The Rastafari Movement comes to the Sierra Nevada World Music Festival at the Mendocino Fairgrounds, in Boonville California 95415. So we will look at this movement to better understand Rastas so that we can better minister to them with the love of Jesus Christ. This presentation examines Rastafarianism, Jesus, and the Bible

1. Rastafari, Jesus, and the Bible
A Biblical Look At Rastafari

2. Welcome, Rastas
We are blessed to have 6-10,000 Rastafarians
come to our small town every year for the Sierra
Nevada World Music Festival. Or the SNWMF for
shorthand.

4. Last Sunday
• We examined the history of the Rastafari
Movement.
• Now we will look at the unique distinctives
Biblically of Rastafari, and
compare the Rastafari
Movement with the Bible.
• Reviewing last Sunday
we find….

5. www.religionfacts.com
• “The Rastafari movement is a "messianic religio-political
movement" that began in the Jamaican slums in the 1920s
and 30s. The most famous Rastafari is Bob Marley, whose
reggae music gained the Jamaican movement international
recognition.
• There is significant variation within the Rastafari movement
and no formal organization. Some Rastafarians see Rasta
more as a way of life than a religion. But uniting the diverse
movement is belief in the divinity and/or messiahship of
Ethiopian Emperor Haile Selassie I, the influence of
Jamaican culture, resistance of oppression, and pride in
African heritage.
• The Rastafarian lifestyle usually includes ritual use of
marijuana, avoidance of alcohol, the wearing of one's hair
in dreadlocks, and vegetarianism.

6. Some Critical Biblical Points Are
• Is Haile Selassie I, God (Jah) On Earth?
• Messiahship of Ethiopian Emperor Haile Selassie I
• Bobo Dreads worship of Prince Emmanuel (in
addition to Haile Selassie) as a reincarnation of
Christ and embodiment of Jah…
• True Rastas are believed to be immortal, both
physically and spiritually, a concept called
"everliving.”
• What is the Gospel?

7. Who Is God (Jah) On Earth?
• Isaiah 43:10-11 "You are My witnesses," declares
the LORD, "And My servant whom I have chosen,
In order that you may know and believe Me, And
understand that I am He. Before Me there was no
God formed, And there will be none after Me. 11 I,
even I, am the LORD, And besides Me there is no
savior.“
• 2 Timothy 1:10 …our Savior Christ Jesus…
• Titus 1:4 …Christ Jesus our Savior.
• Luke 2:11 …a Savior, who is Christ the Lord.
• Matthew 1:16 …Jesus, who is called Christ.

8. Is Jesus God (Jah) On Earth?
• Genesis 3:15 …and her seed; He shall bruise you on the
head, And you shall bruise him on the heel.“
• Isaiah 7:14 …virgin…with child …His name Immanuel.
• Matthew 1:21-23 "And she will bear a Son; and you
shall call His name Jesus [the LORD is salvation] , for it is He
who will save His people from their sins.“ Now all this
took place that what was spoken by the Lord through
the prophet might be fulfilled, saying, "Behold, the
virgin [parthenos] shall be with child, and shall bear a Son,
and they shall call His name Immanuel," which
translated means, "God with us."

9. Is Jesus God (Jah) On Earth?
• Isaiah 44:6 "Thus says the LORD, the King of Israel And
his Redeemer, the LORD of hosts: 'I am the first and I
am the last, And there is no God besides Me.
• Isaiah 41:4 …'I, the LORD, am the first, and with the
last. I am He.‘
• Isaiah 48:12 …I am He, I am the first, I am also the last.
• Revelation 2:8 …The first and the last, who was dead,
and has come to life, says this:
• Revelation 1:8 "I am the Alpha and the Omega," says
the Lord God, "who is and who was and who is to
come, the Almighty.“
• Revelation 1:17-18 …"Do not be afraid; I am the first
and the last, and the living One; and I was dead, and
behold, I am alive forevermore…

10. Is Jesus The Only God (Jah)?
• Isaiah 44:6 …'I am the first and I am the last, And there is
no God besides Me.
• Jude 1:4 …our only Master and Lord, Jesus Christ.
• John 10:30 "I and the Father are one.“
• John 10:33 The Jews answered Him…You, being a man,
make Yourself out to be God.
• John 10:38 …know and understand that the Father is in Me,
and I in the Father.“
• John 14:7 "If you had known Me, you would have known
My Father also; from now on you know Him, and have seen
Him.“
• John 14:9 …He who has seen Me has seen the Father…
• Deuteronomy 6:4 "Hear, O Israel! The LORD is our God, the
LORD is one!

