represents the most emphasized identifying “mark” throughout God’s living word. God specifically designated it as a sign of His covenant relationship with His people ──

The LORD declares, speaking through the Prophet Moses ── “’ Speak also to the children of Israel, saying, ‘Surely My Sabbaths you shall keep, for it is a sign between Me and you throughout your generations, that you may know that I am the LORD who sanctifies you.’” – Exodus 31:13.

This verse alone unveils profound truths to us. The holy Sabbath functions as a sign. It “marks” the relationship between the LORD God and their people, and it extends throughout all generations without end. And, it identifies the LORD as the One who sanctifies ── which means, sets apart as holy people.

Verses 16 & 17 reinforce this truth ── “’ Therefore the children of Israel shall keep the Sabbath, to observe the Sabbath throughout their generations as a perpetual covenant [agreement]. 17) It is a sign between Me and the children of Israel FOREVER; for in six days the LORD made the heavens and the earth, and on the seventh day He rested and was refreshed.’”

The word “perpetual” in Hebrew is ‘ ôlām, which means “everlasting, forever, eternity.”

The Seventh-day Sabbath as a Divine Test

The Lord GOD employs His Sabbath observance as a measure of genuine obedience and loyalty. Notice Ezekiel 20:12 ── “’ Moreover I also gave them My Sabbaths, to be a sign between them and Me, that they might know that I am the LORD who sanctifies them.’”     

And when the house of Israel rejected His sign, the Lord GOD expressed profound grief. Verse 13 ── “’ Yet the house of Israel rebelled against Me in the wilderness; they despised My judgments, ‘which, if a man does, he shall live by them’; and they greatly defiled My Sabbaths. …’” 

Truly, the defilement of His Sabbaths is tangible evidence of spiritual rebellion and covenant rejection. Keeping the LORD God’s Sabbaths holy demonstrates spiritual obedience to the authority of the LORD God, as both Creator and Sanctifier.

The LORD God commands ── “’ hallow My Sabbaths, and they will be a sign between Me and you, that you may know that I am the LORD your God.’” – Ezekiel 20:20. 

Now, to “hallow” means that you make the day holy, you set it apart from all other days. So, by keeping the Lord’s Sabbath holy, you visibly distinguish yourself from all those people who reject keeping the Lord’s Sabbath holy. This obedience to His command becomes public testimony of your covenant relationship with the LORD our God. 

Seven Annual Holy Days: Eternal Divine Appointments 

Besides the Lord’s weekly seventh-day Sabbath, the LORD God established seven annual Holy Days──also called “the feasts of the LORD.” They are not strictly Jewish holy days, or merely Jewish traditions, but are divinely appointed feasts established by the LORD God themselves for all of mankind.

We are introduced to them in Leviticus 23:1-2 ── “And the LORD spoke to Moses, saying, 2) ‘Speak to the children of Israel, and say to them: ‘The feasts of the LORD, which you shall proclaim to be holy convocations [holy gatherings], these are My feasts.’”   

The LORD’s emphasis demands our attention! “’ these are My feasts’” ──they belong to the Lord GOD, and not to the Jewish people. They are “holy convocations” ──which means, sacred assemblies that are commanded by the LORD God. 

Leviticus 23 details for us all seven annual Holy Days

Leviticus 23:5 ── the LORD’s Passover. “On the fourteenth day of the first month.”

Leviticus 23:6-8 ── the Feast of Unleavened Bread. “On the fifteenth day of the same month.” 

Leviticus 23:15-21 ── the day of Pentecost/Firstfruits. “Count fifty days to the day after the seventh Sabbath; then you shall offer a new grain offering to the LORD.” 

Leviticus 23:23-25 ── the Feast of Trumpets. ‘In the seventh month, on the first day of the month, you shall have a Sabbath-rest, a memorial of blowing of trumpets, a holy convocation.’

Leviticus 23:26-32 ── the Day of Atonement. “the tenth day of this seventh month shall be the Day of Atonement.” It shall be to you a sabbath of solemn rest, and you shall humble yourself before the LORD. 

Leviticus 23:33-36 ── the Feast of Tabernacles. “’ The fifteenth day of this seventh month shall be the Feast of Tabernacles for seven days to the LORD.’” 

