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THE HISTORY BEHIND THE CHRISTMAS TRADITION When was Jesus born? Neither the Bible nor any known writings claim to record His birth date. All available information supports an earlier time of the year for His birth. Then WHY do we observe DECEMBER 25TH? This date was first officially recognized on Roman calendars about 336 A.D. (sanctioned by Pope Julius in 350 A.D.) having been decreed by Pope Sylvester in 320 A.D. to coincide with the sun-god feast, Saturnalia. Indeed, Rome was originally called "Saturnia", city of Saturn, after the Babylonian sun-god. Saturn ("the hidden one") is the secret name that was revealed only to members of the mysterious Babylonian religion (The Brotherhood). The connection is clear. But the Romans did not invent the festival. December 25th was celebrated worldwide for thousands of years before Jesus was born under various names - all commemorating variations of the false trinity consisting of a father, mother and child. The mother is the queen of heaven while the child is the false messiah (god of light). As Alexander Hislop (The Two Babylons) clearly demonstrates, the various stories are based on historical fact. It began in ancient Babylon where Semiramis, the mother and wife of Nimrod (the "rebel"), tried to retain her power after his death by marrying another (later-born) son (Tammuz) and declaring him to be the reincarnated Nimrod. Through migration this story spread throughout the world. Father is also called Baal, Osiris, Orion, Molech, Saturn, Odin, Cupid, Seb (Shu), etc. and is symbolized by the yule log. The mother is also, Ishtar, Astarte, Venus, Diana, Aurora, Aphrodite, Isis, etc. and is symbolized by the mother holding the infant child. The child (or yule), is also known as moon god, Lord of Misrule, (wantonness and drunkenness), Bacchus, Thor, Lord of the Fir-tree, and Horus. One example is most enlightening. This shows Aurora as the goddess of the dawn giving birth to the "light bringer" -who is to enlighten the world (Memnon). Isn't it interesting that Lucifer is referred to as "son of the morning" (Isaiah 14:12)? The Bible tells us that "Satan himself is transformed into an angel of light" "which deceiveth the whole world" (II Cor. 11:14; Rev. 12:9) (see THE TWO BABYLONS, Alexander Hislop, 1862). December 25th is not the birthday of Jesus or a Christian tradition. However, it has been decreed to be a Roman Catholic holiday. Cardinal Newman, in his book, admits that all holidays, seasons of devotion and images are of pagan origin. Christmas was adopted from the worldwide celebration of the re-birth of the sun-god (anti-christ) which was marked by drunken, de-baucherous orgies. Not what we thought is it? Was Christmas "christianized" by Church adoption? The simple answer is NO! The Encyclopedia Britannica informs us that “the festival of the nativity was not observed in the primitive church”(Encyclopedia Britannica, 7th Ed., 1830-1842). Neither the apostles nor the early church celebrated His birth, at all. In 245 A.D., keeping His birthday was declared to be a sin. The Reformation Protestants did not, Puritans and Pilgrims even outlawed it in the 1600's, and as late as 1855 Presbyterians, Baptists and Methodists refused to recognize it as a holiday. Public schools in Boston were still open for classes on December 25th as late as 1870. In fact, Webster's Dictionary tells us that as late as 1913 many States did not even recognize it as a legal holiday (Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary, 1913 Ed., p. 253). Christmas did not begin to be a legal holiday anywhere in the United States of America until the 19th century when Alabama became the first state to succumb to its spellbinding influence in 1836. The modern Christmas tree was not introduced to this country by Germans until the 19th century. The annual tradition of erecting a Christmas tree at the White House did not begin until 1889, and the first National Christmas Tree was not erected until 1923 in Washington, D.C., some 147 years after the birth of our nation and 316 years after the first permanent English settlement in America (est. 1607, Jamestown, Virginia, named after the Christian King James I of England). (Because of its heathen roots, Easter too was dismissed as a pagan holiday by the nation's founding Puritans and did not begin to be widely observed until