The servant of the Lord must not
participate in quarrels, but must be kind to everyone [even-tempered,
preserving peace, and he must be], skilled in teaching, patient and tolerant
when wronged. He must correct those who are in opposition with
courtesy and gentleness in the hope that God may grant that they will repent
and be led to the knowledge of the truth [accurately understanding and
welcoming it], and that they may come to their senses and escape from the trap
of the devil, having been held captive by him to do his will. 2
Timothy 2:24-26
11/07/2017
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In the years since Jesus walked this Earth and taught in the temples on NOT taking
up the practices of pagan religions, the Evangelical Church has done just that
including the Americanized Evangelicals. Too many pagan holidays and rituals
have become so steeped into the religion that most people claim as “Christian”
that they are NO LONGER what God considers TRUE BELIEVERS and in the END He
will say,
“Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of
heaven, but the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. On that day many will say to me, ‘Lord, Lord, did
we not prophesy in your name, and cast out demons in your name, and do many
mighty works in your name?’ And then will I declare to them, ‘I never knew you;
depart from me, you workers of lawlessness.” Matthew 7:21-23
Let
us examine God’s true design for His followers so together we can work on
cleansing our lives, our homes and our churches from the evils of pagan
traditions. God made it very clear how His followers are to respond to pagan
nations and their worship of idols. Now is the time for the TRUTH and as a Good
Sheppard it is my responsibility to make sure the TRUTH is being told to ALL the
people of GOD, including HIS Rainbow Children, LGBTQ. I pray you will let the
TRUTH penetrate your soul and set you free from the bondage of lies from Satan
that has been disguised as TRUTH to entrap you. Rainbow Pastor David
Look
with me now at the book of Jeremiah chapter 10 from the Amplified Bible.
Hear
the word which the Lord speaks to you, O house of
Israel. Thus says the Lord, “Do not learn the way of the [pagan] nations, and do not be terrified and
distressed by the signs of the heavens; although the pagans are
terrified by them; For the
customs and decrees of the peoples are [mere] delusion [exercises in futility];
It is only wood which one cuts from the forest [to make a
god], the work of the hands of the craftsman with the
axe or cutting tool. “They adorn the idol with
silver and with gold; they fasten it with hammers and
nails so that it will not fall apart. “They are like scarecrows in a cucumber field; they cannot speak; they have to be carried,
because they cannot walk! Do not be
afraid of them, for they can do no harm or evil,
nor can they do any good.”
There is none like You, O Lord; You are great, and great is Your mighty and
powerful name. Who would not fear You, O King of the nations? For it is appropriate and it is Your due!
For among all the wise men of the nations and in all their kingdoms, there is none
like You.
But they are altogether irrational and stupid and foolish in their discipline of delusion—their idol is [only] wood [it is ridiculous, empty and worthless]! Silver that has been beaten [into plates] is brought from Tarshish, and gold from Uphaz, the work of the craftsman and of the hand of the goldsmith; violet and purple are their clothing; they are all the work of skilled men.
But they are altogether irrational and stupid and foolish in their discipline of delusion—their idol is [only] wood [it is ridiculous, empty and worthless]! Silver that has been beaten [into plates] is brought from Tarshish, and gold from Uphaz, the work of the craftsman and of the hand of the goldsmith; violet and purple are their clothing; they are all the work of skilled men.
But the Lord is the true God and the God who is Truth; He is the living God and the everlasting King.
The earth quakes and shudders at His wrath, and the nations are not able to endure His indignation.
In this
manner you shall say to them, “The gods that did not make the heavens and the earth will perish from
the earth and from under the heavens.” God made the earth by His power; He established the world by His wisdom and
by His understanding and skill He has stretched out the heavens. When
He utters His voice, there is a tumult of waters in the heavens, and He causes the clouds and the mist to ascend from the end
of the earth; He makes lightning for the rain, and brings out the wind from His treasuries and from His
storehouses.
Every man has become [like a brute] irrational and stupid, without knowledge [of God]; every goldsmith is shamed by his carved idols; For his molten images are frauds and lies, And there is no breath in them. They are worthless and devoid of promise, a work of delusion and mockery; In their time of [trial and] punishment they will perish [without hope].
The Portion of Jacob [the true God on whom Israel has a claim] is not like these; For He is the Designer and Maker of all things, And Israel is the tribe of His inheritance [and He will not fail them] — The Lord of hosts is His name. Gather up your bundle [of goods] from the ground, You who live under siege. For thus says the Lord; “Behold, I am slinging out at this time the people of this land, And will cause them [great] distress, That they may find it [to be as I have said].”
Every man has become [like a brute] irrational and stupid, without knowledge [of God]; every goldsmith is shamed by his carved idols; For his molten images are frauds and lies, And there is no breath in them. They are worthless and devoid of promise, a work of delusion and mockery; In their time of [trial and] punishment they will perish [without hope].
The Portion of Jacob [the true God on whom Israel has a claim] is not like these; For He is the Designer and Maker of all things, And Israel is the tribe of His inheritance [and He will not fail them] — The Lord of hosts is His name. Gather up your bundle [of goods] from the ground, You who live under siege. For thus says the Lord; “Behold, I am slinging out at this time the people of this land, And will cause them [great] distress, That they may find it [to be as I have said].”
“Woe to
me because of my [spiritual] brokenness!” [says Jeremiah, speaking for the
nation.] “My
wound is incurable.” But I said, “Surely this sickness and
suffering and grief are mine, and I must bear
it.” My tent is destroyed, and all my [tent] cords are broken; my
children have been taken from me [as captives] and are no more. There is no one to stretch out my tent again and to set up my [tent] curtains. For the
shepherds [of the people] have become [like brutes,] irrational and
stupid, and have not searched for the Lord or asked about Him or realized their need for Him;
Therefore they have not been wise and have not
prospered, and all their flocks are scattered. The sound of a report! Behold, [the invader] comes—A great commotion
from the country of the north (Babylonia) — To make the
cities of Judah a desolation, a haunt and
dwelling place of jackals.
O Lord, I know that the path of [life of] a man is not in
himself; It is not
within [the limited ability of] man [even one at his best] to choose and
direct his steps [in life]. O Lord, correct me [along with Your people], but with mercy and in
just measure— Not in Your anger or You will crush me and
bring me to nothing. Pour out Your wrath
on the nations that do not know nor recognize you and on the
families that do not call your name; for they have devoured Jacob; they have
devoured him and consumed him and made his land a
desolate waste.
There are 10 very important life
lessons we can learn from Jeremiah 10. Being human it may seem hard at
first to actually realize that a lot of the things we have picked up on in life
are actually displeasing to GOD even though we say we are doing them in the
name of God. Just because you do something in the name of GOD does not make it
right. If you are not doing things according to GOD’S WILL those things mean
NOTHING to GOD.
Remember
Jesus said, “Not everyone who
says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only he who
does the will of My Father who is in heaven. Many will say to Me on that
day [when I judge them], ‘Lord, Lord, have we not
prophesied in Your name, and driven out demons in Your name, and done many
miracles in Your name?’ And then I will declare to
them publicly, ‘I never knew you; depart
from Me [you are banished from My presence], you who act wickedly [disregarding My commands].” Matthew
7:21-23
1. Do NOT learn the way of the pagan nations. In other
words don’t practice things like meditation, yoga, Buddhism, Islam, Judaism, Shia Islam, Sunni Islam, Monotheism, Catholicism,
Sufism, Wahhabism, Protestanism, Eastern
Orthodoxy, Paganism, Hanafi, witchcraft{including mediums and spiritists},
occultism, sorcery, demonology, spell casting, consulting the dead, astrology,
stargazing, divination, Satanism, Hinduism including Bollywood dancing,
belly dancing, and many more. Don’t even practice pagan
holidays that have been turned into “Christian” Holidays by naïve ‘Christians’
thinking they are doing a service to God while they are indeed disobeying a
direct commandment of God.
2. Do not purchase trinket’s representing pagan gods or
even have them in your possession.
3. Do not fear pagan gods because they are inanimate
objects that can do you no harm.
4. Fear only GOD, the creator of the heavens and
earth and all things therein.
5. Do not be like the pagans who worship idols
because they are irrational, stupid and foolish in their delusion that their
idols are real gods.
6. It is your responsibility as a follower of God to let the
pagans know that the God who created all things is the only TRUE GOD and
their idols and false gods will perish.
7. God made the earth by His power; He established the world by His wisdom and by His understanding and skill He has stretched out the
heavens. When He utters His
voice, there is a tumult of waters in the heavens, and He causes the clouds and the mist to ascend from the end
of the earth; He makes lightning for the rain, and brings out the wind from His treasuries and from His
storehouses.
8. Mankind is irrational and stupid without the knowledge of God.
9. Every goldsmith is shamed by his carved idols; for his molten images are frauds and lies,
And there is no breath in them. They
are worthless and devoid of promise, a work of delusion and
mockery; in their time of [trial and] punishment they
will perish [without hope].
10. The path of [life of] a man is not in himself; It is not within [the limited ability of] man [even one
at his best] to choose and direct his steps [in life]; therefore he needs to put his trust in GOD who created mankind in
His image.
At this
point you are either ready to hear the TRUTH of the WORD of GOD or you have
already shut me out because your thinking of all the “NICE PEOPLE” you know who practice a lot
of the things GOD has commanded you as HIS CHILD to stay away from and not even
get involved with.
At this
point I need you to know you can NOT serve two masters. What that means is that
you cannot continue to do things your own way following after money,
possessions, fame, status, whatever and expect to be able to serve GOD too. The
Word of God says in Matthew 6:24
“No one can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love
the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot
serve God and mammon [money, possessions, fame, status, or whatever is valued
more than the Lord].”
Then Peter and the apostles replied, “We must obey God rather than men
[we have no other choice]. Acts
5:29
No matter
what any man, women, pagan or priest tells you, if it does not line up with GOD
it is NOT of GOD PERIOD.
But Peter and John replied to them, “Whether it is right in the sight of
God to listen to you and obey
you rather than God, you must judge [for yourselves]; for we,
on our part, cannot stop telling [people] about what we have seen and heard.”Acts
4:19-20
If you
have chosen to stay with me at this point, let me congratulate you on wanting
to learn the TRUTH so your life can be cleaned and prepared to be the actual
temple of the HOLY SPIRIT that is without spot or blemish. Don’t you know you
were bought with the price of Jesus precious blood so He could make you His
own? 1 Corinthians 6:19-20
Since you
have been bought by the precious blood of Jesus becoming the Temple for the
Holy Spirit to dwell in you must understand that it is forever not just a short
stay. So honor God, honor Jesus and honor the Holy Spirit by keeping your
temple clean and holy before the Lord. 1 Corinthians 3:16-17 says it best: “Do you not know and
understand that you [the church] are the temple of God, and that the Spirit of
God dwells [permanently] in you [collectively and individually]? If
anyone destroys the temple of God [corrupting it with false doctrine], God will
destroy the destroyer; for the temple of God is holy (sacred), and that is what
you are.”
