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,
"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
Below you will find a culmination of Historic as well as Scriptural facts exposing the truth about the celebration of Christmas. I have decided to do this research because many have asked me over the years why I do not celebrate Christmas as the rest of the "Christian" World does.
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.
"Therefore shall ye keep mine ordinance, that ye commit not any one of these abominable customs, which were committed before you, and that ye defile not yourselves therein: I am the Lord your God." -LEVITICUS 18:30
"Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new." -2 Corinthians 5:17
"No man also seweth a piece of new cloth on an old garment: else the new piece that filled it up taketh away from the old, and the rent is made worse. And no man putteth new wine into old bottles: else the new wine doth burst the bottles, and the wine is spilled, and the bottles will be marred: but new wine must be put into new bottles." -Mark 2:21-22
"Abstain from all appearance of evil." -1 Thessalonians 5:22,
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." 10 (Christ is thus crucified afresh, obviously indicating His death on Calvary was insufficient.) "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
"When the priest pronounces the tremendous words of consecration, he reaches up into the heavens and brings Christ down from His throne, and places Him upon the (Roman Catholic) altar to be offered up again as the victim for the sins of man...Christ became incarnate a single time, the priest brings Christ down from heaven and renders Him present on the (Roman Catholic) altar as the eternal Victim for the sins of man-not once but a thousand times! The priest speaks and lo! Christ, the eternal, omnipotent God, bows His head in humble obedience to the priest's command...No wonder that the name which spiritual writers are especially fond of applying to the priest is that of 'altar Christus.' For the priest is and should be another Christ." -Rev. John A. O'brien, FAITH OF MILLIONS, Our Sunday Visitor, Huntington, Ind., 1938, pp. 243-244
"There should be no doubt in anyone's mind that all the faithful ought to show to this most holy sacrament [the communion wafer] the worship which is due to the true God, as has always been the custom of the Catholic Church. Nor is it to be adored any the less because it was instituted by Christ to be eaten."--Vatican II: The Conciliar and Post Conciliar Documents.
To those who know the Savior and Lord of the Bible, Jesus Christ, the above quotations from official Roman Catholic publications are at once sickening and outrageous! Note the following from the Word of God.
"And almost all things are by the law purged with blood; and without shedding of blood is no remission." -HEBREWS 9:22
"For Christ is not entered into the holy places made with hands, which are the figures of the true; but into heaven itself, now to appear in the presence of God for us: Nor yet that he should offer himself often, as the high priest entereth into the holy place every year with blood of others; For then must he often have suffered since the foundation of the world: but now once in the end of the world hath he appeared to put away sin by the sacrifice of himself. And as it is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment: So Christ was once offered to bear the sins of many; and unto them that look for him shall he appear the second time without sin unto salvation. " -HEBREWS 9:24-28
"Wherefore when he cometh into the world, he saith, Sacrifice and offering thou wouldest not, but a body hast thou prepared me: In burnt offerings and sacrifices for sin thou hast had no pleasure. Then said I, Lo, I come (in the volume of the book it is written of me) to do thy will, O God. Above when he said, Sacrifice and offering and burnt offerings and offering for sin thou wouldest not, neither hadst pleasure therein; which are offered by the law; Then said he, Lo, I come to do thy will, O God. He taketh away the first, that he may establish the second. By the which will we are sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all. And every priest standeth daily ministering and offering oftentimes the same sacrifices, which can never take away sins: But this man, after he had offered one sacrifice for sins for ever, sat down on the right hand of God; From henceforth expecting till his enemies be made his footstool. For by one offering he hath perfected for ever them that are sanctified. Whereof the Holy Ghost also is a witness to us: for after that he had said before, This is the covenant that I will make with them after those days, saith the Lord, I will put my laws into their hearts, and in their minds will I write them; And their sins and iniquities will I remember no more. Now where remission of these is, there is no more offering for sin." -Hebrews 10:5-18,
THE TERM... "MERRY CHRISTMAS"
| MERRY: mer·ry Pronunciation Key (m  r  )adj. mer·ri·er, mer·ri·est
|
The word "Merry" is defined to mean great happiness and joy. What of the word Christ?
| CHRIST: Christ Pronunciation Key (kr  st)n.
|
Of course we already understand Christ is the title our Lord Jesus has been ordained before the foundation of the world for all of us. Now all we need to do is define the word "Mass" in Christ-Mass. This is in fact a Roman Catholic word, so let us go to the Roman Catholic Encyclopedia to find its meaning.
| MASS: "In the Christian law, the supreme sacrifice is that of the Mass. ...The supreme act of worship consists essentially in an offering of a worthy victim to God, the offering made by a proper person, as a priest, the destruction of the victim."Source = Page 537 of the Catholic Encyclopedia |
By the way, when Santa Clause says "Ho ho ho, Merry Christmas" he is openly and boldly mocking the sacrifice of Christ WITH LAUGHTER!!A true Christian would want to examine and guard everything they say, because Jesus our Lord said to us in Matthew 12:36-37, "But I say unto you, that every idle wordthat men shall speak, they shall give account thereof in the day of judgement. For by thy words thou shalt be justified, and by thy words thou shalt be condemned."
(Also note that the word, "victim" of the Mass is also the Latin word "Hostia" from which the word "host" is derived.)
THE DATE... DECEMBER 25TH?
"And there were in the same country shepherds abiding in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night." -LUKE 2:8
Are we to assume the shepherds kept sheep outside in the Winter? Fact is, the sheep were brought in under cover before mid-October to protect them from the cold rainy season that would follow. Another fact is, the winter in the Judea is at the time characterized by cold, wet, rainy conditions!! Not conditions worthy of sheep. Nor will you find shepherds outside with their sheep this time of year. Therefore it would be impossible for them to actually "see" the Star in the Eastern sky because the Bible is plain here...
"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,
The key part of this passage that can easily put down the assumption that Jesus was born on December 25th is, "...there were in the same country shepherds abiding in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night..." This would NOT have been done in the Winter! This is absolutely 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 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 occured around the Jewish month of Cheshvan. That is around Oct, Nov. to us. So you see the flocks were BROUGHT IN well before Dec. 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 being practiced by Christians. All too often people get offended easily by the truth that can expose the lies they have been embracing for years. But I say, stop! look! And listen! For you are not entirely at fault here. The devil is a cunning enemy, he has placed wolves in sheep's clothing before you 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. And to get all the world under his control by partaking in activities of the Pagan.
"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." -R&H 12-9-1884
"For the very same purpose he has concealed the precise day of Christ's birth; that the day should not receive the honour 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.
"There is no divine sanctity resting upon the twenty-fifth of December; and it is not pleasing to God that anything that concerns the salvation of man through the infinite sacrifice made for them, should be so sadly perverted from its professed design. Christ should be the supreme object; but as Christmas has been observed, the glory is turned from him to mortal man, whose sinful, defective character made it necessary for him to come to our world." -R&H 12-9-1884
"Forasmuch then as we are the offspring of God, we ought not to think that the Godhead is like unto gold, or silver, or stone, graven by art and man's device. And the times of this ignorance God winked at; but now commandeth all men everywhere to repent: Because he hath appointed a day, in the which he will judge the world in righteousness by that man whom he hath ordained; whereof he hath given assurance unto all men, in that he hath raised him from the dead." -ACTS 17:29-31
"Even Christmas, the day observed professedly in honour of the birthday of Christ, has been made a most effective means of turning the mind away from Christ, away from his glory. " -R&H 12-9-1890
"Christmas: The supposed anniversary of the birth of Jesus Christ, occurring on Dec. 25. No sufficient data … exist, for the determination of the month or the day of the event… There is no historical evidence that our Lord’s birthday was celebrated during the apostolic or early postapostolic times. The uncertainty that existed at the beginning of the third century in the minds of Hippolytus and others—Hippolytus earlier favored Jan. 2, Clement of Alexanderia (Strom., i. 21) "the 25th day of Pachon" (= May 20), while others, according to Clement, fixed upon Apr. 18 or 19 and Mar. 28—proves that no Christmas festival had been established much before the middle of the century. Jan. 6 was earlier fixed upon as the date of the baptism or spiritual birth of Christ, and the feast of Epiphany … was celebrated by the Basilidian Gnostics in the second century … and by catholic Christians by about the beginning of the fourth century. The earliest record of the recognition of Dec. 25 as a church festival is in the Philocalian Calendar (copied 354 but representing Roman practise in 336)." -A. H. Newman, "Christmas," The New Schaff-Herzog Encyclopedia of Religious Knowledge, Vol. 3, p. 47. Copyright 1909 by Funk & Wagnalls Company, New York
"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.
DID EARLY CHRISTIANS CELEBRATE CHRISTMAS?
"Christmas was not among the earliest festivals of the Church...the first evidence of the feast is from Egypt." "Pagan customs centering around the January calendars gravitated to Christmas." "...In the Scriptures, no one is recorded to have kept a feast or held a great banquet on his [Jesus] birthday. It is only sinners who make great rejoicings over the day in which they were born into this world" -Catholic Encyclopedia, 1911 Edition, published by the Roman Catholic Church
And to settle "some" minds out there that place no stock in any boast of Catholicism, the Roman Church is not the only one that understands this simple historic fact...
"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
Since there is no evidence for the observance of Christmas in the Bible, the questions arise, What is its origin? and when did its celebration begin? Lector P. Walsdenstrom says: "The custom to celebrate the birth of Christ in the last part of December began first in the fourth century. Before that the sixth of January was celebrated."-- Notes to Luke 2:8.
"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
"...within the Christian Church no such festival as Christmas was ever heard of till the third century, and...not till the fourth century was far advanced did it gain much observance. How, then, did the Romish Church fix on December 25th as Christmas-day? Why, thus: Long before the fourth century, and long before the Christian era itself, a festival was celebrated among the heathen, at that precise time of the year, in honour of the birth of the son of the Babylonian queen of heaven; and it may fairly be presumed that, in order to conciliate the heathen, and to swell the number of nominal adherents of Christianity, the same festival was adopted by the Roman Church, giving it the name of Christ." -The Two Babylons, p 93.
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)
What is the actual reason and purpose for this Pagan infiltration into Christianity? Ellen White put it best...
"This compromise between paganism and Christianity resulted in the development of "the man of sin" foretold in prophecy as opposing and exalting himself above God. That gigantic system of false religion is a masterpiece of Satan's power--a monument of his efforts to seat himself upon the throne to rule the earth according to his will." -The Great Controversy, page 50, paragraph 1 -Chapter Title: An Era of Spiritual Darkness
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) practises 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 very name by which Christmas is popularly known among ourselves-- yule day-- proves at once its pagan and Babylonian origin. 'Yule' is the Chaldee name for an 'infant' or 'little child;' and as the twenty-fifth of December was called by our pagan Anglo-Saxon ancestors 'yule day,' or the 'child's day,' and the night that preceded it 'mother night,' long before they came in contact with Christianity, that sufficiently proves its real character. Far and wide in the realms of paganism was this birthday observed."-- The Two Babylons, pages 93 & 94.
"Little children, keep yourselves from idols."
Notice the devil's tricky way of using the gifts to pull the worship away from Jesus. If we were to gift gifts on birthdays, which we're not, why are we giving gifts to everyone BUT Jesus? Did the three Wise men hand the gifts to everyone in the neighborhood except Jesus? The fact everyone does that today pulls the reason for the worship off of Jesus and unto those your give the gifts to.
BIRTHDAY CELEBRATIONS?
THE BIRTHDAY RITUAL The ritual of the cake, candles, wish, and presents serve to give thanks to sky luminaries for allowing the birthday celebrant to reach the annual cycle of their birth. The cake was baked for the Queen of Heaven. (Hot cross buns) It was decorated, and monogrammed with the celebrant’s name. The candles symbolized the sacred fire, carefully numbered for each annual cycle completed. The prayer chant and all the ritual procedures are carefully preserved, and it is a religious occasion. Witches regard the day of one’s birth the most significant event in a person’s life. Astrologers base everything on it. If the celebrant can blow-out all the candles, then a secret wish made to a GENIE (or JUNO if the person is female) will be granted. The birthday itself was a time of great superstition to a Pagan, so they were surrounded by their friends and relatives for protection.
