"Thus saith the LORD, Learn not the way of the heathens(nations), and be not dismayed at the signs of heaven; for the heathens (nations) are dismayed at them. For the customs of the peoples are vain; for one cutteth a tree out of the forest, the work of the hands of the workman, with the axe. They deck it with silver and with gold; they fasten it with nails and with hammers, that it move not. They are upright like the palm tree, but speak not; they must needs be borne, because they cannot go." Jeremiah 10: 2-5.
I have been writing in my Just Thinking journal's about Christmas since 1999. So here is a compiled summary of some of what I have researched over the years. The Catholic Church used to call Christmas, Christ-mass (Remember a Mass is for a funeral). Isn't Matthew 26:26-28, "Take, eat; this is my body, which is broken for you: this do in remembrance of Me? But they use the verses in Acts 2:42-46 , the apostles doctrine, and the fellowship of breaking of bread, and prayer. It's a celebration. Like Saturnalia.
There is so much information about Christmas on the internet that I don't have to use my Encyclopedias. I still use references like Alex Hislop's The Two Babylon's, but you can even read his book online. What we need to know is where did the origin of Christmas start? Did Jesus and the Apostles celebrate Christmas? When did the Church start celebrating Christmas? Does the Bible have any doctrine about Christmas and Jesus' birth?
Let us see what the Bible says about Christmas. Let us search the Scriptures just like the Bereans in Berea in the Book of Acts 17:11. When Paul and Silas went into the synagogue of the Jews the Bereans received the word with all readiness of mind, and searched the Scriptures daily whether those things they were being taught were true. What things? Was Jesus the Messiah, Son of God as what the prophecies say in the Bible? Paul and Silas spoke the Gospel of Jesus Christ. 1 Corinthians 15:1-4. the Bereans checked the Scriptures to see if this Jesus could be the Messiah before they believed Paul and Silas. He had to be born of a virgin, in Bethlehem Ephrata, which is found in Micah 5:1-2. Jesus had to ride into Jerusalem on a colt, the foal of an ass: Zachariah 9:9. Jesus had to be without beauty, no form of comeliness; despised, rejected by men, so marred, stricken, bruised for our iniquities (sins), and laid in a rich man's tomb: Isaiah 52:13-5, 53:1-9. He had to die on a tree (cross), they would part His garments among them and cast lots upon His vestures: Psalms 22. There are so many prophecies of Jesus' life; birth, death, and resurrection, and He fulfilled them all. The Bereans only believed Paul and Silas because of the Old Testament Scriptures. They were saved because of the Word of God.
So let us look at the Scriptures and compare Christmas with the birth of Christ.
Was Jesus born on December 25th?
Biblically, no. The weather in Bethlehem is cold and wet at that time of year; it's not great traveling weather, especially for a young pregnant woman. The sheep are not out in the field by night or day. Also the Scriptures gives us a clue in Luke 1:5, There was, in the days of Herod, the king of Judea, a certain priest named Zacharias, of the course of Abijah: and his wife was of the daughters of Aaron, and her name was Elisabeth. So Elisabeth was in the line of Aaron, the first high priest of Israel in Exodus 28:1-5. So she comes from the tribe of Levi, and so does her husband Zacharias. According to Dave Havir, who wrote an article explaining the course of Abijah. He writes that the course is a 24 course of weeks, where priests worked in the Temple twice a year. Plus they had to be at the Temple during the seven feast days. Which week they worked was through drawing lots. A priest couldn't just say I'd like to work this week or that. These courses would have started in the first month of the year, which would have been April or Nisan/Iyyar (or Abib/Ziv) in Hebrew. The Hebrew calendar has 30 days in a month. There are seven days in a week. 7x4=28, making the feast days rotate into different months for six years. When the feast days fall on the original seven feast days in the Book of Exodus, they are called the High Feast Day. When Jesus was crucified on Passover, it was on the High Feast Day, and think about it if Jesus died on the high feast day of Passover wouldn't it make sense for his birth to fall on a high feast day as well? Dave goes on to say when Zacharias' lot fell on the eighth week of the 24 week course, on the Roman calendar, it would have been between the end of March to the first weeks of April, depending on the thirty day month rotation. The eighth week, which would have been the ninth and tenth week from April (Nisan on the Hebrew calendar) being the Feast of Pentecost on or around June 5th (Tammuz). All the priests would have been there. Elisabeth would have conceived John the Baptist shortly thereafter