December, 2003 www.RemnantofGod.org Presents of God ministry
Is Christmas Christian?
Christian greeting’s everyone in these last days of life on Earth. Well, it’s that time of year again when I send out my “Is Christmas Christian” newsletter. Each year many are blessed by the facts laid out here. Some of the facts listed below were in last year’s Newsletter, but there are some new facts as well. Each year I try to research up more info for those that need the data to share with loved ones.
One sad reality about sending this newsletter out is the hate email it usually generates. So, I would like to ask anyone that has a desire to question such blunt researchable facts in an angry way, please do so in a kind and gentle manner. It’s much easier to discuss things without hatred don’t ya think? ;)
In the Word of our Creator God we read this…
2 Corinthians 11:1-4, "Would to God ye could bear with me a little in my folly: and indeed bear with me. For I am jealous over you with godly jealousy: for I have espoused you to one husband, that I may present you as a chaste virgin to Christ. But I fear, lest by any means, as the serpent beguiled Eve through his subtilty, so your minds should be corrupted from the simplicity that is in Christ. For if he that cometh preacheth another Jesus, whom we have not preached, or if ye receive another spirit, which ye have not received, or another gospel, which ye have not accepted, ye might well bear with him."
It is the time of year that
almost everyone you meet greets you with the familiar phrase, "Merry
Christmas." After reading this Newsletter I am sure you will
understand why that particular phrase gives me cause for concern. I cannot
honestly speak such words as those that Scriptures overwhelming proclaim as an
absolute mockery unto my Lord Jesus Christ without at least explaining myself.
A few questions that come
to mind are: Was Jesus born on or around December 25? Is Jesus really the
"Reason for the Season?" And if so, are we supposed to celebrate it
as such? Or is this Jesus they are proclaiming "another Jesus"
not mentioned in the Word of the Lord? Does the Jesus of the Bible agree with
the Jesus of Christmas, 100%? 90%? 50%? or even 10%?
As we see in 2 Corinthians
11:1-4 that I shared at the top of this Newsletter. The Apostle was trying to
prevent the Corinthians from becoming corrupted by false apostles, false
teachers, and false Christians. According to Truth, there is only ONE Jesus
Christ, that is to be proclaimed to all the World. We should be preaching the
Jesus of the Bible unto the World making absolutely sure not to "mix"
that Gospel message with anything tainted by the World itself. For it is
plainly written... "...know ye not that the friendship of the world is
enmity with God? whosoever therefore will be a friend of the world is the enemy
of God."-James
4:4
Fact is we are not to "add to, or take away" from the Word of God in any way shape or form! To preach "another Jesus" is to mix the Gospel with lies of Satan plain and simple. Did you know the definition of the word ‘Babylon’ is “to mix”? Babylon is infamous for mixing truth with error. It is also causing those children that have heard the Truth, and accepted it, an opportunity to be lured away unto "another message" that may seem more acceptable to those around them. They see fellow Christians everywhere buying gifts, trees, and Christmas lights and they feel obligated and even expected to do the same. I know from experience that when I quit celebrating this day, I was looked upon in a very hateful way. I was considered hateful, anti-Christian, cold, evil, and incapable of having a giving spirit. This is Satan's true desire. He will look for any opportunity he can find to get followers of Christ Jesus to do and embrace evil acts as Christian acts, and he will even use other Christians to do so. Peer pressure was thought of first in Christian circles. The enemy will simply show them brothers and sisters in Christ doing his will with complete acceptance so as to gently lure others to their doom. This is always the case. If they THINK it's accepted, then they will THINK it's ok. Or they will go ahead so as to “keep the peace” between them. This is especially truthful among new believers. If Satan can get you to accept his lies, ALONG with the Truth of the Lord, then his work is well on its way of completion into the hearts of Christians. However, it is written rather bluntly...
1 Corinthians 10:21, "Ye cannot drink the cup of the Lord, and the cup of devils: ye cannot be partakers of the Lord's table, and of the table of devils."
So, what in the world am I
getting at? My point is this... Is this really Jesus Christ they claim that was
born on December 25 the very same Jesus of the Christian Bible? And are all the
acts, rituals, festivities, and merry making Christian in origin? Are they
Biblical? Did the early Church accept, embrace, and take part in all this? Or
is the hand of evil cleverly hidden in all this?
As usual.. I won’t post ALL the information in this Newsletter. It is far too extensive. But I will touch on each area so as to better illustrate the urgency of this matter. If you would like ALL the facts I have listed online as well as a few links that cover even more data, click here.
IS IT ACCEPTABLE TO BLEND PAGANISM WITH CHRISTIANITY?
"When the LORD thy God shall cut off the nations from before thee, whither thou goest to possess them, and thou succeedest them, and dwellest in their land; Take heed to thyself that thou be not snared by following them, after that they be destroyed from before thee; and that thou enquire not after their gods, saying, How did these nations serve their gods? even so will I do likewise. Thou shalt not do so unto the LORD thy God: for every abomination to the LORD, which he hateth, have they done unto their gods; for even their sons and their daughters they have burnt in the fire to their gods. What thing soever I command you, observe to do it: thou shalt not add thereto, nor diminish from it." -Deuteronomy 12:29-32
In his book, "Too Long In The Sun," Richard Rives draws an appropriate parallel to the circumstances in Exodus 32, a Biblical precedent which provoked God nearly to the point of destroying the nation of Israel for their sin of blending pagan worship with His own.
"…the golden calf was built and the celebration declared a ‘feast to the Lord.’...The people had declared a celebration to honor God that he did not recognize as being in his honor." Richard Rives, Too Long in the Sun, Partakers Pub., 1996, pp. 129-30.
"Hathor and Aphis, the cow and bull gods of Egypt, were representatives of sun worship. Their worship was just one stage in the long Egyptian history of solar veneration. The golden calf at Mount Sinai is more than sufficient evidence to prove that the feast proclaimed was related to sun worship. The event at Mount Sinai was just one episode in the Satanic apostasy which began at the tower of Babel. The celebration of December 25th, originally proclaimed in honor of the birth of the sun god Mithra, can only be one of the final events in the long continuing saga of Satanic sun worship." -Ibid, pp. 130-31.
