Christmas
(Includes excerpts from the “The Real Story of Christmas”, “Birthdays”, and “He Knows My Heart”)
This is the Christmas season, a celebration supposedly honoring the birth of the Savior of men. And each year the hype seems to emerge a bit earlier, almost subtly, until everyone is in the “holiday spirit.”
Increasingly, articles in newspapers and magazines lament the over-commercialization of a day they say has nearly lost its original meaning. But what was its original meaning? Do they know? Do you?
Where did the celebration of Christmas come from? Have you ever stopped long enough from your frenzied gift buying to ask yourself why you spend yourself into debt at this time each year? Why do you observe Christmas? If it is the celebration of the Savior’s birth, what on earth is Santa Claus doing in it? Why the Christmas tree, mistletoe, gift-giving, holly wreath, and all the other trappings that are so much a part of this holiday? What do all these fixtures have to do with the Messiah’s birth?
Too often we drift along doing what everyone else is doing without ever asking ourselves why. It is sometimes more comfortable not to ask too many questions for fear of what we may find. The truth can be disturbing.
Every year newspapers carry articles about the rank heathen origins of Christmas customs, while we smile and say, “How quaint.” And we continue kidding ourselves that we really are observing the Savior’s birthday. If we were only to open our Bibles, we would find that the word Christmas is nowhere within its pages. There isn’t a single passage that tells us to observe Messiah’s birthday. Shocking? Perhaps, but nevertheless a fact.
Birthdays
The scriptural evidence reveals that His birth was “celebrated” (Luke 2:8-20), but the anniversaries of His birth were not celebrated, even though anniversaries were counted [Luke 2:42; Luke 3:23].
Did the Apostles celebrate the birthday of their beloved Rabbi? No!
Were any of the birthdays of the Apostles celebrated? No!
How about the birthday of Abraham, Moses, David, Peter, Paul and others? There is nothing in the Scriptures!
Did believers after Messiah’s resurrection celebrate the birth of their Savior? History indicates that early believers did not celebrate Messiah’s birthday or birthdays in general.
What do the Scriptures say about birthdays?
There are three Bible passages where birthdays are mentioned as celebratory occurrences.
The first is Pharaoh:
Genesis 40:20 And it came to pass the third day, which was Pharaoh’s birthday, that he made a feast unto all his servants: and he lifted up the head of the chief butler and of the chief baker among his servants. 21 And he restored the chief butler unto his butlership again; and he gave the cup into Pharaoh’s hand: 22 But he hanged the chief baker: as Joseph had interpreted to them.
The second is Herod:
Matthew 14:6 But when Herod’s birthday was kept, the daughter of Herodias danced before them, and pleased Herod. 7 Whereupon he promised with an oath to give her whatsoever she would ask. 8 And she, being before instructed of her mother, said, Give me here John Baptist’s head in a charger. 9 And the king was sorry: nevertheless for the oath’s sake, and them which sat with him at meat, he commanded it to be given her. 10 And he sent, and beheaded John in the prison. 11 And his head was brought in a charger, and given to the damsel: and she brought it to her mother.
Pharaoh was not a follower of Yahweh; neither was Herod. Their birthday celebrations resulted in someone’s execution. Not the best example to follow.
In all the Scriptures covering thousands of years, there is only one recorded instance of a righteous man connected with a birthday celebration. That man was Job, and his children were in the habit of celebrating their respective days just as Pharaoh and Herod.
Job 1:4 And his sons went and feasted in their houses, every one his day; and sent and called for their three sisters to eat and to drink with them. 5 And it was so, when the days of their feasting were gone about, that Job sent and sanctified them, and rose up early in the morning, and offered burnt offerings according to the number of them all: for Job said, It may be that my sons have sinned, and cursed Elohim in their hearts. Thus did Job continually.
1:13 And there was a day when his sons and his daughters were eating and drinking wine in their eldest brother’s house: 14 And there came a messenger unto Job, and said, The oxen were plowing, and the asses feeding beside them:
1:18 While he was yet speaking, there came also another, and said, Thy sons and thy daughters were eating and drinking wine in their eldest brother’s house: 19 And, behold, there came a great wind from the wilderness, and smote the four corners of the house, and it fell upon the young men, and they are dead; and I only am escaped alone to tell thee.
Three birthday celebrations documented in the Scriptures and all resulted in someone dying and not one Scripture telling us to celebrate Messiah’s or any one else’s birthday.
But you may say to yourself that there is not one Scripture forbidding celebrating Messiah’s or any others birthday.
Well, not necessarily.
Ecclesiastes 7:1 A good name is better than precious ointment; and the day of death than the day of one’s birth.