Make the
decision today to sacrifice your life for God just as His Son Jesus sacrificed
His life for you. Set yourself apart from this world so you can be an
instrument pure and holy for God’s use.
Therefore I urge you, brothers and sisters, by the mercies of God, to
present your bodies [dedicating all of yourselves, set apart] as a living
sacrifice, holy and well-pleasing to God, which is your rational (logical, intelligent) act of worship.
And do not be conformed to this world [any longer with its superficial values
and customs], but be transformed and
progressively changed [as you mature spiritually] by the renewing of your mind
[focusing on godly values and ethical attitudes], so that you may prove [for
yourselves] what the will of God is, that which is good and acceptable and
perfect [in His plan and purpose for you]. Romans
12:1-2
Be a
gentle spirit that shows others the Love of God through your actions. Do not be
boastful and proud like the scribes and Pharisees who are attention seekers
needing to be recognized by others sort of like the Mega Church Preachers of
today {who receive their reward here on earth}, but be like Jesus so you can
reap your reward in heaven. Matthew 6:1-8, Romans 12:3-8
Laws of the Sanctuary found in Deuteronomy 12
“These are the statutes and judgments
(precepts) which you shall be careful to do in the land which the Lord, the God of your fathers, has given you to possess as long as you live
on the earth. You shall utterly destroy all the places where the nations whom you
shall dispossess serve their gods, on the high mountains and the hills and
under every green [leafy] tree. You shall tear down their
altars and smash their [idolatrous] pillars and burn their Asherim in the fire;
you shall cut down the carved and
sculpted images of their gods and obliterate their name from that place.
You shall not act like this toward the Lord your God. But you shall seek the Lord at the place
which the Lord your God will
choose out of all your tribes to establish His Name there for His dwelling
[place], and there you shall come [to worship Him]. There you
shall bring your burnt offerings, your sacrifices, your tithes, and the
contribution of your hand, your votive (pledged, vowed) offerings, your
freewill (voluntary) offerings, and the firstborn of your herd and of your
flock. And there you and your households shall eat before the Lord your God, and
rejoice in all to which you put your hand, in which the Lord your God has
blessed you.
“Be careful that you do not offer your burnt offerings in every [cultic] place you see, but [only] in the place which the Lord will choose in one of your tribes, there you shall offer your burnt offerings, and there you shall do everything that I am commanding you.”
“However, you may slaughter and eat meat within any of your [city] gates, whatever you wish, according to the blessing of the Lord your God which He has given you [as His generous provision for daily life]. The [ceremonially] unclean and the clean may eat it, such as the gazelle and the deer. Only you shall not eat the blood; you are to pour it out on the ground like water. You are forbidden to eat within your [city] gates the tithe of your grain or new wine or oil, or the firstborn of your herd or flock, or any of your votive offerings, or your freewill offerings, or the contribution of your hand. But you shall eat them before the Lord your God in the place which the Lord your God will choose, you and your son and your daughter, and your male and female servants, and the Levite who is within your [city] gates; and you shall rejoice before the Lord your God in all that you undertake. Be careful that you do not neglect the Levite [who serves God] as long as you live in your land.
“When the Lord your God extends your territory, as He promised you, and you say, ‘I will eat meat,’ because you want to eat meat, then you may eat meat, whatever you wish. If the place which the Lord your God chooses to put His Name (Presence) is too far away from you, then you may slaughter [animals] from your herd or flock which the Lord has given you, just as I have commanded you; and you may eat within your [city] gates whatever you wish. Just as the gazelle or the deer is eaten, so you may eat it [but not make it an offering]; the [ceremonially] unclean and the clean alike may eat it. Only be sure that you do not eat the blood, for the blood is the life (soul), and you shall not eat the life with the meat. You shall not eat it; you shall pour it out on the ground like water. You shall not eat it, so that all may be well with you and with your children after you, because you will be doing what is right in the sight of the Lord. However, you shall take your holy things which you have [to offer] and your votive (pledged, vowed) offerings; you shall take them and go to the place which the Lord will choose. And you shall offer your burnt offerings, the meat and the blood, on the altar of the Lord your God; and the blood of your sacrifices shall be poured out on the altar of the Lord your God, and you shall eat the meat”.
“Be careful to listen to all these words which I am commanding you, so that it may be well with you and with your children after you forever, because you will be doing what is good and right in the sight of the Lord your God.”
“When the Lord your God cuts off and destroys before you the nations which you are going in to dispossess, and you dispossess them and settle in their land, beware that you are not lured (ensnared) into following them, after they have been destroyed before you, and that you do not inquire about their gods, saying, ‘How did these nations serve their gods, so that I too may do likewise?’ You shall not behave this way toward the Lord your God, for they have done for their gods every repulsive thing which the Lord hates; for they even burn their sons and their daughters in the fire [as sacrifices] to their gods.
“Everything I command you, you shall be careful to do it; you shall not add to it nor take away from it”.
You may be sitting there reading this thinking to yourself that these are old laws and precepts that God could not possibly expect us to follow today. Well I am here to tell you that GOD is the YESTERDAY, TODAY and FOREVER FORWARD. Thankfully for us living in Modern Times we no longer have to slaughter animals to sacrifice to God. Jesus became the sacrificial lamb when He was nailed to the Cross for our sins {John 3:16-18, 2 Corinthians 5:15, 1 Thessalonians 5:10-12.}
1 John 2:2 – “And He [that same Jesus] is the propitiation for our sins [the atoning sacrifice that holds back the wrath of God that would otherwise be directed at us because of our sinful nature—our worldliness, our lifestyle]; and not for ours alone, but also for [the sins of all believers throughout] the whole world.”
Thankfully we have Jesus who told us NOT to act the scribes and Pharisees who will NOT enter into heaven. Jesus did not come to earth to do away with the laws of God but to be the fulfillment of the laws and make a way for us to get to God ourselves instead of going through a priest in the temple, who then went to God on your behalf. Because of Jesus you now have DIRECT ACCESS to the throne room of GOD. Praise the Lord for making that way possible.
“Do not think that I came to do away with or undo the Law [of Moses] or the [writings of the] Prophets; I did not come to destroy but to fulfill. For I assure you and most solemnly say to you, until heaven and earth pass away, not the smallest letter or stroke [of the pen] will pass from the Law until all things [which it foreshadows] are accomplished. So whoever breaks one of the least [important] of these commandments, and teaches others to do the same, will be called least [important] in the kingdom of heaven; but whoever practices and teaches them, he will be called great in the kingdom of heaven. “For I say to you that unless your righteousness (uprightness, moral essence) is more than that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. Matthew 5:17-20
Let me recap what 7 things we have learn from Deuteronomy 12 about the pagan and God.
1. You shall utterly destroy all the places where the
nations whom you shall dispossess serve their gods, on the high
mountains and the hills and under every green [leafy] tree. You
shall tear down their altars and smash their [idolatrous] pillars and burn
their Asherim in the fire; you shall cut down the carved and sculpted
images of their gods and obliterate their name from that place.
2. You shall seek the Lord at the place which the Lord your God will choose out of all your tribes to establish His Name
there for His dwelling [place], and there you shall come [to worship Him].
3. “You shall not do at all what we are
doing here [in the camp] today, every man doing whatever is right in his [own]
eyes. You must do what is pleasing to God for your life.
4. Be careful that you do not offer your burnt offerings in
every [cultic] place you see, but [only] in the place which the Lord will choose in one of your tribes. Just because
a place may have looked pleasing to your eyes does not mean it is pleasing to
the Lord. Even today you will more than likely NOT find GOD in a MEGA CHURCH
building filled with loud music and NO TRUE WORSHIP.
5. Be careful to listen to all these words which I am
commanding you, so that it may be well with you and with your children
after you forever, because you will be doing what is good and right in the
sight of the Lord your God.
6. Beware that you are not lured (ensnared) into following
them, after they have been destroyed before you, and that you do not inquire
about their gods, saying, ‘How did these nations serve their gods, so that I
too may do likewise?’
7. “Everything I command you, you shall be careful to do
it; you shall not add to it nor take away from it.
It all started when the Early Christian Church decided to take a Pagan Holiday “Saturnalia” and turn it into a “Christian Holiday”. Remember now GOD said DO NOT ADD TOO or TAKE AWAY meaning we as HIS FOLLOWERS are NOT to add to God’s chosen holidays or take away from their holiness by adding rituals from pagan holidays.
Let us examine now the pagan holiday, Saturnalia.
During the celebration of
Saturnalia, which is the worship of the god Saturn, there is unrestrained
merrymaking, unrestrained revelry and orgies. Basically it is a time to do
whatever you want and get away with it. The celebration last from around
December 17 – January 1st when gifts are exchanged that have been
made out of wax or trees, carved to look like the gods they are worshipping at
that time.
Christmas, the day on which Christians celebrate the birth of Jesus
Christ, is in fact connected to the pagan festival known as Saturnalia—not,
however, for the reasons some skeptics assume. Christianity has always been
aware that December 25 is almost certainly not the actual date of Jesus’ birth.
The early church did not celebrate December 25 as a day of any significance, and
it wasn’t connected to the birth of Jesus until sometime during the reign of Constantine,
several hundred years later.
Saturnalia was a week-long Roman festival honoring the god Saturn; since it started on December 17, it fell within what we now call the Christmas season. Interestingly, historical accounts differ about whether Saturnalia celebrations were examples of debauchery or charity. Some accounts mention the rich paying rent for the poor, masters and slaves exchanging clothes, and so forth on Saturnalia. Yet, for most of history, debauchery seems to dominate celebrations of the holiday; in fact, the word Saturnalia became synonymous with immorality and carousing.
To modern eyes some Saturnalia customs come across as hedonistic perversions of Christmas traditions. For instance, singing from house to house naked, feasting excessively, eating baked goods shaped like people, and exchanging bawdy gifts. In reality, there’s good historical evidence suggesting that these events were reformed, absorbed, and transformed over time as a result of Christmas’ popularity overtaking that of Saturnalia.
The early motive for celebrating Jesus’ birth on December 25 was the same that inspires modern churches to hold “Fall Festivals” or “Bible Costume Parties” on October 31. That is, to provide a spiritually positive alternative to what they perceive as a pagan celebration. Another example is the modern holiday Kwanzaa, a celebration that mirrors the elements and timing of other holidays, with the intention of providing an alternative with a particular cultural focus. Over time, as the Roman Empire Christianized, customs associated with Saturnalia were “cleaned up” and absorbed into the celebration of Christmas.