The children of Israel
placed themselves on the absolute edge of certain annihilation that day. It is
a good thing that, "...the LORD repented of the evil which he thought
to do unto his people."-Exodus
32:14 The Almighty
could have easily removed every single Israelite from the face of the Earth. He
could have easily rose up a mighty nation from the house of Moses instead as He
intimated in Exodus 32:10. But as we know, He did not. That does not lessen the
severity of their open denial of Him by any means. It was something that ANGERED
THE LORD intensely. Yet, we see people doing this today with such disregard
for His heart the world over. If only the Christian would realize… this hurts
your Father’s heart to see you mix His truth with that of Babylon. He said
plainly in His Word that it offended Him when His children did it at Mt Sinai.
Has He changed His mind suddenly? According to His Word. No He hasn’t.
Malachi
3:6, "For I am the LORD, I change not…”
Before reading all the facts below. If you are one that still embraces the Christmas season as a Christian, PLEASE allow the love of God to come into your heart today on this topic. He loves you so much that HE sent His only Son to die for you. Is it too much to worship Him the way He wants you to? Why would you want to mix things that sadden His heart with your worship? There are no gray areas in Christianity. Either you are doing His will or not. Since you have actual Scriptures proving you are in error, why would you seek to continue in such things? Is hellfire that enticing? Or is Heaven that revolting?
THE NAME... CHRIST- MASS?
"The mass is the unbloody renewal of the sacrifice of Christ on Calvary's cross...Christ, through the ministry of the Roman Catholic priest, offers Himself to God in an unbloody manner under the appearances of bread and wine. The mass is the same sacrifice as the sacrifice of the cross because the Victim is the same. The purpose of the mass is, among other things, to satisfy the justice of God for the sins committed against Him." -Rev. John A. O'Brien, UNDERSTANDING THE CATHOLIC FAITH, Ave Maria Press, Nortre Dame, Ind, 1955, p. 212
Christ is crucified afresh
in the Catholic Church daily indicating His death on Calvary was insufficient.
They boldly proclaim Calvary a lie by this event that is defined a
"mass." Is it not written in Hebrews 7:27, "Who needeth not
daily, as those high priests, to offer up sacrifice, first for his own sins,
and then for the people's: for this he did once, when he
offered up himself."
For this church to proclaim
"The purpose of the mass is, among other things, to satisfy the justice
of God for the sins committed against Him" is to boldly declare that
which Jesus did was insufficient on Calvary. And that is blasphemy to say the
least. It actually sounds like an old Hollywood movie theme to me when they say
that. I can picture idol worshippers throwing young virgins into a live volcano
to appease the gods. This is what Rome is doing in their mass! They ignore, and
deny Calvary and say you must enter into the mass daily so as to satisfy God!
Look at it this way. Let’s
say you want to worship the Lord in song. You pick a few very pleasing Gospel
standards. But before singing them unto the Lord, you change the music to that
of heavy metal rock music. Do you think the Lord is pleased with that? Or lets
say you are a person that communicates with spirits. One day you come across a
preacher proclaiming Christ the Lord and decide to proclaim Jesus as Lord as
well. However, you do so while still being in open sin by communicating with
“spirits” on a daily basis. Would the Lord approve? No! Of course not, for you
would be as that “certain damsel” that mocked the Lord in Acts 16…
Acts 16:16-18, "And it came
to pass, as we went to prayer, a certain damsel possessed with a spirit of
divination met us, which brought her masters much gain by soothsaying: The same followed Paul and us, and cried,
saying, These men are the servants of the most high God, which shew unto us the
way of salvation. And this did she many
days. But Paul, being grieved, turned and said to the spirit, I command thee in
the name of Jesus Christ to come out of her. And he came out the same
hour."
One would think this damsel was doing good, no? She was
proclaiming truth was she not? No, not at all. She was “holding the truth in
unrighteousness” as Romans chapter one proclaims. You cannot mix truth with
error! She was mocking the Lord as the “Christian” rock singers do, and sadly,
those that embrace Christmas do this as well. This “certain damsel” was
proclaiming loudly that she was
Christian, and at the same time she was a KNOWN diviner of spirits. She
was sending a mixed message out. She was saying it’s ok to sin and still be a
Christian. THAT is Catholic theology! Rome proclaims you can be saved IN
your sins. That is why so many Catholic hate people like me. It’s upsetting to
hear for some that they DO have to give up their sinful ways no matter how much
they enjoy them. Fact is, Christ cannot save us IN our sins, He saves us FROM
our sins!
With that said… please, accept these facts in the Light they are given…
THE DATE... DECEMBER 25TH?
Think about this common sense situation for a moment. Are we to assume the shepherds kept their flocks outside in the Winter? Did the angels appear to them in the Winter? Fact is, the sheep were brought in under cover around mid-October to early November to protect them from the cold, rainy, and hail season that would follow. These are not conditions worthy of sheep herding. Nor will you find shepherds outside this time of year. Therefore it would be impossible for them to actually have seen the angels bringing tidings of great joy. Common sense tells us that they would not have been outside at that time of year.
"And there were in the same country shepherds abiding in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night. And, lo, the angel of the Lord came upon them, and the glory of the Lord shone round about them: and they were sore afraid. And the angel said unto them, Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people. For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord." -Luke 2:8-11,
This would NOT have occurred in the Winter! This is absolutely unequivocally impossible. According to the information we have about Palestine, the flocks were let out in the pastures in the month of March, and brought back in mid October to early November when the rainy season began.
"This proves plainly that the flocks were not yet
brought home from their pastures, when the angels visited the shepherds.
Some have the idea that there is no winter in Palestine, but that is a mistake,
because sometimes it is very cold there, so that the lives of both men
and beasts are in danger of the cold rain and hail storms of the
winter."-- Horne's Introduction, Vol.II, pp. 23,24.