Ecclesiastes 7:8 Better is the end of a thing than the beginning thereof:
Jeremiah 10:2 Thus saith YAHWEH, Learn not the way of the heathen, and be not dismayed at the signs of heaven; for the heathen are dismayed at them.
If we are not supposed to follow the way of the heathen, where do birthday customs come from?
“Originally the idea [of birthday greetings and wishes for happiness] was rooted in magic“.
“The exchange of presents… is associated with the importance of ingratiating good and evil fairies… on their or our birthdays”.
Lore of Birthdays; Ralph Linton, Adelin Linton; Publisher: Omnigraphics; Jul 1997; ISBN: 0780802659, ISBN-13: 9780780802650;
“The highest of all holidays (holy days) in the Satanic religion is the date of one’s own birth.
“The Satanist feels: “Why not really be honest and if you are going to create a god in your image, why not create that god as yourself.” Every man is a god if he chooses to recognize himself as one. So, the Satanist celebrates his own birthday as the most important holiday (holy day) of the year.
The Satanic Bible; 1969, 1976; pg 96 Anton Lavey
Scripture does not command us to celebrate birthdays, but as we have seen, it does tell us to not follow the practices of the world. Yahweh’s children should think twice about enjoying worldly ways, lest we desire to engage in these ways and become friends of the world.
James 4:4 Ye adulterers and adulteresses, know ye not that the friendship of the world is enmity with Yahweh? whosoever therefore will be a friend of the world is the enemy of Yahweh. 5 Do ye think that the scripture saith in vain, The spirit that dwelleth in us lusteth to envy?
Believers have stopped following the ways of the world and have changed course, becoming committed to a different “Way”. So remember this outstanding piece of wisdom from the Apostle Paul.
Romans 12:1 I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of Yahweh, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto Yahweh, which is your reasonable service. 2 And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of Yahweh.
The world celebrates
Romans 12:2 says not to be conformed to this world. Have you ever noticed that just about everyone celebrates Christmas, including those who are not even remotely religious or have ever opened a Bible? If the whole world celebrates Christmas, should we be concerned about what we are celebrating and if it is Yahweh’s will?
1 John 2:15 Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world. If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him. 16 For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world. 17 And the world passeth away, and the lust thereof: but he that doeth the will of Yahweh abideth for ever.
Revelation 18:4 And I heard another voice from heaven, saying, Come out of her, my people, that ye be not partakers of her sins, and that ye receive not of her plagues. 5 For her sins have reached unto heaven, and Yahweh hath remembered her iniquities.
It is time that those who celebrate Christmas stop and take a long look at this most popular of celebrations and ask some hard questions.
Your very salvation hinges on whether you will follow the truth of the Bible or go along with millions of others as they indulge in the popular ways of a deceived world. Paul wrote to the Corinthian assembly, “Wherefore ‘come out from among them and be separate,’ says Yahweh, ‘and touch not the unclean thing; and I will receive you,” 2 Corinthians 6:17.
But he knows my heart
Indeed Yahweh looks upon our heart! However, while we like to think well of ourselves, Yahweh sees us differently than we see ourselves. How does he see our heart? He says…
The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked: who can know it? Jeremiah 17:9
It is man’s carnal nature to follow his own imagination, which is contrary to Yahweh. We do not see our hearts as being deceitful and desperately wicked because we are doing what we think is right. Or as Proverbs 21:2 states: Every way of a man is right in his own eyes: but YAHWEH pondereth the hearts.
Yes, He looks upon the heart, and He has already said it is desperately wicked, but those who celebrate Christmas probably don’t see it that way, and are likely to deny it. Proverbs 12:15 adds: The way of a fool is right in his own eyes: but he that hearkeneth unto counsel is wise.
Even Paul acknowledged that he was not good because the carnal or natural mind is hostile to YAHWEH’S laws.
Because the carnal mind is enmity against the Mighty One: for it is not subject to the law of YAHWEH, neither indeed can be. Romans 8:7 For to be carnally minded is death; but to be spiritually minded is life and peace. Romans 8:6
But the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of YAHWEH: for they are foolishness unto him: neither can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned. 1 Corinthians 2:14
You may argue, “Okay, so Christmas isn’t in the Bible. But what’s wrong with doing good to others at this time of year? What’s so bad about giving the kids some happiness and having a good time myself?”
If there is no Creator in heaven, then it doesn’t matter. You can continue buying and displaying Christmas decorations and other trappings that in fact are derive from ancient fertility rites, idolatry, and polytheism. You can have as good a time as the Babylonians who worshipped nonexistent “gods” and who actually started the whole holiday of Christmas.