11. Is Emperor Haile Selassie I Messiah?
• What did Marcus Garvey
say about him?
• What did Haile Selassie say
about his diety?
• What does the Bible say
about the Messiah?
• What does the Bible say
about Messiah Jesus?

12. Is Emperor Haile Selassie I Messiah?
• What did Marcus
Garvey say about him?
• Marcus Garvey?

13. Fast Facts www.religionfacts.com
• Date founded: Generally said to be November
2, 1930, the year Emperor Hailie Selassie I
(1892-1975) was crowned, but based in a
movement of the 1920s.
• Place founded: Jamaica
• Founder: Marcus Garvey (1887-1940), a black
Jamaican who taught in the 1920s and is
considered a second John the Baptist.

14. Marcus Garvey, (1887-1940)
• Garvey encouraged pride in
being black and worked to
reverse the mindset of
inferiority that centuries of
enslavement had ingrained
on the minds of blacks.
Garvey is regarded as a
second John the Baptist and
famously prophesied in
1927, "Look to Africa, for
there a king shall be
crowned."

15. Marcus Garvey, John the Baptist?
• Followers of Garvey's teachings believed that
Selassie is the messiah that had been
predicted, and that his coronation indicated
the divine punishment was completed and the
return to Africa would begin. Rastafarians
named their movement for Ras Tafari and
regarded the emperor as the physical
presence of God (Jah) on earth.

16. Marcus Garvey, John the Baptist?
• “the divine punishment was
completed”
• “the return to Africa would
begin”
• Did Marcus Garvey think
highly of Selassie?
Marcus Garvey Earthday: Father of Black Dignity

17. Marcus Garvey, John the Baptist?
• “the divine punishment was completed”
• Did black oppression end in 1930?

18. Marcus Garvey, John the Baptist?
• “the return to
Africa would begin”
• If the return to
Africa began in
1930, and God were
doing it….?
• History shows….

19. Haile Selassie Emperor of Ethiopia
• “Haile Selassie met with Rasta elders in Addis
Ababa in the 1950s. In 1955, he offered 500 acres
of his personal land to black people wishing to
return to Africa. Around 2,200 blacks, mainly
Rastafarians, moved to the land (in Shashemene)
during the 1960s. But poverty, a lack of
acceptance by the Ethiopian population and
disputes with the government that overthrew
Selassie has caused that population to dwindle.
The current population is estimated at 250.”

20. Marcus Garvey, John the Baptist?
• Did Marcus Garvey think highly of Selassie?
• “Marcus Garvey himself, however, did not
think highly of Selassie. He regarded him as an
incompetent leader and in collusion with
white oppressors after his defeat by the
Italians and acceptance of British assistance to
regain his throne. In 1937, Garvey wrote an
editorial entitled "The Failure of Haile Selassie
as Emperor.”

21. What Did John The Baptist Think
About Jesus?
• John 1:29 The next day he saw Jesus coming to
him, and said, "Behold, the Lamb of God who
takes away the sin of the world! 30 "This is He on
behalf of whom I said, 'After me comes a Man
who has a higher rank than I, for He existed
before me.‘
• Mark 1:7-8 And he was preaching, and saying,
"After me One is coming who is mightier than I,
and I am not fit to stoop down and untie the
thong of His sandals.8 "I baptized you with water;
but He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit."

22. Outline: Haile Selassie Messiah?
• What did Marcus Garvey say about him?
•What did Haile Selassie say
about that?
• What does the Bible say about Messiah?
• What does the Bible say about Messiah Jesus?

23. Is Emperor Haile Selassie I Messiah?
• What did Haile
Selassie say about
his being the
Messiah?

24. Haile Selassie Emperor Of Ethiopia
• Haile Selassie was an Ethiopian Orthodox Christian and
he explicitly denied his divine status as proclaimed in
Jamaica. In a radio interview with Canada's CBC news
in 1967, he said, "I have heard of that idea [that I am
divine]. I also met certain Rastafarians. I told them
clearly that I am a man, that I am mortal, and that I will
be replaced by the oncoming generation, and that they
should never make a mistake in assuming or
pretending that a human being is emanated from a
deity." This denial has not deterred Rastafarians from
believing the emperor to be divine

25. Is Emperor Haile Selassie I Messiah?
• What did Marcus Garvey say about him?
• What did Haile Selassie say about that?
•What does the Bible say
about Messiah?
• What does the Bible say about Messiah Jesus?

