First of all before anyone reads this I would like to pray:
Heavenly Father,
I apply the Blood of Jesus over this article and ask You to only allow what is permissible under Your Holy Spirit to give as a covering over our eyes, and our mind, that we only receive the necessary information that we need to receive, and that we keep everything in line with what You want to reveal.
In Jesus Name I pray,
Amen.
There is a narrow gate, that the Bible says we have to walk upon, and that way is narrow. So I have spent a good part of the night gathering from what I have collected to give you some of the roots behind the traditions we follow without knowing the roots today. I tried to take as many sources, including the Bible to get my information to help you decide whether, and in what way you want to celebrate or not celebrate Christmas.
Let’s first start with the Christmas Tree…
The Christmas tree, also known as a Yule tree, is a decorated evergreen coniferous tree, real or artificial, and a tradition associated with the celebration of Christmas. The tradition of decorating an evergreen tree at Christmas started in Livonia and Germany in the 16th century.[2][3] The Christmas tree is traditionally brought into the home and decorated with Christmas lights (originally candles), ornaments, garlands, tinsel, andcandy canes during the days around Christmas. An angel or star is placed at the top of the tree, representing the host of angels or the Star of Bethlehem from the Nativity.
The custom of erecting a Christmas tree can be historically traced to 15th century Livonia (present-day Estonia and Latvia) and 16th century Northern Germany. According to the first documented uses of a Christmas tree in Estonia, in 1441, 1442, and 1514 the Brotherhood of Blackheads erected a tree for the holidays in their brotherhood house in Reval (now Tallinn). At the last night of the celebrations leading up to the holidays, the tree was taken to the Town Hall Square where the members of the brotherhood danced around it.[8] In 1584, the pastor and chronicler Balthasar Russow wrote of an established tradition of setting up a decoratedspruce at the market square where the young men “went with a flock of maidens and women, first sang and danced there and then set the tree aflame”.[2] In that period, the guilds started erecting Christmas trees in front of their guildhalls: Ingeborg Weber-Kellermann (Marburg professor of European ethnology) found a Bremenguild chronicle of 1570 which reports how a small tree was decorated with “apples, nuts, dates, pretzels and paper flowers” and erected in the guild-house, for the benefit of the guild members’ children, who collected the dainties on Christmas Day.[3]
Wikipedia Christmas Tree
There are a few things that I want to bring out from different sources that I have heard about the Christmas Tree-
According to the Restored Church of God:
The following quote demonstrates what the Babylonians believe about the origin of the Christmas tree: “An old Babylonish fable told of an evergreen tree which sprang out of a dead tree stump. The old stump symbolized the dead Nimrod, the new evergreen tree symbolized that Nimrod had come to life again in Tammuz! Among the Druids the oak was sacred, among the Egyptians it was the palm, and in Rome it was the fir, which was decorated with red berries during the Saturnalia!” (Walsh, Curiosities of Popular Customs, p. 242).
http://www.thercg.org/books/ttooc.html
Carmen Welker says in her book, Should Christians be Torah Observant:
“trees were used as pagan altars where offerings were placed for the deity Asherah [associated with Tammuz] wreaths symbolized wombs, trees symbolized phalluses, tinsel, tinsel symbolized Semen, (ornaments) symbolized testes, which were used to observe the sexual aspects of these pagan rituals.” (emphasize)
I could never look at a Christmas tree again after I read that.
Traditionally speaking, the tree was cut down, to represent the death of the god of Tammuz and resurrected his body on winter solstice. (ChristianMediaResearch.com)
13 And He said to me, “Turn again, and you will see greater abominations that they are doing.” 14 So He brought me to the door of the north gate of the LORD’s house; and to my dismay, women were sitting there weeping for Tammuz.
15 Then He said to me, “Have you seen this, O son of man? Turn again, you will see greater abominations than these.” 16 So He brought me into the inner court of the LORD’s house; and there, at the door of the temple of the LORD, between the porch and the altar, were about twenty-five men with their backs toward the temple of the LORD and their faces toward the east, and they were worshiping the sun toward the east. (Ezekiel 8:13-16)
According to the DAKE ANNOTATED REFERENCE BIBLE: “The Babylonian Dumuzu or Tammuz was represented as a beautiful shepherd slain by a wild boar, the symbol of winter. Ishtarm [who I am supposing his wife according to the myth] long mourned for him and descended into the underworld to deliver him and descended into the underworld to deliver him from the embrace of death.”
