Chapter Three
The
Christmas Trail
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Over the centuries, the origins of the
Christmas festivities that are so much fun and make us "feel" so good have
become more and more obscure. People in the 20th century give little thought
to the origin of the popular celebration, but rather take it for granted.
Since the truth of God's Word is important, we can't allow "feel‑good"
sentiments to keep us in the darkness of deception. Let's seek out the origins
of many time‑honored customs of the Christmas season.
Yule Logs
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The Yule log is in reality the "sun log." Yule
means "wheel," in this case, the pagan symbol of the sun. It was a symbol, cut
out of the trees sacred to the worship of Nimrod, to be burned for a while on
each of the twelve nights of celebration culminating in his miraculous
rebirth in the form of a tree that appears on the twelfth night. These fires,
and others in the form of candles, represent his power in fire and light.
Today, professing Christians speak of the sacred Yuletide season. The only
place it is sacred is in the ancient Babylonian religions and her descendant
pagan religions. There is nothing sacred about it to God! The symbols come
from rank heathenism.
Mistletoe
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In The Two Babylons, Alexander Hislop
takes a look at the practice of kissing under the mistletoe. "That mistletoe
bough in the Druidic superstition, derived from Babylon, was a representation
of their Messiah, 'the Man the branch.' [This is Nimrod, whose Yule log was
put into the fire to celebrate the sun god's birth]. The mistletoe was
regarded as a divine branch, a branch that came from heaven and grew upon a
tree that sprang out of the earth. Thus by the engrafting of the celestial
branch into the earthly tree, heaven and earth, which sin had severed, were
joined together."
Around the world, in many eras, this plant was
considered magical, sacred, or of the gods, because it grew between the earth
and heaven with no roots. When its deciduous hosts were bare and brown, the
mistletoe was green! Today, we understand the reason. Mistletoe is a parasite.
Also, it was thought to have extraordinary healing powers which, according to
recent medical research, have proven unfounded.
How appropriate that Satan should dupe
professing Christians with symbolism that so accurately depicts his very
character ‑ parasitic with false claims of healing! He attaches his
destructive heresies, in what we assume to be Biblical practices, and
robs us of true spiritual nourishment, which the keeping of God's true holy
days provides (Leviticus 23).
What is the Christmas
Tree All About?
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If Christmas came from the Roman Catholics and
they got it from paganism, where then did the pagans get it? What was the
origin of the Christmas tree? Would you believe its roots begin just after the
flood?
Nimrod, the grandson of Ham and the great‑
grandson of Noah, was the real founder of the Babylonian system that has
gripped the earth ever since. It was a system of organized competition, of
man‑ruled governments and empires, based on the competitive and profit‑making
economic system.
Ancient writings speak of this man, Nimrod,
who started a great, organized world apostasy against God, which continues to
dominate the world to this day. In Genesis 10:8‑9, the Hebrew word translated
"mighty" is GIBBOR, which means "tyrant" over the people. The Hebrew
word translated "before" in verse nine is PANIYAM, which actually means
"against." When properly translated, these verses clearly reveal that Nimrod
was a "tyrant against God, ruling over the people."
He was so wicked, it is said, that he married
his own mother, Semiramis. After Nimrod was killed, his mother‑wife propagated
the doctrine of the survival of Nimrod as a spirit‑being. She claimed a full
grown evergreen tree sprang over night from a dead tree stump which
symbolized the springing forth into new life of the dead Nimrod. On each
anniversary of his birth, she claimed Nimrod would visit the evergreen and
leave gifts upon it. December 25th was the supposed birthday of Nimrod. This
is the real origin of the Christmas tree!
