Lala, lala, lala, lala.
La, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la
La, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la
La, la, la, la, la, la
La, la, la, la, la, la, la
Very wicked and obsessed with dead. They were violent. They committed mass genocide. They committed sacrifices in large numbers. They were pagans. They had many deities that they prayed to and worship.
In fact, their main god was a god who they called the god of war and the god of human sacrifices.
They were so obsessed with death and sacrificing their own people. They even said, you know what, in order for life to continue, gods even have to be sacrificed.
Death is such an important aspect of our lives. They said in order for life to continue, death must be present.
And you study the history of these wicked Aztecs, there are simply a people who loved death.
Why? Because there are a bunch of reprobates who hated God. That's why.
And even as they did not like to retain God in their knowledge, God gave them over to a reprobate mind to do those things which are not convenient.
Being filled with all unrighteousness, fornication, wickedness, covetousness, maliciousness, full of envy, murder, debate, deceit, malignity, whisperers, backbiters, haters of God,
despiteful, proud, boasters, inventors of evil things, disobedient to parents, without understanding, covenant breakers, without natural affection, implacable, unmerciful,
who knowing the judgment of God, that they which commit such things are worthy of death, not only do the same, but have pleasure in them that do them.
During the post-classical era, the Spaniards conquered Mexico and simply blended the Catholic religion with these Aztecs. That's all they did.
And let me say this, anytime Catholics went to conquer anywhere, they simply compromised and blended their beliefs.
It all began with the Celts, a people whose culture had spread across Europe more than 2,000 years ago.
October 31st was the day they celebrated the end of the harvest season in a festival called Soen.
But as the Catholic Church's influence grew in Europe, it frowned on the pagan rituals like Soen.
In the 7th century, the Vatican began to merge it with a church-sanctioned holiday.
So November 1st was designated All Saints' Day to honor martyrs and the deceased faithful.
Well, when they conquered the Aztecs, all they did was simply change the name, Day of the Dead.
And what is it? On November 1st, it's called the Day of Innocence. It's a day where they honor and worship the death of children.
And then on November 2nd, it's the Rest of the Soul.
Skeletons, painted faces, and lots of sweet treats. No, it's not Halloween. It's Dia de los Muertos, or Day of the Dead.
Day of the Dead is a holiday celebrated in Mexico and some parts of Latin America that honors and commemorates death.
It combines indigenous rituals with the Catholic holidays of all souls and all saints' death.
So it's basically the same thing. Why is that? Because it's the same devil. It's the same satanic ritual.
And he can't come up with anything original, so he picks and chooses what he wants from different cultures and applies it to that era right there.
Day of the Dead, as well, is something to show us how the colonizations and the changes in the history of our country may include the new things, but preserving tradition.
What we're really talking about is what you see in a lot of cultures, which is material culture or images and ideas being transferred through time.
Obviously evolving as they come into contact with other cultures. So Mexican culture is very much a mix of the different pre-Hispanic Mesoamerican cultures that existed before the Spanish conquest and all of the influence that came from Europe, which wasn't just from Spain.
The Day of the Dead is a festival, and in that sense it's very much a celebration, and I suppose that is something that appeals to European and North American people because that's not the way that we understand death.
Death is, for us, a sad moment. We do remember our dead, but we remember them in times of solemnity.
I can't look at the sales ad without seeing altars, without seeing Day of the Dead bread, without seeing a bunch of pagan things.
Use this for your deceased. Use this for your altars. Use these marigold flowers. Use this bread and these sugar skulls and all this pagan worship, and people are just buying this by the droves.
This is a present thing. This is not just 3,000 years ago with the Aztecs. It's present today.
Go to 1 Corinthians, chapter number 10.
What say I then? That the idol is anything, or that which is offered in sacrifice to idols is anything?
But I say that the things which the Gentiles sacrifice, they sacrifice to devils and not to God.
I will not that ye should have fellowship with devils. You cannot drink the cup of the Lord and the cup of devils.
Ye cannot be partakers of the Lord's table and of the table of devils. Do we provoke the Lord to jealousy? Are we stronger than he?
