What a false, fake substitute the world puts forth at this time for that true message. Do you remember these words? You better watch out. You better not cry. You better not pout. I'm telling you why; Santa Claus is coming to town. He's making a list and he's checking it twice; gonna find out whose naughty and nice. Santa Claus is coming to town. He sees you when you're sleeping; he knows when you're awake. He knows if you've been bad or good, so be good for goodness sakes. You better watch out. You better not cry. You better not pout. I'm telling you why; Santa Claus is coming to town. Now does that threaten you? That is a very threatening poem. That is intended to scare children. Now listen, if you look at the letters of Santa, you will see that Satan is hidden in Santa. When we teach a child to sing this song, we are teaching him a false theology. We are teaching him a false set of doctrine. Let me see if I can explain it to you. First, that song teaches that Santa is a transcendent being. He lives on a higher plane. He lives on another level. He transcends time and space. He has powers equal to whom? God! Not only that, he knows everything. He's omniscient. "He knows when you're sleeping. He knows when you're awake. He knows when you're naughty. He knows when you're nice." He knows everything. Not only that, he's everywhere. "He sees you when you're sleeping." He's not only omniscient, he's omnipresent. And he is watching to see whether you have been good or bad. And not only that, but he bestows favors. Now on what basis does Santa give his favors? What must I do to receive good things from this transcendent being, called Santa. Well it is very simple, I have to be what? Good. I can "earn" Santa's favor. If I am good, Santa will give me gifts. After all, he's making a list and he is checking it twice to make sure that we've been either naughty of nice. And on the basis on how we've been, he'll deal with us. And if I'm not nice and good, I won't get any gifts. So I better be good for goodness sake, not to mention for my own sake or anybody else's sake. But do you want to know something about Santa? He may be transcendent, and he may be omniscient, and he may be omnipotent, and he may be omnipresent. He may be dispensing all of the good things, but you know what? You can't trust him. You can't trust him. You say, "What do you mean by that?" It says, "He's checking to see if you are naughty or nice." And you better be good for goodness sake, because if you aren't good, you won't what? You won't get anything. You want to know something? That's not true. Plenty of times I haven't been good and I get something anyway. Every year I get something. And you want to know the truth of it? There are a lot of naughty people that get a lot and there are a lot of nice people that don't get anything. Do you know what about Santa Claus? You can't trust him. He doesn't even stay true to his own word. He's blustering around and warning everybody to mind your manners and be good all the time; be nice and not naughty and good and not bad. And then you know what? When Christmas comes he caves in, and even when we have been naughty he gives us all that stuff. And sometimes he overlooks people that are nice. He really can't be trusted. His threats are meaningless and so are his promises. But that's good because it takes the sting out of him. And there is another good thing about Santa; you only have to worry about him once a year. He only shows up once and you know when it is; it's always on Dec 25th, so you can get your act together just a few days before. You say, "Well where is he the rest of the time?" Oh, he's in the North Pole. Could that be heaven in Satan's little scheme? "What's he doing?" Oh, he has all these elfs around him. "What are they doing?" Whatever he tells them. Mostly, meaningless things like make toys. He is sort of inane isn't he? He threatens but never fulfills his threats. He promises but doesn't always fulfill his promises. Is it any wonder that if I believe all that as a child, when I come to be an adult, I might have a hard time believing in a Transcendent God who does know everything, who is everywhere, who does have all power, who does keep his promises and his threats, and who does not save me and give me good gifts on the basis of my works but on the basis of His grace. If Santa has been my understanding of God, then I am in trouble. That's why I say, hidden in the letters of Santa is Satan. I am glad for a God who is absolutely dependable. I can trust His promises. I can trust His threats. He is everywhere at all times and He doesn't just show up once a year. He is here all of the time. And He gives His great gift, not on the basis of our