Concerning this, Adam Clarke makes the following remark in his commentary: "It was a custom among the Jews to send out their sheep to the desert about the passover, and bring them home at the commencement of the first rain. [See also the book, The Two Babylons, pages 91,92. ]
The first rain occurs
around the Jewish month of Cheshvan. That is around mid October to November to
those of us using the modern English calendar. The flocks were BROUGHT IN well
before December 25! If everyone on planet Earth that claims Jesus as Lord
would place their faith in "Whatsoever saith the Lord" we would have
a LOT less Pagan activities going on. The devil is a cunning enemy. He has
placed wolves in sheep's clothing before all of us masquerading as Christians,
preachers, priests, and ministers to declare unto you the lie of Christmas.
Why? So as to confuse the Truth that is held within the Word of God. Nullifying
whatsoever saith the Lord, for whatsoever your Christian brothers and sisters
are doing. It is done to get all of the world under his control by partaking in
activities of the Pagan by calling it Christian. Satan knows that “to mix” is
VERY effective! If it has “any” truth in it, Christians seem to soak it up as
an acceptable practice. Keep in mind, the devil has been practicing on humans,
and how to tempt us now 6000 YEARS! One would think he’s getting real good at
it eh?
Another thing many miss is the simple fact that Joseph and Mary would NOT have traveled to Bethlehem in Winter. Luke 2:4-5 tells us, "And Joseph also went up from Galilee, out of the city of Nazareth, into Judaea, unto the city of David, which is called Bethlehem; (because he was of the house and lineage of David) To be taxed with Mary his espoused wife, being great with child." Simple historic fact is, Rome would NEVER have the people travel at a time of year for a taxation or a census. They knew it would most certainly cause great distress and even death not only of mankind, but of beast as well. They didn't have heated cars, buses, trains, and airplanes in those days. Satan is relying on our creature comforts of today to fog the minds of those that would look upon this simple Historic fact. Are we subconsciously ignoring the obvious here? It appears so.
"How much the date of the festival depended upon the pagan Brumalia (December 25th) following the Saturnalia (December 17th-24th), and celebrating the shortest day of the year and the 'new sun'...cannot be accurately determined. The pagan Saturnalia and Brumalia were too deeply entrenched in popular custom to be set aside by Christian influence...The pagan festival with it's riot and merrymaking was so popular that Christians were glad of an excuse to continue its celebration with little change in spirit and in manner. Christian preachers of the West and the Near East protested against the unseemly frivolity with which Christ's birthday was celebrated, while Christians of Mesopotamia ACCUSED THEIR WESTERN BRETHREN OF IDOLATRY AND SUN WORSHIP FOR ADOPTING AS CHRISTIAN THIS PAGAN FESTIVAL" Emphasis added. -The New Schaff-Herzog Encyclopedia of Religious Knowledge
I like the way Sister White
delves into this fact. She makes it so clear and easy to understand…
"Christmas is coming,"
is the note that is sounded throughout our world from east to west and from
north to south. With youth, those of mature age, and even the aged, it is a
period of general rejoicing, of great gladness. But what is Christmas, that it
should demand so much attention? This day has been made much of for centuries. It
is accepted by the unbelieving world, and by the Christian world generally,
as the day on which Christ was born. When the world at large celebrate the day,
they show no honor to Christ. They refuse to acknowledge him as their
Saviour, to honor him by willing obedience to his service. They show
preference to the day, but none to the one for whom the day is celebrated,
Jesus Christ.
The twenty-fifth of December is supposed to be the day of the
birth of Jesus Christ, and its observance has become customary and popular. But
yet there is no certainty that we are keeping the veritable day of our
Saviour's birth. History gives us no certain assurance of this. The Bible does
not give us the precise time. Had the Lord deemed this knowledge essential to
our salvation, He would have spoken through His prophets and apostles, that we
might know all about the matter. But the silence of the Scriptures upon this
point evidences to us that it is hidden from us for the wisest purposes.
In His wisdom the Lord concealed the place where He buried
Moses. God buried him, and God resurrected him and took him to heaven. This
secrecy was to prevent idolatry. He, against whom they rebelled while he
was in active service, whom they provoked almost beyond human endurance, was
almost worshiped as God after his separation from them by death. For the
very same purpose He has concealed the precise day of Christ's birth, that the
day should not receive the honor that should be given to Christ as the
Redeemer of the world--one to be received, to be trusted, to be relied on as He
who could save to the uttermost all who come unto Him. – The soul's
adoration should be given to Jesus as the Son of the infinite God. {Review
and Herald, December 9, 1884 par. 1}
The infinite wisdom of our
Lord is so apparent in this simple fact. He spared us the date of His birth so
as to prevent our desire to make that day into a day of IDOL WORSHIP. Yet we
see Satan has devised a way around that. ALL the world is indeed wondering
after the Beast!
"A star cult, sun-worship, became (in the third century A.D.) the dominant official creed, paving the road for the ultimate triumph of Judaeo-Christian monotheism. So strong was the belief in the Invincible Sun (Sol Invictus) that for example Constantine I (d. 337), himself at first a devotee of the sun cult, found it, indeed perfectly compatible with his pro-Christian sympathies to authorize his own portrayal as Helios. And in 354 the ascendant Christian church in the reign of his pious but unsavory son, Constantius II, found it prudent to change the celebration of the birth of Jesus from the traditional date (January 6) to December 25, in order to combat the pagan Sun god’s popularity—his "birthday" being December 25." -Frederick H. Cramer, Astrology in Roman Law and Politics, p. 4. Copyright 1954 by the American Philosophical Society, Philadelphia.
"The reasons for celebrating our major feasts when we do are many and varied. In general, however, it is true that many of them have at least an indirect connection with the pre-Christian feasts celebrated about the same time of year — feasts centering around the harvest, the rebirth of the sun at the winter solstice (now Dec. 21, but Dec. 25 in the old Julian calendar), the renewal of nature in spring, and so on." -The New Question Box - Catholic Life for the Nineties, copyright 1988 by John J. Dietzen, M.A., S.T.L., ISBN 0-940518-01-5 (paperback), published by Guildhall Publishers, Peoria Illinois, 61651., page 554.