You see these altars, or altars, or altars is what they call them, that are reared up to honor the deceased.
You know what they're doing? They're actually worshiping devils.
You know, they think they're honoring their grandfather, their children, or their deceased loved ones.
What are they doing? They're actually offering this unto devils, unto Satan himself.
And they don't know these things. And the Bible says that, what are they doing? They're provoking God to jealousy.
Go with me to Exodus, chapter 20. Exodus, chapter number 20.
Why is it that God says that they're provoking the Lord to jealousy?
Well, we're going to look here in Exodus, chapter number 20, in verse number 3, the Bible reads here,
Thou shalt have no other gods before me. Thou shalt not make unto thee any, what?
graven image, or any likeness of anything that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth.
Thou shalt not bow down thyself to them, nor serve them, for I the Lord thy God am a jealous God,
visiting the iniquities of the fathers upon the children unto the third and fourth generation of them that hate me.
The Bible says, what does he say? I am a jealous God. Why?
Because when we bow down to altars, to wicked things, we're not doing it to the deceased, according to the Bible.
Who are they doing it to? To devils.
Then that is idolatry. They hate God. Why? Because they love death.
You know, in fact, the adage or the maxim for Aztecs was this.
Aztecs always celebrated death. Life, they said, is just a dream. Only in death is when we truly awake.
Let's see if that's actually true, according to the Word of God. Luke, chapter 16, in verse number 19.
There was a certain rich man, which was clothed in purple and fine linen and fared sumptuously every day.
There was a certain beggar named Lazarus, which was laid at his gate full of sores and desiring to be fed with the crumbs which fell from the rich man's table.
Moreover, the dogs came and licked his sores, and it came to pass that the beggar died and was carried by the angels into Abraham's bosom.
The rich man also died and was buried, and in hell he licked up his eyes, being in torment, and seeth Abraham afar off and Lazarus in his bosom.
And he cried and said, Father Abraham, have mercy on me, and said, Lazarus, that he may dip the tip of his finger in water and cool my tongue, for I am tormented in this flame.
So there was some truth to what they were saying. Why is that? Because they said, well, you know, this is only a dream, only in life are we truly awake.
Yeah, but it's called a rude awakening. Why? Because they're lifting up their eyes in hell.
And you know why? Every single Aztec that has ever died, they're in hell today, and yes, it's true, now they're fully awake and they're realizing that they're in hell.
And then they're worshipping false gods, they shouldn't look for the true and living God, and what is it? It's a false pagan religion that teaches people how to go to hell.
To the four gods that have allowed us to live more and more with life, and to receive, receive and respond to those who have given us love.
Live the love!
Live!
I connect with Dia de los Muertos just being in California and being a part of a Hispanic culture that's blended, you know, from Southern California to Northern California,
and definitely believing that this time of year is when the veil is the nest between the worlds, and being able to connect and honor the dead and remember them,
and it's really beautiful to put them on altars and remember their faces and have a dance with them.
Locals dress up as skeletons, men dress as women, and parties are thrown in graveyards to welcome death.
So what are some of the practices that these people who practice Dia de los Muertos or Day of the Dead, what is it that they practice?
Well number one, they practice this matter of constructing altars, or what they call altares, to honor the dead.
Altars are often decorated with an array of flowers, fruits and favorite foods, candles, Day of the Dead bread, skeletons and skulls.
Oh, very nice, isn't it, huh? Just to use all that to honor the dead, that's a very nice thing to use.
Child altars are filled with candy and toys, whereas liquor and cigarettes are left for the adults for their long journey back.
Yeah, that's really honoring, you know.
Let's put some pot right here, let's put some Marlboro cigarettes right here in some liquor, which probably would kill this person, right?
Due to cirrhosis of the liver.
Well, let's see what the Bible says about altars here.
You're in Deuteronomy chapter 12, verse number 1.
The Bible says here, these are the statutes and judgments which ye shall observe to do in the land, which the Lord God of thy fathers giveth thee to possess it, all the days that ye live upon the earth.
