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