"In the Scriptures, no one is recorded to have kept a feast or held a great banquet on his [Christ's] birthday. It is only sinners [like Pharaoh or Herod] who make great rejoicings over the day in which they were born into this world."--Catholic Encyclopedia, 11th ed., art: "Natal Day."
CHRISTMAS STEMS FROM SUN WORSHIP?
The author of "The Two Babylons" identifies also the child, whose birth was so universally celebrated, with Nimrod, who built the tower of Babel, and says that he was worshiped by the name Osiris in Egypt, and Tammuz (the same one as Adonis the famous hunter) in Phoenicia and Assyria. (See page 56.) This Tammuz is also mentioned by the holy prophet, Ezekiel, who in a vision saw the women of Judah weeping for him. He is there spoken of in company with sun-worship.
"It was an essential principle of the Babylonian system that the sun, or Baal, was the one only god. (Notice, "BAAL?" As in Daniels day too?) When, therefore, Tammuz was worshiped as God incarnate, that implied also that he was an incarnation of the sun."--Alexander Hislop, The Two Babylons, Loizeaux Brothers, page 96.
"This festival has been commonly believed to have had only an astronomical character, referring simply to the completion of the sun’s yearly course, and the commencement of a new cycle. But there is indubitable evidence that the festival in question had a much higher influence than this--that it commemorated not merely the figurative birthday of the sun in the renewal of its course, but the birth-day of the grand Deliverer...the Sun-God and great mediatorial divinity." -Ibid pp. 94, 97.
In Egypt, the son of Isis, the Egyptian title for the queen of heaven, was born at this very time, ‘about the time of the winter solstice.’ The very name by which Christmas is popularly known among ourselves - Yule day - proves at once its Pagan and Babylonian origin. ‘Yule’ is the Chaldee name for an ‘infant’ or ‘little child’ and as the 25th of December was called by our Pagan Anglo-Saxon ancestors, ‘Yule-day,’ or the ‘Child’s day,’ and the night which preceded it, ‘Mother-night,’ long before they came into contact with Christianity, that sufficiently proves its real character. Far and wide in the realms of paganism was this birth-day observed." -Ibid pp. 93, 94
In this way we trace sun-worship back to Nimrod, whose worship was universal in the old time. Again we have good reason to say: "Little children, keep yourselves from idols." Fact is people...
"The wassailing-bowl of Christmas had its precise counterpart in the 'Drunken Festival' of Babylon; The candles, in some parts of England, lighted at Christmas eve and used so long as the festive season lasts, were equally lighted by the pagans on the eve of the festival of the Babylonian god, to do honor to him, for it was one of the distinguishing peculiarities of his worship to have lighted candles on his alters. The Christmas tree, now so common among us, was equally common in pagan Rome and pagan Egypt. In Egypt that tree was the palm tree; in Rome it was the fir; the palm tree denoted the pagan Messiah, as Baal-Tamar; the fir referring to him as Baal-Berith.... On Christmas day the continental Saxons offered a boar in sacrifice to the sun, to propitiate her. In Rome a similar observance had evidently existed; for a boar formed a great article of Saturn, as appears form the words form Martial, 'That boar will make you a good Saturnalia.' Hence the boar's head is still a standing dish in England at the Christmas dinner, when the reason of it is long since forgotten. Yea, the 'Christmas goose' and 'yule cake' were essential articles in the worship of the Babylonian Messiah, as that worship was practiced both in Egypt and at Rome."-- Ibid., pages 97, 100, 101.
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 Two Babylons, p. 97.
"...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. 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. -R&H 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." -JEREMIAH 10:1-6
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
"The Yule log was originally an entire tree, carefully chosen, and brought into the house with great ceremony. The butt end would be placed into the hearth while the rest of the tree stuck out into the room. The tree would be slowly fed into the fire and the entire process was carefully timed to last the entire Yule season." -The History of Christmas; http://www.ridgenet.org/Szaflik/history.htm
This is where the Twelve Days of Christmas originated, which are now counted as the twelve days between "Christmas" and Epiphany (January 12th).
"Yuletide, meaning the turning of the sun or the winter solstice, has traditionally been a time of extreme importance in Scandinavia - a time when fortunes for the coming year were determined and when the dead were thought to walk the earth. For a long time, it was considered dangerous to sleep alone on Christmas Eve. The extended family, master and servant alike, would sleep together on a freshly spread bed of straw. " -The History of Christmas;
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" -Ibid p. 9
A CATHOLIC ORDINANCE:
Since there is no evidence for the observance of Christmas in the Bible, the questions arise, What is its origin? and when did its celebration begin? Lector P. Walsdenstrom says: "The custom to celebrate the birth of Christ in the last part of December began first in the fourth century. Before that the sixth of January was celebrated."-- Notes to Luke 2:8.
Another author says: "The third one of the great feasts of the church, Christmas, doesn't seem to be kept during the first three centuries. In contrast to it a memorial of Christ's baptism was celebrated in the Orient as a revelation of his Messiahship and glory of his divinity called Epiphania, the sixth of January. This festival was, in Egypt, also given the meaning as a memorial of Christ's birth, and in that way they had in a certain sense a substitute for Christmas, which had not yet begun."-- Ecclesiastical History, by C.A. Cornelius, part 1, page 139. Further on, the same author says, "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."--Ibid, part 2, page 91.
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.
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.
The valuable testimony of J. Murdock, D. D., is in harmony with the above: "It was Julius I (Bishop of Rome, A.D. 337-352) who first ascertained this to be the right day; and though his authority is not the best, yet it is generally admitted that the designation of the twenty-fifth of December for the festival was first made about the middle of the fourth century."-- Ecclesiastical History, by Mosheim, Vol. I, page 279.
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
THE LIE OF SANTA CLAUSE ALL PARENTS TELL THEIR CHILDREN
Think about that 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 comes down a chimney to place gifts underneath the tree. Now guess what happens when the child comes of age. The child realizes that mommy and daddy have been lying to him the whole time! And not only that, but this child realizes that IT WORKED!!! He actually realizes that his parents lied to him and HE BELIEVED THEM! So now he has concrete evidence that lying is a resourceful tool that he can use to his advantage. And his own parents taught him.
The fabled Santa Claus also deserves our attention. The Library of Universal Knowledge says:--
"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, (My mom puts up her tree on this day calling it "St.Nicks" day) 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. "Little children, keep yourselves from idols."
SANTA CLAUS ~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 millions 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. "...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). He is by definition, Omniscient. "having infinite knowledge; knowing all things-the Omniscient God." Webster's New World Dictionary
The Lord demands more of us than of them, because we have come into existence in the age of wonderful research and discovery, when knowledge should increase(Dan. 12:4), and the Bible has been in our mother tongue several centuries. In the light of this situation, we would certainly deserve severe criticism for our ignorance if we should continue to honor old traditions or relic worship.
Many upright Christians in the past have taken part in the old festival to some extent, and such we will not criticize, because they did it in ignorance. But in this enlightened age it is indeed high time to inquire: "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 Cor. 6:15,16. But still many Christians, not only Catholics, but also Protestants, continue year by year at the Christmas festival to honor the old idol relics under a Christian garb. This is indeed very unfortunate, and it is going so far that entrance fee is demanded in many Protestant churches. O, what a dishonor to our dear Saviour, who has pointed out a distinct line between the holy and the profane!
I have noticed many downfalls to this Pagan Xmas season. I recall some years back when I lived in the Chicago area a man killed another man at a gas station holdup on Xmas eve. When asked why he did it he said, "I needed the money to buy Xmas gifts for my children." Is this what Jesus would have us do? Is this 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 his Xmas gifts. 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 Xmas day? Was this designed to occur by Jesus, or satan? I recall as a child be made fun of because I didn't get as many toys on Xmas as everyone else because we were poor. Is this an activity that a blessed season would encourage? Or is this designed to occur by a devil who 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 Xmas season? Did you know that December 25th is consistantly the highest recorded day of the year for suicide? 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?
WHERE DID WE GET THE RED AND GREEN COLORS AT XMAS?
Look what the Scriptures attribute to the colors, Red and Green...
Leviticus 14:33-39, "And the LORD spake unto Moses and unto Aaron, saying, When ye be come into the land of Canaan, which I give to you for a possession, and I put the plague of leprosy in a house of the land of your possession; And he that owneth the house shall come and tell the priest, saying, It seemeth to me there is as it were a plague in the house: Then the priest shall command that they empty the house, before the priest go into it to see the plague, that all that is in the house be not made unclean: and afterward the priest shall go in to see the house: And he shall look on the plague, and, behold, if the plague be in the walls of the house with hollow strakes, greenish or reddish, which in sight are lower than the wall; Then the priest shall go out of the house to the door of the house, and shut up the house seven days: And the priest shall come again the seventh day, and shall look: and, behold, if the plague be spread in the walls of the house;"
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."
Psalms 75:8, "For in the hand of the LORD there is a cup, and the wine is red; it is full of mixture; and he poureth out of the same: but the dregs thereof, all the wicked of the earth shall wring them out, and drink them."
Isaiah 1:18, "Come now, and let us reason together, saith the LORD: though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they be red like crimson, they shall be as wool."
Revelation 6:4, "And there went out another horse that was red: and power was given to him that sat thereon to take peace from the earth, and that they should kill one another: and there was given unto him a great sword."
"By us...who are strangers to Sabbaths, and new moons, and festivals, once acceptable to God, the Saturnalia, the feasts of January, the Brumalia, and Matronalia, are now frequented; gifts are carried to and fro, new year’s day presents are made with din, and sports and banquets are celebrated with uproar; oh, how much more faithful are the heathen to their religion who take special care to adopt no solemnity from the Christians." -The Two Babylons, p. 93.
WHO'S TO BLAME FOR ALL THIS PAGAN INFILTRATION?
So, who do we have to thank for all this Pagan infiltration in our lives? ROME! Now, don't take my word for it. Rome ADMITS this very fact...
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 ReligionCardinal 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!!"
Notice the following list of Pagan rituals and symbols that Catholicism has introduced into Christianity. YOUR "so called" Protestant Church is taking part in many of these as well...