Ye shall utterly destroy all the places wherein the nations which ye shall possess serve their gods, upon the high mountains and upon the hills and under every green tree.
And ye shall overthrow their altars and break their pillars and burn their groves with fire.
And ye shall hew down the graven images of their gods and destroy the names of them out of that place.
What is it saying? I don't want nothing to do with this.
That's what God's saying. When you come into a land and you see the altars where they worship their false gods, tear it down, burn it, I don't want nothing to do with it.
And let me say this, there's places here in Los Angeles, especially in Detroit, where altars are not just in the homes of people, they're in the streets.
I mean, there's people who say, yeah, we fill the streets with altars so all the spirits can just roam and come into the homes.
I mean, that's wicked. Filled with bones and skulls and things that are morbid. This is a very wicked practice.
Go to 2 Kings chapter 21. It's obvious that altars is not a good thing.
But yet we see today, we'll see in a couple of weeks, they're everywhere.
And people don't even wince at it. They think it's a good thing. They think it's a beautiful thing.
They decorate it with all kinds of flowers and make it look all pretty. But it's a loving of death.
I've been waiting three weeks for this. I love the skulls. I love the culture. It fascinates me. I'm delighted by the parade. It met all my expectations.
2 Kings 21 verse 1. The Bible says here, Manasseh was 12 years old when he began to reign and reigned 50 and 5 years in Jerusalem.
His mother's name was Hezekiah. And he did that which was evil on the side of the Lord after the abominations of the heathen whom the Lord cast out before the children of Israel.
Why? For he built up again the high places which Hezekiah's father had destroyed.
And he reared up altars. For who? For Baal. And made a grove as did Ahab king of Israel and worshipped all the hosts of heaven and served them.
You see Manasseh was a wicked king. And the Bible says that he reared up these altars. What? To worship the hosts of heaven?
But what did God say? No, you're worshipping Baal.
You see, he thought he was worshipping the hosts of heaven, whoever was in heaven. God says, no, I don't care what you think you're worshipping. It's Baal.
And by the way, Baal all throughout the scriptures, we know who that is. That's Satan. Satan comes in different names and one of them is Baal.
So when these people are rearing up these altars in their homes, on the streets, at the schools, wherever it may be, they think they're worshipping the hosts of heaven, their family members, who are really worshipping Baal.
That's what God says.
This holiday, and by the way, it's not a holiday. A holiday is a holy day, but this isn't a holy day for us.
October 31st, obviously, is Halloween. This day, ironically, is where they say that the spirits arrive.
So they say, this is the day where the children come. This is the day where the deceased come. This is when they arrive.
This is the day when those who died as children return.
All across Mexico, people are in their homes, tending their altars, and waiting for the dead infants to arrive.
I'm not particularly some sentimental person, I don't think, and I don't believe in ghosts.
But there is a huge sense of a buildup to something, and it's these sensual things, foods and smells and sounds, and the idea of being here where people truly believe that the dead are coming back.
I hope I never lose my children. I hope they never pass away before I die.
It's a horrible thing to think about, but if it happens according to God's will, then so be it.
At least I have the promises of the word of God that I will see them again one day, that they're on the streets of Jerusalem.
I know that they'll be in heaven because babies go to heaven. Amen?
But they don't believe that. They think they're in the land of the dead.
And they believe that the spirits of the children come on the 31st and they visit them on November 1st.
It's 3 o'clock. We're about to receive the souls of dead children.
Catalina's family have never lost any infants, but they'll be receiving the souls of kids who don't have any family left alive to remember them.
Andres prepares the room as the local church bells ring to let everyone in the town know that the dead are on their way.
Well let's see if the Bible, if that's true. 2nd Samuel chapter 12 verse 18.
The Bible reads here, And it came to pass on the seventh day that the child died.
What child are we talking about here? This is David's child that was born of adultery.
And the servants of David feared to tell him that the child was dead.
For they said, Behold, while the child was yet alive, we spake unto him and he would not hearken unto our voice.
How will he then vex himself if we tell him that the child is dead?
