Question: Why do Atheists Observe Christmas?
Answer: Because they have been deceived by the evil one, who deceives the whole world (Rev 12:9)
Question: Why do Christians Observe Christmas?
Answer: Because they have been deceived by the evil one, who deceives the whole world (Rev 12:9)
But wait a minute, many will say: yes we know pagan practices such as the Christmas tree, yule log, Santa Claus, mistletoe, elves, reindeer, etc all come from ancient Germanic/Celtic superstitions dealing with sun worship with their roots going all the way back to Nimrod – anciently called the Saturnalia – but we observe the birth of Christ, the Messiah and give gifts because the wise men came with gifts at His birth.
For those who would like to learn the truth of what they observe simply need to look it up on Wikipedia.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Christmas
It is not the subject of this post to go through the history of how God’s Holy Days, observed by Jesus (Yeshua in Hebrew) the Messiah, the Apostles and the early believers up to 325AD was changed to the pagan based religious holidays of Easter and Christmas.
Nor, how the Saturday Sabbath (Shabbat) was changed to Sunday (the day of the Sun).
What I would like to focus on is the question on why you believe what you do?
Jesus (Yeshua) Himself stated:
“This people draws near to Me with their mouth, and honors Me with their lips, but their heart is far from Me. But in vain they worship Me, teaching for doctrines the commandments of men.” (Matthew 15:8-9)
How did this come to be?
One only need go back to the times of the Kings of Israel and Judah, when the Kingdom was split into two and the King of Israel, Jeroboam was scared that the people would return to the Kingdom of Judah when they went to observe God’s Feast Days. So he changed the days to other months and days, and setup idols for the people to worship instead. (You can read about that in 1Kings 11 and 12).
Soon after the Kingdom was conquered by the Assyrians and the people scattered all over the nations, taking this form of pagan worship with them, doing “what was right in their own eyes” – but not in God’s eyes. Eventually, this way of thinking made it’s way into the new world Churches, who again rejected God’s true Holy Days and made for themselves their own days to appease their followers….and we have been doing it ever since.
Did you ever stop to think, “why do so many people in the world hate Jews and blame them for all the world’s problems?”
The ancient Romans did this and has been passed through history to Hitler and even to today – when it’s the exact opposite, the Jewish people believe in doing good in the world, not evil.
Why?
The Apostle Paul sums it up nicely in his letter to the Ephesians:
For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the world’s rulers, of the darkness of this age, against spiritual wickedness in high places. (Ephesians 6:12)
Simply put, there is a spiritual world composed of God and His angels of righteousness; and of Satan, the evil one who tried to de-throne God and failed, and his demons who failed with him.
Just as there is a right way to worship God and He has setup certain Days of worship and celebration that bring true joy and peace to people’s lives, there is also a counterfeit system, setup by Satan, who wants to be worshipped like God, but his days are based on worldly lusts and desires that lead to emptiness and war.
Hence, you see the results evident in the world through wars, death, disease, heartaches, hatreds, lusts, murders, rapes, drug abuse, etc.
It’s time to frankly admit that, “man cannot find the way to true peace, nor can he govern himself apart from God!”
For to be carnally minded is death, but to be spiritually minded is life and peace (Romans 8:6)
My friends, it’s time to come out of darkness and into His glorious light – if you know a thing to not be true, then why accept it as truth and continue in it?
The Apostle Paul again sums it up nicely:
Because, knowing God, they did not glorify Him as God, neither were thankful. But they became vain in their imaginations, and their foolish heart was darkened. Professing to be wise, they became fools and changed the glory of the incorruptible God into an image made like corruptible man, and birds, and four-footed animals, and creeping things. (Romans 1:21-23)
The Holy Days given by God were given to the Children of Israel, not to the Jews only. The Jews make up only two of the twelve children of Israel (Jacob), the other ten as mentioned above were eventually scattered throughout the nations.
Jesus (Yeshua) did not come to destroy those Holy Days and setup new ones.
The Church does not “replace” Israel, on the contrary we are “grafted into” the House of Israel – the whole house, all 12 tribes.