Referring to Rorate
(Nativity), a traditional Scottish melody featured on her recent Christmas
album, American Scottish fiddler Bonnie Rideout described the lyrics in a way
that really captures the essence of Christmas - namely syncretism (union)…
"Its about the birth of the Son, meaning the s-o-n, the
Christ-child. And then the lyrics continue.to talk about the earth and the
sea and the birth of the sun, s-u-n, meaning the winter solstice. The sun
is coming back and with the return of the sun, comes new hope. But in the
Christian sense, the birth of the Son, meaning the Christ child, is the
bringing of new hope for Christians. So there is this sort of nice interplay
with the Christian and the Pagan beliefs coming together and sort of meaning
the same thing, which is the rebirth of the spirit.its a very uplifting
feeling." Bonnie Rideout, The Thistle and Shamrock, produced by Fiona
Ritchie, National Public Radio, 12/23/99.
“Nice interplay?” See how Satan will make it all appear so loving and blessed?
The REAL reason for
December 25 is that it has everything to do with the "the rebirth of the
sun at the winter solstice" the Pagan "Brumalia" and absolutely nothing to do with the birth of the
Son of God. So, is it becoming clearer as to who is REALLY being worshipped at
Christmas? THE SUN! Christmas is the "winter solstice" plain and simple, always
has been always will be. It is when the Sun hangs longer in the sky for all
inhabitants of Earth. That is a fact of nature no one can deny. It is “reborn”
for the Pagan. It is evident by the days becoming longer as the year
progresses. It is a Pagan celebration of the rebirth of their Sun god Mithra.
It is actually no different than Easter. Pagans worship the Sun, Moon, and
Stars. Easter is actually the "renewal of nature" for the Pagans. Ask
any Pagan, or Catholic priest you meet why they "fast 40 days" before
their festival of "Easter" that falls on the first SUNday after the
first FULL MOON of Spring. Like Christmas, Easter has nothing to do with
Christ, and EVERYTHING to do with Pagan worship of the Sun, Moon, and Stars.
Now do you see why Easter falls on a "different date" every year? If
it was really about Jesus' death and resurrection the date would be the same
every year. Fact remains Easter falls on a date calculated by the orbit of
the Moon around earth. The first full moon of Spring, the following Sunday will
be Easter! Christmas is more deceiving however because it is calculated on the
orbit of the planet around the Sun. That also happens to be how we calculate
our Solar year. That's why Christmas always falls on the same date. It is an
"annual" calculation, where the moon's orbit is calculated
monthly. (Now do you understand why the Pope looks to change the calendar
again? He wants to make Easter a FIXED date.)
DID EARLY CHRISTIANS CELEBRATE CHRISTMAS?
"A broad element of English Christianity still
considered Christmas celebration a pagan blasphemy. The Puritans, Baptists,
Quakers, Presbyterians, Calvinists and other denominations brought this
opposition to early New England and strong opposition to the holiday lasted
in America until the middle of the 18th century." -The Origins of
Christmas," Rick Meisel, Dec. 19, 1993, p. 4.
"...Christmas was not among the earliest festivals of the
church...." -Encyclopedia Britannica, 1946 edition
"Christmas... It was, according to many authorities, not celebrated in the first centuries of the Christian church, as the Christian usage in general was to celebrate the death of remarkable persons [eg Communion - death of Christ] rather than their birth..." "...A feast was established in memory of this event [the birth of Jesus] in the fourth century. In the fifth century the Western Church ordered it to be celebrated forever ON THE DAY OF THE OLD ROMAN FEAST OF THE BIRTH OF SOL [SUN], as no certain knowledge of the day of Christ's birth existed." Emphasis added. -Encyclopedia Americana, 1944 Edition
So the answer is NO. The
early and True Christian Church, our Biblical example on how to walk as
Christians, was not found to be one celebrating a Pagan
Christmas feast day. In fact, the early church displayed STRONG OPPOSITION to
this Pagan feast day for hundreds of years! So, why do Christians of today
celebrate that which is known to be of Pagan origin? Because Revelation 13:3
does indeed say that ALL the world wonders after the Beast. It also says in
Revelation 17 that The Roman Church is the "mother of harlots." And
what does Jeremiah 6:2 define women in prophecy as? CHURCHES! In other words,
the reason everyone is doing as the Roman Catholic church has invented, is
because she IS their mother church. June 26, 2000 the official start of the ONE WORLD CHURCH confirms that. They are all going
back home to their mother!
Ever notice this??
The movie, “The Scrooge who
stole Christmas” is actually based on Historic FACT! How so? Look at it this
way…
· Scrooge = Real Christians that refuse Christmas
·
Celebrants
in movie = Babylonian Christians that embrace Christmas
The movie depicts the real
Christians as evil, heartless, and incapable of the spirit of giving. The
Christians that embrace Christmas in the movie appear happy, loving, and very
giving. All through the movie Scrooge (the real Christian) is attacking the
Christmas loving people. Then finally, Scrooge (the real Christian) is won over
and begins to embrace Christmas as well.
In historic reality, the
real Christians tried to evangelize the Catholic ones away from the Pagan
festival of Christmas. But the Catholics would stir up the masses against the
real Christians to make them appear as SCROOGE’S. Eventually many of the real
Christians were worn down, and they finally accepted Christmas as a Christian
festival. The rest is history.
For those of us that have
given up Christmas recently, you no doubt experienced FIRST HAND what many
others have seen regarding this time of year! Those close to you will attack
you and treat you like a hateful, unloving, heartless person who doesn’t have
the “spirit of giving” in their heart when you announce you no longer celebrate
Christmas. You will even be accused of neglecting your children for not giving
them toys. I know, this is how my wife and I were treated by our loved ones.
It’s been over a decade since we quit and STILL, we have to deal with certain
“attitudes” this time of year.
ORIGIN OF GIFT GIVING...
