HOLY DAYS: There are those, in fact the vast majority within the church, who believe that the statement found in Galatians 4:10 refers to God’s Holy Days which were instituted prior to the added law and therefore were not a part of it. Such people also believe that verse 10 gives them permission to avoid observing the Lord’s commanded holidays such as His weekly Sabbath, Passover, Pentecost, Days of Unleavened Bread and the Feast of Tabernacles. In verse 10 Paul says to the Galatian converts: “You observe days and months and times and years” which were parts of their previous religion. Without Biblical knowledge one could assume that verse 10 was indeed speaking about God’s Holy Days, which most churchites believe. But that would be a dangerous assumption. Assumptions are the source of many, if not all church errors, of which there are many as noted on the home page of this website. For a thorough background of the source of the church’s heathen beliefs and customs, read Simon of Samaria, key word–Simon.

In order to clear things up concerning verse 10 we need to determine exactly who were the Galatians. The Galatian converts were Gentiles who had come to believe in the Jewish Savior. They had come from a background of heathen (pagan) beliefs and practices. Galatia was a region in Asia Minor where the churches of Lystra, Iconium, Antioch, Derbe and others were located. Paul was addressing the people in the Galatian churches when he wrote in verse 8: “When you did not know God you did service unto them which by nature were not gods.” These people had been born into a society in which false gods were worshiped and served. Like everyone else, they were taught that their god was the real god. Paul had worked long and hard to convince the Galatians to abandon their pagan gods and to follow the true God.

Now false Galatian converts were trying to beguile them into returning to their former gods and religions. Paul warns them of what is happening to them in his letter to them: “But now, after you have known the true God, or rather, are know by Him, WHY ARE YOU TURNING BACK TO PAGANISM, TO THE WEAK AND BEGGARLY ELEMENTS which will drag you back into bondage” (vs 9). Contrary to popular religious opinion, the days, months, times and years they were wanting to return to were NOT GOD’S HOLY DAYS. As Gentiles, these people had never observed God’s Holy Days, His Ten Commandment Law, etc. as the modern church believes they did. Instead, those were the days, months and years Paul was referring to in verse 8. At first glance and without deep Biblical knowledge, one would assume that he was referring to God’s Holy Days. Biblical ignorance is a self-inflicted spiritual wound that kills spiritually in the present, and if not corrected, will kill physically in the future.

Now we will examine some of the days, months and years that the Gentile Galatians had celebrated throughout their lives while serving Satan. The modern church believes that Paul is referring to God’s Holy Days mentioned in the first paragraph which she (the church) believes were “nailed to the Cross” of Jesus Christ. We will now learn for certain that the days, months and years the Galatian Gentiles revered had no relation to God’s Holy Days. Some of the days they celebrated will look familiar in that many in the church continue to celebrate them today, only using different names.

Examples of the FESTIVALS celebrated by the heathen of many nations were Saturnalia, today known as Christmas; the feast of Astarte, now called Easter (the “queen of heaven); All Saints Day, today known as Halloween and Lent during which people honor Tammuz, the sun god. Read Ezekiel chapter 8.

In Deuteronomy 18:10,14 and Leviticus 19:26 we learn about some of the TIMES which the heathen observed and which the Lord condemns. Paul makes clear the fact that God forbids such observances in that they involve divination, usually associated with His heavenly bodies such as the sun, moon and stars. This was the practice that evolved into modern day astrology. The Law of Moses forbad the observance of TIMES such as Christmas time and Easter time. It is from those TIMES celebrations that we have garlands and mistletoe hanging over doorways which were believed to affect sexual performance and lights designed to honor of the sun god.

DAYS were also celebrated by the heathen anciently. Again, some might be familiar. Special DAYS were established within heathenism in order to honor the dead. Today some churches celebrate such things as ALL SOULS DAY and ALL SAINTS DAY which is known as Halloween. The days the Galatians were wanting to return to were the same pagan days that today are part of the so-called “Christian experience.” This in spite of God’s command to “Learn not the ways of the heathen” (Jer. 10:1-4). Read that reference to learn God’s attitude toward Christmas.

Then there were the UNLUCKY DAYS many Galatians observed relative to their various gods. Many people, including professing Christians, continue to be involved in such days. Have you ever heard of UNLUCKY FRIDAY THE 13TH? The number 13 is still considered to be cursed as paganism has saturated the Western World. For example, some hotel chains do not have a 13th floor in honor of that heathen belief.

In Galatians 4:10 Paul mentions “MONTHS AND YEARS” relative to the pagan practices the Galatians had supposedly left behind when supposedly turning to the Lord. Many of these were observed in honor of various gods such as Apollo, Zeus and Aremas.

Certain YEARS were celebrated by setting them aside for specific activities. Today we do the same on both a national and international level. For example, the Olympics are observed every four years.

