Light on the Rock Blogs
Can we really put Christ back into Christmas?
Would Christ want that? Would YOU really want that?
During this time of the year it is not unusual to see Facebook postings urging us all to put Christ back into Christmas, and to say “Merry Christmas” instead of “Happy holidays”. We’re reminded that “Jesus is the reason for the season”. I’m sure you’ve seen those.
I love my Savior. I love the story of his birth that is given in two of the gospel accounts, though two other gospels don’t mention his birth at all. Were you aware of that? But what I don’t like, and will have no part in, is proclaiming our Savior’s birth and Christmas are synonymous. They’re not. Nor is this just a little thing. Either Christ always was in Christmas or he wasn’t. If he wasn’t, then associating a pagan-originated celebration with our holy Savior – is simply a lie. And remember: Christ said to worship in spirit and TRUTH.
Any of you who have come to our website for any length of time know we have proven that our Savior was born in the autumn, certainly nowhere near December 25. We also know beyond any doubt that Dec 25 was a well-established day of celebrating the returning sun after the winter solstice. In fact many religions celebrated it also as the day of birth of their own pagan god – but not the son of God. That’s for sure. Just do your own searches. Start with a Google search of “Pagan origins of Christmas” and see what you find.
I’ve discussed these things in previous sermons. Just write “Christmas” into the search bar of this site and my teachings and blogs will pop up.
The truth is, Yeshua’s (Jesus’) actual birth had nothing to do with Saturnalia or Christmas celebrations. Scripture doesn’t tell us exactly when it is, though we know it was in the Fall. Some identify it with the Feast of Trumpets or the Feast of Tabernacles – both falling in our Sept-October. I have a sermon about the true story of the Messiah’s birth. And a blog about the likely SPOT where he was born. The links to those are listed at the end of this blog.
Our Savior, Yeshua the Messiah, or you probably call him by his Greek name Jesus Christ, was never in the pagan winter Saturnalia celebrations. And of course he wouldn’t be. Of course he would hate associating his name with that. Our God condemns pagan holidays and commands his children to have nothing to do with them. It is not OK to paste God’s name on to those pagan-rooted celebrations. In fact, as we’ll see, Yah can get angry at that.
So how does God see it?
Deuteronomy 12:1-4
"These are the statutes and judgments which you shall be careful to observe in the land which YHVH God of your fathers is giving you to possess, all the days that you live on the earth. You shall utterly destroy all the places where the nations which you shall dispossess served their gods, on the high mountains and on the hills and under every green tree. And you shall destroy their altars, break their sacred pillars, and burn their wooden images with fire; you shall cut down the carved images of their gods and destroy their names from that place. You shall not worship the Lord your God with such things.”
Deuteronomy 12:29-32
"When YHVH your God cuts off from before you the nations which you go to dispossess, and you displace them and dwell in their land, take heed to yourself that you are not ensnared to follow them, after they are destroyed from before you, and that you do not inquire after their gods, saying, 'How did these nations serve their gods? I also will do likewise.' You shall not worship the Lord your God in that way; for every abomination to the Lord which He hates they have done to their gods; for they burn even their sons and daughters in the fire to their gods.
"Whatever I command you, be careful to observe it; you shall not add to it nor take away from it.”
Deuteronomy 18:9
“When you come into the land which YHVH your Elohim (God) is giving you, you shall NOT learn to follow the abominations of those nations.
Here, Yahweh describes an idol, but it can also sure sound like a Christmas tree.
Jeremiah 10:2-4
Thus says YHVH:
"Do NOT learn the way of the Gentiles;
Do not be dismayed at the signs of heaven,
For the Gentiles are dismayed at them.
For the customs of the peoples are futile;
For one cuts a tree from the forest,
The work of the hands of the workman, with the ax.
They decorate it with silver and gold;
They fasten it with nails and hammers
So that it will not topple.
So what do our “Christian” nations do? We label the days of the week and the months of the year and the names of the planets after pagan gods and goddesses! And then we copied their pagan celebrations, put God’s name on them and pronounced them Christian!
Folks, Yah really does despise having HIS holy name be attached to the Saturnalia, cloaked now in “Christian” garb. It makes it WORSE to put his holy name on to pagan celebrations and revelries he tells us to have nothing to do with – regardless of how beautiful the songs are (and they do have lovely melodies), no matter how colorful and beautiful the Christmas trees are, regardless if we’re singing songs to HIM – in a pagan-based celebrations – it all just becomes more repulsive to our King. I assure you of that. God says he hates it.