"The interchange of presents between friends is alike characteristic of Christmas and the Saturnalia, and MUST HAVE BEEN ADOPTED BY CHRISTIANS FROM THE PAGANS, as the admonition of Tertullian plainly shows." Emphasis added. -Bibliotheca Sacra (vol 12 pp 153-155)
The giving the presents was a Roman custom. The yuletide and the yule log are remnants of old Teutonic nature worship."-- Schaff-Hersog Encyclopedia.
"From the first institution of this festival, the Western nations seem to have transferred to it many of the follies and censurable (XXX) practices which prevailed in the pagan festivals of the same season such as adorning the churches fantastically, mingling puppet-shows and dramas with worship, universal feasting and merrymaking, Christmas visits and salutations, Christmas presents and jocularity, and Christmas revelry and drunkenness.... The Christmas holy days, which by a law of Tehodosius the Greek (emperor A.D. 383-395) were to comprise fourteen days, ...have borne so close a resemblance wherever they have been observed to the Roman Saturnalia, Sigillaria, etc., and to the yule feast of the ancient Goths, as to afford strong presumption of an unhappy alliance between them from the first."-- Ecclesiastical History, by Mosheim, Vol. 1, page 280.
THE PAGAN CHRISTMAS TREE...
"The Christmas tree, now so common among us, was equally common in Pagan Rome and Pagan Egypt. In Egypt it was the palm tree; in Rome it was the fir; the palm-tree denoting the Pagan Messiah, as Baal-Tamar, the fir referring to him as Baal-Berith. The mother of Adonis, the Sun-God and great mediatorial divinity, was mystically said to have been changed into a tree, and when in that state to have brought forth her divine son. If the mother was a tree, the son must have been recognized as ‘Man the Branch.’ And this entirely accounts for putting the Yule Log into the fire on Christmas Eve and the appearance of the Christmas tree the next morning. As Zero-Ashta, ‘The seed of the woman,’ ...he has to enter the fire on ‘Mother night,’ that he may be born the next day out of it, as the ‘Branch of God,’ or the Tree that brings divine gifts to men. ...the divine child born at the winter solstice was born as a new incarnation of the great god (after that god had been cut in pieces...on purpose to revenge his death upon his murderers.) Now the great god, cut off in the midst of his power and glory, was symbolised as a huge tree, stripped of all his branches, and cut down almost to the ground. But the great Serpent, the symbol of the life restoring Aesculapius, twists itself around the dead stock...and lo, at its side sprouts a young tree - a tree of an entirely different kind, that is never to be cut down by a hostile power -...and thus shadowed forth the perpetuity and everlasting nature of his power, how that after having fallen before his enemies, he has risen triumphant over them all. Therefore, the 25th of December, the day that was observed in Rome as the day when the victorious god reappeared on earth was held at the Natalis invicti solis, 'The birthday of the unconquered Sun." -The Two Babylons, p. 97, 98.
Shall we have a Christmas tree? Will it not be like the world? We answer, You can make it like the world if you have a disposition to do so, or you can make it as unlike the world as possible. -Review&Herald 12-11-1879
"Hear ye the word which the Lord speaketh unto you, O house of Israel: Thus saith the Lord, Learn not the ways of the heathen, and be not dismayed at the signs of heaven; for the heathen are dismayed at them. For the customs of the people are vain: for one cutteth a tree out of the forest, the work of the hands of the workman, with the axe. They deck it with silver and with gold; they fasten it with nails and with hammers, that it move not. They are upright as the palm tree, but speak not: they must needs be borne, because they cannot go. Be not afraid of them; for they cannot do evil, neither also is it in them to do good. Forasmuch as there is none like unto thee, O Lord; thou art great, and thy name is great in might." -Jerimiah 10:1-6
By the way... Pagans and "Evergreen trees" go way back...
·
Deuteronomy 12:2, "Ye shall utterly destroy all the places,
wherein the nations which ye shall possess served their gods, upon the high
mountains, and upon the hills, and under every green tree:"
·
1 Kings 14:22-23, "And Judah did evil in the sight of the LORD, and
they provoked him to jealousy with their sins which they had committed, above
all that their fathers had done. For they also built them high places, and
images, and groves, on every high hill, and under every green tree."
·
Psalms 37:35, "I have seen the wicked in great power, and spreading
himself like a green bay tree."
·
Isaiah 57:5, "Enflaming yourselves with idols under every
green tree, slaying the children in the valleys under the clifts of the
rocks?"
·
Jeremiah 3:6, "The LORD said also unto me in the days of
Josiah the king, Hast thou seen that which backsliding Israel hath done? she is
gone up upon every high mountain and under every green tree, and there hath
played the harlot."
YULE
TIDE AND YULE LOG:
"The Yule Log tradition comes to us from Scandinavia, where the pagan sex and fertility god Jul, or Jule (pronounced 'yule'), was honored in a twelve-day celebration in December. A large, single log (generally considered to have been a phallic idol) was kept with a fire against it for twelve days, a different sacrifice to Jul being offered in the fire on each of the twelve days." -Holidays and Holy Days, by Tom C. McKenney
This is where the Twelve
Days of Christmas originated which are now counted as the twelve days between
"Christmas" and Epiphany (January 12th). Did you notice? (That's
actually more than 12 days? CoNfUsEd?) The fireplace symbolizes the woman, the
log, or “man branch” symbolizes the man. It slowly enters the fireplace over 12
days.
I must say, if someone told me when I first became a Christian that I would be preaching on such vulgar garbage, I would have thought they were lacking a large quantity of gray matter. The Roman Church has to be the sole place on earth where ALL the evil emanates from. It is truly in ever knuck and cranny of so many lives. This is truly a beast that ALL the world wonders after!