But if there is a Heavenly Father, you cannot do both–you cannot mix pagan practices with the holy. The Eternal Yahweh said, “Be not unequally yoked together with unbelievers: for what fellowship has righteousness with unrighteousness? and what communion has light with darkness?” 2 Corinthians 6:14. You cannot kid yourself that you’re really observing Christmas because of the birth of Yah’shua the Messiah. The name of the holiday and its declared purpose cannot hide the fact that its roots are firmly anchored in a winter festival of the pagans, which we will see shortly.
Israel‘s Lesson for Our Day
The Eternal Father Yahweh is quite jealous over how He is worshipped. When ancient Israel conquered the pagan nations around them, Yahweh told His people that the surrounding nations were being punished for their vile, heathen worship. The barbarians indulged in every kind of perversion and idolatry imaginable, and Yahweh abhorred it. They cherished the very practices that provided a basis for modern Christmas customs–worshipping fertility and the sun god.
Yahweh warned Israel not to be entrapped by the practices of the pagans: “Take heed to yourself that you be not snared by following them, after that they be destroyed from before you; and that you enquire not after their mighty ones, saying, ‘How did these nations serve their deities? even so will I do likewise.’ You shall not do so unto Yahweh your Elohim,” Deuteronomy 12:30-31 (see also Leviticus 18:3, 20:23 and Jeremiah 10:2-5).
He specifically commanded Israel not to ask why the pagans worshipped as they did, why they decorated their temples in such a way, or why they practiced certain feasts and orgies. Why? Because Yahweh knows human nature and man’s desire to participate and have fun.
What happened? Israel did exactly what they were commanded not to do. They embraced pagan customs and mixed them with pure worship: “And the children of Israel did evil again in the sight of Yahweh, and served Baalim, and Ashtaroth, and the mighty ones of Syria, and the mighty ones of Zidon, and the mighty ones of Moab, and the mighty ones of the children of Ammon, and the mighty ones of the Philistines, and forsook Yahweh, and served not Him,” Judges 10:6 (see also 1 Samuel 7:3,4; 12:10; 1Kings 11:5, and 2 Kings 23:13).
Just as ancient Israel, our society has adopted pagan customs and incorporated them into its worship. Decorated Christmas trees are a common sight in many churches in December. Christmas parties of all sorts are a part of church functions. Even Santa Claus has been seen entering church doors bearing gifts.
For the customs of the people 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 as 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. [Jeremiah 10:3-5]
Has man changed since the days of the Israelites? Let’s take a closer look at this most popular of holidays and see what its customs and practices mean.
Christmas Past
The word “Christmas” derives from the Old English “Cristes-masse,” a Catholic mass that grew out of a feast day established in the year 1038. A mass is a prayer for a dead person. Why is it applied to the birth of the Messiah?
Perhaps the answer is found in the Encyclopedia Americana, 1942 edition, vol. 6, p. 623: “Christmas was according to many authorities not celebrated in the first centuries of the Christian Church as the Christian usage in general was to celebrate the death of remarkable persons rather than their birth. A feast was established in the memory of the birth of the Savior in the Fourth Century. In the Fifth Century the Western Church [Roman Catholic] ordered it to be celebrated forever on the day of the old Roman Feast of the birth of Sol [the sun].”
The Encyclopedia Britannica, 1946 edition, says, “Christmas was not among the earliest festivals of the church.” For the first 300 years, the religious writers are silent regarding the Christmas observance. An Armenian writer of the eleventh century states that the Christmas festival was first celebrated in Constantinople in 373. In Egypt, the Western birthday festival was opposed during the early years of the fifth century, but was celebrated in Alexandria as early as 432. In 1644, the English Puritans forbade any merriment or religious services by act of Parliament on the grounds that Christmas was a heathen festival. They were so opposed to its observance that they ordered a fast on December 25.
December 25
So is December 25th even the correct date of Messiah’s birth? Let us review.
Anyone who has attended Christmas plays at school or church has probably heard Luke 2:8 quoted: “And there were in the same country shepherds abiding in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night.”
From the middle of November to the middle of April is the rainy season in Palestine. Shepherds, because of the cold, dampness, and sometimes snow, take their flocks into sheepfolds at night (see Daily Life in the Time of Jesus, by Henri Daniel-Rops), Ezra 10:9 speaks of those in Jerusalem sitting outside in early December and trembling in the rain. Yah’shua considered the severity of the winter in Palestine when, in His prophecy of the end times (Matthew 24:20) said, “Pray that your flight be not in the winter….”
