Christmas -- Can You Believe It? -- Part One

Satan gains access to a believer's life very subtly. It reminds me of the passage in Genesis 3:1 that says of the serpent that Satan possessed in the Garden of Eden, "Now the serpent was more subtle than any beast of the field which the LORD God had made. And he said unto the woman, Yea, hath God said, Ye shall not eat of every tree of the garden?" Satan is the master of half-truths. When one casts off obedience to the Word of God, a portal is opened by which Satan gains access and dominion in an individual's life, even as he did in the lives of our great-great-grandparents Adam and Eve.

Jesus said in Luke 12:1:

In the mean time, when there were gathered together an innumerable multitude of people, insomuch that they trode one upon another, he began to say unto his disciples first of all, Beware ye of the leaven of the Pharisees, which is hypocrisy.

The definition of hypocrisy is: "more generally, hypocrisy is simulation, or the assuming of a false appearance of virtue or religion; ...a counterfeiting of religion." [End of quote]

I Corinthians, chapter 5, verses 6-8:

6 Your glorying is not good. Know ye not that a little leaven leaveneth the whole lump?

7 Purge out therefore the old leaven, that ye may be a new lump, as ye are unleavened. For even Christ our passover lamb is sacrificed for us:

8 Therefore let us keep the feast, not with old leaven, neither with the leaven of malice and wickedness; but with the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth.

We need to examine our lives, evict Satan with his influences, and shut the portals.

This presentation concerning the holidays that are observed by much of the world's churches will be given in two parts. Read, consider, and decide.

GOD SAID, Jeremiah 10:1-4:

Learn not the way of the heathen,...

GODSAID, II Corinthians 6:15:

What concord hath Christ with Belial?...

GODSAID, Luke 16:15:

...for that which is highly esteemed among men is abomination in the sight of God,

MAN SAID: It's fine to mix pagan (Satanic) customs with the Lord Jesus Christ. God is not opposed to it. It's a good way to sanitize paganism.

Now THE RECORD. On numerous occasions, the question has arisen on this website whether the Word of God teaches the concept of Christmas and other holidays. The answer to this question will be startling. This truth shall not be well received. The cost of obeying the Word of God in this issue is higher than the vast majority of clergy and their parishioners are willing to pay. A visitor to GodSaidManSaid once wrote, "It's obvious by the messages on this website that you're not interested in being popular." This message will reassert that idea, but you must know that we do not revel in that fact. I must preface this message with Galatians, chapter 4, verse 16:

Am I therefore become your enemy, because I tell you the truth?

The following simple principles must be laid down before our discussion can begin:

• First, how long does it take for a lie to become truth? Of course, the answer is that no amount of time can convert a lie into truth. The passage of time can muddle the issue and make lies carnally acceptable, but never will they become truth, and only truth is acceptable to God. I once asked the congregation the question, "Which is worse, a half-truth, or a 100% lie?" The answer is the half-truth. The initial deception in the Garden of Eden was a half-truth, and the result of embracing half-truth—as well as a 100% lie—was—and is—death. Mixing truth with a lie is a concept highly condemned, as recorded in Revelation, chapter 3, verses 15-16:

15 I know thy works, that thou art neither cold nor hot: I would thou wert cold or hot.

16 So then because thou art lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will spue thee out of my mouth.

Mixing cold with hot, just like mixing light with darkness and lies with truth, is cursed of God. Time can't sanitize lies; neither can the mixing of truth with falsehood sanitize lies. Nevertheless, the majority of confessing Christendom has been busy amalgamating evil into its ranks via these techniques.

• Second, you can't look back through 2,000 years of compromise to ascertain the truth of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. You must bypass the compromise and go back to the source. Jesus was not crucified the day you surrendered your life to Him, but in essence you time-traveled back to the foot of the cross on which Christ was crucified nearly 2,000 years ago. From this point, a true believer must move forward with his (majority-text King James) Bible in hand, carefully conforming to it. By looking back through 2,000 years of compromise, the spirit of gradualism has performed the impossible in the minds of much of confessing Christendom. Lies have become truth, evil has become good, and darkness has become light (Isaiah 5:20). This condition cannot stand if one is to stand accepted of God at that day.

• Third, when the truth of the idolatrous roots of the so-called “Christian holidays” are given light, the common retort is that they are harmless pagan customs. Webster's 1828 dictionary defines pagan as "a heathen; a gentile; an idolater; one who worships false gods." I Chronicals, chapter 16, verse 26 defines false gods as, "For all the gods of the people are idols: but the LORD made the heavens. I Corinthians, chapter 10, verses 14-22:

14 Wherefore, my dearly beloved, flee from idolatry.

15 I speak as to wise men; judge ye what I say.

16 The cup of blessing which we bless, is it not the communion of the blood of Christ? The bread which we break, is it not the communion of the body of Christ?

17 For we being many are one bread, and one body: for we are all partakers of that one bread.

18 Behold Israel after the flesh: are not they which eat of the sacrifices partakers of the altar?

19 What say I then? that the idol is any thing, or that which is offered in sacrifice to idols is any thing?

20 But I say, that the things which the Gentiles sacrifice, they sacrifice to devils, and not to God: and I would not that ye should have fellowship with devils.

21 Ye cannot drink the cup of the Lord, and the cup of devils: ye cannot be partakers of the Lord's table, and of the table of devils.

22 Do we provoke the Lord to jealousy? are we stronger than he?

Then in II Corinthians, chapter 6, verses 14-16:

14 Be ye not unequally yoked together with unbelievers: for what fellowship hath righteousness with unrighteousness? and what communion hath light with darkness?

