CHRISTMAS
Was
Christmas designed by Satan to soak up men's worship in order to deceive them?
In the
Beginning
·
About a gazillion years
ago,
God made some people who ate some fruit they were not supposed to eat and then
some angels that He made left their assignments in heaven and came down to
earth and made a mess of things, then God flooded the earth and wiped them all
out except for eight people in a boat.
·
Those eight people started
life over again
and God told them to multiply and scatter all over the earth. But they did not listen to THE ONE GOD and made a new home in
Babylon and built a tall tower to climb up in just in case it rained and
flooded the earth again.
·
They made up a bunch of different
little gods
out of wood and stone and when God confused their language it changed the names
that they called their gods, seemingly making even more gods. Finally the people scattered like they
were told to do in the first place, but now they had a whole bunch more of the
little stick and rock gods that they didn’t want to make angry.
·
We pick up the story in
Rome WAY
LATER when they are having festivals and feast to keep all these little gods
happy.
A little
Background
·
About 300 years after
Jesus was born,
we find people starting to observe His birth in mid-winter, but why did they
settled on the date of December 25th
?
·
Sun worship is one of the
main pillars
of many older religions believing that we owe everything to the Sun. The Winter Solstice is the victory of the
Sun’s power over the forces of darkness. The Romans looked forward to the coming
of spring where there would be renewed fertility of Crops and farm animals providing
another year of food.
·
In the Roman Empire, the week of December
17-25 celebrated Saturnalia which was a pagan holiday festival that
honored the deity Saturn who reigned over the world; humans
spontaneously enjoyed the bounty of the earth without labor. This was the time when the days had become
shorter and the earth had symbolically died. - Winters were tough, and food was
scarce so they felt a need to keep the god Saturn happy.
·
The week of Saturnalia celebration, gave an excuse for orgies,
debauchery, dancing around, hijinks, feasting and gift-giving. There was a cessation of any formal business and
the Roman courts were closed, and Roman law dictated that no one could be
punished for damaging property or injuring people during this week long
period of lawlessness. The things that happened during the “Saturnalia celebrations”
were almost unspeakable; they often included violence, rape, and even human
sacrifice.
·
To top it off, on December
25th,
the Roman emperor Aurelian established a feast of the birth of the sun god “Sol Invictus” (The Unconquered Sun).
·
NOTE: All these celebrations became a magnet; TEMPTATIONS for Christians to
participate; thus the early Church had a real problem to address.
Exodus 34:13 – Destroy alters – Break images – Cut
down groves
13 But ye shall destroy their altars, break their images, and cut down their groves: (KJV)
13 But ye shall destroy their altars, break their images, and cut down their groves: (KJV)
The
Intervention
·
The Early Christian Church at first celebrated the
birth of Christ in the spring, BUT
not wanting Christians to participate in the winter pagan practices, they
wisely invented a Holy celebration of their own to compete with the pagan
holiday to act as a contrast to the pagan festivals. - They changed the day to
celebrate the birth of the God-man, to be at the same time the pagans were
celebrating their pagan festival, instead of worshiping the SUN god,
they would worship the SUN of righteousness, the LIGHT of the World, the
SON of God.
·
By the 4th century, the date for the winter
solstice had moved to the 25th of December and Pope Julius I
declared that Jesus' birthday celebrations would also be on that day. This effectively
transformed the Pagan occasion into a Christian holy day
(holiday).
·
Constantine, the Roman Emperor was converted to
Christianity and he combined the worship of the sun god with the worship of
Christ. - Christian leaders accepted
Constantine's conversion in a positive light and saw the "Christ-mass"
celebration as a vital part of the process of converting the pagan world.
·
Renowned Catholic liturgist
Mario Righetti,
writes, "The Church of Rome, to facilitate the acceptance of the
faith by the pagan masses, found it convenient to institute the 25th of December
as the feast of the temporal birth of Christ, to divert them from the pagan
feast, celebrated on the same day in honor of The Invincible Sun”.
·
Practically all the known
Sun-deities
were born on the 25th of December, so for symbolic reasons,
Christian have chosen December 25th to celebrate the birth of Christ
as it is the shortest day of the year as the subsequent days begin to increase
in length and this is when the amount of LIGHT begins to increase. – He
is the LIGHT of the world, the SUN of righteousness, the SON of the living God.