The association between Christmas and Saturnalia is further supported by the existence of another Roman holiday, Sol Invictus, gradually absorbed by Christmas. Sol Invictus (“Invincible Sun”) celebrated, on December 25, the renewing of the Sun King and was linked to the winter solstice. Constantine, the first Christian emperor, was raised in this cult of the Unconquered Sun God, and he had a hand in turning Roman culture toward Christ and away from paganism. The first reliable historical evidence of Christmas being observed on December 25 dates from his reign.
So, Christians readily and comfortably acknowledge that the date, traditions, and long-term history of Christmas are connected to the pagan holidays of Saturnalia and Sol Invictus. Yet, like a family celebrating a Bible Costume Party on October 31, it’s the people celebrating who decide what the celebration means. Christians of centuries past chose December 25 as the day to celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ, the true “Unconquered King.” The use of this date continues today. Christmas and Saturnalia may be historical neighbors with indirect connections, but they are two individual holidays {both being created by mankind NOT GOD. It is our place as TRUE FOLLOWERS of GOD to call out the EVILS of PAGAN influenced holidays that do not honor God.
Saturnalia was a week-long Roman festival honoring the god Saturn; since it started on December 17, it fell within what we now call the Christmas season. Interestingly, historical accounts differ about whether Saturnalia celebrations were examples of debauchery or charity. Some accounts mention the rich paying rent for the poor, masters and slaves exchanging clothes, and so forth on Saturnalia. Yet, for most of history, debauchery seems to dominate celebrations of the holiday; in fact, the word Saturnalia became synonymous with immorality and carousing.
To modern eyes some Saturnalia customs come across as hedonistic perversions of Christmas traditions. For instance, singing from house to house naked, feasting excessively, eating baked goods shaped like people, and exchanging bawdy gifts. In reality, there’s good historical evidence suggesting that these events were reformed, absorbed, and transformed over time as a result of Christmas’ popularity overtaking that of Saturnalia.
The early motive for celebrating Jesus’ birth on December 25 was the same that inspires modern churches to hold “Fall Festivals” or “Bible Costume Parties” on October 31. That is, to provide a spiritually positive alternative to what they perceive as a pagan celebration. Another example is the modern holiday Kwanzaa, a celebration that mirrors the elements and timing of other holidays, with the intention of providing an alternative with a particular cultural focus. Over time, as the Roman Empire Christianized, customs associated with Saturnalia were “cleaned up” and absorbed into the celebration of Christmas.
The association between Christmas and Saturnalia is further supported by the existence of another Roman holiday, Sol Invictus, gradually absorbed by Christmas. Sol Invictus (“Invincible Sun”) celebrated, on December 25, the renewing of the Sun King and was linked to the winter solstice. Constantine, the first Christian emperor, was raised in this cult of the Unconquered Sun God, and he had a hand in turning Roman culture toward Christ and away from paganism. The first reliable historical evidence of Christmas being observed on December 25 dates from his reign.
So, Christians readily and comfortably acknowledge that the date, traditions, and long-term history of Christmas are connected to the pagan holidays of Saturnalia and Sol Invictus. Yet, like a family celebrating a Bible Costume Party on October 31, it’s the people celebrating who decide what the celebration means. Christians of centuries past chose December 25 as the day to celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ, the true “Unconquered King.” The use of this date continues today. Christmas and Saturnalia may be historical neighbors with indirect connections, but they are two individual holidays {both being created by mankind NOT GOD. It is our place as TRUE FOLLOWERS of GOD to call out the EVILS of PAGAN influenced holidays that do not honor God.
Let’s take a more in depth
look into why “Christmas” is a pagan holiday disguised as a “Christian”
Holiday.
| Using Christmas as an excuse, men have added foreign beliefs and
practices to the worship of God the Father and Jesus
Christ. They have combined pagan ideas, beliefs and practices with
Christianity without examining whether God approves. This implies presumption by the syncretizer. Presumption is "an attitude or belief dictated by probability." Facts play little part in presumption, just probability and likelihood. Its first synonym is "assumption," followed by "arrogance," "boldness," "impertinence" and "imprudence." Presume, its verb form, means "to undertake without leave or clear justification; to expect or assume especially with confidence; to suppose to be true without proof; to take for granted." When combining the concepts of syncretism, presumption, and the Israelitish characteristic of misguided zeal for knowledge (Romans 10:1-3), it is easy to see why a holiday like Christmas could become and remain a practice in modern Israel. The Israelitish people—especially the sons of Joseph—seem to be imbued with a spirit of zeal that is both a blessing and a curse. It is almost paradoxical that Israel's zeal for God is often its greatest hindrance, as it retards true righteousness that comes by faith and submission to God. Virtually all of Israel's religious zeal is wasted because it stampedes in the wrong direction. - John W. Ritenbaugh Christmas, Syncretism, and Presumption |
| Christmas is a vivid illustration of the world's power of
attraction. It
plays upon all of a person's senses with pleasant music, lights, colors,
foods, clothes, gifts, and parties. Though it is a very attractive trap, it
nonetheless ensnares the person into destruction. By itself, it does not
destroy the person—it is the snare, the trap! Anyone who has ever hunted a wild animal like a deer knows one cannot bag his prey by blundering through the woods making noise and leaving his scent everywhere. Instead, a hunter makes himself as invisible as possible so that the deer wanders under his stand where he can shoot it. The same holds true with trapping smaller animals. A successful trapper makes a trap that will entice the animal in without letting it know that it will be caught. Christmas is a well-laid trap. In celebrating it, the people of the land honor, worship, and glorify a god, but not the God of the Bible. It is appealing and attractive with all the ornamentation and catchy music. There is also an appealing baby, born to be the King of kings, and his lovely mother radiant in her motherhood. In addition, what could be better than giving gifts? Certainly giving is Christian. And what about decorating evergreen trees, hanging mistletoe and holly boughs, caroling, stuffing stockings, and burning Yule logs? Everything just seems to go so well together. Nevertheless, it is a trap because it is not true. - John W. Ritenbaugh |
| In
all sincerity, men and women have gone to great lengths to try to please God.
Without seeking His permission, they presume to add things to the worship of
God because they are attractive and have a vague attachment to the One whom
they look upon as their Savior. They think their sincerity in worship is more
important than the truth. But God thinks differently: "Whatever I command you, be careful to observe it; you shall not add to it nor take away from it" (Deuteronomy 12:32). Christmas is a festival that has been added. It is syncretism, blending a practice from paganism into the stream of Christianity. Only the revelation of God shows how He will be worshipped, and He will not be served in imitation of other gods. God's way cannot be "improved" by human sincerity. Deuteronomy 13:1-18 defines the law regarding apostasy. Those who led others to worship other gods or adopt the practices of the nations around them were to be stoned! Cities that fell under the sway of corrupt individuals were to be attacked, burned to the ground, and left as rubble! God considers tampering with His truth to be evil that must be eradicated! Apostasy begins with the perverse drive in man to push beyond the bounds of what has been revealed by God as the basis for His way of life. When God gives instruction, He frequently does so in broad generalities. Within the perimeters of those broad generalities, He expects us to explore and to apply them in their spirit and intent. Unfortunately, history reveals that that has not been mankind's approach. Man has consistently tried to "improve" upon God's revelation using his limited reason and logic. - John W. Ritenbaugh |
| God nowhere speaks of making Christmas a part of Christianity, nor does He tell us to
celebrate His Son's birth. He does tell us, though, not to add to His worship
anything that is a tradition of the heathen. Such additions hinder rather
than enhance our journey to God's Kingdom. What are the fruits of keeping Christmas? Has Christmas helped to glorify God? Has it clarified and aided man's spiritual life? We have a record of the fruits of the Jews' additions. Their intent may have been better than those who accepted Christmas into Christianity, since they at least attempted to obey the law of God. Still, when Jesus walked among them, they did not recognize their own Messiah! Adding to and subtracting from God's Word changes God's intended focus. Christmas is no better. When the so-called Christians added Christmas to Christianity, it had nothing to do with true Christianity at all. It was a ploy to win converts from paganism. It was a deliberate grab for power. From the beginning, Christmas, rather than promoting the true God and His way of life, has only led people away from the truth. Peter writes that we are redeemed from these very traditions (I Peter 1:18). These traditions, inherited from our fathers, are a part of our culture. Jesus used His ministry to repudiate every addition, subtraction, and distortion that had attained any kind of specious, "divine" authority, and He did this by clarifying and magnifying the truth. Christmas seems to have "divine" authority because "Christians" are doing it, but it is part of a world that is anti-God, anti-Christ. It is not a part of what God has shown is true. - John W. Ritenbaugh |
| No "Christian"
holiday is as misleading as Christmas—except perhaps Easter. What do evergreen trees, Yule logs, holly wreaths,
mistletoe, and Santa Claus have to do with our relationship with our Lord and
Savior Jesus Christ? Does the Nativity scene with its mother-and-child
motif teach us anything about the relationship between God the Father and His Son? Does Christmas teach us the truth? With so many falsehoods and deceptions surrounding and embedded in this holiday, we would be foolish to believe that God would approve of its celebration. Truth is very important to God. It is one of the names of Jesus Christ (John 14:6) and one of His ministry's themes: "And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free" (John 8:32; see 18:37). Conversely, lies bind us in spiritual slavery. The celebration of Christmas flourishes today in the materialistic Western world. From its non-Christian background, we can see that it is a syncretistic blend of pagan rites and Christian themes that is abhorrent to God (Deuteronomy 12:29-32; see Exodus 32). Christmas is a quagmire of deceptive traditions. - Martin G. Collins. Syncretismas! |
| Two key figures in the origin of Christmas are Nimrod, a great grandson of Noah, and his mother