Even in our current era of open and graphic
talk about sex, it is surprising to learn that the male reproductive organ was
of tremendous importance in the Mystery Religions representing, no doubt,
power and fertility. Trees were common phallic symbols connected with the sun
god. Ball ornaments, representing the womb as well as the sun and moon, were
hung all around the phallus. (Many sources, from which we will spare you,
actually boast as they expound on the details concerning these symbolic
representations which they practiced in their religious beliefs!) Today,
families gather together in breathless anticipation and delight when the
obelisk (tree‑top ornament) is placed in its position of honor. When you learn
that it represents the sexual union between the Babylonian mother-goddess and
her sun‑god, son/husband, it becomes an object of disgust. (The
Encyclopedia Britannica, 14th edition, 1973.)
When we learn the stark reality concerning the
origin of the Christmas tree, we must squarely face and admit to ourselves
that we must not take part in this tradition. Those who set up and adorn a
Christmas tree, though they may have the best of intentions and most wonderful
feelings, they are actually bowing down and worshipping Satan at the foot of
the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil!
Hear what God says in Deuteronomy 12:30‑31:
"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."
Yet, even with that warning it seems the
children of Israel carried the worship of the tree with them out of Egypt. God
specifically warned them again in Jeremiah 10:2‑4:
"Thus saith the LORD, Learn
not the way of the heathen ... For the customs of the people are vain
(futile!): for one cutteth a tree out of the forest, the work of the hands
of the workman, with the ax. They deck it with silver and with gold; they
fasten it with nails and with hammers, that it move not."
Did you see that? Not only is God condemning
participation in any pagan custom and in particular this tree worship.‑ just
in case you've been under the misconception that anything you choose to
dedicate to God is acceptable to him ‑ He is telling you that this kind of
worship is vain, futile, useless! And He Hates It!
Now we can see how it stands to reason that
God, pronounced the destruction of "Babylon the Great," meaning the whole
world system at the end of this age. He inspired the Apostle John to write:
"Babylon the Great is fallen, is fallen. . ."(Revelation 18:2).
Was Christ Born in a
Cave?
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Every year, near Christmas, documentaries are
broadcast showing alternative explanations to the Biblical accounts
surrounding Christ's birth. They attempt to give equal weight and authority to
ancient folk lore and traditions which have definite connections with ancient
pagan myths.
One example that continues to surface is an
alternate possible site of Christ's birth in a cave. While the Bible is
specific in the New Testament as well as in prophecy that Bethlehem would be
the birthplace of the Messiah, the legend that Christ may have been born in a
cave in Jerusalem continues. It was in a cave, myth has it, that the
worshipped and much loved sun god, Mithra was supposed to have been born of a
"virgin goddess." Since we have seen how the Catholic Church renamed other
gods and their rituals to bring in converts, it is not surprising to find that
caves dedicated to various gods have been rededicated to Christ. One such cave
is in Jerusalem. Formerly dedicated to Tammuz (Nimrod), it is now presented as
the birthplace of Christ. Another, on Vatican Hill, was rededicated to Christ
when Catholics attempted to thwart the worship of Mithra in 376 AD. When do
you suppose the rededication took place? Why, of course, the day the sun‑god
worshippers were accustomed to celebrating the rebirth of the sun -
December 25th!
The Christmas Parties and
Decorations
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Alfred Carl Hottes wrote in his book, 1001
Christmas Facts and Fancies, about a winter celebration going by two
different festival names in the third and fourth centuries BC. They were
called Bacchanalia and Saturnalia. The names may not be
familiar, but many of the traditions would be. "The people gave themselves up
to wild joy." Part of their revelry included processions, singing, lighting
candles, decorating their houses with green trees, drinking, partying, and
giving presents. Sound familiar?
When these practices first appeared in Rome,
they were met with great opposition. Ancient Roman Religion, by Grant,
tells us that the Roman Senate tried to eradicate it by having 7,000 of its
adherents killed. However, not to miss out on the gaiety of the celebrations,
Julius Caesar reintroduced it, but it was combined with another pagan
festival, the Kalends, from which we get many of our popular Christmas
customs.
Today, many believe that the Apostle Peter was
speaking of the Saturnalia when he wrote: "Let the time that is past suffice
for doing what the Gentiles like to do, living in licentiousness, passions,
drunkenness, revels, carousing and lawless idolatry. They are surprised that
you do not now join them in the same wild profligacy, and they abuse you" (I
Peter 4:3‑4, NKJ version).
