Fact: the US Congress sat on December 25, 1789, and for most of the next 67 years?until 1856.

Historically, Christmas was not celebrated in the United States until just before the War of Northern Aggression which began in 1861. It was initially celebrated by Roman Catholics and some Episcopalians?but by the middle of the century more and more Protestants were celebrating Christmas?BUT NOT THEIR PROTESTANT CHURCHES. Until that time, no Methodist, Baptist, Presbyterian, Lutheran or Puritan churches kept Christmas in their calendar. They knew that holiday was an abomination of the Roman Catholic and Greek Orthodox mother churches.

How did It Change?

Roman Catholics and many Episcopalians celebrated Christmas from the day they arrived in America, but beginning in the 1840s Protestants were joining them. Not their churches, just certain of their members. Many would attend Catholic or Episcopal Christmas services and participate in the celebration so that by the end of the century most of the Protestant churches celebrated Christmas, adding this day to their religious calendar.
The popularity of Christmas influenced American Protestants who read Washington Irving's book, The Keeping of Christmas at Bracebridge Hall, and attitudes to Christmas began to change. Twenty years later Charles Dickens, one of England's most famous writers became known as "The man who invented Christmas." He disbelieved the virgin birth of our Saviour, and detested his upbringing in the Church of England and Baptist churches, eventually becoming a Unitarian.

He self-funded publication of A Christmas Carol, which became an instant success in the mother country and in her former colony. Readers were so touched by the story of Scrooge requiring Cratchit to work, and the fact the US Congress met on Christmas day, that soon neither churches nor the governments could ignore the importance of Christmas celebrations, and like Scrooge converted to keeping this wonderful giving day. They forgot that their God warned them NOT to keep this abominable day. Their churches had never kept Christmas, but the Protestants reading books and poems from England began following the tradition of the Catholic Church?in defiance of what they had believed for several centuries.

Celebrate the Mass of Christ; Christmas? The ancient Confession of Faith of the Waldenses nearly 400 years before the time of either Calvin or Luther. Article X states:

We have likewise always believed, that all human inventions are an unspeakable abomination before God; such as feast days, vigils of the saints, the so-called holy water, abstaining from flesh on certain days, and like things, ESPECIALLY MASSES.

Hundreds of years before the Protestants even came into existence the Waldenses denied the Church of Rome to be the holy Mother Church and would not obey her traditions. When the Protestants came into being, they too hated the Catholic mass and would not and did not keep Christmas and the other traditions of Rome.

In 1789, America became a pluralistic, humanistic nation. The guarantee of religious equality eventually brought America down to learning "the way of the heathen" (Jeremiah 10:1). This violated the First Commandment: "I am the Lord thy God, who have brought thee out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage. Thou shalt have no other gods before Me" (Exodus 20:2-3). But religious freedom was guaranteed under the Constitution which does not mention Christ.

In 1836 Alabama became the first state in the US to declare Christmas a legal holiday. In 1837, T.H. Harvey's The Book of Christmas became a best seller, and in 1907 Oklahoma became the last US state to declare Christmas a legal holiday. Over these seventy years all states dismissed the Bible faith of the first 200 years. THE BIBLE DOES NOT MENTION CHRISTMAS, and early Christians did not observe the birthday of Christ, which was in April according to Scripture. Today most so-called Christians do not realize that December 25 is actually the birthday of Mithras, the sun-god, supposedly born of a virgin in a cave on December 25, and worshipped on Sunday, the day of the conquering sun.

Have you ever wondered why Christmas had a different message to Christ's Mass? It had to for the Protestants to accept and celebrate it. It changed from His death to His birth; with all the giving added. Roman Catholics believe Christmas is a day of death, not birth. It is Christ's Mass, or unbloody re-sacrifice, which is why they celebrate it at midnight. Even the Vatican has its Christmas service at midnight; as do Roman churches around the world. It has nothing to do with the birth of Jesus.

Brake With Paganism

Stunning as the following facts may appear, it is essential to bring them to your attention.

• Christmas is a PAGAN not a Christian festival.
  • The 25th December was celebrated in ancient days as the birthday of the unconquerable SUN god, variously know as Tammuz, Mithra, Saturn, Adonis or BAAL.
  • This was Centuries before Jesus Christ was born in Bethlehem.

• Nowhere in the Bible are believers in the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob required to celebrate Christmas.

• The early Christian church did not celebrate Christmas.
  • Instead it celebrated the sacred feasts mentioned in the Bible, in Leviticus chapter 23.

• In order to win Gentile converts to the Christian faith.
  • The Roman Church, centuries after the apostolic era, adopted this ancient pagan winter festival of the SUN god.
  • They renamed it 'Christmas' mistakenly thinking that it would honour the SON of God.

• Scholars have for centuries known these facts.
  • They can be confirmed in any reference library.

This article will first answer the question: When, according to Scripture, was Jesus Christ born? It will then go on to quote various historians who wrote concerning Christmas, then list the scriptural alternatives to Halloween, Christmas, Saint Patrick's Day, Valentine's Day, Ash Wednesday, Mundi Thursday, Good Friday, Easter, All Saints day etc. and the customs associated with them. It will end with a challenging question which all true believers - of whatever faith - must answer.

To begin with let us plainly state that the Scriptures do not give the precise date of the Saviour’s birth. However, by close examination of various passages in the Bible we are able to conclude that most certainly he was not born on the 25th December (mid-winter in the northern hemisphere) but at some time in the autumn of the year. Here is how we arrive at that opinion.

2. Scriptural Evidence

Luke 1:

5: “There was in the days of Herod, the king of Judaea, a certain priest named Zacharias, of the course of Abia: and his wife was of the daughters of Aaron, and her name was Elisabeth. 6: And they were both righteous before God, walking in all the commandments and ordinances of the Lord blameless. 7: And they had no child, because that Elisabeth was barren, and they both were now well stricken in years. 8: And it came to pass, that while he executed the priest's office before God in the order of his course, 9: According to the custom of the priest's office, his lot was to burn incense when he went into the temple of the Lord. 10: And the whole multitude of the people were praying without at the time of incense. 11: And there appeared unto him an angel of the Lord standing on the right side of the altar of incense. 12: And when Zacharias saw him, he was troubled, and fear fell upon him. 13: But the angel said unto him, Fear not, Zacharias: for thy prayer is heard; and thy wife Elisabeth shall bear thee a son, and thou shalt call his name John. 14: And thou shalt have joy and gladness; and many shall rejoice at his birth. 15: For he shall be great in the sight of the Lord, and shall drink neither wine nor strong drink; and he shall be filled with the Holy Ghost, even from his mother's womb. 16: And many of the children of Israel shall he turn to the Lord their God. 17: And he shall go before him in the spirit and power of Elias, to turn the hearts of the fathers to the children, and the disobedient to the wisdom of the just; to make ready a people prepared for the Lord. 18: And Zacharias said unto the angel, Whereby shall I know this? for I am an old man, and my wife well stricken in years. 19: And the angel answering said unto him, I am Gabriel, that stand in the presence of God; and am sent to speak unto thee, and to shew thee these glad tidings.”

This passage tells us that the angel Gabriel visited Zacharias during the course of Abia. What is meant by “the course of Abia?”

The “course of Abia” (Abijah in Hebrew) we learn from (1 Chronicles 24:7-10), was the 8th of 24 courses during a 12 month year. Each group of priests (all except the most senior who were on duty more often) officiated in the Temple for two weeks every year. Zacharias’ turn of duty came when the 8th group (Abijah’s) attended; which was during weeks 15 and 16 after the start of the year.

A year in the sacred calendar begins with the new moon nearest the spring equinox. Consequently the new year starts in March or very early April. For the purpose of this study we will work with the equinox date of 20th March. Fifteen weeks (105 days) after the 20th March bring us to early July. In other words, in early July the angel Gabriel told Zechariah that his aged wife Elisabeth would conceive and bear a son, whose name was to be John.