26. What’s The Bible Say About Messiah?
• Genesis 3:15 …her seed…bruise him on the heel.
• Isaiah 43:10-11…I, even I, am the LORD, And besides
Me there is no savior.
• Matthew 2:2 "Where is He who has been born King of
the Jews?... 2:5 And they said to him, "In Bethlehem of
Judea…
• Psalm 2:12 Do homage to the Son, lest He become
angry…
• Psalm 22:17-18 I can count all my bones. They look,
they stare at me; 18 They divide my garments among
them, And for my clothing they cast lots.

27. What’s The Bible Say About Messiah?
Watch for singular pronouns.
• Isaiah 53:3-11 He was despised and forsaken of
men, A man of sorrows, and acquainted with
grief; And like one from whom men hide their
face, He was despised, and we did not esteem
Him. 4 Surely our griefs He Himself bore, And our
sorrows He carried; Yet we ourselves esteemed
Him stricken, Smitten of God, and afflicted. 5 But
He was pierced through for our transgressions,
He was crushed for our iniquities; The chastening
for our well-being fell upon Him, And by His
scourging we are healed.

28. What’s The Bible Say About Messiah?
• 6 All of us like sheep have gone astray, Each of us
has turned to his own way; But the LORD has
caused the iniquity of us all To fall on Him. 7 He
was oppressed and He was afflicted, Yet He did
not open His mouth; Like a lamb that is led to
slaughter, And like a sheep that is silent before its
shearers, So He did not open His mouth. 8 By
oppression and judgment He was taken away;
And as for His generation, who considered That
He was cut off out of the land of the living, For
the transgression of my people to whom the
stroke was due?

29. What’s The Bible Say About Messiah?
• 9 His grave was assigned with wicked men, Yet He
was with a rich man in His death, Because He had
done no violence, Nor was there any deceit in His
mouth. 10 But the LORD was pleased To crush
Him, putting Him to grief; If He would render
Himself as a guilt offering, He will see His
offspring, He will prolong His days, And the good
pleasure of the LORD will prosper in His hand. 11
As a result of the anguish of His soul, He will see
it and be satisfied; By His knowledge the
Righteous One, My Servant, will justify the many,
As He will bear their iniquities.

30. What’s The Bible Say About Messiah?
Watch for singular pronouns.
• Zechariah 9:9 Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion! Shout in
triumph, O daughter of Jerusalem! Behold, your king is
coming to you; He is just and endowed with salvation,
Humble, and mounted on a donkey, Even on a colt, the foal
of a donkey.
• Matthew 21:2-5 saying to them, "Go into the village
opposite you, and immediately you will find a donkey tied
there and a colt with her; untie them, and bring them to
Me. 3 "And if anyone says something to you, you shall say,
'The Lord has need of them,' and immediately he will send
them." 4 Now this took place that what was spoken through
the prophet might be fulfilled, saying, 5 "Say to the
daughter of Zion, 'Behold your King is coming to you,
Gentle, and mounted on a donkey, Even on a colt, the foal
of a beast of burden.'"

31. Is Emperor Haile Selassie I Messiah?
• What did Marcus Garvey say about him?
• What did Haile Selassie say about that?
• What does the Bible say about Messiah?
•What does the Bible say
about Messiah Jesus?

