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for example, live less than a million
and a half people. There are no
resources in Lesotho to speak of. A
large percent of Lesotho's adult
males work in South Africa, mostly
in mining, generating more than 60
percent of the mountain kingdom's
gross national product.
As Casper Uys, a Conservative
Party member from southeastern
Transvaal, told me: "Lesotho is a
mining state-with no mines!" Swa–
ziland, Botswana and Mozambique
are also critically dependent upon
South Africa for labor markets.
Who Would Be Hurt Most?
Further escalation of violence in
southern Africa is certain to result
in demands in the United Nations
for a total trade embargo against
South Africa. But U.N. sanctions
would be largely ineffective.
Short of international sanctions,
JESUS' BIRTH
(Continued from page 21}
with pagan religious celebrations
centuries before
the birth of Jesus.
None
are of Christian origin!
Anciently, December 25 was thc
date of the pagan Roman Brumalia,
the final day of the popular week–
long Saturnalia celebration, cele–
brated in honor of the god Saturn.
It
was the day of the "invincible
sun"- a wintcr solstice festival.
"Christmas" was not among the
earliest festivals of the New Testa–
ment Church. I t was not until
A.D.
351 that Pope Julius I decreed
Decembcr 25 to be Christmas
("Christ-Mass") Day. He sought
to overshadow the popular Roman
Brumalia by imparting "Christian"
connotations to the day.
But again, sorne will ask: What is
so wrong with borrowing sorne of
those early customs and using them
to honor Jesus? May we not contin–
ue to celcbrate December 25, as
long as we do it
in Jesus' name?
Can
pagan practices be "Chris–
tianized" in this way?
More than 34 centuries ago, the
rebellious children of Israel fash–
ioned a pagan ídol-a golden calf–
in the wilderness (Ex. 32).
lt
was thc
god Apis, the sacred Egyptian bull
deity worshiped at Memphis on the
Nile. Aaron declared that the pagan,
Egyptian rites by which the lsraei-
November/ December 1985
the United States, in years ahead,
may unilaterally adopt a trade boy–
cott as a result of the divestment
pressure. But the United States
stands to lose more than South
Africa in the process.
Not long ago, in Los Angeles,
the former South African ambassa–
dor to the United States, Bernardus
Fourie, to ld newsmen that he
wouldn't be "so arrogant" as to
suggest that the United Statcs was
dependent upon South Africa for
key mineral resources. But he
added with a smile that the United
States could also go to the Soviet
Union for the same supplies- if
they would sell them, and at afford–
able prices.
For many years
The Plain Truth
has alerted its readers that, based
upon bíblica! prophecy, the United
States and the democracies of
Northwestern Europe are headed
ites worshiped the calf were "a feast
to the Lord" (verse 5).
Did God feel honored? Oíd he
approve of their using pagan cus–
toms to worship him?
Absolutely not!
lt
was a
great sin
(verse 21 ), and 3,000 paid with
their lives (verse 28)! They had
deceived
themselves that what they
were doing was right.
We are commanded not to seek
to worship God with customs bor–
rowed from other religions (Deut.
12:29-32). "Learn not the way of
the heathen," God declares ( Jer.
10:2).
True Christians never meet
paganism half way. Pagan wor–
ship-whether "in Jesus' name" or
not-remains
pagan worship!
Christianity mixed with paganism
is not Christianity at all. Righ-
for a time of national calamity.
(Request your copy of the book
The United States and Britain in
Prophecy
to see why in full
detail.)
One cannot help but wonder
whether the sanct ions and embargo
trap will backfire.
If
so, what will
happen to the social fabric of
America when mi ll ions are forced
out of work as mineral-starved
industries can no longer produce
steel, automobiles, jet airplanes,
railway stock, agricultura! machin–
ery, computers and communica–
tions gear, food-processing equip–
ment, surgical instruments and vir–
tually the entire range of defense
hardware.
Farfetched? Don't be too su re.
The revolution that sorne intend for
a country thousands of miles away
may instead convulse America to
its foundations.
o
teousness has no fellowship with
unrighteousness
(ll
Cor. 6:14).
God simply will not accept that
type of false "worship."
If God had wanted us to observe
Christ's birthday, he would have
given us the exact date and specific
inst ructions on how to observe it.
But he has not! Christmas is an
invention of
man.
issuing from
pagan worship.
Write for our free booklet
The
P/ain Truth About Christmas
for
full details on the Bible teaching
about such holidays. And to discover
what holy days God
has
ordained in
the Scriptures, you might want to
request
Pagan Holidays- or God's
Holy Days- Which?
You owe it to yourself-and to
God- to undcrstand these impor–
tant truths!
o
27