Six months into Elisabeth’s pregnancy, that is in early January, Gabriel informed the virgin Mary that she also was to conceive and bring forth a son, the Son of the Highest - the Messiah! When Mary said that this was not possible as she had never had sexual intercourse with a man, Gabriel told her that the aged Elisabeth, who had been barren for many, many years, was already six months pregnant - another apparent impossibility with man, but not with God. “For with God nothing shall be impossible!”

Luke 1:

26: “And in the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent from God unto a city of Galilee, named Nazareth, 27: To a virgin espoused to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David; and the virgin's name was Mary. 28: And the angel came in unto her, and said, Hail, thou that art highly favoured, the Lord is with thee: blessed art thou among women. 29: And when she saw him, she was troubled at his saying, and cast in her mind what manner of salutation this should be. 30: And the angel said unto her, Fear not, Mary: for thou hast found favour with God. 31: And, behold, thou shalt conceive in thy womb, and bring forth a son, and shalt call his name JESUS. 32: He shall be great, and shall be called the Son of the Highest: and the Lord God shall give unto him the throne of his father David: 33: And he shall reign over the house of Jacob for ever; and of his kingdom there shall be no end. 34: Then said Mary unto the angel, How shall this be, seeing I know not a man? 35: And the angel answered and said unto her, The Holy Ghost shall come upon thee, and the power of the Highest shall overshadow thee: therefore also that holy thing which shall be born of thee shall be called the Son of God. 36: And, behold, thy cousin Elisabeth, she hath also conceived a son in her old age: and this is the sixth month with her, who was called barren. 37: For with God nothing shall be impossible.”

From the above passages we learn, amongst other things, three vital facts:

• Elisabeth conceived in early July.
• Mary conceived some 6 months after Elisabeth, in early January.
• Therefore Jesus was born just over 9 months later; which brings us to an autumn date in late September/early October.

3. Authoritative Quatations

• “The festivals of Rome are innumerable; but five of the most important may be singled out for elucidation -viz., Christmas-day, Lady-day, Easter, the nativity of St. John, and the Feast of the Assumption. Each and all of these can be proved to be Babylonian.” (The Two Babylons, by Alexander Hyslop, page 91)

• “...within the Christian Church no such festival as Christmas was ever heard of till the third century, and that not till the fourth century was far advanced did it gain much observance. How, then, did the Roman Church fix on December 25th as Christmas-day? Why, thus: 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 honour 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. This tendency on the part of the Christians to meet Paganism half-way was very early developed ... Upright men strove to stem the tide, but in spite of all their efforts, the apostasy went on, till the Church, with the exception of a small remnant, was submerged under Pagan superstition. That Christmas was originally a Pagan festival, is beyond all doubt. The time of the year, the ceremonies with which it is still celebrated, prove its origin. In Egypt, the son of Isis, the Egyptian title for the queen of heaven, was born at this very time, ‘about the time of the winter solstice.’” (Ibid. page 93)

• “Even where the sun was the favourite object of worship, as in Babylon itself and elsewhere, at this festival he was worshipped not merely as the orb of day, but as God incarnate. It was an essential principle of the Babylonian system, that the Sun or Baal was the one only God. When, therefore Tammuz was worshipped as God incarnate, that implied also that he was an incarnation of the Sun. In the Hindoo mythology, which is admitted to be essentially Babylonian, this comes out very distinctly. There, Surya, or the Sun, is represented as being incarnate, and born for the purpose of subduing the enemies of the gods, who, without such a birth, could not have been subdued.” It was no mere astronomical festival, then, that the Pagans celebrated at the winter solstice. That festival at Rome was called the feast of Saturn, and the mode in which it was celebrated there, showed whence it had been derived. The feast as regulated by Caligula, lasted five days; loose reins were given to drunkenness and revelry, slaves had temporary emancipation and used all manner of freedoms with their masters. This was precisely the way in which, according to Berosus, the drunken festival of the month Thebeth, answering to our December, in other words , the festival of Bacchus, was celebrated in Babylon... The Christmas tree, now so common among us, was equally common in pagan Rome and pagan Egypt. In Egypt that tree was the palm-tree; in Rome it was the fir; the palm tree denoting the pagan Messiah, as Baal-Tamar, the fir referring to him as Baal-Berith.” (Ibid. 96-97)

• “Christmas was not among the earliest festivals of the church...the first evidence of the feast is from Egypt.” (Catholic Encyclopaedia 1911 edition)

• “Christmas customs are an evolution from times that long antedated the Christmas period - a descent from seasonal, pagan, religious and national practices, hedged about with legend and tradition... In the beginning many of the earth's inhabitants were sun worshippers because the course of their lives depended on its yearly round in the heavens, and feasts were held at its return from distant wanderings. In the south of Europe, in Egypt and Persia the sun-gods were worshipped with elaborate ceremonies at the season of the winter solstice, as a fitting time to pay tribute to the god of plenty, while in Rome the Saturnalia reigned for a week...The exact day and year of Christ's birth have never been satisfactorily settled, but when the fathers of the church in A.D. 340 chose the day of the winter solstice which was firmly fixed in the minds of the people and which was their most important festival.” (Encylopaedia Britannica article Christmas page 642)

• “In a famous letter to Augustine, Pope Gregory directs the great missionary to accommodate the ceremonies of the Christian worship as much as possible to those of the heathen, that the people might not be startled at the change, and in particular the Pope advised Augustine to allow converts to kill and eat at the Christmas festival a great number of oxen to the glory of God, as they had formerly done to the Devil.” (The Story of Christmas by Michael Harrison, page 28)

• “It is nevertheless almost certain that the 25th of December cannot be the nativity of the Saviour, for it is then the height of the rainy season in Judaea, and shepherds could hardly be watching their flocks by night in the plains ... Not casually or arbitrarily was the festival of the nativity celebrated on the 25th of December. One of the principal causes that co-operated in fixing this period was that almost all the heathen nations regarded the winter solstice as the turning point of the year - the beginning of the renewed life and activity of the powers of nature, and of the gods who were merely the symbolic personifications of these. In more northern countries this fact must have made itself peculiarly palpable - hence the Celts and Germans, from the oldest times, celebrated the season with the greatest festivities. At the winter solstice the Norsemen held their great Yule-feast in commemoration of the fiery sun-wheel, and believed that during the twelve nights from the 25th December to the 6th January they could trace the personal movements and interferences on earth of their great deities, Odin, Beretha, etc. Many of the beliefs and usages of the old Germans, and also of the Romans, relating to this period, passed over from heathenism to Christianity, and have partly survived to the present day.” (Chambers Encyclopaedia 1908 Edition Vol.111 page 222, article Christmas)

• “There is no authoritative tradition as to the day or month of Christ's birth ... The winter solstice was regarded as the birthday of the sun and at Rome a pagan festival of the nativity of 'sol invictus' was introduced by the Emperor Aurelian on 25th December 274. The church, unable to stamp out this popular festival, spiritualized it as the feast of the Nativity of the Sun of Righteousness. When Christianity spread northwards it encountered a similar pagan festival also held at the winter solstice - the great Yule feast of the Norsemen. Once again Christmas absorbed heathen customs. From the various sources came the Yule log, the Christmas tree introduced into England from Germany and first mentioned in 1789.” (Chambers Encyclopaedia 1970, page 538, article Christmas)

• That each year on the 25th December the pagans held a festival in honour of the SUN god.
• And that centuries after the Saviour's birth in Bethlehem this selfsame festival of the SUN god was adopted by the Christian Church, given the name Christmas and thereafter celebrated as the birthday of the SON OF GOD!
• These are truly eye-opening facts. Remember them.