Leviticus 23:36, 39 ── the “Last Great Day.” “’ On the eighth day you shall have a holy convocation, … on the first day there shall be a sabbath-rest, and on the eighth day a sabbath-rest.’”

They are eternal statutes 

The LORD God over and over emphasizes that these Holy Days continue throughout all generations forever. The stand-out phrase, “it shall be a statute forever throughout your generations in all your dwellings,” appears multiple times throughout Leviticus 23. Notice verses 14, 21, 31, and 41.

That stand-out phrase alone identifies them as eternal statues for the LORD God’s people, not temporary shadows or ceremonial practices that were abolished upon the cross. 

Obedience to the LORD God – the Foundation of our Identity & Love 

The keeping of the Lord’s Sabbaths and Holy Days flows from our hearts transformed by the love of God.

Our Lord Jesus Christ connected love directly with obedience to the LORD God ── 

“’ If you love Me, keep My commandments.’” – John 14:15.

“’ He who has My commandments and keeps them, it is he who loves Me. And he who loves Me will be loved by My Father, and I will love him and manifest Myself to him.’” – John 14:21. 

“ …’ If anyone loves Me, he will keep My word; and My Father will love him, and We will come to him and make Our home with him. 24) He who does not love Me DOES NOT KEEP MY WORDS; and the word which you hear is not Mine but the Father’s who sent Me.’” – John 14:23, 24. 

So, obedience isn’t simply legalism, but rather a natural response of one’s heart transformed by divine love. One’s obedience to the LORD God becomes a visible witness and evidence of true faith.

Obedience to the LORD God is an Identity “Mark” 

The Apostle John ── under divine inspiration ── tells us of an identity “mark” ── “Now by THIS we know that we know Him, if we keep His commandments. 4) He who says, ‘I know Him,’ and does not keep His commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him.” – 1 John 2:3-4. 

The Apostle John leaves no ambiguity. The keeping of the LORD God’s commandments is how we ── and is witnessed to others ── know that we know the LORD God. Our very obedience to them identifies us as belonging to Him. Those who claim they know God and have a relationship with God while not obeying His commandments is a liar and the truth is not in them ── so says the LORD Almighty! 

The Apostle John adds, “Now he who keeps His commandments abides in Him, and He in him. And by this we know that He abides in us, by the Spirit [that] He has given us.” – 1 John 3:24.

Also ── “By this we know that we love the children of God, when we love God and keep His commandments. 3) For this is the love of God, that we keep His commandments. And His commandments are not burdensome.” -1 John 5:2-3. 

God’s Law Is Internal ── Not Written In Phylacteries or Mezuzahs

Our Lord Jesus Christ’s New Covenant includes God’s Commandments written in our hearts.

The Apostle Paul ── under divine inspiration ── tells us ── “’ For this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, says the LORD: I will put My laws in their mind and write them on their hearts; and I will be their God, and they shall be My people.’” – Hebrews 8:10. 

God’s Law ── summed up with the Ten Commandments ── is not abolished, but rather they are spiritualized from physical external commands to spiritualized desires. The LORD God’s people are “marked” by having their Laws inscribed in their hearts ── producing the fruits of the Spirit. Love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control.

The Apostle Paul reiterates ── “’ This is the covenant that I will make with them after those days, says the LORD: I will put My laws into their hearts, and in their minds I will write them.’” – Hebrews 10:16.

A Clear Distinction Between the LORD God’s People and the Children of Darkness 

Again, from the beginning, the LORD God has distinguished their people from all other nations. And this separation is not ethnic, or even cultural, but is a spiritual distinction based upon covenant obedience.

When the Prophet Moses had went up to God, the LORD called to him from the mountain, saying, ‘Thus you shall say to the house of Jacob, and tell the children of Israel: “‘Now therefore, if you will indeed obey My voice and keep My covenant, then you shall be a special treasure to Me above all people; … 6) And you shall be to Me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation.’ …” – Exodus 19:5, 6.

He reiterated this in Deuteronomy 7:6 ── “’ For you are a holy people to the LORD your God; the LORD your God has chosen you to be a people for Himself, a special treasure above all the peoples on the face of the earth.’”              

