The Real Story of CHRISTMAS

(Continued)

The "Church" Reacts

   But it took nearly 400 years before the "church" began to accept Christmas into its dogma. It wasn't without objection and it wasn't until the end of the fourth century before it was declared official, The Catholic Encyclopedia, vol. 3, p. 725.

   A great amount of confusion initially surrounded this merger of the Saturnalia with the nativity. The Catholic Encyclopedia shows that the people were mistaking sun worship with worship of the Son of Yahweh:  "Tertullian had to assert that Sol was not the Christians' God; Augustine denounced the heretical identification of [Yahshua] with Sol. Pope Leo 1 bitterly reproved solar survivals--Christians, on the very doorsteps of the Apostles' basilica, turning to adore the rising sun." vol. 3, p. 272.

   But whether the masses adopted the celebration of Christmas or not, the fact remains that nowhere in the Bible is found the command to observe the Savior's birthday. The early converts would have nothing to do with it. In fact, His precise date of birth is obscured because Yahweh never intended His birth to be a cause for celebration. Rather, He commands that we observe (not celebrate) Yahshua's death at Passover, His sacrifice to all who would truly seek to obey Him, 1 Corinthians 11:23-30.

   The carryover of ancient pagan rites into a modern-day celebration of the Messiah is an abomination to Yahweh. Over and over He condemns these heathen rituals, and He punished ancient Israel for becoming involved in them, (see 2 Kings 17:9-23; Acts 7:39-43). Will the Heavenly Father look the other way when you indulge in this festival that Israel was forbidden to keep?

Tree Spirit Babylonian idolatry spread to nearly every corner of the world. This is an Indian tree spirit from 200 B.C.E.

Of Christmas Trees and Yule Logs

   What is not generally known is that through history trees had an important role in pagan worship. From time immemorial, man has ascribed certain superhuman characteristics to trees. Perhaps this was because of the considerable value trees have been to man; maybe the human-like forms of trees contributed to these notions. Then again, this obsession may trace to the Tree of Life in the Garden of Eden.

   For whatever the reason, trees have held a mystical quality through the ages. The Greek philosopher Aristotle thought trees could reason. Scandinavians worshipped trees. In Africa and South America, peoples have associated human life with tree worship. They believed spirits could inhabit trees and so would plant a sapling next to a mature tree they had cut down for the old spirit to live in. In east Africa the Wanika believe every cocoa-nut tree has a spirit. To cut it down is equivalent to matricide because the tree gives them life and nourishment as a mother.

   Sacred groves were common among the ancient Germans. At Upsala, the old religious capital of Sweden, there is a sacred grove where every tree is regarded as holy. In the Forum, the busy center of Roman life, the sacred fir tree of Romulus was worshipped down to the days of the empire. Before thinning a grove, a Roman farmer sacrificed a pig to the god or goddess of the grove. Among the Druids the oak was sacred. With Egypt, it was the palm (Baal-Tamar). During the Saturnalia, the Romans decorated the fire deity (Baal-Berith) with red berries. Curiosities of Popular Customs, p. 242.

   Trees leafing out in the spring symbolize life. And this brings us back to the old Babylonian worship of Nimrod. The Babylonian belief was that the dead Nimrod, symbolized by a yule log cut down by his enemies, came to life again in the form of a young tree springing to life overnight from that dead stump. Thus, Nimrod was reincarnated in the life of the sun-deity Tammuz--at the rebirth of the sun at the winter solstice!

  The Romans exchanged green tree branches for "good luck" on the first of January. The Scandinavians, who you recall were tree worshippers, added evergreen trees, holly and mistletoe to their worship at Christmas and spread the practice through Europe.

   In 11 passages of Scripture, scattered throughout the Bible, the green tree is associated with idolatry and harlotry. Because all trees are green part of the year, the special mention of "green" trees probably refers to some form of evergreen tree. (See Deuteronomy 12:2; 1 Kings 14:23; 2 Kings 16:4, 17:10; 2 Chronicles 28:4; Isaiah 57:5; Jeremiah 2:20, 3:6, 3:13, 17:2; Ezekiel 6:13).