4. Bible Feasts, What Are They?

• The Passover:
  • This service commemorates the death of Jesus Christ, the Passover Lamb of God, who gave his life to purchase our salvation.

• The Feasts of Unleavened Bread:
  • Which commemorate Israel's hurried departure from Egypt when they lived on unleavened bread.
  • Unleavened Bread also foreshadows the time when the Almighty will totally rid His household - the Church - of the leaven of sin, hypocrisy and false doctrine.

• Pentecost:
  • This feast commemorates the out-pouring of the Holy Spirit: not just the event that happened on the day of Pentecost in apostolic times (Acts 2).
  • But also when the Most High will pour out His Spirit on His people in these last days, after we have been cleansed of every vestige of sin.

• Trumpets:
  • This feast still awaits even partial fulfilment.
  • It foreshadows the time when cleansed, Spirit-filled believers will proclaim the final warnings to mankind.
  • Warnings which will be preached when the terrifying events described in the book of Revelation are in progress.

• The Day of Atonement:
  • This day of fasting prefigures a time of judgment and atonement when the church will finally be brought into the very presence of the Almighty and be at-one with Him.
  
  
• The Feast of Tabernacles:
  • This feast commemorates Israel's 40 year stay in the wilderness in temporary dwellings (booths/tents).
  • Tabernacles also commemorates the incarnation, when the Almighty God took up residence in the human body of His Son Yeshua!

• The Last Great Day:
  • This feast prefigures eternity; when through the ages to come the ransomed will live with Yahweh the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob and His Son Yeshua - our Redeemer!

Leviticus 23:

1: And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying, 2: Speak unto the children of Israel, and say unto them, Concerning the feasts of the LORD, which ye shall proclaim to be holy convocations, even these are my feasts.

These are the only sacred feasts in the Bible which believers are commanded to observe.

5. What Now?

• Go along with the PAGAN festival of Christmas.
• Or obey the Almighty’s commandments.
• There really is no other option.

6. What About My Family?

7. Summary

1. According to the Scriptures Jesus Christ, Yashua the Messiah was born in the autumn of the year; probably during the Week of Tabernacles.
   • This extremely important Biblical feast commemorates and foreshadows two important events:
   • Israel's 40 year wanderings in the wilderness when the nation lived in temporary dwellings (booths/tents)
   • And the incarnation! when the Almighty God took up residence in the person of Yashua the Messiah - the SON OF THE LIVING GOD!

2. The early apostolic Church did not celebrate Christmas.
   • You may read the New Testament again and again and you will find this to be the case.

3. Only after several centuries did the Roman Church begin to celebrate Christmas: which was - and still is - a pagan festival.
   • It commemorated in honour of the SUN god, variously known as Tammuz, Mithra, Saturn, Adonis and BAAL!
   • In order to win converts to the Christian faith the Catholic Church adopted this pagan festival, renamed it Christmas and now celebrates it in honour of the SON of GOD!
   • Alas! the whole Christian world, with the exception of a few believers, has followed suit.
   • But Christmas is still a pagan festival through and through.
   • Its change of name from Saturnalia, the birthday of the Sun god, to Christ's Mass has not altered its true character one iota.
   • The evil spirit behind its celebrations still produces the deception, debt, drunkenness, misrule and licentiousness that characterized the pagan revelries of bygone days.

4. The sacred feasts listed in the Bible (Leviticus chapter 23) These divine feasts constitute the Signature (Sign) of Yahweh the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.

5. True believers must give up celebrating the heathen festivals of Christmas, Easter, Ash-Wednesday etc.
   • They must begin keeping the Bible feasts listed in Leviticus chapter 23.
   • There really is no other safe alternative.

"Christmas was not among the earliest festivals of the Church...the first evidence of the feast is from Egypt." "Pagan customs centering around the January calendars gravitated to Christmas." "...In the Scriptures, no one is recorded to have kept a feast or held a great banquet on his [Jesus] birthday. It is only sinners who make great rejoicings over the day in which they were born into this world" -Catholic Encyclopedia, 1911 Edition, published by the Roman Catholic Church

And to settle "some" minds out there that place no stock in any boast of Catholicism, the Roman Church is not the only one that understands this simple historic fact...

"A broad element of English Christianity still considered Christmas celebration a pagan blasphemy. The Puritans, Baptists, Quakers, Presbyterians, Calvinists and other denominations brought this opposition to early New England and strong opposition to the holiday lasted in America until the middle of the 18th century." -The Origins of Christmas," Rick Meisel, Dec. 19, 1993, p. 4.

"...Christmas was not among the earliest festivals of the church...." -Encyclopedia Britannica, 1946 edition

"Christmas... It 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 [eg Communion - death of Christ] rather than their birth..." "...A feast was established in memory of this event [the birth of Jesus] in the fourth century. In the fifth century the Western Church ordered it to be celebrated forever ON THE DAY OF THE OLD ROMAN FEAST OF THE BIRTH OF SOL [SUN], as no certain knowledge of the day of Christ's birth existed." Emphasis added. -Encyclopedia Americana, 1944 Edition

Since there is no evidence for the observance of Christmas in the Bible, the questions arise, What is its origin? and when did its celebration begin? Lector P. Walsdenstrom says: "The custom to celebrate the birth of Christ in the last part of December began first in the fourth century. Before that the sixth of January was celebrated."-- Notes to Luke 2:8.

"How much the date of the festival depended upon the pagan Brumalia (December 25th) following the Saturnalia (December 17th-24th), and celebrating the shortest day of the year and the 'new sun'...cannot be accurately determined. The pagan Saturnalia and Brumalia were too deeply entrenched in popular custom to be set aside by Christian influence...The pagan festival with it's riot and merrymaking was so popular that Christians were glad of an excuse to continue its celebration with little change in spirit and in manner. Christian preachers of the West and the Near East protested against the unseemly frivolity with which Christ's birthday was celebrated, while Christians of Mesopotamia ACCUSED THEIR WESTERN BRETHREN OF IDOLATRY AND SUN WORSHIP FOR ADOPTING AS CHRISTIAN THIS PAGAN FESTIVAL" Emphasis added. -The New Schaff-Herzog Encyclopedia of Religious Knowledge

"...within the Christian Church no such festival as Christmas was ever heard of till the third century, and...not till the fourth century was far advanced did it gain much observance. How, then, did the Romish Church fix on December 25th as Christmas-day? Why, thus: 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 honour 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 nominal adherents of Christianity, the same festival was adopted by the Roman Church, giving it the name of Christ." -The Two Babylons, p 93.

ORIGIN OF GIFT GIVING...

"The interchange of presents between friends is alike characteristic of Christmas and the Saturnalia, and MUST HAVE BEEN ADOPTED BY CHRISTIANS FROM THE PAGANS, as the admonition of Tertullian plainly shows." Emphasis added. -Bibliotheca Sacra (vol 12 pp 153-155)

What is the actual reason and purpose for this Pagan infiltration into Christianity? Ellen White put it best...

"This compromise between paganism and Christianity resulted in the development of "the man of sin" foretold in prophecy as opposing and exalting himself above God. That gigantic system of false religion is a masterpiece of Satan's power--a monument of his efforts to seat himself upon the throne to rule the earth according to his will." -The Great Controversy, page 50, paragraph 1 -Chapter Title: An Era of Spiritual Darkness

The giving the presents was a Roman custom. The yuletide and the yule log are remnants of old Teutonic nature worship."-- Schaff-Hersog Encyclopedia.

"From the first institution of this festival, the Western nations seem to have transferred to it many of the follies and censurable (XXX) practises which prevailed in the pagan festivals of the same season such as adorning the churches fantastically, mingling puppet-shows and dramas with worship, universal feasting and merrymaking, Christmas visits and salutations, Christmas presents and jocularity, and Christmas revelry and drunkenness.... The Christmas holy days, which by a law of Tehodosius the Greek (emperor A.D. 383-395) were to comprise fourteen days, ...have borne so close a resemblance wherever they have been observed to the Roman Saturnalia, Sigillaria, etc., and to the yule feast of the ancient Goths, as to afford strong presumption of an unhappy alliance between them from the first."-- Ecclesiastical History, by Mosheim, Vol. 1, page 280.