Yet, to be a holy people and a special treasure unto the LORD God is conditioned. ‘If you will indeed obey the Lord GOD's voice and keep His covenant.’

And, those that do, the Apostle Peter tells us, “ … you are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, His own special people, that you may proclaim the praises of Him who called you out of darkness into His marvelous light.” – 1 Peter 2:9. 

Grave Consequences for Rejecting the LORD God’s Signs 

The prophets of God describe for us that the rejection of the Lord’s Sabbaths and appointed times is spiritual adultery and the breaking of His covenant. Notice here the Prophet Ezekiel ──

Ezekiel 22:8 ── “’ You have despised My holy things and profaned My Sabbaths.’”   

Ezekiel 22:26 ── “’ Her priests have violated My law and profaned My holy things; they have not distinguished between the holy and unholy, nor have they made known the difference between the unclean and the clean; and they have hidden their eyes from My Sabbaths, so that I am profaned among them.’” 

Ezekiel 23:37-38 ── “’ For they have committed adultery, and blood is on their hands. They have committed adultery with their idols, and even sacrificed their sons whom they bore to Me, passing them through the fire, to devour them. 38) Moreover they have done this to Me: They have defiled My sanctuary on the same day and profaned My Sabbaths.’” 

So, when the LORD God’s people reject the Lord’s Sabbaths, they profane His very name and obscure their identity as the chosen people of God. □

to be continued... 

David Pack ── Wrong Again!

AI-generated photo by MOeinium (Pixabay)

Brethren, we are not to be silent when evil is around us! The LORD God wants us, as true Christians, to stand up against wrongdoing and speak out against known false prophets that are leading His sheep astray and are scattering the sheep!

“’ Woe to the shepherds who DESTROY and SCATTER the sheep of My pasture!’ says the LORD.” – Jeremiah 23:1. 

Our understanding of calling out evil is found all throughout God’s living word, showing how important it is for us to act with courage and love. 

Minister Guy LaMar has previously denounced David Pack in his opinion piece, “Satan the Devil and David Pack.” Well… now David Pack is setting a “definite, inevitable, absolutely, unequivocal” date for the Kingdom of God to come ── December 19, 2025. 

Sadly, David Pack appears to relish setting dates and then changing them at his leisure. 

Apparently, however, he’s not changing this one, which is supposed to be December 19th, 2025, for the Kingdom of God to come. 

I, personally, have watched a portion of a short video on Facebook of this prediction by him, and heard him say ──

“The only way I could be dissuaded, or the men who work with me intentionally about this, of the date I know about, is if God or Gabriel spoke from heaven with an oracle to tell me otherwise. The evidence is so powerful, and so tight ── but it’s a ways away ── not a long way. … It’s the inevitable day, we would learn which day can delay no further, and be sure that we have it right. Three facts ── there’s vastly more, but three facts are needed to identify and lock the day. The date, the day. Three facts. 1) Passover. Begins the Kingdom of God, this… absolutes, no doubts ── you all know it! So, that’s one of the three facts. You need to know when the first kingdom ends, and it’s Passover. No one can argue that… impossible. We can go to many verses, and we have. And you will walk out of here today understanding it’s impossible… it’s impossible… impossible… impossible… that we’re wrong! … It has to be a Sabbath. … December 19th, Friday, early in the morning, our time… December 19th, Kisov 30, can not vary. …”

Brethren, with the authority of our Lord Jesus Christ, this David Pack is TOTALLY, UNEQUIVOCALLY, AND ABSOLUTELY WRONG! God’s righteous and holy KINGDOM WILL NOT BE ESTABLISHED IN 2025! We have long believed that this false prophet is among those that the Apostle Peter ── inspired by the LORD God ── warned us about ──  

“But there were also false prophets among the people, even as there WILL BE false teachers among you, who will secretly bring in destructive heresies, even denying the Lord who bought them, and BRING ON THEMSELVES SWIFT DESTRUCTION. 2) And many will follow their destructive ways, because of whom the way of truth will be blasphemed. 3) By covetousness they will exploit you with deceptive words; for a long time their judgment has not been idle, and their destruction does not slumber. … 

