The Truth About NEW YEAR'S!

The Truth About NEW YEAR'S!



How did the celebration of New Year's Eve begin? Why is the beginning of a year placed in the middle of a dead winter? And where did the many customs surrounding it originate?

by William H. Ellis

MOST people carelessly assume that celebrating New Year's Eve is a Christian custom.

But did the practice of "waiting the old year out" really come from the Bible?

Is January 1 the true beginning of a new year? Who has the AUTHORITY to determine when a new year begins?

An Ancient Pagan Custom

New Year's is one of the oldest and most universal of all pagan TRADITIONS! The custom of celebrating it has remained essentially unchanged for 4,000 years!

"There is scarcely a people, ancient or modern, savage or civilized," writes Theodor H. Gaster, in his definitive book "New Year", "which has not observed it ... in one form or another. Yet no other festival has been celebrated on so many different dates or in so many seemingly different ways."

In ancient Babylon, New Year's festivals were closely bound to the pagan feast called "Christmas" today. The little-known connection of New Year's with Christmas is made clear in our free booklet, "The PLAIN TRUTH About CHRISTMAS!" If you haven't read it before, write for it immediately.

When and how did New Year's celebrations originate? Who began the custom?

Notice the proof of history.

"Mesopotamia," writes Earl W. Count, "is the very ancient Mother of Civilization. Christmas began there, OVER FOUR THOUSAND YEARS AGO, as the festival which renewed the world for another year. The 'twelve days' of Christmas; the bright fires and probably the Yule log; the giving of presents; the carnivals with their floats, their merrymakings and clownings, the mummers who sing and play from house to house; the feastings; the church processions with their lights and song -- all these and more began there centuries before Christ was born. And they celebrated THE ARRIVAL OF A NEW YEAR!" ("4000 Years of Christmas", pp. 20-21.)

That is how it began. The celebration of New Year's began in ancient Babylonia in Mesopotamia. It was a pagan custom of ancient sun-worship 2000 years before the birth of Jesus.

The celebration of New Year's is never once commanded in the Bible. Jesus and the apostles never observed it. Moses forbade it!

Don't say "it doesn't matter." It does matter to God whether we adopt the customs of the heathen. Your Bible says, "Learn not the way of the heathen" (Jeremiah 10:2).


PHOTO CAPTION: New York's famed Times Square at midnight, December 31, as thousands gather to usher in the pagan Roman New Year. The undampended spirits of the crowd bring to mind the ancient Roman Saturnalia. Probably not one in the crowd really understands how Christ will solve the troubles brought on this world by its foolish pagan traditions!

A Pagan Roman Feast

The New Year's festivities that had originated in Babylon found their way to Greece and finally to Rome. The Romans called it "Saturnalia" -- in honor of Saturn. Among them it was extremely popular -- a time of revelings, drinking bouts, orgies -- finally ending in HUMAN SACRIFICE!

"The first day of the Saturnalia shifted during the lifetime of Rome ... it began around the middle of December ... and continued until January first. In its midst was December twenty-fifth, the day, as the Romans calculated, when the sun was at its lowest ebb ...." (E. W. Count's "4000 Years of Christmas", page 28.)

It was Julius Caesar, Emperor of pagan Rome, who instituted the New Year's festival on January first. In 46 B. C., Caesar adopted the Julian calendar. He transferred to the first of January ALL of the licentious customs surrounding the Roman Saturnalia!

Accepted by "Church Fathers"

But how did such a thoroughly pagan day ever insinuate itself into our modern "Christian" calendar?

Read the answer from church history -- about 375 A.D. This is the period Emperor Constantine imposed "Christianity" on the Roman world.

"There were many immigrants into the ranks of the Christians by this time," writes Earl W. Count. "The Church Fathers discovered to their alarm that they were also facing an invasion of pagan customs. The habit of Saturnalia was too strong to be left behind. At first the Church forbade it, but in vain" (page 31).

Rather than resist the influence of pagan customs, the Catholic Church fathers compromised!

"The Church finally succeeded in taking the merriment, the greenery, the lights, and the gifts from Saturn and giving them to the Babe of Bethlehem .... The pagan Romans became Christians -- but the Saturnalia remained!" (E.W. Count, page 31.)

Modern Christians have gone A STEP FURTHER!

Rather than present a gift to Jesus Christ on the day they falsely assume to be His birthday, the world is busily trading presents among themselves! Christ has been not only forgotten at Christmas time, but is not so much as toasted amidst the partying of New Year's Eve!

During the Middle Ages many of the ancient Roman customs were maintained and augmented by the incoming heathen rites of the Teutonic peoples. It was during this period that the customary yule log and mistletoe were added to the popular New Year's festivities. The yule log is a carry-over from the bonfires of sun-worship, and mistletoe is a parasite used in Druid rites as a symbol of sex-worship!

As Teutonic customs were added, the date of New Year's celebrations was temporarily changed to March 25, to coincide with the Germanic spring rites of fertility.

Finally Pope Gregory re-instituted the ancient pagan Roman date of January first. He imposed it on the whole Western world in 1582 when his Gregorian calendar "reforms" were accepted. All Roman Catholic countries accepted this change AT ONCE! Sweden, Germany, Denmark and England, the strongholds of Druid customs, finally acquiesced to Rome in the 1700's!

The Modern Attitude of Compromise

Today, New Year's Eve has become a time for people to wallow in excesses of liquor! The modern attitude seems to be, "have a wild time on New Year's Eve, and turn over a new leaf on New Year's Day!"

New Year's resolutions are empty and meaningless, usually trifling matters of jest! Few people make a lasting change.

Most people seem to have convinced themselves that God is out of the picture for good. That God is not concerned with their modern revelings, drunken parties, promiscuous behavior!

What does God have to say about New Year's? Does He condone observing a pagan festival? practicing pagan customs in the name of Christ?

God Labels New Year's "PAGAN"!

God Almighty does not compromise! Notice the Eternal's stern warning to Israel as they conquered the pagan nations of the promised land:

"Take heed to thyself that thou be not snared by following them, after that they be destroyed from before thee; and that thou INQUIRE 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 ETERNAL THY GOD: for EVERY ABOMINATION to the Eternal, WHICH HE HATETH, have they done to their gods ...." (Deut. 12:30-31.)

What were the customs God hates and condemns in Deuteronomy? What are those pagan rites that are an ABOMINATION to Him?

These very rites and customs practiced in ancient Canaan and Syria included the NEW YEAR'S FESTIVALS! From the ancient Canaanites the Greeks learned the same rites.


Greek God of WINE!

Theodor H. Gaster writes concerning the familiar "New Year's babe":

"Actually the New Year babe is FAR OLDER than he looks. In ancient Greece, it was customary at the great festival of Dionysus to parade a babe cradled in a winnowing basket. This was taken to symbolize the annual (or periodic) rebirth of that god as the spirit of fertility!" (New Year.)




Who was this Dionysus?

None other than Bacchus -- the god of wine! In his honor the Greeks held a festival called the "Festival of the Wine-Press" at the time which corresponds to our months of January-February!

Today more alcoholic beverages are consumed during the "holiday season" than at any other time of the year! New Year's Eve is noted for its licentious, wild, and wanton partying. People are deceived by riotous pagan holiday spirits -- for the most part emanating from liquor bottles -- all the while calling it "Christian"!

"Father Time"
Another symbol of New Year's celebrations is equally pagan! It is the familiar figure of a white-haired man carrying a scythe. What does he represent? The ancient Greek god Cronos. It is from the name "Cronos" we derive our "chronograph" which measures time.

Among the Greek gods, Cronos originally cut a swath of HUMAN SACRIFICE with his sharpened scythe! The "silent reaper" anciently "reaped" little children in horrible episodes of mythical CANNIBALISM! This Greek rite of human sacrifice was adopted by ancient Rome, where human sacrifice was practiced at least until 300 A. D.

No wonder God Almighty warns the pagan New Year's celebration is AN ABOMINATION to Him! See Deuteronomy 12:31.

Strange as it seems, the professing Christian world praises and practices customs and days of pagan origin -- thinly cloaking them in "Christian" sounding names! You too, may have accepted these vain traditions of men, never realizing they are PAGAN TO THE CORE!

"In VAIN do they worship me," said Jesus Christ, "teaching for doctrines the commandments of men!"

Jesus said it is possible to WORSHIP GOD -- to venerate the NAME of Christ -- and still do it ALL IN VAIN!

"Full well YE REJECT THE COMMANDMENT OF GOD, that ye may keep your own tradition," He continued, "... making the Word of God of none effect through your tradition, which ye have delivered!" (Mark 7:7, 9, 13.)

Many people will confess, when forced to, the pagan origin of these days. But they stubbornly REFUSE to stop observing them! God is their Judge!

Don't you make this mistake!

When Does God Begin the New Year?

Remember! It is God Almighty who created the Universe. He set the heavenly bodies in their courses at Creation. It is by His "master-clock" that time is determined.

The earth's rotation regulates the length of a day -- the lunar phases indicate the length of a month. And the orbit of the earth around the sun dictates the length of a year!

But ONLY GOD has the AUTHORITY to set the date of the beginning of the new year!

God's sacred calendar year begins in the spring -- not in the middle of a dead winter! Notice Exodus 12:1-2, "And the Eternal spake unto Moses and Aaron in the land of Egypt, saying, This month shall be unto you the beginning of months: it shall be the FIRST MONTH OF THE YEAR TO YOU."

The first month of God's sacred calendar is called, in the Bible, "Abib". It means the month of "green ears." Later, the Jews called it "Nisan" -- a Babylonian word having the same meaning.

It was in the month of Abib or Nisan that Israel came out of Egyptian captivity under Moses (Ex. 34:18). The Hebrew month Abib overlaps the months of March-April on the pagan Roman calendar in use today.

God placed the beginning of the sacred year in the early spring to mark the beginning of the seasonal harvests. The two annual harvests in Palestine foreshadowed God's Plan for the twofold SPIRITUAL harvest of souls to be born into His Kingdom.