John 8:12 – Jesus is the LIGHT of the world
12 Again Jesus spoke to them, saying, “I am the LIGHT of the world. Whoever follows me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.”
12 Again Jesus spoke to them, saying, “I am the LIGHT of the world. Whoever follows me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.”
(ESV)
Malachi 4:2 – Jesus is the SUN of righteousness
2 But for you who fear my name, the SUN of righteousness shall rise with healing in its wings. You shall go out leaping like calves from the stall. (ESV)
2 But for you who fear my name, the SUN of righteousness shall rise with healing in its wings. You shall go out leaping like calves from the stall. (ESV)
Matthew 16:16 – Jesus is the
SON of the living God.
16 Simon Peter replied, “You are the Christ, the SON of the living God.”
16 Simon Peter replied, “You are the Christ, the SON of the living God.”
(ESV)
John 1:3-9 – The true
light has come into the world
3 All things were made through him, and without him was not anything made that was made.
4 In him was life, and the life was the LIGHT of men.
5 The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.
6 There was a man sent from God, whose name was John.
7 He came as a witness, to bear witness about the LIGHT, that all might believe through him.
8 He was not the LIGHT, but came to bear witness about the LIGHT.
9 THE TRUE LIGHT, which gives LIGHT to everyone, was coming into the world. (ESV)
3 All things were made through him, and without him was not anything made that was made.
4 In him was life, and the life was the LIGHT of men.
5 The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.
6 There was a man sent from God, whose name was John.
7 He came as a witness, to bear witness about the LIGHT, that all might believe through him.
8 He was not the LIGHT, but came to bear witness about the LIGHT.
9 THE TRUE LIGHT, which gives LIGHT to everyone, was coming into the world. (ESV)
Customs &
Traditions
·
The Roman feast
“Saturnalia”;
the winter solstice celebration which took place in mid-December provided the
model for the customs of today’s Christmas merry-making. - For example; they
enjoyed games, gambling, played dress-up and recited poetry and indulged in
lots of drinking.
·
The decorating of homes included evergreens and employed
the burning of candles, elaborate feastings and the giving of gifts such as tablecloths,
caps, socks, slippers, hairpins, combs, rings, toothpicks, tooth paste, baby
items and puppies.
·
The traditional red and
green Christmas colors of the red berries and evergreen leaves of the holly wreaths
that we see, represented Male and Female FERTILITY and incubation
and was worshiped as a promise of the sun’s return.
·
Holly wreaths were gifts that were
given to each other by the Romans to honor the god Saturn especially during the
Saturnalia festival. - In Roman mythology, holly was
the sacred plant of Saturn. - In Germany, a decoration of a
sprig of holly was believed to protect the home from lightning, - In England farmers put holly on
their beehives believing that at the “First Christmas” bees hummed in honor of
the baby Jesus.
·
Ivy was the symbol of Bacchus the
god of wine and revelry who wore it in his crown, and was it believed to be
a symbol of eternal life.
·
Laurel or bay leaves were sacred to the sun
god Apollo, the god of the pagan Romans. - The decorative wreaths were a
sign of victory.
·
Mistletoe was a symbol of
joy and peace
for the Druids and was said to have magical properties that protected
against thunder and lightning. Their Priests would cut mistletoe
from an oak tree with a golden sickle, cutting it into small pieces,
distributing it to the people. – Tradition has it that if enemies came upon
each other underneath the woodland mistletoe, they had to form a truce and put
down their weapons till the next day - Thus the origination of the custom of hanging
mistletoe from the ceiling and kissing under it; I guess you can’t make war if
you are kissing.
·
Wassailing was the pagan custom
of what today we call CAROLING, the singing from door to door, with people
often giving them food and drink. There was also the common habit of
people gathering in groups and SINGING NAKED in the streets. - Caroling was to give the sun a nudge to
begin moving toward spring which seemed to work because sure enough, in spring
things started to grow again. - The word "carol" actually means; a
song or dance of joy and praise which was originally sung at the Pagan celebrations
surrounding the Winter Solstice festival.
·
Bell ringing had its origin in the
early pagan winter celebration of ringing of bells to drive out evil spirits.
