Chapter 10.12
Christmas
Origin Christmas
Trees – Holly Wreathes – Laurel & Bay Leaves – Mistletoe - Yule Log
Ivy - Caroling –
Bell Ringing - Twelve Days of Christmas – Santa Clause – Reindeer
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 that they were not supposed to eat and then some
angels that God 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 great big 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 into just in case it rained
and flooded the earth again.
Then they made up a bunch of different little gods out of sticks
and stone and when God confused their language it also changed the names that
they called their little gods, seemingly making even more little 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 at them.
WAY LATER, We
pick up the story in Rome when they are having festivals and feasts 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.[1]
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, so
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,[2]
the SUN
of righteousness,[3]
the SON
of the
living God.[4]
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. 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 it was
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 until 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.[5] The politically correct word "holiday"
has slowly replaced the word “Christmas” in greetings and advertisements;
and if you will, it is just plain Devilish.[6]
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.[7]
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.[8] 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.[9]
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[10]
and fastening it to a stand to keep it from falling over and then decorating it
with silver and gold.[11] It’s in the Book
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, but it doesn't mean that anymore;
it’s the day that Christians celebrate the birth of Christ. It must be noted; that what people thought
and did 500 years ago is really 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, and 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. See the Word Study; “When was Jesus born” Book 2.4
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.[12]
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 a predictable period of time
to start all over again, some wandering in a figure eight pattern. The MAGI
saw
the star rising in the East and it ENDURED.[13]
On September of 3 B.C. the star Regulus known as “The King’s Star”[14]
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.
The
Take Away
The
Wise Men or Magi were pagan Astrologers; a special HIGH RICH sect that were known to be KING
MAKERS and the shepherds,
a LOW POOR sect
of the population, both were
called to the birth of Jesus; He came for everyone’s walk of life. See the Word Study; Three
Wise Men Book 4.14
A Christmas Tree can do neither good nor
evil;[15]
for it is out of our heart that comes our thoughts and motives[16]
and it is God that judges the motives of our heart.[17]
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 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 [18]in
his own mind and not judge the other. SELAH
[1] Exodus 34:13 – You shall destroy their altars, break their
images, and cut down their groves
[2] John 8:12 – Jesus is the LIGHT
of the world
[3] Malachi 4:2 – Jesus is the SUN of righteousness
[4] Matthew 16:16 – Jesus is the SON of the living God.
[5] Luke 22:19-20 – Command
to observe His death; not His birth
[6] 1 Corenthians
[7] Esther 9:22 – Holidays; Feasting, Gift giving to one another --
Matthew 2:11 – Wise men offered Jesus Gifts Gold, Frankincense & Myrrh
[8] 2 Corinthians 6:17 – Be
separate from the heathen Therefore go out from their midst -- Jeremiah 10:1-2 – Do not learn the ways of the
pagan nations -- 2 Corenthians
[9] Exodus 19:5 – You will be a peculiar people to me
[10] Jeremiah 10:3 – Cut down a tree in the Forest
[11] Jeremiah 10:4-5 – DECORATE it with silver and gold FASTEN IT in
a stand
[12] Colossians 2:16 – Don’t
let anyone judge you in regards to festivals -- 1 Peter 2:16-17 – Live as free
men, but show respect to others
[13] Micah 5:2 – Prophecy - A Ruler will come out of Bethlehem.
[14] Matthew 2:2 – The Star of
the King of the Jews was seen rising in the
East -- Isaiah 40:26 – God created the stars and
named the starry host -- Job 9:9 – He calls the stars
by name; the Pleiades, Bear and Orion -- Psalm 147:4 – God numbered the stars
[15] Jeremiah 10:3-5 – A Christmas tree cannot do evil
nor good
[16] Matthew 15:19 - Out of the heart comes our thoughts & motives
[17] 1 Corinthians 4:5 - God judges us by the motives in our heart
[18] Romans 14:5 – One person
esteems one day better than another; each one should be FULLY CONVINCED in his own mind
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