   To understand Yahweh's upbraiding of green trees in ceremonialism, one must understand the pagan custom of the time. Let's read 1 Kings 14:23:  "And Judah did evil in the sight of Yahweh, 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." Judah had once again become caught up in a pagan abomination. What was it?

   "Groves" is the Hebrew asherah, meaning to be erect or upright. It was either a living tree with the top cut off and the stump carved into a certain shape, or it was artificially fashioned and set erect in the ground. Connected with Baal worship, the practice of the Asherah was to worship or sacrifice to idols among these "groves" of trees.

   Symbolic of the Tree of Life, it was an object of veneration. Then came the perversion that simply honored the origin of life; and the Asherah was debased into rites of procreation where sexual orgies and libidinous worship prevailed.

   As one source puts it, "The Christmas tree recapitulates the idea of tree worship...gilded nuts and balls symbolize the sun...all of the festivities of the winter solstice have been absorbed into Christmas day...the use of holly and mistletoe from the Druidic ceremonies; the Christmas tree from the honors paid to Odin's sacred fir," Festivals, Holy Days, and Satan's Days, p. 222.

   So each year millions set up a Christmas tree, decorate it with symbols of fertility in the form of colored balls and lights, place gifts beneath it, and gather around it to sing. And they haven't the slightest idea that they are participating in what survives as ancient, pagan worship.

The Secret of the Mistletoe

   Many species of both mistletoe and holly have been used as seasonal decorations since ancient times. Both are evergreens, although a few species of holly are deciduous. Mistletoe is a parasite that drapes its leathery leaves in the branches of host trees. Because they "grew in air," the Druids considered mistletoes, like orchids, members of the spirit world. When mistletoe was found growing on one of their sacred oaks, a white-robed priest cut it down with a golden sickle and sacrificed two white bulls beneath the oak. The mistletoe was then placed over doors to ward off evil. These Celtic priests believed the plant had the power to bring good luck, happiness and safety.

   The custom of kissing under the mistletoe traces to Norse mythology. The Norse deity of love, Freya, adored her son Baldur immensely. She extracted a promise from all things on Earth to protect him--all things except the mistletoe, which she forgot. An enemy, learning of the oversight, used a weapon fashioned from the mistletoe to kill Baldur. The grieving Freya asked the mistletoe never to harm anyone again, and so the plant became a good omen, associated with love. The Druids, pagan priests of ancient Scotland, used the plant pulp of the mistletoe to cure sterility. They thought the berries were a sex stimulant.

Santa Claus's Alter Ego

   "Surely there is nothing pagan about dear old Santa," you might say. "He's just imaginary."

   Wrong on both counts. The person of Santa Claus traces to a fourth century Catholic bishop of Myra in Asia Minor named St. Nicholas (died c. 345). One legend tells how he bestowed dowries on three daughters of a poor man who was about to give them up to harlotry. (He put three pieces of gold into their stockings. Others who heard of it hung up their stockings and waited for the saint. Thus, we have the practice of hanging up stockings to be filled with gifts on Christmas day.)  St. Nicholas was also to have brought back to life three dead children, according to tradition.

   The benevolence of St. Nicholas in gift-giving was transferred to the Christmas custom of exchanging gifts.

   As with just about all the practices of Christmas, the facts about St. Nicholas are more far-reaching, however. In medieval folklore, St. Nicholas acquired the attributes of Nekker, the Teutonic culture deity beloved and respected by the pagans as a lover of children.

   Paradoxically, this same beneficent deity survives in an opposite role as Old Nick, harbinger of disaster, whose name refers to Satan!  (Webster's New World Dictionary)  Nekker (who seems to be a Dr. Jekyl/Mr. Hyde phenomenon) was also known as a Teutonic water sprite, whose appearance sailors believed foreboded death. As a harbinger of death, he is closely related to the banshee of Irish and Scottish folklore, (Dictionary of Satanism, p. 284).

   "Santa Claus" is merely an American corruption of the Dutch "San Nicolaas."  Dutch settlers brought the traditions of St. Nicholas to America. The image of a jolly fat character with long white beard, sliding down a chimney with a sackful of gifts, was popularized in America by Clement C. Moore. Moore's 1823 poem "A Visit From St. Nicholas" was later changed to "The Night Before Christmas."