32. What does the Bible say about
Messiah Jesus?
• Exodus 23:13…do not mention the name of other gods,
nor let them be heard from your mouth.
• Acts 4:10-12 … Jesus Christ the Nazarene… there is
salvation in no one else; for there is no other name
under heaven that has been given among men, by
which we must be saved.”
• John 3:18 "He who believes in Him is not judged; he
who does not believe has been judged already,
because he has not believed in the name of the only
begotten Son of God.
• 1 Corinthians 6:11 …you were washed, but you were
sanctified, but you were justified in the name of the
Lord Jesus Christ

33. What does the Bible say about
Messiah Jesus?
• John 3:16 "For God so loved the world, that He
gave His only begotten Son [singular] , that whoever
believes in Him should not perish, but have
eternal life.
• <3439> μονογενής (monogenes)
• Meaning: only begotten
• Origin: from 3441 and 1096
• Usage: only(3), only begotten(6).
• Notes: 1 Or, unique, only one of His kind …

34. What does the Bible say about
Messiah Jesus?
• 1 John 4:9 By this the love of God was manifested in us,
that God has sent His only begotten Son into the world
so that we might live through Him.
• John 14:6 Jesus said to him, "I am the way, and the
truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father, but
through Me.
• John 6:44 "No one can come to Me, unless the Father
who sent Me draws him; and I will raise him up on the
last day.
• John 6:47-48 "Most assuredly, I say to you, he who
believes in Me has everlasting life."I am the bread of
life.

35. What does Acts 2:32 say about
Messiah Jesus?
• Acts 2:32 "This Jesus God raised up again, to which we
are all witnesses. 33 "Therefore having been exalted to
the right hand of God, and having received from the
Father the promise of the Holy Spirit, He has poured
forth this which you both see and hear. 34 "For it was
not David who ascended into heaven, but he himself
says: 'The Lord said to my Lord, "Sit at My right hand, 35
Until I make Thine enemies a footstool for Thy feet."'
• 36 "Therefore let all the house of Israel know for
certain that God has made Him both Lord and Christ--
this Jesus whom you crucified."

36. What else does the Bible say about
Messiah Jesus’ Return?
• Zechariah 14:4 And in that day His feet will stand on
the Mount of Olives, which is in front of Jerusalem on
the east; and the Mount of Olives will be split in its
middle from east to west by a very large valley, so that
half of the mountain will move toward the north and
the other half toward the south.
• Matthew 24:27 "For just as the lightning comes from
the east, and flashes even to the west, so shall the
coming of the Son of Man be.
• Revelation 1:7 Behold, He is coming with the clouds,
and every eye will see Him, even those who pierced
Him; and all the tribes of the earth will mourn over
Him. Even so. Amen.

37. What else does the Bible say about
Messiah Jesus’ Return?
• Isaiah 45:22-24 "Turn to Me, and be saved, all the ends of
the earth; For I am God, and there is no other. 23 "I have
sworn by Myself, The word has gone forth from My mouth
in righteousness And will not turn back, That to Me every
knee will bow, every tongue will swear allegiance. 24 "They
will say of Me, 'Only in the LORD are righteousness and
strength.' Men will come to Him, And all who were angry at
Him shall be put to shame.
• Philippians 2:9-11 Therefore also God highly exalted Him,
and bestowed on Him the name which is above every
name, 10 that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow,
of those who are in heaven, and on earth, and under the
earth, 11 and that every tongue should confess that Jesus
Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.

38. Everliving?
• “Rastafarians do not believe in an afterlife, 5
but instead look to Africa (called "Zion") as a
heaven on earth. True Rastas are believed to
be immortal, both physically and spiritually, a
concept called "everliving.“”

39. What Does The Bible Say About It?
• Hebrews 9:27-28 And just as it is appointed for
man to die once, and after that comes judgment,
28 so Christ, having been offered once to bear the
sins of many, will appear a second time, not to
deal with sin but to save those who are eagerly
waiting for him.
• Hebrews 9:22 And according to the Law, one may
almost say, all things are cleansed with blood,
and without shedding of blood there is no
forgiveness.

40. What Does The Bible Say About It?
• Jesus said in John 8:24 "I said therefore to
you, that you shall die in your sins; for unless
you believe that I am He, you shall die in your
sins.“
• Ezekiel 18:20 "The person who sins will die…
• Romans 6:23 For the wages of sin is death, but
the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ
Jesus our Lord.

41. What Does The Bible Say About It?
• Romans 6:23 For the wages of sin is death…
• Revelation 21:8 But the cowardly, the
unbelieving, the vile, the murderers, the
sexually immoral, those who practice magic
arts, the idolaters and all liars--they will be
consigned to the fiery lake of burning sulfur.
This is the second death."