The Giving of Gifts
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From The New Standard Encyclopedia's
entry on Christmas we find "[t]he custom of giving gifts at Christmas time can
be associated with the wise men (notice "THE" wise men, not "THREE" wise
men) of the East giving gifts to Christ. The wise men did give their gifts
to Christ. But in reality, at least so far as the English speaking people are
concerned, it [giving gifts at Christmas] is derived from an old heathen
custom."
As discussed in the introduction, the wise men
did give gifts to Christ, but they did not exchange gifts with each
other in the presence of our Lord! Neither is it recorded anywhere that they
presented gifts to anyone else or received gifts themselves. The Adam
Clarke Commentary explains it well: "He [CHRIST] was a king and the people
of the East never approached the presence of a king without a present in their
hands."
Notice this account in Matthew: "There came
wise men from the east to Jerusalem, saying, 'Where is he that is born King of
the Jews? For we have seen his star in the east, and are come to worship him'
" (Matthew 2:1‑2). This was not a new custom being introduced by the wise men
to establish a Christmas tradition. They were merely following a custom of
presenting gifts to a king when coming into his presence.
Today, the greed of commercialism has
especially contributed to shoving Christmas down the throats of people
worldwide. Our country's economy rises and wanes with the Christmas season. We
read of it every year. Businesses make it or break it as a result of their
Christmas profits or losses. Add to that the psychology of "keeping up with
the Jones's," and it is no wonder that the merchants start advertising
Christmas in October.
Merchandising religion was also important in
Paul's day. There was a great hue and cry by the craftsmen who profited from
the sale of idols that had been dedicated to the worship of pagan gods. The
truth of the gospel was turning people away from idol worship, not only in
Jerusalem but in all Asia. The conversion of thousands was a threat to their
livelihood. This is another example of commercialism before truth. Are we
willing to follow the truth of God or the lies of this world?
Chapter Four
Santa Claus
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For those who even contemplate a reason for
the connection of Santa Claus to Christ's birth, the most common belief about
Santa Claus is as the historic good old Saint Nick, the patron saint of
children. Since the story comes from the Catholic Church, we should find
documentation of him in their records. However, in fact we find the exact
opposite. Pope Paul VI, in 1969, approved a report discrediting the sainthood
of Nicholas. Since that time the church has not obligated Catholics to honor a
man who they now say probably never existed.
Nevertheless, many traditions associated with
him would be immediately recognizable to us today. Do you wonder why Santa
comes down the chimney? This is connected with Hertha, a Germanic goddess of
the hearth, the German version of Isis, the "virgin" sister/mother of Osiris.
Santa's sleigh is a representation of Babylon's chariot pulling the sun god
through the sky, but it was originally pulled by winged griffins Over time,
stags, so venerated in the Babylonian Mysteries, replaced the winged griffins
Eventually, the old chariot and mythical animals were softened to the sleigh
and cute little reindeer we are all so familiar with today.
"From the German people were to come those
most universal of Christmas customs: the portly beneficent Kris Kringle, known
as Santa Claus. Gradually the Presbyterians, Quakers, and Puritans accepted
such customs as the Christmas tree, the giving of small gifts, and the
Christmas feast. But they spoke violently against the corruption of the
Christkindl (the Christ Child) into Kris Kringle. After Kris Kringle was fully
assimilated, there was much concern among all religious groups about the
non‑religious trend of the holiday" (Christmas Day.‑ the Complete Book of
American Holidays ‑ Myers, pg. 316.