after the Civil War era coinciding with the spread of Roman Catholicism). For a period of three hundred years, from the first permanent English settlement in America in 1607, the majority of Bible believing Christians did not celebrate Christmas in America. But with the influx of Roman Catholics since the mid to late 1800's the practice spread and gained acceptance by all but the "remnant". Charles A. Goodrich, a Christian minister and writer in the year 1830, wrote: “The present depressed state of Popery, both in England, and on the continent [North America], is no proof that its leading principles [propagation of pagan doctrines, persecution of Protestant Christians] have been abandoned. By means of various revolutions, its power has been shaken, and, from motives of policy, it has been compelled to cease from blood [burning people at the stake];”but, in the language of a distinguished divine of our own country, ‘not a principle of the system has been abandoned. All the wiles of ages are put in requisition now, to heal the fatal wounds, which the beast has received, and to render the system still more powerful [influential] and terrific.’ To the American people, this subject presents itself with peculiar interest. Within a short period, the attention of the Pope of Rome has been directed to North America, and systematic efforts are now making, under his immediate patronage, and at his expense, to introduce and establish this corrupt system, in various parts of our land. Already, Catholic churches are erecting; Catholic priests and emissaries are arriving by scores; publications, designed to eulogize and recommend the system, are circulating abroad. The question presents itself to the American people: ‘Shall this system find encouragement, in the land of the pilgrims?’ We fear not, indeed, that Popery can ever greatly flourish on the American soil; but such a root of bitterness, we wish not to see planted here, much less spreading its branches to even the temporary injury of the Protestant cause. Yet, while the friends of truth should not be needlessly alarmed, neither should they sleep. A holy vigilance should guard well the approaches of an enemy, whose triumphs here would be the ruin of that fair fabric, which cost our fathers so much toil to erect. What friend of Zion does not tremble, at only the possibility that papal darkness and papal thraldom may overspread even a portion of our country.... It is only necessary that the volume [Foxe's Book Of Martyrs] should be carefully and candidly read, to convince [any one], that the papal system is not that harmless, innocent thing, which some would represent. We wish not, indeed, that the papists should be persecuted; we would say, protect them in their private capacity, wherever they exist in the land; but beware of so encouraging them, as to bring the American people, under their temporal and spiritual domination.... A Church, which pretends to be infallible, will always seek the destruction of those, who dissent from it;” (Charles A. Goodrich, Book Of Martyrs, Hartford, Connecticut, printed by Philemon Canfield, 1830, pp. 3,4. *Dr. Beecher's Missionary Sermon) What does "Christmas" actually mean? The word "CHRISTMAS" is, itself, an unholy mixture of Christ and Mass. "CHRIST" means "anointed" from the greek word "Cris-tos". To Christians it refers to Jesus as The Christ, but to the catholic it may refer to the Pope as the Vicar of Christ. Popery has declared, the pope ..."holds upon the earth the place of God Almighty,... is Christ in office, jurisdiction and power and ... in clinging to thee (pope) we cling to Christ...." (Vatican Council of 1870). There is good cause to wonder to whom glory is given during the mass. (While the pope of Rome expects his followers to bow or kneel before him, the apostle Peter, whom the Catholic church believes was the “first pope”, forbid anyone to bow before him: “And as Peter was coming in, Cornelius met him, and fell down at his feet, and worshipped him. But Peter took him up, saying, Stand up; I myself also am a man.” Acts 10:25,26.) The word "MASS" comes from the latin root "mittere" (to send) and derives from "missa" (to dismiss). Could "merry christ-mas" actually mean to merrily dismiss Jesus as Christ? (to replace the historical Biblical Christ with the Roman Catholic Christ?) The Roman church declares the mass to be a sacrament (sacrifice) in