HANGING
STOCKINGS:
Stocking hanging comes from an English legend: "Father
Christmas once dropped some gold coins while coming down the chimney. The
coins would have fallen through the ash grate and been lost if they hadn't
landed in a stocking that had been hung out to dry. Since that time children
have continued to hang out stockings in hopes of finding them filled with
gifts." -The History of Christmas;
LIGHTED
CANDLES:
"Lighted candles are foreign to the worship of God in the church of the New Testament scriptures. Yet, they too had their place in the worship of the sun god of paganism and in Christmas today. " -Alexander Hislop, THE TWO BABYLONS, Loizeaux Bros., Neptune, N.J., 1959, p. 94 and 97
MISTLETOE:
"Among the pre-Christian Druidic superstitions, derived from ancient Babylon, was the legend of the mistletoe. It was regarded as a divine branch which came down from heaven and grafted itself into an earthly tree. Thus the mistletoe became a token of reconciliation, the kiss being a symbol of pardon" -Alexander Hislop, THE TWO BABYLONS, Loizeaux Bros., Neptune, N.J., 1959, p. 9
CHRISTMAS:
A CATHOLIC ORDINANCE:
"It began first to be celebrated in the Roman Church about 360, and from there it spread to the Orient," After he has mentioned "Saturnalia," the Roman feast of joy, which began the seventeenth and ended the twenty-fourth of December with the "Sigillaria," he continues: "At last the so-called 'Brumalia,' or the winter solstice, was celebrated the twenty-fifth of December. It was also called 'deus natalis invicti solis' (the birth feast of the unconquered sun), because in that season when the short days are gone, the sun again comes forth victorious from the gloomy night to travel on its orbit like an unconquered hero."--Notes to Luke 2:8. part 2, page 91.
The commentator, Adam Clarke, gives the following
information: "The Latin church, supreme in power and infallible in
judgment, placed it on the twenty-fifth of December, the very day in which
the ancient Romans celebrated the feast of their goddess Bruma.... Pope
Julius I was the person who made this alteration, and it appears to
have been done for this reason: the sun now began his return toward the
northern tropic, ending the winter, lengthening the days, and introducing the
spring."-- Notes to Luke 2:8.
This proves that the twenty-fifth of December was an annual feast celebrated in the honor of the sun. Frederick Neilsen, a Danish bishop, says, "During the first three centuries we find no trace of any feast for the birth of Christ."-- Ecclesiastical History, page 224.
From Johnson's Encyclopedia
and other sources we also learn that Julius I, Bishop of Rome, appointed
the twenty-fifth of December for the celebration of Christ's birth. All this
proves very plainly,
(1) that the birth of Christ was not universally celebrated by the Christians during the first three centuries;
(2) that it was the Latin church which first ordained it to be celebrated on the twenty-fifth of December;
(3) that it was Julius I, Bishop of Rome, who made the appointment;
(4) and that the customs at this old pagan festival were transferred to Christmas. This is truly surprising. Here are indeed reasons for a solemn search of heart, fervent prayer, and firmness of character for those who wish to be pure in the sight of God. -No Foundation in the Bible By, S. Mortensen
Christmas a Catholic
invention? And EVERYONE is doing it? Surprised? Fact is, Scriptures declare
that ALL the world will do as this beast declares. For it is not only the WHORE
OF BABYLON, it is also the MOTHER OF HARLOTS according to Revelation 17:5.
Harlots are WOMEN are they not? And in prophecy, women = churches do they not?
(See Jer. 6:2) So you see, the Bible is rather accurate in describing that a
"Christian" church will be doing BABYLONIAN rituals and she will also
teach all the other churches of the world to do the same.
In other words, you can thank the Roman Catholic Church for almost ALL the doctrinal statements in your church that have pagan origins tied to them. Some of you reading this Newsletter may be doing Catholic rituals without even realizing it. For a little more info on this, see this Newsletter of Sept, 19, 1999.
THE LIE OF SANTA CLAUSE ALL PARENTS TELL THEIR CHILDREN
Think about this for a moment. Parents all over the world have been telling bold face lies to their children since birth about a fat man in a red suit that supposedly comes down a chimney to place gifts underneath a pine tree. Now guess what happens when that child comes to a certain age where he or she understands right from wrong. Could it be age 5, 7, or 9 perhaps? The child realizes one day that mommy and daddy have been lying to him the whole time! And not only that, this child now realizes that IT WORKED!!! He actually realizes that his parents lied to him and HE BELIEVED THEM! He honestly realizes down deep in his heart that the lie was believed hook, line and sinker! So now he has concrete evidence that lying is a resourceful tool that he can use to his advantage. And his very own loving parents taught him this tool from Hell.
"Nicholas Saint (St. Claus), a highly popular saint
of the Roman Catholic Church, and reverenced with still greater devotion by
the Russian Church, which regards him as a special patron, was one of the
early bishops of Mysia, in Lysia. The precise date of his episcopate is a
subject of much controversy. Of his personal history hardly anything is
certainly known, and the great popularity of the devotion to him wrought
through his intercession. He is regarded in Catholic countries as a special
patron of the young, and particularly of scholars. On the vigil of his feast,
which is held on December 6, a person in the appearance and costume of a bishop
assembles the children of a family or a school and distributes among them, to
the good, gilt nuts, sweetmeats, and other little presents as the rewards of
good conduct; to the naughty ones, the redoubtable punishment klanbauf. The
supposed relics of St. Nicholas were conveyed from the East to Bari, in the
kingdom of Naples, toward the close of the eleventh century." Thus the
fable is a part of the old relic-worshiping traditions of a corrupt church. The
nearness of his feast, in December, to the Christmas festival, led to
associating the saint and the present-giving idea with the feast of December
25. We must admit, in the light of the Bible, that it is very foolish
and wrong to teach little children the tales of Santa Claus. -The
Library of Universal Knowledge "
...Little children, keep yourselves from idols."