   As with nearly all the traditions of Christmas, Santa Claus has nothing to do with the birth of the Messiah. It is merely a custom of men that ultimately entwined with pagan beliefs. In millions of homes, children will be told that the gifts they received under the tree were from Santa Claus. Through this lie, they associate happiness and good things with a character of deception--related through folklore to Satan himself. At the same time, the true giver of blessings--the Heavenly Father Yahweh--is ignored. Children are told to be good for the sake of Santa Claus.

   You might argue that the custom of giving gifts really stems from the fact that three wise men gave gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh to the newborn Savior Yahshua.

   Matthew 2:11 offers some revealing facts. First, although three kinds of gifts are mentioned, nowhere does Scripture list the number of wise men who came. There could have been dozens. Second, they came to a house where they saw the young child. The popular nativity scenes erroneously show the wise me bowing before Yahshua in a manger with animals looking on. By the time they arrived, the "babe" was perhaps almost two years of age. That is why Herod, who wanted the Savior killed because he had heard He was to be king, ordered the wholesale slaying of all children up to two years of age, Matthew 2:16.

Manger Mistakes Common notions of the Nativity scene are as artificial as this plastic model. Scripture discounts many of these ideas.

  The "wise men" were no doubt astrologers, as noted in Daniel 2:2. They came from the east, Matthew 2:1. Astrologers, the Companion Bible says, were prophets who assumed to announce the will of heaven and predict the future. They would be experienced in star gazing and could be led to the Messiah in that manner. There is no record that the shepherds saw the star.

   Now notice. They gave their gifts to the child, not to one another. Why?  The Adam Clarke Commentary says, "The people of the east never approach the presence of kings and great personages without a present in their hands," vol. 5, p. 46. They weren't instituting a new custom of exchanging gifts with friends, but merely were in accord with the ancient tradition of presenting gifts to a kind in his presence. They were coming before the King of the Jews.

   How ridiculous it would have been for them to bow before Yahshua the Messiah, turn, and start handing one another gifts!  Yet, that is what is done every December 25 the world over--by Bible believers and unbelievers alike.

   Is it the spirit of love and largess that motivates modern-day Christmas gift-giving?  Or is it rather the spirit of greed and indulgence--I give you a gift because you gave me one or because you are on my gift list or because I want a gift from you?

   More than $10 billion will be spent on 1-1/2 billion gifts, all wrapped in $150 million worth of paper. It's the biggest advertising and spending extravaganza the world has ever known, and without it many merchants say they wouldn't survive. All this is supposedly done in honor of a lowly babe in a manger.

   If you search the Scriptures for a precedent in exchanging gifts, you'll find one example in Revelation 11:10. This is the end of the age, and Yahweh's two witnesses are killed on the streets of Jerusalem. The wicked are so happy to hear of their deaths that we read, "And they that dwell upon the earth shall rejoice over them, and make merry, and shall send gifts one to another."  That is how the unrighteous will celebrate.

   All of the pagan midwinter festivals included the exchanging of gifts. The earliest form is from Babylon, where on the anniversary of his death, Nimrod was to visit the evergreen tree and leave gifts thereon. Does gift exchanging honor the Messiah?

Yule Boar In Scandinavia, the pig came to be associated with the vegetation spirit Tammuz and so dining on swine became popular.

Christmas Ham

   The popularity of ham at Christmas and Easter is second only to the turkey at Thanksgiving. For many, Christmas wouldn't be complete without a nice big ham adorning the dinner table. Who ever stops to ask why ham at Christmas?  It has become as much a part of the yule celebration today as it was to the ancients. Let's understand why.

   Adonis or Tammuz was to have died as the result of an injury a boar did to him. In memory of that deed, many a boar lost his head in sacrifice to the deity. On Christmas day, the Saxons offered a boar in sacrifice to the Sun to propitiate it. Apparently the Romans had a similar ritual, because Martial wrote:  "That boar will make you a good Saturnalia."  The boar's head is still a standing dish in England at the Christmas dinner, usually with an apple or pomegranate in its mouth.