·
Candles lighting throughout history, was
to drive away the forces of cold and darkness and ward off evil. - During
the Roman Saturnalia festival, Tall tapers of wax were offered to Saturn as a
symbol of his light and was also given as gifts to each other.
·
The Yule Log was placed ceremoniously
in the fireplace; decorated with greenery, doused with alcohol and dusted with
flour, then set on fire to smolder all night and for the twelve days of
Christmas (December 25th –
January 5th) as a reminder of the pagan’s bonfires that were set at the
winter solstice. – The fire was started
with a piece of yule log that was saved from the previous year. - This symbolized the return of the sun with
the days beginning to get longer again.
·
For the twelve day of
Christmas,
they would light a candle, sing the appropriate verses of the Twelves days of
Christmas song, feast, celebrate and give gifts to each other. The gifts were
small, and given for luck and charity towards those who were less fortunate
Santa Clause
·
Santa Claus, also known as Saint
Nicholas, Saint Nick, Father Christmas and simply Santa. Kris Kringle comes from the
German word “Christkindel” meaning Christkind. - Martin Luther
intended it to be a reference to the incarnation of Jesus Christ, not
as an infant, but as a young child bearing gifts to men - (Called Little Jesus, Jesus Boy, Jesus Child & God Child.)
·
Saint Nicholas of Myra was a
4th-century Greek Christian Bishop who had a reputation for secret
and generous gift-giving to the poor. - He would put coins in the shoes of
those who left them out for him and deposit baskets of food and clothes on the
doorsteps of the needy. – He was particular known for providing dowries for a
pious Christian family so that their three impoverished daughters would not
have to become prostitutes in order to survive.
·
Father Christmas developed in the
late Victorian period, first appearing in the mid-17th century in the
aftermath of the English Civil War and was concerned with ADULT
FEASTING and MERRY-MAKING and later Victorian Christmases developed
into child-centered family festivals; Father Christmas became a “Bringer of
Gifts”.
·
Odin a Germanic Pagan god was associated with
death, the gallows, knowledge, battle, sorcery and frenzy was often depicted as
a CHUBBY OLD MAN with a WHITE BEARD who wore a LONG FLOWING CLOAK.
Voices Rejecting
Christmas
·
We were never commanded to observe the Birth of
Jesus, only His death and resurrection. The politically correct word
"holiday" has slowly replaced the word “Christmas” in greetings
and advertisements; and if you will, I call it just plain Devilish.
·
Early Christians refused
to recognize Christmas because they knew Jesus wasn’t born on December 25th,
and nearly all the signs and symbols associated with Christmas had recognizable
pagan origins and it took some 200 years for it to gain acceptance and be
viewed by SOME Christians as a celebration of the Lord’s birth.
·
There are many Christians
who still oppose the
celebration of Christmas as the Birth of Jesus Christ such as the Puritans,
Mormons and some INDEPENDENT Baptist, Holiness, Apostolic Pentecostal and
Church of Christ congregations; there are many other lesser known denominations
that also renounce Christmas. – The history of the origin of all the practices
appear to all be heathen and God said in scripture to come out from among the
heathen; we are a set-aside “PECULIAR” people.
·
Satan has created myriads of
false religions,
rituals, "holidays" and celebrations to set himself in the place of
Jesus Christ; to be the object of men’s worship. - Christmas is so designed just
for Satan to soak up men's worship and deceive them from coming to a saving
knowledge of the Word of God.
·
Some believe
that Santa is an anagram for Satan who is a persona that is at
home in the BURNING FLAMES of a fireplace, breaking into
homes late at night, seeking out small children. His helper elves are fallen
angels. - Elves, Evil, Devil;
get it -
·
Santa’s reindeer had what some would say;
militaristic type names: Dasher, Dancer, Prancer, Vixen, Comet, Cupid, Dunder
and Blixem - Dunder and Blixem came from
the old Dutch words for thunder
and lightning, which were
later changed to the more German sounding names of Donner and Blitzen.