and wife, Semiramis, also known as Ishtar and Isis. Nimrod, known in Egypt as
Osiris, was the founder of the first world empire at Babel, later known as
Babylon (Genesis 10:8-12; 11:1-9). From ancient
sources such as the "Epic of Gilgamesh" and records unearthed by
archeologists from long-ruined Mesopotamian and Egyptian cities, we can
reconstruct subsequent events. After Nimrod's death (c. 2167 BC), Semiramis promoted the belief that he was a god. She claimed that she saw a full-grown evergreen tree spring out of the roots of a dead tree stump, symbolizing the springing forth of new life for Nimrod. On the anniversary of his birth, she said, Nimrod would visit the evergreen tree and leave gifts under it. His birthday fell on the winter solstice at the end of December. A few years later, Semiramis bore a son, Horus or Gilgamesh. She declared that she had been visited by the spirit of Nimrod, who left her pregnant with the boy. Horus, she maintained, was Nimrod reincarnated. With a father, mother, and son deified, a deceptive, perverted trinity was formed. Semiramis and Horus were worshipped as "Madonna and child." As the generations passed, they were worshipped under other names in different countries and languages. Many of these are recognizable: Fortuna and Jupiter in Rome; Aphrodite and Adonis in Greece; and Ashtoreth/Astarte and Molech/Baal in Canaan. During the time between Babel and Christ, pagans developed the belief that the days grew shorter in early winter because their sun-god was leaving them. When they saw the length of the day increasing, they celebrated by riotous, unrestrained feasting and orgies. This celebration, known as Saturnalia, was named after Saturn, another name for Nimrod. - Martin G. Collins |
| Many historical sources show that Christmas was not observed by Christians from
Christ's time to about AD 300. Saturnalia (December 17-24) and Brumalia
(December 25) continued as pagan celebrations by the Romans well into the
fourth century. The Catholic Encyclopedia, 1911 edition, in the
article "Natal Day," records that the early Catholic church father,
Origen, acknowledged: In the Scriptures, no one is recorded to have kept a feast or held a great banquet on his birthday. It is only sinners like Pharaoh and Herod who make great rejoicings over the day in which they were born into this world. During the fourth century, the emperor Constantine "converted" to "Christianity" and changed Sabbath keeping from the seventh to the first day of the week. Sunday was the day he had worshipped the sun as his god. This made it easier for the Romans to call their pagan December 25th winter solstice festival, in which they had celebrated the birth of the sun god, the birthday of the "Son of God." The New Catholic Encyclopedia, 1967, says: According to the hypothesis . . . accepted by most scholars today, the birth of Christ was assigned the date of the winter solstice (December 25 in the Julian calendar, January 6 in the Egyptian), because on this day, as the sun began its return to northern skies, the pagan devotees of Mithra celebrated the dies natalis Solis Invicti (birthday of the Invincible Sun). On Dec. 25, 274, Aurelian had proclaimed the sun-god principal patron of the empire and dedicated a temple to him in the Campus Martius. Christmas originated at a time when the cult of the sun was particularly strong at Rome. Only in the fifth century did the Roman Catholic Church order that the birth of Christ be observed on December 25, the day of the old Roman feast of the birth of Sol, the sun god. They renamed this day "Christmas." - Martin G. Collins |
| In AD 596, Pope Gregory I dispatched the monk Augustine to England as a
missionary. The Pope had decreed that whatever pagan practices were not of
themselves "evil" should be blended with Christianity. According to
the 11th edition of the Encyclopedia Britannica,
"Christmas": In Britain, the 25th of December was a festival long before the conversion to Christianity, for Bede relates that "the ancient peoples of the Angli began the year on the 25th of December . . . ; and [Christmas eve] they called in their tongue "modranecht" (môdra niht), that is, the mother night, by reason we suspect of the ceremony which in that night-long vigil they performed." When the Normans invaded England in 1066, they introduced other pagan ceremonies into the English celebration of Christmas. During the Reformation, the undisguised pagan elements in Christmas had often provoked criticism from conservative Protestants, but the festival was not really affected by their beliefs until the Puritans came to power in the early 1600s. Christmas was attacked as "the old heathens' feasting day to Saturn their god" and singing carols was forbidden. In 1644, in protest against Christmas, the Church of England proclaimed December 25th as a fast day, and Parliament banned celebrating the festival. The new rule was enforced by the English army, which spent much of its time pulling down the greenery that festive "pagans" had attached to their doors. In Scotland, the prohibition was enforced with great rigor as well. By the early nineteenth century, however, its popularity increased. Queen Caroline erected a tree at a royal Christmas celebration in 1821, and twenty years later, Albert, prince consort of Queen Victoria, provided one for a children's party at Windsor. - Martin G. Collins |
| In the seventeenth century, the English
anti-Christmas attitude spread to her Puritan
territories in America. In defiance of the Puritan attitude, the Catholic
church established special Christmas services in Boston, Massachusetts, in
the 1690s, but many civil authorities strongly opposed them. By the early 1700s, German and Dutch settlers had brought the pagan custom of the gift-bringing St. Nicholas and the Christmas tree with them. Christmas was primarily celebrated in their settlements. German mercenaries, fighting on the British side in the War of Independence, raised Christmas trees in their camps. In 1823 Santa Claus acquired national fame in the United States as a result of a poem. According to Man, Myth and Magic Encyclopedia: St. Nicholas had become famous as a result of Clarke Moore's poem "The Night Before Christmas," published in 1823. By the 1890s the English Father Christmas, originally a minor character in a mummer's play, had been absorbed into the personality of his American counterpart, and become the jovial figure that he is today. In 1836, Christmas first became an American legal holiday in the state of Alabama. Soon, one state after another legalized this pagan festival. Today, the U.S. celebrates this 4000-year-old festival as a national holiday with gift-giving and riotous, unrestrained feasting and drinking, in a manner similar to the celebrations in the ancient world. - Martin G. Collins |
| The date of December 25 to celebrate Christ's birth was chosen to conform to the old, pagan
Roman holidays called "Saturnalia" and "Brumalia." The
ancient Romans kept these holidays around the time of the shortest day of the
year, the winter solstice. Here are some excerpts about this festival from The
Book of the Bible by Riedel, Tracy & Moskwitz: Because the Roman emperor Aurelian fixed December 25th for the winter solstice holiday in AD 274, it is thought that the early Christians adopted this day for their Christ-mass so that they would be less conspicuous in the observance of their holiday. Most scholars believe that the birthday of Jesus was never known and that the December date was chosen solely for convenience. The earliest known observance of Christmas on December 25th was the year AD 336 in Rome, as recorded in a calendar of the period. Throughout antiquity other dates for the birth were advanced: March 25, April 19, November 17, among others, but there is no evidence, literary or historical, that supports any of these dates. Almost everywhere in Europe, in both Roman and Teutonic [northern European] countries, the period around the winter solstice was celebrated with lights, to celebrate the increase of sunlight to come, and with greenery, usually evergreens, to represent the coming of spring and eternal cycles of growth. At the Saturnalia festival (December 17-24), Romans would present each other with sprigs of holly as gifts for the holiday. When Teutonic tribes began to usurp power from the Romans in Europe, they brought their Yule, or winter feast, traditions with them. The Yule log and wassailing (i.e., toasting each others' health with alcoholic drinks) are two of these traditions. The origin of the Christmas tree is usually traced to Saint Boniface, who in the 8th century persuaded the Teutonic tribes to abandon worship of the sacred oak of Odin, a remnant of Druidism, and to confer it instead on the fir, a more appropriate symbol of Jesus and eternal life. [Trees, however, have been used in pagan, idolatrous worship for many thousands of years. Numerous references to this can be found throughout the Old Testament (I Kings 14:23; II Kings 16:2-4; 17:10; II Chronicles 28:4; Jeremiah 2:20; 3:6,13; 10:1-5; Ezekiel 6:13).] - Staff 'Tis the Season: Help for Our Young People |
Is it not ironic that "Christians" celebrate Christmas? Christians are by name followers of Christ, and He says nothing in His Word about memorializing
His birth year after year. The Bible is quite clear that the day of one's
death is more important (Ecclesiastes 7:1), and certainly, Christ's death is particularly more
important for our salvation and the fulfillment of God's plan than His birth
(Romans 5:6-21). So how did Christians come to believe that God approves of them celebrating Christmas?The answer is not as simple as one might think. It involves a minor controversy within today's scattered church of God: Who are the Nicolaitans {Revelation 2:6, 14-15}?Believe it or not, the Nicolaitans are in part responsible for "Christianity's" acceptance of Christmas, Easter, Halloween, and other unbiblical practices. More importantly, Nicolaitanism, representative of a much broader philosophy, can be blamed for the organized and systematic removal of God's law as a central pillar of the Christian way of life. These things happened because of an attitude, an approach to the truth, found in the Nicolaitan heresy. Richard T. RitenbaughNicolaitanism Today |
| The word "Christmas" means "Mass of Christ," or, as it came
to be shortened, "Christ-Mass." It came to non-Christians and
Protestants from the Roman Catholic Church. And where did they get it? Not
from the New Testament—not from the Bible—not from the
original apostles who were personally instructed from Christ—but it
gravitated in the fourth century into the Roman Church from paganism. Since the celebration of Christmas has come to the world from the Roman Catholic Church, and has no authority but that of the Roman Catholic Church, let us examine the Catholic Encyclopedia, 1911 edition, published by that church. Under the heading "Christmas," you will find: "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 calends gravitated to Christmas." And in the same encyclopedia, under the heading "Natal Day," we find that the early Catholic father, Origen, acknowledged this truth: "In the Scriptures, no one is recorded to have kept a feast or held a great banquet on his birthday. It is only sinners [like Pharaoh and Herod] who make great rejoicings over the day in which they were born into this world" (emphasis ours). Encyclopaedia Britannica, 1946 edition, has this: "Christmas (i.e., the Mass of Christ). . . . Christmas was not among the earliest festivals of the church." It was not instituted by Christ or the apostles, or by Bible authority. It was picked up afterward from paganism. The Encyclopedia Americana, 1944 edition, says: "Christmas . . . was, according to many authorities, not celebrated in the first centuries of the Christian church, as the Christian usage in general was to celebrate the death of remarkable persons rather than their birth." (The "Communion," which is instituted by New Testament Bible authority, is a memorial of the death of Christ.) "A feast was established in memory of this event [Christ's birth] 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, as no certain knowledge of the day of Christ's birth existed." Now notice! These recognized historical authorities show Christmas was not observed by Christians for the first two or three hundred years—a period longer than the entire history of the United States as a nation! It got into the Western, or Roman, Church, by the fourth century AD. It was not until the fifth century that the Roman Church ordered it to be celebrated as an official Christian festival! Herbert W. Armstrong (1892-1986) The Plain Truth About Christmas |