   In Sweden and Denmark it is the custom to bake a loaf in the form of a boar-pig. This they call the Yule Boar and it was to insure a good harvest next year. (Recall that Tammuz was also known as the vegetation deity, and by association the pig also became connected with the harvest celebration.)  According to The Golden Bough, a real boar was formerly sacrificed at Christmas among the Scandinavians, Part II, p. 31.

   What an abomination to Almighty Yahweh!  He specifically commands man not to eat swine:  "And the swine, though he divide the hoof, and be cloven-footed, yet he chews not the cud; he is unclean to you. Of their flesh shall you not eat, and their carcass shall you not touch; he is unclean to you," Leviticus 11:7-8. Yet, most Christians make their finest ham dinners for Christmas, supposedly in honor of the Redeemer of men!

Stamping Out Christmas Cookies

   Cut out of tin molds today, Christmas cookies have an ancient precedent. In Babylon and Egypt at Christmas time, round cookies or wafers were baked and used in worship to symbolize the taking of the sun into their lives. The roundness represented the shape of the sun, and the Saturnalia and Brumalia celebrations were to commemorate the return of the resurrected sun (Son?) at the winter solstice.

   In the Bible, the women of Judah had turned from Yahweh and become involved in worship of the Queen of Heaven (Semiramis). What were their sins?  "And when we burned incense to the queen of heaven, and poured out drink offerings unto her, did we make her cakes to worship her, and pour out drink offerings unto her, without our men?" Jeremiah 44:19. The "cakes" were round wafers, the precursor of the Christmas cookies shaped in honor of Christmas festivities. The round wafer of the Catholic Mass and some Protestant communion services can be traced back to this idolatry.

Who Will You Please?

   By now you fully realize the pagan origins in the customs and trappings of Christmas. You know now where it all came from, as substantiated by encyclopedias, histories and countless other sources. The vital question is, will you act on what you know is right? and wrong?

   Many are too embarrassed to give up this celebration:  embarrassed by what relatives may say or think; embarrassed by neighbors who may ask, "Where is your tree?"  They are more concerned with not depriving their children of this holiday; too afraid of being called a Scrooge. It is obvious whom they are trying to please. By their refusal to give up this holiday they show what matters most in their lives.

   If relatives, neighbors or children can give you salvation, then go ahead and satisfy them. But if only the Eternal Father Yahweh, who is responsible for your very existence, can offer you everlasting life, then you had better do what He says. And He says man's pagan traditions are an absolute abomination to Him.

   The same warning He gave to ancient Israel through Jeremiah, Ezekiel, Joel, Amos, Hosea and all the other prophets He gives to us today:  "Learn not the way of the heathen."

   Yahshua the Messiah said, "In vain do they worship me, teaching for doctrines the commandments of men," Matthew 15:9. Man's ways are vanity. What man reasons is acceptable and fine to do the Great Creator detests. He thunders, "Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world. If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him," 1 John 2:15.

   Paul quoted Isaiah 52, a command first given to an ancient Israel tempted by heathen practices:  "Wherefore, 'come out from among them and be separate,' says Yahweh, 'and touch not the unclean thing; and I will receive you,'" 2 Corinthians 6:17.

   Are we honoring the Great Eternal Creator when we mix His worship with indulging in pagan acts?  How can He possibly be happy with that?  And what about continually lying to children about Santa Claus and all the rest?  "And you fathers, provoke not your children to wrath: but bring them up in the nurture and admonition of Yahweh," Ephesians 6:4. We also read, "Lie not to one another," Colossians 3:9.

   You can freely do as you wish now. It's your choice. But a day of reckoning is coming when you will be responsible for every choice you make now:  "For Yahweh shall bring every work into judgment, with every secret thing, whether it be good, or whether it be evil," Ecclesiastes 12:14. See also 2 Corinthians 5:10.

   Know the joy of serving only the Heavenly Father Yahweh through following His Word. Come out of Babylon. The first step is the hardest. But He promises that you will not be tempted more than you are able to withstand. The blessings that will result will astound you. And the eternal future will be all yours.

HallaluYAH!