BAAL (PAGAN) WORSHIP ~VS~ CATHOLICISM
| INVENTED FOR THE PAGAN SUN GOD BAAL | CATHOLIC DOCTRINES OF THE VATICAN |
| 1. The nativity of the Sun, the birth of Tammuz Dec. 25 | The nativity of Jesus, Christmas Dec 25 |
| 2. The Midsummer festival held Jun 24 | The Nativity of St. John held June 24 |
| 3. The assumption of Semiramus who became the mother godess | The assumption of Mary, who became the mother of God |
| 4. The mother goddess was worshipped as the Queen of Heaven. Jer. 7:18 | The Virgin Mary worshipped as the Queen of Heaven. |
| 5. Cakes decorated to the goddess with a "+" drawn on it. Jer. 44:17,19 | Hot cross buns |
| 6. 40 days fasting for Tammuz, Ezek. 8:14 | 40 days of Lent |
| 7.Pagan festival of Easter. Ezek 8:16 | The festival of Easter |
| 8. The ressurection of Tammuz at Easter and the procession of graven images during holy week | The procession of graven images of Jesus, Mary, and Peter, and of the saints |
| 9. Veneration of graven images of Baal, Ishtar, Tammuz and lesser gods in the heavens | Veneration of graven images of Jesus, Mary, Peter, and of the "lesser" saints in the heavens |
| 10. The belief of immortality of the soul and burning place of torment | The belief of immortality of the soul and burning place of torment |
| 11. The doctrine of purgatory | The doctrine of purgatory |
| 12. The belief of the dead visiting the living, feast held for all in November, (All souls day) | The festival of all souls day held Nov. 2, and all saints day held Nov. 1 (All souls day) |
| 13. Burning incense and candles Jer 11:17; Ezek 8:11 | The burning of incense and candles |
| 14. Chants and repetative prayers. Beaded prayer chains. | Gregorian chants and the Rosary |
| 15. Symbol of the cross as symbol of Sun worship. Mesopotamian cylinder seal depicted the "cross in the sky" as a symbol of sun worship. Ancient carvings of an Assyrian king has a huge cross carved on his chest. The oldest pictures in the world from Mesopotamia has text with is explaining the "cross" in the sky as the sun. This particular find is on display at the University Museum in Philadelphia. | The crucifix |
| 16. Amulets and idols ro scare away evil spirits | The wearing of crucifixes and medals displayed for protection. (Scapular = main example) |
| 17. The round disk "sun" wafer IHS symbol of Isis, Horus & Seb, eaten as food for the soul. Some wafers also had a large "+" sign engraved on them as well to symbolize Baal. | The wafer used in the Eucharist is round with IHS engraved on it on on one side, and many have a large "+" engraved on the other side. |
| 18. Painting of the child (Tammuz) and mother (Semiramus) with the glory of the Sun around their heads | Paintings of the child (Jesus) and mother (Mary) with halos or of the Sun around their heads |
| 19. Infant baptism, and sprinkling of holy water | Infant baptism, and sprinkling of holy water |
| 20. Necromancy (Talking to the dead) | Mysticism (Novenas (prayers) to the dead) |
| 21. The first day of the week kept sacred to honor the Persian sun god Mithra. "SUN"day | The admitted change of 7th day Sabbath to "SUN"day |
| 22. Title Pontifex Maximus name for chief head of the pagan Babylonian system of idolatry | Pontifex Maximus one of the first names for the office of Pope |
| 23. Janus and Cybele, holders of the keys to Heaven and Hell | The pope claims to have the keys of Peter |
| 24. The high priest kings carried on a throne to the to the Temple of his god | The Pope carried on a portable throne to the Basilica of St. Peter (Sedia Gestoria) |
| 25. The Pagan high priest king believed to be the incarnate of the Sun god | The Pope proclaims to be Christ's Vicar (replacement) here on Earth. It is also recorded in numerous documents that the pope believes he is god on earth.  |
| 26. Offerings of "good works" to appease the gods | Penance, indulgences, salvation by works |
| 27. Houses for the virgin priestesses (Prostitutes) to be employed at Pagan temples to "service" priests that were not 'gay' | Nuns. (Recent modern day sex scandals involving Nuns has uncovered this well hidden reality) |
| 28. Human sacrifices burned by fire as offering to appease Sun god | Opposers of doctrines of the Roman Catholic church burned at the stake |
| 29. Gold was considered the flesh of the "Sungod" | Vatican and numerous Cathedrals are lietrally drenched in gold throughout |
| 30. Gargoils = a pagan god of protection | Vatican as well as thousands of Catholic churches have gargoils on their roofs for 'protection' |
| 31. Phallic symbol of the male sex organ placed on roofs as a sign of allegiance with Baal | Largest phallic symbol in center of St. Peter's square as well as steeples on all Catholic churches |
| 32. Solar wheel as symbol for Baal worship can be found carved into ancient as well as modern Buddhist temples,, carved into ancient ornament representing Osiris. Stone carvings showing a whell to represent and Assyrio Babylonian altar. | St Peter's square has largest solar wheel on planet. ALL Catholic churches have numerous solar wheels in stain glass windows as well as many other areas of the church. Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris sports a very huge one on it's face. There is a great one in ceiling as well as the floor tiles of the monastery of St. Ignatius Loyola in Spain. Numerous paintings, statues, ornaments, and letterheads of all Catholic churches have one or more "solar wheels" depicted upon them. And theONE WORLD CHURCH that started on June 26, 2000 uses the solar wheel as its official logo. |
| 33. Symbol of serpent on numerous Roman bath houses | Symbol of serpent on numerous Catholic church in door handles, Papal crests, etc. |
| 34. Atlas carries the universe on his soilders | Numerous Popes depicted in paintings in same manner |
| 35. Symbols of the "Unicorn, Peacock, and Phoenix" used to signify sun god | Symbols of the "Unicorn, Peacock, and Phoenix" used to symbolize the Christ in many churches on doors or chapels as well as sanctuarys holding the 'eucharist' |
| 36. Crescent moon used to signify moon goddess "Nanna" | Crescent used to cradle Eucharist in the Monstrance of the Catholic church. As well as depicted in numerous paintings and scupltures with Mary standing within it |
| 37. Three letters "S.F.S" within a small blaze is used to represent the universal symbol for the number "6" in the Pagan mysteries | S.F.S in a small blaze is carved into the Vatican Monstrance in the Vatican museum as well as many monstrances the world over |
| 38. Alternating rays of the sun burst used to represent unity of "man and woman" common in all aspects of Paganism. (Curved ray = female "yonic" Straight ray = male "phallic") | Monstrance of Catholicism as well as many paintings and sculptures all depict same rays of both the "phallic and yonic" symbolism can be found literally all over the Roman Catholic church |
| 39. Carvings of "nature spirits" (fauns or satyrs) depicting a horned, hoofed-god were a common feature in all Pagan cults | Carvings of "nature spirits" (fauns or satyrs) depicting a horned, hoofed-god are found all over the Treasury of the Vatican beneath St Peters square as well as many Cathedrals |
| 40. Statues of a "Madonna" found in all Pagan cults as well as Egyptian Madonna Isis with her son Horus, or Hindu cults with Divaki and her son Krishna | Statues of Mary can be found in all Catholic churches holding baby Jesus |
| 41. Statue of Zeus holds symbol of thunder and a lightening bolt to symbolise his position as a god. | Mary depicted in many statues holding the pagan symbol of thunderr |
| 42. Demi-gods holding crooked diving staff representative of the serpent and lightening bolt | Pope carries exact same staff (serpent crosiers) |
| 43. Adad, Enlil, Baal, Neptune, Poseidon and other "gods" of storm and sea were depicted as carrying tridents | Crosses as well as statues of Jesus and Mary in Cathedrals all over the world carved with tridents on them. |
| 44. Hand gestures in the form of a trident found depicted in Jupiter, Buddah, Appollo, Hindu diety's, as well as "votive hands" in pagan temples | Statue of St. Peter (Actually the old Jupiter statue of Rome) as well as millions of other statues, painitings, photos, and videos of everyone from Jesus and Mary to priests, cardinals,bishops, all the Popes, Vatican guards and even lay people in the Catholci church seen holding up the three finger trident salute of pagan Rome. (Now called the salute to the Trinity) |
| 45. Pine cones used to represent the diety of a solar god Osiris, Bacchus, Dionysus, as well as Mexican gods, Hindu gods, and Assyrian gods | Largest pine cone sculpture in the world found in the "Court of the pine cone" at the Vatican. Pine cone is also found carved into the crooked pagan staff (serpent crosier) or the Popes of Rome. In fact the pine cone is found all throughout the Vatican as well as Cathedrals as decoration. |
| 46. Oanne, Babylonian fish-god (half man half fish) was depicted by Pagan high priests by wearing a fish head mitre (head dress) upon a mans head to symbolize man and fish joining when "sun god" set into the ocean. (Neptune = case in point. Half man half fish) One particular Biblical diety = "Dagon" Dag=fish On=sun | Mitres are worn by all Popes of Catholcism |
| 47. The Roman sun-god with the alternating yonic and phallic symbols surrounding his head was found carved in excavated Roman bath houses in England. It is alos found as "Apollo" on the facade of the Pergamum Museum in East Berlin. | Almost all Catholic churches have the exact same carving above their pulpits, pillars, on statues, as well as carved into ceilings above altars. Some Catholic churches actually have it carved into the Eucharist itself. |
| 48. Statues of the Romanized Egyptians Isis with globes in hand, Hercules as a solar diety carried the very same globe in hand, and the Persian sun-god Mithra is also depicted with the globe in hand as a sign ruler of the Universe. | The Vatican has a solid gold statues of Jesus with the globe in hand, plus a black marble statue called "the black virgin of Montserrat" and a statue of a "child Jesus" with globe in hand, the list goes on... |
| 49. Coptic shells were carved to symbolize the Universe. Roman grave stones used them to represent the Heavens. Statues of Atlas can be found carrying the "universe" shell upon its shoulders. Pagan Rome carved Poseidon with the shell in his head. Venus was said to be born IN a coptic shell. | St. Peter's Basilica in the Vatican has the Pagan symbols within the papal crest upon the wall. The Coptic shell is found over the crypt of St. Paul's Cathedral in London. This cosmic symbol is often used as a font for holy water in Catholic churches the world over. They even have statues of angels holding the pagan symbol |
| 50. Large evil eye can be found carved on a Roman sarcophagus in the National Archaeological Museum in Rome Italy. Masonic pendants have them as well. Hathor the "eye of Osiris" can be found all over Egyptian temple. It was commonly used as protection against evil magic. | This very same evil eye within the pyramid is found on Roman Catholic pulpits, ceilings, altars, doors, pendants, medals, etc. It is also on the back of the dollar bill of the USA on the left side |
| 51. The multi-level crown was first worn by old Babylonian gods in 1800BC. The horned tiara was carved atop Assyrian winged-bull cherubims. The Jewish Kabbalistic solar diety wore this very same tiara, as did Krishna. | The bronze tomb of Pope Sixtus (Pope6) has this three ringed tiara on his head. On that tiara you can also see 6 serpents upon it. All the Popes have word the tiara as a symbol of their authority as "gods of the earth, heaven, and hell" Hence, the "three rings" upon it. The Vatican has a solid gold tiara on display in the Vatican treasury. This is the very crown the Pope will hand to Antichrist when he arrives to impersonate Jesus Christ in the days ahead. |
| 52. Quetzalcoatl, the lord of life and death in the Aztec and Toltec cultures of 1000 AD had an open chest with an exposed heart displayed. This was believed to be nourishment offered to the sun gods. | Literally hundreds of thousands of statues, paintings, posters, lithographs, etc have Jesus as well as Mary depicted in the same manner with what the Catholic church calls "The sacred heart." Notice that these "sacred hearts" also have the symbols of the sun god Mithra glowing rather boldly behind them. |
| 53. Assyrians carvings show eagles as genies hovering over the dead. Their "book of the dead" depicts just such a picture on its cover. | Eagles are used as symbols all over the Roman Catholic church. See Rev 18:2 speaks of the Vatican as the "hold of ever foul spirit, and a cage of ever unclean and hateful bird." |
Now do you understand WHY the Vatican is declared the "WHORE OF BABYLON?"
PAGAN SUN WORSHIP MELDED WITH CHRISTIAN 'SON' WORSHIP
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:
"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.
HEATHEN CUSTOM In the Christian Church Strange Weeds in the Garden of God
By Murl Vance
Tenth in a series tracing the rise of many un-Biblical doctrines and practices still held by Christian churches.
THERE are many strange weeds growing today in the garden of
God, weeds whose roots extend back to Babylonian devil worship and whose
fruits can scarcely be other than always have been borne by such plants.
Since Christ declared, "Every plant, which My heavenly Father hath not
planted, shall be rooted up" (Matthew 15:13), perhaps we would do well to
examine a few of the strange practices and customs that we as professed
Christians find ourselves engaging in during certain seasons of the year.
We can read the Bible from Genesis to Revelation, and we shall find only one
holyday given by God to the Christian church. That day is the weekly
Sabbath, given by God at creation (Genesis 2:1-3), commanded in the
Decalogue (Exodus 20:8-11), kept by Christ (Luke 4:16) and the apostles
(Acts 17: 2), and extending on throughout eternity in the earth made new
(Isaiah 66:22, 23). The holydays connected with the sanctuary service
before the coming of Christ all passed out of existence at the death of
Christ, being nailed "to His cross" as Paul expresses it in Colossians 2:14.