| How did this pagan custom creep into the Western
Christian world? The New Schaff-Herzog Encyclopedia of Religious Knowledge explains clearly, in its article on "Christmas": "How much the date of the festival depended upon the pagan Brumalia (Dec. 25) following the Saturnalia (Dec. 17-24), and celebrating the shortest day in 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 its 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." Remember, the Roman world had been pagan. Prior to the fourth century, Christians were few in number, though increasing, and were persecuted by the government and by pagans. But, with the advent of Constantine as emperor, who made his profession of Christianity in the fourth century, placing Christianity on an equal footing with paganism, people of the Roman world began to accept this now-popular Christianity by the hundreds of thousands. But remember, these people had grown up in pagan customs, chief of which was this idolatrous festival of December 25th. It was a festival of merrymaking, with its special spirit. They enjoyed it! They did not want to give it up! Now this same article in the New Schaff-Herzog Encyclopedia of Religious Knowledge explains how the recognition by Constantine of Sunday, which had been the day of pagan sun worship, and how the influence of the pagan Manichaeism, which identified the SON of God with the physical SUN, gave these pagans of the fourth century, now turning over wholesale to "Christianity," their excuse for calling their pagan-festival date of December 25th (birthday of the SUN-god) the birthday of the SON of God. And that is how "Christmas" became fastened on our Western world! We may call it by another name, but it is the same old pagan sun-worshiping festival still! The only change is in what we call it! You can call a rabbit a "lion," but it is still a rabbit, just the same. Again from the Encyclopedia Britannica: "Certain Latins, as early as 354, may have transferred the birthday from January 6th to December 25, which was then a Mithraic feast, the birthday of the unconquered SUN. . . . The Syrians and Armenians, who clung to January 6th, accused the Romans of sun worship and idolatry, contending . . . that the feast of December 25th, had been invented by disciples of Cerinthus. . ." Herbert W. Armstrong (1892-1986) |
| If we got Christmas from the Roman Catholics, and they got it from paganism, where did the
pagans get it? Where, when, and what was its real origin? It is a chief custom of the corrupt system denounced all through Bible prophecies and teachings under the name of Babylon. And it started and originated in the original Babylon of ancient Nimrod! Yes, it stems from roots whose beginning was shortly this side of the Flood! Nimrod, grandson of Ham, son of Noah, was the real founder of the Babylonish system that has gripped the world ever since—the system of organized competition—of man-ruled governments and empires, based upon the competitive and profit-making economic system. Nimrod built the Tower of Babel, the original Babylon, ancient Nineveh, many other cities. He organized the world's first kingdom. The name Nimrod, in Hebrew, is derived from "Marad," meaning "he rebelled." From many ancient writings, considerable is learned of this man, who started the great organized worldly apostasy from God that has dominated this world until now. Nimrod was so evil, it is said he married his own mother, whose name was Semiramis. After Nimrod's untimely death, his so-called mother-wife, Semiramis, propagated the evil doctrine of the survival of Nimrod as a spirit being. She claimed a full-grown evergreen tree sprang overnight from a dead tree stump, which symbolized the springing forth unto new life of the dead Nimrod. On each anniversary of his birth, she claimed, Nimrod would visit the evergreen tree and leave gifts upon it. December 25th was the birthday of Nimrod. This is the real origin of the Christmas tree. Through her scheming and designing, Semiramis became the Babylonian "Queen of Heaven," and Nimrod, under various names, became the "divine son of heaven." Through the generations, in this idolatrous worship, Nimrod became the false Messiah, son of Baal the Sun-god. In this false Babylonish system, the "Mother and Child" (Semiramis and Nimrod reborn), became chief objects of worship. This worship of "Mother and Child" spread over the world. The names varied in different countries and languages. In Egypt, it was Isis and Osiris. In Asia, Cybele and Deoius. In pagan Rome, Fortuna and Jupiterpuer. Even in Greece, China, Japan, Tibet is to be found the counterpart of the Madonna, long before the birth of Christ! Thus, during the fourth and fifth centuries, when the pagans of the Roman world were "accepting" the new popular "Christianity" by hundreds of thousands, carrying their old pagan customs and beliefs along with them, merely cloaking them with Christian-sounding names, the Madonna and "Mother and Child" idea also became popularized, especially at Christmas time. Every Christmas season you will hear sung and chanted dozens of times the hymn "Silent Night, Holy Night," with its familiar "Mother and Child" theme. We, who have been born in such a Babylonish world, reared and steeped in these things all our lives, have been taught to revere these things as holy and sacred. We never questioned to see where they came from—whether they came from the Bible or from pagan idolatry! We are shocked to learn the truth—some, unfortunately, take offense at the plain truth! But God commands His faithful ministers, "Cry aloud, spare not, lift up thy voice like a trumpet, and show my people their transgression" (Isaiah 58:1). Shocking as these facts are, they are the plain facts of history and the Bible! I for one will ALWAYS CRY ALOUD the PLAIN TRUTH of the Word of God. Rainbow Pastor David The real origin of Christmas goes back to the ancient Babylon. It is bound up in the organized apostasy with which Satan has gripped a deceived world these many centuries! In Egypt, it was always believed that the son of Isis (Egyptian name for "Queen of Heaven") was born December 25th. Paganism celebrated this famous birthday over most of the known world for centuries before the birth of Christ. December 25th is not the birthday of Jesus the true Christ! The apostles and early true Church never celebrated Christ's birthday at any time. There is no command or instruction to celebrate it in the Bible—rather, the celebrating of birthdays is a pagan, not a Christian custom, believe it or not! Thus the ancient idolatrous "Chaldean Mysteries," founded by this wife of Nimrod, have been handed down through the pagan religions under new Christian-sounding names. Herbert W. Armstrong (1892-1986) |
| Where did we get this mistletoe custom? Among the
ancient pagans the mistletoe was used at this festival of the winter solstice
because it was considered sacred to the sun, because of its supposed
miraculous healing power. The pagan custom of kissing under the mistletoe was
an early step in the night of revelry and drunken debauchery—celebrating the
death of the "old sun" and the birth of the new at the winter
solstice. Mistletoe, sacred in pagan festivals, is a parasite! Holly berries were also considered sacred to the sun-god. The Yulelog is in reality the "sun log." Yule means "wheel," a pagan symbol of the sun. Yet today professing Christians speak of the "sacred yule-tide season!" Even the lighting of fires and candles as a Christmas ceremony is merely a continuation of the pagan custom, encouraging the waning sun-god as he reached the lowest place in the southern skies! The Encyclopedia Americana says: "The holly, the mistletoe, the Yule log . . . are relics of pre-Christian times." Of paganism! The book Answers to Questions, compiled by Frederick J. Haskins, found in public libraries, says: "The use of Christmas wreaths is believed by authorities to be traceable to the pagan customs of decorating buildings and places of worship at the feast which took place at the same time as Christmas. The Christmas tree is from Egypt, and its origin dates from a period long anterior to the Christian Era." Herbert W. Armstrong (1892-1986) |
| Exodus 20:2-6 “I am the Lord your God, who has brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery. “You shall have no other gods before Me. “You shall not make for yourself any idol, or any likeness (form, manifestation) of what is in heaven above or on the earth beneath or in the water under the earth [as an object to worship]. You shall not worship them nor serve them; for I, the Lord your God, am a jealous (impassioned) God [demanding what is rightfully and uniquely mine], visiting (avenging) the iniquity (sin, guilt) of the fathers on the children [that is, calling the children to account for the sins of their fathers], to the third and fourth generations of those who hate Me, but showing graciousness and steadfast lovingkindness to thousands [of generations] of those who love Me and keep My commandments.” God does care how we worship Him; He gives specific commands about how He wants to be glorified according to His standards and not our own. It does matter whether or not we share in the celebration of this world's pagan religious holidays. Though the Bible—the Word of God—makes no direct references to New Year's Eve, Lent, Easter, Halloween, or Christmas, the origins of these pagan holidays are mentioned as being abominations to God. Martin G. Collins Pagan Holidays |
|
Now when the people saw that Moses delayed coming down
from the mountain, they gathered together before Aaron and said to him,
“Come, make us a god who will go before us; as for this Moses, the man who
brought us up from the land of Egypt, we do not know what has become of him.”
So Aaron replied to them, “Take off the
gold rings that are in the ears of your wives, your sons and daughters, and
bring them to me.” So all the
people took off the gold rings that were in their ears and brought them to
Aaron. And he took the gold from their hands, and
fashioned it with an engraving tool and made it into a molten calf; and they
said, “This is your god, O Israel, who brought you up from the land of
Egypt.” Now when Aaron saw the
molten calf, he built an altar before it; and Aaron made a proclamation, and
said, “Tomorrow shall be a feast to the Lord!” So
they got up early the next day and offered burnt offerings, and brought peace
offerings; then the people sat down to eat and drink, and got up to play
[shamefully—without moral restraint]. Then the Lord said to Moses, “Go down at once, for your people,
whom you brought up from the land of Egypt, have corrupted themselves. They have quickly turned aside from the way which
I commanded them. They have made themselves a molten calf, and have worshiped
it and sacrificed to it, and said, ‘This is your god, O Israel, who brought
you up from the land of Egypt!’”