"...The very name by which Christmas is popularly known among ourselves-- yule day-- proves at once its pagan and Babylonian origin. 'Yule' is the Chaldee name for an 'infant' or 'little child;' and as the twenty-fifth of December was called by our pagan Anglo-Saxon ancestors 'yule day,' or the 'child's day,' and the night that preceded it 'mother night,' long before they came in contact with Christianity, that sufficiently proves its real character. Far and wide in the realms of paganism was this birthday observed."-- The Two Babylons, pages 93& 94. "Little children, keep yourselves from idols."

CHRISTMAS STEMS FROM SUN WORSHIP?

The author of "The Two Babylons" identifies also the child, whose birth was so universally celebrated, with Nimrod, who built the tower of Babel, and says that he was worshiped by the name Osiris in Egypt, and Tammuz (the same one as Adonis the famous hunter) in Phoenicia and Assyria. (See page 56.) This Tammuz is also mentioned by the holy prophet, Ezekiel, who in a vision saw the women of Judah weeping for him. He is there spoken of in company with sun-worship.

"It was an essential principle of the Babylonian system that the sun, or Baal, was the one only god. (Notice, "BAAL?" As in Daniels day too?) When, therefore, Tammuz was worshiped as God incarnate, that implied also that he was an incarnation of the sun."--Alexander Hislop, The Two Babylons, Loizeaux Brothers, page 96.

"This festival has been commonly believed to have had only an astronomical character, referring simply to the completion of the sun’s yearly course, and the commencement of a new cycle. But there is indubitable evidence that the festival in question had a much higher influence than this--that it commemorated not merely the figurative birthday of the sun in the renewal of its course, but the birth-day of the grand Deliverer...the Sun-God and great mediatorial divinity." -Ibid pp. 94, 97.

In Egypt, the son of Isis, the Egyptian title for the queen of heaven, was born at this very time, ‘about the time of the winter solstice.’ The very name by which Christmas is popularly known among ourselves - Yule day - proves at once its Pagan and Babylonian origin. ‘Yule’ is the Chaldee name for an ‘infant’ or ‘little child’ and as the 25th of December was called by our Pagan Anglo-Saxon ancestors, ‘Yule-day,’ or the ‘Child’s day,’ and the night which preceded it, ‘Mother-night,’ long before they came into contact with Christianity, that sufficiently proves its real character. Far and wide in the realms of paganism was this birth-day observed." -Ibid pp. 93, 94

In this way we trace sun-worship back to Nimrod, whose worship was universal in the old time. Again we have good reason to say: "Little children, keep yourselves from idols." Fact is people...

"The wassailing-bowl of Christmas had its precise counterpart in the 'Drunken Festival' of Babylon; The candles, in some parts of England, lighted at Christmas eve and used so long as the festive season lasts, were equally lighted by the pagans on the eve of the festival of the Babylonian god, to do honor to him, for it was one of the distinguishing peculiarities of his worship to have lighted candles on his alters. The Christmas tree, now so common among us, was equally common in pagan Rome and pagan Egypt. In Egypt that tree was the palm tree; in Rome it was the fir; the palm tree denoted the pagan Messiah, as Baal-Tamar; the fir referring to him as Baal-Berith.... On Christmas day the continental Saxons offered a boar in sacrifice to the sun, to propitiate her. In Rome a similar observance had evidently existed; for a boar formed a great article of Saturn, as appears form the words form Martial, 'That boar will make you a good Saturnalia.' Hence the boar's head is still a standing dish in England at the Christmas dinner, when the reason of it is long since forgotten. Yea, the 'Christmas goose' and 'yule cake' were essential articles in the worship of the Babylonian Messiah, as that worship was practiced both in Egypt and at Rome."-- Ibid., pages 97, 100, 101.

THE PAGAN CHRISTMAS TREE...

"The Christmas tree, now so common among us, was equally common in Pagan Rome and Pagan Egypt. In Egypt it was the palm tree; in Rome it was the fir; the palm-tree denoting the Pagan Messiah, as Baal-Tamar, the fir referring to him as Baal-Berith. The mother of Adonis, the Sun-God and great mediatorial divinity, was mystically said to have been changed into a tree, and when in that state to have brought forth her divine son. If the mother was a tree, the son must have been recognized as ‘Man the Branch.’ And this entirely accounts for putting the Yule Log into the fire on Christmas Eve and the appearance of the Christmas tree the next morning. As Zero-Ashta, ‘The seed of the woman,’ ...he has to enter the fire on ‘Mother night,’ that he may be born the next day out of it, as the ‘Branch of God,’ or the Tree that brings divine gifts to men." -The Two Babylons, p. 97.

"...the divine child born at the winter solstice was born as a new incarnation of the great god (after that god had been cut in pieces...on purpose to revenge his death upon his murderers.) Now the great god, cut off in the midst of his power and glory, was symbolised as a huge tree, stripped of all his branches, and cut down almost to the ground. But the great Serpent, the symbol of the life restoring Aesculapius, twists itself around the dead stock...and lo, at its side sprouts a young tree - a tree of an entirely different kind, that is never to be cut down by a hostile power -...and thus shadowed forth the perpetuity and everlasting nature of his power, how that after having fallen before his enemies, he has risen triumphant over them all. Therefore, the 25th of December, the day that was observed in Rome as the day when the victorious god reappeared on earth was held at the Natalis invicti solis, 'The birthday of the unconquered Sun." -The Two Babylons, p. 98.

Shall we have a Christmas tree? Will it not be like the world? We answer, You can make it like the world if you have a disposition to do so, or you can make it as unlike the world as possible. -R&H 12-11-1879

"Hear ye the word which the Lord speaketh unto you, O house of Israel: Thus saith the Lord, Learn not the ways of the heathen, and be not dismayed at the signs of heaven; for the heathen are dismayed at them. 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. Forasmuch as there is none like unto thee, O Lord; thou art great, and thy name is great in might." -JEREMIAH 10:1-6

YULE TIDE AND YULE LOG:

"The Yule Log tradition comes to us from Scandinavia, where the pagan sex and fertility god Jul, or Jule (pronounced 'yule'), was honored in a twelve-day celebration in December. A large, single log (generally considered to have been a phallic idol) was kept with a fire against it for twelve days, a different sacrifice to Jul being offered in the fire on each of the twelve days." -Holidays and Holy Days, by Tom C. McKenney

"The Yule log was originally an entire tree, carefully chosen, and brought into the house with great ceremony. The butt end would be placed into the hearth while the rest of the tree stuck out into the room. The tree would be slowly fed into the fire and the entire process was carefully timed to last the entire Yule season." -The History of Christmas; http://www.ridgenet.org/Szaflik/history.htm

This is where the Twelve Days of Christmas originated, which are now counted as the twelve days between "Christmas" and Epiphany (January 12th).