It is natural and reasonable that the sanctuary service, with its holydays,
should cease at Christ's death, for it merely pointed forward to the work of
Christ. It was not necessary to continue slaying the lamb after the Lamb of
God had been slain, neither was it necessary to continue keeping the
holydays connected with such a service. Whence, then, come all these
holydays we find in the church today? Let us see.
Easter
Every student of the Scriptures knows that the single reference (Acts 12:4)
to Easter in the Bible is a mistranslation of pascha, everywhere else
translated "Passover." The Revised Version gives the correct translation;
besides, there is no mention of the pascha as being a holyday binding upon
the Christian church, Paul merely mentioning it casually in passing, just as
he mentions in Acts 17:23 that he noticed an inscription "TO THE UNKNOWN
GOD" while walking down the street. The Encyclopedia Britannica, 14th
edition, art. "Easter," declares: "There is no indication of the observance
of the Easter festival in the New Testament, or in the writings of the
apostolic Fathers."
The word itself comes from "Eastre," the Anglo-Saxon goddess of spring, and
from there it goes straight back to Ishtar, the Babylonian goddess of
spring, of love, and of immorality. The most savage and obscene rites of
all ancient devil worship occurred at this season of the year. Most of the
pagan days the church adopted carry with them some custom or practice that
marks their origin, and Easter is no exception. The rabbits and eggs always
associated with this day are but symbols of the organs of fecundity formerly
sacrificed at this season by the savage Huns. They symbolize the power to
produce offspring, and reveal but a fraction of the immorality formerly
connected with paganism's great spring festival. The British Museum
possesses an inscribed egg of veined marble which Sargon dedicated to the
sun-god of Sippara; and even the colors we use on our eggs today were
formerly sacred in sun worship.
As was pointed out by Sir Isaac Newton, Easter, as well as practically
every other of the church's holydays, is related to the movements of the sun
or other heavenly bodies rather than to any event, occurring in the
Christian church. As the "first Sunday after the full moon following the
vernal equinox," the day clearly shows its astral origin. It at that season
of the year when the sun has reached the halfway point between midwinter and
midsummer.
Our hot cross buns at Easter time, declares Chambers in his "Book of Days”
art. "Semnel Cakes," were formerly by the pagan Saxons in honor of their
goddess Eastre. The ceremony of the new fire, also occurring on Easter in
some parts of the Christian world, back likewise to the sacred fires of
demon worship, fire being consider the sun spirit upon earth.
The Easter celebration of the sun’s return to give new life to the earth was
originally almost universal throughout paganism. Among the ancient Aztecs of
Mexico, says Frazer in his book, “The Golden Bough," human beings were
sacrificed to the sun-god on Easter day. Then, as now, the celebration was
preceded by a long fast, and was followed by a feast of viands and flesh.
Both the Mohammedans and the Buddhists have
retained their spring festival of immorality; and to this day decent people
of the East, endeavor to stay off the streets at the time of these pagan
celebrations, which come at approximately the same time as the Christian
Easter.
Christmas
Christmas is another festival in the Christian church that antedates
Christianity by hundreds of years, and that is of pure pagan origin. Like
Easter, it brings with it numerous trappings that are a certain guide as to
its source. Among the ancients, the mistletoe was sacred to the sun because
of its yellow color, and was believed to possess miraculous healing powers.
Kissing under the mistletoe likewise is pre-Christian, and was but an early
step in the night of revelry and drunken debauchery with which the pagans
celebrated the death of the old sun and the birth of the new at the time of
the winter solstice.
Holly berries were also sacred to the sun-god among the demon worshipers of
the Old World. The yule log is in reality the sun log, for "yule" means sun
or wheel (an ancient symbol of the sun) in some languages today, and our
English word "wheel"-comes from this source. Even the lighting of fires and
candles as a Christmas ceremony is but a continuation of the pagan custom
of encouraging the waning sun-god as he reached the lowest place in the
southern skies.
Christmas, as a celebration of the birth of the sun, not the Son, was
widespread among the ancients. The Arabians celebrated the birth of the
moon, considered as an emanation of the sun, on December 4 To this day, the
most important state observance in China occurs on December 21, the
sacrifice of the winter solstice. In Rome, the pagan Brumalia occurred on
December 25, long before the birth of Christ. Christmas was a holyday in
Mithraism, the Persian form of demon worship. Centuries before the birth of
Christ, the Egyptians likewise celebrated Christmas much as it is
celebrated today.
The real origin of the day, however, is in ancient Babylon, history
recording the sacredness with which the winter solstice was celebrated in
the cradle of demon worship. Whence, then, we wonder, did day enter the
Christian church? We find no reference whatsoever to it in the Scriptures,
and in Schaff-Herzog's Encyclopedia of Religious Knowledge, art.
“Christmas," we read that there is not even sufficient data to tell the
month of Christ's birth, much less the actual day. There is no historical
evidence of the celebration of Christmas in the Christian Church before the
fourth century A. D.
The following quotation from Schaff-Herzog throws a great deal of light on
how this and other pagan festivals entered the church of Christ:
"How much the date of the festival depended upon the pagan Brumalia
(December 25), following the Saturnalia (December 17-24) and celebrating
the shortest day in 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 recognition of
Sunday (the day of Phoebus and Mithras as well as the Lord's day) by the
emperor Constantine as a legal holiday, along with the influence of
Manicheism, which identified the Son of God with the physical sun, may have
led Christians of the fourth century to feel the appropriateness of making
the birthday of the Son of God coincide with that of the physical sun.
"The pagan festival with its 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 Nearer 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."
What can be said of Easter and Christmas can also be said of many of the
other holydays of the church. St. John's Day was celebrated anciently as the
time when the sun reached the highest point in the sky in midsummer, being
known in Babylon as the Feast of Tammuz. What is now celebrated as the
"Annunciation of the Virgin" was celebrated in pre-Christian days as the
feast of Cybele, the Babylonian mother sun-goddess. The Babylonians had an
assumption of a virgin, and the Chinese to this day have a similar festival
to the Assumption, which they celebrate at about the same time of year.
Halloween was originally a day of rankest spirit and devil worship, though
today it is considered as a holyday in many European countries. The goblins
and witches, which always accompany this day in popular celebration, show
unmistakably its pagan origin.
Thus instead of the one holyday established and authorized by God, the
Christian church has almost an innumerable number of holydays, which she
has accepted from ancient demon worship. These days are not holy, and never
can be. Only a divine or holy being can make anything holy. If all the
people in the world should set aside next Tuesday as a sacred holiday, and
should keep it faithfully till the end of the world, it would never become a
holyday, particularly if it were a day formerly dedicated to devil worship,
and still kept in the same manner as did the devil worshipers.
These spurious, counterfeit holydays represent a compromise with paganism,
an attempt on the part of the church to convert the heathen by meeting them
halfway. But the Scriptures clearly teach that there must be no compromise
with the evil one on any point. Paul gives the warning: "Now the Spirit
speaketh expressly, that in the latter times some shall depart from the
faith, giving heed to seducing spirits, and doctrines of devils; speaking
lies in hypocrisy; having their conscience seared with a hot iron." 1
Timothy 4:1, 2.
In Revelation 12:9 we read that the "great dragon, . that old serpent,
called the devil, and Satan, . . . deceiveth the whole world." We have
learned that this deception came into the Christian church by way of the
open demon worship of the ancient Babylonians, who worshiped the sun as the
incarnation of Lucifer, even addressing it in prayer as the "evil one" and
the "serpent." Knowing this, how can we fail to heed the warning of
Revelation 18:2-4: "Babylon the great is fallen, is fallen, and is become
the habitation of devils. . . . For all nations have drunk of the wine of
the wrath of her fornication. . . . Come out of her, My people, that ye be
not partakers of her sins, and that ye receive not of her plagues"!
Satan's goal is to get us to see him instead of seeing God. He wants to be like the most high in any way he can. God receives praise when we follow Him. Satan receives praise when we follow him. His strategy is to get us to follow him thinking that we're following God.
I can see him now, laughing at God every time he convinces some soul to replace God with himself. It may seem like a lovable thing to do, but it may not be reality based. Example: We celebrate Christmas and we say, "I know that Christ was born. It doesn't matter when. We choose Dec. 25th to represent his birth date. " Then we follow the crowd and sing and tell lies about a fat clown in a red suit. Then we take our children to the malls to see this perfect man called Santa Claus. As innocent as Santa may seem, Satan is mocking God.
I'm about to destroy the image of Santa Claus, so if there are children that you don't want to know the truth, you'd better get them out of here. This message is entitled "How Santa Mocks God." Let's start with Santa's hair and eyes. Santa has white woolly hair. Right? His eyes are said to have a twinkle in them. Rev. 1:14 says, talking about Christ, "His head and His hairs were white like wool, as white as snow; and His eyes were as a flame of fire." Fire twinkles, doesn't it? Are we talking about Jesus or Santa Claus?
Santa is from the North pole, right? Why the North? Why not the South pole? Well, God is from the North. We find in Isaiah 14:12-14 these words: "How art thou fallen from heaven, o Lucifer, son of the morning! How art thou cut down to the ground, which didst weaken the nations! For thou hast said in thine heart, I will ascend into heaven, I will exalt my throne above the stars of God: I will sit also upon the mount of the congregation, in the sides of the North: I will ascend above the heights of the clouds; I will be like the most high." I tell you, Santa is from the North because God is from the North.
Santa has unlimited power. Is there anything that Santa can't do? Ask a kid. There is no dispute about that. I don 't need a text to tell you that only God has unlimited power.
Santa is all knowing, huh? He knows when you are good or bad, so be good for goodness sake. You'd better watch out....you know the song. So we tell our children that Santa is omniscient (all knowing). Well, he would have to be in order to know about all the children in the world, wouldn't he? I don't need a text to tell you that only God is all knowing.
Santa is immortal. Have you ever heard of Santa being born? Oh, I know the story about Saint Nick. He was a generous man, but the legend of Santa Claus grew into the ridiculous tale that it is today. Only God is immortal.
Santa is perfect. Who does he need to repent to? Can Santa do any wrong? Ask a child. Who is Santa's boss? He has none. Does he ever say praise the Lord? Have you ever heard of Santa giving God glory or credit for anything? If he did, he wouldn't be Santa long. My, my, my.
Santa also judges us. I thought that was God's job. But according to Santa he's checking his list, checking it twice, gonna ' find out who's naughty or nice. Jesus Christ is coming to town. No! That's Santa Claus is coming to town. But I thought that Jesus was checking his list to see who has been naughty or nice and is coming to town to bring his rewards. Who's gonna do it, Santa or Jesus? My, my, my.
Santa calls the children to come unto him, sits them on his lap and the children repent to him for the bad that they did during the year and promise to be good. I tell you, Jesus is the one we should teach our children to repent to. Jesus often called the children to him and said forbid them not. Santa is fooling our children. Santa is omnipresent, which means that he can be everywhere at the same time. How else can he visit every home on the same night? I don't need a text to tell you that only God can visit every home at once.
I don't know about you, but I think that Santa is a clown. A big fat, jelly belly, rolely polely, curly headed clown. What about his red suit? Why red? Rev. 19:13 tells us why. "And he was clothed with a vesture dipped in blood: and his name is called the word of God." Need I say more? Santa, like Jesus, is the same in character today, yesterday, and forever. When does Santa come?
On a foggy Christmas Eve Santa asked Rudolph to lead his sleigh that night. There is no dispute that Jesus is coming in fog. What is fog? Clouds. The Bible tells us that the clouds are angels. Gabriel will probably lead the coming of my savior, not Rudolph.
Santa lives in a shining ice palace, like clear glass. Why? Rev. 21:18 tells us why. "And the building of the wall of it was of jasper: and the city was pure gold, like unto clear glass." Santa is tended by elves, which are mysterious creatures. Just as God is tended by mysterious angels.
Come Christmas time we say that we celebrate the birth of Christ, but I ask you, who's image do we see everywhere? Who get's the most attention? Who is advertised most? Is it Jesus or Santa? If it is Jesus' birth that we celebrate, why do we buy each other gifts? Do you know anybody else in the world who has a birth-day Celebration and the world buys each other gifts and leave the birthday person out of the celebration? My, my, my.
