Truth Provided Newsletter -Is Christmas Christian?

Christian greeting’s everyone in these last days of life on Earth. Well, it’s that time of year again when I send out my “Is Christmas Christian” newsletter. Each year many are blessed by the facts laid out here. Some of the facts listed below were in last year’s Newsletter, but there are some new facts as well. Each year I try to research up more info for those that need the data to share with loved ones.

One sad reality about sending this newsletter out is the hate email it usually generates. So, I would like to ask anyone that has a desire to question such blunt researchable facts in an angry way, please do so in a kind and gentle manner. It’s much easier to discuss things without hatred marring the motives.

2 Corinthians 11:1-4, "Would to God ye could bear with me a little in my folly: and indeed bear with me. For I am jealous over you with godly jealousy: for I have espoused you to one husband, that I may present you as a chaste virgin to Christ. But I fear, lest by any means, as the serpent beguiled Eve through his subtilty, so your minds should be corrupted from the simplicity that is in Christ. For if he that cometh preacheth another Jesus, whom we have not preached, or if ye receive another spirit, which ye have not received, or another gospel, which ye have not accepted, ye might well bear with him."

It is the time of year that almost everyone you meet greets you with the familiar phrase, "Merry Christmas." After reading this Newsletter I am sure you will understand why that particular phrase gives me cause for concern. I cannot honestly speak such words as those that Scriptures overwhelming proclaim as an absolute mockery unto my Lord Jesus Christ without at least explaining myself.

A few questions that come to mind are: Was Jesus born on or around December 25? Is Jesus really the "Reason for the Season?" And if so, are we supposed to celebrate it as such? Or is this Jesus they are proclaiming "another Jesus" not mentioned in the Word of the Lord? Does the Jesus of the Bible agree with the Jesus of Christmas, 100%? 90%? 50%? or even 10%?

As we see in 2 Corinthians 11:1-4 that I shared at the top of this Newsletter. The Apostle was trying to prevent the Corinthians from becoming corrupted by false apostles, false teachers, and false Christians. According to Truth, there is only ONE Jesus Christ, that is to be proclaimed to all the World. We should be preaching the Jesus of the Bible unto the World making absolutely sure not to "mix" that Gospel message with anything tainted by the World itself. For it is plainly written... "...know ye not that the friendship of the world is enmity with God? whosoever therefore will be a friend of the world is the enemy of God."-James 4:4

Fact is we are not to "add to, or take away" from the Word of God in any way shape or form! To preach "another Jesus" is to mix the Gospel with lies of Satan plain and simple. Did you know the definition of the word ‘Babylon’ is “to mix”? Babylon is infamous for mixing truth with error. It is also causing those children that have heard the Truth, and accepted it, an opportunity to be lured away unto "another message" that may seem more acceptable to those around them. They see fellow Christians everywhere buying gifts, trees, and Christmas lights and they feel obligated and even expected to do the same. I know from experience that when I quit celebrating this day, I was looked upon in a very hateful way. I was considered hateful, anti-Christian, cold, evil, and incapable of having a giving spirit. This is Satan's true desire. He will look for any opportunity he can find to get followers of Christ Jesus to do and embrace evil acts as Christian acts, and he will even use other Christians to do so. Peer pressure was thought of first in Christian circles. The enemy will simply show them brothers and sisters in Christ doing his will with complete acceptance so as to gently lure others to their doom. This is always the case. If they THINK it's accepted, then they will THINK it's ok. Or they will go ahead so as to “keep the peace” between them. This is especially truthful among new believers. If Satan can get you to accept his lies, ALONG with the Truth of the Lord, then his work is well on its way of completion into the hearts of Christians. However, it is written rather bluntly...

So, what in the world am I getting at? My point is this... Is this really Jesus Christ they claim that was born on December 25 the very same Jesus of the Christian Bible? And are all the acts, rituals, festivities, and merry making Christian in origin? Are they Biblical? Did the early Church accept, embrace, and take part in all this? Or is the hand of evil cleverly hidden in all this?

