Hosea 6:3 Let us acknowledge the LORD;
let us press on to acknowledge him.
As surely as the sun rises,
he will appear;
he will come to us like the winter rains,
like the spring rains that water the earth.”
“Soon, it will be Christmas Day,” a line in a song being played all over the world in celebration of Jesus Christ’s birth. Almost everyone believed that Jesus Christ was born on a 25 of December. 
This holiday is celebrated too by different Christian denominations even though most of them do not believe in the teachings of the Catholic Church. A snow plays an important part in the scenario of a Christmas day (please refer to below first comment or link), unfortunately, even utilizing it to commercialized this holiday. Just look at the painting depicting a baby in a manger during a snow day and realise the deceit people made to believe. I have not experienced having a natural snow in the Philippines as we only have two seasons, summer and rainy seasons, and neither there was snow in Bethlehem during Christ’s birth according to the book of Luke:
Luke 2:
8And there were in the same country shepherds abiding in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night. 9And, lo, the angel of the Lord came upon them, and the glory of the Lord shone round about them: and they were sore afraid. 10And the angel said unto them, Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people. 11For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord. 12And this shall be a sign unto you; Ye shall find the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger. 13And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God, and saying, 14Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men. 15And it came to pass, as the angels were gone away from them into heaven, the shepherds said one to another, Let us now go even unto Bethlehem, and see this thing which is come to pass, which the Lord hath made known unto us. 16And they came with haste, and found Mary, and Joseph, and the babe lying in a manger. 17And when they had seen it, they made known abroad the saying which was told them concerning this child. 18And all they that heard it wondered at those things which were told them by the shepherds. 19But Mary kept all these things, and pondered them in her heart. 20And the shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all the things that they had heard and seen, as it was told unto them.
Of course, the pagan the Catholic Church that she is, idolatry and profit cannot be separated resulting from this tradition and custom:
Jeremiah 10:
1 Hear what the LORD says to you, O house of Israel.
2 This is what the LORD says:
“Do not learn the ways of the nations
or be terrified by signs in the sky,
though the nations are terrified by them.
3 For the customs of the peoples are worthless;
they cut a tree out of the forest,
and a craftsman shapes it with his chisel.
4 They adorn it with silver and gold;
they fasten it with hammer and nails
so it will not totter.5 Like a scarecrow in a melon patch,
their idols cannot speak;
they must be carried
because they cannot walk.
Do not fear them;
they can do no harm
nor can they do any good.”
Well, recently I witnessed a snow though from a korean-novela, which I watched for almost four days within two weeks entitled, “Couple or Trouble.”
Two things caught my attention in this movie, an insane lady and a scene where the snow began to fall. A lady who is insane, shown in the story as a careless, loving individual talks senselessly but the sincerity and truth can be read between her lines. She usually says that her love will come when the snow falls and on the last episode, during a conversation to her friend, the lady protagonist, she stated that she will remain hopeful and will wait for the protagonist’s return and believes that it will happen as soon as it snows. And the plot falls into its place. The issues were resolved but not according to the Christian doctrines.
1 Corinthians 7:
10To the married I give this command (not I, but the Lord): A wife must not separate from her husband. 11But if she does, she must remain unmarried or else be reconciled to her husband. And a husband must not divorce his wife.
This movie like other movies obviously is a fiction, though it lacks too much violence, compared to the world we are living now. Sadly, even the existence of God is not shown here, if one can notice. Obviously, it is an intertwining of dilemma and emotions, a story made out of the creative mind of its author.
I continued watching the later part of the movie after attending our two-day International Thanksgiving of the Members, Church of God, that made me appreciate in someways, the ending of the drama and not because of what happened to the protagonists and antagonists or the story itself but because one thing remained true in what I seen, the seasons that God created, which testify of His existence and our need for Him.
Genesis 8:22 “As long as the earth endures,
seedtime and harvest,
cold and heat,
summer and winter,
day and night
will never cease.”
Life and this world are constantly changing including the emotions and experiences of every human beings, even the unseen. It is only God that is constant. Even I, as a gay individual, my needs and wants also change, even my emotions. During the said international thanksgiving last 22 to 23 of December, my understanding of God’s love to humanity, has gone deeper. I even understood what kind of man gays are and our purpose in life. The life inside the Church of God, we learned to count our birthdays as Christians, as we practice holiness -because it is essential in the everlasting life.