Your Bible speaks of a great false religious system which will "think to change times and laws" (Dan. 7:25). This system has deliberately thought to change the beginning of God's calendar year in an attempt to hide God's Plan for the salvation of mankind! But man has no authority to change God's "master-clock."

Satan, however, has cleverly deceived the world into believing the new year begins on January first!

Why National Captivity?

The very same pagan practices God condemns in the Old Testament are being perpetuated in our modern world today!

The very same festivals of paganism adopted by ancient Israel have become an integral part of this modern society!

Read, in II Kings 17:15-18, the reason why God Almighty took ancient Israel into captivity: "And they rejected his statutes, and his covenant that he made with their fathers, and his testimonies which he testified against them; and they followed vanity, and became vain, and went after the heathen that were round about them, concerning whom the Lord had charged them, that they should not do like them!"

What was the result of Israel following the customs of the heathen nations around them?

"Therefore the LORD was very angry with Israel, and removed them out of his sight .... and afflicted them, and delivered them into the hand of spoilers, until he had cast them out of his sight .... SO WAS ISRAEL CARRIED AWAY OUT OF THEIR OWN LAND TO ASSYRIA UNTO THIS DAY!" (II Kings 17:18, 20, and 23.)

Israel NEVER returned as a nation to the land of Palestine!

Israel was lost! Its true identity was concealed until modern times! Now there is proof that the lost ten tribes of ancient Israel migrated to Northwestern Europe. The chief peoples among them have become the United States and British Commonwealth today! (If you don't already have your copy of our free booklet, "The United States and the British Commonwealth in Prophecy", send for it immediately.)

Modern Paganism Will Be Punished!

Do you suppose God has changed His mind about compromising with paganism?

"For I am the LORD, I CHANGE NOT!" warns the Eternal in Malachi 3:6. This same reminder is repeated in Hebrews 13:8.

Speaking to the modern nations of Israel today, Almighty God says, "As for you, O house of Israel, thus saith the Eternal God; Go ye, serve ye every one his idols and thereafter also, if ye will not hearken unto me: but POLLUTE YE MY HOLY NAME NO MORE with your gifts and with your idols" (Ezek. 20:39).

In other words, God is saying, "Be pagan if you insist; but quit calling it Christian."

God continues to warn modern Israel against the holidays of paganism, in Hosea 2:11:

"I will also cause all her mirth to cease, HER feast days [days THE PEOPLE chose], HER new moons [marking the beginning of the pagan New Year], and her sabbaths, and all her solemn feasts." Notice that these were Israel's feast days -- those Israel had acquired from the pagan nations around them -- NOT those God had originally instituted through His Bible! "And I will visit upon her the DAYS OF BAALIM, wherein she burned incense to them ..." (verse 13)!

The very same punishment awaits any nation today that forsakes God's law as revealed in His Holy Bible, and turns to the customs of pagan nations -- observing pagan days of worship!

Does it make any difference if YOU continue observing pagan customs -- like New Year's? IT CERTAINLY DOES! God says so!

What You Should Do

God Almighty prophesies a final revival of Babylonian religion in great power just before He cuts short man's misrule of this earth. Read His warning in Revelation 18:

"And after these things I saw another angel come down from heaven, having great power, and the earth was lightened with his glory. And he said mightily with a strong voice, saying, Babylon the Great is fallen, is fallen.


"Her fornication, and the kings of the earth have committed fornication with her, and the merchants of the earth are waxed rich through the abundance of her delicacies. And I heard another voice from heaven, saying, come out of her, my people, that ye be not partakers of her sins, and that ye receive not of her plagues!"

New Year's celebration began in Babylon 4,000 years ago. It is practiced today by almost every people on the face of the earth. Satan the Devil has indeed deceived the whole world! (Rev. 12:9.)

But God Almighty has sent His ministers to warn this world -- to cry aloud, and spare not, and SHOW HIS PEOPLE THEIR SINS (Isa. 58:1). Punishment will not be forever withheld!

May God help you to HEED THIS WARNING, and FORSAKE THE PAGAN PRACTICES of this modern world!


The Plain Truth - December, 1964

Christ was NOT born on "Christmas day!"

One who stubbornly insists on staying addicted to the Catholic drug of "Christmas" spewed this RELIGIOUS LIE, a popular song:

God rest ye merry gentlemen
Let nothing you
dismay
Remember Christ our Savior
Was born on Christmas day

To save us all from Satan's power
When we had gone astray
Oh tidings of comfort and joy
Comfort and joy
Oh tidings of comfort and joy


Of course such misguided or deceitful folk are not saved from "Satan's power" as long as they perpetuate the RELIGIOUS LIE that Christ was "born on Christmas day." And such dishonest folks pretend to follow the Truth? Few are fooled. No wonder Jesus said, "Why do you call me Lord, Lord and do not the things I say?" Such dishonest folk are certainly NOT following Yashua's example of upholding the Law and the Prophets which both condemn baptized paganism. Such dishonest folks prefer their idolatrous traditions over God's commandments (Mark 7:7). How sad.

Christmas audio by Herbert W. Armstrong

Christmas audio by Herbert W. Armstrong

Christmas In 10 Minutes Or Less

Warning! The Following Editorial May Be Dangerous To Your View Of Christmas. The Following Comments Are Those Of The Writer And Do Not Reflect The Opinions Of The Vast Majority Of People Who Keep The Holiday.

Christmas In 10 Minutes Or Less
By Richard Markland, December 25, 2005

Well, Christmas is finally here. From Thanksgiving until today, the fast pace and frenzied spending habits of millions of people now brings us to the day so many have looked forward to. Today will pass by quickly, and 10 minutes is all it will take for many people to unwrap the gifts they receive and realize how quickly the day is over.

As I looked at my neighborhood from my living room window this morning, I wondered how many people had already opened their presents? A number of families would soon go to church and than on to a family gathering with relatives for lunch or dinner. There will be an abundance of ham or turkey, resulting in a few pounds gained. Presents will be piled high on a special table or under a tree. Hope reigns eternal on a day when the anticipation of what a person is going to "get" can cause a childlike giddiness in many adults, let alone children. I wonder, however, how many people really enjoy "giving" when they know their credit card bills will be coming in the mail within a matter of days? The companies who are mass producers of plastic used by so many shoppers have an over abundance of Christmas cheer when it comes to tallying up so much reckless spending. They are all too happy to remind consumers of how much they were needed. Few people have asked whether they should have spent so much on others. After all, it's Christmas. Shoppers reason it's best to worry about the cost later. Since this day only comes once a year, no one wants to appear as if they can't afford a nice gift, or two, or three, or four. Without the plastic in millions of wallets and purses, what would people do?

Just as so much time is invested in the making of a good home cooked meal, so it is with a holiday such as Christmas. Careful consideration was taken when buying just the right gift and the careful wrapping of each one with expensive paper. Within minutes, mounds of paper are strewn throughout the room and the actual celebration is over. I wonder how honest people are after "getting" what they have received? What if shadows could speak? Of course many people have let it be known what is desired ahead of time so they wont' be surprised and frustrated.

What has never ceased to amaze me about Christmas is how crowded the isles are at Wal-Mart because so many people take the time to talk to each other at the expense of those who simply want everyday items or who are also Christmas shopping. I never see individuals taking the time to chat during the rest of the year as I do during the 3-4 weeks before Christmas. Patience has been of paramount importance as I have had to move my cart around 3 or 4 people at a time because they have decided to catch up on the past or share a conversation about Christmas plans. I usually look at the isles of Wal-Mart as more than ample, but they seem so narrow in late November and December. Honestly, where is the friendliness the rest of the year? How quickly the isles will be easy to maneuver in and out of in the next week or two as the very same people who laughed and shared words for 10 or 15 minutes before Christmas will now avoid each other because of a massive holiday hangover--both physically and mentally.

The letdown after December 25th is huge. If the stockmarket took a nosedive as severely as the mental state of people who have observed the holiday, there would be a major economic crisis in this country. Returning items is going to be a major undertaking for the next few days. Wrong sizes, colors, or simply a dislike for what has been received will prompt millions of people to make the arduous journey to exchange what they received. "After Christmas Specials" will be heavily advertised and more credit card spending will continue at a frenzied pace for the next week or two. Few people realize that the average middle class family in America is already $9,000.00 in debt to just credit cards alone, without taking into consideration the spending on Christmas items.

I look forward to the traffic flow and grumpiness of people when a return to normal comes on January 2nd. Of course New Year's Day is the next ordeal to face, but I've never found it as difficult as Christmas itself. I've come to appreciate being around "moody" people throughout the year because their attitudes are predictable and steady. I actually have a more positive attitude when being around people who are "normal" from January until late November. As I have watched people achieve an emotional high, due to the anticipation of Christmas and New Year's Day, so many have decided to put adulthood on hold. To be able to take on a childlike excitement for a few weeks is the mindset of many people. I hear more laughter everywhere and parking lots are noisier as people can't wait to get inside and spend money they don't have. Even though many people are a slave to stress because of over spending, somehow I am viewed as odd and strange because I don't keep Christmas. At least I know why I don't, but how many people can prove why they do and back it up with historical fact and research done by scholars?

Within the time I started this editorial, more presents have been opened and the letdown of the day continues. It is the beginning of the end of another holiday season. I've aged once again this year as a result of being around the spirit of the season when finding myself 8 to 10 carts away from the cashier with only 4 to 5 items of everyday essentials. The term "Express Lane" takes on a greater meaning this time of year.

Today, there is an overcast sky with fog and rain. Yes, there is snow on the ground for those who have desired a white Christmas, but how many people question why God would want His Son to be born during such a miserable time of the year? Few people realize Christ was born in late September or early October, instead of during the dead of winter. Few people ask why December 25th?