For if you were cut out of the natural wild olive tree, and were grafted contrary to nature into a good olive tree; how much more these being according to nature will be grafted into their own olive-tree? For I do not want you to be ignorant of this mystery, brothers, lest you should be wise within yourselves; that blindness in part has happened to Israel, until the fullness of the nations has comes in. And so all Israel shall be saved; as it is written, “There shall come out of Zion the Deliverer, and He will turn away ungodliness from Jacob. (Romans 11:24-26)
The Holy Days outlined in Leviticus 23 represent God’s Master plan for mankind and have not been done away with and are not just for the Jews. They are for each and every believer of God and of Jesus (Yeshua) the Messiah.
The Jewish people have been commissioned by God to preserve and protect the Holy Scriptures, the Torah, for mankind – without them, we would be completely lost and we would have no understanding of God.
It is for this reason, that Satan hates them and seeks to destroy them in anyway possible – but God always delivers them from his hand.
My friends, the end times are upon us and new Holocausts will rise up. Do not be deceived, honor God and His true ways of life, not false, man made (influenced by Satan) ways of deception, that masquerade as light, but are filled with darkness.
Read His word, be led by it – not by man’s teaching, but by the Holy Spirit. Worship God in truth, for He is looking for such worshippers.
But the hour is coming, and now is, when the true worshipers shall worship the Father in spirit and truth, for the Father seeks such to worship Him. (John 4:23)
Jesus (Yeshua) said that those who believe (are deceived) that they are keeping God’s command and worshipping Him in truth (i.e. Christmas, Easter and Sunday worship) will not be accepted by Him, even though they do great works and ministeries around the world.
Not everyone who says to Me, Lord! Lord! shall enter the kingdom of Heaven, but he who does the will of My Father in Heaven. Many will say to Me in that day, Lord! Lord! Did we not prophesy in Your name, and through Your name throw out demons, and through Your name do many wonderful works? And then I will say to them I never knew you! Depart from Me, those working lawlessness! Therefore whoever hears these sayings of Mine, and does them, I will liken him to a wise man who built his house on a rock. (Matthew 7:21-24)
So when was Jesus really born and should we be celebrating His birth?
If it did, it would be specifically mentioned in the scriptures. Yes, it is important that He was born into the world, but it is more important on what He did and later died for, as portayed in the Passover sacrifice.
Many theologians have calculated that the true birth of the Messiah was either during the Feast of Tabernacles (which occurs in late September, early October) or during the Day of Pentecost, also called Shavuot, which occurs in the summer during late May, early June.
Both of these Feasts (as well as during Passover), the men living in Israel at that time were commanded to come up to Jerusalem to celebrate and bring offerings to God, it was a time of grand celebration. This is why there was “no room in the inns” when Mary and Joseph were in Bethlehem (just outside Jerusalem) because all the people were there for the Holy Day celebration.
Just last week, an astronomer in Australia was able to calculate that the planets of Venus and Jupiter may have been in direct alignment during the month of June and could have been the phenomenal sign of the bright star that the Magi saw.
Here’s the link to the story:
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/topics/christmas/3687843/Jesus-was-born-in-June-astronomers-claim.html
Perhaps, you may want to use this season to observe the day that Jesus observed during His life on earth, the Feast of Dedication or Hanukkah, a time of rededication of the Temple after it had been defiled.
And the Feast of Dedication took place at Jerusalem, and it was winter. And Jesus walked in the temple in Solomon’s Porch. (John 10:22-23)
May the Lord lead you into all truth.
So we should not celebrate one of the important events that had occured in the history of the world, the Incarnation of God into flesh, when God Himself decided to enter the world to begin our salvation?
And we should not celebrate the day when Jesus Christ conquered death for us all by ressurecting from the dead, proving that he is God and that death no longer has any final power over us?
This boggles my mind! To think that we should not use such days to remind of the glorious work of our God!
And instead you say we should celebrate the Jewish Holiday of Hanukkah, which is a celebration remembering the rededication of the second temple in Jerusalem and has absolutely nothing to do with Christ or his redeeming work for manking?
