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Christmas is okay? Since when? Where in the Bible do we find this man-made word that originated as "Christ-masse" from the Catholic Church? Where are we told to chop down trees and decorate them? For those who insist "we're doing it for Jesus" I'd like to remind you that the sons of Aaron thought they were doing God a favor, too, when they decided to add incense to their sacrifice's smoke (Leviticus 10:1-2; Numbers 3:4; Numbers 26:61). Since YHWH is the same yesterday, today and forever (Hebrews 13:8), why would He be "tolerant" of paganism today?
YHWH amply warned us against the incorporation of pagan concepts:
Jeremiah 10: 1 Hear the word Adonai speaks to you, house of Isra'el! 2 Here is what Adonai says: "Don't learn the way of the Goyim, don't be frightened by astrological signs, even if the Goyim are afraid of them; 3 for the customs of the peoples are nothing. They cut down a tree in the forest; a craftsman works it with his axe; 4 they deck it with silver and gold. They fix it with hammer and nails, so that it won't move. 5 Like a scarecrow in a cucumber patch, it cannot speak. It has to be carried, because it cannot walk. Do not be afraid of it - it can do nothing bad; likewise, it is unable to do anything good!"
While the above Scripture isn't talking about "Christmas trees" per se, we can certainly see the resemblance! We also need to remember that God used to put people to death for gross disobedience, or worshipping Him with "strange fire":
Leviticus 10: 1 But Nadav and Avihu, sons of Aharon, each took his censer, put fire in it, laid incense on it, and offered unauthorized fire before Adonai, something he had not ordered them to do. 2 At this, fire came forth from the presence of Adonai and consumed them, so that they died in the presence of Adonai.
The Prophet Daniel also warned us about those who incorporate paganism into our worship of YHWH, revealing the "Antichrist" who twists the Word of God:
Daniel 7: He will speak words against the Most High and try to exhaust the holy ones of the Most High. He will attempt to alter the seasons and the law; and [the holy ones] will be handed over to him for a time, times and half a time.
What set times Daniel is Daniel talking about? The Seventh Day Sabbath and the Biblical Feasts! Who is an "antichrist" but the person(s) who plays around with YHWH's Word - those who have decided that His Biblical Feasts and Seventh Day Sabbath has somehow been abolished, and come up with their own "holy days" of Christmas and Easter....And let's face it: Christmas is all about the LIE of Santa Claus. Since when is lying acceptable?
Check out this scripture:
Revelation 11: 10 The inhabitants of the earth will gloat over them and will celebrate by sending each other gifts, because these two prophets had tormented those who live on the earth.
What's it got to do with our topic of Christmas? Well, the inhabitants of the earth will gloat over the death of the two witnesses and will celebrate by sending each other gifts, because these two prophets had tormented those who live on the earth. A future event? Possibly. But this illustrates the inspiration in our common age for the inhabitants of the earth to be exchanging gifts - which also happens to be a yearly ritual for "Christmas" - where everyone gives each other gifts! The three Wise Men gave gifts to YESHUA, not each other!
The fact is, many Christians have never bothered reading the "Old Testament". The first five Books are known as "Torah" (which contains YHWH's Divine instruction to mankind) without which we would have no blueprint for moral, holy living. Yet, for some reason Christian have allowed MAN's limited mindset to get in the way of God's Word, and come up with all sorts of reasons not to obey God. Following are some excuses Christians use to absolve themselves of any responsibility to obey God:
- It doesn't matter if we call the Savior by his proper name, or the Father for that matter. To us, God is "Jesus."
- It doesn't matter when we celebrate the Savior's birth as long as we celebrate it. We know Yeshua was born at Sukkot (Feast of Tabernacles, which falls during the September/October timeframe on our Gregorian calendars) but we can celebrate his birth any old time. He doesn't mind. (To those I would ask, "Are sheep kept out in the fields in late December?"....If not, we've got the WRONG date and are guilty of lying!)
- Gentile Christians don't have to bother with Torah, as evidenced in all of Paul's writings....(To which I would ask, "So, why was Paul caught being Torah observant 29 years AFTER the death of Yeshua? See Acts 21:23-24. Since Yeshua was completely Torah observant, and all of His Apostles were, too, what makes Christians think they don't have to be?)
Regardless as to how many excuses one can concoct, wrong is wrong! Why? Because the bottom line is: The wise men didn't exchange gifts with one another which blows a hole in the gift exchanging thing among Christians at Christmas time. The guy with the frankincense didn't trade with the guy who had the gold, or with anyone else; they all brought gifts to Yeshua. Where is Yeshua's gift today? How many people even THINK about our Savior on Christmas? Perhaps the few who attend church on Christmas Eve, but the rest of the world couldn't care less. Even atheists "celebrate" Christmas....
In light of the above, what makes us think we today have the right to disobey YHWH's command not to engage in paganism? For those who believe that we have the right to worship God however we want, because "Jesus did away with the Law", please read all about Hebraic/Netzarim Faith, Why the Biblical feasts are so important and Torah put in simple terms, which is probably the most important article on this website.
For a more indepth explanation about the history of Christmas, please check out My Father's Space and Richard Rives' Too Long in the Sun. To discover Yeshua's true birthdate, please see On What Day Was Jesus Born by Michael Scheifler.
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