that week. John the Baptist would have been born the next year around Passover, and Jesus six months later in September/ October. Jesus was six months younger than His cousin John. His ministry was three and a half years. He died on Passover April 14th. Count backwards six months from Jesus' death (for the half year) and you get October 14th. That date will bring you to the Feast of Tabernacles a celebratory feast to commemorate God's Tabernacle with us. In the future during the Messianic Kingdom of Jesus' 1000 year reign here on earth, all nations of the earth will celebrate this feast and share in the joy and blessings of God's kingdom but that is another topic for another Just Thinking. Did you know that back in those days when a person had a birthday they gave out presents, especially the kings to his subjects. This is a possible reason why Herod had Jesus and Barabbas stand before the crowd in Matthew 27:15-27. His present to the people was the release of either Jesus who was called the Christ (Son of the Father in Heaven), or Jesus Barabbas (bar=son of, abbas= the father.). Jesus/Yeshua in the Hebrew was a common name in those days. The people chose that day, just as they do today Jesus the Son of the Father in Heaven the God of the Bible and truth, the Light of the World or the Jesus son of the father of this earth the devil who is a father of lies. Herod's thinking was they would choose Jesus Christ knowing that he was innocent, and the people loved Him but they chose Barabbas. On the day Jesus was crucified the world received a present. All you have to do is admit your a sinner, believe in your heart that He is Lord. and call upon his name to save you. So did Jesus celebrate His birth? No, He gave His life so death could pass over us so that we might live.
Now there are other gods that people celebrate their birthdays on December 25th, the beginning of the new birth, when the sun is returning. The sun is now starting its new birth or reincarnation. I dare not call it the resurrection, though many do. Some of these gods are: Horus, Egypt's god, 3000 BC; Hercules, Greece's god, 800 BC; Adonis, Phoenician god, 200 BC; Dionysus, Greek god, 500 BC; Zarathustra, Greek god, 1000 BC; Mitras, Persian god, 600 BC; Tammuz, Babylonian god, 500 BC; Nimrod, Babylonian god, 500 BC; Jesus, 3 BC. They are all, with the exception of Jesus Christ of course, considered sun gods, and are pictured with a sun symbol behind their heads. The Catholic church says it's a halo., So while Christians are celebrating Jesus on December 25th, other nations of people are still celebrating their gods birthdays too.
When did Christians start celebrating the Christmas Season?
The Emperor Constantine started to blend the birth and death of Jesus into the Saturnalia and Easter celebrations to end the Roman persecution of the Christians. The more the Christians were persecuted the larger in number the followers of Jesus Christ grew. He let the pagans continue with the traditional festivals and celebrations, they just had to change out the god. Instead of celebrating the birth of their sun god they would now celebrate it as the birth of Jesus Christ. Constantine worshipped "the mother with baby" and the sun before his "conversion" to Christianity.
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| Constantine with Sol Invictus on a gold coin circa 313C.E. |
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| Left: Ancient Sun god statue Right: Sun god statue |
The Emperor Constantine was born in 272A.D.; he died in 337A.D., and was emperor of Rome from 306 to 337 AD. He was a heathen and worshipped many gods and goddesses, and practiced the religion Sol Invictus, which means the Unconquered Sun, prior to his "Christian conversion". This god was given a holiday called Dies Natalis Solis Invicti. Which means the festival of the birth of the Unconquered Sun. The festival would begin on December 25th traditionally with a sunrise service. Dies Natalis Solis Invicti was also sometimes associated with Saturnalia another popular Roman festival dedicated to worshipping the Roman agricultural god Saturn or Kronos (the god with the 3rd eye in his forehead). Saturnalia would have been celebrated during the shortest days of the year, traditionally from December 17th to the 23rd ending just prior to Dies Natalis Solis Invicti, on December 25th which would have been the Winter Solstice back then. Around 525 A.D. a monk named Dionysus Exiquus (Dennis the Little Monk), traveled to Rome during the winter solstice, he was shocked seeing the debauchery going on and had revised the meaning of Saturnalia. Dionysus was a skilled mathematician who is credited as the inventor of the "Christian" calendar and counting the years from the birth of Christ (A.D. anno Domini "the year of our Lord") and incorrectly set the date for the birth of Christ as December 25th, that people around the world practice today.