As usual.. I won’t post ALL the information in this Newsletter. It is far too extensive. But I will touch on each area so as to better illustrate the urgency of this matter. If you would like ALL the facts I have listed online as well as a few links that cover even more data, click here. (Large page! Give time to load)

"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

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.

The children of Israel placed themselves on the absolute edge of certain annihilation that day. It is a good thing that, "...the LORD repented of the evil which he thought to do unto his people."-Exodus 32:14 The Almighty could have easily removed every single Israelite from the face of the Earth. He could have easily rose up a mighty nation from the house of Moses instead as He intimated in Exodus 32:10. But as we know, He did not. That does not lessen the severity of their open denial of Him by any means. It was something that ANGERED THE LORD intensely. Yet, we see people doing this today with such disregard for His heart the world over. If only the Christian would realize… this hurts your Father’s heart to see you mix His truth with that of Babylon. He said plainly in His Word that it offended Him when His children did it at Mt Sinai. Has He changed His mind suddenly? According to His Word. No He hasn’t.

Before reading all the facts below. If you are one that still embraces the Christmas season as a Christian, PLEASE allow the love of God to come into your heart today on this topic. He loves you so much that HE sent His only Son to die for you. Is it too much to worship Him the way He wants you to? Why would you want to mix things that sadden His heart with your worship? There are no gray areas in Christianity. Either you are doing His will or not. Since you have actual Scriptures proving you are in error, why would you seek to continue in such things? Is hellfire that enticing? Or is Heaven that revolting?

Christ is crucified afresh in the Catholic Church daily indicating His death on Calvary was insufficient. They boldly proclaim Calvary a lie by this event that is defined a "mass." Is it not written in Hebrews 7:27, "Who needeth not daily, as those high priests, to offer up sacrifice, first for his own sins, and then for the people's: for this he did once, when he offered up himself."

For this church to proclaim "The purpose of the mass is, among other things, to satisfy the justice of God for the sins committed against Him" is to boldly declare that which Jesus did was insufficient on Calvary. And that is blasphemy to say the least. It actually sounds like an old Hollywood movie theme to me when they say that. I can picture idol worshippers throwing young virgins into a live volcano to appease the gods. This is what Rome is doing in their mass! They ignore, and deny Calvary and say you must enter into the mass daily so as to satisfy God!

Look at it this way. Let’s say you want to worship the Lord in song. You pick a few very pleasing Gospel standards. But before singing them unto the Lord, you change the music to that of heavy metal rock music. Do you think the Lord is pleased with that? Or lets say you are a person that communicates with spirits. One day you come across a preacher proclaiming Christ the Lord and decide to proclaim Jesus as Lord as well. However, you do so while still being in open sin by communicating with “spirits” on a daily basis. Would the Lord approve? No! Of course not, for you would be as that “certain damsel” that mocked the Lord in Acts 16…

One would think this damsel was doing good, no? She was proclaiming truth was she not? No, not at all. She was “holding the truth in unrighteousness” as Romans chapter one proclaims. You cannot mix truth with error! She was mocking the Lord as the “Christian” rock singers do, and sadly, those that embrace Christmas do this as well. This “certain damsel” was proclaiming loudly that she was Christian, and at the same time she was a KNOWN diviner of spirits. She was sending a mixed message out. She was saying it’s ok to sin and still be a Christian. THAT is Catholic theology! Rome proclaims you can be saved IN your sins. That is why so many Catholic hate people like me. It’s upsetting to hear for some that they DO have to give up their sinful ways no matter how much they enjoy them. Fact is, Christ cannot save us IN our sins, He saves us FROM our sins!

The word "Merry" is defined to mean great happiness and joy. What of the word Christ?

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.