But when David saw that his servants whispered, David perceived that the child was dead.
Therefore David said unto his servants, Is the child dead? And they said, He is dead.
Then David arose from the earth and washed and anointed himself and changed his apparel and came into the house of the Lord in worship.
Then he came to his own house and when he required they sent bread before him and he did eat.
Then said his servants unto him, What thing is this that thou hast done?
Thou didst fast and weep for the child while it was yet alive.
But when the child was dead, thou didst rise and eat bread.
And he said, While the child was yet alive, I fasted and wept.
For I said, Who can tell whether God will be gracious to me that the child may live?
And verse 23, But now he is dead, wherefore should I fast? Can I bring him back again?
I shall go to him, but he shall not return to me.
And what is the Bible teaching there? That when children die, they will be in heaven.
The Bible teaches us that. And what does it say? We will go to them, but they shall not return back into us.
So if children are not returning back to us in the form of a spirit, what is returning?
What is being evoked? It's a demon is what it is.
And people who practice this need to realize, and by the way, it's a lot more comforting to know,
if we're to teach these people who practice this, for them to know that their children are in heaven
and that they will see them one day if they accept Christ as their personal savior.
That's a lot better.
So is everyone looking forward to the Day of the Dead?
I can see the best and the best. And we are waiting.
We really believe the grandmother, grandfather and all the people who pass away or pass away and you love it,
they're coming back.
They're actually physically coming back?
The spirit is what is coming. The spirit is what is coming back.
And again, I don't believe it's a bad thing to remember the deceased loved ones or even visit the graves of lost loved ones.
I don't think that's a bad thing to do, to remember them.
But this practice of the Day of the Dead is meant to evoke spirits who have died.
And we obviously understand that that's impossible, that can't be done, but they don't know that.
So what are they doing? They're evoking these spirits and what are they? They're demons.
They're satanic demons that are in the form of their family members and these people don't know that they're making sacrifices unto devils.
Look at Deuteronomy chapter number 18 verse 10 says,
There shall not be found among you anyone that maketh his son or his daughter to pass through the fire,
or that useth divination, or an observer of times, or an enchanter, or a witch, or a charmer, or a consulter with what?
Familiar spirits, or a wizard, or a necromancer.
For all that do these things are an abomination unto the Lord.
And because of these abominations, the Lord thy God doth drive them out from before thee.
What is it saying? These are consulters with familiar spirits, family familiar spirits.
And what do they think they're doing? They think they're evoking these family spirits.
No, no, no, these are devils.
And in the Old Testament, look, if we lived under Old Testament law, there'd be a lot of deaths on October 31st, 1st and 2nd.
Why? Because it's a bunch of people taking the form of wizards and witches, necromancers, and they're trying to evoke familiar spirits.
And in the Old Testament, they were put to death.
Why? Because it was an abominable thing to do.
Do you have a sensation of them being here now?
Just after the bells started ringing, there was a big rush of air outside and the incense poured out of the room here.
He's here, Mario. He's just here.
Okay.
So, did I have the same experience that they did and think that the souls of the dead were coming in? No, I didn't.
But did I have some kind of spiritual journey? Of course I did.
And I was concentrating so much on the idea that the children had died and that their lives were worth celebrating.
And so, yes, you do get some sort of sensation that the dead are here with us.
As night falls, we head towards the graveyard.
Looking forward to seeing the cemetery.
We're going to decorate the tomb that holds several of Catalina's family, including her beloved great-grandmother.
But not only that, but they do offerings for the dead.
I mean, I saw a lady who said, yeah, we offer and here's my offering and all the bread and candy.
I mean, this is for the dead. They're offering things to the dead.
Look what Deuteronomy 26, verse 13 says.
Then thou shall say before the Lord thy God, I have brought away the hallowed things out of mine house and also have given them unto the Levite and unto the stranger, to the fatherless and to the widow, according to all thy commandments which thou has commanded me.
I have not transgressed thy commandments, neither have I forgotten them.