Before I want to go any further, I want to clarify, that this is NOT JESUS. Jesus was not slain by a wild boar, or winter, He was pierced by the Father’s willingness for Him to die for us. In Isaiah it says there was nothing appealing about His earthly appearance. His appearance now is quoted in Revelation 1 and you can read that for yourself. satan likes to copycat everything about God just to bring confusion, and doubt.
Now to get on with Christmas itself – We have to ask ourselves, why do we celebrate Christmas? Is it because Jesus was actually born that day?
This is what I found out:
It is worthwhile to note that December 25th is likely not the date of Jesus’ actual birth. In the Biblical description of Jesus’ birth, He was visited by three shepherds who had been out that night with their sheep. Shepherds would not have been out with their sheep in the winter. Jesus’ birth date is more commonly agreed to be some time in the autumn. It was not until A.D. 440 that the church officially proclaimed December 25 as the birth of Christ. This was not based on any religious evidence but on a pagan feast. Saturnalia was a tradition inherited by the Roman pagans from an earlier Babylonian priesthood. December 25 was used as a celebration of the birthday of the sun god. It was observed near the winter solstice. [1]
Conservapedia: Christmas
So what do we celebrate on December 25?
Dies Natalis Solis Invicti
Main article: Sol Invictus
Dies Natalis Solis Invicti means “the birthday of the unconquered sun”.
Modern scholars have argued that the festival was placed on the date of the solstice because this was on this day that the Sun reversed its southward retreat and proved itself to be “unconquered”.[citation needed] Some early Christian writers connected the rebirth of the sun to the birth of Jesus.[6] “O, how wonderfully acted Providence that on that day on which that Sun was born…Christ should be born”, Cyprian wrote.[6] John Chrysostom also commented on the connection: “They call it the ‘Birthday of the Unconquered’. Who indeed is so unconquered as Our Lord . . .?”[6]
Although Dies Natalis Solis Invicti has been the subject of a great deal of scholarly speculation,.[citation needed] the only ancient source for it is a single mention in the Chronography of 354, and modern Sol scholar Steven Hijmans argues that there is no evidence that the celebration precedes that of Christmas:[23] “[W]hile the winter solstice on or around December 25 was well established in the Roman imperial calendar, there is no evidence that a religious celebration of Sol on that day antedated the celebration of Christmas, and none that indicates that Aurelian had a hand in its institution.”[23]
Wikipedia: Christmas (Pre-Christian)
What can be the harm of participating in Yule traditions….
READER BEWARE:
In chapter 55 of the Prose Edda book Skáldskaparmál, different names for the gods are given. One of the names provided is “Yule-beings.” A work by the skald Eyvindr skáldaspillir that uses the term is then quoted, which reads:
Again we have produced Yule-being’s feast [mead of poetry], our rulers’ eulogy, like a bridge of masonry.[5]
“Ynglinga saga, the first book of Heimskringla, first mentions a Yule feast in 840. Saga of Hákon the Good credits King Haakon I of Norway with the Christianization of Norway, as well as rescheduling the date of Yule to coincide with Christian celebrations held at the time. The saga states that when Haakon arrived in Norway he was confirmed a Christian, but since the land was still altogether heathen and they retained their practices, Haakon hid his Christianity to receive the help of “great chieftains.” In time, Haakon had a law passed that established that Yule celebrations were to take place at the same time as when the Christians held their celebrations, “and at that time everyone was to have ale for the celebration with a measure of grain, or else pay fines, and had to keep the holiday while the ale lasted.”[6]”
Wikipedia: Yule (Old Norse)
So what are we to celebrate anything during the winter months?
WORD OF GOD (Bible):
At that time Solomon kept the feast seven days, and all Israel with him, a very great assembly from the entrance of Hamath to the Brook of Egypt.[d] 9 And on the eighth day they held a sacred assembly, for they observed the dedication of the altar seven days, and the feast seven days. 2 Chronicles 7:8
John 10:22
22 Now it was the Feast of Dedication in Jerusalem, and it was winter. 23 And Jesus walked in the temple, in Solomon’s porch. 24
What was The Feast of Dedication that Jesus actually celebrated:
22 Then came Hanukkah in Yerushalayim.
John 10:22 CJB
What is Hannukkah—-
http://judaism.about.com/od/holidays/a/hanukkah.htm
The Hanukkah Story
In 168 B.C.E. the Jewish Temple was seized by Syrian-Greek soldiers and dedicated to the worship of the god Zeus. This upset the Jewish people, but many were afraid to fight back for fear of reprisals. Then in 167 B.C.E. the Syrian-Greek emperor Antiochus made the observance of Judaism an offense punishable by death. He also ordered all Jews to worship Greek gods….Read more at the above link at about.com
For further study on this defeat of Nimrod leading to the Dedication of the temple, would have to go through 1 Chronicles to 2 Chronicles, and it would be around there. I would go into it, but for the sake of time, and since I’ve just been introduced to this angle I can only encourage you to do your own research of the WORD on that one.