So, in essence the word Mass is defined as death sacrifice or "Destruction of the victim" according to the Roman Catholic church itself. So, when you say "Merry Christmas" you are actually declaring with great happiness and joy that Jesus is dead and gone. Kind of like the crucifix in the Catholic church declaring He is dead and they have proof they killed Him when they display His dead body for eons before the people. They refuse to believe Christ IS risen and Christ WILL come again.

By the way, when Santa Clause says "Ho ho ho, Merry Christmas" he is openly and boldly mocking the sacrifice of Christ WITH LAUGHTER!!

(Also note that the word, "victim" of the Mass is also the Latin word "Hostia" from which the word "host" is derived.)

Think about this common sense situation for a moment. Are we to assume the shepherds kept their flocks outside in the Winter? Did the angels appear to them in the Winter? Fact is, the sheep were brought in under cover around mid-October to early November to protect them from the cold, rainy, and hail season that would follow. These are not conditions worthy of sheep herding. Nor will you find shepherds outside this time of year. Therefore it would be impossible for them to actually have seen the angels bringing tidings of great joy. Common sense tells us that they would not have been outside at that time of year.

This would NOT have occurred in the Winter! This is absolutely unequivocally 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 mid October to early 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 occurs around the Jewish month of Cheshvan. That is around mid October to November to those of us using the modern English calendar. The flocks were BROUGHT IN well before December 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 going on. The devil is a cunning enemy. He has placed wolves in sheep's clothing before all of us 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. Nullifying whatsoever saith the Lord, for whatsoever your Christian brothers and sisters are doing. It is done to get all of the world under his control by partaking in activities of the Pagan by calling it Christian. Satan knows that “to mix” is VERY effective! If it has “any” truth in it, Christians seem to soak it up as an acceptable practice. Keep in mind, the devil has been practicing on humans, and how to tempt us now 6000 YEARS! One would think he’s getting real good at it eh?

Another thing many miss is the simple fact that Joseph and Mary would NOT have traveled to Bethlehem in Winter. Luke 2:4-5 tells us, "And Joseph also went up from Galilee, out of the city of Nazareth, into Judaea, unto the city of David, which is called Bethlehem; (because he was of the house and lineage of David) To be taxed with Mary his espoused wife, being great with child." Simple historic fact is, Rome would NEVER have the people travel at a time of year for a taxation or a census. They knew it would most certainly cause great distress and even death not only of mankind, but of beast as well. They didn't have heated cars, buses, trains, and airplanes in those days. Satan is relying on our creature comforts of today to fog the minds of those that would look upon this simple Historic fact. Are we subconsciously ignoring the obvious here? It appears so.

"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

I like the way Sister White delves into this fact. She makes it so clear and easy to understand…

"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.

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. {Review and Herald, December 9, 1884 par. 1}

The infinite wisdom of our Lord is so apparent in this simple fact. He spared us the date of His birth so as to prevent our desire to make that day into a day of IDOL WORSHIP. Yet we see Satan has devised a way around that. ALL the world is indeed wondering after the Beast!

"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.

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 (union)…

"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.

“Nice interplay?” See how Satan will make it all appear so loving and blessed?

The REAL reason for December 25 is that it has everything to do with the "the rebirth of the sun at the winter solstice" the Pagan "Brumalia" and absolutely nothing to do with the birth of the Son of God. So, is it becoming clearer as to who is REALLY being worshipped at Christmas? THE SUN! Christmas is the "winter solstice" plain and simple, always has been always will be. It is when the Sun hangs longer in the sky for all inhabitants of Earth. That is a fact of nature no one can deny. It is “reborn” for the Pagan. It is evident by the days becoming longer as the year progresses. It is a Pagan celebration of the rebirth of their Sun god Mithra. It is actually no different than Easter. Pagans worship the Sun, Moon, and Stars. Easter is actually the "renewal of nature" for the Pagans. Ask any Pagan, or Catholic priest you meet why they "fast 40 days" before their festival of "Easter" that falls on the first SUNday after the first FULL MOON of Spring. Like Christmas, Easter has nothing to do with Christ, and EVERYTHING to do with Pagan worship of the Sun, Moon, and Stars. Now do you see why Easter falls on a "different date" every year? If it was really about Jesus' death and resurrection the date would be the same every year. Fact remains Easter falls on a date calculated by the orbit of the Moon around earth. The first full moon of Spring, the following Sunday will be Easter! Christmas is more deceiving however because it is calculated on the orbit of the planet around the Sun. That also happens to be how we calculate our Solar year. That's why Christmas always falls on the same date. It is an "annual" calculation, where the moon's orbit is calculated monthly. (Now do you understand why the Pope looks to change the calendar again? He wants to make Easter a FIXED date.)