One part of the topic being read to us by Brother Eliseo Soriano (Bro Eli), with the use of the Bible and the guidance of the Holy Spirit, made me feel that he was talking to me directly, during the prophesying. He said that gays like me, in reality, are not the eunuch mentioned from the verse, the third example, when we decided to remain a bachelor for the sake of the kingdom of God. Why? It is because we are not in the position to choose like that of a real man on whether to pursue a wife or not. The characteristics of a eunuch should be that of a man that has all the qualities to satisfy the needs and wants of his wife and family biblically but opted not to marry and pursues the kingdom of God as a bachelor instead.
Matthew 19:
11 Jesus replied, “Not everyone can accept this word, but only those to whom it has been given. 12For some are eunuchs because they were born that way; others were made that way by men; and others have renounced marriage because of the kingdom of heaven. The one who can accept this should accept it.”
And what I undestood just the same is that the kingdom of heaven is neither a choice but a grace given to us Happy and gay Christians too.
1 Corinthians 7:
1Now for the matters you wrote about: It is good for a man not to marry.
7I wish that all men were as I am. But each man has his own gift from God; one has this gift, another has that.
8Now to the unmarried and the widows I say: It is good for them to stay unmarried, as I am.
17Nevertheless, each one should retain the place in life that the Lord assigned to him and to which God has called him. This is the rule I lay down in all the churches. 18Was a man already circumcised when he was called? He should not become uncircumcised. Was a man uncircumcised when he was called? He should not be circumcised. 19Circumcision is nothing and uncircumcision is nothing. Keeping God’s commands is what counts. 20Each one should remain in the situation which he was in when God called him. 21Were you a slave when you were called? Don’t let it trouble you—although if you can gain your freedom, do so. 22For he who was a slave when he was called by the Lord is the Lord’s freedman; similarly, he who was a free man when he was called is Christ’s slave. 23You were bought at a price; do not become slaves of men. 24Brothers, each man, as responsible to God, should remain in the situation God called him to.
25Now about virgins: I have no command from the Lord, but I give a judgment as one who by the Lord’s mercy is trustworthy. 26Because of the present crisis, I think that it is good for you to remain as you are. 27Are you married? Do not seek a divorce. Are you unmarried? Do not look for a wife. 28But if you do marry, you have not sinned; and if a virgin marries, she has not sinned. But those who marry will face many troubles in this life, and I want to spare you this.
29What I mean, brothers, is that the time is short. From now on those who have wives should live as if they had none; 30those who mourn, as if they did not; those who are happy, as if they were not; those who buy something, as if it were not theirs to keep; 31those who use the things of the world, as if not engrossed in them. For this world in its present form is passing away.
32I would like you to be free from concern. An unmarried man is concerned about the Lord’s affairs—how he can please the Lord. 33But a married man is concerned about the affairs of this world—how he can please his wife— 34and his interests are divided. An unmarried woman or virgin is concerned about the Lord’s affairs: Her aim is to be devoted to the Lord in both body and spirit. But a married woman is concerned about the affairs of this world—how she can please her husband. 35I am saying this for your own good, not to restrict you, but that you may live in a right way in undivided devotion to the Lord.
36If anyone thinks he is acting improperly toward the virgin he is engaged to, and if she is getting along in years and he feels he ought to marry, he should do as he wants. He is not sinning. They should get married. 37But the man who has settled the matter in his own mind, who is under no compulsion but has control over his own will, and who has made up his mind not to marry the virgin—this man also does the right thing. 38So then, he who marries the virgin does right, but he who does not marry her does even better.
39A woman is bound to her husband as long as he lives. But if her husband dies, she is free to marry anyone she wishes, but he must belong to the Lord. 40In my judgment, she is happier if she stays as she is—and I think that I too have the Spirit of God.
I enjoin everyone, more so, the brethren, to be all grateful to the Living God; and be hopeful, faithful, and charitable partakers in the innermost core being of the Church of God, and to let love be abundant in our works.
My point here is that people, regardless of race and gender, have the capacity to do good. Even God, the true Christians’ God, the God of Israel, the Living God, expressed this in the Holy Bible saying that He wants all men to be saved. Therefore, He really gave a chance to those who haven’t heard about Him, the Gospel of Jesus Christ, even so, to them whom preaching have not reached yet but doing what is good written in their hearts. But some people overlooked the truth, though others are seeking it, for they do not understand themselves, their existence. And instead, they opted to create a knowledge and or adapt to the norms created by people who lived ahead of them or around them.
A role now was prophesied in the scriptures, where a man will be able to come in and out in the Church of God to be able to preach the gospel to all. He will be an instrument for the chosen ones to help them see the things that the apostles seen, and not only what they saw, but those unseen things.
