Tony Cirigliano Ministries
October 2005
Pastor Tony Cirigliano – Editor
God is Good!
Greetings in the Master!
We have made it through our first two months without a conference salary, and
the Yahweh has blessed. Our bills are being paid, and the ministry is going
forward with Yahweh’s blessing! He is on the throne and all’s right with the
world!
We have had many miracles. Just when we needed money to print a book, to pay a
large bill, it came in the mail as the Lord impressed hearts to help with the
work! And those who have given have reported great blessings. Here’s a letter I
have permission to share:
Another person who donated sold many extra truckloads of his product! There is
simply no way we can out-give the Lord! I have also been selling signs a few
days during the week, and the Lord has blessed with sales. God is good – all the
time! Thanks for letting Yahweh use you to be a blessing!
I have enclosed a form you can use to give to
the church board for consideration about helping the Feed the Shepherds Program
and to schedule a Soul Winning Made Simple Seminar in your church.
Upcoming Events for this ministry
October 22-23 – Soul Winning Made Simple at Hope Tabernacle SDA Church in
Snellville, Georgia.
Nov. 18-20 – Revival in Burnsville, NC SDA Church
Dec. 5-8 Daytona Beach Florida Southern Union Evangelism Conference
Jan. 21-22, 2006 Mt. Olive, Georgia SDA Church Soul Winning Made Simple Weekend
Feb. 4-5 Birmingham, AL Soul Winning Made Simple Seminar
Feb. 18-19 Pittsboro SDA Church Soul Winning Made Simple Weekend.
Katrina’s Devastation - A few weeks before Hurricane Katrina, the United States
pressured Sharon to force the evacuation of Jews in the Gaza Strip. I65, 000
were expelled from the land Yahweh had given them, some plucked out of
synagogues crying “Yahweh has given us this land.”
It struck me that the houses were taken away
in Louisiana as they were in the Gaza Strip and the displaced people in both the
Gaza Strip and in New Orleans both bore similar looks of sorrow and confusion.
Shortly after the forced taking of Yahweh’s
land in Jerusalem, the city called “America’s most deviant city” was hit by the
most destructive hurricane ever to hit mainland America. Are these two
situations related? I can’t say for sure, but there are many Jewish Christian
groups and Jewish groups who have websites that show that whenever Israel is
forced by the US to give up land Yahweh promised His people in Jeremiah, the US
suffers a deadly disaster.
What is amazing is that In God’s great mercy,
the casualties numbered from Katrina and hurricane Rita thus far have been in
the hundreds rather than the tens of thousands predicted. In mercy, the Lord
does all possible to minimize the loss of life when judgments fall upon the
earth. The Lord does no evil, He is forced to withdraw His protecting hand
rather than be a partner protecting those who have longed mocked His name and
His law! It is then that the devil has power to inflict terrible storms and
devastation!
The Lord’s servant wrote: "The restraining Spirit of God is even now being withdrawn from the world. Hurricanes, storms, tempests, disasters by sea and by land, follow one another in quick succession." – Maranatha, p 175:3.
Note: There was the Tsunami, then Katrina,
then Rita! I believe we are in the time of disasters that will grow worse and
worse and closer together like the birth pains of a woman about to deliver. Then
the false Christ will appear and tell the world the reason these disasters are
happening is that his representative – Rome’s pontiff is not universally honored
and his Sunday Sabbath is not observed. This is the outline we have from the
Bible and the Spirit of Prophecy, and it will come to pass.
“The signs thickening around us, telling of
the near approach of the Son of God, are attributed to any other than the true
cause. . . “. {Maranatha, p. 175.3}
The answer is to have your life hid in Christ
with God. He will preserve His people through the time of trouble. Those of you
who would like the book Exceeding Great and Precious Promises for the Last Days
can receive one by sending a donation of $25 to this ministry.
Feed The Shepherds Program Moving Forward!
As of September 25, 150 pastors in 32 cities and nine states have received Doug
Batchelor’s Final Events DVD and Pastor Kevin Morgan’s Sabbath Rest CD. These
Truth Packets send from this ministry are bearing fruit! Already we are getting
back letters and e-mails from pastors saying that they are enjoying the
material. A pastor in Banner Elk, North Carolina has requested the Revelation
Made Simple booklet to do further study! I also received the following note from
Kenneth Copeland, one of televisions most watched teacher and preacher.