12) But these, like natural brute beasts made to be caught and destroyed, SPEAK EVIL OF THE THINGS THEY DO NOT UNDERSTAND, and will utterly perish in their corruption, 13) and will receive the wages of unrighteousness, as those who count it pleasure to carouse in the daytime. They are spots and blemishes, carousing in their own deceptions while they feast with you, 14) having eyes full of adultery and that cannot cease from sin, enticing unstable souls. They have a heart trained in covetous practices, and are accursed children. … 

18) For when they speak great swelling words of emptiness, they allure through the lusts of the flesh, through lewdness, the ones who have actually escaped from those who live in error. 19) While they promise them liberty, they themselves are slaves of corruption; for by him also he is brought to bondage.” – 2 Peter 2:1-3, 12-14, 18-19.

While we do not wish David Pack any ill will, we pray that he and those who are being led astray will open their eyes and ears to what God’s living Spirit truly has to say. 

Sadly, because of false prophets like David Pack, there will be brethren who won’t truly recognize the LORD God’s end-time prophets when they do come on the scene (cf. Matthew 24:9-14).

The Apostle Peter has declared that the LORD God would open up the tree of Life (the Holy Spirit) to those who were predestined to be in the Church of God; His Firstfruits ── 

“But this is what was spoken by the prophet Joel: 17) ‘And it shall come to pass in the last days, says God, That I will pour out of My Spirit on all flesh; Your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, Your young men shall see visions, Your old men shall dream dreams, 18) And on My manservants and on My maidservants I will pour out My Spirit in those days; And they shall prophesy.’” – Acts 2:16-18. 

Well… when could the glorious Kingdom of God come?

Now, we do not set dates, but it cannot come until the glorious and powerful return of our Savior and King of kings and Lord of lords! And it certainly cannot be in the year 2025. Why? 

Because several of the “signs” that our Lord Jesus Christ spoke about have not yet occurred.

Notice the word of our great God ── the living Jesus Christ ──  

“Now as He sat on the Mount of Olives, the disciples came to Him privately, saying, ‘Tell us, when will these things be? …’” – speaking about the utter destruction of the temple in Jerusalem. “ … ‘And what will be the sign of Your coming, and of the end of the age?’ 4) And Jesus answered and said to them: ‘Take heed that no one deceives you. 5) For MANY will come in My name, saying, ‘I am the Christ,’ and will deceive MANY.’” – Matthew 24:3-5.

Certainly, just like us, brethren, they too wanted to know. Notice that our Lord Jesus told us to be careful about being deceived ── including by people who teach that our Lord Jesus of Nazareth is the Christ.

Continuing, our Lord Jesus spoke of certain “signs” that we are to look for ──

“’ And you will hear of wars and rumors of wars. See that you are not troubled; for all these things must come to pass, but the end is not yet. 7) For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. …’” – and we contend that this is our Lord Jesus speaking of the prophecy about Daniel 11:40; the seventh resurrection of the “Holy” Roman Catholic-led Empire and a confederation of Islamic Nations ── the prophesied final king of the North and the final king of the South. “ … ‘And there will be famines, pestilences, and earthquakes in various places. 8) All these are the beginning of sorrows.’”

Then comes the end-time prophets of God ── 

“’ Then they will deliver you up to tribulation and kill you, and you will be hated by all nations for My name’s sake. 10) And then many will be offended, will betray one another, and will hate one another. 11) Then many false prophets will rise up and deceive many. 12) And because lawlessness will abound, the love of many will grow cold. 13) But he who endures to the end shall be saved.      

14) And this gospel OF THE KINGDOM will be preached in all the world as a witness to all the nations, and then the end will come.’” – Matthew 24:6-14.

We have not seen the prophesied end-time final king of the South attack the final king of the North, along with the prophesied end-time ‘abomination of desolation,’ spoken of by Daniel the prophet, set up in Jerusalem yet.

Because, as our Lord Jesus continued warning us ── when that takes place ──

“’ For then there will be great tribulation, such as has not been since the beginning of the world until this time, no, nor ever shall be. 22) And UNLESS those days were shortened, no flesh would be saved; but for the elect’s sake those days will be shortened.’” – Matthew 24:21-22. 