Truly as you say, “may the Lord lead you into truth.” *sigh*
By: Zacharias on December 19, 2008
at 10:35 pm
Zacharias, I appreciate your comments – and yes the birth of Christ and His death are two very important events, and as such should not be polluted and intertwined with man-ordained pagan filled holiday, no matter how sincere one may be in celebrating them.
The ‘truth’ is, that Jesus did not do away with the Holy Days that He Himself ordained in Lev 23 and kept, as well as the Apostles and all first century believers.
“Don’t think that I came to destroy the Torah or the Prophets. I didn’t come to destroy, but to fulfill. For most certainly, I tell you, until heaven and earth pass away, not even one smallest letter or one tiny pen stroke shall in any way pass away from the Torah, until all things are accomplished. (Matthew 5:17-18)
Nor, did He die on Easter, He was crucified on Passover…and He was not born on Dec 25.
And as you should already know, Jesus was Jewish and so were all the Apostles and if the Law (as many say) had been done away with, why were the Disciples gathered together on the day of Pentecost (called the Feast of Weeks in Lev 23) – and why did they continue to keep the Passover and other Feasts for years afterwards?
Why? Because they were not done away with – until man (the Church in Rome) decided to form his own “false” religion and setup his own days during the Council of Nicea in 325AD.
What you need to ask yourself (as I once had to) is “are you going to keep the commandments of God or of men”?
By: gravitypulse on December 20, 2008
at 1:00 am
Great blog! Thanks for posting. One need not even have to read the Bible to prove how pagan Christmas is.
If I only knew when Jesus was born, I would celebrate His birth also but I don’t and there is no proof whatsoever that Dec 25 is His birthday. And if it is sooo important to celebrate this holiday, why wasn’t it explicitly commanded in the Holy Scriptures to do so? more so, why wasn’t the date of His birth explicitly mentioned?
On the other hand, we have 7 Feast of God mentioned in the Holy Scriptures that all believers of God should celebrate but these are not in any way being given the most importance in our church systems today. Very sad indeed.
I just pray that we all learn the true ways of God through the Holy Spirit and our Lord Jesus Christ that has given His life to redeem us from our sins that we may also have eternal life just like Him.
By: Elda on December 20, 2008
at 1:44 am
Great post! Although I disagree with you about the Hebrew name of the Messiah, I couldn’t agree more with everything else.
It amazes me how easily we are deceived and also how much we are attacked when we speak the truth. Of course I shouldn’t be surprised as Yahushua spoke of this very thing happening.
Shalom.
By: Lou on December 20, 2008
at 4:15 am
Do you keep all 613 mitzvah?
By: Zacharias on December 20, 2008
at 4:31 pm
Thank you for the question Zacharias. The 613 mitzvot have different applications i.e for the land (agricultural commandments), for the temple, for the priest, for woman, for man etc. etc…
So in essence, no, I cannot keep all 613.
However, keeping the mitzvot that applies to me does not justify me to my Savior because I am imperfect. I am save because of His death and because of His love, He gave His life for us.
I keep these mitzvot because of obedience and my love for Him and that I am willing to obey everything that He had instructed to His believers to do.
Remember He said, “If you love me, keep My mitzvot”
By: gravitypulse on December 20, 2008
at 6:04 pm
I’m not Jewish, I’m a an Eastern Orthodox Christian. My point was that you can’t pick and choose to follow either the Jewish Law, or Christs, or try to mingle the two.
James 2:10: “For whoever keeps the whole law but fails in one point is guilty of breaking all of it.”
There is nothing wrong with celebrating Christmas. It is (at its core) a Christian holy day. The Jewish Holy Days do not apply to Christians.
Rosh Hashanah marks the beginning of the Jewish year. We do not follow the Jewish calendar so we do not celebrate this holy day.
Yom Kippur is known as the Day of Atoment. It is the final day of the period between Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur (10 days I believe) and it the Jewish religion believes that during these 10 days is when God decides who will live and who will die during the coming year. Again, not a Christian holy day.