I have not eaten thereof in my mourning, neither have I taken away ought thereof for any unclean use, nor given ought thereof for the dead.
But I have hearkened to the voice of the Lord my God and have done according to all that thou has commanded me.
He says, I'm not going to offer anything to the dead.
Why? Because that's a pagan practice to do.
In Genesis chapter number four, we obviously see Cain. What is he doing?
He's bringing an offering unto the Lord of the fruits of the ground, right?
And what does God say? The Bible says that he had not respect to Cain's offering.
Why? Because really what it was is it was just a works-based salvation.
And what is this day of the dead and Dia de los Muertos is simply a fleshing out of working out their salvation.
You know, trying to appease God by offering things unto idols and it's a wicked practice.
Genesis chapter four, we see that.
But we see here also that they have this thing called sugar skulls.
How many of you have ever heard of this, sugar skulls?
And if you haven't heard of it, you'll see it soon, okay?
One thing about Dia de los Muertos is death is everywhere.
I mean they paint their faces like death, they have skeletons everywhere.
How do you even celebrate that word? Just death everywhere.
And what they do is they take these sugar skulls and they place it all around the altar.
They scatter these bones and skulls all around the altar of the people that they're worshipping.
Well, look what 2 Kings 23 verse 16 says.
And as Josiah turned himself, he spied the sepulchers that were there in the mount and sent
and took the bones out of the sepulchers and burned them upon the altar.
And polluted it according to the word of the Lord, which the man of God proclaimed who proclaimed these words.
So these people who practice Day of the Dead, what are they doing?
They think they're honoring their dead by scattering the bones on the altar, right?
Well, here in the Bible, we see that any time bones were scattered by a king, it's a way to dishonor them.
Why? Because God is saying that these were wicked people, therefore we're going to scatter their bones and burn them on the altar.
It was a way to dishonor. How ironic that they think, well, we're just honoring our loved ones,
we're honoring the dead and God says no, that's a way to dishonor them.
Go to Ezekiel chapter number 6.
Ezekiel chapter number 6.
Aztecs always celebrated death.
Life, they said, is just a dream.
Only in death are we truly awake.
And let me say this, these sugar skulls, if it can't get any worse, they actually put the names of their dead loved ones on the forehead of the skull.
Okay? And to say that's him, that's her, that's the child, that's the person.
And what are they doing? They think they're honoring, but it's actually the most dishonoring thing you can do.
Ezekiel chapter number 6, verse number 4, the Bible reads here,
And your altar shall be desolate, and your images shall be broken.
This is God speaking here.
And I will cast down your slain men before your idols, and I will lay the dead carcasses of the children of Israel before their idols,
and I will scatter your bones round about your altars.
Verse 6, and all your dwelling places of the city shall be laid waste, and the high places shall be desolate,
that your altars may be laid waste and made desolate, and your idols may be broken and cease,
and your images may be cut down, and your works may be abolished.
Just like I'm going to scatter your bones, just like the day of the dead.
You know, I mean, when you are following the traditions and rituals of a pagan people,
and by the way, it is said that the Aztecs were the least, they're the most barbaric out of all of the tribes.
I mean, you have to be, if you're committing mass genocide, a huge number, but they're the ones who came up with this stuff.
And we think that we've gotten so much better, and we know so much more.
No, you're following pagans who murdered their own children and sacrificed virgins.
Isaiah chapter number 11, another thing that they do is they make, what they do is they'll go to the graveyards,
and they'll put what's called marigold flowers. You guys ever heard of that?
You'll see that a lot, these orange flowers that actually go from the graves all the way up to the houses with candles.
And what they believe, they basically say this, they say, well, we're doing that to lead the spirits from the grave to our homes.
I mean, it's bad enough that they're evoking the spirits, right?
But now they're actually leading, they say, come, we're going to show you where it's at.
And they'll lead it, and the streets will be packed with flowers and candles to lead these spirits.
Well, look what Isaiah chapter number 11 says. Let me say this also, again, any time God comes up with an idea or a concept, Satan is just a copycat.
All he does is just take God's concepts and he perverts it.