"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

So the answer is NO. The early and True Christian Church, our Biblical example on how to walk as Christians, was not found to be one celebrating a Pagan Christmas feast day. In fact, the early church displayed STRONG OPPOSITION to this Pagan feast day for hundreds of years! So, why do Christians of today celebrate that which is known to be of Pagan origin? Because Revelation 13:3 does indeed say that ALL the world wonders after the Beast. It also says in Revelation 17 that The Roman Church is the "mother of harlots." And what does Jeremiah 6:2 define women in prophecy as? CHURCHES! In other words, the reason everyone is doing as the Roman Catholic church has invented, is because she IS their mother church. June 26, 2000 the official start of the ONE WORLD CHURCH confirms that. They are all going back home to their mother!

The movie, “The Scrooge who stole Christmas” is actually based on Historic FACT! How so? Look at it this way…

The movie depicts the real Christians as evil, heartless, and incapable of the spirit of giving. The Christians that embrace Christmas in the movie appear happy, loving, and very giving. All through the movie Scrooge (the real Christian) is attacking the Christmas loving people. Then finally, Scrooge (the real Christian) is won over and begins to embrace Christmas as well.

In historic reality, the real Christians tried to evangelize the Catholic ones away from the Pagan festival of Christmas. But the Catholics would stir up the masses against the real Christians to make them appear as SCROOGE’S. Eventually many of the real Christians were worn down, and they finally accepted Christmas as a Christian festival. The rest is history.

For those of us that have given up Christmas recently, you no doubt experienced FIRST HAND what many others have seen regarding this time of year! Those close to you will attack you and treat you like a hateful, unloving, heartless person who doesn’t have the “spirit of giving” in their heart when you announce you no longer celebrate Christmas. You will even be accused of neglecting your children for not giving them toys. I know, this is how my wife and I were treated by our loved ones. It’s been over a decade since we quit and STILL, we have to deal with certain “attitudes” this time of year.

"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)

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) practices 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 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 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. 97, 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. -Review&Herald 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." -Jerimiah 10:1-6

· 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."

This is where the Twelve Days of Christmas originated which are now counted as the twelve days between "Christmas" and Epiphany (January 12th). Did you notice? (That's actually more than 12 days? CoNfUsEd?) The fireplace symbolizes the woman, the log, or “man branch” symbolizes the man. It slowly enters the fireplace over 12 days.

I must say, if someone told me when I first became a Christian that I would be preaching on such vulgar garbage, I would have thought they were lacking a large quantity of gray matter. The Roman Church has to be the sole place on earth where ALL the evil emanates from. It is truly in ever knuck and cranny of so many lives. This is truly a beast that ALL the world wonders after!

"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."--Notes to Luke 2:8. part 2, page 91.

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.

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.

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

Christmas a Catholic invention? And EVERYONE is doing it? Surprised? Fact is, Scriptures declare that ALL the world will do as this beast declares. For it is not only the WHORE OF BABYLON, it is also the MOTHER OF HARLOTS according to Revelation 17:5. Harlots are WOMEN are they not? And in prophecy, women = churches do they not? (See Jer. 6:2) So you see, the Bible is rather accurate in describing that a "Christian" church will be doing BABYLONIAN rituals and she will also teach all the other churches of the world to do the same.