Sukkot is a rememberence of the 40 days the Israelites spent in the desert before entering the Holy Land during the exodus. While there is nothing specifically non-Christian with this feast, there also nothing Christian in it either. It has nothing to do with Christ himself or the work he did for the whole world.
Again, Hanukkah is celebration of the victory of the Maccabees over the Syrian army, and the rededication of the Second Temple. This victory has no bearing on Christianity specifically and we do not believe that God soley resides within the temple.
Pesach, or Passover, is a celebration of when God ‘passed over’ the faithful Jewish of households in Egypt when he came through destroying the first born children. This has significance soley to the Jewish people and we Gentiles were the ones being killed! Yes, this has great signifiance in the over story weaving from the Old Covenant to the New, but as Christians we have our origin in the New Covenant, not the Old.
Shavuot celebrates the giving of the Ten Commandments. I suppose you could celebrate this one, but still, it is not a traditional Christian holy day as it does not relate to the life or works of Christ in any direct way.
The traditional Christian holy days are:
Pascha (also known as Easter) and is the greatest of all the holy days. This is they day when Christ rose triumphiantly from the dead, proving he was God, conquering death, fulfilling prophecy. THIS is the Christian Passover. The Jewish holiday was a celebration of a one time event of being spared from death, and the Christian one is a celebration of being spared from death for the rest of time until Christ’s second coming.
The Nativity of the Holy Virgin celebrates the birth of Mary, the Theotokos (or God-Bearer). This is an important feast because it celebrates the beginning of God’s plan for the rest of the world. The story goes that the parents of Mary, Joachim and Anna grieved greatly because they were childless. Despite the ridicule and reproaches that Joachim and Anna received from their neighbors, they did not lose hope but continually prayed that God might grant them a child, which they promised to dedicate to the service of God. For their patience, their faith and their love of God and of each other, their prayers were heard: a daughter was born to them in their old age and nn angel directed them to name the child Mary, which in Hebrew means “lady and hope.” It was through this person that God manifested himself as Jesus Christ.
The Exaltation of the Precious and Life-creating Cross is a feast day celebrating the finding of the true cross in Jerusalem by Helen, the wife of Emperor Constantine (who then built the Church of the Ressurection over the site of Golgatha as well as where Christ was buried). It is a day for remembering what Christ did for us on that very cross.
The Presentation of the Holy Virgin into the Temple is a day celebrating when Joachim and Anna did not forget their promise to dedicate their child to the service of God. The story goes that when Mary was three years old they brought her to the Temple. Young girls, friends and relatives with lighted tapers formed a procession and conducted her to the steps of the Temple (there was a Jewish tradition of girls serving in the temple). There the child Mary all by herself walked up to the very top of the stair, where she was met by the High Priest, Zacharias, as he had met other children dedicated to the service of God. Moved by the Holy Spirit, the High Priest led Mary into the Holy of Holies of the Temple, where he himself was allowed to enter but once a year. Thus, the child Mary was dedicated to a higher service and a higher calling than any other child. After her dedication she remained in the Temple for twelve years, praying and fasting. She read and studied the Holy Scriptures and learned needlework along with other young girls (the girls dedicated to the temple sewed the cloths that decorated it, as well as the one which covered teh entrance to the Holy of Holies). Mary decided to dedicate the rest of her life to God and vowed to remain forever a virgin. This further foreshadows the birth of Christ.
The Nativity of Christ (known to the Western world as Christmas) is a celebration of God becoming human. By this act God entered human history in order to begin his saving work and by becoming human he resanctified humanity, which had fallen away after the original sin (there’s much more to this, but I will not get into the theology behind if, if you would like perhaps I could make another post).
Theophany celebrates when Christ was baptised by the Holy Forerunner, John. It is when Christ revealed himself to be the Son of God, part of the Holy Trinity, and marked the beginning of his salvific work.
The Presentation of Jesus in the Temple marks the time when Christ was first taken to the temple. It is here when the Righteous Simeon said: “Lord, now lettest Thou Thy servant depart in peace, according to Thy word; for mine eyes have seen Thy salvation, which Thou hast prepared in Hebrew before the face of all people, a light to lighten the gentiles, and the glory of Thy people Israel” (Luke 2:29-32).