To see all the churches and pastors that have received the Truth Packets visit:
http://cleartruths.com/ReceivedTruth.htm
Only the Bible Outsells Harry Potter - The New York Post dated July, 19, 2005 reported that “Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince” shattered world records yesterday as the fastest selling book ever, out doing just about everything except the Bible. The latest book in the seven volume series. ..sold nearly 10 million books in first 24 hours.
This shows us that we are living in an age where the devils long planned mind conditioning has come to fruition with millions of people – some Christians included - rushing out to buy these books containing real witchcraft potions, curses and enactments, and they are bringing to their children and into their homes! The Holy Bible tells us that new believers in Christ didn’t do that! Instead the Bible says,
Many of them also
which used curious arts brought their books together, and burned them before all
men: and they counted the price of them, and found it fifty thousand pieces of
silver. So mightily grew the word of God and prevailed. – Acts 19:19-20.
If you have any of these books of “Curious arts,” or Magic, then destroy them. Yahweh’s Word says:
“Neither
shalt thou bring an abomination into thine house, lest thou be a cursed thing
like it: but thou shalt utterly detest it, and thou shalt utterly abhor it; for
it is a cursed thing.” – Deut. 7:26.
Spiritualism Is Now In Prime Time! - Van Praagh, a best selling author of several books on communicating with spirits, is now the executive producer of “Ghost Whisperer,” an upcoming CBS series that stars Jennifer Love Hewitt as a newlywed who talks to the dead. Praagh said, “I predicted this would happen five years ago on ‘Larry King,’ right after “The Sixth Sense” came out.” “But what’s amazing” he adds, “is how it’s become so much more acceptable in the mainstream where you’re now seeing more of these types of shows.” – Daily News, August 16, 2005. We have been told that spiritualism will take the world captive in the last days. Be on guard against the allurements of spiritualism. It will confront you each day. The Bible says: “have nothing to do with the unfruitful works of darkness, but rather expose them.” – Ephesians 5:11.
Gay Marriage is Made Legal in Canada - Toronto- Canada legalized gay marriage
yesterday (July 20, 2005), becoming the fourth country to grant full legal
rights to same sex couples. – Times Herald Record, Thursday, July 21, 2005. As
nation after nation perverts Yahweh’s creation and His order of things the earth
is filling up the portion of iniquity. There is a harvest principle in the
Bible. When righteousness reaches a certain point, the Lord will come to reap
the earth, and at the same time wickedness will be ripe as the grapes of wrath.
Here is what the Holy Bible says:
15And another angel came out of
the temple, crying with a loud voice to him that sat on the cloud, Thrust in thy
sickle, and reap: for the time is come for thee to reap; for the harvest of the
earth is ripe. 16And he that sat on the cloud thrust in his sickle on the earth;
and the earth was reaped. 17And another angel came out of the temple which is in
heaven, he also having a sharp sickle. 18And another angel came out from the
altar, which had power over fire; and cried with a loud cry to him that had the
sharp sickle, saying, Thrust in thy sharp sickle, and gather the clusters of the
vine of the earth; for her grapes are fully ripe 19And the angel thrust in his
sickle into the earth, and gathered the vine of the earth, and cast it into the
great winepress of the wrath of God. 20And the winepress was trodden without the
city, and blood came out of the winepress, even unto the horse bridles, by the
space of a thousand and six hundred furlongs.- Revelation
“If the truth of God’s Word rubs those cats fur the wrong way, then tell them
cats to turn around.” – Billy Sunday to the Liquor Association of his day.
King James Version Study Bible with Ellen White’s inspired commentary! - The original sized large EGW Study Bible (8 x 11 inches). Features: Concordance, center column ref., wide margins, subject index to the writings of E. G. White scripture comments, and more. 10 pt. font. Review and Herald Publishers. Black bonded leather. Yours for a donation of $89.
May our heavenly Father Yahweh bless you and yours. We pray for all those on our
mailing list each day. If you have names and addresses of people you would like
to see receive this newsletter monthly for free, send them to us! – Maranatha!
Who hath ascended up into heaven, or descended? who hath gathered the wind in His fists? Who hath bound the waters in a garment? Who hath established all the ends of the earth? What is His name, and what is His Son's name, if thou canst tell? – Proverbs 30:4.