"Yuletide, meaning the turning of the sun or the winter solstice, has traditionally been a time of extreme importance in Scandinavia - a time when fortunes for the coming year were determined and when the dead were thought to walk the earth. For a long time, it was considered dangerous to sleep alone on Christmas Eve. The extended family, master and servant alike, would sleep together on a freshly spread bed of straw. " -The History of Christmas; 

HANGING STOCKINGS:

Stocking hanging comes from an English legend: "Father Christmas once dropped some gold coins while coming down the chimney. The coins would have fallen through the ash grate and been lost if they hadn't landed in a stocking that had been hung out to dry. Since that time children have continued to hang out stockings in hopes of finding them filled with gifts." -The History of Christmas; 

LIGHTED CANDLES:

"Lighted candles are foreign to the worship of God in the church of the New Testament scriptures. Yet, they too had their place in the worship of the sun god of paganism and in Christmas today. " -Alexander Hislop, THE TWO BABYLONS, Loizeaux Bros., Neptune, N.J., 1959, p. 94 and 97

MISTLETOE:

"Among the pre-Christian Druidic superstitions, derived from ancient Babylon, was the legend of the mistletoe. It was regarded as a divine branch which came down from heaven and grafted itself into an earthly tree. Thus the mistletoe became a token of reconciliation, the kiss being a symbol of pardon" -Ibid p. 9

A CATHOLIC ORDINANCE:

Since there is no evidence for the observance of Christmas in the Bible, the questions arise, What is its origin? and when did its celebration begin? Lector P. Walsdenstrom says: "The custom to celebrate the birth of Christ in the last part of December began first in the fourth century. Before that the sixth of January was celebrated."-- Notes to Luke 2:8.

Another author says: "The third one of the great feasts of the church, Christmas, doesn't seem to be kept during the first three centuries. In contrast to it a memorial of Christ's baptism was celebrated in the Orient as a revelation of his Messiahship and glory of his divinity called Epiphania, the sixth of January. This festival was, in Egypt, also given the meaning as a memorial of Christ's birth, and in that way they had in a certain sense a substitute for Christmas, which had not yet begun."-- Ecclesiastical History, by C.A. Cornelius, part 1, page 139. Further on, the same author says, "It began first to be celebrated in the Roman Church about 360, and from there it spread to the Orient," After he has mentioned "Saturnalia," the Roman feast of joy, which began the seventeenth and ended the twenty-fourth of December with the "Sigillaria," he continues: "At last the so-called 'Brumalia,' or the winter solstice, was celebrated the twenty-fifth of December. It was also called 'deus natalis invicti solis' (the birth feast of the unconquered sun), because in that season when the short days are gone, the sun again comes forth victorious from the gloomy night to travel on its orbit like an unconquered hero."--Ibid, part 2, page 91.

This proves that the twenty-fifth of December was an annual feast celebrated in the honor of the sun. Frederick Neilsen, a Danish bishop, says, "During the first three centuries we find no trace of any feast for the birth of Christ."-- Ecclesiastical History, page 224.

The commentator, Adam Clarke, gives the following information: "The Latin church, supreme in power and infallible in judgment (?), placed it on the twenty-fifth of December, the very day in which the ancient Romans celebrated the feast of their goddess Bruma.... Pope Julius I was the person who made this alteration, and it appears to have been done for this reason: the sun now began his return toward the northern tropic, ending the winter, lengthening the days, and introducing the spring."-- Notes to Luke 2:8.

The valuable testimony of J. Murdock, D. D., is in harmony with the above: "It was Julius I (Bishop of Rome, A.D. 337-352) who first ascertained this to be the right day; and though his authority is not the best, yet it is generally admitted that the designation of the twenty-fifth of December for the festival was first made about the middle of the fourth century."-- Ecclesiastical History, by Mosheim, Vol. I, page 279.

From Johnson's Encyclopedia and other sources we also learn that Julius I, Bishop of Rome, appointed the twenty-fifth of December for the celebration of Christ's birth.

All this proves very plainly,

(1)that the birth of Christ was not universally celebrated by the Christians during the first three centuries;

(2) that it was the Latin church which first ordained it to be celebrated on the twenty-fifth of December;

(3) that it was Julius I, Bishop of Rome, who made the appointment;

(4) and that the customs at this old pagan festival were transferred to Christmas. This is truly surprising. Here are indeed reasons for a solemn search of heart, fervent prayer, and firmness of character for those who wish to be pure in the sight of God. -No Foundation in the Bible By, S. Mortensen

THE LIE OF SANTA CLAUSE ALL PARENTS TELL THEIR CHILDREN

Think about that for a moment. Parents all over the world have been telling bold face lies to their children since birth about a fat man in a red suit that comes down a chimney to place gifts underneath the tree. Now guess what happens when the child comes of age. The child realizes that mommy and daddy have been lying to him the whole time! And not only that, but this child realizes that IT WORKED!!! He actually realizes that his parents lied to him and HE BELIEVED THEM! So now he has concrete evidence that lying is a resourceful tool that he can use to his advantage. And his own parents taught him.

The fabled Santa Claus also deserves our attention. The Library of Universal Knowledge says:--

"Nicholas Saint (St. Claus), a highly popular saint of the Roman Catholic Church, and reverenced with still greater devotion by the Russian Church, which regards him as a special patron, was one of the early bishops of Mysia, in Lysia. The precise date of his episcopate is a subject of much controversy. Of his personal history hardly anything is certainly known, and the great popularity of the devotion to him wrought through his intercession. He is regarded in Catholic countries as a special patron of the young, and particularly of scholars. On the vigil of his feast, which is held on December 6, (My mom puts up here tree on this day calling it "St.Nicks" day) a person in the appearance and costume of a bishop assembles the children of a family or a school and distributes among them, to the good, gilt nuts, sweetmeats, and other little presents as the rewards of good conduct; to the naughty ones, the redoubtable punishment klanbauf. The supposed relics of St. Nicholas were conveyed from the East to Bari, in the kingdom of Naples, toward the close of the eleventh century." Thus the fable is a part of the old relic-worshiping traditions of a corrupt church. The nearness of his feast, in December, to the Christmas festival, led to associating the saint and the present-giving idea with the feast of December 25. We must admit, in the light of the Bible, that it is very foolish and wrong to teach little children the tales of Santa Claus. "Little children, keep yourselves from idols."

Ever notice this?

SANTA CLAUS    ~STRANGELY COMPARED TO~   JESUS CHRIST

1. Has white hair like wool                                                 1. Revelation 1:14 - Daniel 7:9

2. Beard-curly and white                                                    2. Isaiah 50:6 - Rev. 1:14

3. Comes from North Pole                                                 3. Ez. 1:4; Ex.26:35 Psa.48:2

4. Omniscient-knows about all                                           4. Revelation 19:6

5. Ageless, eternal                                                            5. Rev. 1:8,21:6; Hebrews 13:8

6. Makes List of Judgments                                               6. Rev.20:12; 14:7; 21:27; 2 Cor.5:10

7. Checks list twice                                                          7. Dan. 8:14; Matt. 10:26, 1 Cor.5:10

8. Gifts given on basis of a list                                           8. Matt.25:21; Rev. 21:27; 22:14

9. Christmas rewards once yearly                                      9. Leviticus 23:26-32

10. Confess wrongs to Santa                                            10. I John 2:1, I Tim. 2:5

11. Promise to be better next year                                     11. John 14:15,21; 15:10; I Jn. 2:3

12. Asks children to obey parents                                      12. Eph. 6:1; Prov. 6:20; Col. 3:20

13. Hour of his coming a mystery                                       13. Luke 12:40; Mark 13:33; Matt.24:36

14. Rudolph's shining nose to guide                                   14. Matt. 2:2,7,9-10; Numbers 24:17

15. Calls all children to his knee                                         15. Matt. 19:14, Luke 18:16

16. Be good for goodness sake                                         16. Matt. 19:17; Col 1:29; Phil. 2:13

17. Has a twinkle in his eye                                              17. Rev. 1:14, 2:18

18. Swift visit to whole world in 1 day.                                18. 2 Peter 3:8; Rev. 18:8, Isa. 47:9

19. Omnipresent-Found in every mall                                 19. Psa. 139:7-10; Eph. 4:6

20. Says "Ho,ho"                                                             20. Zecheriah 2:6

Like many of us, when I was a child, I was told that Santa Claus was "All Powerful" (He makes millions of toys and delivers them in one night). He defies the laws of nature by flying and jumping down narrow chimneys. With Santa all things are possible. He is by definition, Omnipotent. "...having unlimited power or authority; all powerful-the Omnipotent God." (Webster's New World Dictionary)

I was told that Good Ol' Saint Nick knows all things (At least he knows when every boy and girl is bad or good or how they behave throughout the year). He is by definition, Omniscient. "having infinite knowledge; knowing all things-the Omniscient God." Webster's New World Dictionary

The Lord demands more of us than of them, because we have come into existence in the age of wonderful research and discovery, when knowledge should increase (Dan. 12:4), and the Bible has been in our mother tongue several centuries. In the light of this situation, we would certainly deserve severe criticism for our ignorance if we should continue to honor old traditions or relic worship.