Proverbs 14:12 says, "There is a way that seems right to a man, but its end is the way of death." People say they keep Christmas and Easter to worship Christ, but they are also defining the nature of God according to their own ideas. Just as surely as the ancient Israelites blended paganism with what God truly revealed, so people do today. This is the basic principle of acts of presumption, and each of us has done this, not once, but sadly, repeatedly, even though we may know better. Jesus says in John 4:24, "God is Spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth," meaning we must worship to the fullest of God's intent as revealed in His Word, with every act guided and determined by His revealed truth. Yet, how many corners do we cut when we feel it serves us better at the time? John W. Ritenbaugh Presumption and Divine Justice (Part Two) |
| Deuteronomy 12:29-31 “When the Lord your God cuts off and destroys before you the nations which you are going in to dispossess, and you dispossess them and settle in their land, beware that you are not lured (ensnared) into following them, after they have been destroyed before you, and that you do not inquire about their gods, saying, ‘How did these nations serve their gods, so that I too may do likewise?’ You shall not behave this way toward the Lord your God, for they have done for their gods every repulsive thing which the Lord hates; for they even burn their sons and their daughters in the fire [as sacrifices] to their gods. Is it any wonder when the clergy—supposedly the guardians of religious purity—think so liberally, that the laity acts the way it does? The clergy shrug off the paganism in Christmas, claiming that it is harmless. Is it? Does it really make any difference whether we celebrate Christmas? It certainly matters to God, the Lawgiver! It was because of these heathen practices that God drove out the inhabitants of the land. He did not—and does not—want His people to get caught in the process of judgment and punishment that results from broken law! Notice that God says "that you are not ensnared." In the Bible, a snare is a figurative expression of destruction through deception. The snare itself does not destroy, but it leads to destruction. The Israelites heard these words in the last months before going into the Promised Land. God had set the land aside for them, but the people who inhabited it were still there. It was a ready-made nation for their use. The towns, fortifications, houses, farms, businesses—everything was ready for them to take over. We too were born into an ready-made society. The world was already here when we came into it, and because we had no alternative, we accepted it without resistance. We absorbed the culture because our parents taught it to us. However, with our calling God now has us moving in the other direction, away from this world. We must reject the false practices of those who have inhabited the land before us. John W. Ritenbaugh Christmas, Syncretism, and Presumption |
| Deuteronomy 12:30-31 Two arguments are often used to justify Christmas observance. 1) Many will reason this way: "But, even though the exact date of Jesus' birth is unknown, should we not select some date to celebrate as His birthday?" The answer is positively no! Notice the statement quoted from the Catholic Encyclopedia: "Sinners alone, not saints, celebrate their birthdays." The celebration of birthdays is not a Christian, but a pagan custom, observed by sinners! 2) But, many still reason, "Even so—even though Christmas was a pagan custom, honoring the false sun-god, we don't observe it to honor the false god, we observe it to honor Christ. But how does God answer in His Word? "Take heed to thyself that thou be not snared by following them [the pagans in their customs] . . . that thou enquire not after their gods, saying, How did these nations serve their gods? even so will I do likewise. Thou shalt not do so unto the LORD thy God: for every abomination to the Eternal, which he hateth, have they done unto their gods" (Deuteronomy 12:30-31). God says plainly in His Instruction Book to us, that He will not accept that kind of worship, even though intended in His honor. To Him, He says, it is offering what is abominable to Him, and therefore it honors, not Him, but false pagan gods. God says we must not worship Him according to the "dictates of our own conscience"—a term we often hear. But Jesus says plainly, "God is a spirit: and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth" (John 4:24). And what is truth? God's Word—the Holy Bible—said Jesus, is truth (John 17:17); and the Bible says God will not accept worship when people take a pagan custom or manner of worship and try to honor Christ with it. Again, Jesus said: "In vain they do worship me, teaching for doctrines the commandments of men" (Matthew 15:9). Christmas observance is a tradition of men, and the commandments of God, as quoted, forbid it. Jesus said, further, "full well ye reject the commandment of God, that ye may keep your own tradition." That is precisely what the millions are doing today. They ignore the commandment of God. He commands, regarding taking the customs of the pagans and using them to honor or worship God: "Thou shalt not do so unto the LORD thy God." Still, most people today take that command of God lightly, or as having no validity whatsoever, and follow the tradition of men in observing Christmas. Make no mistake! God will allow you to defy and disobey Him. He will allow you to follow the crowd and the traditions of men. He will allow you to sin. But He also says there is a day of reckoning coming. As you sow, so shall you reap! Jesus was the living Word of God in Person, and the Bible is the written Word of God. And we shall be judged, for eternity, by these words! They should not be taken lightly or ignored. Herbert W. Armstrong (1892-1986) |
| Proverbs 4:14-17 Do not enter the path of the wicked, And do not go the way of evil men. Avoid it, do not travel on it; Turn away from it and pass on. For the wicked cannot sleep unless they do evil; And they are deprived of sleep unless they make someone stumble and fall. For they eat the bread of wickedness And drink the wine of violence. A popular question during the Vietnam War was, "What if they threw a war and nobody came?" This illustrates that we condone and lend support to activities we attend. If everyone obeyed God by refusing to keep pagan holidays, one of Satan's ploys to obscure God's plan for mankind would be thwarted. The Bible is very clear that we should avoid, flee, or turn away from the ways of this world and beware of their entry into the church of God (II Timothy 3:1-5). Martin G. Collins Pagan Holidays |
| Proverbs 14:12 “There is a way which seems right to a man and appears straight before him, But its end is the way of death.” Not all presumption is careless drifting. Unfortunately, strong evidence exists to show that much of modern liberalism in religion was deliberately planned and executed. A Layman's Guide to Protestant Theology by William Hordern, p. 74, refers to this: The method of liberalism includes the attempt to modernize Christianity. The world, liberals argue, has changed radically since the early creeds of Christendom were formulated; this makes the creeds sound archaic and unreal to modern man. We have to rethink Christianity in thought forms which the modern world can comprehend. Fosdick argued that we must express the essence of Christianity, its "abiding experiences," but that we must not identify these with the "changing categories" in which they have been expressed in the past. For example, says Fosdick, an abiding experience of Christianity has been its conviction that God will triumph over evil. This has been traditionally pictured in the category of Christ's second coming on the clouds to destroy evil and set up good. We can no longer retain the outworn category, but we can still believe the truth which this ancient thought form was trying to express. We can continue to work in the faith that, through His devoted followers, God is now building His Kingdom and that there will be a renewing of life, individual and social, to bring it into conformity with the will of God. The essence of the faith is thus retained, argues Fosdick, which the thought form in which it was once clothed has been abandoned. A second aspect of the method of liberalism is its refusal to accept religious belief on authority alone. Instead, it insists that all beliefs must pass the bar of reason and experience. Man's mind is capable of thinking God's thoughts after Him. Man's intuitions and reason are the best clues that we have to the nature of God. The mind must be kept open to all truth regardless of from whence it comes. This means that the liberal must have an open mind; no questions are closed. New facts may change the convictions that have become hallowed by custom and time. The liberal will venture forth into the unknown, firmly believing that all truth must be God's truth. In this spirit, the liberal accepts the higher criticism of the Bible and the theory of evolution. He refuses to have a religion that is afraid of truth or that tries to protect itself from critical examination. (emphasis added) Is it any wonder, when those who are supposed to be the primary protectors of religious purity think the way they do, that the laity behaves as they do? Does it really make any difference? Certainly, because the almighty God on high definitely thinks it makes a difference! Hardly anything more clearly illustrates the self-deceived perverseness of human nature as its presumptuous additions of the observation of Christmas and Easter to the worship of the God of the Bible. That Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea is indisputable, but among other things, He was not born on December 25, nor did anybody exchange gifts on that date. Scripture nowhere says there were three wise men, and it is clear they gave gifts only to Christ as King. Regarding Easter, Jesus was not resurrected on a Sunday morning, nor was He crucified on a Friday afternoon. It is impossible to squeeze three days and three nights, which Jesus Himself said would be the length of time He would spend in the tomb (Matthew 12:40), between Friday afternoon and Sunday morning. Even so, fantastically detailed and emotionally appealing traditions have presumptuously been built around both these events and have been taught to a deceived public as though they were true. Beyond what has been already mentioned regarding these days, where in God's Word does He command that we believe and do these commonly accepted practices? Men have presumptuously taken them upon themselves. The addition of Christmas and Easter to Christianity happened so long ago that they have come to be accepted as part of the Christian religion, and most people celebrate them without thought. Nevertheless, adding to so-called Christian beliefs has not ended—in fact, it is still happening. The late Pope John Paul II was an ardent ecumenist. He circled the globe many times in his travels and embraced in conference many non-Catholics in his effort to bring all into one fold. His successor, Pope Benedict XVI, has pledged to continue that effort. Recently, their representatives achieved a decisive victory in forging a much closer alliance with the Anglican Church. However, Anglican leaders could take this step only by abandoning the firm foundation of a former doctrine and thus joining Catholics in accepting a presumptuous addition that the latter already believe. A headline in the Seattle Post Intelligencer, May 17, 2005, reads, "Catholics, Anglicans reach accord on Mary: Statement closes big gap between churches." The article explains: The historical separation between Roman Catholics and Anglicans has narrowed after both found common ground on the position of Mary, mother of Jesus, according to a document conceived at the highest church levels. . . . Anglicans, already close to Catholics because of liturgy and traditions, have moved even closer through their understanding of Mary as outlined in the joint statement, which took five years and an international committee to complete. Bringing back the departed brethren has been a strong focus of the Catholic Church since the Counter-Reformation that followed the Protestant Reformation, which had dealt Catholicism a powerful blow in the sixteenth century. However, it was not until the "New Age Movement" began in earnest during the mid-1970s—with its strong, insistent call for a paradigm shift toward greater tolerance and radical thinking in religious beliefs and values—that the stage was set for ecumenical efforts to succeed. The following quotation from the same article publicly undressed, as it were, the Anglican Church: The document seeks to transcend past controversies on Catholic dogma, including the Immaculate Conception and the Assumption of Mary. While not spelled out specifically in the Bible, such beliefs can be interpreted through Scripture, according to the 80-paragraph document. The result might be an elevation, or at least a heightened acknowledgment, of the place of Mary—particularly for Anglicans, the denomination born in England during the Reformation and called the Episcopal Church in the United States. Anglicanism is considered closest to Catholicism because it gives Mary a pre-eminent place among the saints, includes her in Communion prayers and holds six Marian feast days. Among other matters, Catholics and Protestants disagree over the Catholic dogmas of the Immaculate Conception—the assertion that Mary lived a life free from sin from the moment she was conceived—and the Assumption, the belief that her body and soul were taken into heaven when her earthly life ended. Those dogmas have "created problems not only for Anglicans but also for other Christians," the document said, largely because they are not explicitly supported by Scripture. But those dogmas also "can be said to be consonant with the teaching of the Scriptures and the ancient common traditions," said the document, titled "Mary: Grace and Hope in Christ." (emphasis added) How can either of these two doctrines be biblically derived? They cannot! The Catholic Church has long acknowledged that the role they give Mary cannot be supported by Scripture alone, so now both the Catholic and Anglican churches have admitted through the publication of this document that these teachings are based upon mere human tradition. In the distant past, someone decided that honoring Mary in this way would be "nice," or perhaps he used the word "appropriate," because she was chosen by God to bear His Son in her womb, and besides, she seems to be such a good woman. However, the Scriptures call for no such elevation in status, and they certainly never claim that she lived a perfect, sinless life! Now the Roman Catholic Church has gone so far as to claim she is co-savior with Christ! Such presumption seems beyond the bounds of honest, spiritual reasoning, but the Catholic Church has similarly declared Sunday to be the day of worship, replacing God's Sabbath. They have published articles openly admitting that, if one uses the Bible alone, then the Sabbath is the only acceptable day of worship. In those same articles, they have also been honest in stating that they have made this change from Sabbath to Sunday on their own authority. On these issues, their presumption is not hidden! But this is arrogant and bold hubris on a massive scale, enabled only because Satan has managed to deceive the whole world (Revelation 12:9). The overwhelming majority of people calling themselves Christian are so unconcerned—that is, tolerant and careless—they live thinking that it does not matter to God.John W. Ritenbaugh Presumption and Divine Justice |