Then… our Master, Elder Brother, and Savior ── Jesus Christ ── spoke about what would take place immediately after the tribulation of that prophesied time ──

“’ Immediately after the tribulation of those days the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light; …’” – likely because of the atmosphere being darkened from billowing volcanic ash and smoke! “ …’ the stars [speaking of angels] will fall from heaven, and the powers of the heavens will be shaken.’” ── truly meaning that Satan the Devil and his minions will be thrown out of the atmosphere.

And then notice this – Revelation chapter 6 – Verse 14 – “THEN the sky receded as a scroll when it's rolled up, and every mountain and island was moved out of its place.” The atmosphere will be thick with volcanic ash towers from a great number of volcanoes erupting around the globe, possibly caused by the massive ‘great earthquake.’ This damaging smoke and pollution must be cleared from the atmosphere before the arrival of our King of kings and LORD of lords!

So, with all that from our Lord Jesus Christ Himself ── there is no way that the Kingdom of God can come in 2025 or that our Lord Jesus will return this year! And certainly, David Pack has other reasoning behind his prediction ── but he is blatantly wrong again. 

Let us never forget the living words of our Savior ──

“’ But of that day and hour NO ONE KNOWS, not even the angels of heaven, But My Father only.’” – Matthew 24:36. □     

Sermon: Should Christians Keep Halloween?

The Church of Jesus Christ Online Ministries is pleased to announce our following sermon from our video channels:  

1:04:35

Should Christians Keep Halloween?

The Halloween season will soon be upon us. Stores will sell orange and black greeting cards, costumes, and masks. Children will dress up as witches, ghosts, and vampires. Many people will participate in Halloween customs, but few will know why they do. What are the origins of these strange customs? And should you, as a Christian, take part in them?

Here is a link to our video sermon: Should Christians Keep Halloween?

Satanic Holidays: Birthdays & Halloween

Notice this from an ex-Satanist that is now a nominal Christian ──

Halloween is devil’s holiday and Christians shouldn’t celebrate it, ex-Satanist turned evangelist says 

Published October 30, 2019

Evangelist John Ramirez spent much of his early life with strong ties to the devil--he drank animal blood, conducted sacrifices, was baptized with the devil and got married in a demonic wedding on Halloween. …

“I wonder why people celebrate Halloween these days,” the 55-year-old told Fox News. “Because in essence, I know what Halloween is about. I was in witchcraft for 25 years...selling my soul to the devil, I was a general for the devil...as a warlock.” 

He added: “Have you ever heard a Satanist say, ‘I can't wait for Good Friday to go to church with you?’ So, why would the Christians say, ‘I can't wait for Halloween to say I want to dress up’...It's cheating on God, really.” 

Ramirez, who grew up in the Bronx, was part of a Satanist church from when he was 8 years old to 35 years old. … 

Ramirez said he threw away thousands of dollars’ worth of witchcraft materials in the closet -- including human bones, cemetery dirt, etc. -- and “I left one daddy that I could see, to another that I couldn't see.” … 

“The power of Satan is limited. It's a hoax,” he concluded. “And the power of Jesus is limitless and it brings you to a place of knowing your purpose and destiny of who you really are created to be.”

(https://www.foxnews.com/faith-values/halloween-celebrate-christiansatanist-evangelist). 

Certainly, while many are aware of the true origin of Halloween, many are not aware that the very practice of a person's birthday came from Satanism.

Birthdays are considered one of the three most important holidays to Satan worshipers. The two others are ── Walpurgis Night and Halloween.

While not all Satanists share the same beliefs, most do celebrate birthdays. And, those who practice astrology also consider birthdays of great importance.

God’s living word – the Holy Bible – doesn’t actually encourage the celebration of a person's date of birth. Instead, His word tends to speak in a more negative light of such a practice (cf. Matthew 14:6-11; Jeremiah 20:14-18).

Yet, despite all of that, the very practice and celebration of what can be called a birthday celebration was not practiced by early Christians of the Way. Nor has any true Christian ever celebrated what is now called Halloween.