·
Christmas Trees - Jeremiah the Prophet
warns us to NOT FOLLOW THE TRADITIONS of the pagan nations which includes
cutting down a tree in the forest and fastening it to a stand to keep it from falling over and then
decorating it with silver and gold. –
It’s in the Book -
1 Cor 15:33 – Birds of a feather flock together
33 Do not be misled: "Bad Company corrupts
good character." NIV
2 Corinthians 6:17 – Be
separate from the heathen
17 Therefore go out from their midst, and be separate from them, says the Lord, and touch no unclean thing; then I will welcome you, (ESV)
17 Therefore go out from their midst, and be separate from them, says the Lord, and touch no unclean thing; then I will welcome you, (ESV)
Exodus 19:5 – You will be a peculiar people to me
5 Now therefore, if ye will obey my voice indeed, and keep my covenant, then ye shall be a PECULIAR treasure unto me above all people: for all the earth is mine: (KJV)
5 Now therefore, if ye will obey my voice indeed, and keep my covenant, then ye shall be a PECULIAR treasure unto me above all people: for all the earth is mine: (KJV)
2 Cor 6:14 -15 – Do not be in partnership with an
unbeliever.
14 Do not be yoked together with unbelievers.
For what do righteousness and wickedness have in common? Or what fellowship can
light have with darkness?
15 What harmony is there between Christ and
Belial? What does a believer have in common with an unbeliever? NIV
Jeremiah 10:1-2 – Do not learn the ways of the
pagan nations
1 Hear the word that the LORD speaks to you, O house of Israel.
2 Thus says the LORD: “Learn not the way of the nations, nor be dismayed at the signs of the heavens because the nations are dismayed at them, (ESV)
1 Hear the word that the LORD speaks to you, O house of Israel.
2 Thus says the LORD: “Learn not the way of the nations, nor be dismayed at the signs of the heavens because the nations are dismayed at them, (ESV)
Jeremiah 10:3 – Cut down a tree in the Forest
3 for the customs of the peoples are vanity. A TREE from the forest is cut down and worked with an axe by the hands of a craftsman.
Jeremiah 10:4-5 – Decorate it with silver and gold in a stand
3 for the customs of the peoples are vanity. A TREE from the forest is cut down and worked with an axe by the hands of a craftsman.
Jeremiah 10:4-5 – Decorate it with silver and gold in a stand
4 They DECORATE IT with SILVER AND GOLD; they
FASTEN IT with hammer and nails so that it cannot move.
5 Their idols are like scarecrows in a cucumber field, and they cannot speak; they have to be carried, for they cannot walk. Do not be afraid of them, for they cannot do evil, neither is it in them to do good.” (ESV)
5 Their idols are like scarecrows in a cucumber field, and they cannot speak; they have to be carried, for they cannot walk. Do not be afraid of them, for they cannot do evil, neither is it in them to do good.” (ESV)
Esther 9:22 – Holidays – Feasting – Gift giving to
one another
22 as the days on which the Jews got relief from their enemies, and as the month that had been turned for them from sorrow into gladness and from mourning into a HOLIDAY; that they should make them days of feasting and gladness, days for sending GIFTS of food to one another and gifts to the poor. (ESV)
22 as the days on which the Jews got relief from their enemies, and as the month that had been turned for them from sorrow into gladness and from mourning into a HOLIDAY; that they should make them days of feasting and gladness, days for sending GIFTS of food to one another and gifts to the poor. (ESV)
Matthew 2:11 – Offer Jesus
Gifts Gold, Frankincense & Myrrh
11 And going into the house they saw the child with Mary his mother, and they fell down and worshiped him. Then, opening their treasures, they offered him GIFTS, gold and frankincense and myrrh. (ESV)
11 And going into the house they saw the child with Mary his mother, and they fell down and worshiped him. Then, opening their treasures, they offered him GIFTS, gold and frankincense and myrrh. (ESV)
Luke 22:19-20 – Command to
observe His death; not birth
19 He took some bread and gave thanks to God for it. Then he broke it in pieces and gave it to the disciples, saying, “This is my body, which is given for you. DO THIS TO REMEMBER ME.”
20After supper he took another cup of wine and said, “This cup is the new covenant between God and his people—an agreement confirmed with my blood, which is poured out as a sacrifice for you. (NLT)
19 He took some bread and gave thanks to God for it. Then he broke it in pieces and gave it to the disciples, saying, “This is my body, which is given for you. DO THIS TO REMEMBER ME.”
