Christmas is the merriest time of the year for many people in western society according to many Christmas advertisers, community leaders, ministers, parents, children and certainly merchants. People strive to get themselves into a festive holiday mood, even though some of them will put burdens on their financial well-being. Some will borrow to purchase gifts for others for a myriad of reasons, some not fully understood.
Many will lie to their children about Santa Claus, a mythical gift-giving being who lives in the North Pole, who delivers gifts to millions in a 24 hour period on Christmas Eve. Santa could not deliver the gifts made by his elves in his North Pole workshop without the speed of his magical reindeer who have the power of flight.
Small children delight in this story and many can hardly wait until Christmas morning to open the gifts that Santa has delivered while they slept. Many of children will be delighted with the gifts they receive but some will not. Some will wish for more or different gifts and some will not receive very many or any gifts. Some will be jealous of the gifts others have received and will wonder why Santa didn’t bring them a more desirable gift or gifts like some of their small friends received.
Some will wonder why they didn’t get a certain gift they wished to receive, were they naughty or not nice enough like the Christmas songs and poems proclaimed. Even more, sadness is felt when their gift breaks or is torn by the family pet or when siblings want to play with their gifts. What are these feeling and emotions that arise on Christmas days and afterward when children wish for different gifts, more gifts and don’t want to share their gifts with someone else?
Adults too, sometimes experience feelings other than happiness when they when they are around inconsiderate people when shopping in crowded stores when others try to shove them aside to get at a special low priced item they want to buy and also regret returning a gift they didn’t want or like.
What about the feelings that get hurt when a person doesn’t get invited to a social event or Christmas party or sometimes does attend a Christmas party only to be offended by someone’s callous remarks or actions maybe because of too much alcohol or drugs that cause them to lower their inhibitions. Even family gatherings sometimes result in hurt feelings or even anger because not all family members love one another even when the Christmas spirit is supposed to abound.
Many people do good works at Christmas by volunteering their time to distribute gifts and food to less fortunate than themselves. There are many who cannot afford gifts or food for their families because they are unemployed for many reasons. There are many single mothers in western societies that depend on welfare to feed and clothe their children who cannot afford the gifts their children and observe other children receiving gifts at Christmas, just imagine how those children feel when they not only do not receive nice expensive gifts at Christmas, but barely have enough to eat and warm clothes to wear, let alone warm new clothes. Also, imagine how the single mother must feel when she can’t provide enough food, shelter, and clothing for her children. Does Christmas the day many believe is the merriest time of year make these people feel merry?
Many people also believe Christmas is the most Holy Day of the year as a once president of the United States called it during his presidency and by the actions of thousands of religious Christian clergy over centuries, it would be understandable why many believe Christmas is a sacred Holy Day. But, not according to the scriptures as recorded in the English Bible the most read and quoted book in the history of the world.
Christians all over the world wrongly believe that Christmas day is a day to celebrate the birth of the Messiah the wrongly believe was named Jesus Christ thus the name Christmas. Many of them know the scriptures do not have any message or command to celebrate the birth of the Messiah whose name was and is Yahshua.
Read YNCAs article” The Mistaken J”.
The Scriptures tell that getting the name of the Messiah correct is vital for salvation.
Read YNCAs article” How The Creators Name Was Changed and Why We Should Care.”
• Christmas a man-made myth.
Here is a fact and not a myth in the Bible: There is no salvation for anyone calling on the false name Jesus Christ. This statement may startle many people and make them reject it because their ministers, priests and religious scholars have taught them that by calling on the Name of Jesus Christ as their personal savior they will be saved and go to Heaven immediately upon the death of their physical body another myth, not in the Bible. In fact, the Scriptures do not explain how to receive eternal life, but eternal life does not come from keeping false holy days and using the false name of the Messiah and his Father Yahweh.
• Christmas myth no secret.
CHRISTMAS
The observance of Christmas is not of divine appointment, nor is it of N. T. origin. The day of Christ’s birth cannot be ascertained from the N. T., or, indeed, from any other source. The fathers of the first three centuries do not speak of any special observance of the nativity. The baptism of Jesus was celebrated in the Eastern Church by A.D. 220, but not in the Western until the fourth century, and the Eastern Church finally adopted the Christmas festival from the Western (about A.D. 380). Some writers (e. g. Cave, Primitive Christianity, pt. 1, ch. 7, p. 194) trace the observance to the 2 d century, about the time of emperor Commodus. Cave cites, to prove that it was observed before the time of Constantine, the following sad story from Baronius
(An. 301, p. 41): “While the persecution raged under Diocletian, who then kept his court at Nicomedia, the tyrant, finding multitudes of Christians, young and old, met together to celebrate Christ’s nativity, commanded the church door to be shut, and fire put to it, which reduced them and the church to ashes.” But it is historically certain that the Christmas festival proper “is of the comparatively late institution. This may doubtless be accounted for in the following manner. In the first place, the Old Testament, as in the case of Easter and Pentecost, presented no corresponding festival. In the second place, the day and month of the birth of Christ are nowhere stated in the Gospel history, and cannot be certainly determined.