If you want to celebrate the birth of Christ this year, give to the church. It is not a sin to give gifts to each other but I just want to get the priorities straight. I hope this makes sense to you. If we say that we are celebrating Jesus' birth, then he should get all of the gifts. The Bible says that the wise men brought gifts to Jesus. It does not say that the wise men or any men gave gifts to each other during the birth of Christ.
The merchants make millions each year and they program us by calling us a scrooge if we don't help make them rich. If the church got all of those millions, the budget would not suffer as much. The church would not need to beg so much. Just think back over the years that you spent money on gifts and left Christ out. It's like throwing a party for you and inviting everybody but you to your party.
Go to Wal-mart or Sam's this year and buy the church some paper towels or toilet paper or paper plates or donate your gift to the church budget, but give your gift to Christ, if you are sincere about celebrating his birth. Oh some will find a way to compromise with the world so that no one will fuss at them.
I don't know about you, but when I realized how Satan is playing with the world, I decided not to play with him. Since it was my choice, I grabbed my ball and went home. You know how children get mad while playing, and the one who owns the ball might grab it and go home.
What does Santa say before he enters? Ho, ho, ho. Why ho, ho, ho? The word "ho" comes from the Hebrew "ahaw" meaning listen, a word expressing pain with an exclamation point. Why would Satan use such a word? In the book of Zechariah chapter 2:6,7 we find the answer. God is talking to his people. "Ho, ho, come forth, and flee from the land of the North, saith the Lord. Deliver thyself, O Zion, that dwellest with the daughter of Babylon." God is expressing pain in the fact that His people are on the wrong road. This is the only thing that causes God pain.
Satan is playing with God and with us. When God says ho, ho, pain, pain. Satan is saying "ho, ho, Ha. Ha." and we are too slow to pick up on it, so we join in with him and pick at God while thinking that we are saying something nice. My, my, my.
Why Santa? Well, God has more than one name. Santa unscrambled spells Satan. I use to say they x-ed Christ out of Christmas when they wrote x-mas instead of Christmas. Now I realize that Christ was never in Christmas. Col. 2:8 helps us to understand this fact. 2:8 " Beware lest any man spoil you through philosophy and vain deceit, after the tradition of men, after the rudiments of the world, and not after Christ. "
The Bible does not say anything about remembering the birth of Christ. There is no Bible principle that even suggests that we do. This is Satan's doing and the idea caught on and is carried on by greedy men who couldn't care less about Jesus. "If the name Jesus can bring a fast buck, then Jesus was born. Now, come buy my goods."
I would like to ask, why do we need a Christmas tree for anything? We know that it has pagan roots. Must we mix this mess with the birth of Christ? Let's look at Jeremiah 10:1-5 1. hear ye the word which the Lord speaketh unto you, o house of Israel: 2. thus saith the Lord, learn not the way of the heathen, and be not dismayed at the signs of heaven; for the heathen are dismayed at them. 3. 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. 4. they deck it with silver and with gold; they fasten it with nails and with hammers, that it move not. 5. 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. I've been told that "we don't worship our tree." But, it is interesting that one must kneel to retrieve a gift from under the tree. Satan is so smart. He knows how to insult God. Then there is a song called "Oh, Christmas Tree." Is God happy with this? I don't think so.
So, who was born on December 25th? His name was Tammuz. When Nimrod, the great hunter before(against) the Lord died, his wife had a son from another man. She told the people that her husband sent her seed through a sun ray as it shone into her bedroom window. Her name was Semiramis. The people fell for this lie. When he died, she told the people that he too was now a sun God as Nimrod was.
She went on to say that each year when the fall came, Tammuz was dying all over again, but each spring, he came back to life as evident in the flowers. So, 40 days before spring the women would start weeping for Tammuz to come back to life again. Ezekiel 8:14 "Then He brought me to the door of the gate of the Lord's house which was toward the North; and, behold, there sat women weeping for Tammuz."
Today, they are called the 40 days of Lent. Could God be happy with any of this pagan activity, including December 25th? Is Jesus being glorified? I don't think so. We all know what would happen if we abandoned Christmas, don't we? Family & friend trouble, right? Can you endure being talked about? This message is either truth or error. Let us all pray and ask God what He would have us do and obey what we know. God is not the author of confusion.
HOW SANTA MOCKS GOD
WHITE, WOOLLY HAIR Revelation 1:13 And in the midst of the seven candlesticks [one] like unto the Son of man, clothed with a garment down to the foot, and girt about the paps with a golden girdle. 1:14 His head and [his] hairs [were] white like wool, as white as snow; and his eyes [were] as a flame of fire; 1:15 And his feet like unto fine brass, as if they burned in a furnace; and his voice as the sound of many waters.
FROM THE NORTH Isaiah 14:12 How art thou fallen from heaven, O Lucifer, son of the morning! [how] art thou cut down to the ground, which didst weaken the nations! 14:13 For thou hast said in thine heart, I will ascend into heaven, I will exalt my throne above the stars of God: I will sit also upon the mount of the congregation, in the sides of the north: 14:14 I will ascend above the heights of the clouds; I will be like the most High.
ALL KNOWING Psalm 139:1 To the chief Musician, A Psalm of David. O LORD, thou hast searched me, and known [me]. 139:2 Thou knowest my downsitting and mine uprising, thou understandest my thought afar off.
IMMORTAL Hebrews 13:8 Jesus Christ the same yesterday, and to day, and for ever.
SINLESS & PERFECT Hebrews 4:15 For we have not an high priest which cannot be touched with the feeling of our infirmities; but was in all points tempted like as [we are, yet] without sin.
JUDGES US Revelation 20:12 And I saw the dead, small and great, stand before God; and the books were opened: and another book was opened, which is [the book] of life: and the dead were judged out of those things which were written in the books, according to their works. John 5:27 And hath given him authority to execute judgment also, because he is the Son of man. 5:30 I can of mine own self do nothing: as I hear, I judge: and my judgment is just; because I seek not mine own will, but the will of the Father which hath sent me.
GIVES GIFTS Matthew 5:16 Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven.
CALLS THE CHILDREN TO HIMSELF Mark 10:14 But when Jesus saw [it], he was much displeased, and said unto them, Suffer the little children to come unto me, and forbid them not: for of such is the kingdom of God. 10:15 Verily I say unto you, Whosoever shall not receive the kingdom of God as a little child, he shall not enter therein. 10:16 And he took them up in his arms, put [his] hands upon them, and blessed them.
HOUR OF HIS COMING A MYSTERY Luke 12:40 Be ye therefore ready also: for the Son of man cometh at an hour when ye think not.
OMNIPRESENT Revelation 18:8 Therefore shall her plagues come in one day, death, and mourning, and famine; and she shall be utterly burned with fire: for strong [is] the Lord God who judgeth her. (Referring to the day of the Lord.)
RED SUIT Revelation 19:13 And he [was] clothed with a vesture dipped in blood: and his name is called The Word of God.
COMES IN FOG (CLOUDS) Revelation 1:7 Behold, he cometh with clouds; and every eye shall see him, and they [also] which pierced him: and all kindreds of the earth shall wail because of him. Even so, Amen.
LIVES IN A CLEAR HOUSE Revelation 21:18 And the building of the wall of it was [of] jasper: and the city [was] pure gold, like unto clear glass.
HO! HO! HO! Zechariah 2:6 Ho, ho, [come forth], and flee from the land of the North, saith the LORD: for I have spread you abroad as the four winds of the heaven, saith the LORD. 2:7 Deliver thyself, O Zion, that dwellest [with] the daughter of Babylon.
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Revelation 18:2 And he cried mightily with a strong voice, saying, Babylon the great is fallen, is fallen, and is become the habitation of devils, and the hold of every foul spirit, and a cage of every unclean and hateful bird. 18:3 For all nations have drunk of the wine of the wrath of her fornication, and the kings of the earth have committed fornication with her, and the merchants of the earth are waxed rich through the abundance of her delicacies. 18:4 And I heard another voice from heaven, saying, Come out of her, MY people, that ye be not partakers of her sins, and that ye receive not of her plagues.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Revelation 18:2 And he cried mightily with a strong voice, saying, Babylon the great is fallen, is fallen, and is become the habitation of devils, and the hold of every foul spirit, and a cage of every unclean and hateful bird. 18:3 For all nations have drunk of the wine of the wrath of her fornication, and the kings of the earth have committed fornication with her, and the merchants of the earth are waxed rich through the abundance of her delicacies. 18:4 And I heard another voice from heaven, saying, Come out of her, MY people, that ye be not partakers of her sins, and that ye receive not of her plagues.
Move the letter "N" from the center of "SANTA" and place it at the end.
SANTA = SATAN
IS THIS A COINCIDENT?
PERHAPS GOD IS TRYING TO SHOW US SOMETHING?
IS THIS A COINCIDENT?
PERHAPS GOD IS TRYING TO SHOW US SOMETHING?
SANTA CLAUS
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JESUS CHRIST
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1st & most important, Santa is fantasy. That which is not true comes from the father of lies!
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Jesus is REAL: ‘God, that cannot lie’, Titus 1:2.
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Jolly Old St. Nicholas
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‘A man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief’: Isa 53:3
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Welcomed by the World
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‘We hid as it were our faces from him; he was despised, and we esteemed him not.’ Isa 53:3
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The myth of Santa is that he's coming to town to give us material goods.
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Christ is coming to Earth to give us eternal life and eternal goods.
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Fat, red faced, symbol of self-indulgence; most older pictures show him smoking a pipe, and a red nose has always been linked to alcohol indulgence.
Message: “Indulgence = Happiness”
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Fasting alone in the desert, tell of the days that He passed, How for OUR sins He was tempted, yet was triumphant at last. Victory over appetite was theReason for that Season!! Message: “Indulgence=Death”
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Attractive, bright, sparkling, admired.
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‘His visage was so marred more than any man, and his form more than the sons of men’: Isa 52:14
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Santa is all about getting (When has it ever been said that Santa promotes people to give to each other?)
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Christ promotes giving: Ac 20:35 “…It is more blessed to give than to receive.”
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Smiling, laughing, hilarity, mirth, gaiety etc.
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‘My soul is exceeding sorrowful, even unto death.’ Mark 14:34. John 11:35 ‘Jesus wept.’
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Has many ‘little people’ (elves) to do all his work. (Typical of the rich)
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‘I have trodden the winepress alone; and of the people there was none with me’: Isa 63:3 He was servant to all.
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Uses MAGIC to do his work
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‘He did not use His divine power to make His life easier for Himself’. {SJ 34.5}
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Only comes to ‘good little boys and girls’.
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‘a friend of publicans and sinners!’ Luke 7:34
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Untruthful in that everyone knows that ‘bad’ children still get gifts.
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‘that will by no means clear the guilty’ Ex. 34:7 Judges Righteously.
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Says “Ho, Ho, Ho!”
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Says “Woe, Woe, Woe!” (see Matt. 23)
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Children write letters and even pray to ‘Santa’ – this is a false god, an idol.
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Says, “Suffer little children to come unto me!” Mark 10:14
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Teaches that material gifts are the most important concern. Children feel rejected if friends get more for Christmas than they do. Abundant gifts means you are ‘good’.
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Teaches, ‘a man's life consisteth not in the abundance of the things which he possesseth’. Luke 12:15
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Parents lie to children about Santa. God hates lies. (Pr. 12:22)
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‘Come, ye children, hearken unto me: I will teach you the fear of the LORD.’ Ps. 34:11
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Santa sneaks into homes through the chimney! Satan always intrudes any way he can.
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“Behold, I stand at the door, and knock: if any man hear my voice, and open the door, I will come in to him.” Jesus only comes by invitation.
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Associated with feasting, partying, rich foods, flesh meats, celebration.
