God said: “Learn not the ways of the heathen ….  For the customs of the people (Gentiles/heathen) are vain, for one cuts a tree out of the forest … with an axe.  They adorn it with silver and gold and fasten it with nails and hammers ….” (Jer. 10:2-5).  Research the history of “Christmas” and one will find that the custom was practiced many generations before the birth of Jesus of Nazareth.  The customs surrounding the pagan holiday “descended from seasonal, pagan, religious and national practices, hedged in with legend and traditions” —Encyclopedia Britannica 15th edition.  Long before Christ was born people were celebrating the winter solstice.  Some formed their religions around the holiday season by decorating their homes with boughs of greenery and mistletoe and by placing a tree inside homes and decorating it with brightly colored ornaments.  In many areas “yule logs” were burned.  The word “yule” was in reference to the sun.  Burning it represented the sun’s light and heat.  Early on, those who practiced such activities were sun worshipers.  During the “yule tide season” yule logs were often formed in a circle representing the sun.  Other popular rituals were observed, meals were shared, gifts were exchanged and family visitations were at an annual peak.  In some areas parades were popular.  Among the Romans the season was known for its sex orgies.  Mistletoe was thought to heighten sexual desire.  So popular was the season that it became associated with religion.  Sun worship was very popular among heathen societies.  No less than seven gods supposedly were either born on December 25 or had their annual observance on that day for it was the time period when the sun began to be “born” each year, meaning to rise higher in the air and to become hotter.

Over time Christianity co-opted the holiday.  Festivities to honor the sun and its annual “birth” day were eventually taken over by the so-called Christian faith and was designated as the birthday of Jesus Christ.  In spite of God’s command to the contrary, joining the holy with the profane supposedly did not affect the church’s relationship with Him (Eze. 22:26/44:23).  Nothing has changed.  God forbids the celebration of Christmas regardless of the reason for doing so.  Read the series with the word Christmas in them.  Key word–Christmas.

Now let us look into the time of Jesus’s birth and see if what is known about it fits what is believed to be the birthday of the Messiah–December 25. First, let us not overlook the fact that nowhere in the Holy Bible are we instructed to celebrate birthdays.  Note that when dates are celebrated relative to individuals, they are death dates.  In God’s eyes one’s death is more important than one’s birth.

We are about to enter the most celebrated date on the church’s calendar–Christmas.  Preparations for the big event have been going on for about a month.  This event is of indisputably pagan origin.  December 25 is traditionally used by both ancient and modern Gentiles to commemorate the birth of their sun god.  The irony is that we do not know the exact date of Christ’s birth.  However, we do know that it was not in the dead of winter, but rather in autumn.  I contend that if God wanted the birth date of His Son celebrated He would have told us the exact date.  That truth is annually and routinely ignored by billions of people every year around this time.  Which is nothing new.  My annual anti-Christmas message falls on deaf ears every day.  Relative to being ignored and rejected for stating God’s Word, I am in good company, for such was the reaction to the ministries of such luminaries as the Old Testament prophets, the New Testament apostles and the Messiah Himself.  And what’s more, He warned that this would be the case without exception.

For the next four weeks people will be spending money to make the holiday as fleshly as possibly while telling others to put Jesus back in Christmas.  JESUS WAS NEVER IN CHRISTMAS, IS NOT IN CHRISTMAS AND WILL NEVER BE IN CHRISTMAS.  The pagan holiday is an abomination to Him.  Read the series titled Christmas, using that word as the key.  L.J.