Again, the Church lingered at first about the death and resurrection of Christ, the completed fact of redemption, and made this the center of the weekly worship and the Church year. Finally, the earlier feast of Epiphany afforded a substitute. The artistic religious impulses, however, which produced the whole Church year, must sooner or later have called into existence a festival which forms the groundwork of all other annual festivals in honor of Christ” (Schaff, l. c.). To account for the origin of Christmas, therefore, it is not necessary to trace it, as some writers do, to the feast of dedication celebrated by the Jews; or, as others do, to the heathen Saturnalia. Jablonski endeavors to show that it originated with the Basilidians in Egypt (Opuscula, 2:372).
“The institution may be sufficiently explained by the circumstance that it was the taste of the age to multiple festivals, and that the analogy of other events in our Savior’s history, which had already been marked by a distinct celebration; may naturally have pointed out the propriety of marking his nativity with the same honorable distinction.
It was celebrated with all the marks of respect usually bestowed on high festivals, and distinguished also by the custom, derived probably from heathen antiquity, of interchanging presents and making entertainments.” At the same time, the heathen winter holidays (Saturnalia, Juvenalia, Brumalia) were undoubtedly transformed, and, so to speak, sanctified by the establishment of the Christmas cycle of holidays; and the heathen customs, so far as they were harmless (e. g. the giving of presents, lighting tapers, etc.), were brought over into Christian use.
(From McClintock and Strong Encyclopedia, Electronic Database. Copyright © 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006 by Biblesoft, Inc. All rights reserved.)
Many people know that Christmas is not a Holy Day commanded to be observed in the Scriptures as are The Feasts of Tabernacles, Weeks, Unleavened Bread and Passover yet, millions each year spend thousands of dollars and hours observing this myth falsely believing that there is no harm in being festive and giving gifts to others including their children and others. Many have heard the statement there is no harm in giving gifts to others and that would be true if it didn’t do harm to people. The scriptures proclaim that people are not to worship any idols!!
• No Idolatry
In the scriptures, people are warned not to worship any Idols. It is a commandment directly from Yahweh and has not been done away with as religious teachers and leaders have taught for centuries. Trouble is people think an idol is some sort of man-made figures such as a golden calf or Buddha statue but there is much more to what comprises an Idol in the eyes of Yahweh.
Read YNCAs article ” How to Recognize an Idol.”
The scriptures in the books of the Old Testament seem to indicate that an idol is a cast image made by men to kneel down to worship. However, even dictionaries define an idol as something or things more than a cast image or a figure made from wood.
Idol (plural i·dols) n 1. An object of adoration: somebody or something greatly and often fanatically admired and loved.
The above definition is from an idol taken from the Encarta Dictionary. An Idol is something the Creator warns about in the scriptures. The first time the word idol is used in the bible is in the book of Exodus chapter 20. This is the chapter where the Creator, whose name is Yahweh, gives his Ten Commandments to the Israelites.
Ex 20:4-6
4 ” You shall not make for yourself an idol or any likeness of what is in heaven above or on the earth beneath or in the water under the earth. 5 ” You shall not worship them or serve them; for I, Yahweh your Elohim, am a jealous Elohim, visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children, on the third and the fourth generations of those who hate Me, 6 but showing loving kindness to thousands, to those who love Me and keep My commandments.
The word idol is found approximately thirty-nine times in the Bible. The word idols are used approximately one hundred and seventy-three times in the Bible and the word idolatry is used approximately eight times in the Bible, four of which are in the New Testament.
Why would the Creator be so concerned about a cast image (idol) that the scriptures seem to depict is an idol? The Creator Yahweh told the Israelites that he would punish their descendants down to the fourth generation for the sin of idol worship. That seems like harsh punishment indeed for just making a harmless image or idol. Of course, Yahweh would be displeased if people worshiped a harmless idol because that meant people were ignoring Yahweh and his rules, but so what? Yahweh made rules to punish people who chose not to worship him and follow his rules. In fact, Yahweh allowed people to choose whether to worship him or seal their own fate of punishment for false worship. There must be something more to idol worship.