What does the Bible have to say about the god Zeus the Greeks worshipped?
Idolatry at Lystra
8 And in Lystra a certain man without strength in his feet was sitting, a cripple from his mother’s womb, who had never walked. 9 This man heard Paul speaking. Paul, observing him intently and seeing that he had faith to be healed, 10 said with a loud voice, “Stand up straight on your feet!” And he leaped and walked. 11 Now when the people saw what Paul had done, they raised their voices, saying in the Lycaonian language, “The gods have come down to us in the likeness of men!” 12 And Barnabas they called Zeus, and Paul, Hermes, because he was the chief speaker. 13 Then the priest of Zeus, whose temple was in front of their city, brought oxen and garlands to the gates, intending to sacrifice with the multitudes.
14 But when the apostles Barnabas and Paul heard this, they tore their clothes and ran in among the multitude, crying out 15 and saying, “Men, why are you doing these things? We also are men with the same nature as you, and preach to you that you should turn from these useless things to the living God, who made the heaven, the earth, the sea, and all things that are in them, 16 who in bygone generations allowed all nations to walk in their own ways. 17 Nevertheless He did not leave Himself without witness, in that He did good, gave us rain from heaven and fruitful seasons, filling our hearts with food and gladness.” 18 And with these sayings they could scarcely restrain the multitudes from sacrificing to them. – ACTS 14
What does the Bible have to say about celebrations?
16-17So don’t put up with anyone pressuring you in details of diet, worship services, or holy days. All those things are mere shadows cast before what was to come; the substance is Christ…….
20-23So, then, if with Christ you’ve put all that pretentious and infantile religion behind you, why do you let yourselves be bullied by it? “Don’t touch this! Don’t taste that! Don’t go near this!” Do you think things that are here today and gone tomorrow are worth that kind of attention? Such things sound impressive if said in a deep enough voice. They even give the illusion of being pious and humble and ascetic. But they’re just another way of showing off, making yourselves look important. [ The Message]
In this context, Paul was talking to the believers at Colossae to not be so obsessed with following all the laws.
Why do we really celebrate Christmas? Forget about all the paganism involved in the holiday like Santa Claus, Winter Solstice, Reindeer, a magical mystical superstitious time, but isn’t it all about this idea that we have to spend massive amounts of money to get gifts to spend on Christmas. I suspect that even when Jesus went to the Feast of Dedication, it was celebrated like a regular feast, but it wasn’t about the gifts. That’s the Pharisee mentality- that they were going to all these feasts, to get the best seat in the place, and for food, but did they really care about honoring God? Too much importance has been put on Mary by the Catholic Church, and I am not saying there aren’t Catholics, who are really born again, but Mary was just a woman, and that’s why Jesus said, “Woman, this is your son,” referring to John, the apostle.
This is just a side note, but there are three references to” women” that we are to regard as holy: One is New Jerusalem, the bride of the bridegroom, the other is Wisdom.
So what should we do on Christmas for those people that really like to spend time with their family? One thing is that you can worship the LORD like any other day. Give thanks and spending time with your family are ok. In my house I was blessed to find out that “Santa Claus” was not real at age 5. I never felt at peace during Christmas and it was depressing. I liked giving presents, but I didn’t know why I was giving presents, but the real true celebration of Christmas – Christ Mass, is a Christ Feast. It is just a feast to honor Christ. I personally would be weary about the day and the origins. The color Red, is good to signify the Blood of Jesus, and the color Green to signify evergreen and living life.
In Conclusion, what are we supposed to do with all this paganism that has gotten in the way? Well it’s just like the Parable of the Wheat and the Tares – let them grow up together, and when the time is ripe, the tares will be gathered together and burned into the fire. But we have to spend time more in the LORD’s presence, and arm ourselves with the anointing of the Holy Spirit, and prepare ourselves for daily battle, seasonal battles, and an hour of testing, but the best way to do that is the “bed of intimacy” with the Lord, which is the root of Obedience and that is founded and grounded on love.
singingsinglev4 