Many upright Christians in the past have taken part in the old festival to some extent, and such we will not criticize, because they did it in ignorance. But in this enlightened age it is indeed high time to inquire: "What concord hath Christ with Belial? or what part hath he that believeth with an infidel? and what agreement hath the temple of God with idols?" 2 Cor. 6:15,16. But still many Christians, not only Catholics, but also Protestants, continue year by year at the Christmas festival to honor the old idol relics under a Christian garb. This is indeed very unfortunate, and it is going so far that entrance fee is demanded in many Protestant churches. O, what a dishonor to our dear Saviour, who has pointed out a distinct line between the holy and the profane!

I have noticed many downfalls to this Pagan Xmas season. I recall some years back when I lived in the Chicago area a man killed another man at a gas station holdup on Xmas eve. When asked why he did it he said, "I needed the money to buy Xmas gifts for my children." Is this what Jesus would have us do? Is this a 'blessed by Jesus' time of year? Or 'planned by Satan' time of year. I also recall a situation where a young boy committed suicide because his mommy and daddy didn't have enough money for his Xmas gifts. Again I ask, is this a season blessed by the Lord? What of all the elderly in nursing homes left abandoned by loved ones on Xmas day? Was this designed to occur by Jesus, or satan? I recall as a child be made fun of because I didn't get as many toys on Xmas as everyone else because we were poor. Is this an activity that a blessed season would encourage? Or is this designed to occur by a devil who invented the season to make situations like this pop up all over the place. What about all the drunks depressed and suicidal behind the wheels of their cars in your neighborhoods killing your loved ones during the Xmas season? Did you know that  December 25th is consistantly the highest recorded day of the year for suicide? Is this a season that the Lord God designed for His people? or is this a day designed by the destroyer devil designed for his people?

WHERE DID WE GET THE RED AND GREEN COLORS AT XMAS?

Look what the Scriptures attribute to the colors, Red and Green...

Leviticus 14:33-39, "And the LORD spake unto Moses and unto Aaron, saying, When ye be come into the land of Canaan, which I give to you for a possession, and I put the plague of leprosy in a house of the land of your possession; And he that owneth the house shall come and tell the priest, saying, It seemeth to me there is as it were a plague in the house: Then the priest shall command that they empty the house, before the priest go into it to see the plague, that all that is in the house be not made unclean: and afterward the priest shall go in to see the house: And he shall look on the plague, and, behold, if the plague be in the walls of the house with hollow strakes, greenish or reddish, which in sight are lower than the wall; Then the priest shall go out of the house to the door of the house, and shut up the house seven days: And the priest shall come again the seventh day, and shall look: and, behold, if the plague be spread in the walls of the house;"

By the way... Pagans and "Evergreen trees" go way back!

Deuteronomy 12:2, "Ye shall utterly destroy all the places, wherein the nations which ye shall possess served their gods, upon the high mountains, and upon the hills, and under every green tree:"

1 Kings 14:22-23, "And Judah did evil in the sight of the LORD, and they provoked him to jealousy with their sins which they had committed, above all that their fathers had done. For they also built them high places, and images, and groves, on every high hill, and under every green tree."

Psalms 37:35, "I have seen the wicked in great power, and spreading himself like a green bay tree."

Isaiah 57:5, "Enflaming yourselves with idols under every green tree, slaying the children in the valleys under the clifts of the rocks?"

Jeremiah 3:6, "The LORD said also unto me in the days of Josiah the king, Hast thou seen that which backsliding Israel hath done? she is gone up upon every high mountain and under every green tree, and there hath played the harlot."

Psalms 75:8, "For in the hand of the LORD there is a cup, and the wine is red; it is full of mixture; and he poureth out of the same: but the dregs thereof, all the wicked of the earth shall wring them out, and drink them."

Isaiah 1:18, "Come now, and let us reason together, saith the LORD: though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they be red like crimson, they shall be as wool."

Revelation 6:4, "And there went out another horse that was red: and power was given to him that sat thereon to take peace from the earth, and that they should kill one another: and there was given unto him a great sword."

"By us...who are strangers to Sabbaths, and new moons, and festivals, once acceptable to God, the Saturnalia, the feasts of January, the Brumalia, and Matronalia, are now frequented; gifts are carried to and fro, new year’s day presents are made with din, and sports and banquets are celebrated with uproar; oh, how much more faithful are the heathen to their religion who take special care to adopt no solemnity from the Christians." -The Two Babylons, p. 93.

WHO'S TO BLAME FOR ALL THIS PAGAN INFILTRATION?

 So, who do we have to thank for all this Pagan infiltration in our lives? ROME! Now, don't take my word for it. Rome ADMITS this very fact...

Cardinal Newman admits in his book that; the "temples, incense, oil lamps, votive offerings, holy water, holidays, and seasons of devotion, processions, blessings of the fields, sacerdotal vestments, the tonsure (of priests, munks and nuns), images, and statues... are all of pagan origin." -The Development of the Christian Religion Cardinal Newman p.359

Such boldness! Such arrogance! It's as if the devil is puffing up his chest to proclaim to God Himself that, "Yes, they know it's against your will Lord! Yet they choose it over you anyway!!" 

Notice the following list of Pagan rituals and symbols that Catholicism has introduced into Christianity. YOUR "so called" Protestant Church is taking part in many of these as well...

How Santa Mocks God (On Merchant's Day)
By Gary C. Michael

Satan's goal is to get us to see him instead of seeing God. He wants to be like the most high in any way he can. God receives praise when we follow Him. Satan receives praise when we follow him. His strategy is to get us to follow him thinking that we're following God.

 I can see him now, laughing at God every time he convinces some soul to replace God with himself. It may seem like a lovable thing to do, but it may not be reality based. Example: We celebrate Christmas and we say, "I know that Christ was born. It doesn't matter when. We choose Dec. 25th to represent his birth date. " Then we follow the crowd and sing and tell lies about a fat clown in a red suit. Then we take our children to the malls to see this perfect man called Santa Claus. As innocent as Santa may seem, Satan is mocking God.

I'm about to destroy the image of Santa Claus, so if there are children that you don't want to know the truth, you'd better get them out of here. This message is entitled "How Santa Mocks God." Let's start with Santa's hair and eyes. Santa has white woolly hair. Right? His eyes are said to have a twinkle in them. Rev. 1:14 says, talking about Christ, "His head and His hairs were white like wool, as white as snow; and His eyes were as a flame of fire." Fire twinkles, doesn't it? Are we talking about Jesus or Santa Claus?

Santa is from the North pole, right? Why the North? Why not the South pole? Well, God is from the North. We find in Isaiah 14:12-14 these words: "How art thou fallen from heaven, o Lucifer, son of the morning! How art thou cut down to the ground, which didst weaken the nations! For thou hast said in thine heart, I will ascend into heaven, I will exalt my throne above the stars of God: I will sit also upon the mount of the congregation, in the sides of the North: I will ascend above the heights of the clouds; I will be like the most high." I tell you, Santa is from the North because God is from the North.

Santa has unlimited power. Is there anything that Santa can't do?  Ask a kid. There is no dispute about that. I don 't need a text to tell you that only God has unlimited power.

