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The Origin Of Christmas!
Christmas is a holiday which is celebrated by most of the religions in the world. To most people it's a favourite time of the year to give gifts, party, and feast. This holiday unites all of professing Christendom. It's spirit gives way for these people to cut down evergreen trees, decorating them together with their homes and Churches with silver and gold ornaments and lights, around which families make merry and give gifts to one another.
At twilight on December 24th, many families, and Churches, participate in customs like burning the Yule log, singing around the decorated tree, kissing under the mistletoe and holly, and perhaps attending a late night service or midnight mass. Different cultures have different Christmas traditions and customs, which all tend to revolve around pagan philosophies. Do we ever question why we believe in the things that we do? Or do we rather just ignore it and obey the traditions and simply, as lost sheep, follow the crowd? We know that sheep ignorantly follow others to the slaughter; but humans ought to be more careful where they're going, and why, don't you agree?
Where did the customs and traditions of Christmas come from? and what is it's true meaning? As a Christian, you would want to worship our LORD in Spirit and in truth, discerning good from evil, right? Well, the truth may shock you, because the customs and traditions of Christmas were already popular many centuries before the birth of our Lord and Messiah; and a study of it does reveal just that, and much, much more!
Christmas is a 'collection' of customs and traditions from many 'heathen' cultures and Nations around the world. The 25th day of December comes from Rome and was a celebration of the Italic god 'Saturn' (Saturnalia), and the rebirth of the sun-god 'Mithras'. This was a heathen practise long before the Messiah's birth. Pre-Christian Romans and Chaldeans, and other pagans, noticed that daylight began to increase after December 22nd, a day in which they assumed that the sun-god died. They believed that the sun god rose from the dead three days later as the new-born and venerable sun, thus they figured that to be the reason for the increasing daylight. Based on this philosophy, the Roman Emperor Constantine I the Great decreed an edict in 321 AD stating: "On the venerable day of the Sun let the Magistrates and the people residing in the cities rest, and let all workshops be closed. "Hence we have what is called 'Dies Solis' (SUN-day).
This believe caused much excitement and celebration. Gift giving and merriment filled Rome's temples, as sacred priests of Saturn, called 'dendrophori' carried evergreen wreaths in procession. In Germany, the evergreen tree was used in worship and celebration of the Yule god, also in observance of the re-born sun-god. The evergreen tree was a symbol of the essence of life, (which goes way back to Nimrod, his wife [queen of heaven], and her son Tammuz), and was regarded as a phallic symbol in fertility worship. Both holly and mistletoe were hung in doorways of temples and homes to invoke powers of fertility in those who stood beneath it and kissed, causing the spirits of the fertility god and goddess to enter them.
This soon enticed people from all over the world. This warrants a question: How did these 'demonic-heathen' customs find their way into today's contemporary 'Christianity'; ranging from Catholicism to Protestantism to fundamentalist Churches? The answer is: In about 317 AD, Constantine married the kingdom of the controlling Roman Empire to all the willing religions of that day, and called it 'universal' Christianity. (universalism=Catholic; hence comes the name 'Roman Catholics'). Thus 'Babylonianism', which is the foundation of the Roman Empire, derived from and named after the confusing attributes of the tower of Babel which Nimrod built (Gen. 10), carried over by his wife 'the queen of heaven' (Jer. 7 and 44), and their son Tammuz (Ezek. 8); and the 'goddess of Diana' (mother of commerce and profits, Acts 19) etc. This 'demon-driven' religious system became accepted as Christianity! This is the Church and State (Pope and Emperor) system; which is still being systematically adopted, accepted, and indoctrinated by the whole contemporary traditional 'Christendom'!
I suggest that you study this for yourself, for your own safety. An easy start is to look up the Roman holidays under 'Festivals' in any reputable encyclopaedia, and follow words like; Christmas, Saturnalia, Brumalia, Mithra, Sols--Invictus, Dies Solis, etc. If you're willing to accept the truth, you will be shocked at how much of this information is revealed throughout the entire Bible (Old and New Testament); and as such it is an abomination to the eternal God of heaven and earth. This information is easily overlooked because we are generally not specifically looking for that kind of information when reading the Bible, but it's all there.
A study of the tactics of the Roman Church system reveals that in every case, it absorbed the general pagan customs and traditions of every tribe, religion, culture, and Nation in their efforts to 'increase' the number of people under their control; thereby greatly enhancing commerce in and for 'their' kingdom! Stats show that about 35% of the profits in the retail stores in North America (Canada & USA) is being generated around these festive seasons. So in short, the Roman (Catholic) Church offered these heathen cultures: "Bring your gods, goddesses, rituals and rites, and we will assign Christian flavoured titles and names to them". Thus it enticed, and has ensnared the professing 'Christian' world to willingly believe and adopt those lies; thinking, of course, that it's pleasing to our eternal God.