September, 2005 By Pastor Tony Cirigliano
In the above verse our heavenly Father asks the question, “What is My name or My Son’s name if you can tell?” The ancient Hebrew language that the Hebrew Scriptures were written in did not have vowels. In the original Hebrew, God’s name is given as “YHWH.” Because of the lack of vowels, Bible scholars debate how “YHWH” was pronounced. It was likely either “Yahweh” or “Yehowah.” "Yehowah" is where the name “Jehovah” comes from. It was German Bible scholars who first started teaching God’s name as “Jehovah.” In German, a “y” is pronounced as a “j” and a “w” is pronounced as a “v.” So, the name “Jehovah” is a German version of God’s Hebrew name. Out of reverence for God’s name, most modern Bible translations used “LORD” in all caps or small caps in place of God’s name “YHWH.”
So, what is God's name and what does it mean? Modern study of ancient Hebrew pronunciation leans heavily toward the view that God's name was pronounced "Yahweh." The name "Yahweh" refers to God's self-existence. "Yahweh" is linked with how God described Himself in Exodus 3:14, "God said to Moses, "I AM WHO I AM. This is what you are to say to the Israelites: 'I AM has sent me to you.'" God's name is a reflection of His being. God is the only self-existent / self-sufficient Being in the universe. Only God has life in and of Himself. That is the essential meaning of "YHWH" / "Yahweh."
The name Jehovah is not the correct name of God according to the Jewish Encyclopedia, Vol. 7, p. 87 which states, “The pronunciation Jehovah is grammatically impossible. It arose through pronouncing the vowels of the word ‘Adonai’ with the consonants of YHWH.” Even though Ellen White used the name Jehovah, she said that truth is progressive and that there was more light to be revealed. The book of Revelation says that in the last days, the remnant will have the Father’s name “written in their foreheads.” (See Rev. 22:4.) This means they will know the true name of Yahweh whom they love and are faithful to!
It has been good to see in recent times the sacred name Yahweh used in Sabbath school quarterlies. In fact, the Seventh-day Adventist Bible Dictionary has this to say about the name Yahweh.
“A conjectural transliteration of the sacred name by which God instructed that Israel was to know Him, to distinguish Him from all false gods. In consonantal Hebrew the name was written YHWH which, according to LVTL, occurs 6,823 times in the OT. These four letters are commonly known as the Tetragrammaton. Although conclusive documentary evidence to confirm the vocalization Yahweh is lacking, scholars are now rather generally in agreement that this was the original pronunciation. . . Yahweh is generally believed to be a form of the verb hayah, “to be” in which case it would mean “the Eternal One” or the “Self-existent One, “the Self-sufficient One,” “The One who loves eternally.” SDA Bible Dictionary, pps. 1192-1193.
What does the Word of God say about the sacred names?
Joel 2:32: And it shall come to pass, that whosoever shall call on the name of YAHWEH shall be delivered: for in mount Zion and in Jerusalem shall be deliverance, as YAHWEH hath said, and in the remnant whom YAHWEH shall call.
The verse says that those who call on the name of Yahweh will be saved.
Exodus 3:13-15 And Moses said unto God, Behold, when I come unto the children of Israel, and shall say unto them, The God of your fathers hath sent me unto you; and they shall say to me, What is his name? what shall I say unto them? 14And God said unto Moses, I AM THAT I AM: and he said, Thus shalt thou say unto the children of Israel, I AM hath sent me unto you. 15And God said moreover unto Moses, Thus shalt thou say unto the children of Israel, YAHWEH ELOHIM of your fathers, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, hath sent me unto you: this is My name for ever, and this is my memorial unto all generations.
Here it says that Yahweh is our Father’s name forever – in every generation. In fact, it is His memorial! An important fact to remember is that surnames are the same in all languages. For example, you may hear a news reporter telling the news in Spanish or Italian or Russian, but when he talks about President Bush, you will recognize in English the name Bush because it is not translated. It is his name. Yahweh is the name of our God to all nations, kindreds, tongues and people.
If someone asked us what the name of our earthly father was, would we say, “His name is MAN (with capital letters.)? No. We would use his real name. Yes, we can call him dad or daddy like we can cry Abba Father to our heavenly Father, but we still would tell people his real name if they ask. Our Father’s real name is Yahweh and His Son’s real name is Yahshua. Here’s Bible proof for Jesus’ real name.