The Annunciation celebrates the moment when the angel of the Lord, Gabriel, appeared to Mary and told her that she would give birth to the saviour of the world.
The Entrance of the Lord Jerusalem, also known as Palm Sunday, celebrates the time when Jesus rode into Jerusalm atop a donkey, and the people greeted him by laying down palm leaves in his path. This marks his triumphant entry into the city where he would be crucified, thus achieving salvation for all people.
The Ascension celebrates when, after his ressurection, Christ ascended into heaven. “While they beheld, He was taken up, and a cloud received Him out of their sight. And while they looked steadfastly toward heaven as He went up, behold, two men stood by them in white apparel, who also said, ‘Ye men of Galilee, why stand ye gazing up into heaven? This same Jesus, who is taken up from you into Heaven, shall so come in like manner as ye have seen Him go into Heaven’” (Acts 1:9-11).
Pentecost celebrates the sending of the Holy Spirit into the world which Christ promised to do, and marked the beginning of the Church on earth. From that time the Holy Spirit has never ceased to be with us.
The Transfiguration of Our Lord markes the glorious moment when Christ revealed himself in his fully deified body on top of Mt. Tabor, in all his glory. “When they awakened, they saw His glory and the two men who stood with Him. And it came to pass as they departed from Him, Peter said unto Jesus, ‘Master, it is good for us to be here; and let us make three tabernacles: one for Thee, and one for Moses, and one for Elijah’ – not knowing what he was saying” (Luke 9:32-33). “While he yet spoke, behold, a bright cloud overshadowed them. And behold, a voice out of the cloud, said, ‘THIS IS MY BELOVED SON IN WHOM I AM WELL PLEASED. HEAR YE HIM!’ And when the disciples heard it, they fell on their faces and were sore afraid. And Jesus came and touched them and said, ‘Arise, and be not afraid.’ And when they had lifted up their eyes, they saw no man, except Jesus only. And as they came down from the mountain, Jesus charged them, saying, ‘Tell the vision to no man until the Son of Man be risen again from the dead’ (Matt. 17:5-9).
Lastly, the Dormition of the Theotokos markes the death of Mary, who is an example for us all. The Mother of God never ceased to believe that Jesus Christ was God. She lived a holy life devoted to Him. She is the model for all of us. We too should say ‘Yes’ to God, just as she answered ‘yes’ to the angel Gabriel and thus agreed to become source from where Christ will be born into the world.
There are other minor holy days, but those are
the major ones.
By: Zacharias on December 20, 2008
at 11:12 pm
It would be impossible to keep all 613 mitzvot because some apply only to men, some only to women, some only to the priests, etc.
If you conducted a serious search you would see that what the author is stating is correct. As difficult as it may be we have to admit what we used to celebrate is a result of a compromise between the pagan religions and what the Scriptures instruct us. Thank constantine and the nicene council. I know, it made me ill when I realized not only what I had done but also what I had taught my children.
No one is saying christians are evil people, rather that they have been deceived all these many years. However, it is time for the truth to be revealed. If you choose to reject the truth then that is your choice but please at least do a little research before you make that decision.
Know that you are in my prayers, Shalom.
By: Lou on December 21, 2008
at 12:19 am
Zacharias, I will also keep you in my prayer that the Lord may reveal to you the whole truth.
Obviously, some of your belief is coming from different sources besides the Holy Scriptures.
You have to remember that the Holy Scriptures is the only book inspired by God. Anything else should be considered only for historical purposes.
In Lev 23:2 where these Festivals of God was given it said – Speak to the sons of Israel and say to them, The feasts of Yahweh, which you shall proclaim, holy convocations, even these are My appointed feasts.
These feast are Feast of Yahweh – not of the Jews only as you pointed out. So whoever believes in Yahweh should keep His Feast
However you would probably argue that it was given to Israel as the passage states?..yes indeed…
Israel is not only the Jewish people. Israel is comprised of 12 tribes. The modern Jewish nation today (Israel) is comprised of the tribe of Judah and Benjamin and a bit of the tribe of Levi….