The first-century Jewish historian, Flavius Josephus, wrote ──

26. Nay, indeed, the law does not permit us to make festivals at the births of our children, and thereby afford occasion of drinking to excess; but it ordains that the very beginning of our education should be immediately directed to sobriety. It also commands us to bring those children up in learning, and to exercise them in the laws, and make them acquainted with the acts of their predecessors, in order to their imitation of them, and that they might be nourished up in the laws from their infancy, and might neither transgress them, nor have any pretense for their ignorance of them. 1

Now… although there is no specific command against the celebration of a person's birthday within God’s living word, there are astrological implications of the celebration of birthdays, i.e., pagan practices such as astrology are specifically prohibited in God’s law. 

The LORD our God condemns the practice that is associated with astrology ──

“’ You are wearied in the multitude of your counsels; Let now the astrologers, the stargazers, And the monthly prognosticators Stand up and save you From what shall come upon you. 14) Behold, they shall be as stubble, The fire shall burn them; They shall not deliver themselves From the power of the flame; …’” – Isaiah 47:13, 14. 

Astrology is the “interpretation” of an assumed influence the stars (and planets) exert on human destiny. According to astrology, the sign you were born under, Aquarius, Pisces, Aries, Taurus, Gemini, Cancer, Leo, Virgo, Libra, Scorpio, Sagittarius, or Capricorn, impacts your destiny. This is a false belief. The LORD our God forbids it ── 

“’ There shall not be found among you anyone who makes his son or his daughter pass through the fire, or one who practices witchcraft, or a soothsayer, or one who interprets omens, or a sorcerer, 11) or one who conjures spells, or a medium, or a spiritist, or one who calls up the dead. 12) For all who do these things are an abomination to the LORD, and because of these abominations the LORD your God drives them out from before you.’” – Deuteronomy 18:10-12.

Sadly, like so many practices associated with paganism, the children of Israel desired to celebrate and follow the abominations of all those other nations. Essentially, birthdays became celebrated because of the Mother Church’s ── meaning, the Roman Catholic Church ── compromise with pagan practices, such as Mithraism.

And so, beginning around the fourth century, after paganism was intermingled with Roman society and the Nativity of the baby Jesus began to be celebrated publicly, some Catholic Romans of the upper classes began to celebrate birthdays. Do you celebrate birthdays? □        

Additional Items of Relatable Subject Matter:

Letter to our Friends - January 21, 2020

ChristMas... Its Origin

Should Christians Observe Halloween?

1) https://www.earlyjewishwritings.com/text/josephus/apion2.html.

According to New Research: Nearly 70% of American Adults Are Overweight

AI Generated Photo by TungArt7 (Pixabay)

Sadly, a great many Americans are overweight. But using what is called “revised standards,” the percentage is even higher than previously thought ── 

October 20, 2025

BMI alone may not be enough to measure cardiometabolic disease risk among adults, researchers find.

The research, led by a team from the Border Health Research Cohort at UTHealth Houston School of Public Health, was published in JAMA Network Open and focused on the relationship between adiposity, or excess fat tissue, and cardiometabolic disease in adults.

Cardiometabolic disease is a group of health problems, like heart disease and diabetes, that are often caused by things like being overweight or having high blood pressure, or high blood sugar.

“When you have excess adiposity, even if you’re not obese, you’re still at risk for cardiometabolic disease,” said co-principal investigator Joseph McCormick, MD, professor of epidemiology, and James H. Steele, DVM, Professor at UTHealth Houston School of Public Health. “This adipose tissue is a big driver of the elements that make up what we call cardiometabolic disease.”

The research was a companion piece to a study published in JAMA Pediatrics, which focused on adiposity and obesity in children. … 

Men with a waist circumference of 40.1 inches or more and women with a waist circumference of 34.6 inches or more are more likely to have excess adiposity, according to the research. 

(https://medicalxpress.com/news/2025-10-bmi-cardiometabolic-diseaseadults.html). 

Nearly 70% of US adults considered obese under proposed new definition, study finds. 

Nearly 70 per cent of American adults would be classified as having obesity under a newly proposed definition. 

The traditional obesity measure, based on a body mass index (BMI) of 30 or higher, has long faced criticism for failing to distinguish between fat and muscle. In response, medical experts earlier this year called for an updated definition. 