Santa is all knowing, huh? He knows when you are good or bad, so be good for goodness sake. You'd better watch out....you know the song. So we tell our children that Santa is omniscient (all knowing). Well, he would have to be in order to know about all the children in the world, wouldn't he? I don't need a text to tell you that only God is all knowing.

Santa is immortal. Have you ever heard of Santa being born? Oh, I know the story about Saint Nick. He was a generous man, but the legend of Santa Claus grew into the ridiculous tale that it is today. Only God is immortal.

Santa is perfect. Who does he need to repent to? Can Santa do any wrong? Ask a child. Who is Santa's boss?  He has none. Does he ever say praise the Lord? Have you ever heard of Santa giving God glory or credit for anything?  If he did, he wouldn't be Santa long. My, my, my.

Santa also judges us. I thought that was God's job. But according to Santa he's checking his list, checking it twice, gonna ' find out who's naughty or nice. Jesus Christ is coming to town. No! That's Santa Claus is coming to town. But I thought that Jesus was checking his list to see who has been naughty or nice and is coming to town to bring his rewards. Who's gonna do it, Santa or Jesus? My, my, my.

Santa calls the children to come unto him, sits them on his lap and the children repent to him for the bad that they did during the year and promise to be good. I tell you, Jesus is the one we should teach our children to repent to. Jesus often called the children to him and said forbid them not. Santa is fooling our children. Santa is omnipresent, which means that he can be everywhere at the same time. How else can he visit every home on the same night?  I don't need a text to tell you that only God can visit every home at once.

I don't know about you, but I think that Santa is a clown. A big fat, jelly belly, rolely polely, curly headed clown. What about his red suit? Why red? Rev. 19:13 tells us why. "And he was clothed with a vesture dipped in blood: and his name is called the word of God." Need I say more? Santa, like Jesus, is the same in character today, yesterday, and forever. When does Santa come?

On a foggy Christmas Eve Santa asked Rudolph to lead his sleigh that night. There is no dispute that Jesus is coming in fog. What is fog? Clouds. The Bible tells us that the clouds are angels. Gabriel will probably lead the coming of my savior, not Rudolph.

Santa lives in a shining ice palace, like clear glass. Why? Rev. 21:18 tells us why. "And the building of the wall of it was of jasper: and the city was pure gold, like unto clear glass." Santa is tended by elves, which are mysterious creatures. Just as God is tended by mysterious angels.

Come Christmas time we say that we celebrate the birth of Christ, but I ask you, who's image do we see everywhere? Who get's the most attention? Who is advertised most? Is it Jesus or Santa? If it is Jesus' birth that we celebrate, why do we buy each other gifts? Do you know anybody else in the world who has a birth-day Celebration and the world buys each other gifts and leave the birthday person out of the celebration? My, my, my.

If you want to celebrate the birth of Christ this year, give to the church. It is not a sin to give gifts to each other but I just want to get the priorities straight. I hope this makes sense to you. If we say that we are celebrating Jesus' birth, then he should get all of the gifts. The Bible says that the wise men brought gifts to Jesus. It does not say that the wise men or any men gave gifts to each other during the birth of Christ.

The merchants make millions each year and they program us by calling us a scrooge if we don't help make them rich. If the church got all of those millions, the budget would not suffer as much. The church would not need to beg so much. Just think back over the years that you spent money on gifts and left Christ out. It's like throwing a party for you and inviting everybody but you to your party.

Go to Wal-mart or Sam's this year and buy the church some paper towels or toilet paper or paper plates or donate your gift to the church budget, but give your gift to Christ, if you are sincere about celebrating his birth. Oh some will find a way to compromise with the world so that no one will fuss at them.

I don't know about you, but when I realized how Satan is playing with the world, I decided not to play with him. Since it was my choice, I grabbed my ball and went home. You know how children get mad while playing, and the one who owns the ball might grab it and go home.

What does Santa say before he enters? Ho, ho, ho. Why ho, ho, ho? The word "ho" comes from the Hebrew "ahaw" meaning listen, a word expressing pain with an exclamation point. Why would Satan use such a word? In the book of Zechariah chapter 2:6,7 we find the answer. God is talking to his people. "Ho, ho, come forth, and flee from the land of the North, saith the Lord. Deliver thyself, O Zion, that dwellest with the daughter of Babylon." God is expressing pain in the fact that His people are on the wrong road. This is the only thing that causes God pain.

 Satan is playing with God and with us. When God says ho, ho, pain, pain. Satan is saying "ho, ho, Ha. Ha." and we are too slow to pick up on it, so we join in with him and pick at God while thinking that we are saying something nice. My, my, my.

Why Santa? Well, God has more than one name. Santa unscrambled spells Satan. I use to say they  x-ed Christ out of Christmas when they wrote x-mas instead of Christmas. Now I realize that Christ was never in Christmas. Col. 2:8 helps us to understand this fact.  2:8 "  Beware  lest any man spoil you through philosophy and vain deceit, after the tradition of men, after the rudiments of the world, and not after Christ. " 

The Bible does not say anything about remembering the birth of Christ. There is no Bible principle that even suggests that we do. This is Satan's doing and the idea caught on and is carried on by greedy men who couldn't care less about Jesus. "If the name Jesus can bring a fast buck, then Jesus was born. Now, come buy my goods."

I would like to ask, why do we need a Christmas tree for anything? We know that it has pagan roots. Must we mix this mess with the birth of Christ? Let's look at Jeremiah 10:1-5  1. hear ye the word which the Lord speaketh unto you, o house of Israel: 2. thus saith the Lord, learn not the way of the heathen, and be not dismayed at the signs of heaven; for the heathen are dismayed at them. 3. 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.  4. they deck it with silver and with gold; they fasten it with nails and with hammers, that it move not. 5. 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.    I've been told that "we don't worship our tree." But, it is interesting that one must kneel to retrieve a gift from under the tree. Satan is so smart. He knows how to insult God. Then there is a song called "Oh, Christmas Tree." Is God happy with this? I don't think so.

So, who was born on December 25th? His name was Tammuz. When Nimrod, the great hunter before(against) the Lord died, his wife had a son from another man. She told the people that her husband sent her seed through a sun ray as it shone into her bedroom window. Her name was Semiramis. The people fell for this lie. When he died, she told the people that he too was now a sun God as Nimrod was.

She went on to say that each year when the fall came, Tammuz was dying all over again, but each spring, he came back to life as evident in the flowers. So, 40 days before spring the women would start weeping for Tammuz to come back to life again. Ezekiel 8:14 "Then He brought me to the door of the gate of the Lord's house which was toward the North; and, behold, there sat women weeping for Tammuz."

Today, they are called the 40 days of Lent. Could God be happy with any of this pagan activity,  including December 25th? Is Jesus being glorified? I don't think so. We  all know what would happen if we abandoned Christmas, don't we? Family & friend trouble, right? Can you endure being talked about? This message is either truth or error. Let us all pray and ask God what He would have us do and obey what we know. God is not the author of confusion.

HOW  SANTA  MOCKS  GOD 

WHITE, WOOLLY HAIR         Revelation   1:13   And in the midst of the seven candlesticks [one] like unto the Son of man, clothed with a garment down to the foot, and girt about the paps with a golden girdle. 1:14   His head and [his] hairs [were] white like wool, as white as snow; and his eyes [were] as a flame of fire; 1:15   And his feet like unto fine brass, as if they burned in a furnace; and his voice as the sound of many waters. 

FROM THE NORTH    Isaiah 14:12   How art thou fallen from heaven, O Lucifer, son of the morning! [how] art thou cut down to the ground, which didst weaken the nations!  14:13   For thou hast said in thine heart, I will ascend into heaven, I will exalt my throne above the stars of God: I will sit also upon the mount of the congregation, in the sides of the north: 14:14   I will ascend above the heights of the clouds; I will be like the most High. 