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Pr 23:20 ‘Be not among winebibbers; among riotous eaters of flesh:’ ‘And take heed to yourselves, lest at any time your hearts be overcharged with surfeiting’ Luke 21:34.
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Only involved with us for 1 night.
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“Lo, I am with you alway, unto the end of the world” Matt 28:20
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It is time to wake up! Many things that are ‘cute’, and ‘sentimental’ and are considered ‘innocent’ come straight from hell’s kitchens and we should have nothing to do with it!
2 Co 6:15 “And what concord hath Christ with Belial?”
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By Gary C. Michael DEC. 25, 2001
WHAT'S THE REAL REASON
FOR THE CHRISTMAS SEASON?
WHY DO PEOPLE PUT UP AN EVERGREEN TREE?
DOES THIS MAKE JESUS EASIER TO SEE?
WHY THE NAME SANTA AND WHY HO, HO, HO?
THE ANSWER CONTAIN WHAT YOU REALLY SHOULD KNOW
THE ANSWER CONTAIN WHAT YOU REALLY SHOULD KNOW
IS CHRIST THE CENTER OF THIS SEASON'S BASH,
OR IS IT REALLY ABOUT HARD COLD CASH?
WHO DICTATES WHAT IS SEEN HEARD AND THOUGHT?
WHO DETERMINES WHAT IS BEING BOUGHT?
OR IS IT REALLY ABOUT HARD COLD CASH?
WHO DICTATES WHAT IS SEEN HEARD AND THOUGHT?
WHO DETERMINES WHAT IS BEING BOUGHT?
MERCHANTS DETERMINE WHAT IS FOR SALE
THE AIRWAYS ARE FLOODED WITH FAIRY TALES
DESIGNED TO MAKE A PRODUCT LOOK COOL
WHICH IS OFTEN ANOTHER ONE OF SATAN'S TOOLS
THE AIRWAYS ARE FLOODED WITH FAIRY TALES
DESIGNED TO MAKE A PRODUCT LOOK COOL
WHICH IS OFTEN ANOTHER ONE OF SATAN'S TOOLS
WHY IS EVERGREEN THE TREE OF CHOICE?
SOMEBODY'S BEEN LISTENING TO A PAGAN'S VOICE
SOMEBODY'S BEEN LISTENING TO A PAGAN'S VOICE
THEY THOUGHT THAT ONLY A GOD COULD STAY GREEN YEAR ROUND
AND THROUGH DEVICE POWER NOT TURN BROWN
AND THROUGH DEVICE POWER NOT TURN BROWN
TAKE THE CENTER OF SANTA AND SHIFT TO THE RIGHT
TWO LETTER SPACES OUGHT TO SHOW YOU SOME LIGHT
COULD THIS BE A WAY TO BRING GLORY TO A NAME?
THAT WAS KICKED OUT OF HEAVEN AND WORTHY OF BLAME?
TWO LETTER SPACES OUGHT TO SHOW YOU SOME LIGHT
COULD THIS BE A WAY TO BRING GLORY TO A NAME?
THAT WAS KICKED OUT OF HEAVEN AND WORTHY OF BLAME?
WHY DO YOU SUPPOSE SANTA SAYS HO, HO, HO?
ZECHARIAH TWO, SIX AND SEVEN IS WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW
GOD IS SAYING FLEE WITH PAIN IN HIS VOICE
AWAY FROM CORRUPTION AND THOSE WHO SIN BY CHOICE
SANTA IS MOCKING GOD!
ZECHARIAH TWO, SIX AND SEVEN IS WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW
GOD IS SAYING FLEE WITH PAIN IN HIS VOICE
AWAY FROM CORRUPTION AND THOSE WHO SIN BY CHOICE
SANTA IS MOCKING GOD!
LET'S COMPARE SANTA TO JESUS CHRIST
AND YOU DETERMINE IF SANTA IS NAUGHTY OR NICE
AND YOU DETERMINE IF SANTA IS NAUGHTY OR NICE
WHICH ONE CALLS THE CHILDREN UNTO HIM?
DIDN'T JESUS SAY BRING THEM TO HIM?
WHICH ONE KNOWS IF WE'VE BEEN GOOD OR BAD?
I SEE A COUNTERFEIT. BOY! THAT'S SAD
DIDN'T JESUS SAY BRING THEM TO HIM?
WHICH ONE KNOWS IF WE'VE BEEN GOOD OR BAD?
I SEE A COUNTERFEIT. BOY! THAT'S SAD
IT TAKES OMNIPOTENCE TO READ EVERY MIND
AND TRAVEL THE WORLD AND BE ABLE TO FIND
ALL IN ONE NIGHT SO MUCH OF MANKIND
SANTA IS MOCKING THE HOLY GHOST
AND TRAVEL THE WORLD AND BE ABLE TO FIND
ALL IN ONE NIGHT SO MUCH OF MANKIND
SANTA IS MOCKING THE HOLY GHOST
WE KNOW THAT JESUS MUST HAVE A LIST
TO BRING HIS REWARD AND NO ONE BE MISSED
SANTA IS A COUNTERFEIT, I INSIST
TO BRING HIS REWARD AND NO ONE BE MISSED
SANTA IS A COUNTERFEIT, I INSIST
LIES DO RISE IN THE WORLD LIKE YEAST
AS THE WORLD WONDERS AFTER THE BEAST
THE SAME SYSTEM THAT DECLARES A SAINT
INTRODUCED SANTA WITH SPIRITUAL TAINT
AS THE WORLD WONDERS AFTER THE BEAST
THE SAME SYSTEM THAT DECLARES A SAINT
INTRODUCED SANTA WITH SPIRITUAL TAINT
SO MANY SAY JESUS IS WHY THEY CELEBRATE
BUT THE DEVIL IS THE ONE THEY DECIDED TO DATE
WHO BELIEVES THAT JESUS WOULD CONDONE WHAT MOST DO?
THOSE WHO ARE LEAD BY A DEMON CREW
BUT THE DEVIL IS THE ONE THEY DECIDED TO DATE
WHO BELIEVES THAT JESUS WOULD CONDONE WHAT MOST DO?
THOSE WHO ARE LEAD BY A DEMON CREW
YOU KNOW WHAT'S BEING DONE IN THE NAME OF FUN
ALL THAT JESUS SAID SHOULD NOT BE DONE
WHO WOULD CELEBRATE JESUS BY TAKING DRUGS
AND GETTING SLOPPY DRUNK FROM FERMENTED JUGS?
ALL THAT JESUS SAID SHOULD NOT BE DONE
WHO WOULD CELEBRATE JESUS BY TAKING DRUGS
AND GETTING SLOPPY DRUNK FROM FERMENTED JUGS?
HOW CAN JESUS BE HONORED WITHOUT A SCRIPTURE BEING READ,
BUT PROMOTING EVIL, UP LIFTING SATAN INSTEAD?
OF SANTA AND JESUS, WHICH NAME IS HEARD THE MOST?
COULD THIS BE DIRECTED BY THE HOLY GHOST?
BUT PROMOTING EVIL, UP LIFTING SATAN INSTEAD?
OF SANTA AND JESUS, WHICH NAME IS HEARD THE MOST?
COULD THIS BE DIRECTED BY THE HOLY GHOST?
WHO GETS THE GLORY AT CHRISTMAS TIME?
SANTA REPLACED JESUS, A SPIRITUAL CRIME
BUT THEN, ON THE OTHER HAND
JESUS WAS ADDED TO CHRISTMAS BY MAN
SANTA REPLACED JESUS, A SPIRITUAL CRIME
BUT THEN, ON THE OTHER HAND
JESUS WAS ADDED TO CHRISTMAS BY MAN
SINCE WE SAY THAT JESUS IS THE REASON FOR THIS TIME
SHOULDN'T HE BE ELEVATED IN EVERYBODY'S MIND?
SHOULDN'T ALL OF THE MONEY BE SPENT FOR HIS CAUSE,
TO DRAW THE PEOPLE CLOSER TO HIM AND HIS LAWS?
SHOULDN'T HE BE ELEVATED IN EVERYBODY'S MIND?
SHOULDN'T ALL OF THE MONEY BE SPENT FOR HIS CAUSE,
TO DRAW THE PEOPLE CLOSER TO HIM AND HIS LAWS?
IF JESUS GAVE A SPEECH, WHAT WOULD HE SAY
ABOUT THE WAY WE CELEBRATE CHRISTMAS TODAY?
WOULD HE BE HAPPY WITH THOSE ON EARTH
AND THE THINGS THEY DO TO CELEBRATE HIS BIRTH?
ABOUT THE WAY WE CELEBRATE CHRISTMAS TODAY?
WOULD HE BE HAPPY WITH THOSE ON EARTH
AND THE THINGS THEY DO TO CELEBRATE HIS BIRTH?
WOULD IT MAKE HIM HAPPY OR FEEL PRETTY SAD
IF HE LOOKED AT EVERY CHRISTMAS ADD?
WELL, I'VE GOT NEWS FOR EVERY ADD THAT'S DONE
JESUS HAS SEEN EVERY SINGLE ONE
IF HE LOOKED AT EVERY CHRISTMAS ADD?
WELL, I'VE GOT NEWS FOR EVERY ADD THAT'S DONE
JESUS HAS SEEN EVERY SINGLE ONE
THE ONE THAT SAYS, BUY LIQUOR TODAY
THE ONE THAT'S SO SEXY IN EVERY WAY
THE ONES THAT SHOWS SANTA STEALING HIS GLORY
WHILE JESUS IS LEFT OUT OF THE WHOLE AD'S STORY
THE ONE THAT'S SO SEXY IN EVERY WAY
THE ONES THAT SHOWS SANTA STEALING HIS GLORY
WHILE JESUS IS LEFT OUT OF THE WHOLE AD'S STORY
SAYING THAT JESUS IS THE MAN OF THE HOUR
WHILE SHOWING THAT SANTA HAS ALL OF THE POWER
MUST BE AN INSULT RIGHT AWAY
JESUS IS BEING USED TODAY
WHILE SHOWING THAT SANTA HAS ALL OF THE POWER
MUST BE AN INSULT RIGHT AWAY
JESUS IS BEING USED TODAY
PEOPLE WHO REALLY COULDN'T CARE LESS
WILL USE THE NAME OF JESUS TO SELL A DRESS
IF THE HOLY SPIRIT WAS IN CHARGE OF THIS THING
PREPARING PEOPLE FOR HEAVEN IS THE THEME HE WOULD BRING
WILL USE THE NAME OF JESUS TO SELL A DRESS
IF THE HOLY SPIRIT WAS IN CHARGE OF THIS THING
PREPARING PEOPLE FOR HEAVEN IS THE THEME HE WOULD BRING
OBEDIENCE TO GOD WOULD BE AT THE TOP OF THE LIST
NOTHING WOULD BE LEFT FOR SATAN TO TWIST
THE WAYS OF THE WORLD WOULD BE THROWN AWAY
THEN JESUS WOULDN'T HAVE A PROBLEM WITH CHRISTMAS DAY
NOTHING WOULD BE LEFT FOR SATAN TO TWIST
THE WAYS OF THE WORLD WOULD BE THROWN AWAY
THEN JESUS WOULDN'T HAVE A PROBLEM WITH CHRISTMAS DAY
I'VE HEARD THAT LOVE IS WHAT CHRISTMAS IS ALL ABOUT
BUT HOW CAN THAT BE TRUE WHEN GOD IS LEFT OUT?
HOW OFTEN IS GOD'S NAME EVEN HEARD
GOD IS LOVE, BUT WHAT ABOUT HIS WORD?
BUT HOW CAN THAT BE TRUE WHEN GOD IS LEFT OUT?
HOW OFTEN IS GOD'S NAME EVEN HEARD
GOD IS LOVE, BUT WHAT ABOUT HIS WORD?
FEEDING THE HUNGRY SHOULD BE EVERY DAY
AFTER THIS SEASON IS LOVE TAKEN AWAY?