Historians have long recognized that Yah’shua the Messiah was born in the autumn and not in the dead of winter. The sheep were still in the open fields. “It was an ancient custom among Jews of those days to send out their sheep to the fields and deserts about the Passover (early spring), and bring them home at commencement of the first rain,” Adam Clarke Commentary, vol. 5, p. 370.
Furthermore, at the time of the Savior’s birth, Caesar Augustus was collecting taxes from Palestine, Luke 2:1-5. Each had to make a journey to “his own city” to pay his taxes. Joseph and Miriam (Mary) traveled to Bethlehem. Requiring the people to make such journeys at the severest time of the year–in the dead of winter–would have sparked a revolt against the hated Roman Empire. The simplest and most logical policy would be to collect taxes after the fall harvest, when storehouses were full and resistance would be the least.
Then there is the fact that the Jews would be congregating in the autumn anyway, “going up” to Jerusalem to keep the Feast of Tabernacles (John 7:8-10; Acts 18:21). Perhaps this is the reason the parents of Yah’shua found “no room for them in the inn”: the cities were swollen with travelers to the Feast of Tabernacles.
We can determine the approximate date of the Savior’s birth by knowing when John the Baptist was born. Worship at the time centered on the temple at Jerusalem, where priests were required to perform duties for a week twice in the year, 1 Chronicles 24:1-18. John’s father Zacharias was from the family of Abiyah (Luke 1:5), and had his turn on the eighth week of the year, 1 Chronicles 24:10.
Beginning the count from the Days of Unleavened Bread at the beginning of the year, we come to the third Hebrew month Sivan. It was at this time that the angel of Yahweh told Zacharias he would become the father of a son, Luke 1:13. When his duties were finished he went home, verse 23. At that time Elizabeth conceived, verse 24. This was about the middle or end of our June. Moving forward nine months in the gestation period, we come to March and John the Baptist is born. Luke 1:36 notes that Yah’shua was six months younger than John. So six months later, the Savior was born–at the end of September or first part of October.
It is commonly recognized that our Savior’s ministry lasted three and a half years. Yah’shua began when He was 30 years of age, Luke 3:23, Numbers 4:3. He was put to death at the age of 33-1/2 and died at Passover–which falls in the spring at about April. Starting in April and counting back six months to His birthday, we end up with an autumn birth date.
Based on all the facts, December 25th cannot be Messiah’s birth date. Consider this: if you are observing a birthday, which isn’t actually HIS birthday, it is a lie. We are told in 1 John 2:21…. “That no lie is of the truth”.
This means that if there is even one lie in a body of doctrine or a religious practice, it cannot be of Yahweh, or His will, or pleasing to Him. He hates lies as the following Scriptures assert.
What does Yahweh say about those who practice a lie?
Revelation 20:8 But the fearful, and unbelieving, and the abominable, and murderers, and whoremongers, and sorcerers, and idolaters, and all liars, shall have their part in the lake which burneth with fire and brimstone: which is the second death.
John 8:44 Ye are of your father the devil, and the lusts of your father ye will do. He was a murderer from the beginning, and abode not in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaketh a lie, he speaketh of his own: for he (Satan) is a liar, and the father of it.
Christmas keepers may say that all of this is unimportant. To Messiah, however, all of this is critically important and even determines who spends eternity in His presence. Those who love lies and those who make lies will never enter the Father’s and the Lamb’s presence.
For without are dogs, and sorcerers, and whoremongers, and murderers, and idolaters, and whosoever loveth and maketh a lie. Revelation 22:15
How does Yahweh desire to be worshipped? Yahweh makes it abundantly clear that He does not want to be worshipped with any lies!
John 4:23 But the hour cometh, and now is, when the true worshippers shall worship the Father in spirit and in truth: for the Father seeketh such to worship him. 24 Yahweh is a Spirit: and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth.
How then, did December 25th become connected with the birthday of the Messiah?
Alexander Hislop explains: “Long before the fourth century, and long before the Christian era itself, a festival was celebrated among the heathen at that precise time of the year, in honor of the birth of the son of the Babylonian queen of heaven; and it may fairly be presumed that, in order to conciliate the heathen, and to swell the number of the nominal adherents of Christianity, the same festival was adopted by the Roman Church, giving it only the name of Christ.” The Two Babylons, p. 93.
Indeed, the Catholic Encyclopedia confirms the merger. “The well-known solar feast of Natalis Invicti [The Nativity of the Unconquered Sun] celebrated on 25 December, has a strong claim on the responsibility for our December date.” vol. 3, p. 727.
Mithraism Makes Its Mark
Recall that the Roman world was originally pagan and steeped in heathen customs and practices. They loved festivals and would organize a banquet at the slightest pretext. Chief among these was the Feast of Mithras, celebrating the deity’s birthday on December 25. Mithraism was merely a spin-off of the ancient Babylonian worship of Tammuz. In Egypt, it was believed that Osiris (Tammuz) was born on December 25.