14And when we were all fallen to the earth, I heard a voice speaking unto me, and saying in the Hebrew tongue, Saul, Saul, why persecutest thou me? it is hard for thee to kick against the pricks. 15And I said, Who art thou, Lord? And he said, I am Jesus whom thou persecutest. – Acts 26.
Notice that Saul, who later became the apostle Paul heard the voice from heaven speaking in the “Hebrew tongue.” There is no way the Lord would have said His name was Jesus if He was speaking in the Hebrew tongue! He would have said, “I am Yahshua.” There is no J in Hebrew, the J is pronounced as a Y. That’s why in Hebrews 4:8 in the King James Version it calls Yahshua “Joshua” in the footnote of study Bibles. Simply replace the J in Joshua with a Y and you have the correct name of our Savior Yoshua or more correctly Yahshua. This name means “Yahweh’s Salvation.” The truth of the matter is that the Son of God probably never heard anyone call Him Jesus while He was on the earth. Whenever the Savior in the Holy Scriptures “in My name,” or “ask anything in my name and it will be done,” or “whoever calls upon the name of the Lord shall be saved,” or “there is no other name given under heaven by which we must be saved,” He was talking about His real Hebrew name Yahshua! The transliteration into Jesus occurred many years after the death and resurrection of Yahshua. It is true, the Lord is loving and He saves those who use the name Jesus and Lord instead of Yahweh and Yahshua. If I came across you stuck in a pit, I would pull you out if you didn’t know my name or called me Drony instead of Tony. And Yahweh saves those who don’t even know or use His great name, but how much better to use and honor the sacred names! I use Jesus and Lord from the pulpit when I preach, but I also use Yahshua and Yahweh, and when I pray, I say, “In Yahshua’s name.”
In Isaiah 42, verse 8 our heavenly Father says, “I am YAHWEH: that is my name: and my glory will I not give to another, neither my praise to graven images.” If I say to someone, “My name is Tony.” Should they not call me by my name rather than call me MAN even if when they write it they use capital letters? Yahweh is the sacred name of our Father. Yahshua is the real name of His Son. The name Yahweh is His memorial to all generations. These names may not be popular and may sound strange to those who have been conditioned to never mention these sacred names, but nevertheless it is the truth! It may not be popular, but oft times truth is on the scaffold and error sits on the throne!
“Therefore My people shall know My name: therefore they shall know it that day that I am He that does speak; behold it is I.” – Isaiah 52:6.
Halloween - It’s NOT for Christians!
Many Christians allow their children to participate in "Halloween" by dressing up in "Halloween costumes" and going to "costume parties" or going "trick or treating." In recent years, we are seeing more and more Christian adults also participating in the Halloween spirit! Even Christian homes have pictures of witches on their doors or windows, or have" ghosts" or white sheets hanging in their yards. They also place lighted pumpkins on their doorsteps. Believers are being led to think that this is just "innocent fun" for them and their children. But is it? Many Christians are ignorant about the origin and occultism associated with the holiday we now call Halloween.
Halloween traditions have never been connected with Christian religious celebrations of any kind. Halloween is purely of evil pagan origin. It is a pre-Christian occult celebration that still retains much of its original pagan form and meaning. Halloween customs can be traced back to the ancient Druids. The Druids believed that during the night of October 31, demons, witches, and evil spirits roamed the earth in wild and furious gambols of joy to greet the arrival of "their season" - the long nights and early dark of the winter months. Christians, unlike the unbelievers in God’s Word, do not deny that there are fallen angels called demons. We ought to know the terrible dangers in becoming entangled with these anti-Christian customs!
The Druids believed that these demons had their "fun" with the poor mortals that night. They believed that the only way for terrified humans to escape the "tricks" these demons pulled on that unholy night was to offer them things they liked, especially were unclean foods such as pork and ham, and sweets supposedly looked upon with favour by the demons! If the occupant of a home did not offer these things to the demons, then the occupants of that house, or the house itself would suffer some type of "trick" or mischief by the offended demons. This is where the practice of "trick or treat" originated! The phrase originated as a supernatural extortion threat! It is hard to imagine Jesus going up to someone's door and saying "trick or treat" -"give me some unhealthy sweets or I'll do something bad to your home!" Yet so many Christian children are taught to carry on this unholy tradition.