The new approach would label someone as being obese if they have a BMI over 40 or if they have a high BMI plus at least one sign of excess body fat, for example, a large waist, high waist-to-hip ratio, or high waist-to-height ratio. People could also be classed as obese if they have two signs of excess fat, even with a “normal” BMI, or if scans show they have excessive body fat. …

Applying this definition to a nationally representative sample of more than 300,000 US adults aged 18 to 80, researchers found the prevalence of obesity jumped from 43 per cent under traditional BMI criteria to 69 per cent under the new system. 

(https://www.euronews.com/health/2025/10/17/nearly-70-of-us-adultsconsidered-obese-under-proposed-new-definition-study-finds).

Last year, we reported: Make Obesity Great Again?

The cesspool that is the new San Francisco, Californication, wants all its citizens to feel comfortable with their weight ──

Fat-Shaming ‘Expert’ Goes To Work For San Francisco. Her Mission? Make Obesity Great Again 

In the lovely cesspool of San Francisco, it’s time to Make Obesity Great Again. 

Never mind the poop and dirty drug needles littering the streets; the San Francisco Department of Health seems to want fat citizens to feel comfortable in their own bodies, to feel accepted by society, to feel like they can live their truth without any fear of judgment. To do so, they apparently hired a fat-shaming expert to work as a consultant — two labels that should send chills down your spine — on “weight stigma” and “weight neutrality” — two buzz phrases as hollow as they are silly.

Virgie Tovar, a self-described “plus-size Latina” and “leading expert on weight-based discrimination,” announced Monday she will work with the city’s health department to achieve the aforementioned “weight neutrality,” which, in my estimation, entails yet another feckless waste of taxpayer dollars for some unbelievably stupid liberal theory. 

“I’m UNBELIEVABLY proud to serve the city I’ve called home for almost 20 years in this way! This consultancy is an absolute dream come true, and it’s my biggest hope and belief that weight neutrality will be the future of public health,” Tovar wrote on Instagram. 

With all due respect to my weight-challenged brothers and sisters in America, you have no business eating up taxpayer dollars working for the city health department to “make weight neutrality … the future of health.” On its face, it is an absurd notion.” 

(https://www.msn.com/en-us/health/mindandbody/fat-shaming-expert-goesto-work-for-san-francisco-her-mission-make-obesity-great-again/arAA1w2W6k - Retrieved 21 Oct 2025). 

It’s very difficult for most Americans to maintain health and a healthy weight due to all the preservatives and outright “garbage” that is added to American foods! (See: 8 U.S. Foods that are Different in Europe). Anyone who promotes obesity should be ashamed of themselves!

Now, of course, we should never make fun of anyone who is overweight, but we should also NOT encourage anyone to become obese! It is unhealthy. 

Also, there have been several anti-obesity shaming people who have died prematurely due to obesity being a leading factor in their untimely death. Never throw stones in a glass house!

Being obese is UNHEALTHY and should never be encouraged!

God’s living word tells us to eat what is good ──

“’ Why do you spend money for what is not bread, And your wages for what does not satisfy? Listen carefully to Me, and eat what is good, …’” – Isaiah 55:2.

Certainly, eat what is good for you. 

Sadly, however, an end-time prophecy that is consistent with more and more unhealthy and even overweight people as we near the end of this present evil age ──

“But know this, that IN THE LAST DAYS perilous times will come: 2) For men will be lovers of THEMSELVES, lovers of money, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, UNTHANKFUL, unholy, 3) unloving, unforgiving, slanderers, WITHOUT SELF-CONTROL, brutal, despisers of good, 4) traitors, headstrong, haughty, LOVERS OF PLEASURE rather than lovers of God, 5) having a form of godliness but denying its power. And from such people turn away!” – 2 Timothy 3:1-5. 

A lack of self-control, when it comes to food, can certainly lead one to obesity and unhealthiness.

I have seen many people in their 70s, and even in their 90s, but I have not seen any ── that I can recall ── that are overweight. Yet, this age of “wokeness” and this “DEI” garbage wants everyone to believe that bad is good, and anything good is now bad.

Again, God’s living word ──    

“Woe to those who call evil good, and good evil; Who put darkness for light, and light for darkness; Who put bitter for sweet, and sweet for bitter! 21) Woe to those who are wise in their own eyes, And prudent in their own sight!” – Isaiah 5:20-21.

