As written in Hosea 4:6, majority of Christians are destroyed for lack of knowledge of what grace is all about and so they live their lives anyhow, like the Gentiles. Grace that came by Jesus Christ came with the truth as written in John1:17 but unfortunately, they have rejected the truth and God has also rejected them. Therefore grace not only brought salvation but came with the truth that teaches all Christians the doctrine of separation from the world and its system, to deny all ungodliness and worldly lusts, and to live soberly, righteously and godly in this present world, as written in Titus 2:11-12. Grace is therefore not a licence to work the will of the Gentiles (unbelievers) who walk in lasciviousness, lusts etc 1 Peter 4:3. But unfortunately, most so-called Christian ceremonies, especially burial and marriage ceremonies are characterized by all ungodliness and worldly lusts, with pomp and with all kinds of musical “shows”. Worst of all, these ceremonies provide occasions for Christians to dine with devils, unknown to them. When they eat and drink at burial ceremonies, it is actually eating sacrifices of the dead, as written in Psalm 106:28 and I quote “They joined themselves also unto Baalpeor and ate the sacrifices of the dead.” Baalpeor is demon worship. It is eating things sacrificed unto idols- idols of dead bodies, as written in Revelation 2:20. By so doing, Christians have fellowship with devils as we can read in 1Corinthians 10:20-21 “But I say, that the things which the Gentiles sacrifice, they sacrifice to devils and not to God; and I would not that ye should have fellowship with devils. Ye 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.” As a result of this, such Christians have become spiritually famished and spiritually dried up with thirst, leading to their spiritual death, and eternal death if no repentance before they die physically; and as written in Isaiah 5:14. Therefore hell hath enlarged herself and opened her mouth without measure: and their glory and their multitude and their pomp and he that rejoiceth, shall descend into it. It is only fools that attend ungodly and worldly burial ceremonies with all kinds of musical displays, revellings and feasting, as written in Ecclesiastes 7:2, 4b, and I quote “It is better to go to the house of mourning, than to go to the house of feasting: for that is the end of all men; and the living will take it to heart… but the heart of fools is in the house of mirth (feasting).”
In Luke 16: 22-31, Jesus talked about the rich man in hell, who was possessed with the spirit of the world. This brought upon him the judgment of God, unto eternal condemnation in hell. While the rich man’s soul and spirit, that is, his inner man, was under torture and torment in hell, his five brethren were busy on earth organizing a worldly burial ceremony for the corpse, or for the dust of their late brother. This must have attracted the “elites” in the society who were his friends because this rich man was a friend of the world, therefore an enemy of God. For the scripture says in James 4:4, that whosoever is a friend of the world is an enemy of God,  written thus “Ye adulterers and adulteresses, know ye not that the friendship of the world is enmity with God? Whosoever therefore will be a friend of the world is the enemy of God.”
The rich man in his conscious state in hell knew that his five brethren would also come into the place of torment in hell if they did not repent of their ungodliness and worldly lusts. He had to plead with Abraham to send Lazarus  from Paradise to his brethren to give them warning, if peradventure they might repent, as written in Luke 16:27-28 and I quote “Then he said, I pray thee therefore, father, that thou wouldest send him to my father’s house. For I have five brethren; that he may testify to them, lest they also come into this place of torment.” In verse 29, Abraham said unto him that they have Moses and the prophets and that they should hear them.
This tract, therefore, is a warning to all especially Christians, about the danger  of all ungodly and worldly celebrations, especially in burials and marriages and the consequent judgment of God upon all the worldly, who God says, are His enemies, and under His wrath, as written in Nahum 1:2 and I quote “And He reserves wrath for His enemies.” Read the judgment of God and the mind of God in Jeremiah 16:4-5, concerning those who are His enemies, the hypocrites in the church, those without Christ, the ungodly Gentiles, and all idolaters. “They shall die of grievous deaths; they shall not be lamented; neither shall they be buried; but they shall be as dung upon the face of the earth: and they shall be consumed by the sword and by famine; and their carcasses shall be meat for the fowls of heaven, and for the beasts of the earth. Genuine children of God or saints of God are warned, in Jeremiah 16:5, and I quote, “For thus saith the Lord, enter not into the house of mourning, neither go to lament or bemoan them: for I have taken away my peace from this people, saith the Lord, even loving-kindness and mercies.” This explains why Jesus in Luke 9:60, told one of his followers, “Let the dead bury their dead: but go thou and preach the kingdom of God.”

TO BE CONTINUED

COURTESY:  SERVANT OF THE MOST HIGH GOD, OLU GEORGE CHRISTIAN GOSPEL CHURCH (The Truth Centre).