SANTA CLAUSE ~STRANGELY COMPARED TO~ JESUS CHRIST
1. Has white hair like wool 1. Revelation 1:14 - Daniel 7:9
2. Beard-curly and white 2. Isaiah 50:6 - Rev. 1:14
3. Comes from North Pole 3. Ez. 1:4; Ex.26:35 Psa.48:2
4. Omniscient-knows about all 4. Revelation 19:6
5. Ageless, eternal 5. Rev. 1:8,21:6; Hebrews 13:8
6. Makes List of Judgments 6. Rev.20:12; 14:7; 21:27; 2 Cor.5:10
7. Checks list twice 7. Dan. 8:14; Matt. 10:26, 1 Cor.5:10
8. Gifts given on basis of a list 8. Matt.25:21; Rev. 21:27; 22:14
9. Christmas rewards once yearly 9. Leviticus 23:26-32
10. Confess wrongs to Santa 10. I John 2:1, I Tim. 2:5
11. Promise to be better next year 11. John 14:15,21; 15:10; I Jn. 2:3
12. Asks children to obey parents 12. Eph. 6:1; Prov. 6:20; Col. 3:20
13. Hour of his coming a mystery 13. Luke 12:40; Mark 13:33; Matt.24:36
14. Rudolph's shining nose to guide 14. Matt. 2:2,7,9-10; Numbers 24:17
15. Calls all children to his knee 15. Matt. 19:14, Luke 18:16
16. Be good for goodness sake 16. Matt. 19:17; Col 1:29; Phil. 2:13
17. Has a twinkle in his eye 17. Rev. 1:14, 2:18
18. Swift visit to whole world in 1 day. 18. 2 Peter 3:8; Rev. 18:8, Isa. 47:9
19. Omnipresent-Found in every mall 19. Psa. 139:7-10; Eph. 4:6
20. Says "Ho,ho" 20. Zecheriah 2:6
Like many of us, when I was a child, I was told that Santa Claus was "All Powerful" He makes billions of toys and delivers them in one night. He defies the laws of nature by flying and jumping down narrow chimneys. With Santa all things are possible. He is by definition, Omnipotent.
Omnipotent: "...having unlimited power or authority; all powerful-the Omnipotent God." -Webster's New World Dictionary
I was told that Good Ol' Saint Nick knows all things. At least he knows when every boy and girl is bad or good or how they behave throughout the year does he not? He is by definition, Omniscient.
Omniscient: "...having infinite knowledge; knowing all things-the Omniscient God." -Webster's New World Dictionary
WHO'S TO BLAME FOR ALL THIS PAGAN INFILTRATION?
Who do we have to thank for all this Pagan infiltration in our lives? PLEASE, don't take my word for it. The Roman Catholic church ADMITS this very fact. Take their word for it.
Cardinal Newman admits in his book that; the "temples, incense, oil lamps, votive offerings, holy water, holidays, and seasons of devotion, processions, blessings of the fields, sacerdotal vestments, the tonsure (of priests, munks and nuns), images, and statues... are all of pagan origin." -The Development of the Christian Religion Cardinal Newman p.359
Such boldness! Such
arrogance! It's as if the devil is puffing up his chest to proclaim to God
Himself that, "Yes, they know it's against your will Lord! Yet they
choose it over you anyway!!"
The Catholic church is openly declaring that they are that "Christian church that is doing Babylonian acts" in Revelation by that statement! Notice this list of Pagan rituals and symbols that Catholicism has introduced into Christianity. (Click here) ALL "so called" Protestant Churches are taking part in many of these as well. After viewing the facts on that page how can anyone honestly say that you would still wonder who the WHORE OF BABYLON is? It's really that graphic folks! It's really that obvious, and thanks to the prophetic fact that we are living in the days “when knowledge should increase,” we now have veritable historic documentation to back it up! WE HAVE THE PROOF NOW!
Our Lord rightly demands more of us than of those that look elsewhere for peace. He does this simply because we have been blessed with the opportunity to live in the age of wonderful research and discovery "when knowledge should increase" as Daniel spoke of in Chapter 12 of his book. Plus, the Bible has been in our native tongue several hundred years now without “open” Roman Catholic persecution for reading it. In the glorious and peace filled light of this situation, we would certainly deserve severe condemnation from above for our ignorance if we should continue to honor the Pagan traditions of Babylon, or shall I put it plainly, IDOL WORSHIP.
Many upright Christians in the past have taken part in this old Pagan festival to some extent, and of these I see no reason for criticism. For they simply did it in ignorance. Thank the Lord for His "winking" at our times of ignorance as His Word says He did in, Acts 17:30 as well as in 1Timothy 1:13. The Roman Catholic Council of Valencia of 1229ad made absolutely certain that Bibles were NOT to be found in their possession. So many were unable to find certain Bible facts for themselves. And if they were found with His Word in their homes, they would certainly die a cruel torturous death if they did not relinquish that Book and deny their understanding of it. In this enlightened age it is indeed high time to proclaim: "What concord hath Christ with Belial? or what part hath he that believeth with an infidel? And what agreement hath the temple of God with idols?" 2 Corinthians. 6:15,16. Still many Christians, not only Catholics, but Protestants as well, continue year by year embracing the Sun worshipping Christmas festival to honor the old idol relics under a Christian garb. Is it any wonder so many embrace SUNday as the Christian Sabbath? They have been conditioned for years to accept all that Baal has to offer by simply placing Jesus Christ into the mix.
I have noticed other downfalls to this Pagan Christmas season as well. I recall some years back when I lived in the Chicago area. A man killed his fellow man at a gas station holdup on Christmas eve. When asked why he did it he said, "I needed the money to buy Christmas gifts for my children." Is this what Jesus would have us do? Is this proving to be a 'blessed by Jesus' time of year? Or 'planned by Satan,' time of year. I also recall a situation where a young boy committed suicide because his mommy and daddy didn't have enough money for Christmas gifts for his siblings. In the suicide note, the child figured his death would allow extra money for his siblings. Again I ask, is this a season blessed by the Lord? What of all the elderly in nursing homes left abandoned by loved ones on Christmas day? Was this designed to occur by Jesus, or Satan? I recall as a child, I was made fun of because I didn't receive as many toys on Christmas as everyone else did because we were poor. Is this an activity that a blessed season would encourage? Or is this designed to occur by a devil that invented the season to make situations like this pop up all over the place. What about all the drunks depressed and suicidal behind the wheels of their cars in your neighborhoods killing your loved ones during the Christmas season? Did you also know that December 25th is consistently the highest recorded day of the year for suicide year after year? Is this a season that the Lord God designed for His people? Or is this a day designed by the destroyer devil designed for his people? LOOK AROUND! The Christmas Season glorifies SATAN! It does not glorify Jesus at all!