ALL KNOWING   Psalm 139:1   To the chief Musician, A Psalm of David. O LORD, thou hast searched me, and known [me].  139:2   Thou knowest my downsitting and mine uprising, thou understandest my thought afar off. 

IMMORTAL   Hebrews   13:8   Jesus Christ the same yesterday, and to day, and for ever.

SINLESS & PERFECT   Hebrews  4:15   For we have not an high priest which cannot be touched with the feeling of our infirmities; but was in all points tempted like as [we are, yet] without sin. 

JUDGES US   Revelation 20:12   And I saw the dead, small and great, stand before God; and the books were opened: and another book was opened, which is [the book] of life: and the dead were judged out of those things which were written in the books, according to their works. John  5:27   And hath given him authority to execute judgment also, because he is the Son of man.  5:30   I can of mine own self do nothing: as I hear, I judge: and my judgment is just; because I seek not mine own will, but the will of the Father which hath sent me. 

GIVES GIFTS   Matthew  5:16   Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven. 

CALLS THE CHILDREN TO HIMSELF   Mark 10:14   But when Jesus saw [it], he was much displeased, and said unto them, Suffer the little children to come unto me, and forbid them not: for of such is the kingdom of God.  10:15   Verily I say unto you, Whosoever shall not receive the kingdom of God as a little child, he shall not enter therein. 10:16   And he took them up in his arms, put [his] hands upon them, and blessed them. 

HOUR OF HIS COMING A MYSTERY   Luke 12:40   Be ye therefore ready also: for the Son of man cometh at an hour when ye think not.

OMNIPRESENT   Revelation  18:8   Therefore shall her plagues come in one day, death, and mourning, and famine; and she shall be utterly burned with fire: for strong [is] the Lord God who judgeth her. (Referring to the day of the Lord.)

RED SUIT    Revelation  19:13   And he [was] clothed with a vesture dipped in blood: and his name is called The Word of God. 

COMES IN FOG (CLOUDS)   Revelation  1:7   Behold, he cometh with clouds; and every eye shall see him, and they [also] which pierced him: and all kindreds of the earth shall wail because of him. Even so, Amen. 

LIVES IN A CLEAR HOUSE   Revelation  21:18   And the building of the wall of it was [of] jasper: and the city [was] pure gold, like unto clear glass. 

HO! HO! HO!   Zechariah  2:6   Ho, ho, [come forth], and flee from the land of the North, saith the LORD: for I have spread you abroad as the four winds of the heaven, saith the LORD.  2:7   Deliver thyself, O Zion, that dwellest [with] the daughter of Babylon.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
 Revelation 18:2   And he cried mightily with a strong voice, saying, Babylon the great is fallen, is fallen, and is become the habitation of devils, and the hold of every foul spirit, and a cage of every unclean and hateful bird.  18:3   For all nations have drunk of the wine of the wrath of her fornication, and the kings of the earth have committed fornication with her, and the merchants of the earth are waxed rich through the abundance of her delicacies.  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.

Move the letter "N" from the center of "SANTA" and place it at the end.

SANTA = SATAN
IS THIS A COINCIDENT?
 PERHAPS GOD IS TRYING TO SHOW US SOMETHING?

Christmas, is nothing but an ancient pagan festival that was adopted by the Roman Catholic church and given a Christian veneer. These facts have now become embarrassingly obvious.

The question now is:
Should a true believer in the God of Abraham, Isaac and Israel celebrate Christmas? Is it acceptable to enter into this festival and keep this pagan festival now that their heathen origins have become widely known? And will the Holy One of Israel object to one of His followers, say, attending a Christmas dinner or party? The Bible answer is absolutely clear on this point and IF you have the courage to read it. Turn to 1 Corinthians 10 and study verses 16-22 where you will find this question answered, and it amounts to this:

• Those who eat festival sacrifices become united with the god to whom those sacrifices are made. - (verses 16-18)

• Though the food partaken of is itself not intrinsically changed (verse 19) when a person partakes of and shares in a pagan festival or celebration, he/she becomes partner with the spirits of evil, the demon host who daily defy the dictates of the Almighty. - (verses 20-21)

You may be sure the so-called ‘spirit of Xmas’ is not the Holy Spirit of the LORD God of the Bible.

• Maxed Out Credit Cards
  • Rivalry
  • Selfishness
  • Greed

• Drunkenness
  • Violence
  • Suicide
  • Depression

• Loneliness
  • Lasciviousness
  • Debauchery
  • These are all Hallmarks of the Xmas season.

Ask any hospital emergency department or funeral industry and they will tell you it's their most dreaded time of the year! Everyone is now aware of these facts! People do not like the truth, including those who call themselves true Christians.

NOW, LET’S ASK THE QUESTION - WHAT IS TRUTH?
Believe it or not this is an age-old question. According to the dictionary, truth is something that is in accordance with the facts, something genuine, correct and accurate, something that lives up to its claims. Do we find Truth in our society? Not much, you will agree.

Truth, for all its value, is not popular. Multiplied millions of people reject truth; simply because they love sin, even though they know it's wrong. Sin is a spiritual drug with deadly side-effects. Sin brings pleasure, instant pleasure: but in the end sin leads to death - eternal death!

The Bible says that just before the Saviour returns to earth, Truth (The Son, The Word & The Law of God) will be rejected in favour of fables, myths, entertaining fiction and outright sin. That time has come. It is here.

2 Timothy 4:

3: “For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but after their own lusts shall they heap to themselves teachers, having itching ears; 4: And they shall turn away their ears from the truth, and shall be turned unto fables.”

A fable is a story that is not based on fact. A fable is the opposite of truth. It is a legend, a myth handed down through the centuries. Fables are fiction. They are not truth. Strange as it may sound, fiction is becoming extremely popular these days. A visit to any library will prove this.

How accurate is the Bible when it says:
“They shall turn away their ears from the truth, and shall be turned unto fables.”

People are rejecting the Bible record of the creation. They are rejecting the law of God. Instead they are embracing fables, fiction and outright falsehood.

TRUTH IS INVINCIBLE
Truth is as powerful over falsehood as light is over darkness. Nothing can destroy the truth. Sinners may hate truth, reject truth and fight truth with all their might; but truth is unaffected: it cannot be destroyed. Truth is invincible. Truth can penetrate even the darkest recesses of the human mind. Truth is eternal, as eternal as God Himself. The Apostle Paul writes in...

2 Corinthians 13:

8: “For we can do nothing against the truth, but for the truth.”

The Christian church is guilty of placing the traditions of men above the commandments of God. The celebrating of Christmas, Easter, Ash-Wednesday, the Nativity of St John, the Feast of the Assumption, Hallowe'en and Sunday etc. are all human traditions. Not one of these festivals was authorized by the LORD God. They are all spiritual weeds in the Garden of Salvation. Celebrating them in preference to Yahweh's Sabbaths is no more than self-deluding idolatry. These facts may stun or even anger some who read them. But they must be told! Because replacing a divine commandment with a human tradition is a very serious sin. At the coming Judgment would you forgive us for not telling you the Truth?

Matthew 5:

12: “ Then came his disciples, and said unto him, Knowest thou that the Pharisees were offended, after they heard this saying? 13: But he answered and said, Every plant, which my heavenly Father hath not planted, shall be rooted up. 14: Let them alone: they be blind leaders of the blind. And if the blind lead the blind, both shall fall into the ditch.”

THEY ARE WITHOUT EXCUSE.

Romans 1:

20: “For the invisible things of him from the creation of the world are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even his eternal power and Godhead; so that they are without excuse:”

NOT ONLY DO THE SAME,
BUT HAVE PLEASURE IN THEM THAT DO THEM.

Romans 1:

32: “Who knowing the judgment of God, that they which commit such things are worthy of death, not only do the same, but have pleasure in them that do them.”