| Ezekiel 9:4 In order to sigh and cry successfully, we must believe God. This is vital! In this context, it means that we need to believe how He defines sin. For instance, we must never come to think that "weeping for Tammuz" (Ezekiel 8:13-14) is really not all that bad. God calls it an abomination! If He calls it that, that is exactly what it is, and we need to accept His definition. To use a more contemporary example, many "good" folk in the world observe Christmas, sincerely believing that they are worshiping God. They will actually say, "This is how I worship God," but we understand that how they worship God does not amount to a hill of beans! Only God can define how we are to worship Him, and it is for us to follow Him and act accordingly. We need, then, not just to know the law, but also to believe that it defines sin for all time. Some people can see sin right before their eyes, they can hear it around them, they can live amidst it, but they can never sigh and cry over it because they refuse to allow God's law to be the standard of their behavior. History is replete with examples of this, but we will look only at one. Who of the Jewish leadership—except for Joseph of Arimathea, Nicodemus, and perhaps a few others—sighed and cried over the perpetration of an illegal trial that resulted in Christ's death? In John 16:20, where He is speaking to His disciples on the evening before His crucifixion, Jesus says, "Most assuredly, I say to you that you will weep and lament, but the world will rejoice." The world, rejecting God's standards, rejoices at injustice and sin. Human nature can and does rationalize large-scale sin and social injustice, such as the Holocaust, sin that fills the land with vast violence. It can simply rationalize such atrocities on racial, economic, and religious grounds. We in God's church must come to avoid partiality, mentioned in Leviticus 19:15, as we interpret the news and the social injustices that we see around us. After all, God did not ask Ezekiel to identify Israel's sins in his tour of Jerusalem in Ezekiel 8. God identified the sin for him, even when it was committed in secret. God calls out the sins in His Word, defining the abominations in His law, and we need to know those laws and believe that they are indeed sin. And we need to cry and sigh. Charles Whitaker The Torment of the Godly (Part Two) |
| Daniel 9:24-27 What good is understanding the Seventy Weeks Prophecy? First, on chronological grounds, it destroys three of false Christianity's holidays surrounding Jesus: Christmas, Good Friday, and Easter. Second, it puts Christ's ministry and the founding of the church in their proper historical context, helping explain and vindicate the Bible. Third, it enhances our understanding of prophecy and helps us to watch for the correct world events as the end draws closer. Christ gave us the true signs of His coming, so we do not have to look for the false sign of Antichrist's treaty with the Jews. Richard T. Ritenbaugh 'Seventy Weeks Are Determined...' |
| Matthew 1:25 An anonymous quotation that made the rounds of the Internet last year runs, "Christmas is weird. What other time of year do you sit in front of a dead tree and eat candy out of your socks?" Though it may induce a chuckle from its readers, most people either miss or ignore the larger point: Christmas is a bundle of contradictions, inanities, and outright lies. The astounding fact is that most people are aware of this. On a Christmas Eve radio show, a local preacher substituted for the regular host. His topic of discussion centered on the greeting "Merry Christmas!" and he asked if, in our multicultural, multi-religious society, this was offensive. One caller said, no, Christianity was still the majority religion in America, but what really troubled her was the fact that professing Christians promoted the traditional lie that Jesus was born on December 25. Without missing a beat, the preacher/talk-show host then explained to the audience that his caller was correct, Jesus could not have been born around the winter solstice, and that, in the early fourth century, the Catholic Church had combined the Roman winter solstice festival, the Saturnalia, with a celebration of Jesus' birth to help new converts adjust to Christianity. He treated these facts as common knowledge. His "resolution" to the conundrum, however, was revealing. The gist of his answer to the troubled caller was, "If Christians would live according to the teachings of Jesus, these contradictions would not matter." I had to shake my head. Neither the host nor the caller could see the self-contradictory nature of his answer. Did not Jesus teach that we are to be honest? Certainly, He did! He tells the rich young ruler in Matthew 19:16-18 that, to have eternal life, he should not bear false witness, which is the ninth commandment (Exodus 20:16). In the Sermon on the Mount, He says, "But let your 'Yes' be 'Yes,' and your 'No,' 'No.' For whatever is more than these is from the evil one" (Matthew 5:37). We could say, then, that keeping a celebration to Christ on a day that is not His birthday—with customs and traditions that derive from paganism—is from the evil one. It is a lie, and the Devil is the father of it (John 8:44). This is what makes the oft-heard phrase, "Let's put Christ back into Christmas!" so laughable. It is another self-contradictory statement. How can we put Christ back into something in which He never was in the first place? Search the Bible from Genesis to Revelation, and no command—not even a suggestion—to commemorate the Savior's birth will be found. It is amazing to consider that professing Christians around the world keep days and festivals never once enjoined on them in God's Word (Sunday, Good Friday, Easter, Halloween, Christmas), yet the ones God tells them to keep (the Sabbath, Passover, God's holy days), they ignore! What about the real central character of Christmas, Santa Claus? Today's jolly old elf—a roly-poly old man in a red suit trimmed in white; big, black boots; spectacles; long, white beard; and a "ho-ho-ho"—was the brainchild of Coca-Cola's marketing department early in the last century. He was based loosely on the English Father Christmas and the German Kris Kringle. This figure, in turn, has blended with the early "Christian" Saint Nicholas, a churchman who was known for spreading the wealth to needy members of his community, sometimes throwing sacks of coins through open windows and down chimneys. Where is the biblical basis for such a character? He may be present in the modern crèche, but no one like him appears in the gospel narratives of Jesus' birth. Then there is the season's alternate name, Yule. Where does that come from? Check the origin in the dictionary: "a pagan midwinter festival." Another contradiction! The preacher/talk-show host made mention of this point too, chuckling about how so many people do not realize that their Yule log hearkens back to the heathen practice of driving away evil spirits with bonfires on the night of the winter solstice! Now, however, it is just another way to stir up Christmas cheer! No harm in that, right? If these pagan, unbiblical elements are so commonly known, why does the Christmas tradition continue? Three reasons come to the fore: » Because the carnal mind is enmity against God; for it is not subject to the law of God, nor indeed can be. (Romans 8:7) » The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked; who can know it? (Jeremiah 17:9) » The prophets prophesy falsely, and the priests rule by their own power; and My people love to have it so. (Jeremiah 5:31) Christmas continues because human nature deceives itself into practicing things that are not right because they are enjoyable. Human nature allows people to justify self-contradictory things because they appear to produce benefits for them. In such a case, truth does not matter; all that matters is that a person receives presents and has a good time. And if a religious significance—real or imagined—can be attached to it, all the better! We should not expect people to give up Christmas anytime soon just because it has pagan origins. Human nature has a long history of explaining such pesky details away. Richard T. Ritenbaugh Cogitations on Christmas |
| Matthew 2:11 When it comes to the "most important" part of all in this Christmas observance—the Christmas shopping season—the buying and exchanging of gifts—many will exclaim triumphantly, "Well, at least the Bible tells us to do that! Didn't the wise men give gifts, when Christ was born?" Again, we are due for some surprises, when we learn the plain truth. First, let us look at the historic origin of trading gifts back and forth, then see exactly what the Bible does say about it. From the Bibliotheca Sacra, volume 12, pages 153-155, we quote, "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." The fact is, this custom fastened upon people of exchanging gifts with friends and relatives at the Christmas season has not a single trace of Christianity about it, strange though that may seem! This does not celebrate Christ's birthday or honor it or Him! Suppose someone you love has a birthday. You want to honor that person on his or her birthday. Would you lavishly buy gifts for everyone else, trading gifts back and forth with all your other friends and loved ones, but ignore completely any gift for the one whose birthday you are honoring? Rather absurd, when viewed in that light, is it not? Yet this is exactly what people the world over are doing! They honor a day that is not Christ's birthday by spending every dime they can scrape together—even spending what they cannot afford—in buying presents to trade back and forth among friends and relatives. Now consider what the Bible says about giving gifts when Christ was born. It is in Matthew 2:1-11. "Now when Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of Herod the king, behold there came wise men from the east to Jerusalem, saying, Where is he that is born King of the Jews?' . . . And when they were come into the house, they saw the young child with Mary His mother, and fell down, and worshiped him: and when they had opened their treasures, they presented unto HIM gifts; gold and frankincense, and myrrh." Notice, they inquired for the child Jesus, who was born King of the Jews! Now why did they present gifts to Him? Because it was His birthday? Not at all, because they came several days or weeks after the date of His birth! Was it to set an example for us, today, to trade gifts back and forth among ourselves? No, notice carefully! They did not exchange gifts among themselves, but "they presented unto Him gifts." They gave their gifts to Christ, not to their friends, relatives, or one another! Why? Let me quote from the Adam Clarke Commentary, volume 5, page 46: "Verse 11. (They presented unto him gifts.) The people of the East never approach the presence of kings and great personages, without a present in their hands. The custom is often noticed in the Old Testament, and still prevails in the East, and in some of the newly discovered South Sea Islands." There it is! They were not instituting a new Christian custom of exchanging gifts with friends to honor Christ's birthday. They were following an old and ancient eastern custom of presenting gifts to a king when they come into his presence. They were approaching Him, born King of the Jews, in person. Therefore custom required they present gifts—even as the Queen of Sheba brought gifts to Solomon—even as many people today take a gift along when they visit the White House for an appointment with the President. No, the custom of trading gifts back and forth does not stem from this scriptural incident at all, but rather, as quoted from history above, it is the continuance of an ancient pagan custom. Herbert W. Armstrong (1892-1986) |
| Mark 7:8 Like ancient Israel, we can easily fall back into our former ways. The Israelites rejected the law of God and relied on the traditions of Gentile nations. Elijah had to take drastic measures to prevent Baal worship from completely eradicating the worship of the true God (I Kings 18:20-40). Some of Judah's kings spent years tearing down shrines and high places to foreign gods (II Chronicles 34:1-7). Christ warned the Pharisees: "For laying aside the commandments of God, you hold the traditions of men." For example, Christmas and Easter are traditions of men, but they are lies. What happens if a person, trying to establish a religion, mixes falsehood with the truth of God? Recall God's wrath when Aaron made a golden calf at the urging of the Israelites in the wilderness and proclaimed a feast to the Lord (Exodus 32:1-5). Observing Christmas and Easter in the name of Christ is no different. Blending the lies of this world with the truth of God produces a foul mixture called syncretism (James 3:10-13). "Christian" religions of this world have mixed the traditions of paganism with some of the truth of God's Word. This is no different from what Israel was doing when Amos wrote back in 760 BC. Since their rejection of the house of David under Jeroboam I, the Israelites had practiced a syncretistic religion (Amos 5:21-26; 8:14; I Kings 12:25-33). John W. Ritenbaugh Prepare to Meet Your God! (The Book of Amos) (Part Two) |