In other words, you can thank the Roman Catholic Church for almost ALL the doctrinal statements in your church that have pagan origins tied to them. Some of you reading this Newsletter may be doing Catholic rituals without even realizing it. For a little more info on this, see this Newsletter of Sept, 19, 1999.

Think about this 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 supposedly comes down a chimney to place gifts underneath a pine tree. Now guess what happens when that child comes to a certain age where he or she understands right from wrong. Could it be age 5, 7, or 9 perhaps? The child realizes one day that mommy and daddy have been lying to him the whole time! And not only that, this child now realizes that IT WORKED!!! He actually realizes that his parents lied to him and HE BELIEVED THEM! He honestly realizes down deep in his heart that the lie was believed hook, line and sinker! So now he has concrete evidence that lying is a resourceful tool that he can use to his advantage. And his very own loving parents taught him this tool from Hell.

"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, 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. -The Library of Universal Knowledge "

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 billions 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.

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 does he not? He is by definition, Omniscient.

Who do we have to thank for all this Pagan infiltration in our lives? PLEASE, don't take my word for it. The Roman Catholic church ADMITS this very fact. Take their word for it.

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!!"

The Catholic church is openly declaring that they are that "Christian church that is doing Babylonian acts" in Revelation by that statement! Notice this list of Pagan rituals and symbols that Catholicism has introduced into Christianity. (Click here) ALL "so called" Protestant Churches are taking part in many of these as well. After viewing the facts on that page how can anyone honestly say that you would still wonder who the WHORE OF BABYLON is? It's really that graphic folks! It's really that obvious, and thanks to the prophetic fact that we are living in the days “when knowledge should increase,” we now have veritable historic documentation to back it up! WE HAVE THE PROOF NOW!

Our Lord rightly demands more of us than of those that look elsewhere for peace. He does this simply because we have been blessed with the opportunity to live in the age of wonderful research and discovery "when knowledge should increase" as Daniel spoke of in Chapter 12 of his book. Plus, the Bible has been in our native tongue several hundred years now without “open” Roman Catholic persecution for reading it. In the glorious and peace filled light of this situation, we would certainly deserve severe condemnation from above for our ignorance if we should continue to honor the Pagan traditions of Babylon, or shall I put it plainly, IDOL WORSHIP.

Many upright Christians in the past have taken part in this old Pagan festival to some extent, and of these I see no reason for criticism. For they simply did it in ignorance. Thank the Lord for His "winking" at our times of ignorance as His Word says He did in, Acts 17:30 as well as in 1Timothy 1:13. The Roman Catholic Council of Valencia of 1229ad made absolutely certain that Bibles were NOT to be found in their possession. So many were unable to find certain Bible facts for themselves. And if they were found with His Word in their homes, they would certainly die a cruel torturous death if they did not relinquish that Book and deny their understanding of it. In this enlightened age it is indeed high time to proclaim: "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 Corinthians. 6:15,16. Still many Christians, not only Catholics, but Protestants as well, continue year by year embracing the Sun worshipping Christmas festival to honor the old idol relics under a Christian garb. Is it any wonder so many embrace SUNday as the Christian Sabbath? They have been conditioned for years to accept all that Baal has to offer by simply placing Jesus Christ into the mix.

I have noticed other downfalls to this Pagan Christmas season as well. I recall some years back when I lived in the Chicago area. A man killed his fellow man at a gas station holdup on Christmas eve. When asked why he did it he said, "I needed the money to buy Christmas gifts for my children." Is this what Jesus would have us do? Is this proving to be 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 Christmas gifts for his siblings. In the suicide note, the child figured his death would allow extra money for his siblings. 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 Christmas day? Was this designed to occur by Jesus, or Satan? I recall as a child, I was made fun of because I didn't receive as many toys on Christmas as everyone else did because we were poor. Is this an activity that a blessed season would encourage? Or is this designed to occur by a devil that 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 Christmas season? Did you also know that December 25th is consistently the highest recorded day of the year for suicide year after year? 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? LOOK AROUND! The Christmas Season glorifies SATAN! It does not glorify Jesus at all!