Often portrayed as brilliant as the sun, the deity Mithras was known as “The Invincible Sun,” or “The Sun of Righteousness.” Mithraism promised immortality to its faithful.
Further details on the relationship between December 25 and sun worship are brought out in The Golden Bough (p. 416): “In the Julian Calendar the twenty-fifth of December was reckoned the winter solstice, and it was regarded as the Nativity of the sun, because the day begins to lengthen and the power of the sun to increase from that turning point of the year. Now Mithras was regularly identified by his worshippers with the Sun, the Unconquered Sun, as they called him; hence his nativity also fell on the twenty-fifth of December.
The Encyclopedia of World Religions casts additional light on the connection between the Mithraic cult and Tammuz-sun worship: “The Persian Mithras was a god of contract, a mediator between gods and man, and was closely connected with both the sun and the kingship, the principle of law and order in society.” p. 97.
The merger of Mithraic beliefs with the customs and traditions surrounding the birth of the Savior was largely because Mithraism was popular at the time of the Messiah’s birth. “Between 1400 B.C.E. and 400 C.E., Persians, Indians, Romans, and Greeks worshipped the deity Mithras. He was particularly important in the Roman Empire in the 2nd and 3rd centuries,” Encyclopedia of World Religions, p. 94.
Mithraism, in fact, was one of the last of the oriental “mystery cults” to reach the West. It became the chief rival of Christianity. Altars to Mithras, dating from the first to the fifth centuries, are common in England.
The pagan feast of the Saturnalia, which the Romans celebrated in honor of the deity Saturn from December 17 to 24, eventually encompassed the Feast of Mithras. Many of the practices of Christmas trace to the Saturnalia celebration. At the Saturnalia, Romans lavishly decorated their homes with evergreens. Men discarded their togas for more festive holiday garments. Families and friends exchanged gifts of candles and clay dolls. Nero enjoyed having himself appointed “Lord of the Misrule,” or the one who presided over Saturnalia merrymaking..
The Saturnalia was instituted under the name Brumalia, which meant “Winter solstice.”
The Blend Begins
How then, did these rank pagan festivals of sun worship become entwined with the worship of the Savior of men? The mixing of worship was done to placate the heathen and bring them into the church. In other words, they could have their cherished old Saturnalia as well as their new faith–merely cloaked in a different name!
This fact is supported by other sources, including the Cyclopedia of Biblical, Theological, and Ecclesiastical Literature: “The heathen winter holidays (Saturnalia, Juvenalia, Brumalia) were undoubtedly transformed, and, so to speak, sanctified by the establishment of the Christmas cycle of holidays; and the heathen customs. . .were brought over into Christian use.” p. 276.
“There can be little doubt that the Church was anxious to distract the attention of new Christians from the old heathen feast days by celebrating Christian festivals on the same days. “Encyclopedia of Religion and Ethics, vol. 3, p. 607.
This concept of mixing spiritual truth with lies is call syncretism and was practiced at times by the Israelites. What does the Bible say about blending pagan practices of worship with Yahweh’s practices of worship?
Exodus 32:1 And when the people saw that Moses delayed to come down out of the mount, the people gathered themselves together unto Aaron, and said unto him, Up, make us gods, which shall go before us; for as for this Moses, the man that brought us up out of the land of Egypt, we wot not what is become of him. 2 And Aaron said unto them, Break off the golden earrings, which are in the ears of your wives, of your sons, and of your daughters, and bring them unto me. 3 And all the people brake off the golden earrings which were in their ears, and brought them unto Aaron. 4 And he received them at their hand, and fashioned it with a graving tool, after he had made it a molten calf: and they said, These be thy gods, O Israel, which brought thee up out of the land of Egypt. 5 And when Aaron saw it, he built an altar before it; and Aaron made proclamation, and said, To morrow is a feast to YAHWEH. 6 And they rose up early on the morrow, and offered burnt offerings, and brought peace offerings; and the people sat down to eat and to drink, and rose up to play. 7 And YAHWEH said unto Moses, Go, get thee down; for thy people, which thou broughtest out of the land of Egypt, have corrupted themselves: 8 They have turned aside quickly out of the way which I commanded them: they have made them a molten calf, and have worshipped it, and have sacrificed thereunto, and said, These be thy gods, O Israel, which have brought thee up out of the land of Egypt. 9 And YAHWEH said unto Moses, I have seen this people, and, behold, it is a stiffnecked people: 10 Now therefore let me alone, that my wrath may wax hot against them, and that I may consume them: and I will make of thee a great nation.