Revelation 1:3 Blessed is the one who reads the words of this prophecy, and blessed are those who hear it and take to heart what is written in it, because the time is near.
And Brother Eli Soriano is this man who reads to us the word of God, and who himself take to heart what is written in it together with the Church of God who listens to the words of the prophecy.
Isaiah 1:18 “Come now, let us reason together,”
says the LORD.
“Though your sins are like scarlet,
they shall be as white as snow;
though they are red as crimson,
they shall be like wool.
God wants us to be as white as snow.
Psalm 51:7 Cleanse me with hyssop, and I will be clean;
wash me, and I will be whiter than snow.Isaiah 55:10
As the rain and the snow come down from heaven, and do not return to it without watering the earth and making it bud and flourish, so that it yields seed for the sower and bread for the eater,
Having heard, seen, and witnessed these things, let us read some scriptures and pray to God that we understand these things through the most sensible preacher of this time, Brother Eliseo Soriano.
Proverbs 25:13
Like the coolness of snow at harvest time is a trustworthy messenger to those who send him; he refreshes the spirit of his masters.Zechariah 14
3 Then the LORD will go out and fight against those nations, as he fights in the day of battle. 4 On that day his feet will stand on the Mount of Olives, east of Jerusalem, and the Mount of Olives will be split in two from east to west, forming a great valley, with half of the mountain moving north and half moving south. 5 You will flee by my mountain valley, for it will extend to Azel. You will flee as you fled from the earthquake in the days of Uzziah king of Judah. Then the LORD my God will come, and all the holy ones with him.
6 On that day there will be no light, no cold or frost. 7 It will be a unique day, without daytime or nighttime-a day known to the LORD. When evening comes, there will be light.
8 On that day living water will flow out from Jerusalem, half to the eastern sea and half to the western sea, in summer and in winter.
9 The LORD will be king over the whole earth. On that day there will be one LORD, and his name the only name.
Matthew 24:20 Pray that your flight will not take place in winter or on the Sabbath.
Amos 3:
15 I will tear down the winter house
along with the summer house;
the houses adorned with ivory will be destroyed
and the mansions will be demolished,”
declares the LORD.
Matthew 24:
27For as lightning that comes from the east is visible even in the west, so will be the coming of the Son of Man. 28Wherever there is a carcass, there the vultures will gather.
29″Immediately after the distress of those days
” ‘the sun will be darkened,
and the moon will not give its light;
the stars will fall from the sky,
and the heavenly bodies will be shaken.’30″At that time the sign of the Son of Man will appear in the sky, and all the nations of the earth will mourn. They will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of the sky, with power and great glory. 31And he will send his angels with a loud trumpet call, and they will gather his elect from the four winds, from one end of the heavens to the other.
32″Now learn this lesson from the fig tree: As soon as its twigs get tender and its leaves come out, you know that summer is near. 33Even so, when you see all these things, you know that it is near, right at the door. 34I tell you the truth, this generation will certainly not pass away until all these things have happened. 35Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will never pass away.
36″No one knows about that day or hour, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father. 37As it was in the days of Noah, so it will be at the coming of the Son of Man. 38For in the days before the flood, people were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, up to the day Noah entered the ark; 39and they knew nothing about what would happen until the flood came and took them all away. That is how it will be at the coming of the Son of Man. 40Two men will be in the field; one will be taken and the other left. 41Two women will be grinding with a hand mill; one will be taken and the other left.
42″Therefore keep watch, because you do not know on what day your Lord will come. 43But understand this: If the owner of the house had known at what time of night the thief was coming, he would have kept watch and would not have let his house be broken into. 44So you also must be ready, because the Son of Man will come at an hour when you do not expect him.
45″Who then is the faithful and wise servant, whom the master has put in charge of the servants in his household to give them their food at the proper time? 46It will be good for that servant whose master finds him doing so when he returns. 47I tell you the truth, he will put him in charge of all his possessions. 48But suppose that servant is wicked and says to himself, ‘My master is staying away a long time,’ 49and he then begins to beat his fellow servants and to eat and drink with drunkards. 50The master of that servant will come on a day when he does not expect him and at an hour he is not aware of. 51He will cut him to pieces and assign him a place with the hypocrites, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.
While there is time left,
Galatians 6:6Let him that is taught in the word communicate unto him that teacheth in all good things.
There are so many things, even the unseen and unknown, that we should be grateful for to the Living God of Israel. And so we say,
“Thanks be unto God for his unspeakable gift” (II Corithians 9:15)