For what's it worth. Christmas falls on the EXACT DAY of the Pagan celebration of the birth of their Sun god Mithra. The name Christ-Mass has its origin in Satanic as well as Pagan beliefs both stemming from Sun worship. The early "example" of our Christian Church did NOT celebrate the birth of Christ. In fact Jesus made special note NOT to mention His date of birth in His Word because of what the earlier church did at Sinai. Plus early Christians spoke out against those that did celebrate the obvious Pagan festival of Christmas. Their basis of argument was an exposure of its obvious Pagan Sun worshipping links. The gift giving was first celebrated by the Sun worshipping Pagans at the time of year they celebrate the re-birth of the Sun god. The stockings hanging at the fireplace were adopted from the tales surrounding Father Christmas of the Babylonian Sun worshipping Church. The yule tide log points directly to the sex and fertility Sun gods of the Pagan as well as the "12 days" they would play their XXX rated Pagan games. The candles are also lighted this time of year by the Babylonian Pagan. The mistletoe has its origin in the pre-Christian Druidic superstitions. The lie of Santa Clause itself has Satan's mark of approval on it in a very graphic manner. It even has the ability to convince loving parents the world over to TEACH their very own children that lying is a very powerful tool they can use! Plus, all that Santa Clause is can be found as a blasphemous mockery of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. Men the world over commit armed robberies and even kill people to get cash to buy their children Christmas gifts on this day! Suicide is at its peak on this one day year after year. There are reports of children committing suicide on this day. Depression runs rampant throughout the land in the hearts of literally billions during the Pagan Christmas season. Even the colors of red and green are what the High Priests would look for in days past as EVIDENCE their was a plague running rampant in the house. (See Lev. 14:33-39) Christmas trees are the chosen place of Sun worship for many Pagans throughout Biblical history. And yes, even Jeremiah warns that it is the house of the heathen that sports the tree of Sun worshipping Pagan this time of year. So I ask you, are you a member of a Christian Church? Or are you in a Church that Revelation 17:5 describes? Think about that simple fact for a moment. The Word tells us in prophecy that a "Christian Church" will do Sun worshipping BABYLONIAN acts. So much so, that the Lord proclaims a declaration such as this in prophecy...

And also understand that Revelation tells us that the TRUE Remnant of Jesus Christ will NOT be defiled by these churches that do these acts.

The true child of God will follow the Lord Jesus “withersoever he goeth.” They will not be directed by the "traditions of men" that go directly and openly against the Word of their God. Please understand the simplicity of this Bible fact. In 1 Corinthians 10:21 it warns, "Ye cannot drink the cup of the Lord, and the cup of devils: ye cannot be partakers of the Lord's table, and of the table of devils." To have Truth of the Lord's table intertwined with the lies of the devil's table is deadly! You cannot mix truth with error. THAT is Babylon!

If I were to summarize the sin being embraced at Christmas in one sentence? I would have to say this... "It is Sun worship mixed with Christianity. The very same thing that anger the Lord at Mt' Sinai!" As for me and mine, we will ;ove and serve the Lord. And how we do this is in fact illustrated in His Word. All else is merely the of the enemy.

The most dangerous thing I see with this is that sooner or later EVERYONE realizes that Santa Clause and all that encircles Christmas is an easily proven fable. So most of us simply come to a place were we dismiss it. Problem with that is MANY also decide that Christianity must also be a fable as well simply because of the way it is mixed with Paganism! And THAT is deadly!

I repeat: 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? LOOK AROUND! The Christmas Season glorifies SATAN! It does not glorify Jesus at all!

INTERESTING 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:

"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

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God Richly Bless.. we got to keep that good fight to the very end my brother.....