Leviticus 10:1 And Nadab and Abihu, the sons of Aaron, took either of them his censer, and put fire therein, and put incense thereon, and offered strange fire before Yahweh, which he commanded them not. 2 And there went out fire from Yahweh, and devoured them, and they died before Yahweh.
These are excellent examples of people worshiping Yahweh their way instead of His way. Obviously Yahweh was not pleased with the Israelites or Nadab and Abihu and wants believers to worship Him His way.
The “Church” Reacts
Did you know that it took nearly 400 years before the Roman Church began to accept Christmas into its dogma? It wasn’t without objection and it wasn’t until the end of the fourth century before it was declared official, The Catholic Encyclopedia, vol. 3, p. 725.
A great amount of confusion initially surrounded this merger of the Saturnalia with the nativity. The Catholic Encyclopedia shows that the people were mistaking sun worship with worship of the Son of Yahweh: “Tertullian had to assert that Sol was not the Christians’ [Almighty]; Augustine denounced the heretical identification of [Yah’shua] with Sol. Pope Leo 1 bitterly reproved solar survivals–Christians, on the very doorsteps of the Apostles’ basilica, turning to adore the rising sun.” vol. 3, p. 272.
But whether the masses adopted the celebration of Christmas or not, the fact remains that nowhere in the Bible is found the command to observe the Savior’s birthday. The early converts would have nothing to do with it. In fact, His precise date of birth is obscured because Yahweh never intended His birth to be a cause for celebration. Rather, He commands that we observe (not celebrate) Yah’shua’s death at Passover, His sacrifice to all who would truly seek to obey Him.
1 Corinthians 11:23 For I have received of the Sovereign that which also I delivered unto you, That the Sovereign Yah’shua the same night in which he was betrayed took bread: 24 And when he had given thanks, he brake it, and said, Take, eat: this is my body, which is broken for you: this do in remembrance of me. 25 After the same manner also he took the cup, when he had supped, saying, This cup is the new testament in my blood: this do ye, as oft as ye drink it, in remembrance of me. 26 For as often as ye eat this bread, and drink this cup, ye do shew the Sovereign’s death till he come.
And if you believe that the Yahweh of the Old Testament who spoke, was heard, and was seen was Messiah, then Leviticus 23 gives us the feast days that Yahweh wants us to celebrate. How do we know that the Sovereign Yahweh who spoke, was heard, and was seen in the Old Testament was Messiah? Because we have Scriptures which indicate that no one other than Messiah has seen or heard the Father and we have many scriptures in the Old Testament of Moses and the Prophets hearing and seeing glimpses of Yahweh.
No man hath seen Yahweh at any time; the only begotten Son, which is in the bosom of the Father, he hath declared him. John 1:18
And the Father himself, which hath sent me, hath borne witness of me. Ye have neither heard his voice at any time, nor seen his shape. John 5:37
Not that any man hath seen the Father, save he which is of Yahweh, he hath seen the Father. John 6:46
After these things the Dabar-Yahweh came unto Abram in a vision, saying, Fear not, Abram: I am thy shield, and thy exceeding great reward. Genesis 15:1
And when Abram was ninety years old and nine, Yahweh appeared to Abram, and said unto him, I am the Almighty Elohim; walk before me, and be thou perfect. Genesis 17:1
And Yahweh spake unto Moses, saying, Exodus 6:10
And Yahweh spake unto you out of the midst of the fire: ye heard the voice of the words, but saw no similitude; only ye heard a voice. Deuteronomy 4:12
And the glory of Yahweh abode upon mount Sinai, and the cloud covered it six days: and the seventh day he called unto Moses out of the midst of the cloud. 17 And the sight of the glory of Yahweh was like devouring fire on the top of the mount in the eyes of the children of Israel. Exodus 24:16
Then came the Dabar-Yahweh unto Samuel, saying, 1 Samuel 15:10
And the Dabar-Yahweh came to Solomon, saying, 1 Kings 6:11
And the Dabar Yahweh came to Elijah the Tishbite, saying, 1 Kings 21:17
So if no one has ever heard or seen the Father, who was the Yahweh that Moses and others heard?
Moreover, brethren, I would not that ye should be ignorant, how that all our fathers were under the cloud, and all passed through the sea; And were all baptized unto Moses in the cloud and in the sea; And did all eat the same spiritual meat; And did all drink the same spiritual drink: for they drank of that spiritual Rock that followed them: and that Rock was Messiah. 1 Corinthians 10:1-4
So the Sovereign Yahweh that spoke HIS feast days to Moses in Leviticus 23 was Messiah!