which Jesus is physically sacrificed each time as the wafer and wine actually are transformed into the body and blood of Jesus which are then consumed by the officiating priest. This “unbloody sacrifice” is supposed to pay for the sins of both the living and dead (But, see Hebrews 7:27, 9:22 & 27-8, click here to view Scriptures). This "transubstantiation" of the wafer into the body of Jesus is so serious that if the priest vomits after eating it he is told to consume the vomit so that the "wafer-god" is properly revered: “If the Priest should reject (evomat) [vomit] the Eucharist...let them be reverently eaten again...." (Defects: From The Roman Missal, 1854, p. 29; The Catholic Hand-book, 1851, p. 61; The Roman Catholic Hierarchy, 1915, p. 152; The Fundamentals of Protestantism, 1915, p. 111). The ritual uses only round wafers/cakes emblazoned with the letters "IHS" which the Roman church claims is latin for "Jesus the savior of men". But for centuries before Jesus such round wafer/cakes (the sun) have been offered to the queen of heaven (Jer. 7:18) and in Egypt, for example, the round wafers had the same initials "IHS" which stood for the unholy trinity Isis, Horus and Seb (Shu). The balance of the mass is equally suspect. In 1765 Jonathan Mayhew, a Congregationalist minister, Harvard graduate and Pastor of The West Church in Boston, published a sermon entitled “Popish Idolatry.” In this sermon Mayhew addressed, among other idolatrous practices, the popish doctrine of transubstantiation. In his published sermon, Mayhew stated, “The Romanists do not pretend to deny, but that all the five senses bear testimony against it, as much as they possibly could if it were false, or if the bread and wine remained after the juggling, hocus-pocus trick, which they term consecration.... For the truth of the Christian revelation itself depends on the truth of certain facts, by which there was an appeal made to the senses of men; particularly the miracles and resurrection of our Saviour.... Thus does the church of Rome, by this doctrine, subvert the very foundations of Christianity.... transubstantiation is the grossest imposition and insult, that ever the priesthood itself put upon the superstitious credulity of mankind. This doctrine then, being plainly false, the church of Rome is certainly guilty of idolatry, in worshipping the eucharist as true God.” (Popish Idolatry, Jonathan Mayhew, 1765, pp. 11,12). For more than three centuries, the vast majority of American pulpits reverberated with the sound doctrine of the Holy Scriptures. As late as 1953 the Book OF Common Prayer of the Episcopal church in America describes Romish “Masses” and “Transubstantiation” as “blasphemous fables, and dangerous deceits.”(Article 31, p. 609). Ministers of the gospel knew the true source of man's salvation as revealed in the scriptures. They also knew the source of man's depraved nature and his inclination to follow dangerous heresies. And this is why pastors of churches regularly preached against false doctrines and cunningly devised fables, thereby preventing the Romish doctrines from gaining a foothold in America for nearly three centuries. It is only in the last two generations that many, if not most, American Christians have become ignorant of the history of the world, of the history of their nation, and of the history of the churches both at home and abroad. CONCLUSION Other familiar Christmas traditions such as mistletoe; evergreen trees, boughs and wreaths; exchanging gifts; burning of incense and candles; revering mother and child; yule log; christmas goose; wassailing (punch) bowl; etc. all have the same pagan roots. Rational people can only conclude that Christmas festivities are nothing more than idolatrous rituals to which the name "Christian" has been added. This unholy mixture did not fool the early church or the Puritans and Pilgrims. Neither should we be fooled. "Learn not the way of the heathen ... For the customs of the people are vain" (Jer. 10:2-3). "Abstain from all appearance of evil." (I Thess. 5:22). "Come out from among them, and be ye separate, saith the Lord, and touch not the unclean thing; and I will receive you" (II Cor. 6:17). For a more in-depth study of the “Mystery of Iniquity” and the role of the Roman Catholic Church in history and prophecy please make the time to read Alexander Hislop’s classic masterpiece – “The Two Babylons” |