Isaiah 11 verse 10, the Bible says, In that day there shall be a root of Jesse, which shall stand for an ensign of the people.
To it shall the Gentiles seek, and his rest shall be glorious.
Who's that referring to? The Lord Jesus Christ.
And what does the Bible say about the Lord Jesus Christ? I am the way, the truth, and the life.
And no man cometh unto the Father but by me.
What does the Bible say in John chapter 15? I am the what? True vine.
And my Father is the husband man. You know who's the true flower?
You know who's the mighty rose of Sharon, as they would say in that song?
It's the Lord Jesus Christ. He's the one that guides us.
Not some flowers that will guide us to our home. No, he's the one that leads us.
He's the one that shows us the way, how to get to heaven.
But not only that, after salvation, he's the one that leads us in this world.
The Bible says that the word of God is a lamp unto our feet and a light unto our path. Why?
Because Jesus Christ is the word, and he's the one that leads us.
Not some flowers, not some traditions that teach us something wrong to do.
Go to Psalms chapter 23 and verse number 4, the Bible says here,
Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil.
For thou art with me, thy rod and thy staff, they comfort me.
You see, the shepherd is the one who leads us. Not some flowers, not some candles.
Not anything of that matter. It's the Lord, it's the shepherd.
One of the things that you also see during the day of the dead is this thing called pan de muertos.
Now I don't even know how that can be appetizing when they tell you this is pan de muertos.
Pan de muertos is dead bread, or bread of the dead.
Bread of the dead. How would you even want to eat something like that?
Yes, this is dead bread right here. I don't want that.
But what they do is they make this thing called pan de muertos and they make it look like it's bones.
Well look to 22 verse 19, the Bible says,
And he took bread, and gave thanks, and breaketh, and gave unto them, saying,
This is my body which is given for you, this due in remembrance of me.
So we see that, again, it's a concept that God came up with and what does Satan do? He perverts it.
And so what they do in the day of the dead is they have this bread and that's what they do.
They have atol, and they have bread and they eat that and they remember they're dead.
Go to Jeremiah chapter number 7.
Jeremiah chapter number 7 verse 18, the Bible says here,
The children gather wood, and the fathers kindle the fire.
And the women knead their dough to make cakes, to who?
To the queen of heaven. And to pour out drink offerings unto other gods,
that they may provoke me to anger.
So we see again, they're doing something that's ungodly.
They're baking cakes, they're kneading dough, but who is it for?
For the queen of heaven. For some devil.
And what does the Bible say about that?
They're provoking God's anger.
You see, this isn't something, God doesn't look down and say,
Well, you know, they're kumbaya-ing.
You know, everyone's living in peace, everyone's in one accord.
Everyone's just eating and drinking and being merry.
I guess that's okay. No, what does he say?
You guys are provoking me to anger.
This makes me angry.
Because thou shall have no other gods before me, the Bible says.
And you know what? I hope people listen to this and realize,
whoever's practicing this, that this is not for their deceased loved ones.
This is not to honor their memory.
This is a worship of Satan and his devils.
Go to Matthew 23.
Most of us have family members that are involved in this stuff.
You know, we need to expose it in a loving way.
We need to teach them what the Bible has to say about that.
It's important.
And in fact, also, I work with him and he was talking to a friend of his that's at work.
And the guy basically said, Hey, you're celebrating Halloween?
And also, I was like, Nah, that's wicked. I'm a Christian.
And the guy said, Oh, yeah, me neither.
He says, We just worship the Day of the Dead.
He's like, We just do Day of the Dead.
I was like, Oh, okay, I guess that's better.
You know, that's a lot better, you know?
No, it's not. It's the same thing.
It's just a Mexican Halloween is what it is.
That's all it is.
It's something that's celebrated in Central America, Mexico, and now in the United States.
And by the way, now it's gone across the seas to Europe.
I mean, this is taking a toll on the world.
People are practicing this everywhere.
Why? Because people don't know what to do when people die.
When you don't have God, you don't have the Word of God.
They're trying to comfort themselves using ungodly means.