And Yahweh spake unto Moses, saying, Speak unto the children of Israel, and say unto them, Concerning the feasts of Yahweh, which ye shall proclaim to be holy convocations, even these are my feasts. Leviticus 23:1-2
The carryover of ancient pagan rites into a modern-day celebration of Messiah is an abomination to Yahweh. Over and over He condemns these heathen rituals, and He punished ancient Israel for becoming involved in them. (See 2 Kings 17:9-23; Acts 7:39-43.)
Of Christmas Trees
What is not generally known is that throughout history trees had an important role in pagan worship. From time immemorial, man has ascribed certain superhuman characteristics to trees. Perhaps this was because of the considerable value trees have been to man or maybe the human-like forms of trees contributed to these notions. Then again, this obsession may trace to the Tree of Life in the Garden of Eden.
For whatever the reason, trees have held a mystical quality through the ages. The Greek philosopher Aristotle thought trees could reason. Scandinavians worshipped trees. In Africa and South America, peoples have associated human life with tree worship. They believed spirits could inhabit trees and so would plant a sapling next to a mature tree they had cut down for the old spirit to live in. In east Africa the Wanika believe every coco-nut tree has a spirit. To cut it down is equivalent to matricide because the tree gives them life and nourishment as a mother.
Sacred groves were common among the ancient Germans. At Upsala, the old religious capital of Sweden, there is a sacred grove where every tree is regarded as holy. In the Forum, the busy center of Roman life, the sacred fir tree of Romulus was worshipped down to the days of the empire. Before thinning a grove, a Roman farmer sacrificed a pig to the god or goddess of the grove. Among the Druids the oak was sacred. With Egypt, it was the palm (Baal-Tamar). During the Saturnalia, the Romans decorated the fire deity (Baal-Berith) with red berries. Curiosities of Popular Customs, p. 242.
Did you know that the Romans exchanged green tree branches for “good luck” on the first of January? The Scandinavians, who you recall were tree worshippers, added evergreen trees, holly and mistletoe to their worship at Christmas and spread the practice through Europe.
In 11 passages of Scripture, scattered throughout the Bible, the green tree is associated with idolatry and harlotry. Because all trees are green part of the year, the special mention of “green” trees probably refers to some form of evergreen tree. (See Deuteronomy 12:2; 1 Kings 14:23; 2 Kings 16:4, 17:10; 2 Chronicles 28:4; Isaiah 57:5; Jeremiah 2:20, 3:6, 3:13, 17:2; Ezekiel 6:13).
As one source puts it, “The Christmas tree recapitulates the idea of tree worship. . .gilded nuts and balls symbolize the sun. . . the use of holly and mistletoe adopted from the Druidic ceremonies… all of the festivities of the winter solstice have been absorbed into Christmas day. ” Festivals, Holy Days, and Satan’s Days, p. 222.
So each year millions set up a Christmas tree, decorate it with symbols of fertility and of the sun in the form of colored balls and lights, place gifts beneath it, and gather around it to sing. And they haven’t the slightest idea that they are participating in what survives as ancient, pagan worship.
For the customs of the people 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 as 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. [Jeremiah 10:3-5]
Santa Claus
As with nearly all the traditions of Christmas, Santa Claus has nothing to do with the birth of the Messiah. It is merely a custom of men that ultimately entwined with pagan beliefs. In millions of homes, children will be told that the gifts they received under the tree were from Santa Claus. Through this lie, they associate happiness and good things with a character of deception–related through folklore to Satan himself. Do you really believe it is okay to tell your children a lie? Especially after all the previous Scriptures given about those that love and practice a lie?
At the same time, the true giver of blessings–Heavenly Father Yahweh–is ignored. Children are told to be good for the sake of Santa Claus.
Gift Giving
You might argue that the custom of giving gifts really stems from the fact that three wise men gave gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh to the newborn Savior Yah’shua.
Matthew 2:11 offers some revealing facts. First, although three kinds of gifts are mentioned, nowhere does Scripture list the number of wise men who came. There could have been dozens. Second, they came to a house where they saw the young child. The popular nativity scenes erroneously show the wise men bowing before Yah’shua in a manger with animals looking on. By the time they arrived, the “babe” was perhaps almost two years of age. That is why Herod, who wanted the Savior killed because he had heard He was to be king, ordered the wholesale slaying of all children up to two years of age, Matthew 2:16.
Now notice. They gave their gifts to the child, not to one another. Why? The Adam Clarke Commentary says, “The people of the east never approach the presence of kings and great personages without a present in their hands.” vol. 5, p. 46. They weren’t instituting a new custom of exchanging gifts with friends, but merely were in accord with the ancient tradition of presenting gifts to a king in his presence. They were coming before the King of the Jews.