works but on the basis of His grace through faith. Elohim. This name is found in Genesis 2:4, and is thc most common name for God in the Old Testament. It is a compound word, and clearly points out the Godhead as Father, Son, and Spirit--"Elohim"--a PLURAL word. It can also be translated as "gods" when dealing with the gods that oppose the true God (God the Father), and it is very significant to know that the Lord said, "...The gods that have not made the heavens and the earth, even they shall perish from the earth, and from under these heavens" (Jeremiah 10:11). The Lord Himself said, "I am the LORD, and there is none else, there is no God beside me..." (Isa. 45:5). There is no other Saviour. The Christian who has doubts about these things should spend time studying Isaiah chapters 41 through 48. This first name for God, "Elohim," means, "One who is mighty," or "The Lord who creates." "El Elyon." This name for God is found in Genesis 14:22. and means "The One who is supreme," or "The Lord who owns." "Adonai." This name for God is found in Genesis 15:2. and means "The Lord our Master," or "The One who is ruling." El Olam." This name for God is found in Genesis 21:33, and means, "The Lord who reveals Himself," or "The One who is mysterious." "Jehovah Jireh." This name for God is found in Genesis 22:14, and means, "The Lord who provides." "Jehovah Rapha," from Exodus 15:26, means "The One who heals." "Jehovah Nissi," from Exodus 17:15, means "The Lord our Banner." "El Shaddai," from Genesis 17:1, means "The All-Sufficient One." "Jehovah Shalom," from Judges 6:24, means "The Lord our Peace." Jehovah Sabaoth," from I Samuel 1:3, means "The Lord of Hosts." "Jehovah Tsidkenu," from Jeremiah 23:6, means "The Lord our Righteousness." "Jehovah Shammah," from Ezekiel 48:35, means "The One close by," or "The One present." "Jehovah Elyon," from Psalm 7:17, means "The One who is blessing," or "The Lord our Blesser." "Jehovah Raah," from Psalm 23:1, means "The Lord our Shepherd." And he caused all, both small and great, rich and poor, free and bond, to receive a mark in their right hand, or in their foreheads: And that no man might buy or sell, save he that had the mark, or the name of the beast, or the number of his name. And the third angel followed them, saying with a loud voice, If any man worship the beast and his image, and receive his mark in his forehead, or in his hand, The same shall drink of the wine of the wrath of God, which is poured out without a mixture into the cup of his indignation; and he shall be tormented with fire and brimstone in the presence of the holy angels, and in the presence of the Lamb: And they shall see his face; and his name shall be in their foreheads And I saw heaven opened, and behold a white horse; and he that sat upon him was called Faithful and True, and in righteousness he doth judge and make war. His eyes were as a flame of fire, and on his head were many crowns; and he had a name written, that no man knew, but he himself. And he was clothed with a vesture dipped in blood: and his name is called the Word of God. John 1:1 would mean, "In the beginning was the BIBLE, and the BIBLE was with God, and the BIBLE WAS GOD." Forasmuch as ye are manifestly declared to be the epistle of Christ ministered by us, written not with ink, but with the Spirit of the living God; not in tables of stone, but in fleshy tables of the heart It is the spirit that quickeneth; the flesh profiteth nothing: the words that I speak unto you, they are spirit and they are life. Behold, I have made thy face strong against their faces, and thy forehead strong against their foreheads. As an adament harder than flint have I made thy forehead: fear them not, neither be dismayed at their looks, though they be a rebellious house. Remember them which have the rule over you, who have spoken unto you the word of God: whose faith follow, considering the end of their conversation. Obey them that have the rule over you, and submit yourselves: for they watch for your souls, as they that must give account, that they may do it with joy, and not with grief: for that is unprofitable for you. Therefore shall ye lay up these my words in your heart and in your soul, and bind them for a sign upon your hand, that they may be as frontlets between your eyes. Keep my commandments, and live; and my law as the apple of thine eye. Bind them upon thy fingers, write them upon the table of thine heart. Ho, every one that thirsteth, come ye to the waters, and he that hath no money; come ye, buy and eat; yea, come, buy wine and milk without money and without price. Wherefore do ye spend money for that which is not bread? And your labour for that which satisfieth not? Hearken diligently