People don't realize why Joseph and Mary had such a difficult time finding a place to stay and had to end up in a manger. There simply wasn't a room available in Bethlehem because a census was taken for the purpose of collecting taxes. They were also on their way to keep a festival called The Feast Of Tabernacles. Many people who were in Bethlehem were on their way to observe the festival as well. Christ actually observed this festival during His life on the earth, but few Christians know it. Would it be recognized and acknowledged if it was understood?

Everyone observes their birthday on the date it happened, but the observance of Christ's birthday is celebrated approximately 3 months later than when it actually occurred. I don't know of anyone else's birthday observed on the wrong day and in the way it is. Could it be that Christ doesn't recognize Christmas, just as people wouldn't recognize it if their birthday was kept on the wrong day? This may rile people when asked such a question, but could it be true? Of course many people reason it doesn't make a bit of difference as long as they keep it in honor of Christ, but does it make a difference to Him? Are people speaking for Christ instead of allowing Him to speak for Himself?

The Christmas observance is a tradition handed down from generation to generation without question. Few people want to change the observance of the day because of the attraction and beauty of it, but what does God think? Is it important?

To many people, even the slightest hint that Christmas has its origin in paganism, and is the actual birthday of the "sun god", will cause the hair to raise on the back of the neck. Even though every facet of Christmas has a pagan origin, many people reason that surely the observance can't be wrong as long as we honor Christ? After all, isn't it true that God looks upon the heart of people, and if they are sincere, this is all that matters? If the Bible is the source for the answer to this question, far more is required.

The economic survival of countless businesses is at stake during Christmas. Without it, many would not survive. This is why the holiday will thrive until God reveals how He feels about a celebration that has nothing to do with the birth of His Son. When that day comes--and it will--people will be shocked. It's going to happen--and when it does--those who call themselves "Christian" will receive the wakeup call of their lives.

Even though gifts were given to Christ--and not to other people in the Bible--it makes little difference to those who insist this is a time to honor Christ. What I have written will not change the minds of the people who keep this day. I do want to clarify that I do not condemn people who keep Christmas, but I do condemn a holiday that has its root in paganism, but is disguised and giftwrapped as Christian.


(c) 2005 By Richard Markland
"A Christmas Of 10 Minutes Or Less."

Traditional "Christians" try to force their religion on God!

Quoting "clubgitmo" from the Protest Warrior forum:

"Christmas and Easter pay tribute to the birth and death of Christ."

Yes, it is TRADITIONAL TRIBUTE that God hates and rejects and wants no part of in no uncertain terms. Why don't you believe Him?

"In the Bible it says to love God with all of your mind, your soul and your strength."

Yes, indeed, so why do you insist on hatefully rebelling against His holy commands that forbid any attempts to whitewash a pagan holiday to serve Him? No wonder Jesus said, "IF you love Me, keep my commandments," and "Why do you call me Lord, Lord and don't do what I say?" God rejects such rank hypocrisy of counterfeit Christians who would force their religion on God!

Xmas audio by Herbert W. Armstrong

Jesus didn't come to bring peace!

Michael wrote:

"In the spirit of the season, for what it is worth, peace to you. The Christmas we get (if we choose to) we deserve."


If folks didn't choose to remain clueless, they would know this artificial "Christmas" spirit is from Satan, and that this time of year is about WAGING WAR IN RIGHTEOUSNESS - not peace! - like the Maccabees reclaiming and purifying the Temple and Temple Mount in Jerusalem that Jesus celebrated and foretold as the LORD to the Prophet Daniel! See how Satan turns things upside down?

There can be no peace on Earth when mankind remains in a state of rebellion against God and His Word. "Christmas" and other religious lies are part of the proud and stubborn revolt against God, insisting on worshipping God their own way rather than submit Father knows best and avoid such hollow days of pagan origin like the Babylonian plague!

Matthew 10:34-37

34"Do not suppose that I have come to bring peace to the earth. I did not come to bring peace, but a sword. 35For I have come to turn
" 'a man against his father,
a daughter against her mother,
a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law —
36a man's enemies will be the members of his own household.'

37"Anyone who loves his father or mother more than me is not worthy of me; anyone who loves his son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me....

May we love Jesus more than popular error and traditional darkness and serve God in spirit and in truth, rejecting the baptized paganism that God hates. Only then can we rest assured, according to the Word, that we are acceptable to the LORD:

2 Corinthians 6:17-18

17"Therefore come out from them
and be separate, says the Lord.
Touch no unclean thing,
and I will receive you."
18"I will be a Father to you,
and you will be my sons and daughters, says the Lord Almighty.

"Christmas" is bollox

Maverick78 wrote:
Quote DBA:
The REAL JESUS will wage war on "Christmas," "Easter" and every other pagan holiday when He reigns as the King of the Jews, the King of Israel in Jerusalem and will instead, contrary to counterfeit Christianity, command all nations to keep the biblical/Jewish festivals!

That's the plain truth of your Bible: believe it or not.

Let the Truth set you free so you don't get sent into national captivity!/


"You know what Dave I couldn't care less about all that bollox."


The bollox is whitewashed pagan holidays taking God's Name in vain. He clearly states He wants NO PART OF SUCH PAGAN PRACTICES OR HEATHEN CUSTOMS AND WORLDLY CELEBRATIONS - so the foolish folks clearly aren't worshipping God or Jesus, but serving the demons who have always enjoyed such religious revelry.

Quote:
While people come together for Christmas and Easter with kindness and generosity too each other and are doing nobody any harm, I think the worlds a better place for it isn't it?.


What part of God's Word don't you understand? God condemns holidays of pagan origin as ABOMINATIONS. For folks to stubbornly insist on keeping such hollow days is rebellion against God and rejection of Him as Father, choosing Satan and his dark ways that are disguised as "light and merry" but not fooling God, Jesus or true Christians. You can read about family gathering for religious reasons in Jeremiah and Ezekiel and see it didn't make their world a better place, touchy feely sentiments notwithstanding, but caused God's judgment to come upon them leading to their national family suffering destruction and deportation.

Quote:
On another note do you really believe the Jews are the 'chosen ones' the 'special ones' or something???


Anybody who reads and believes the Bible - God's Word - knows that the Twelve Tribes of Israel (that includes our Jewish brethren) have been drafted as God's Servant Nation and will ultimately become a light to all nations, serving as international teachers and instructors and by example.

Quote:
Absolute nonsense we are all equal on this planet and nobody has the virtue of being the 'chosen people' of god at all unless you or your 'people' are some sort of supremacists eh?


See how foolish mortals misunderstand? We're all equal in ultimate potential to enter God's Kingdom Family, but we're not all equal in God-given gifts and responsibilities. God has chosen the Twelve Tribes of Israel to be His FIRSTBORN among many nations, as is His prerogative. The Bible therefore is an ethnocentric Book that focuses on the Family of Jacob-Israel and only mentions other nations insomuch as they come into contact with our biblical people.

Did God discriminate against the rest of the world when He chose to send HIS SON to Judea? when Yashua chose Jewish males (not Greeks, Egyptians, Chinese, Indians or women) as His first and foundational disciples/students? Read and prayerfully consider The Suffering Servant and stop accusing God of being a supremacist because others have an inferiority complex and lack understanding of God's great plan of salvation for all mankind - all in God's good time.

A Sanitary Christmas

Essay: A Sanitary Christmas

The winter solstice has just passed, beginning the coldest three months of the year, and this means that Christmas is only days away. It used to be that the solstice and Christmas coincided—a remarkable coincidence (wink, wink)—but because of the inexactitude of our calendar, the solstice has crept forward a few days over the past few centuries. If we were to stick around long enough, we could witness Christmas celebrated in springtime! Come to think of it, a hefty percentage of the world's population already celebrates it as the heat of summer arrives—but for reasons altogether different!

Lately, Christmas-keeping Christians have been forced to stand up for Christmas. Atheists, agnostics, and the ACLU-crowd have been clamoring for the removal of religion from Christmas celebrations. They want advertisers to market the season without reference to "Christmas," instead using the innocuous "Holiday" moniker. They want businesses to ditch playing traditional Christmas carols over their in-store audio systems in favor of "winter music"—in other words, to play "Sleigh Bells" instead of "Away in a Manger." Countless courts have weighed in—some on one side, some on the other—concerning Christmas crèches on public property. Christian groups have had to file lawsuits to force school systems to allow their students to sing "Silent Night"—and not some wintry parody—during winter concerts!

This is all extremely ironic—even hilarious at times. Christmas-celebrating Christians rush to the barricades to defend this most sacred holiday from the godless hordes, all the while totally missing the fact that they are defending the indefensible! Where is their authority to keep the day in the first place? Rome? Probably. Jerusalem? Nope. Bethlehem? Hardly. The Bible. Not a chance!

In reality, by its materialism and syncretism, this world's Christianity has helped the modern, secular world sanitize—not Santa-ize—Christmas. This supposedly Christian holiday has been systematically disinfected of its biblical "taint" simply because it is fundamentally unbiblical! Its only scriptural basis is the Gospel accounts of the birth of Jesus, and they prove that the traditional Christmas teaching sits on foundation of sand.

The Nativity—a fancy word for "birth"—of Jesus Christ is found in two of the Gospels, Matthew and Luke. Try as one might, a birth date for our Savior cannot be found in either, and in fact, honest, objective scholars and theologians admit that a winter date is perhaps the least likely time. December, as any biblical geographer will attest, is the beginning of the rainy season in Palestine, and shepherds would have stopped leaving their flocks in the fields at night a good month or two before then. Majority opinion places Jesus' birth in the autumn, probably on or near the fall festivals of Trumpets or Tabernacles.

Other aspects of the traditional Nativity also fail the test of biblical authenticity. For instance, the Gospels do not say that there were three wise men, nor are their names anywhere recorded in history. In this case, the number three has its source in the number of gifts the wise men gave to Jesus: gold, frankincense, and myrrh. It is certainly possible that He received other gifts from them, but Matthew decided to highlight these particular three for symbolic reasons.