Do you remember the story of the gold calf in the Wilderness (see Exodus 32)? Aaron, brother of Moses and High Priest of Israel, made that awful sinful conclusion of thinking if he could just put God’s name on to a pagan worship celebration, maybe doing so would make it alright. It doesn’t. It didn’t. Aaron almost lost his life over it and in fact 3,000 people did die due to the gold calf sin.
Click on “Continue reading” to read what it says in Exodus 32 and why we CANNOT put Christ “back” into Christmas.
Exodus 32:1-10 (especially note verse 5)
“Now when the people saw that Moses delayed coming down from the mountain, the people gathered together to Aaron, and said to him, "Come, make us gods that shall go before us; for as for this Moses, the man who brought us up out of the land of Egypt, we do not know what has become of him."
2 And Aaron said to them, "Break off the golden earrings which are in the ears of your wives, your sons, and your daughters, and bring them to me." 3 So all the people broke off the golden earrings which were in their ears, and brought them to Aaron. 4 And he received the gold from their hand, and he fashioned it with an engraving tool, and made a molded calf. Then they said, "This is your god, O Israel, that brought you out of the land of Egypt!"
5 So when Aaron saw it, he built an altar before it. And Aaron made a proclamation and said, "Tomorrow is a feast to the LORD (YHVH)."
[Did you get that? Do you see what Aaron was trying to do?]
6 Then they rose early on the next day, offered burnt offerings, and brought peace offerings; and the people sat down to eat and drink, and rose up to play.
7 And YHVH said to Moses, "Go, get down! For your people whom you brought out of the land of Egypt have corrupted themselves. 8 They have turned aside quickly out of the way which I commanded them. They have made themselves a molded calf, and worshiped it and sacrificed to it, and said, 'This is your god, O Israel, that brought you out of the land of Egypt!'" 9 And YHVH said to Moses, "I have seen this people, and indeed it is a stiff-necked people! 10 Now therefore, let Me alone, that My wrath may burn hot against them and I may consume them. And I will make of you a great nation."
So I hope you give it careful thought and realize – we cannot put Christ “back” into pagan celebrations he wants nothing to do with. If you want to learn more, check out the sermons and blogs I’ve given on the subject in years past. Below are some of the links to help you find them. Just control-click on the underlined links.
1.Keeping Christmas - does it Matter? by Philip Shields
(Sermon media)
It'sChristmas season again. Most of you who come to this site realize Christmas has very pagan roots, long before Christ was born. But is it OK with God for us to observe Christmas with its pagan roots ...
Created on 05 December 2013
2.PAGANISM in Christianity by Philip Shields
(Sermon media)
...has pagan roots, isn't it OK as long as we "know in our hearts" that we're really worshiping the true God? What about Christmas? If we "keep Christ in Christmas", doesn't that make it OK?.....
Created on 15 December 2012
3.Birth of Jesus - The TRUE Biblical Account by Philip Shields
(Sermon media)
There's a movement to "put Christ back into Christmas". Was Jesus ever in Christmas in the first place? Someone was born on December 25th, but was it Christ? Why would two gospels- Mark and John – totally ignore the story of Christ’s birth?
Created on 07 December 2007
4.Where was the Messiah actually born?
(Blog: Uncategorized)
... not December 25th. So though we do not keepChristmas, we are delighted that God did send his Son to be our savior. Now, where was he born? Everyone knows he was born in Bethlehem ...
Created on 25 December 2014
5.Aaron – and the lesson of Christmas celebrations
(Blog: Light on the Rock Blogs)
...search about “Origins ofChristmascelebrations” or even “PAGAN origins of Christmas” – you’ll very quickly read of the pagan origins for the Christmas tree, yule log, mistletoe, Santa Claus, Dec 25...
Created on 14 December 2014
6.Hanukkah. Is it OK for believers in Yeshua to keep it?
(Blog: Light on the Rock Blogs)
... Hanukkah? Some feel it is merely a Jewish counterbalance toChristmas. Others believe it is a Jewish festivity not mentioned in Scripture. What’s true? Should you and I – believers in Yeshua - -keep ...
Created on 08 December 2012
(Blog: Light on the Rock Blogs)
...“Christian” – and we’re told they are to honor Christ. So we have Easter eggs and bunnies somehow mingled with the resurrection story. We haveChristmastrees somehow dedicated to Christ…..
Created on 02 April 2012
Thank you for listening and I hope you will worship our God in spirit and in TRUTH. There’s nothing truthful about the Santa Claus and flying reindeer story. There’s nothing truthful about saying Yeshua was born on December 25th. Nor did the magi show up at the same time as the shepherds. Hear the sermon about the true story of Jesus’ birth.
Have a wonderful sabbath and week coming up.
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