When Martin Luther, and others who took after him, started the reformation in 1517 AD, all of them took with them the paganism that was so firmly imbedded in the Roman system. These reformers left Christmas, and other pagan holidays, intact. In 1611, when King James II made the Bible available to the common people in England, they began to discover how clearly the heathen roots of Christmas are revealed in Scripture. Thus, the Puritans in England, and later in Massachusetts Colony, outlawed this holiday as 'witchcraft'! As more Bible versions are appearing, there is an ever-increasing celebrating of Christmas, as we draw closer to the second coming of our LORD and saving Messiah!
In both; witchcraft circles, and traditional-contemporary Christian Churches, the same traditions are used; which God clearly calls an abomination: 2Thus saith the LORD, Learn not the way of the heathen, and be not dismayed at the signs of heaven; for the heathen are dismayed at them. 3For the customs of the people are vain: for one cutteth a tree out of the forest, the work of the hands of the workman, with the axe. 4They deck it with silver and with gold; they fasten it with nails and with hammers, that it move not. 5They are upright as the palm tree, but speak not: they must needs be borne, because they cannot go. Be not afraid of them; for they cannot do evil, neither also is it in them to do good (Jer. 10:2-4). God tells us to fear and revere 'Him'; 'not' the powerless heathen gods!
So, what are the Abominations of Celebrating 'Christmas'?
It begins when young and vulnerable children, are being lied to by their parents about an idol god called 'Santa-Claus' who supposedly is capable of knowing all the children in the world, and has the capacity to reward or punish them as according to their last years' behavior. These are the same children which we discipline for lying. To say that Jesus was born in December is a lie! Although irrelevant, the true date is sometime in late summer/early fall, as according to the Scriptures (see Tract 11e). Wreaths, holly, mistletoe, Christmas trees, etc are strictly forbidden by God as heathen idols, and to say that these are Christian in any form, is a lie! ...idolaters, and all liars, shall have their part in the lake which burneth with fire and brimstone (Rev. 21:8).
Our LORD and Saviour never spoke of commemorating His birth, but commanded us to observe His Passover (Luke 22:19) in remembrance of the sacrifice of His suffering and death with which He redeemed us. He will keep it again with His followers when He returns: But I say unto you, I will not drink henceforth of this fruit of the vine, until that day when I drink it new with you in my Father's kingdom. (Matt. 26:29; read Matt. 26:19-30; Luke 22:14-20).
A true Christian knows that the ways of the world are usually the exact opposite of what the Scriptures command. Therefore, we can know, that if God commanded us to celebrate our Messiah's birthday, the world would 'not' be celebrating it. But He did not instruct us to celebrate it, wherefore, as He says, He is being worshipped in vain: But in vain they do worship me, teaching for doctrines the commandments of men (Matt. 15:9).
There is no record of the apostles celebrating Christmas. They would have known it if God had instituted it (John 14:26). Paul commands us to follow his traditions as Christ revealed them to him; and 'not' the traditions and observances of men: 11But I certify you, brethren, that the gospel which was preached of me is not after man. 12For I neither received it of man, neither was I taught it, but by the revelation of Jesus Christ (Gal. 1:11-12). Paul makes it abundantly clear that the Gospel that he preached was not after men, neither did it come from men. It is evident that he, just like Christ, did not teach or follow after the traditions and customs of men: Wherefore I beseech you, be ye followers of me (1 Cor. 4:16). 1Be ye followers of me, even as I also am of Christ. 2Now I praise you, brethren, that ye remember me in all things, and keep the ordinances, as I delivered them to you (1 Cor 11:1-2). ... the things that I write unto you are the commandments of the Lord (1 Cor. 14:37). He excoriates the people for observing heathen-pagan festivals of old: Ye observe days, and months, and times, and years. (Gal. 4:10).
There are a couple of birthday celebrations described in the Scriptures; one in the Old and one in the New Testament. Please read them, and see for yourselves what abominable events they turned out to be. God seems to take no pleasure in celebrating birthdays. These accounts are in Gen. 40, and Mark 6.
Think about it! Can we worship and honour God by involving ourselves with customs and traditions which He calls an abomination and forbids as 'idolatry'? Can we convince Him to somehow "Christianize" these customs and lies, so that we can be merry? Can we worship the Messiah by observing pagan traditions in HIS NAME? This is what He called 'worshipping Him in vain' BECAUSE OF keeping the traditions of men instead of God's Commandments (Mark 7; Matt. 15). There appears to be very little, if anything, RIGHT about celebrating Christmas!
http://corniebanman.com, 2009, Rev 2012. Scripture quotes are KJV. All emphasis mine.
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