IF LOVE IS THE REASON WE CELEBRATE EACH YEAR
WOULD WE PROMOTE THE DRINKING OF BEER?
AFTER THIS SEASON IS LOVE TAKEN AWAY?
IF LOVE IS THE REASON WE CELEBRATE EACH YEAR
WOULD WE PROMOTE THE DRINKING OF BEER?
IF THE LOVE OF GOD WAS THE ACTUAL THEME
WOULD SO MUCH SEX BE TAKEN TO THE EXTREME?
SO MANY ADDS ARE SEXY TO CATCH THE EYE
IS IT GOD'S WORD THEY ARE TRYING TO GET YOU TO BUY?
WOULD SO MUCH SEX BE TAKEN TO THE EXTREME?
SO MANY ADDS ARE SEXY TO CATCH THE EYE
IS IT GOD'S WORD THEY ARE TRYING TO GET YOU TO BUY?
OH, WE PERFORM GOOD DEEDS. WE CLOTHE AND WE FEED
BUT IS IT GOD'S WORD WE'RE TELLING EVERYBODY TO READ?
IF IT'S TIME TO GIVE GIFTS TO THE OLD AND THE YOUTH
EVERY GIFT SHOULD BE LEADING TO THE FULL GOSPEL TRUTH
BUT IS IT GOD'S WORD WE'RE TELLING EVERYBODY TO READ?
IF IT'S TIME TO GIVE GIFTS TO THE OLD AND THE YOUTH
EVERY GIFT SHOULD BE LEADING TO THE FULL GOSPEL TRUTH
HOW CAN WE CLAIM GOD'S LOVE DEEP WITHIN
AND WATCH IN AMAZEMENT AS MEN COMMIT SIN?
KNOWING THAT THE ROAD IS LEADING TO HELL
WOULD THE LOVE OF GOD GIVE US SOMETHING TO TELL?
AND WATCH IN AMAZEMENT AS MEN COMMIT SIN?
KNOWING THAT THE ROAD IS LEADING TO HELL
WOULD THE LOVE OF GOD GIVE US SOMETHING TO TELL?
WHO IS REALLY BEHIND THE SPIRIT WE FEEL?
WHO WOULD TELL US TO LOVE IS TO STEAL?
GIFTS ARE STOLEN FROM CARS EVERY YEAR
HOW MANY BIBLES ARE STOLEN MY DEAR?
WHO WOULD TELL US TO LOVE IS TO STEAL?
GIFTS ARE STOLEN FROM CARS EVERY YEAR
HOW MANY BIBLES ARE STOLEN MY DEAR?
JUST LOOK AROUND IN EVERY STORE
HOW MUCH JESUS IS ON THE FLOOR?
COULD HE BE HAPPY WITH ALL THAT HE MIGHT SEE?
WHERE IS THE WORD THAT WOULD SET MEN FREE?
HOW MUCH JESUS IS ON THE FLOOR?
COULD HE BE HAPPY WITH ALL THAT HE MIGHT SEE?
WHERE IS THE WORD THAT WOULD SET MEN FREE?
CHRIST IS NO MORE IN CHRISTMAS THAN IN HALLOWEEN
WE CAN PUT HIM ON A BROOM AND SAY HE SWEEPS OUR HEART CLEAN
WE CAN SAY WHATEVER WE WANT TO SAY
LIKE, "THE BROOM REPRESENTS OUR SINS BEING SWEPT AWAY"
WE CAN PUT HIM ON A BROOM AND SAY HE SWEEPS OUR HEART CLEAN
WE CAN SAY WHATEVER WE WANT TO SAY
LIKE, "THE BROOM REPRESENTS OUR SINS BEING SWEPT AWAY"
JESUS AND PAGAN CAN NOT BE MIXED
AND ADDING GOD'S NAME IS NOT A FIX
GOD DOES NOTHING IN CONCERT WITH THE DEVIL
MIXING GOD IN IS SIN'S HIGHEST LEVEL
THAT SAME TRICK WORKED WELL ON EVE
MIXING TRUTH AND LIE MADE IT EASY TO DECEIVE
SO, WHO HAS INSPIRED THIS ATMOSPHERE?
I THINK THE ANSWER IS VERY CLEAR
IF GOD'S SPIRIT WAS IN CHARGE OF THIS THING
LEADING PEOPLE TO CHRIST IS WHAT EACH GIFT WOULD BRING
I THINK THE ANSWER IS VERY CLEAR
IF GOD'S SPIRIT WAS IN CHARGE OF THIS THING
LEADING PEOPLE TO CHRIST IS WHAT EACH GIFT WOULD BRING
IF WE STUDIED GOD'S WORD AND TAUGHT HOW TO PRAY
JESUS WOULDN'T HAVE A PROBLEM WITH CHRISTMAS DAY
IF FROM THE BEGINNING THIS WAS THE THEME
CHRIST WOULD HAVE BEEN HAPPY AT THE WHOLE SCENE
JESUS WOULDN'T HAVE A PROBLEM WITH CHRISTMAS DAY
IF FROM THE BEGINNING THIS WAS THE THEME
CHRIST WOULD HAVE BEEN HAPPY AT THE WHOLE SCENE
BUT SINCE MAN CHOSE TO PUSH HIM OUT OF THE WAY
JESUS NEVER WAS OR WILL BE IN CHRISTMAS DAY
JESUS NEVER WAS OR WILL BE IN CHRISTMAS DAY
Observation based on comments by Pastor James Knox of Deland, Florida:
In Latin and Spanish, "San" is used before the names of male saints, such as San Juan, San Luis Obispo, and San Diego Also, "Santa" is used before the names of female saints, such as Santa Maria, and Santa Lucia. From this linguistic usage we can determine that Saint Nicholas somehow morphed into Santa Claus. This would seem to indicate one of two things:
In Latin and Spanish, "San" is used before the names of male saints, such as San Juan, San Luis Obispo, and San Diego Also, "Santa" is used before the names of female saints, such as Santa Maria, and Santa Lucia. From this linguistic usage we can determine that Saint Nicholas somehow morphed into Santa Claus. This would seem to indicate one of two things:
1. Santa Claus is in fact a lady who is cross dressed in a man's outfit, complete with fake beard. This would be a real encouragement to the feminists to agitate for equal hiring and affirmative action to see more lady Santa Clauses.
2. Saint Nicholas is a drag queen who is using a female name, Santa Claus, as some sort of signal to the gay community.
- Video ~ Christmas Idolatry
- A Christmas Study... http://www.nisbett.com/holidays/christmas_study.htm
- Celebrating The Birth of the Sun. http://www.aloha.net/~mikesch/xmas.htm#
- What day was Jesus born? http://www.aloha.net/~mikesch/sukkoth.htm
- Celebrating the Risen Sun. http://www.aloha.net/~mikesch/easter.htm#
- Christmas, Pagan Parallels to (Dusares’ Birthday) http://www.nisbett.com/holidays/christmas_pagan_parallels_to.htm
- Video ~ Is Christmas for Christians?
- X-mas File Vol Onehttp://www.truthontheweb.org/xmasvol1.htm
X-mas File Vol Twohttp://www.truthontheweb.org/xmasvol2.htm
X-mas File Vol Threehttp://www.truthontheweb.org/xmasvol3.htm
X-mas File Vol Fourhttp://www.truthontheweb.org/xmasvol4.htm
X-mas File Vol Fivehttp://www.truthontheweb.org/xmasvol5.htm
Therefore shall ye keep mine ordinance, that ye commit not any one of these abominable customs, which were committed before you, and that ye defile not yourselves therein: I am the Lord your God. -Leviticus 18:30
"Now therefore, if ye will obey my voice indeed, and keep my covenant, then ye shall be a peculiar treasure unto me above all people: for all the earth is mine:"-Exodus 19:5,
"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." -Revelation 14:4,
Do you do as the rest of the world does? Do you embrace their festivities as did the people of Noah's day? Do you keep their customs and partake in their feasts that are looked upon as an abomination unto your God? Or are you a "peculiar treasure" unto the Lord God Creator? Does the ever faithful Groom look upon you as His virgin keeping His New Covenant not defiled by the customs and abominations shared by Rome to all the world?
Does He see you as the firstfruits unto God and to the Lamb?
I pray so...
Final thought...
Christmas has been designed by Rome so as to make it nearly impossible for you to give it up. Your family, friends, and everyone you meet that says "Merry Christmas" will look upon you as "strange, peculiar and odd" when you tell them that you do not celebrate Christmas.
Your children, will cry out to you their disappointment when you inform them that you have decided to do as the Lord you worship would have you do. Your loved ones will be offended when you tell them you won't be giving them Christmas gifts anymore. Your boss, your friends, you co-workers, all of them have been programmed by Rome to look upon you as one that is strange and un-Christlike when you inform them you cannot take part in the festivities they embrace so wholeheartedly. But rest assured, there is one that will look upon you as one worthy of His embrace when all the world hates you for His sake...
"And Jesus answered and said, Verily I say unto you, There is no man that hath left house, or brethren, or sisters, or father, or mother, or wife, or children, or lands, for my sake, and the gospel's, But he shall receive an hundredfold now in this time, houses, and brethren, and sisters, and mothers, and children, and lands, with persecutions; and in the world to come eternal life. But many that are first shall be last; and the last first." -Mark 10:29-31,
To follow Christ is to stop following the world.
Our battle cry stands... "Whatsoever saith the Lord!"
FOR THE SDA
RH – The Review and Herald
December 11, 1879 The Holidays
We are now nearing the close of another year, and shall we not make these festal days opportunities in which to bring to God our offerings? I cannot say sacrifices, for we shall only be rendering to God that which is his already, and which he has only intrusted to us till he shall call for it. God would be well pleased if on Christmas, each church would have a Christmas tree on which shall be hung offerings, great and small, for these houses of worship. Letters of inquiry have come to us asking, 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. There is no particular sin in selecting a fragrant evergreen, and placing it in our churches; but the sin lies in the motive which prompts to action, and the use which is made of the gifts placed upon the tree. {RH, December 11, 1879 par. 15}
The tree may be as tall and its branches as wide as shall best suit the occasion; but let its boughs be laden with the golden and silver fruit of your beneficence, and present this to Him as your Christmas gift. Let your donations be sanctified by prayer, and let the fruit upon this consecrated tree be applied toward removing the debts from our houses of worship at Battle Creek, Mich., and Oakland, Cal. {RH, December 11, 1879 par. 16}
A word to the wise is sufficient.