Many of the manger scenes even get details wrong, like the fact that when the wise men showed up, Jesus was no longer a newborn lying in a manger, but as Matthew writes, a "young Child" living in "a house" (Matthew 2:11). Traditional Christmas crèches also tend to combine Luke's account of the shepherds' arrival almost immediately after His birth with the coming of the wise men, which evidently occurred perhaps weeks or months later (see verse 16: Some contend that it could have been as long as two years later!). And, of course, none of the Nativity participants wore halos!

These few scenes are the extent of the Bible's information about Christ's birth. Neither Mark nor John saw fit to add to what Matthew and Luke had already written. Both Mark and John begin their narratives about the time of Jesus' baptism three decades later. Why? In the grand scheme of Jesus' life, His birth is of less importance than His ministry, death, and resurrection. Certainly, it was a wonderful day when God-in-the-flesh appeared among us, but it pales in meaning to what He taught, what He sacrificed for us, and what He now does for us as our living High Priest. Why dwell on His past, helpless infancy when we can rejoice in His present, powerful advocacy?

The Christmas controversy does not hinge on whether it is politically correct to wish someone "Merry Christmas!" but on a factor that is far more significant: truth. Is Christmas true? The biblical facts shout a resounding, "NO!" Then why celebrate a lie? Falsehood is never good, never beneficial, never right. Keeping a false holiday in dedication to Jesus is still a lie. Do we really think He feels honored by a lie, which is sin (check Exodus 20:16 and Revelation 21:8; 22:15)? He receives much more honor when we, instead, keep His commandments (John 14:15; 15:10).

We can only hope that today's swirl over this holiday wakes Christians up—not just to America's eroding Christian values, but to the sad fact that what most assume to be ever-so-Christian is nothing of the sort.


- Richard T. Ritenbaugh

Christmas is Spiritual Adultery

At least this Baptist Church understands the plain truth against "Christmas," even if they're still in the dark about the biblical Sabbath and biblical festivals true Christians observe (like Jesus and the early Church did) and soon the whole world will:

Christmas Is Spiritual Adultery



Taking an evergreen tree, putting it in your house, decorating it with lights, sitting in the dark, and adoring it to Christmas carols is spiritual adultery. You profess to love Jesus, but you do so with the mementos and techniques of other lovers – the world and pagan religion. You are not content with Christ's pure gospel – for it has no Mass of Christ. You have added the world's seductions to keep you happy in your marriage to Christ. He is highly offended at your whorish ways.

120 Reasons Against Christmas
There are many Bible reasons not to celebrate Christmas for those who esteem God's precepts concerning all things to be right and that hate every false way (Ps 119:128). The God of heaven has specified exactly how He wants to be worshipped. He does not accept inventions or modifications. And He seeks those who will worship Him in spirit and truth (John 4:23-24). You are living in the perilous times of the last days - a time of great compromise by so-called Christians (II Tim 3:1 - 4:5 ). Where do you stand?

How to Stop Celebrating
When the Lord reveals the evil of pagan holy days, there are questions about informing others of the change in your life. Here are a few suggestions to be wise and righteous before God without being unduly antagonistic or offensive to those who cannot see (Rom 12:18; I Cor 7:15).

Merry Christmas vs. Happy Holidays

Another article by Nathan Tabor that totally MISSES THE POINT or shamefully ignores it: Christmas is an abomination!

The REAL JESUS hates "Christmas" for the fraud it is, the pagan practice it perpetuates, all whitewashed as "Christian" by lying "Christians" who refuse to keep God's commandments against adopting or modifying pagan holidays to serve the biblical God who doesn't want any part of it!

What proud and stubborn, dishonest "Christians," trying to force THEIR baptized pagan holidays on God!

Christmas, a Jewish holiday?

"Christmas, a Jewish holiday?

However, we all realize that the Christmas season brings to mind thoughts of peace and thoughts of Jesus, the Prince of Peace. It is a time to celebrate the birth of Jesus, the Jewish Messiah, and it's also an incredible time for introducing others to the greatest Jew who ever lived. "

Christmas isn't a Jewish holiday and it's not a Christian holiday: Christmas is a PAGAN HOLIDAY and folks who are IN DENIAL of this fact continue to shamefully misrepresent the real Jesus and true Christianity to the world. The biblical God rejects all their religious whitewash and condemns their Catholic "mass of Christ" as an ABOMINATION. Those who honestly follow the Truth acknowledge this fact and avoid such baptized paganism like the Babylonian plague!



The Two Babylons by Hislop (zip)

The Babylonian Mystery of "Christmas"

Someone wrote:

"I also am a Christian and a Zionist but I fully intend to celebrate the birth of Christ on December 25th. You yourself enjoyed the mystery of Christmas as a child..."

How can you celebrate the birth of Christ on December 25th when it's NOT His birthday? And He never told you to "celebrate" His birthday but to commemorate His death at PASSOVER. Do you observe that biblical memorial?

"Christmas" is no longer a mystery to me because I've grown up and face the reality that the Catholic concoction of the "mass of Christ," testified against by the two witnesses of the Bible and history, is nothing but a polluted part of the BABYLONIAN MYSTERY RELIGION that Yashua (as a Torah-observant Jew) rejects as unclean. Those chosen few and true Christians who honestly follow Him and don't resist the plain truth for tinsel traditions or crucify the messengers also avoid such baptized paganism like the Babylonian plagues!

You should teach your children the biblical festivals and celebrate those with God's blessing. They're what Yashua will command all nations to observe when He reigns in Jerusalem as the King of the Jews, the King of Israel. They're not foreign or strange to Him.

King Messiah will wage war on "Christmas!"

Regardless of human opinions, Jewish or otherwise, secular or professing Christian, the biblical God and the REAL JESUS and true Christians hate "Christmas" as an abomination and know it's an unclean festival of pagan origin and aren't in denial of these FACTS.

When King Messiah reigns from Jerusalem, He will wage war on "Christmas" and "Easter" and "Halloween" and other unscriptural hollow days and replace them with the biblical festivals that He kept and will command all nations to observe!

You cannot have Christmas with Christ because He refuses to participate!

It's Not Polite to Use the "C" Word in Public by Nathan Tabor goes into all the diversionary tactics such articles usually employ, missing the whole point that the REAL JESUS hates "Christmas!"

Mr. Tabor contends you cannot have Christmas without Christ. Who said Christ ever wanted to be in some Catholic concoction that is clearly pagan in origin? The issue is not about the evil ACLU or how some religious folks strive to force a pagan holiday to get baptized, but the fact that folks are trying to force God to accept their worship that He clearly rejects and hates and says so in no uncertain terms!

WAKE UP!

You cannot have "Christmas" with the real Christ - because He refuses to have anything to do with such unclean practices and heathen customs.

Too many remain IN DENIAL!

"December 25 can therefore be acknowledged and celebrated by non-Christians
just as we acknowledge the birthdays of other major historical figures like
George Washington."

December 25 can only be "acknowledged" by those who remain IN DENIAL of historical and biblical facts.

Yashua, as a Torah-observant Jew, would hate the baptized paganism of "Christmas" as an abomination, just like the early Church would clearly avoid such unclean practices like the Babylonian plague, and honest Christians today have nothing to do with such Catholic idolatrous traditions.


Why I No Longer Celebrate Christmas
[News-and-Society:Religion] Should Christians celebrate Christmas? Can a pagan holiday be converted? Does it matter what God thinks?

Christ was NEVER in "Christmas!"

Christ was NEVER in "Christmas" and hates it as a pagan abomination. Those who profess to follow the Truth should readily acknowledge this and avoid such baptized paganism like the Babylonian plague!

Sheep to the slaughter...to the market they go

The sheeple continue to the slaughter....the fascist EU sharpens their nuclear sword....and God sighs because He's warned all that He hates the dark hollow daze and encourages all to enter His light and celebrate His festivals - not bloody Rome's!

Why be fooled by Christmas?

Who told you you're supposed to celebrate it? What serpent whispered that lie into your ear? Who said it doesn't make a difference that it's clearly pagan in origin? What wolf in sheep's clothing is preaching to you such religious lies? If your minister says God accepts such tainted worship, he's a LIAR (I John 2:4).

This subject of professing "Christian" holidays is dead serious to God and it should be to everybody who professes to be a Christian and who should walk in the light of the Word - not fall for popular error or get blinded by tinsel traditions.

Why do so many follow a CATHOLIC tradition?

The real Jesus Christ commands His People to confess and FORSAKE BABYLON or suffer the consequences. Those who truly are His People hear and heed His Command and avoid such baptized paganism, such whitewashed ways and hollow days.

Santa Claus or Jesus?

Who does your kid know more about? Which one do your children prefer? Do you go overboard on everybody else's birthday too? You do know that it's not Jesus' birthday, right? Have you ever wondered why you just go along with the crowd, never questioning anything? There's no time like the present to stop and think! Look into it seriously for once and may God's blessing be upon you as you do.

Dishonest Christians?

Why do so many professing Christians, folks who should love and embrace the truth, get hostile when the pagan origins of Christmas are exposed? Why do they love their tinsel traditions more than God whom they pretend to serve? Why are they so self-willed and rebellious against the Law of God? Is Satan their father, after all? Are they liars? (I John 2:4). God knows.

Conservative Voice

HO HO HO The Hypocrisy of it All

How can one say the word "Enough!" in a language that will not offend someone? Then again, how do you say it lovingly to the people who draweth nigh unto me with their mouth, and honoureth me with their lips; but their heart is far from me" ? (Mat 15:8)

Perhaps some professed Christians should remember another very classic teaching by their Messiah. But I say unto you, That every idle word that men shall speak, they shall give account thereof in the day of judgment. (Mat. 12:36)

Do they fall into the dreaded category:

Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works? And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity. (Mat. 7:22-23)

Are you as tired as I am of hearing about "keeping Christ" in a holiday that Messiah was never part of from the beginning?

I say unto such groups as the American Family Association and the Family Research Council: you do NOT represent my views on the Messiah. Furthermore, you do NOT represent the views of a growing number of people who understand the depth of commandment breaking and textbook idolatry that surrounds your false celebrations. Knock it off, in the Name of Messiah!