These are the observances to which the Galatian believers were desiring to return. The church claims that they were wanting to return to the added law of Moses which we know was done away with by the death of Jesus Christ. Do not allow church leaders to lead you astray by man’s wishful thinking and Satan’s substitution of the things of God. From this study we know that it is obvious that Paul was admonishing the Gentile Galatians not to return to the heathen practice of observing days, months, times and years. Galatians 4:10 has been absolutely proved not to refer to God’s Holy Days which He gave as statutes to be observed by His people forever. We must be open to correction when the Scriptures prove us wrong. The Proverbist knew this and wrote in 15:10: “Correction is grievous to him who forsakes the (Lord’s) way. He that hates reproof will die.”

FULFILLED: In Galatians 6:2 we find Paul using the Word “fulfill” to mean to make something happen. However, the church masses believe that “fulfill” means to bring something to an end–the Old Testament (writings of the prophets) generally and the Law specifically. They twist a statement made by Jesus into meaning the exact opposite of what He said. In Matthew 5:17 Jesus said that He had NOT COME TO DESTROY THE LAW OR THE (WRITINGS OF) THE PROPHETS (THE OLD TESTAMENT), BUT TO FULFILL THEM. Law haters have twisted that statement to mean that He came to bring them to an end. In order to show how deadly wrong they are, we will examine some other Biblical statements in which the Word “fulfill” is used–the same Word in every instance. We are told to fulfill “the Word of God” (Col. 1:25), “the Lord’s good pleasure” (2 Thes. 1:11), “the royal Law” (Jam. 2:8), “God’s purpose” (Rev. 17:17) and “all righteousness” (Mat. 3:15). Even when I point out these statements straight from the Bible, not one person has ever confessed that they were wrong. Did the Lord not say through the proverbist that those who refuse correction will die? Never underestimate the power Satan wields over the Institutional Church.

SAVED IN THIS LIFE: This error is one of, if not the most deadly of the church’s errors. With it Satan has led billions of salvation seekers into the apostasy (falling away from God) that Paul warned about in Second Thessalonians 2:3. The Scriptures do not tell us when this heresy came to be accepted by the church. I suspect it was during the first or second century of her history as Catholicism, with the Roman Empire doing her bidding, became “the church” and all within the empire were forced into her at the point of a sword. Read about this transition in Simon of Samaria, key word–Simon. In Galatians 6:7-9 we find Paul speaking to this error: “Do not be deceived (by Satan or his messengers): God is not mocked, for whatever a man sows, that he WILL (LATER) reap. The one who sows to the flesh (sins) WILL (LATER) reap corruption (death) from Satan, but the one who sows to the Holy Spirit (obeys God) WILL (LATER) reap ETERNAL LIFE from the Holy Spirit. Therefore we (Paul included) must not grow tired of doing good (sowing to the Spirit), for we WILL (LATER) REAP (ETERNAL LIFE) AT THE APPOINTED TIME (the return of Jesus Christ). IF we continue to obey the Lord.”

In Matthew 25 Jesus speaks to this Truth using the parable of the ten virgins. The word “virgins” refers to God’s people. In the parable, all ten people are call “virgins,” meaning that they claim allegiance to the Lord. However, five of them have fallen away (committed apostasy). Note that they continue to be called “virgins” who, in spite of their sins, believe themselves to be in good standing with the Lord. Sound familiar? Upon His return to earth to marry His true virgins, a call goes out for them to meet Him at the wedding banquet. After a quick “revival,” the foolish virgins arrive at the banquet location expecting to be allowed in. Calling Him “Master, Master,” they prepare to go inside. However, He says to them, “I do not know you.” These “virgins” were certain that they were saved and born again even though they had returned to sinning. Today such “virgins” call themselves “sinners saved by grace.” The foolish virgins were not saved and had never been saved. Neither are we. I explain this in greater detail in the series titled Hope and Salvation and Born Again, key words Hope and Born respectively.

A LICENSE TO SIN: In Galatians 2:17 Paul speaks to what has to be at or near the top of a long list of Satan’s abominations which the church has joyfully embraced–the right of so-called “saved and born again” people to sin with impunity. Here Paul states, “If, while seeking to be (remain) justified by Christ, we continue to sin (break God’s Law–1 Jn. 3:4) we make Jesus our MINISTER OF SIN. God forbid.” According to a church-embraced “truth,” Adam made each person ever born a sinner at conception, The theory goes as follows: knowing that, due to Adams sin-transferal miracle, man must sin, Jesus died in order for him (the sinner) to get away with sinning if he takes Him (Jesus) as his personal Savior. And Satan smiles because this makes Jesus the sinner’s ENABLER. This means that the sins Jesus died so that God could forgive, one can now commit at will for the remainder of his/her life AND GET AWAY WITH IT. the sowing and reaping rule applies to everyone, including those who believe that they are saved. This is the focus of and the lesson taught by the parable of the ten virgins. RECALL THAT THE FOOLISH VIRGINS ARRIVED WHERE JESUS WAS “KNOWING” THAT THEY WOULD BE WELCOMED BY HIM. Lesson taught and hopefully learned. L.J.