And they're looking for an answer somewhere.
You know what they're looking for?
They're looking for God.
But instead, what do they do?
Satan's there to show them the wicked ways, the wicked rituals to appease them, to help them, to comfort them.
No, it's wicked.
And what are they really doing?
They're provoking God to anger.
So another thing we see in the Day of the Dead is this thing called La Catrina.
Have you guys ever heard of anything like that?
La Catrina or El Catrim?
It's basically, and you'll see this everywhere, it's skeletons that are dressed up very nicely.
It's actually a woman who's, and in fact, the biggest statue they have, you know, this Nebuchadnezzar-sized statue is actually in Mexico.
It has the Guinness World Records for the largest La Catrina in the world.
And it's a huge skeleton that's dressed in a very long dress with a very huge hat, and they love it.
They're like, oh, we're so proud of what we accomplished to edify this huge statue, this La Catrina.
And it's so wonderful. It's not wonderful.
And the reason they do it is because what they say is that we're just making a mock of death, is what it is.
We're making light of death. Isn't there a verse in the Bible that says fools make a mock at sin?
They're looking at death and they're saying, oh yeah, it's funny, it's great, it's just, you know, in death are we truly awake?
No, no, no. There's no laughing matter when you die.
I came here to reaffirm my country's customs where we laugh at death.
Sometimes death makes us sad, but mainly we accept it as part of life without having to suffer.
Because if you die without Christ, you're going to be in hell where the worm dieth not and the fire is not flinched.
There is no laughing matter according to the Bible.
All throughout California and Los Angeles, you're going to see skeletons and people who even paint their faces like skeletons.
What are they doing? They're making a mock of sin. They're making a mock of death.
And who do they have influence in them in this area? The devil!
Yeah, make fun of death, it's okay, it's just another stage, it's another path, it's all right, make fun of it.
Eat, drink, and be married for tomorrow, you die!
Well guess what, it is a point for a man who wants to die, but after this the judgment of the Bible says.
You know, the death is part of life, it's a personal death.
What I say to people is that they have to fight the maximum death.
Look what the Bible says in Luke 12 verse 20.
But God said unto him, I like that, you know when people have their opinions, it's like okay, have your opinion.
But God said, but God said unto him, thou fool, this night thy soul shall be required of thee.
And who shall those things be which thou hast provided?
You know, you can think that way, you can have your wicked philosophies, you can have a good time, eat, drink, and be married for tomorrow you die.
But tonight thy soul shall be required of thee.
But what happens? They're going to die and go to hell.
Let us eat and drink, for tomorrow we die.
Verse 33, be deceived.
And what are we telling people today? Don't be deceived.
You know, all we're doing, no, no, no, don't be deceived by that.
Evil communications corrupt good manners.
And manners is simply this, a conduct of living.
These evil communications, well, we're just going to eat, drink, and be married, everything's going to be okay.
No, no, no, the Bible says it's going to corrupt your good manners and what are you going to do?
You're going to provoke God to anger because of it.
You know, I want those who are watching this and listening to this to really, we're not trying to just expose it, just shove it in their face, obviously.
We want them to be saved.
Because there's a lot of sincere people out in this, in El Monte, in the Los Angeles area, in Long Beach, and all across California and the United States who are sincere.
And really, I mean, you hear these interviews, people are like, man, I couldn't come to grips with the death of my family member until I came across Dia de los Muertos.
Why? Because they're looking for an avenue to comfort themselves.
You know what we want? We want these people to be saved.
We want these people to come to the saving knowledge of Jesus Christ so they can go to heaven.
And all these people, I mean, from very young, they're taught these things.
All these people are on the way to hell.
They're going to hell.
And yes, for them, it's like this life is but a dream and only in death are we truly awake, but they're going to have a rude awakening.
They're going to look up their eyes in hell.
See, we as Christians, we comfort ourselves, we understand that there is a biblical resurrection.
But this day of the dead practice and these rituals that they have, what is it for?
It's simply this, to resurrect the spirits of the dead for three days.