| Luke 2:8 Since the shepherds were still in the fields with their flocks (verse 8), Jesus' birth could not have occurred during the cold-weather months of winter. Sheep were normally brought into centrally located pens or corrals as the weather turned colder and the rainy season began, especially at night. If this were not significant, it begs the question, "Why would Luke have mentioned it in such detail if not to convey a time reference?" Notice what commentator Adam Clarke writes regarding this: It was a custom among the Jews to send out their sheep to the deserts [wilderness], about the Passover, and bring them home at the commencement of the first rain: during the time they were out, the shepherds watched them night and day. As the Passover occurred in the spring, and the first rain began early in the month of Marchesvan, which answers to part of our October and November, we find that the sheep were kept out in the open country during the whole of the summer. And as these shepherds had not yet brought home their flocks, it is a presumptive argument that October had not yet commenced, and that, consequently, our Lord was not born on the 25th of December, when no flocks were out in the fields; nor could He have been born later than September, as the flocks were still in the fields by night. On this very ground the nativity in December should be given up. The feeding of the flocks by night in the fields is a chronological fact, which casts considerable light on this disputed point. (Clarke's Commentary, vol. V, p. 370) John O. Reid (1930-2016) When Was Jesus Born? |
| Luke 2:8 It is evident this could not have been in late December! December nights, even in Israel, can be cold and wet with occasional snowfall. Shepherds in that area were known to have brought their sheep from the fields into the folds in the fall of the year. The evidence currently available indicates that Jesus was born in the autumn of the year 4 BC—perhaps on the Feast of Trumpets! Staff |
Jesus was not born in the winter season! When the Christ-child was born "there were in the same country shepherds abiding in the fields, keeping watch over their flock by night" (Luke 2:8). This could never have occurred in Judea in the month of December. The shepherds always brought their flocks from the mountainsides and fields and corralled them not later than October 15, to protect them from the cold, rainy season that followed that date. Notice that the Bible itself proves, in Song of Solomon 2:11 and Ezra 10:9, 13, that winter was a rainy season not permitting shepherds to abide in open fields at night. "It was ancient custom among Jews of those days to send out their sheep to the fields and deserts about the Passover (early spring), and bring them home at commencement of the first rain," says the Adam Clarke Commentary (vol. 5, p. 370, New York ed.). Continuing, this authority states: "During the time they were out, the shepherds watched them night and day. As . . . the first rain began early in the month of Marchesvan, which answers to part of our October and November [begins sometime in October], we find that the sheep were kept out in the open country during the whole summer. And, as these shepherds had not yet brought home their flocks, it is a presumptive argument that October had not yet commenced, and that, consequently, our Lord was not born on the 25th of December, when no flocks were out in the fields; nor could He have been born later than September, as the flocks were still in the fields by night. On this very ground, the nativity in December should be given up. The feeding of the flocks by night in the fields is a chronological fact." Any encyclopedia, or any other authority, will tell you that Christ was not born on December 25. The Catholic Encyclopedia frankly states this fact. The exact date of Jesus' birth is entirely unknown, as all authorities acknowledge—though there are indications that it was in the early fall—probably September—approximately six months after Passover. If God had wished us to observe and celebrate Christ's birthday, He would not have so completely hidden the exact date. Herbert W. Armstrong (1892-1986) |
| John 4:23-24 “But a time is coming and is already here when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit [from the heart, the inner self] and in truth; for the Father seeks such people to be His worshipers. God is spirit [the Source of life, yet invisible to mankind], and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth.” Several years ago, WorldNetDaily published a controversial exposé that spotlighted one of the more frequent skirmishes in our current culture war. Masterfully written by Joe Kovacs, "Christmas in America becomes battleground" reveals the pagan origins of this esteemed tradition and demonstrates why increasing numbers of "fundamentalist Christians" are realizing that one cannot "put Christ" back into something in which He never was. Apologist C.S. Lewis, in his book Mere Christianity, asserts that one of Satan's most common ploys is to "send error into the world in pairs"—pairs of opposites—"and then he encourages us to spend a lot of time thinking, Which is the worst?" Satan persuades us to argue over two options, or two points of view, neither one of which is true. Regardless of which side carries the argument, Satan wins the day. In the current war over Christmas and religious symbols, Satan has pitted the secular humanists, who want to blot out Christianity and encourage almost any other form of worship, against mainstream Christians, who are fighting for the right to worship as they see fit by putting evergreen trees in schools per Jeremiah 10:2-5. Atheists and agnostics arrayed against Christmas-bent "Christians"—for whom do we root? The truth of the matter is that Satan is the real winner regardless of the outcome. As Mr. Kovacs' article shows, the truth about the pagan origins of Christmas is easily researched. Any good encyclopedia will show that the timing and trappings of this celebration long predate Christianity. December 25 has been a focal point of sun-worship for millennia. The pagan origins of this day are so well-documented that the real question is, "What business do Christians have in trying to "Christianize" something that has been blatantly anti-God from the very beginning?" Is this worshipping God in spirit and in truth? God was so concerned that ancient Israel would begin adopting the pagan ways of the Canaanites—even under the auspices of worshipping the true God—that He gave the children of Israel a categorical warning: When the LORD your God cuts off from before you the nations which you go to dispossess, and you displace them and dwell in their land, take heed to yourself that you are not ensnared to follow them, after they are destroyed from before you, and that you do not inquire after their gods, saying, "How did these nations serve their gods? I also will do likewise." You shall not worship the LORD your God in that way; for every abomination to the LORD which He hates they have done to their gods; for they burn even their sons and daughters in the fire to their gods. Whatever I command you, be careful to observe it; you shall not add to it nor take away from it. (Deuteronomy 12:29-32) God is very specific in the way that He wants to be worshiped! He has not given us permission to worship Him in just any way that seems right to us. He warns His people specifically in these verses, as well as in Revelation 22:18-19, not to add to His instructions, nor to take away from them, and this is clearly within the context of adopting pagan practices in conjunction with worshipping Him. Christmas may not involve physical child-sacrifice—although in spirit millions of children are being sacrificed on the altar of materialism—but the stench of this celebration is odious nonetheless because it is still idolatry: replacing the true worship of God with a false one. The Bible does not specify when Jesus Christ was born (although the best deduction is that it was in the autumn—see "When Was Jesus Born?" Forerunner, December 1994). More importantly, the Bible does not give any instruction in celebrating His birth, nor any example of the first-century church doing so, nor any indication that the celebration of birthdays is pleasing to God at all! Even this idea has come from paganism, rather than from God's Instruction Book for mankind. Is this, then, worshipping God in spirit and in truth? Is it any wonder that our Savior says, "These people draw near to Me with their mouth, and honor Me with their lips, but their heart is far from Me. And in vain they worship Me, teaching as doctrines the commandments of men" (Matthew 15:8-9); and "All too well you reject the commandment of God, that you may keep your tradition" (Mark 7:9); and "[you make] the word of God of no effect through your tradition which you have handed down. And many such things you do" (Mark 7:13)? Human nature has the rebellious proclivity to do only what it wants to do, even when told by God Himself to do things differently (Romans 8:7)! We see, then, that on one pole are the secularists, who believe the lie that God should not be a part of their lives. On the other pole are mainstream Christians, who believe the lie that syncretism is an acceptable form of worship. But in either case, the trail of lies indicates who the real "holiday spirit" is. David C. Grabbe |
| Romans 10:1-3 “Brothers and sisters, my heart’s desire and my prayer to God for Israel is for their salvation. For I testify about them that they have a certain enthusiasm for God, but not in accordance with [correct and vital] knowledge [about Him and His purposes]. For not knowing about God’s righteousness [which is based on faith], and seeking to establish their own [righteousness based on works], they did not submit to God’s righteousness.” Interestingly, a commentator writes that "they being ignorant of" (verse 3) could be translated into "for they ignoring," which puts a different sense on Paul's thought. When one is ignorant, he just does not know. Perhaps knowledge was withheld from him. On the other hand, when one ignores knowledge, it is readily available, but he turns his back on it. Are modern Israelites who celebrate Christmas really deceived? Is the deception so strong that they cannot see it? A self-deceived person is ignoring truth rather than ignorant of it, and if that indeed is Paul's emphasis, it makes this Christmas question much more serious. It means that people are accountable for what they are doing, and therefore, they will pay more for it than if they acted in ignorance. Most Americans are aware that many of the Christmas traditions have no connection with Christianity. Almost every year, articles on the origins of various Christmas customs appear in the newspapers, especially in the larger cities. The authors of these articles cannot trace any of the "modern" traditions back to the Bible because most of the customs came from pre-Christian traditions in Germany, Norway, Russia, Holland, and other nations. Thus, people cannot claim that such knowledge was withheld from them. John W. Ritenbaugh |
What we observe in the world around us confirms that end-time Israel is following the same spiritual pattern that our ancestors established anciently. Human nature does not change. These verses verify that some knowledge of God remains within the Israelitish nations. However, theirs is not an enlightened, discerning, and intelligent zeal for God. Rather, God says in Hosea 4:6 that His people—in this case meaning ancient Israel—are destroyed for a lack of true knowledge. God then lays the greater blame on the teachers for their failure to teach truth. The Interpreter's Commentary says that "ignorant" in Romans 10:3 can correctly be translated as "ignoring," revealing a deliberate disregarding of God's righteousness. The broader history of Old Testament Israel shows that God's Word was available, but the people did not access it to seek God. Thus, their ignorance was not completely the teacher's fault; the people should have studied the Bible on their own. Paul explains in Romans 1:18-21 that man is without excuse before Him because knowledge of God is available. The contrast Paul provides in Romans 10:1-3 indicates that the teaching the Israelites received produced at best a vague, superficial base of knowledge about God. This is not a foundation of true knowledge that will work to produce a good relationship between God and man. We can see an example of this kind of teaching in our time. Most of us have seen what is happening in so many churches these days, most especially in the mega-churches. Their services come across as superficial entertainment that gives people an upbeat social experience that contains some religious instruction. They come up short in teaching high-quality biblical truths to enhance people's relationships with God. It has produced a people who believe that they are saved and going to heaven immediately after death, and who think God's laws are done away. They keep Christmas and Easter, which are obviously pagan holidays, and at the same time fail to keep the Sabbaths, which both Jesus and Paul clearly kept. How can they be following Christ when they do not do what He did and in fact do what pagans do? Where is God in the minds of those who conduct their lives like this? In truth, what they think about Him is nowhere near the truth because neither they nor their teachers make the effort to know Him (John 17:3). They know some things about Him, but they do not know Him. If they did, they would be seeking Him, and He would be revealing truth. Where should they be seeking Him? They must begin in the Scriptures. In them, two things are beyond dispute: first, that God is the Supreme Sovereign over His creation, His purpose for creating it, and His plan for fulfilling it; and second, that man is responsible to this awesome Creator. John W. Ritenbaugh |
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decide to Worship God in Spirit and Truth, Rainbow Pastor David
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