For what's it worth. Christmas falls on the EXACT DAY of the Pagan celebration of the birth of their Sun god Mithra. The name Christ-Mass has its origin in Satanic as well as Pagan beliefs both stemming from Sun worship. The early "example" of our Christian Church did NOT celebrate the birth of Christ. In fact Jesus made special note NOT to mention His date of birth in His Word because of what the earlier church did at Sinai. Plus early Christians spoke out against those that did celebrate the obvious Pagan festival of Christmas. Their basis of argument was an exposure of its obvious Pagan Sun worshipping links. The gift giving was first celebrated by the Sun worshipping Pagans at the time of year they celebrate the re-birth of the Sun god. The stockings hanging at the fireplace were adopted from the tales surrounding Father Christmas of the Babylonian Sun worshipping Church. The yule tide log points directly to the sex and fertility Sun gods of the Pagan as well as the "12 days" they would play their XXX rated Pagan games. The candles are also lighted this time of year by the Babylonian Pagan. The mistletoe has its origin in the pre-Christian Druidic superstitions. The lie of Santa Clause itself has Satan's mark of approval on it in a very graphic manner. It even has the ability to convince loving parents the world over to TEACH their very own children that lying is a very powerful tool they can use! Plus, all that Santa Clause is can be found as a blasphemous mockery of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. Men the world over commit armed robberies and even kill people to get cash to buy their children Christmas gifts on this day! Suicide is at its peak on this one day year after year. There are reports of children committing suicide on this day. Depression runs rampant throughout the land in the hearts of literally billions during the Pagan Christmas season. Even the colors of red and green are what the High Priests would look for in days past as EVIDENCE their was a plague running rampant in the house. (See Lev. 14:33-39) Christmas trees are the chosen place of Sun worship for many Pagans throughout Biblical history. And yes, even Jeremiah warns that it is the house of the heathen that sports the tree of Sun worshipping Pagan this time of year. So I ask you, are you a member of a Christian Church? Or are you in a Church that Revelation 17:5 describes? Think about that simple fact for a moment. The Word tells us in prophecy that a "Christian Church" will do Sun worshipping BABYLONIAN acts. So much so, that the Lord proclaims a declaration such as this in prophecy...
Revelation 17:5, "And upon her forehead was a name written, MYSTERY, BABYLON THE GREAT, THE MOTHER OF HARLOTS AND ABOMINATIONS OF THE EARTH."
And also understand that
Revelation tells us that the TRUE Remnant of Jesus Christ will NOT be
defiled by these churches that do these acts.
Revelation 14:4, "These are they which were not
defiled with women; for they are virgins. These are they which follow
the Lamb whithersoever he goeth. These were redeemed from among men, being the
firstfruits unto God and to the Lamb."
Women = churches in prophecy!
Jeremiah 6:2, "I have likened the daughter of Zion to a comely and
delicate woman."
Need I mention the “bride
of Christ?”
The true child of God will
follow the Lord Jesus “withersoever he goeth.” They will not be directed by the
"traditions of men" that go directly and openly against the Word of
their God. Please
understand the simplicity of this Bible fact. In 1 Corinthians 10:21 it warns,
"Ye cannot drink the cup of the Lord, and the cup of devils: ye cannot be
partakers of the Lord's table, and of the table of devils." To have Truth of the Lord's table
intertwined with the lies of the devil's table is deadly! You cannot mix truth
with error. THAT is Babylon!
STRONGS # 0894 Babel {baw-bel'}
from 01101; TWOT - 197; n pr loc
AV - Babylon 257, Babylonian + 01121 3, Babel 2; 262
Babel or Babylon = "confusion
(by mixing)"
If I were to summarize the sin being embraced at Christmas in one sentence? I would have to say this... "It is Sun worship mixed with Christianity. The very same thing that anger the Lord at Mt' Sinai!" As for me and mine, we will ;ove and serve the Lord. And how we do this is in fact illustrated in His Word. All else is merely the of the enemy.
The most dangerous thing I see with this is that sooner or later EVERYONE realizes that Santa Clause and all that encircles Christmas is an easily proven fable. So most of us simply come to a place were we dismiss it. Problem with that is MANY also decide that Christianity must also be a fable as well simply because of the way it is mixed with Paganism! And THAT is deadly!
I repeat: Is this a season that the Lord God designed for His people? Or is this a day designed by the destroyer devil designed for his people? LOOK AROUND! The Christmas Season glorifies SATAN! It does not glorify Jesus at all!
"And Elijah came unto all the people, and said, How long halt ye between two opinions? if the LORD be God, follow him: but if Baal, then follow him..." -1 Kings 18:21
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Truth Provided Newsletter's E-Mail Box |
Karla
Hey Brother, thank you for your website as it is encouraging
to Christians who want to know the truth of God's Word. Your flash animations
are a true blessing! May I suggest an addition to your 22 characteristics of
the Antichrist? It is found in the Book of Daniel 11:37 Neither shall he regard
the God of his fathers, (nor the desire of women), nor regard any god: for he
shall magnify himself above all. As he will be (anti)against Christ, he
may be celibate as a priest because Catholism requires this in their law or he
may be homosexual as "nor the desire of women" which is ungodly and
opposite of what God requires as man for woman and woman for man.
May the Lord Bless you, my friend.
Elvin
PS.. I took his advice and updated the page :)
Very impressive.
Your work is phenomenal and thanks for letting us participate.
Rita
My fervent prayer is that you are
blessed by the Truth Provided in this Newsletter. I also pray you share
it with others that are trapped in Babylon.
Truth is Truth!
...Nicholas
John 14:29
Can you please help Presents of God ministry
spread the 3 angels message?
http://www.RemnantofGod.org/help.htm
Presents of God ministry = Po Box 522 = Fowler, IN 47944 =