I consider joining forces with the ACLU every time I hear of a supposed "Christian" group fighting to keep "Christmas" in schools, public displays, and even in Wal-Mart and Lowes. The hypocracy of it all saddens me.

Your tradition is vanity in the eyes of the Creator, and your words are poison to your children. Teaching them to "covet" and make lists of all their covetous desires is total, blatant and embarrassing sinfulness, and shows clearly the depravity of mankind ˆ especially many of those who call on His Holy name. Giving that list to a fictious fat man in a red suit is more idolatry personified.

Have you noticed the number of depression-related suicides and other crimes at "Christmas time?" Ever sit back and wonder why? If mankind, in their folly, would not put high expectations on gold under pine trees, perhaps husbands and children alike would focus more on the Messiah all year long!

Going into debt with credit cards and building false hopes, lies and error into our children ˆ HELLO! Anyone home? Shame on you!

But he answered and said unto them, Why do ye also transgress the commandment of God by your tradition? (Mat. 15:3)

And he said unto them, Full well ye reject the commandment of God, that ye may keep your own tradition. (Mark 7:9)

Making the word of God of none effect through your tradition, which ye have delivered: and many such like things do ye. (Mark 7:13)
Even if it appears to be a 1700 year long tradition ˆ it is time for "Christians" to knock it off. No wonder the Jews sit back and laugh at the silly goyim!

The very word "Christmas" is a contraction of "Christ" and "Mass." "Mass" means "death" and is a by-product of anti-Semitic, Constantinan Catholicism, circa 325 AD. Worse, the Protestants have adopted this holi-nonsense as though the pope was their friend.

The "mass rituals" were imported into the Roman Church by the conquerors of Western Europe (as they tried to appease those practicing assorted Celtic witchcraft doctrines). The "mass" ritual actually imports some of the death (not birth) attributes of the "masses" derived from witchcraft. On its very face, therefore, the concept of "Christ-mass" is 180 degrees backwards of what it is perceived in the eyes of most Christians to be.

So are you celebrating his birth, or death?

Obviously the time (December 25) as it is on the current popish (Gregorian) Calendar can be neither ˆ for the timing would be dead wrong (pardon the pun) in EITHER case.

Bible scholars and historians have nearly universally accepted the time of Christ‚s birth as at the time of Sukkot (Feast of Booths/Tabernacles). This is based on numerous historically verifiable facts and clues left in the scriptures. Indeed, based on new advances in astronomy, some sources have even narrowed the time down to within two hours on a date in Sukkot, and in what we now think of as the year 3 B.C.

He became our Passover. That has nothing to do with the pagan fertility festival known as "Easter" either. Oi vey you crazy goy!

St. Nikolaus, the bishop of Myra in Asia Minor died on December 6, 343 AD. In German speaking nations (home to this element of our current tradition) December 6 is the "children‚‚s festival" and Dec 5 is when the "stockings are hung."

It was Clement Clarke Moore of Troy, NY who wrote "The 12 Days of Christmas" in 1822. He brought the reindeer into the picture. Political cartoonist Thomas Nast caricatured a combination of Moore‚s "jolly old elf" with his native Bavarian Palatinate, the art for which appeared in Harper‚s Weekly.

The "Yule" holiday has a much different origin. The "lesser" Pagan Sabbat of Winter Solstice (Yule) actually occurs on December 21 (the shortest day in the Northern Hemisphere). The ancients believed the sun god died on that day, and begins rebirth as of the 25th.

December 25 is the birth date of Mithras, the Persian Sun god of light; and Saturn, the Italian sun god.

So like it or not, the "birthday" you are celebrating has more to do with our star (sun ˆ not "Son") worship than anything pertaining to Christ.

Not until the 4th Century (again, because of Roman Church juxtaposition of doctrine) did "Christmas" become something of significance to Christianity. Puritans in America (Massachusetts) and England actually outlawed Christmas observations as witchcraft!

In the United States, Christmas in the past century has become more about the profit and loss columns of major retailers than anything about Christ. The popularity of Christmas is a rather recent trend in Americaˆˆexcept in those areas where the religious influence of certain beliefs were imported with European settlers.

The cutting down of trees to bring into the home was a European tradition, and was done to give warm residence to wood spirts. Evergreen trees were a phallic fertility symbol, and in Germany, they were used in worship of the yule god for the solstice festival and Wicca sabbat.

Holly wood was used by witches to make wands. White berries of mistletoe represented semen droplets of the sun god. The red berries of the holly represented the menstrual blood of Diana, queen of heaven.

Gift giving in the temples of Rome was done by dendrophori (priests of Saturn) on December 25, and some Biblical research lends credibility to the mystic Magi bringing gifts to the Christ Child on December 25 (who was then a "child" not an "infant").

There is no commandment to celebrate Christ‚s birth, and if there were, it would need to be placed at the time of Sukkot. But there IS a commandment not to partake of strange gods (the very First Commandment), and not to join in idolatry where it is found.

And thou shalt not go aside from any of the words which I command thee this day, to the right hand, or to the left, to go after other gods to serve them. (Deut. 28:14)

So prior to compelling secular retailers, schools, etc. to "put Christ back in Christmas," perhaps the, feel-good, apostate, pagan-tradition-keeping, luke-warm, Laodicean-mimicing "Twistians" should go back and study the origins of this "holiday."

One famous American, Benjamin Franklin, once stated that it is better to be thought a fool and remain silent, than to speak and remove all doubt. For those who promote "Christmas" as something biblical, where do you really fit in that picture?

And for the record, NO, I am not a Jehovah Witness, nor an "orthodox Jew." I never have been. This information is available just as easily by searching Wiccan high sabbats as it can be found in the records of the Early Church, Ante-Nicene Fathers, History of Massachusetts, and many other locations.

Love your "tradition," or love your Father in Heaven. The choice is rather clear.

Josh. 24:15 And if it seem evil unto you to serve the LORD, choose you this day whom ye will serve; whether the gods which your fathers served that were on the other side of the flood, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land ye dwell: but as for me and my house, we will serve the LORD.

May God bless our military

May God bless our Marines and every branch of our military devoted to our defense, but sentiments aside, Christmas remains an
ABOMINATION.

May we let the truth set us free so we don't go into
NATIONAL CAPTIVITY.

The plain truth: Christmas is not for Christians!

No matter how hard some try to scrub the holiday of its pagan origins, the fact remains it's an unclean custom that God the Father and Jesus Christ reject! True Christians are to avoid such Catholic contaminations like the plague! We're to come out of such a spiritual Babylon that has drugged folks beyond reason and go by the Bible, letting it guide us, and it tells us to "learn not the way of the heathen" and to avoid even the appearance of sin.

The plain truth: Christmas is a Catholic lie!

Lawless "Christian" twists Scripture to justify Christmas sin

Romans 10:9, "If you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead you shall be saved."

Confession is confessing and forsaking sin, and sin is the transgression of the Law. Your Christianity is shallow and you're lost in your traditions.

Peter said to REPENT (of breaking the law) and BE BAPTIZED. So we see confession is more than merely mouthing words (so many profess to know Christ and are exposed as liars - I Jn. 2:4). And Titus 1:16 says they deny Christ by their works, regardless of their loud professions.

Who are you to speak as an authority of Christ?

A true Christian who is actually a BIBLE BELIEVER and not just a Bible reader. There's a difference. Go learn it. The Word of God speaks with authority and I share the Word of God accurately as anybody who objectively examines what I say in light of Scriptures will readily conclude.

If you don't want to celebrate CHRISTMAS, that's your choice, but stop telling everyone else that its an abomination and Christ doesn't approve of our praising and honor of Him.

No, I won't stop exposing the "mass of Christ" - the Catholic concoction - for the ABOMINATION it is, the whitewashed pagan holiday that God hates according to HIS WORD. Why don't you believe HIS WORD? Jesus says your worship is IN VAIN, teaching for doctrines the TRADITIONS of men and ignoring the commandments of God (Mark 7:7). Your traditions are self-righteous and they stink to High Heaven and MISrepresent the real Jesus. You're supposed to be following the Truth and yet you're IN DENIAL of your pagan ways and heathen customs.

Have you not heard, have you not known that we are NO LONGER BOUND BY THE LAW.

So why do you tell homosexuals they can't marry? Or preach against abortion? You again pervert the Scriptures to say something they don't. Jesus said to REPENT, Peter said to REPENT. What do we repent of? BREAKING THE LAW (I John 3:4). That means we have a change of heart, direction and attitude and start keeping the holy law that is being written upon the tablets of our hearts and minds, true conversion - not your false conversion, following a false Jesus and a rebellious spirit!

Romans 6:14 - For sin will have no dominion over you, since you are not under law but under grace.

We're free from the DEATH PENALTY of the Law - not free from fulfilling the Law by the Holy Spirit working in us, Christ in us.

Romans 7:4 - Likewise, my brethren, you have died to the law through the body of Christ, so that you may belong to another, to him who has been raised from the dead in order that we may bear fruit for God.

Again, we're to be DEAD TO SIN and alive to righteousness. We're to lead NEW lives, converted lives of loving obedience, not just more of the same old crap with the name of Christ slapped on it - just like your pagan holidays that are whitewashed and are still sinful and condemned. God isn't fooled by such worthless "repentance" or foolish hollow daze.

I choose to be under grace and worship the Lord in spirit and truth

You're such a hypocrite. Jesus magnified the Law making it even more binding - we're to keep it by the Holy Spirit in spirit (principle) and in the letter. He said now we're not only to refuse to commit the act of adultery, we musn't even think about it. So much for doing away with the law! You're not even keeping God's law in spirit/principle, or in truth - God's Word is truth. God's Word condemns any holiday of pagan origin and rejects it as an ABOMINATION. You've been fooled by Satan's ministers who have given you a license to sin that God will soon revoke!

Also, stop judging everyone.

Practice what you preach.