The entire mood of the Halloween celebration is one of darkness and not light. Children are taught to think of witches goblins, ghosts and "haunted houses." Sad to say, even some Christian churches set up "haunted houses" to entertain their children on Halloween night! This glorifies the prince of darkness and not the Lord Jesus Christ! The Bible says, "Whatsoever ye eat. or drink, or whatever you DO, do ALL to the GLORY of God."- 1 Corinthians 10:31.
It was also believed that another way to escape the fury of these demons was to disguise oneself as one of them and roam the streets with them. This is what the people did in ancient times to show honour and fear of the demons! This is where the custom of wearing "Halloween costumes" originated! When Christians send their little children out on Halloween night dressed up in a costume, they are teaching them to observe the ancient Druid custom that originated in devil worship! See the Seventh-day Adventist Bible Students Source Book, Vol. 9 of the SDA Bible Commentary, p. 447 under the title "Halloween". The Bible plainly tells us NOT to take part in such things! Here is what the Lord says: "Ye cannot drink the cup of the Lord and the cup of devils." -1 Corinthians 10:21.
Witches, Satanists, and followers of the black arts still consider Halloween to be their high holy day! Police officers and fire fighters will readily tell you that the worst night of the year for crime, murder, child abducting, fires, and mayhem is Halloween night! It is a well-known fact that many children are poisoned or die in auto accidents while "trick or treating" each year. The spirit of evil reigns that night for those who know not the Lord. Surely the Lord is not pleased when His followers take part in such things! In Ephesians 5:8, He plainly tells us: "Have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness, but rather expose them."
In the Encyclopaedia Brittanica, Vol. IV, Micropedia, p. 862 under the heading "Halloween", the following is written: "In ancient Britain and Ireland the Celtic festival of Samhain was observed on October 31, at the end of summer This date... was the occasion for one of the ancient fire festivals when huge bonfires were set on hilltops to frighten away evil spirits... The souls of the dead were supposed to revisit their homes on this day, and the autumnal festival acquired SINISTER significance, with ghosts, witches, hobgoblins, black cats, fairies, and demons of all kinds said to be roaming about. "
As Christians, do we really want to be associate with something that is "sinister"? Let your children witness to those who come to your door "trick or treating" by handing out Christian tracts or coloring books. But do not participate in the objectionable traits of this sinister day. Do not give deference to the "holiday" at all! It is NOT a holiday that Christians ought to recognise or take part in. "Ye are all sons of light and sons of the day. We are NOT of the night nor of DARKNESS." -1 Thess. 5:5. "What fellowship has light with darkness, or Christ with Belial?" See 1 Corinthians 6:14-15. The Lord also tells us: "You shall not learn to follow the abominations of those nations. There shall not be found among you anyone who makes his son or daughter pass through the fire, or one who practices witchcraft...or a sorcerer... or one who conjures spells...or one who calls up the dead for all who DO these things are an abomination to the Lord." - Deuteronomy 18:9-12. Also, Yahweh, the God of heaven says, "Come out from among them and be separate, says the Lord, and touch not the unclean thing and I will receive you." -1 Cor. 6:17.
The ancient Druids also carved ugly faces in pumpkins and placed a candle inside them to scare away the demons that might approach their homes! Witches have a big part in the Halloween celebration. The Bible tells us that anyone who "practices witchcraft" or supports it is an "abomination" to Yahweh. See Deuteronomy 18:10. How can a Christian celebrate or take part in the customs that originated in witchcraft? Why take part in the celebration of Satan's high holy day? These customs and associations with witches, sorcerers, and spirits of the dead (ghosts) are all an abomination to the Lord. It is "evil" in His sight and it "provokes Him to anger"!
In 2 Chronicles 33, verse 6, the Lord was talking about the evil done by Manasseh. The Lord said, "he made his children pass through the fire." This was a ritual bonfire as is still done at Halloween! The Bible says he also "observed times, used enchantments, and used witchcraft" and he "dealt with a familiar spirit, and with wizards." The Lord said this was evil and provoked Him to anger! It is never innocent fun to dabble with things that are an abomination to God!
It is not a joke or harmless to take part in the celebration of Halloween. Some parents say, "well the kids have fun." But would these parents allow their children to go and have their palms read, or to have their future told with tarot cards, or to go to a hypnotist for "fun?" Such things are not fun and can lead to serious spiritual problems and many are led into a fascination with the supernatural and occult by this so-called innocent "fun". Christians beware!