How ridiculous it would have been for them to bow before Yah’shua the Messiah, turn, and start handing one another gifts! Yet, that is what is done every December 25th the world over–by Bible believers and unbelievers alike.
Is it the spirit of love and largesse that motivates modern-day Christmas gift-giving? Or is it rather the spirit of greed and indulgence–I give you a gift because you gave me one or because you are on my gift list or because I want a gift from you?
More than $500 billion will be spent alone in the United States on Christmas presents. It is the biggest advertising and spending extravaganza the world has ever known. And without it, many merchants say they wouldn’t survive. All this is supposedly done in honor of a lowly babe in a manger whose birth, never once, does Yahweh command to celebrate.
If you search the Scriptures for a precedent in exchanging gifts, you’ll find one example in Revelation 11:10. This is the end of the age, and Yahweh’s two witnesses are killed on the streets of Jerusalem. The wicked are so happy to hear of their deaths that we read, “And they that dwell upon the earth shall rejoice over them, and make merry, and shall send gifts one to another.”
All of the pagan midwinter festivals included the exchanging of gifts. The earliest form is from Babylon, where on the anniversary of his death, Nimrod was to visit the evergreen tree and leave gifts thereon. Does gift exchanging honor the Messiah?
Baby Yah’shua
Do you ever wonder why the biggest celebration of Messiah is His birth? Messiah is portrayed as a baby: tiny, weak and harmless. The visualization of this tiny, weak and harmless baby in a manger is continuously pressed into our heads. Do you think that Satan would like us to focus on baby Messiah instead of the powerful Savior that currently sits at the right hand of the Father? Or that He is coming in the clouds with power and glory to judge the world? Or that the first thing He does when he returns is to make war?
Matthew 26:64 Yah’shua saith unto him, Thou hast said: nevertheless I say unto you, Hereafter shall ye see the Son of man sitting on the right hand of power, and coming in the clouds of heaven.
Luke 21:27 And then shall they see the Son of man coming in a cloud with power and great glory. 28 And when these things begin to come to pass, then look up, and lift up your heads; for your redemption draweth nigh.
Revelation 19:11 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.
Whom Will You Please?
By now you fully realize the pagan origins in the customs and trappings of Christmas. You know now where it all came from, as substantiated by countless sources and the Scriptures. The vital question is, will you act on what you know is right? and wrong?
Many are too embarrassed to give up this celebration: embarrassed by what relatives may say or think; embarrassed by neighbors who may ask, “Where is your tree?” They are more concerned with not depriving their children of this holiday; too afraid of being called a Scrooge. It is obvious whom they are trying to please. By their refusal to give up this holiday they show what matters most in their lives.
If relatives, neighbors or children can give you salvation, then go ahead and satisfy them. But if only the Eternal Father Yahweh, who is responsible for your very existence, can offer you the reward of eternal life with Yahweh and His Lamb, then you had better do what He says. And He says man’s pagan traditions are an absolute abomination to Him.
The same warning He gave to ancient Israel through Jeremiah, Ezekiel, Joel, Amos, Hosea and all the other prophets He gives to us today: “Learn not the way of the heathen.”
Yah’shua said, “In vain do they worship me, teaching for doctrines the commandments of men,” Matthew 15:9. Man’s ways are vanity. What man reasons are acceptable and fine to do, the Great Creator detests. He thunders, “Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world. If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him.” 1 John 2:15.
Paul quoted Isaiah 52, a command first given to an ancient Israel tempted by heathen practices: “Wherefore, come out from among them and be separate, says Yahweh, and touch not the unclean thing; and I will receive you.” 2 Corinthians 6:17.
Are we honoring the Great Eternal Creator when we mix His worship with pagan acts? How can He possibly be happy with that? And what about continually lying to children about Santa Claus, Messiah’s birth date being December 25th, and all the rest of the lies? “And you fathers, provoke not your children to wrath: but bring them up in the nurture and admonition of Yahweh,” Ephesians 6:4. We also read, “Lie not to one another,” Colossians 3:9.
People can freely do as they wish. It is their choice. But a day of reckoning is coming when all will be responsible for every choice they make: “For Yahweh shall bring every work into judgment, with every secret thing, whether it be good, or whether it be evil,” Ecclesiastes 12:14. See also 2 Corinthians 5:10.
Know the joy of serving only the Heavenly Father Yahweh through following His Word. Come out of Babylon. The first step is the hardest. But He promises that you will not be tempted more than you are able to withstand. The blessings that will result will astound you. And the glorious eternal future with Yahweh and His Lamb will be all yours.
HalleluYah
(12/13a)