So, where are the rest of the tribe? They are scattered among the nations.
The Bible does not teach that Israel has been replaced. This idea came from the “Replacement Theology” in which Israel is now replaced by the “church”.
Remember Jesus Christ said in Matthew,
Mat 10:5 Jesus sent out these twelve, commanding them, saying, Do not go into the way of the nations, and do not enter into any city of the Samaritans.
Mat 10:6 But rather go to the lost sheep of the house of Israel.
And as Apostle Paul said to Romans
Rom 11:1 I say then, Did not God put away His people? Let it not be said! For I also am an Israelite, of the seed of Abraham, of the tribe of Benjamin.
Rom 11:17 And if some of the branches were broken off, and you, being a wild olive tree, were grafted in among them, and became a sharer of the root and the fatness of the olive tree with them,
Rom 11:18 do not boast against the branches. But if you boast, it is not you that bears the root, but the root bears you.
Rom 11:19 You will say then, The branches were broken off so that I might be grafted in.
Rom 11:20 Well, because of unbelief they were broken off, and you stand by faith. Do not be high-minded, but fear.
Rom 11:21 For if God did not spare the natural branches, fear lest He also may not spare you either!
Rom 11:22 Behold then the kindness, and the severity of God; on those having fallen, severity; but on you, kindness, if you continue in the kindness. Otherwise you also will be cut off.
Rom 11:23 And those also, if they do not continue in unbelief, will be grafted in. For God is able to graft them in again.
Rom 11:24 For if you were cut out of the natural wild olive tree, and were grafted contrary to nature into a good olive tree; how much more these being according to nature will be grafted into their own olive-tree?
Apostle Paul knew that whoever believes in the Lord Jesus Christ must be grafted in to the house of Israel (olive tree).
So the whole of Scriptures, including what you consider the Old Testament is applicable to us today and certainly did not start only in the New Covenant as you mentioned.
Even Jesus Christ Himself commanded the people that He healed to follow what Moses commanded
Mat 8:4 And Jesus said to him, See that you tell no one; but go, show yourself to the priest. And offer the gift that Moses commanded, for a testimony to them.
I believe and we will pray about this that you wash yourself clean of all the teachings that you heard all this time and start over. Read the Holy Scriptures only as a source of knowledge and ask the Holy Spirit for guidance and understanding and the God of Israel will reveal to you the truth.
By: Elda on December 22, 2008
at 4:05 pm
I thank you for you prayers, and do not doubt that you are sincere, but I am also sincere in that I do not need to be washed clean of anything. I belong the Holy Eastern Orthodox Church, this is the church of the apostles and our teachings have not changed for 2,000 years. They have been clarified yes, and the church has been guided by the Holy Spirit through the Seven Ecumenical councils. Christ instituded this Church and it continues on today, though largely unknown in the West. It is in fact the one Church which the Roman Catholic Church split off from 1,000 years ago in order to their own thing, and it is from the Roman Catholic Church that the Protestant Reformation split from 500 years ago which leads to the way you are viewing things.
You cannot seperate the Church from Christianity. The Church is the bride of Christ, instituted by Him and guided by the Holy Spirit. It is what keeps various heresies and misunderstandings out of the truth faith, by jealously guarding the faith handed down to her by the apostles.
I do not mean any disrespect to you, but the fact is that the way you are viewing things is not how Christians have done them through the ages. Yes, the Holy Scriptures are an invaluable resource to us as Christians, both as the source of our doctrine as well as a history of the life of Israel and the Christ. But the Scriptures as we have them now were not around for the first few centuries of Christianity. There were many other books and none of them were compiled in the form we now have them. There were also many traditions which the apostles and the church handed down, and some of the scriptures even attest to this, telling us to keep the traditions which they have given us.
Take a look at Eastern Orthodoxy, if even to only make yourself familiar with a side of Christianity I’m not sure you’ve heard of.
By: Zacharias on December 23, 2008
at 4:52 pm