20After supper he took another cup of wine and said, “This cup is the new covenant between God and his people—an agreement confirmed with my blood, which is poured out as a sacrifice for you. (NLT)
Voices Embracing
Christmas
·
The idea that a Christmas
tree is wrong
comes from Jeremiah the prophet who was just MAKING FUN of those who
worship evergreen trees; he says they cut it down, take it home and put a stand
on it to make it stand up, then decorate it with gold and silver and then he ends
up by saying that such things can
neither do you HARM nor GOOD
·
The word "Christmas" is a shortened form
of the Catholic words; Christ Mass, it doesn't mean that anymore; it’s
the day that Christians celebrate the birth of Christ. What people thought and did 500 years ago is inconsequential.
·
There is a difference between the True
meaning of Christmas and the Spirit of Christmas. One is Theological
and the other is Emotional.
·
The Theological meaning of Christmas has to do
with Jesus Christ; the LIGHT of the world
·
The Emotional meaning has to do with LOVE, GIVING
and PEACE on earth. While they are
separate, they are certainly related.
·
God knows whether we’re focused on
expressing our gratitude for the gift of His Son or indulging in pagan revelry.
- When we buy a gold cross on a chain, we are not worshiping the cross itself,
but rather the One who died on it.
·
What is important is not the origins of the
celebration, but their significance for us today as believers in the Son of
God. – Most people don’t have a clue about the origins of Christmas, they just ENJOY
the season of giving and the celebration of Christ’s Birthday. – There
is no singing in the street naked, debauchery or worshipping trees or
acknowledging Saturn as the pagan sun god; that just doesn’t even cross our
minds.
·
We were never commanded to observe the Birthday
of Christ; people JUST WANT TO. –
Once a year, the whole world hears about CHRISTMAS and the name of Jesus Christ
is put forward; how awesome is that. - NYOBS 20.02 – WHEN WAS JESUS
BORN
·
Hanukkah and the Festival
of Lights
wasn't commanded by God to be observed, but it is just something that folks JUST WANT TO DO in remembrance of a
deliverance; a Special Deliverance of Israel, a Special People. - NYOBS 47.15 – HANUKKAH & YOM KIPPER FEAST & FESTIVALS --
NYOBS 47.29 - MACCABEES
HOLY JIHAD
Col 2:16 – Don’t let anyone judge you in regards to festivals
16 Therefore do not let
anyone judge you by what you eat or drink, or with regard to a religious
festival, a New Moon celebration or a Sabbath day. NIV
1 Peter 2:16-17 – Live as free men, but show respect to others
16 Live as FREE men,
but do not use your freedom as a cover-up for evil; live as servants of God.
17 Show proper respect
to everyone.
The
Bethlehem Star
- There
are two kinds of stars; those that are “fixed” and those that seem to “Wander”. They are called wandering stars because
they move slowly in a predictable orbit reversing in time to start all
over again. – The MAGI saw the star rising in the East and it endured.
- In
September of 3 B.C. the star Regulus
known as “The King’s Star”
rises in the East in an elliptical orbit and seemingly forms a conjunction
with Jupiter. - Stacked together, but separate, they
form a very bright star in the heavens. With the earth also moving, these
two stars seem to wander in the heavens then STOP as they reach the end of their orbit.
LOOK WHAT HAPPENED
This stacked conjunction
occurred on
December 25th, 2 B.C. giving us the First Christmas.
Isa 40:26 – God created
the stars
26 Lift your eyes and look to the heavens: Who
created all these? He who brings out the starry host one by one, and
calls them by name
Job 9:9 – He calls the
stars by name
9 He is the Maker of the Bear and Orion,
the Pleiades and the constellations of the south. NIV
Ps 147:4 – He numbered the
stars
4 He determines the number of the stars and
calls them each by name. NIV
Mic 5:2 – Prophecy - A Ruler
will come out of Bethlehem.
2 "But you, Bethlehem Ephrathah,
though you are small among the clans of Judah, out of you will come for
me one who will be ruler over Israel, whose origins are from of old,
from ancient times NIV
Matt 2:2 – The Star of
King Jesus was seen rising in the East
2 "Where is He who has been born King of the
Jews? For we have seen His star in the East and have come to worship
Him. NKJV
Last
Thoughts
·
If you are “fully
convinced”
that you cannot observe the Christmas tradition because it is too steeped in
paganism, then don’t observe it; it’s wrong for you.