Col 3:5-7
5 Put to death, therefore, whatever belongs to your earthly nature: sexual immorality, impurity, lust, evil desires and greed, which is idolatry. 6 Because of these, the wrath of God is coming.
NT: 2556
kakos (kak-os’); apparently a primary word; worthless (intrinsically, such; whereas NT: 4190 properly refers to effects), i.e. (subjectively) depraved, or (objectively) injurious:
NT: 4190
GREEK poneros (pon-ay-ros’); from a derivative of NT:4192; hurtful, i.e. evil (properly, in effect or influence, and thus differing from NT:2556, which refers rather to essential character, as well as from NT:4550, which indicates degeneracy from original virtue); figuratively, calamitous; also (passively) ill, i.e. diseased; but especially (morally) culpable, i.e. derelict, vicious, facinorous; neuter (singular) mischief, malice, or (plural) guilt; masculine (singular) the devil, or (plural) sinners:
NT:4124
GREEK plenoeci/a
END GREEK pleonexia (pleh-on-ex-ee’-ah); from NT:4123; avarice, i.e. (by implication) fraudulency, extortion:
NT:4123
GREEK pleonektes (pleh-on-ek’-tace); from NT:4119 and NT:2192; holding (desiring) more, i.e. eager for gain (avaricious, hence a defrauder):
(Biblesoft’s New Exhaustive Strong’s Numbers and Concordance with Expanded Greek-Hebrew Dictionary. Copyright © 1994, 2003, 2006 Biblesoft, Inc. and International Bible Translators, Inc.)
The above definitions are from the Greek Interlinear scriptures and give the definition of evil desires and greed as used in the NIV version of the English Bible.
In the view of Yahweh a person or person who commits idolatry is worthless, depraved, degenerate, derelict, guilty, a defrauder, that is eager for gain or an avaricious, vicious person willing to defraud or extort others. An idolater is willing to hurt others to get more for themselves. These people will not inherit eternal life in the Kingdom of Heaven. Idolaters are willing to use deceit, lies and other actions to gain for themselves to the detriment of their fellow man and that is the reason Yahweh dislikes a person who commits idolatry.
Notice carefully what the Apostle told the Colossians in a letter recorded in the New Testament; Greed is Idolatry. Do people teach their children to be greedy and selfish by lavishing gifts upon them Also do children not observe people including their parents strive to have the newest fanciest car, biggest house, most jewels and the most things over others? What is this selfish greedy behavior called if not Idolatry?
Yahweh specifically warns not to decorate a tree for the purpose of Idol worship, just like a Christmas tree under which to give gifts.
Jer 10:1-5
10 Hear what the Lord says to you, O house of Israel. 2 This is what the Lord says:
“Do not learn the ways of the nations or be terrified by signs in the sky, though the nations are terrified by them. 3 For the customs of the peoples are worthless; they cut a tree out of the forest, and a craftsman shapes it with his chisel. 4 They adorn it with silver and gold; they fasten it with hammer and nails so it will not totter.
5 Like a scarecrow in a melon patch, their idols cannot speak; they must be carried because they cannot walk. Do not fear them; they can do no harm nor can they do any good.”
NIV
The entire world has been deceived (Rev.12-9) People have come to believe that keeping non scriptural holidays based man’s pagan heathen ways instead of keeping and observing the Holy Days commanded by Yahweh is correct and scriptural because they have been misled by popular religions and its leaders.
What does Yahweh say about this in the scriptures?
Amos 5:21-24
21 “I hate, I despise your religious feasts; I cannot stand your assemblies. 22 Even though you bring me burnt offerings and grain offerings, I will not accept them.
Though you bring choice fellowship offerings, I will have no regard for them. 23 Away with the noise of your songs! I will not listen to the music of your harps.
24 But let justice roll on like a river, righteousness like a never-failing stream!
NIV
Christmas is a religious feast and day observed by humans by their own design, Yahweh Elohim puts into writing he hates it, just like he hates Idolatry, which is greed, and selfishness, which humans celebrate with their pagan holidays of Christmas, Easter, and Halloween.
If people were to practice the rules in the scriptures to save a portion of their income and give it to those in need and to take care of your family, not be selfish and greedy, honor your parents, do not try and take others goods the world would not have hunger, crimes, and wars. (Deuteronomy 26:12)
Why don’t people follow the scriptures and have better lives? Because they prefer to follow their own desires and practice Idolatry.
2 Tim 4:3-5
3 For the time will come when men will not put up with sound doctrine. Instead, to suit their own desires, they will gather around them a great number of teachers to say what their itching ears want to hear. 4 They will turn their ears away from the truth and turn aside to myths.
NIV
SAD!!