It is neither wise nor good to tell people that it is just fine to be overweight. 

A great many people are taught and have come to believe that our Lord Jesus Christ said, ‘come as you are,’ when in fact He said ──  

“ … ‘ The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand. REPENT, and BELIEVE in the gospel.’” – Mark 1:15.

Nowhere has He said to us that we are to be satisfied as we are, and to go to Him. He immediately began His ministry with the fact that we must REPENT ── to repent not only spiritually, but also physically. STOP SINNING AGAINST THE LORD GOD AND AGAINST YOUR FLESH! 

“ … ‘ for if you do not believe that I am He, you will die in your sins.’” – John 8:24.

Notice the following in relation to being overweight or obese ── 

Severe obesity is on the rise in the US 

Sep 25, 2024

Obesity is high and holding steady in the U.S., but the proportion of those with severe obesity — especially women — has climbed since a decade ago, according to new government research. 

The U.S. obesity rate is about 40%, according to a 2021-2023 survey of about 6,000 people. Nearly 1 in 10 of those surveyed reported severe obesity, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention found. … 

Most telling, though, are the results that show that the overall obesity rate in the U.S. has not changed significantly in a decade, even as the rate of severe obesity climbed from nearly 8% in the 2013-2014 survey to nearly 10% in the most recent one. Before that, obesity had increased rapidly in the U.S. since the 1990s, federal surveys showed. …

The new report follows the release earlier this month of data from U.S. states and territories that showed that in 2023, the rate of obesity ranged widely by place, from a high of more than 41% of adults in West Virginia to a low of less than 24% of adults in Washington, D.C. Rates were highest in the Midwest and the South. 

All U.S. states and territories posted obesity rates higher than 20%. In 23 states, more than 1 in 3 adults had obesity, the data showed. … 

(https://www.post-journal.com/news/top-stories/2024/09/severe-obesity-ison-the-rise-in-the-us/. Retrieved 22 Oct. 2025).

The LORD God is opposed to a person being overweight or obese.

Notice what the LORD our God inspired the prophets Moses and Jeremiah to record for us regarding obesity metaphorically ── 

“’ But Jeshurun [a poetic name for Israel] grew fat and kicked; You grew fat, you grew thick, You are obese! Then he forsook God who made him, And scornfully esteemed the Rock of his salvation.’” – Deuteronomy 32:15. 

“‘ Because you were glad, because you rejoiced, You destroyers of My heritage, Because you have grown fat like a heifer threshing grain, And you bellow like bulls, 12) Your mother shall be deeply ashamed. Behold, the least of the nations shall be a wilderness, A dry land and a desert.’” – Jeremiah 50:11-12. 

So, the knowledge and understanding that being overweight and or obese is not good is certainly not a new concept.

Also, God’s living word warns us about gluttony ──

“Do not mix with winebibbers, Or with gluttonous eaters of meat; 21) For the drunkard and the glutton will come to poverty, And drowsiness will clothe a man with rags.” – Proverbs 23:20-21.

Sadly, a great many people consume way too much processed food, along with meats that are not good to be consumed, such as lobster, shellfish, oysters, bear, squirrel, turtle, possum, rat, cat, alligator, shark, and the like. Processed foods that contain synthetic nutrients, chemical additives, and dyes, along with refined grains, are not good for the human body!                     

(Is God's Biblical Food Laws Still In Effect!?)

All people should always eat and drink real and all-natural foods and beverages. 

And, of course, losing weight can be very difficult, but with the inspiring living words of God ──

“I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.” – Philippians 4:13.

With constant prayer and strength from our Almighty God, and with unwavering determination, losing weight and breaking the bonds of obesity can indeed happen! 

“TRUST in the LORD with all your heart, And lean not on your own understanding; 6) In all your ways acknowledge Him, And He shall direct your paths. 7) Do not be wise in your own eyes; Fear the LORD and depart from evil. 8) It will be health to your flesh, And strength to your bones.” – Proverbs 3:5-8. 

Take it to the LORD, and He will direct your paths. With the LORD God, all things are possible. □