42. What Is The Biblical Gospel?
• What Is The Biblical Gospel? It’s the good news of
available salvation from the bad news.
• Matthew 5:22 "But I say to you that everyone who is
angry with his brother shall be guilty before the court;
and whoever shall say to his brother, 'Raca,' shall be
guilty before the supreme court; and whoever shall say,
'You fool,' shall be guilty enough to go into the fiery
hell.
• Matthew 13:41 "The Son of Man will send forth His
angels, and they will gather out of His kingdom all
stumbling blocks, and those who commit lawlessness,
42 and will cast them into the furnace of fire; in that
place there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth.

43. What Is The Biblical Gospel?
• Romans 3:23 for all have sinned and fall short
of the glory of God,
• Romans 3:10 as it is written, "There is none
righteous, not even one;
• Romans 5:8 But God demonstrates His own
love toward us, in that while we were yet
sinners, Christ died for us.

44. What Is The Biblical Gospel?
• John 1:12 Yet to all who received him, to those
who believed in his name, he gave the right to
become children of God—
• John 5:24 "Truly, truly, I say to you, he who
hears My word, and believes Him who sent
Me, has eternal life, and does not come into
judgment, but has passed out of death into
life.

45. What Is The Biblical Gospel?
• 1 Corinthians 15:1 Now I make known to you,
brethren, the gospel which I preached to you,
which also you received, in which also you stand,
2 by which also you are saved, if you hold fast the
word which I preached to you, unless you
believed in vain. 3 For I delivered to you as of first
importance what I also received, that Christ died
for our sins according to the Scriptures, 4 and that
He was buried, and that He was raised on the
third day according to the Scriptures,

46. What Is The Biblical Gospel?
• Romans 10:9-13 that if you confess with your
mouth Jesus as Lord, and believe in your heart
that God raised Him from the dead, you shall
be saved; 10 for with the heart man believes,
resulting in righteousness, and with the
mouth he confesses, resulting in salvation. 11
For the Scripture says, "Whoever believes in
Him will not be disappointed.“…13 for
"Whoever will call upon the name of the LORD
will be saved."

47. Beware Of False Gospels And Christs
• Matthew 24:5 "For many will come in My name,
saying, 'I am the Christ,' and will mislead many.
• Galatians 1:8 But even though we, or an angel from
heaven, should preach to you a gospel contrary to that
which we have preached to you, let him be accursed.
• Matthew 24:26 "If therefore they say to you, 'Behold,
He is in the wilderness,' do not go forth, or, 'Behold, He
is in the inner rooms,' do not believe them. 27 "For just
as the lightning comes from the east, and flashes even
to the west, so shall the coming of the Son of Man be.
• 2 Corinthians 11:4 For if one comes and preaches
another Jesus whom we have not preached, or you
receive a different spirit which you have not received,
or a different gospel which you have not accepted…

48. God Bless, Drive Safely Home
• Acts 4:12 “And there is salvation in no one
else; for there is no other name under heaven
that has been given among men, by which we
must be saved.”

49. Genesis 1:29, every plant yielding seed
• Dear Compass,
• I have a friend who claims to be a Christian who says that marijuana falls under the verse I have
given you every plant yielding seed that is on the surface of all the earth . . . it shall be food for you;
(Genesis 1:29). He says you can't condemn using it. What do you think?
• ANSWER
He is NUTS! There is no nutritional value in eating marijuana leaves. By smoking it you can harm
your body (cancer—1 Corinthians 6:19-20) and your mind (lethargy). By smoking it you run the risk
of being subject to a yoke of slavery.
• It was for freedom that Christ set us free; therefore keep standing firm and do not be subject again
to a yoke of slavery. —Galatians 5:1 And probably the most important reason he's nuts is that
marijuana is illegal!! Every person is to be in subjection to the governing authorities For there is no
authority except from God, and those which exist are established by God. —Romans 13:1 Remind
them to be subject to rulers, to authorities, to be obedient, to be ready for every good deed —Titus
3:1
• He needs to grow up/mature. And I, brethren, could not speak to you as to spiritual men, but as to
men of flesh, as to infants in Christ. I gave you milk to drink, not solid food; for you were not yet
able to receive it. Indeed, even now you are not yet able —1 Corinthians 3:1-2 . . . you were formerly
darkness, but now you are light in the Lord; walk as children of light, for the fruit of the light
consists in all goodness and righteousness and truth. —Ephesians 5:8-9