By now it is apparent that this is just
another example of the Catholic Church bringing the already popular religious
customs of their new "converts" into their Church. That influence carried over
into nearly all other Christian‑professing denominations as well. Imagine the
uproar and non‑compliance of people in your town if told they could no longer
celebrate Christmas? Think of all the customs you enjoy so much. Well, that's
how our superstitious pagan ancestors felt about their festivals. Over the
centuries and around the world, their traditions were not changed or
eliminated but were only renamed. Hence, the people of the world's pagan
religions were united in the Roman Church. Together with the promises of
acceptance by God and the power of the "Vicar of Christ," the conversion of
millions of these "Christianized" pagans into the Catholic Church was not
difficult. Their old traditions were shared and assimilated into the melting
pot of traditions that we call Christmas.
"All of this is ancient history," many may
say. What is the real danger in teaching children to believe in Santa? Well,
first of all, notice in the Scriptures that God does not say,
"You shall not lie ‑ except when it's fun. Little white lies are okay;
after all, we are doing a good thing. The end justifies the means." In
Proverbs 6:16 &19, we learn that God hates false witnesses who speak with
lying tongues; indeed, they are an abomination to Him! We see with absolute
clarity the seriousness of the matter when we read in Rev. 21:8, "And all
liars shall have their part in the lake which burns with fire and brimstone,
which is the second death."
It is all too easy for some people to reason,
"Well, I'm just using Santa to bring my children to Christ and to learn to do
what is right. I'm teaching that God rewards us when we do the right things ‑
and I teach them to always tell Mommy and Daddy the truth!
That's why I sing the song: Santa Claus is Coming to Town
Let's look at the lyrics:
"You better watch out, You better not cry, You
better not pout, I'm telling you
why, Santa Claus is coming to town!
He's makin' a list, He's checkin' it twice,
Gonna find out who's naughty and nice,
Santa Claus is coming to town!
He knows when you've been sleeping, He knows
when you're awake,
He knows if you've been bad or good, So be
good for goodness sake."
(or you won't get any toys, you little
brats!)
If you think we should we lighten up and get
with the spirit of the tradition, think again! Look at those lyrics again.
Santa has been placed on the very throne of God, in His stead, and with
authority of supreme judgment! God did not place him there of that we can be
sure! Humanity did, and the results can be disastrous!
Here is the reason: We all know this from
personal experience. Tragically, it is repeated in the lives of millions of
children every year. Somewhere, generally between the ages of six and twelve,
children begin to use the powers of reasoning. They no longer just accept
everything they're told as absolute fact. They are learning about animals in
school, from this and their own observations they conclude, "It's not possible
for reindeer to fly!" Even in their own lives they can't fit all the things
that they want to do in one day. Then they begin to realize, "Santa couldn't
possibly go to every house in the world where good little boys and good little
girls live in just one night!" Then there's the problem
of houses with no chimneys, locked doors and steel bars.
What about that snack everyone leaves out for
Santa? After eating all those snacks from thousands of houses, even a skinny
man couldn't fit back up through a narrow chimney even if he could have come
down it in the first place. After they think out these details or an older
child tells them the truth, they realize something that probably has never
occurred to them before: Their parents are lying to them! Their trust has been
destroyed! This is devastating to a child. Worse yet ‑ "If my
parents taught me to believe in Santa, that he knows every good or bad thing
I've done or thought or said, and he's not real ......”
Do you see where this leads? Don't parents
likewise teach their children that God knows everything about them? Here is
someone they can't see, hear, or touch, with a magical image, who rewards for
good behavior (eternal life) and punishes for bad behavior (eternal death).
AND, by the way children, God is spirit and lives forever‑just like Santa
(nobody worries about Santa getting too old and forced to retire! He's
ageless!). "They sound like the same lie," thinks the child. "I can't believe
in God either. They probably made him up so I'll think somebody's watching me,
or so that I won't be afraid to die." This loss of belief in God is confirmed
in their minds each time a parental lie is uncovered: the Easter Bunny, the
Tooth Fairy.... Think about it!
It is plain to see, there is nothing innocent
or harmless about this ungodly practice of giving children false hopes through
deception. The loss YOU suffer when your children no longer trust you, and the
loss your children suffer when God is no longer real to them, are voids that
nothing else can fill.
Take heed that you do not trivialize the great
seriousness of this matter. Remember, God commands, "You shall not bear false
witness" (Exodus 20:16).