This holiday and its festivals really actually started back in Babylon when the people started worshipping Nimrod, Semiramis and her son Tammuz. In Genesis, chapter 11, there were people who lived in the land of Shinar. The whole earth was of one language. Nimrod was a mighty hunter, and this was his kingdom, Genesis 10:10. The people there decided to build a city and a tower whose top may reach unto heaven. God had told the people to go out into all the earth and multiply; fill the earth, Ge. 8:17. But the people didn't want to leave this area, they decided they wanted to be like God; to make themselves gods. They may have already started worshipping Nimrod, Semiramis and Tammuz then. So God confounded their language and scattered them all over the earth. The land Babel meant, the gate of God. God changed it to confusion, coming from the Hebrew word balal. Wherever the people went they took their false religion; the queen of heaven and her child (mother & child/ madonna & child worship), and Nimrod, the mighty hunter or stag god.
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| Horned god of the hunt (Cernunno) |
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Ancient mother with child statues
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That land is still there and is called Babylon, it's where God sent the Jews when they started worshipping idols and not Him (He sent them into captivity in the land where their idolatrous worship which he called whoring after other gods began). The celebration of Christmas really took off in Pergamos. Revelation 2:14-15 says, "But I have a few things against thee, because thou has there them that hold the doctrine of the Balaam, who taught Balak to cast a stumbling block before the children of Israel, to eat things sacrificed unto idols and to commit fornication, so has thou also them that hold the doctrine of the Nicolaitans (Nico= Lord/To Conquer, Laitans=the people), which I hate." In Numbers chapters 22-24, Balak hired Balaam, a prophet for hire, who could bless or curse people. Balak was a Moabite king, who was afraid of Israel after seeing what their God had done to the Amorites. Balak paid Balaam to curse the Jews, but God wouldn't let Balaam curse the Jews. So Balaam told Balak to get the Jews to worship their gods because Israel's God is a jealous God and He would kill them. So Balak told the Moabite women to seduce and marry the Jewish men, producing children which the women would teach their children their religion and get them to worship their idols. In 315 AD Dionysus Exiquus, unknowingly also did just that; by blending in Saturnalia traditions into the birth of Christ, and Easter/Ishtar into the death and resurrection of Jesus. This is why Christians have been celebrating Christmas on December 25th. Jesus wasn't born on December 25th. Jesus even says in Matthew 24:19-20, "And woe unto those who are with child, and to those who nurse children in those days! Pray that your flight is not in the winter, neither on the Sabbath day." The shepherds would not have their sheep in the fields during the winter months, nor would they travel to Bethlehem in the winter.
I guess I could rest my case right now, but let's look at the actual traditional holiday celebrations of "Christmas". Today Christians don't even know why we put in our homes, Christmas trees, red, green, gold and silver decorations, Santa Clauses, reindeer, gifts under the tree, yule cakes (logs), eggnog, mistletoe, during this "Christian holiday". Now I will give you some of the reasons why you do these things, and who they are really for.
The Tree: Where do you suppose it came from?
There is no tree in the story of Jesus' birth in Matthew 2:1-11, Luke, chapters 1 and 2, and Mark and John do not speak about His birth or a tree, and the Scriptures can tell you why. Religion's have always worshipped trees. This is why God said in Jeremiah 10:1-5,8, "Hear the word which the LORD speaketh unto you, O house of Israel. Thus saith the LORD, Learn not the way of the heathen (nations), and be not dismayed at them. For the customs of the peoples are vain; For one cutteth a tree out of the forest, the work of the hands of the workman, with the axe. They deck it with silver and with gold; they fasten it with nails and with hammers, that it move not. They are upright like the palm tree, but speak not; they must needs be borne, because they cannot go. Be not afraid of them; for they cannot do evil, neither also is it in them to do good.
But they are altogether brutish (stupid) and foolish; the stock is a doctrine of vanities." meaning you who decorate these trees it's all for self pleasure/ self centeredness and instruction or teaching worship of the tree. There's no difference between a Christmas tree and an idol. They're both manmade. God uses the Palm tree because Egypt worshipped the palm tree, and Egypt Biblically represents the world. The Druid priests of Great Britain, England, Ireland, Scotland, Wales, worship the oak tree. The Scandinavians, Denmark, Norway, Sweden worship the fir/pine trees. The Indians in the Americas worship all trees and nature, their religion is called Gaia.