RH – The Review and Herald
December 26, 1882 Holiday Gifts
In every church, however small, special efforts should be made to show our gratitude to God by bringing our offerings for his cause. Let those who desire a Christmas tree make its boughs fruitful with gifts for the needy, andofferings for the treasury of God. And let the children learn the blessedness of giving by bringing their little gifts to add to the offerings of their parents. {RH, December 26, 1882 par. 15}
The claims of God should take the precedence of any and every other, and should be met at any cost or sacrifice to ourselves. However small our income, we should faithfully reserve for him that which he claims as his. Saith the Lord, "Them that honor me I will honor." To withhold our tithes and offerings from the treasury of the Lord, is accounted of him as robbery. Yet are there not many, even among us, who meet all other claims before the claims of God? Some bring no offerings for his cause, and even withhold the tithe, which he has distinctly reserved for himself. Some of these persons are yet in apparent prosperity. In his great mercy God is still sparing them that they may see and put away their sin. Others are already feeling his curse upon them. They are brought into straitened circumstances, and feel less and less ability to give, when if they had made God's claims first, and had with a willing heart brought their offerings to him, they would have been blessed with more means to bestow. {RH, December 26, 1882 par. 16}
"God loveth a cheerful giver," and if we with a grateful heart bring our gifts and offerings to him, "not grudgingly or of necessity," his blessing will attend us as he has promised, "I will open you the windows of Heaven, and pour you out a blessing." And though it may have cost self-denial and sacrifice on our part, the approval of our conscience and the blessing of Heaven will make this holiday season one of the happiest we have ever experienced. {RH, December 26, 1882 par. 17}
While urging upon all the duty of first bringing their offerings to God, I would not wholly condemn the practice of making Christmas and New Years gifts to our friends. It is right to bestow upon one another tokens of love and remembrance if we do not in this forget God, our best friend. We should make our gifts such as will prove a real benefit to the receiver. I would recommend such books as will be an aid in understanding the word of God, or that will increase our love for its precepts. Provide something to be read during these long winter evenings. For those who can procure it, D'Aubigne's History of the Reformation will be both interesting and profitable. From this work we may gain some knowledge of what has been accomplished in the past in the great work of reform. We can see how God poured light into the minds of those who searched his word, how much the men ordained and sent forth by him were willing to suffer for the truth's sake, and how hard it is for the great mass of mankind to renounce their errors and to receive and obey the teachings of the Scriptures. During the winter evenings, when our children were young, we read from this history with the deepest interest. We made it a practice to read instructive and interesting books, with the Bible, in the family circle, and our children were always happy as we thus entertained them. Thus we prevented a restless desire to be out in the street with young companions, and at the same time cultivated in them a taste for solid reading. {RH, December 26, 1882 par. 18}
RH – The Review and Herald
December 9, 1884 Christmas is Coming
Christmas is coming. May you all have wisdom to make it a precious season. Let the older church members unite, heart and soul, with their children in this innocent amusement and recreation, in devising ways and means to show true respect to Jesus by bringing to him gifts and offerings. Let every one remember the claims of God. His cause cannot go forward without your aid. Let the gifts you have usually bestowed upon one another beplaced in the Lord's treasury. I present before you, my brethren and sisters, an object, the European mission. In every church let your smaller offerings be placed upon your Christmas tree. Let the precious emblem, "ever green," suggest the holy work of God and his beneficence to us; and the loving heart-work will be to save other souls who are in darkness. Let your works be in accordance with your faith. I heard Eld. Butler read a touching letter a few days since from Eld. Whitney, of Europe. The good work is going forward there, but it ought to have been done six years ago. Let not this work be hindered. Let it advance. If all, both old and young, will forego giving presents to one another, and forego the selfish outlay of means in these coming holidays, there would be in heaven a most precious record of self-denial for Christ's sake. {RH, December 9, 1884 par. 9}
Every tree in Satan's garden hangs laden with the fruits of vanity, pride, self-importance, evil desire, extravagance,--all poisoned fruit, but very gratifying to the carnal heart. Let the several churches present to God Christmas trees in every church; and then let them hang thereon the fruits of beneficence and gratitude,--offerings coming from willing hearts and hands, fruits that God will accept as an expression of our faith and our great love to him for the gift of his Son, Jesus Christ. Let the evergreen be laden with fruit, rich, and pure, and holy, acceptable to God. Shall we not have such a Christmas as Heaven can approve?Thousands of dollars are needlessly spent every year in gifts to each other. That is means lost to God, lost to his cause. It pleases the vanity, encourages pride, creates all kinds of dissatisfaction, murmuring, and complaints, because perhaps the gifts are not just what was desired, not of the high value wanted or expected. Christmas is not observed as its name implies it should be. Man has forsaken God in almost everything, and has turned the attention to self. He has left the pure springs of living waters which flow from the throne of God, and hewn out to himself broken cisterns, which can hold no water. God gave man a probation that he might be fitted for heaven. He was to look upward to God, who was to be the soul's adoration; but talent, skill, and inventive powers are all exercised to make self the supreme object of attention. Man has withdrawn his gaze from Deity, and fastened his eyes upon the finite, the earthly, the corruptible. {RH, December 9, 1884 par. 10}
Satan is in this work to put God out of the mind and interpose the world and self that the eye shall not be single to the glory of God. Satan captivates and ensnares the mind. His infernal wisdom is continually exercised to mold and fashion the material with which he has to deal, to make God the least and the last object of devotion. {RH, December 9, 1884 par. 11}
ST – The Signs of the Times
December 8, 1887 Christmas Gifts for Christ
Let your Christmas tree be dedicated to God, and let its boughs be laden with offerings for Christ. Do not give as though it were a task, doling out your donations with a niggardly hand. Good works are no drudgery. In giving to us his Son, God has poured out to us all Heaven in one gift. Let us with an overflowing heart, with gratitude and joy because of Christ's matchless love, bring him our offerings. Teach your children by your own example the blessedness of doing for Christ. Train them to go on errands of love for him, and in all their gifts to remember the gracious Giver. {ST, December 8, 1887 par. 16}
If there are any who are in need of food or comfortable clothing, they should be remembered; we are not to neglect Christ in the person of his saints. But let us be constantly seeking to make God and his cause first in our thoughts and plans. {ST, December 8, 1887 par. 17}
Many hardly, know as yet what self-denial is, or what it is to suffer for the truth's sake; but none will enter Heaven without making a sacrifice. Yet self-denial will not make us joyless; it will not cast a shadow upon our holidays. It is not what we have, not the abundance of the things of this life, that will make us happy. Our happiness depends upon the relation we sustain to God. An approving conscience, a contented spirit, sweet communion with Jesus, will make us the happiest beings in the world. {ST, December 8, 1887 par. 18}
MYP – Messages to Young People (1930)
Chap. 103 – Holiday Presents
Let us remember that Christmas is celebrated in commemoration of the birth of the world's Redeemer. This day is generally spent in feasting and gluttony. Large sums of money are spent in needless self-indulgence. The appetite and sensual pleasures are indulged at the expense of physical, mental, and moral power. Yet this has become a habit. Pride, fashion, and gratification of the palate have swallowed up immense sums of money that have really benefited no one, but have encouraged a prodigality of means which is displeasing to God. These days are spent in glorifying self rather than God. Health has been sacrificed, money worse than thrown away, many have lost their lives by
overeating or through demoralizing dissipation, and souls have been lost by this means. {MYP 311.2}
God would be glorified by His children should they enjoy a plain, simple diet, and use the means intrusted to them in bringing to His treasury offerings, small and great, to be used in sending the light of truth to souls that are in the darkness of error. The hearts of the widow and fatherless may be made to rejoice because of gifts which will add to their comfort and satisfy their hunger. {MYP 312.1}
AU Gleaner – Atlantic Union Gleaner
December 19, 1906 How shall we Observe the Holidays?
I have said to my family and my friends, I desire that no one shall make me a birthday or Christmas gift, unless it be with permission to pass it on into the Lord's treasury, to be appropriated in the establishment of missions. {AU Gleaner, December 19, 1906 par. 9}
Becho – The Bible Echo
December 15, 1892 What Shall We Render Unto the Lord?
The wise men have left us an example of what we should do. Jesus should be the object of our adoration, the recipient of our gifts. It is not man, but our Redeemer, that should be honored. To Him we should offer our praise and gifts and treasures; but instead of this, the world sets its treasures flowing in the channel of self-gratification, and to the honor of men. Christmas gifts are bestowed on our children, on our friends and relatives, and few think of what they can do to show their love and gratitude to God for his great love and compassion upon them. {BEcho, December 15, 1892 par. 10}
In celebrating Christmas, fathers, mothers, children, and friends are diverted from the great object to which the custom is attributed. They give their whole attention to the bestowal of gifts upon one another, and their minds are turned away from the contemplation of the Source of all their blessings both spiritual and temporal. In their attention to gifts and honors bestowed upon themselves or their friends, Jesus is unhonored and forgotten. Parents should seek to teach their children to honor Jesus. They should be instructed how He came to the world to bring light, to shine amid the moral darkness of the world. They should be impressed with the fact that "God so loved the world that He gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life." {BEcho, December 15, 1892 par. 11}
MM – The Medical Missionary
Novembr 1, 1894 Represent God in Benevolence
Satan works to interpose himself between God and man, so that the affections, the gifts and offerings of human agents, shall be turned into human channels rather than into the divine. The enemy has been especially alive upon this point, and shall those who profess to be the followers of Christ unite with him in this branch of Satanic work? For Christ's sake let not the world give a better example in works of benevolence than do those who claim to love God with all their heart, and their neighbors as themselves. Let Christ be represented in tender compassion and love for suffering humanity. Let the condition of helpless little ones appeal to every mother's heart, that she may put into exercise a mother's love for homeless orphan children. Their helplessness appeals to every God-given attribute in human nature. {MM, November 1, 1894 par. 2}
There is a large field for missionary labor in caring for homeless orphan children. Shall not the love of Christ constrain my brethren and sisters to use the capital intrusted for the purpose of blessing others, in providing for destitute and homeless children? Shall Christmas and New Year's find you enriching yourselves by accepting gifts that you do not need, or will you tell your friends and relatives that you will regard it as a great favor to yourself if they will bestow their gifts on the Orphans' Home, that needy, homeless little children may thus be cared for, clothed, and fed as God would have them? The blessing of the Lord will surely be bestowed upon all who will deny self, using the means he has lent them in an economical way in providing for themselves, in order that they may provide for those also who are destitute and afflicted. God is testing and proving every soul in this probationary time, that it may be made manifest whether or not his attributes of character are formed within. {MM, November 1, 1894 par. 3}
RH – The Review and Herald
December 11, 1879 The Holidays
Thousands of dollars will be worse than thrown away upon the coming Christmas and New Year's in needless indulgences. But it is our privilege to depart from the customs and practices of this degenerate age; and instead of expending means merely for the gratification of the appetite, or for needless ornaments or articles of clothing, we may make the coming holidays an occasion in which to honor and glorify God. {RH, December 11, 1879 par. 2}
We advise all our brethren and sisters to make a decided reform in regard to these festal days. Those who appreciate the gift of God's dear Son to save them from ruin, now have a favorable opportunity to give tangible proofs of their gratitude by rendering to God their thank-offerings. Let old and young lay aside their mites as sacred offerings to God. If we would give to the cause of our Redeemer one-half as much as we have bestowed upon our friends, we would do much good and receive a blessing for giving. {RH, December 11, 1879 par. 3}
Christmas day, precious reminder of the sacrifice made in man's behalf, should not be devoted to gluttony and self-indulgence, thus exalting the creature above the Creator. Let us who are partakers of this great salvationshow that we have some appreciation of the gift, by rendering to God our thank-offerings. If we would indulge less in feasting and merriment upon these occasions, and instead make them the means of benefiting humanity, we should better meet the mind of God. It is a pleasure and gratification to exchange gifts with our friends; but are there not nobler and more glorious objects for which we may give our means, and thus do good by shedding light upon the pathway of others? {RH, December 11, 1879 par. 6}
RH – The Review and Herald
December 9, 1884 Christmas is Coming
"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. {RH, December 9, 1884 par. 1}
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. {RH, December 9, 1884 par. 2}
There is no divine sanctity resting upon the twenty-fifth of December; and it is not pleasing to God that anything that concerns the salvation of man through the infinite sacrifice made for them, should be so sadly perverted from its professed design. Christ should be the supreme object; but as Christmas has been observed, the glory is turned from him to mortal man, whose sinful, defective character made it necessary for him to come to our world. Jesus, the Majesty of heaven, the royal King of heaven, laid aside his royalty, left his throne of glory, his high command, and came into our world to bring to fallen man, weakened in moral power, and corrupted by sin, aid divine.. He clothed his divinity with humanity, that he might reach to the very depths of human woe and misery, to lift up fallen man. By taking upon himself man's nature, he raised humanity in the scale of moral value with God. These great themes are almost too high, too deep, too infinite, for the comprehension of finite minds. {RH, December 9, 1884 par. 3}
On Christmas, so soon to come, let not the parents take the position that an evergreen placed in the church for the amusement of the Sabbath-school scholars is a sin; for it may be made a great blessing. Keep before their minds benevolent objects. In no case should mere amusement be the object of these gatherings. While there may be some who will turn these occasions into seasons of careless levity, and whose minds will not receive the divine impress, to other minds and characters these seasons will be highly beneficial. I am fully satisfied that innocent substitutes can be devised for many gatherings that demoralize. {RH, December 9, 1884 par. 8}
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