You act as judge and jury.

No, I speak the plain truth of the Bible that blasts your RELIGIOUS LIES, your idolatrous traditions, your sinful holidays that God hates and exposes as ABOMINATIONS.

You condemn yourself when you reject such clear teachings of the Bible to remain addicted to your traditions. I share the Word and what you do with it is between you and God. I gladly let God be the ultimate judge since He alone knows your heart, but I can and do, as must all true Christians, speak out, cry aloud and spare not and show my people THEIR SINS.

You're in denial that you're a whitewashed pagan pretending to be Christian. If you're Christian, then you'll hear Christ's Voice and FORSAKE BABYLON - not dig your heels in and justify your sins and condemn yourself.

James 4:11 - Do not speak evil against one another, brethren. He that speaks evil against a brother or judges his brother, speaks evil against the law and judges the law. But if you judge the law, you are not a doer of the law but a judge.

I expose the evil of pagan holidays dressed up in the drag of Christianity. In tough love I share the plain truth of the Bible and cry aloud and spare not that those who might have innocently been caught up in such abominable revelry, will WAKE UP and repent and turn from such religious sins.

I will celebrate the birth of Christ on December 25th and will continue to do so until Christ through His Spirit convicts me that it is wrong.

You're willfully BLIND. You're going by your fickle human feelings instead of the FACTS of the Word that clearly condemns any holiday of pagan origin being whitewashed, baptized, modified to serve the true God (who rejects such worship as vain, as futile). Both the Bible and history testify that Jesus was NOT born on Dec. 25. You're falling for the religious lies of Rome's false father figure, and perpetuating paganism. IF you worshipped God in spirit you would avoid even the appearance of association with paganism, and if you worshipped God in truth, according to His Word that is truth, you would avoid such tinsel traditions like the plague.

Your essays on Christmas are distracting and confusing to many. Your posts are divisive; you forget that Christ has one bride, one church, one people.

Distracting? You mean REVEALING. Jesus said He came to cause division. The truth, the sword, cuts through all your religious crap and tells it like it is. God doesn't want any of your religious bull. The Bride of Christ (not just those pagans pretending to be Christians but who are rebellious liars - I John 2:4, 3:4) - hears the Word of God and responds to it and FORSAKES BABYLON. The true Bride cleans up her act, she doesn't wallow some more in the popular mire of counterfeit Christianity.

Jesus Christ hates YOUR holidays and rejects YOUR rank paganism, whether you believe it or not. When He reigns in Jerusalem, He will teach the biblical festivals from the Torah that YOUR "Christianity" rejects and will plague those who insist on their religious rebellion. IF you're a part of Jesus' true People, you will hear Him who COMMANDS, "Come out of her My People" - but apparently some are too stuck in their ways and will die in their sins. Your choice. But folks like me will continue to expose your lying delusions, your counterfeit Christianity, since we love God, Jesus and the Word of God, the Holy Bible.

Christmas is NOT for Christians.

Lawless "Christians" choose their Christmas traditions over God's Word

Matthew 5:17-19

17"Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill (magnify) them. 18I tell you the truth, until heaven and earth disappear (not at the time of His death), not the smallest letter, not the least stroke of a pen, will by any means disappear from the Law until everything is accomplished. 19Anyone who breaks one of the least of these commandments and teaches others to do the same will be called least in the kingdom of heaven, but whoever practices and teaches these commands will be called great in the kingdom of heaven.

Clearly Jesus knew a counterfeit Christianity would be preaching their religious lies, spreading their lawlessness, while true Christians would oppose such heresies and continue to uphold God's Law and Prophets, as Revelation speaks of God's Church as those who "keep the commandments." That eliminates the vast majority of professing Christians who are exposed as liars! (I John 2:4).

The Apostle Paul NEVER sanctioned sin!

Some abuse these Scriptures, perverting Paul's words to say something totally different than he meant, and which would cause him to turn over in his grave if he only knew!

1 Corinthians 6:12 - "All things are lawful for me," but not all things are helpful. "All things are lawful for me," but I will not be enslaved by anything.

and

1 Corinthians 10:23 - "All things are lawful," but not all things are helpful. "All things are lawful," but not all things build up.


Paul spoke of everything that is LAWFUL - not sin - everything that is permissable (like eating clean meats or drinking wine) but not always profitable, since it could be a stumblingblock to some.

Some bleat like dumb sheep:
Celebrating Christmas is allowed as we are no longer bound by the law.

That's a RELIGIOUS LIE, typical of rebellious "Christians" steeped in their baptized paganism that the real Jesus hates as an abomination! Yashua upheld the Law and the Prophets, and His true ministers do the same. Those religious rebels, those unclean liars (I John 2:4,) who pretend they know God but refuse to keep His commandments (preferring their idolatrous traditions of men), are held in a very low regard in God's Kingdom.

May everybody FORSAKE BABYLON and avoid it like the plague! May all study the Bible correctly, and see it consistently condemns whitewashed paganism. May we all let the plain Truth set us free from traditional error!

The Truth about NEW YEAR'S

How did the celebration of New Year's Eve begin? Why is the beginning of a year placed in the middle of a dead winter? And where did the many customs surrounding it originate?

The Truth About NEW YEAR'S!

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Please Feel Free To Forward This To Everybody You Love

The Truth about NEW YEAR'S

How did the celebration of New Year's Eve begin? Why is the beginning of a year placed in the middle of a dead winter? And where did the many customs surrounding it originate?

The Truth About NEW YEAR'S!
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Please Feel Free To Forward This To Everybody You Love

What about giving your love and time to those around you?

Celebrations are what they are, but giving your love and time to those around you is what's important - unless of course you think that God says otherwise!

The Word of God has clearly shown you that GOD HATES PAGAN HOLIDAYS - even if they're whitewashed and pretend to be Christian or are palmed off as "family time." Are you really interested in the truth or defending sinful practices? It is not a gift to God, your neighbor or yourself to engage in pagan practices that are bringing judgment upon our families and nations. Why don't you take God's Word and warnings seriously? Why do you squirm to get around God's clear commands? Who's fooling who? For what?

After all, doesn't the Torah, in Deuteronomy talk about loving thy neighbour, etc???

First and foremost we're to LOVE GOD AND KEEP HIS COMMANDMENTS. Something you're not doing if you engage in pagan practices or associate in any way with condemned Christmas celebrations that are tainted traditions and deadly delusions. Yashua said we're to love Him more than family or we're not worthy of Him. We're not showing true love to family or friends if we stubbornly insist on keeping holidays and their heathen customs, their whitewashed ways, that the nuclear flames will soon melt away. We must avoid paganism like the plague or suffer the consequences. There's nothing touch-feely about it that will cause such a leopard to change its spots in GOD'S EYES.

Family time God hates and condemns as worthless and dangerous to national security

Jeremiah 7:17-19

17 Do you not see what they are doing in the towns of Judah and in the streets of Jerusalem? 18 The children gather wood, the fathers light the fire, and the women knead the dough and make cakes of bread for the Queen of Heaven. They pour out drink offerings to other gods to provoke me to anger. 19 But am I the one they are provoking? declares the LORD. Are they not rather harming themselves, to their own shame?


Jeremiah 10:1-3

1 Hear what the LORD says to you, O house of Israel. 2 This is what the LORD says:
"Do not learn the ways of the nations...

3 For the customs of the peoples are worthless;
they (misled family) cut a tree out of the forest,
and a craftsman shapes it with his chisel.

4 They (misled family) adorn it with silver and gold;
they fasten it with hammer and nails
so it will not totter.

So DBA is giving presents wrong?

Yashua was in a house - not a manger - when the wise men came to see Him who was born "King of the Jews" and presented to Him - they didn't exchange the gifts amongst themselves - their expensive gifts fit for a King, as protocol demanded and love encouraged.

However, see how brainwashed society has been by the modern moneychangers? putting the pressure on folks to spend like crazy and act like fools? Regardless, you can give presents throughout the year or on the biblical festivals that God has blessed and Jesus observed and the early Church kept and the whole world will soon.

Why would anyone want to stay addicted to anything associated with pagan Christmas since it's an abomination? We would do well to forget that pagan holiday because under the reign of the Christ the King it will be history! How silly of people to try and force their supposed birthday celebration on Jesus when He wants NOTHING to do with it and condemns it! And then the same thoughtless people pig out on ham during pagan Easter! It's like insisting on having a party for a vegetarian (against their wishes) with "dead animal" as the main meal! LOL! Not too logical.

Does pagan equal immoral?

"Pagan" does not equal "immoral," dear. Indeed, both Christmas and Easter thinly veil their roots in paganism.


Pagan does equal immoral biblically speaking, since spiritually Israel or Judah (and their descendants today) and professing Chrisians are without excuse to whore around after foreign affairs, alien gods and heathen ways. We're to be married to our Great Creator God, the God of the Bible, and He doesn't settle for "an open relationship."

Pagans who admit they're pagan can do whatever they want (and suffer the consequences for worshipping the creation rather than the Creator), but God holds those who profess to be Christians to a higher standard and calls them to an accounting for such risky behavior that will lead to foreign invasion if those who engage in such worldly ways remain unrepentant in their religious sins.

How clear can God get?

How clear can God be when He warns against such sincere, but sincerely wrong thinking that just because some have whitewashed or sought to modify a holiday of pagan origin to worship the true God that it's now kosher? It's still unclean and an abomination that stinks to high Heaven. The leopard has not changed its spots. Why are some in such denial? Why do some hate the truth so much they prefer their deadly traditional darkness? Sad.

We can't escape that God's Word, His Law and Prophets that Yashua upheld and magnified, condemns "Christmas" in both the letter and spirit or principle of the holy Law:

Deuteronomy 12:30-32


30 and after they (the pagan nations God condemned for their paganism) have been destroyed before you, be careful not to be ensnared by inquiring about their gods, saying, "How do these nations serve their gods? We will do the same." 31 You must not worship the LORD your God in their way (here God addresses the vain argument that acknowledges the pagan origin of holidays but lamely excuses the whitewashed version since it's to the LORD), because in worshiping their gods, they do all kinds of detestable things the LORD hates. They even burn their sons and daughters in the fire as sacrifices to their gods.