During the winter solstice, the shortest days of the year men would go out into the woods and cut down trees, families would decorate their trees for their gods: like Ra the sun god in Egypt, Woodin (Odin) for the Scandinavian god, Ceernunnos or the stag god for Great Britain. Christians use the pine tree for worshipping Jesus. It is said that Nimrod represents the tree cut down and a branch, Tammuz grew out of that dead tree.
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| Symbol of the new born god "But the great serpent the symbol of the life restoring twists itself around the dead stock, and lo at its side sprouts up a young tree. A tree of an entirely different kind that is destined never to be cut down by hostile powers-even the palm tree."-Alexander Hislop |
So we today take the pine tree, drag it into our homes, put it in a stand and put lights on it, Christmas balls,
candy canes, garland (like a snake), gold and silver tinsel, and your children, and your grandchildren's handmade trinkets. Then you sit back and enjoy your tree for the next four to six weeks getting into the "Christmas spirit". That's part of the vanities God speaks about in Jeremiah 10:8. While you bow down and put your presents under your tree. Some presents are even given by Santa. I haven't found Scripture saying that this is okay to do. In religious cults, it's the thing to do. But not in the Bible. The Yule's definition from the Merriam-Webster dictionary is, the feast of the Nativity of Jesus Christ: christmas (and christmas is not capitalized), also means infant or the little child, and Christmas or Tammuz was born on December 25th, the son of Semiramis and Nimrod. Look it up for yourself on Google.
Merrymaking, and Party Atmosphere What is that about?:
The Anglo-Saxons called the night before Christmas, Mother Night and Christmas Day, Child's Day. The Sabeans of Arabia called Christmas, The Birthday of the lord. He would have been their moon god whose birthday was also December 25th. People were afraid of the dark, so you needed fires going on throughout the two weeks. In Scandinavia and Great Britain, the men would go into the forest to also cut down a Yule log. A Yule log is a huge log that would be burned all night so that the gods could see the people. You partied, ate, drank and were merry with grug, an alcoholic drink, and music, singing, and dancing. Saturn/Kronos was also known as the god of emancipation so during the Saturnalia festival's in Rome, slaves were emancipated temporarily and the masters served the servant's similar to the office Christmas parties of today. The people would dress in brightly colored clothing of red, purple and gold. There would be large street festivals with public gambling and going house to house naked to sing (caroling). People would shout "Lo Saturnalia" (similar to wishing everyone you see a "Merry Christmas!" today). Today people drink eggnog with alcohol in it, or just various alcoholic drinks during the season. Today we have electricity so we can hang lights on our trees, windows, inside and outside our homes to show Santa Clause. Santa (Satan) if you shift the letters around, was a 2 feet tall leprechaun that had a beard and wore green instead of red and white in Ireland. His depictions probably looked like the leprechaun on the Lucky Charms cereal box. He and his little reindeer could fit down the chimney. The jolly old man with the long white beard, really became popular from the Coca-Cola advertisement in the late 1800's and early 1900's. But this guy sees all, knows all, doesn't age. He knows when you are bad or good. I thought only GOD knew when we sinned or were good. The reindeer are the symbol of the horned god, or the stag god, Baphomet; who is the god of fertility, wealth, animals, and the underworld. The wreath is a symbol of fertility (female genitalia) along with the mistletoe, and holly. People would make up a wreath of holly, pine, and fir branches and give them as gifts to hang on their walls. Then there is the Mistletoe. The mistletoe was seen as the branch or token of divine reconciliation to man and the kiss is the pardon and reconciliation. How can that be? Well, that branch that came out of Nimrod the dead tree, this branch was said to have magical powers to kill divinity. They use the verse in Genesis 3:15, about the the woman's seed. So that seed of the woman killed the seed of the serpent, which engrafted the celestial branch into that earthly tree and heaven and earth. Sin now is severed and we all are joined together. It's part of the Serpent's lie. And this lie has Satan written all over it. Anyway, there is a religion called Hellenism which has the exchanging of gifts to mortals and the "divine" (angels, demons, gods) through sacrificial rituals. The tradition of the birthday cake also started during the winter solstice. In Scotland they make Nur-cakes, or birth-cakes, where we get birthday cakes from. They are still made in the lowlands of Scotland today. These cakes are also called Yule cakes or log cakes. These cakes were made during Hogtid, or Hogmanay; the last day of the year. Hog means festival, and tid means time in gaelic. The song "Auld Lang Syne" or times gone by is saying farewell to the old year and greeting the New Year and of course more festivities.