And that is a very wicked and ungodly, unbiblical practice that no Christian should ever be a part of.
We will live again. We will see our bodies once again.
Once again, God will resurrect us one day because we have a hope that's coming.
We have a real resurrection that's coming.
Yeah, it doesn't come once a year on November 1st and 2nd and on Halloween on the 31st, but it will come one day and it's going to be a permanent resurrection.
The resurrection of the dead is a biblical teaching, but you know what we've noticed is that Satan always takes an idea that God made and he perverts it.
He takes a concept that God made, whether it's the word of God, it's doctrine, and what does he do?
He perverts it to fit his own agenda.
And this is what we see here in this matter of Dia de los Muertos.
And though the resurrection from the dead is biblical, today we see an unbiblical wicked satanic method of resurrecting the deceased through ungodly practices.
Have you not read that which was spoken unto you by God saying, I am the God of Abraham and the God of Isaac and the God of Jacob.
God is not the God of the dead, but of the living. Amen?
That goes to show that when someone dies, they're not necessarily really dead. I mean, the physical body is in the grave. Yes.
But you know what? They're still alive.
These people are not unconscious. We don't believe in annihilation of the soul. We don't believe that they're in the land of the dead or in purgatory. Where are they?
They're in the presence of God. Why? Because God is not a God of the living. He's, excuse me, God of the dead, but he is of the living.
I'm going to read to you from Proverbs chapter 8. You don't have to turn there.
The Bible says here, But Russo findeth me, findeth life, and shall obtain favor of the Lord. But he that sinneth against me wrongeth the soul.
All they that hate me love death.
By the way, the Bible says the way to sin is death, and death is not a good thing.
Now for the Christian it's the best thing. Amen?
Because the Bible says that to be absent from the body is to be present with the Lord.
The Bible says that, you know, for me to live is Christ and to die is gain. It's a good thing for us to die.
The only good thing about us living here is we get to serve God, we get to live for God, we get to earn our rewards, we get to work for God so we can have a better resurrection.
But God has promised us a resurrection already. The best thing that could ever happen to any one of us is we die and we go to heaven.
The best thing, 1 Corinthians 15, 53, the Bible says here, For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality.
So when this corruptible shall have put on incorruption, and this mortal shall have put on immortality, then shall be brought to pass the saying that is written,
Death is swallowed up in victory. O death, where is thy sting? O grave, where is thy victory?
The sting of death is sin, and the strength of sin is the law. But thanks be to God, which giveth us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.
You see, those who practice the day of the dead, they are feeling the sting of death, the pain, the sorrow that comes from death without Christ.
But us, O death, where is thy sting? I'm coming back, man. I got the resurrection. God has promised me the resurrection. I will be back.
But those who die without Christ will never come back. In fact, let me correct that. They will come back to be judged.
They will be cast into the life, because whosoever's name was not found written in the book of life was cast into the life of life.
You know, this morning, what am I trying to do here? I'm trying to really get us to have a greater heart for souls.
Simply because here in El Mané, there's a lot of Hispanics, and I guarantee you a good majority of them practice has got to deal with Muertos.
And we need to go out and reach them and realize that it's a wicked practice to provoking God to anger, and we need to tell them about the Lord Jesus Christ, how they can be saved and just believe upon His name.
And by the way, once they do, what can they do? They can couple one another with these words. Amen? Let's bow our heads and have a word of prayer.
Father, we thank You for Your word. We're thankful for the promise of eternal life. We're thankful for the promise of the resurrection.
And we can come from one another with these words. Yes, it's going to hurt when our loved ones pass on those who are saved. It's going to hurt.
But we can rest assured that we'll see them in a little bit. We'll come back. We promise that You're not a man who should lie. We'll tell the truth.
I pray that many of those who have depended on this wicked practice of dealing with Muertos would turn to eternal living God.
They would turn to Christ and be saved and believe upon Him and be saved, and that they would comfort themselves with the Word of God.
And thank You for all that You do for us, Lord. Bless us as we go on our way. In Jesus' name we pray. Amen.
Amen.