32 See that you do all I command you; do not add to it or take away from it.

The principle of God's Word further condemns such tinsel traditions and idolatrous ideas:

Mark 7:7

7They worship me in vain;
preferring their traditions over God's commandments.'

Let the truth set you free or GO INTO NATIONAL CAPTIVITY.

Christmas and the Winter Solstice

God won't care if I celebrate Jesus' birthday on the same day as whatever pagan holiday it used to be hundreds of years ago. (winter solstice?)


That is SO UNSCRIPTURAL. Yashua said He upheld the Law and the Prophets - two witnesses against heathen customs and pagan holidays - and made the Law and the Prophets even more binding by revealing the principles of the law and not just the letter.

You're breaking God's law with impunity when you keep your festivals that God hates and rejects as an abomination. Why do you resist the plain truth? Why do you prefer your traditional darkness rather than thank God for exposing how you've been deceived like the rest of the sheeple caught up in the pagan holiday spirits? The truth can only set you free if you're willing to let go of such traditional error.

God expects us to keep HIS biblical festivals in their due seasons and let them become holy traditions, not manmade tinsel traditions destined to be trashed when Christ reigns from Jerusalem and teaches Torah!

God doesn't sanction unholy unions between biblical truth and pagan error!

History lessons from the Bible we're supposed to learn from:

1 Corinthians 10:10-21

10And do not grumble, as some of them did—and were killed by the destroying angel.

11These things happened to them as examples and were written down as WARNINGS for us, on whom the fulfillment of the ages has come. 12So, if you think you are standing firm, be careful that you don't fall! 13No temptation has seized you except what is common to man. And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can stand up under it.

14Therefore, my dear friends, flee from idolatry (idolatrous traditions, putting traditions before God's commandments). 15I speak to sensible people; judge for yourselves what I say. 16Is not the cup of thanksgiving for which we give thanks a participation in the blood of Christ? And is not the bread that we break a participation in the body of Christ? 17Because there is one loaf, we, who are many, are one body, for we all partake of the one loaf.

18Consider the people of Israel: Do not those who eat the sacrifices participate in the altar? 19Do I mean then that a sacrifice offered to an idol is anything, or that an idol is anything? 20No, but the sacrifices of pagans are offered to demons, not to God, and I do not want you to be participants with demons. 21You cannot drink the cup of the Lord and the cup of demons too; you cannot have a part in both the Lord's table and the table of demons.(It is a historic FACT that Christmas and Easter are holidays of demonic pagan origin).


2 Corinthians 6:14-18

14Do not be yoked together with unbelievers (no unholy union between biblical truth and pagan error). For what do righteousness and wickedness have in common? Or what fellowship can light have with darkness? (no mixing and matching, no baptized paganism). 15What harmony is there between Christ and Belial? (Truth and paganism) What does a believer have in common with an unbeliever? 16What agreement is there between the temple of God and idols? For we are the temple of the living God. As God has said: "I will live with them and walk among them, and I will be their God, and they will be my people."
17"Therefore come out from them
and be separate, says the Lord.
Touch no unclean thing (holidays of pagan origin are unclean and condemned as inappropriate for Bible-believers),
and I will receive you." (God says He won't receive those who stay in their unclean pagan practices, no matter how loudly they falsely profess to be Christians!).
18"I will be a Father to you,
and you will be my sons and daughters, says the Lord Almighty." (on God's conditions of confessing and forsaking error).

Both the Bible and history testify against Christmas!

Those who insist on keeping their hollow days against God's Word and Will, are either in denial, or woefully ignorant of the history of such heathen customs and idolatrous traditions pretending to be Christian and misrepresenting God before the nations.

The Scriptures clearly show in spirit and in truth, in the letter and principle of the Law, that there are still clean and unclean things in God's sight, that professing Christians must forsake such defilements, that God refuses to be associated with such diluted worship that is polluted with rank paganism.

The very fact that the early Church, closest to Christ and His apostles had nothing to do with such pagan Catholic holidays of Christmas and Easter should be sufficient to those who are sincere seekers of truth. Both the Bible and history testify against such hollow days and those who stubbornly insist on keeping their own vain traditions, rejecting the commandments of God, will suffer the consequences of which they have been warned. God is not mocked!

Celebrating Christmas is a SIN! Here's why....

I Corinthians 10:10-21 and 2 Corinthians 6:14-18 are two witnesses against mixing and matching paganism with biblical truths, polluting Christians with tainted traditions of misguided men!

And that's besides the foundational Scriptures that Yashua upheld as being part of the Law and magnified, showing we're not only to keep the letter of the Law, but the spirit or principle of it: Deuteronomy 12:30-32 and Jeremiah 10:2. This "Christmas is an abomination" blog offers many Scriptures and booklets and plenty of history about this Catholic festival that leaves everybody without excuse before God. Let the truth set you free! Why resist the Holy Spirit of truth?

"Christmas is about giving" - SAYS WHO?

Who started that BIG LIE? Undoubtedly those with something to sell, the modern moneychangers! Look at the folks about you rushing like sheep to the slaughter, to the "sales" and such that they simply cannot afford. Going into debt certainly isn't biblical, so why not break free from the trance? The "Christmas" rush is a "drug" pushed by commercial pimps prostituting a supposedly Christian holiday for their ungodly profits! They hold hands around the cash register and sing, "What a friend we have in Jesus."

In all honesty, Christmas is about GETTING! The whole idea of giving gifts has gotten out of hand. First it's not Jesus' birthday. Second the wise men didn't exchange gifts with each other but gave their gifts fit for a King to the King of the Jews (two years old and living in a house at that time - which is why Herod slaughtered the children two years and under trying to abort the Messiah's ascension to David's Throne).

If Christmas is supposed to be about Christ (and some sincerely believe it is, still in denial that it's a pagan holiday God wants no part of), why let Santa steal the show? Why do folks pretend they care that Jesus was born when they deny His life the rest of the year? Why do folks get angry when you mention these facts and they're not even religious? The herd doesn't want their trance broken, so they'll go broke keeping alive pagan festivals and foolishness that will be the death of many. Too many prefer tradition over truth, grieved to say.

"Harmless" Christmas celebrations, abominations to God and rejected by Christ, are setting the stage for our worst nightmare: our family and friends are going to be shipped off like cattle, since our countries are prophesied to suffer national defeat and deportation due to such idolatrous ideas and tinsel traditions, as brought out in: Shape up or get shipped out!

WAKE UP: Christmas is an ABOMINATION. That's why I no longer celebrate Christmas, refusing to live a lie. The plain truth of the Bible and history has set me free from such traditional Babylonian bondage!

Xmas

The Supreme Court has ruled that there cannot be a Nativity Scene in
Washington, DC this Christmas season.

This isn't for any religious reason. They simply have not been able to find
three wise men and a virgin in the Nation's capitol.

There was no problem, however, finding enough asses to fill the stable.

Does your minister know Christmas is pagan?

Have you ever asked him? Does he attempt to whitewash it or justify such baptized paganism? If he's not willing to stand up for the plain truth of the Bible and history, what else can't you trust him with? Is he more like one of the false prophets of Baal than an Elijah? Would he readily confess and forsake traditional error? Has he already? Ask your minister and find out, doing both of you a favor that can last forever!

Christmas dinner don'ts!

Biblical Christians who follow Yashua's example don't eat pork or other unclean foods or partake of unclean pagan practices that pretend to be "Christian."

Biblical Christians know that the dietary laws given at CREATION for ALL MANKIND are still in effect, and will remain in effect as long as there are mortals, until our transformation into the Divine or our return to the dust.

Acts 15:29

29You are to abstain from food sacrificed to idols, from blood, from the meat of strangled animals and from sexual immorality. You will do well to avoid these things. Farewell. (The dietary law against blood reveals the dietary laws remain in effect, which is why Peter hadn't eaten any unclean things years after Christ's resurrection).


Isaiah 66:15-17


15 See, the LORD is coming with fire, (time-setting, the end times, after the resurrection)
and his chariots are like a whirlwind;
he will bring down his anger with fury,
and his rebuke with flames of fire.

16 For with fire and with his sword
the LORD will execute judgment upon all men,
and many will be those slain by the LORD.

17 "Those who consecrate and purify themselves to go into the gardens, following the one in the midst of those who eat the flesh of pigs and rats and other abominable things—they will meet their end together," declares the LORD. (Pagan holidays with unclean foods like an Easter ham).


Matthew 5:17-19

17"Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them. (Yashua didn't rebel against His Father's commandments but kept them, upheld them, taught them and magnified them to make them even more binding!) 18I tell you the truth, until heaven and earth disappear, not the smallest letter, not the least stroke of a pen, will by any means disappear from the Law until everything is accomplished. 19Anyone who breaks one of the least of these commandments and teaches others to do the same will be called least in the kingdom of heaven, but whoever practices and teaches these commands will be called great in the kingdom of heaven.

Those unclean ministers who teach the religious lie professing Christians can eat abominable things will have "hell" to pay and their tainted traditions will become toast! Real Christians don't eat pork!

God will judge this nation for its pagan holidays!

God would not be a God of justice to continue to allow us to live in sin when He has been warning this nation against such sins for over 60 years, starting with Herbert W. Armstrong. The writing is on the wall with Beyond Babylon: Europe's Rise and Fall - the THUNDER BEFORE THE STORM, first a rumble here and there, then the ROAR, and then, if our folks don't forsake such pagan practices and tinsel traditions, such idolatry, the German-EU nuclear lightning bolts will start to fly, sparking WWIII. Then we'll see that God is serious when He commands us to have nothing to do with pagan holidays and observances! Let's hope our Gentilized Israelites peoples don't demand national defeat and deportation to turn from our religious sins.

Upside Down Christmas Trees!