Lights:
Lucifer was the light bearer his name means the morning star, until pride set into his heart and God changed his name to Satan the deceiver/ liar. Winter solstice is the shortest day, and longest night. The people being afraid of the darkness would go out and cut down a tree with the thickest trunk. This tree trunk could burn for several days and it welcomed back the winter god. They would put candles in their windows, and on their trees. It allowed the gods to see them and bless them. With red and green ribbons they would tie chestnuts and cookies, like gingerbread men (which had become effigy's to the human's sacrificed during the original festivals) and tie them to the branches of the tree.
Should Christians Celebrate Christmas?
God says in the Bible, obey His law in Deuteronomy 12:30-32. "30 take heed to yourself that you are not ensnared to follow them, after they are destroyed from before you, and that you do not inquire after their gods, saying, ‘How did these nations serve their gods? I also will do likewise.’ 31 You shall not worship the Lord your God in that way; for every abomination to the Lord which He hates they have done to their gods; for they burn even their sons and daughters in the fire to their gods." "Whatsoever thing I command you, observe to do it; thou shalt not add thereto, nor diminish it." Deut. 12:32. Don't follow after pagan nations and their gods, Deut. 12:1-4. You are also turning your back unto God. Isaiah 57:5-9, Jeremiah 2:27, "Saying to a tree, Thou art my father; and to a stone, Though has brought me forth; for they have their back unto me, and not their face, but in time of their trouble they will say, Arise, and save us." Ezekiel 8:16, 23:15-18.
There is nowhere in the Bible that says to bring a tree into your home. Or to use it as a symbol of the cross which some Pastors teach today as a way to Christianize the holiday and bring it into the sanctuary. These are false teachers. Jesus didn't do it or His Apostles, and those who wrote the new Testament never did it either. So ask yourself, why are you Christians practicing these pagan rituals, festivals and traditions? For some they may truly not have known any of this information, but for others the thought of giving up traditions and living differently than how your unsaved family and friends do may seem uncomfortable. The Bible tells us in Matthew 16:24-25 "24 Then Jesus said to His disciples, “If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow Me. 25 For whoever desires to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake will find it. For some of our Christian brothers and sisters in other parts of the world where the gospel is outlawed denying yourself and losing your life here on earth for the sake of Jesus Christ and the gospel can be very literal. For Christians here in the United States we have never experienced that kind of persecution, I am not sure when we will but my point is denying yourself and taking up your cross here in the US has a different meaning when living your life in obedience to Him. Giving up things like traditions that He tells us not to do in the first place, and you may lose relationships with friends and family that wont understand. God is the same yesterday, today and forever He doesn't change. So the same God who spoke through Jeremiah and told the Israelites not to learn the ways of the nations and not to cut down trees and decorate them and nail them into place so they would not move is the same God that is telling us not to do it today. Christians are to live separate from how the rest of the world is living, the world is supposed to recognize us as different. In 2 Corinthians 6:16 The Bible tells us we are the temple of the Living God, He literally dwells inside of us through His Holy Spirit. In verse 17 He tells us to come out from among them that are unclean and be separate. Were not supposed to be blending in with the world and its vain traditions. My final thought is this: Christ died for you but are you really living everyday no matter what the world is doing and no matter what you have to give up and not participate in for Him?
Just Thinking
Accepting Jesus Christ's free gift of salvation is as easy as the ABC's
A = Admit you are a sinner, Romans 3:23 tells us that all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God.
B=Believe in Jesus, Romans 5:8 tells us God shows how much he loves us in while we still are sinners Christ still died for us.
C=Call on the name of Jesus to save you from your sins, Romans 10:13 tells us all who call on the name of the Lord will be saved.
The Course of Abijah, Dave Havir
Hebrew Roots/neglected commandments/idolatry/christmas tree
Nur-cakes of Scotland/
The Two Babylons by Alexander Hislop
Dies Natalis Solis Invicti-Wikipedia, scroll down to Constantine
Hellenic Faith-Dies Natalis Solis Invicti
The Christmas Lie, Raymond Blanton-tract
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