Chapter Five
Mother and Child
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Just as those customs which we have reviewed
thus far are pagan and not Biblical, other elements of this celebration,
religious as they sound, are also counterfeits. For instance, where did all
the focus and worship of the "Mother and Child" come from? The US Post Office
seems to issue a new stamp with this image every year. Would Mary be pleased
to know that her son Jesus is always pictured as a helpless babe in her
arms, that she is pictured as radiant and awesome, while God the Father is
hardly mentioned whatsoever concerning the birth of Christ?
Did Christ and the apostles teach
Mary‑worship? Did she remain a perpetual virgin? Was she, as the Catholic
church states, guarded from sin by divine grace? Was she taken up into heaven
when her life was finished?
Once again, to find the historical origin of
these practices that are made so visible at Christmas time, we must travel to
ancient Babylon. The Babylonian religion first and foremost worshipped a
goddess mother and a son. This popular religion, with pictures and statutes of
this infant in his mother's arms, have spread worldwide. In Egypt, the mother
is Isis and the child is Osiris (you may have heard these names used in
children's cartoons). In India they still worship Isi and Iswara. In Asia,
they are called Cyble and Deoius. Pagan Rome, China and Japan all have
religious histories which include a counterfeit Messiah born of Mary, a
virgin. Alexander Hislop's book, The Two Babylons, contains excellent
details of the Madonna and child in its pre‑Christian era.
Neither Christ nor the apostles ever spoke of
worshipping Mary. In fact, she is only mentioned four more times after
Christ's ministry began! In one account, mentioned in both Matthew 12:46‑50
and Mark 3:31‑35, Christ's mother and brothers are seeking to speak with him.
He receives the message and explains to those around him that they,
those who do God's will, are his mother and brothers and sisters! If
indeed Mary was worthy of worship, could Christ have replied in this manner?
Mary was a woman of humble character, faithfully obedient to God and obviously
an excellent parent (chosen from among all women ever of the line of
Judah to bear the Messiah) ‑ but she was fully human! Scripture does not
bear witness to anything that indicates otherwise.
Did she remain a virgin after the birth of
Christ? No! God made no such requirement. Matthew 1:24‑25 states, "Then Joseph
... took unto him his wife: And knew her not until she had brought forth her
firstborn. son." Matthew 13:55‑56 and Mark 6:3 indicate that Mary and
Joseph had a number of children, as does Luke 2:41‑49. Every large family has
at least one hilarious tale of leaving a child in a gas station restroom or at
the bowling alley ‑ because it's hard to keep track of so many. It was very
similar with Jesus' family. "And when they had fulfilled the days as they
returned, the child Jesus tarried behind in Jerusalem; and Joseph and his
mother knew not of it." (Parents don't forget an only child!)
Furthermore is Mary in heaven? The apostle
John wrote, "No man [or woman] hath ascended up to heaven, but he that came
down from heaven, even the Son of man which is in heaven" (John 3:13). You may
think that this is because Jesus had not yet died. Let's see what happened
after the death and resurrection of Christ.
In Acts 2:34, Peter affirms that King David of
ancient Israel still hasn't reached heaven! The Bible teaches that there will
be a resurrection of the dead. No one has gone to heaven except Jesus Christ.
In I Corinthians 15:50‑55 we read that we shall "put on" immortality at the
last trump. I Thessalonians 4:13‑18 speaks clearly concerning the resurrection
of the dead., It happens at Christ's second coming, "For the Lord himself
shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and
with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first:" (verse
16) ‑ except for Mary who is the Queen of Heaven and never rested in the
grave ‑ No! It doesn't say that!
Finally, the belief that she was perfect and
sinless, not needing the grace of God through the sacrifice of Jesus Christ,
and all of the fables mentioned above, have come from the
pre‑Christian, Babylonian counterfeit Madonna/Child system of worship. Once
again, we must grievously concede, "Alas, Babylon, harlot of deception and
falsehoods."