unto me, and eat ye that which is good, and let your soul delight itself in fatness. I marvel that ye are so soon removed from him that called you into the grace of Christ unto another gospel: Which is not another; but there be some that trouble you, and would pervert the gospel of Christ. But though we, or an angel from heaven, preach any other gospel unto you than that which we have preached unto you, let him be accursed. As we said before, so say I now again, If any [man] preach any other gospel unto you than that ye have received, let him be accursed. And all that dwell upon the earth shall worship him, whose names are not written in the book of life of the lamb slain from the foundation of the world. Although we read in I John 4:18, "...perfect love casteth out fear: because fear hath torment. He that feareth is not made perfect in love," we should never forget that the context of John's statement is limited to the Christian worrying about losing salvation. If there is one kind of fear that no Christian should be bothered with, it is letting some heretic upset him with quotations taken out of the context of Hebrews 3, 6, and 10, Second Peter, or the book of Acts. If there is one thing God's people have no business doing, they have no business doubting their salvation, and worrying about going to hell, when John said in I John 4:17, "...as he is, so are we in this world." The born again child of God has been "...accepted in the beloved" (Eph. 1:6), and although there may be many things which he may have to be afraid of, going to hell is not one of them. Notice how clearly this is brought out in the word of God in I John 4:17-18: "Herein is our love made perfect, that we may have boldness in the day of judgment: because as he is, so are we in this world. There is no fear in love; but perfect love casteth out fear: because fear hath torment. He that feareth is not made perfect in love." Now, the Transcendental Meditationists, the Buddhists, the half-Buddhists, and the pseudo-Hindus have taken these verses out of their Biblical context to prove that fear is an unhealthy motive, is negative, and therefore is not to be tolerated in regards to man's dealings with God in any line. Of course, this is a Satanic teaching that comes from making a liar out of God. The Bible says in Psalm 111:10, "The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom." The Bible says in Job 28:28, "...the fear of the Lord, that is wisdom..." Second Samuel 23:3 says, "...He that ruleth over men must be just, ruling in the fear of God." The outstanding characteristic of the modern humanists who pervert the passage of I John to teach all love and no fear is the fact that they are demon possessed, according to Romans 3:18. They match perfectly the picture of degenerate man, totally depraved, and given over to the devil. It says in Romans 3:18 that their outstanding characteristic is "There is no fear of God before their eyes." In plainer words, the doctrinal teaching of the word of God is that a certain kind of fear is very, very healthy for a saved man or an unsaved man. The unsaved man who fears God will not take chances that might cause God to strike him down. The saved man who fears the Lord does not take chances that might ruin his testimony, ministry, usefulness, or might cut his life short. When Paul says to the born again child of God, "Work out your own salvation with fear and trembling," he is very careful to add, "For it is God which worketh in you..." (Phil. 2:12-13). The born again believer has the Holy Spirit in him, trying to make him Christ-like, and trying to make him be what God wants him to be. In view of this, the Christian had better work out his salvation (it didn't say "work at it") "with fear and trembling," because God is working inside the believer's body. Now, this great Bible doctrine of the Fear of the Lord should be gotten down pat by the believer, and he should be absolutely certain about its true nature, because the people who don't fear God are always worrying about losing their salvation for some reason. The general adage still holds true that "a man who fears God will not fear men," and "a man who fears men does not fear God." When you find some big, blustering, bull-shooting bully running around saying, "I'm going to beat up on that preacher, and I'll show them that I'm an atheist, and the fellow can't talk to me like that. I m going to...blah, blah, blah," do you know what you are dealing with? You are dealing with a man who is trying to put on a show before men because he worries what men think about him. He is a coward. Haven't you got that figured out? Let me tell you something. When a man really fears the Lord, men don't bother him.