·
If you are “fully
convinced
that you CAN honor God by participating in the Christmas season and you view it
as the celebration of the birth of our Savior Jesus Christ, then you should do
it; it’s right for you.
·
One person esteems one day as better than another,
while another person esteems all days alike. Each one should be fully
convinced in his own mind and not judge the other. – SELAH -
Romans 14:5 – One person
esteems one day better than another
5 One person esteems one day as better than another, while another esteems all days alike. Each one should be fully convinced in his own mind. (ESV)
5 One person esteems one day as better than another, while another esteems all days alike. Each one should be fully convinced in his own mind. (ESV)
Jeremiah 10:3-5 – A Christmas tree cannot do evil
nor good
3 for the customs of the peoples are vanity. A tree from the forest is cut down and worked with an axe by the hands of a craftsman.
4 They decorate it with silver and gold; they fasten it with hammer and nails so that it cannot move.
5 Their idols are like scarecrows in a cucumber field, and they cannot speak; they have to be carried, for they cannot walk. Do not be afraid of them, for they cannot do EVIL, neither is it in them to do GOOD.” (ESV)
3 for the customs of the peoples are vanity. A tree from the forest is cut down and worked with an axe by the hands of a craftsman.
4 They decorate it with silver and gold; they fasten it with hammer and nails so that it cannot move.
5 Their idols are like scarecrows in a cucumber field, and they cannot speak; they have to be carried, for they cannot walk. Do not be afraid of them, for they cannot do EVIL, neither is it in them to do GOOD.” (ESV)
1 Corinthians 4:5 - God
judges us by the motives in our heart
5 Therefore DO NOT PRONOUNCE JUDGMENT before the time, before the Lord comes, who will bring to light the things now hidden in darkness and will disclose the purposes of the heart. Then each one will receive his commendation from God. (ESV)
5 Therefore DO NOT PRONOUNCE JUDGMENT before the time, before the Lord comes, who will bring to light the things now hidden in darkness and will disclose the purposes of the heart. Then each one will receive his commendation from God. (ESV)
Matthew 15:19 - Out of the heart comes our thoughts &motives
19 For OUT OF THE HEART come evil thoughts, murder, adultery, sexual immorality, theft, false witness, slander. (ESV)
19 For OUT OF THE HEART come evil thoughts, murder, adultery, sexual immorality, theft, false witness, slander. (ESV)
In the multitude of counselors,
there is wisdom.
Proverbs 11:14
I am grateful to those that went before me
providing concepts, ideas, historical
information, and scripture verses. Because of them I can stand on their
shoulders
and see further that I otherwise ever could
have.
A Commentary; Critical,
Experimental and Practical - Eerdmans
Antiquity of the Jews – Flavius
Josephus Matthias
Apocrypha – Goodspeed
Baker Commentary on the
Bible – Elwell
Bible Almanac; The – Packer-Tenney-White
Bible Commentary – F.B. Meyer
Bible Dictionary – Harper and Row
Dake’s Annotated Bible – Dake
English Standard Version
Bible – ESV
Expositor’s Bible
Commentary – Frank E. Gaebelein
Illustrated Bible
Dictionary – Nelson’s
Illustrated Bible
Dictionary; The – Tyndale
Interlinear Greek-English
New Testament - Baker
King James Version Bible –
KJV
Matthew Henry’s Commentary - Zondervan
Mysteries of the Bible – Readers Digest
Nave’s Topical Bible - Zondervan
New International
Dictionary of the Bible; The – Douglas -
Tenney
New International Version
Bible (2011) – NIV
NOTE: The “new” NIV has
been corrupted and made gender neutral. AVOID IT.
Thru the Bible – J. Vernon
McGee
Vincent’s Word Studies of
the New Testament – Mac Donald
Who’s Who in the Bible – Paul D. Gardner
Wycliffe Bible Commentary;
The – Pfeiffer & Harrison
Wikipedia –
Zondervan Pictorial
Encyclopedia of the Bible; The – Tenney
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