Fake trees turn Christmas on its head
By Craig Wilson, USA TODAY

Has your holiday imbibing gotten out of control so soon?


Inverted evergreen: Novelties, space savers or something more sinister?

Maybe that Christmas tree you saw really is upside down. Upside-down trees are, well, turning the upcoming holiday on its head.

Hammacher Schlemmer can't even keep its $599.95 pre-lit model in stock. It's already sold out.

"We increased the amount we ordered from last year, but ended up selling all of them already," says Joe Jamrosz of Hammacher Schlemmer.

Not to be left behind, Target has three such upside-down trees ($299.99-$499.99) on its website, touting their best attribute: "Leaves more room on the floor for gifts!"

Similar trees are also available at ChristmasTreeForMe.com in the 5-to-7½-foot range ($280-$504).

The artificial trees are hung from the wall or ceiling, or come with a weighted base to provide extra stability to prevent tipping and leaning.

Sheryl Karas, author of The Solstice Evergreen: The History, Folklore and Origins of the Christmas Tree, isn't quite sure what's going on with the resurgence of upside-down trees, a 12th-century tradition in Central Europe.

"But it's the question I get more often than any other on my website," says the Santa Cruz, Calif., author (sherylkaras.com).

Karas believes it's purely a decorative thing this time around, a way to better display ornaments so they don't get lost in the foliage. She doesn't want to put a damper on the holidays, but she suspects "there's something sinister, almost bad, about it."

Because the shape of the tree is symbolic (pointing to heaven), "if they thought about it, they wouldn't turn it upside down," she says.

But enough playing Scrooge. It's the holiday season.

"Many of the people have been using them as their second tree. A novelty," Jamrosz says. "They also find the bigger gifts don't fit under a traditional tree."

Hanging a tree from the ceiling also ensures a smaller footprint for less-spacious areas. You can put it between two closely placed chairs, for instance.

But not everyone is head over heels about the trend. Tree Classics Inc. of Lake Barrington, Ill., claims to be the top seller of artificial Christmas trees on the Internet — up 30% this year alone — but not a one of them is upside down.

"That tree makes no sense to me whatsoever," says Tree Classics president Leon Gamze, who sells 59 styles of upright trees. "I just look at them and laugh." But would he ever join the upside-down trend?

"Never. Wouldn't even consider it."

Probably a good thing. He'll never have to ponder whether to put a star at the top, or bottom, of such a thing.

Wal-Mart faces boycott for 'banning' Christmas

WND Exclusive HOLIDAY BLUES

Wal-Mart faces boycott
for 'banning' Christmas
Top retailer accused of discrimination while promoting Kwanzaa, Hanukkah
Posted: November 10, 2005
1:00 a.m. Eastern

By Joe Kovacs
© 2005 WorldNetDaily.com


A Catholic advocacy group has launched a national boycott against Wal-Mart, claiming the world's No. 1 retailer has in effect "banned" Christmas, while promoting other seasonal holidays such as Hanukkah and Kwanzaa.

But Wal-Mart tells WorldNetDaily it has "absolutely not" banned Christmas, but is just "trying to serve all our customers for the holiday season."

more

Why Some Christians Don't Celebrate Christmas

Many feel that Christmas marks Christ's birthday and that it honors Him. After all, can 2 billion professing Christians be wrong? At the same time, some few Christians don't observe Christmas, believing that Jesus didn't sanction it and that it dishonors Him. Who is right—and why?
by Jerold Aust

One day, years ago, someone asked me why I kept Christmas. "The Bible says to keep it," I responded. "Somewhere in the Gospel of Luke, it speaks of the nativity scene. An angel told some shepherds that were keeping their sheep in the fields at night that the baby Jesus was born in Bethlehem. I think they went to see Jesus at that time.

"That was the first Christmas! And that's why I keep Christmas, because the Bible supports Christmas, the birthday of Jesus Christ."

"That's not true and here's why," my friend replied.

I soon learned that the Bible didn't teach Christmas. I also found that its origins have nothing to do with the Bible. It was an important lesson about things I'd long assumed to be true.

Just because some 2 billion people—roughly 1 billion Catholics and another billion in Protestant faiths—observe Christmas, does that make it right? Does it really matter one way or the other?

more

Buy Nothing Christmas

Why Don't You Keep Christmas?

Be Ready to Give an Answer:
Why Don't You Keep Christmas?

Yes, we believe in Jesus Christ, and His birth was a very important event in the history of the world. Parts of four chapters in the Bible are devoted to the events in the year or two before to several months after His birth (Matthew 1:18-2:18; Luke 1-2:38). But the Bible doesn't tell us to celebrate it.

It Wasn't Dec. 25. The Bible also doesn't tell us when His birthday was, but it is clear it wasn't near Dec. 25. There were shepherds in the field (Luke 2:7-8) and a census was being taken (Luke 2:1-4), neither of which would have happened in the cold, rainy month of December. The only clue the Bible gives would probably put His birth sometime in the fall. This is based on calculating from the time the course of Abijah served in the temple (Luke 1:5-8) which the Companion Bible puts as June 13-19 that year (Companion Bible, 1974, Appendix 179, p. 200). Jesus was probably born about 15 months later, since He was born six months after John the Baptist. So why do people celebrate Dec. 25?

Pagan Origins. Though late December was an important pagan holiday to the Greeks (Bacchanalia), Romans (Saturnalia, which at times included human sacrifice) and the Persian cult of Mithra (which became the official Roman religion in A.D. 274), it seems the first time it was celebrated as Christmas was about 300 years after Christ. It was also a celebration among the Druids and Germanic tribes, who were allowed to continue their pagan rebirth and fertility customs including evergreen trees and mistletoe, even after being "converted" to the popular form of Christianity.

God's View. Deuteronomy 12:29-32 and Jeremiah 10:2-8 show that God does not want His people to adopt pagan customs. This is also explained in the New Testament (2 Corinthians 6:14-18). Check any encyclopedia for the origin of the customs of evergreen trees, mistletoe, wreaths and ornaments.

God does give us wonderful, meaningful celebrations that He is pleased with, and that are fun for children. But He doesn't want us to fall for a counterfeit, even if it has 4,000 years of tradition behind it!

Holidays or Holy Days - Does It Matter Which Days We Keep?

Request this FREE booklet

Modern moneychangers

The MERCHANTS OF MAMMON need their tables overturned and their stock driven out! Such greedy folk extort the Christmas season to make a killing off foolish consumers driven by idolatrous traditions and under the intoxicating influence of clever AD CAMPAIGNS. Is Christ honored by such senseless shopping? Does God want people to go into debt? It's just not right!

PAGAN HOLIDAYS—OR GOD'S HOLY DAYS—WHICH?

Soon when the Third Temple shines upon the Temple Mount in Jerusalem, Israel, representatives from all nations will gather to learn more about the God of Jacob and His ways and biblical festivals, having trashed their former vain traditions. Other than our Jewish brethren, some Christians are now pioneering in celebrating these glorious days of the wonderful World Tomorrow!




PAGAN HOLIDAYS—OR GOD'S HOLY DAYS—WHICH?

By Herbert W. Armstrong

Does it make any difference which days we observe-or whether we keep them? Does the Bible establish whether we are to keep certain days holy to God? Were these days given to ancient Israel only? Are they binding today only on the Jewish people, while Christians are commanded to keep holidays such as Christmas?

TABLE OF CONTENTS


Chapter 1 Which Days Should We Keep?
Chapter 2 What You Should Know About Pentecost
Chapter 3 Feast of Trumpets
Chapter 4 Feast of Tabernacles

Why is Holly a Christmas symbol?

How Christmas Works

by Marshall Brain goes into the origins of many customs associated with Christmas.

I used to keep Christmas

Just for the record, I know that with all these facts and figures, biblical or otherwise, I can often appear too harsh, even though I do try to get across it is TOUGH LOVE. I am one who truly believes that our popular holidays of pagan origin are a prime cause for our IMMINENT NATIONAL CAPTIVITY, as forewarned in the little book destined to have a big impact: Beyond Babylon: Europe's Rise and Fall. That being said, I would like folks to know that I have, as mentioned in the beginning, kept Christmas celebrations until I was 18 and discovered the plain truth about Christmas.


I was blessed to grow up in Risingsun, Ohio next door to my Grandma and Grandpa Hoover on their farm that embraced where we lived, surrounding us with its loving arms on both sides (until the age of 11) and behind, with our woods over yonder a bit, that I loved to walk through as a boy, always looking for my circling overhead "brother" hawk to greet me.


Anyway, besides my parents, Grandma and Grandpa Hoover always made sure we had a rich Christmas celebration, in every sense of the word. We always went to their house, next door (an orchard field in between us), on Christmas eve and to my Grandma King's in Fostoria on Christmas Day.


Grandma Vivian Hoover always made sure we had plenty of wonderful homecooked food and baked goods of every kind and different types of fudge and peanut brittle (my sister Sue and Grandpa liked it), and that we each had ten presents to open. She bought year round from mail-order catalogs and hid them upstairs somewhere. She also preferred the blue Christmas lights, like the candles in the windows, and always had us bring down the box with her artificial tree (because she was allergic to the real thing) and the horse sleigh bells to put around the front door and candy canes for the tree...


As kids, my sisters and I, we always wanted to open up our presents right away, but Grandma would leave that decision to dad to decide if we ate first or not. We ate first (which is undoubtedly wise).

So I know the warm and lovely cherished Christmas memories many have, having experienced them, but once I learned that such holidays are actually pagan in origin, unclean observances that the Great Creator God of the Bible forbids His children, and that God wants us to enjoy family and friends and wonderful memories keeping His biblical festivals that are kosher, I promptly stopped keeping Christmas and started keeping God's holy days with His blessing.


I hope and pray for America, and our Israelite peoples everywhere who have been Gentilized in too many ways, to remember our Hebrew roots and biblical responsibilities and draw closer to our God and increasingly further away from those ways and days He strongly disapproves of since God loves us.