15 And what concord hath Christ with Belial? or what part hath he that believeth with an infidel?

16 And what agreement hath the temple of God with idols? for ye are the temple of the living God; as God hath said, I will dwell in them, and walk in them; and I will be their God, and they shall be my people.

Paganism is idolatry. Idols are false devil-gods. So then, pagan customs should be correctly defined as devil's customs. The common retort I quoted earlier, "they are harmless pagan customs," can now be restated as "...Satanic or devil's customs." Embracing devil's customs is a matter of yielding oneself to their evil, and it is an open portal for Satan to enter a believer's life to wreak heavy damage. Satan's license to bind and cause destruction in mankind is found in man's rebellion against the commandments of God.

Recapping the three simple principles:

1. The passage of time, or mixing truth with lies, cannot turn a lie into truth.

2. You cannot look back through 2,000 years of compromise and gradualism to ascertain truth. You must go back to the "source" of truth.

3. Pagan customs are, in fact, devil's customs, and are an open portal for Satanic action.

NOW FOR TODAY’S SUBJECT.

Section One: God's Word is purposely, conspicuously, silent concerning the month and day of Jesus Christ's birth. One thing is certain though: It was not December 25th. A plethora of researchers have examined the facts concerning the date of Christ's birth. A typical finding is cited here from Joseph Mede, which was written, by the way, in 1672:

Besides Barnes, Doddridge, Lightfoot, Joseph Scaliger, and Jennings, in his Jewish Antiquities, who are all of opinion that December 25th could not be the right time of our Lord's nativity, the celebrated Joseph Mede pronounces a very decisive opinion to the same effect. After a long and careful disquisition on the subject, among other arguments he adduces the following:

At the birth of Christ every woman and child was to go to be taxed at the city whereto they belonged, whither some had long journeys; but the middle of winter was not fitting for such a business, especially for women with child, and children to travel in. Therefore, Christ could not be born in the depth of winter. Again, at the time of Christ's birth, the shepherds lay abroad watching with their flocks in the night time; but this was not likely to be in the middle of winter. And if any shall think wind was not so extreme in these parts, let him consider the words of Christ in the gospel, ‘Pray that your flight be not in the winter.’  If the winter was so bad a time to flee in, it seems no fit time for shepherds to lie in the fields in, and women and children to travel in.

The Catholic Encyclopedia, 1911 edition, under the heading "Christmas," reads:

Christmas was not among the earliest festivals of the Church...the first evidence of the feast is from Egypt. The Encyclopedia Britannica had this: "Christmas (i.e., the Mass of Christ). Christmas was not among the earliest festivals of the church..." It was not instituted by Christ or the apostles, or by Bible authority - it was picked up afterward from paganism.

The Encyclopedia Americana says:

"Christmas. It was, according to many authorities, not celebrated in the first centuries of the Christian church, as the Christian usage in general was to celebrate the death of remarkable persons rather than their life..." (The "Communion" which is instituted by New Testament Bible authority, is a memorial of the Death of Christ.) "...a feast was established in memory of this event (Christ's birth) in the fourth century. In the fifth century the Western Church ordered it to be celebrated forever on the day of the old Roman feast of the birth of Sol, as no certain knowledge of the day of Christ's birth existed."

Clement of Alexandria, in the early third century, writes about a tradition at that time that dated the birth of Jesus Christ as the 20th of May.

'Til this very day—and still recognized in England's legal system—is an ancient observance called "Michaelmas," which means "Michael Sent." This observance, which takes place on September 29, is supposed to be the date the angel of the Lord and the host of heaven appeared unto the shepherds in the field and declared in Luke, chapter 2, verses 10-11:

10 And the angel said unto them, Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people.

11 For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord.

No such custom of Christmas was ever heard of until the third century.

This following excerpt is from the book Christmas Customs and Traditions:

The first mention of a Nativity feast on December 25th is found in a Roman document known as the Philocalian Calendar, dating from the year 354, but embodying an older document evidently belonging to the year 336. It is uncertain to which date the Nativity reference belongs; but further back than 336 at all events the festival cannot be traced.  [End of quote]

The church at Jerusalem refused to recognize this pagan (devil) feast until the seventh century.

The mixing of Christ with Satanic (pagan) customs was, and is, abhorred and resisted by the faithful. The following passage in the book Christmas Customs and Traditions contains a quotation by the ancient minister Tertullian:

"Let them," he says of the heathen, "kindle lamps, they who have no light; let them fix on the doorposts laurels which shall afterwards be burnt, they for whom fire is close at hand; meet for them are testimonies of darkness and auguries of punishment. But thou," he says to the Christian, "are a light of the world and a tree that is ever green; if thou hast renounced temples, make not a temple of thy own housedoor." [End of quote]

The celebration of Christmas was not a commandment to the church, but in sundry passages there is strict commandment against it. No apostle or minister of Christ in the Scriptures observed such a day, but in fact spoke against it. In Galatians, chapter 4, verses 10-11, the Word of God reads:

10 Ye observe days, and months, and times, and years.

11 I am afraid of you, lest I have bestowed upon you labour in vain.

This above rebuke by the Apostle Paul was made to Christians who were still observing holy days, which were commanded to be observed by God Himself, in the Old testament. However, these same holy days were fulfilled in Christ and were no longer to be observed. This practice was firmly rebuked, yet these were not observances polluted with Satanic practices, as are the holidays which are observed today.

In 1659, the Puritans in America outlawed the observance of Christmas as being pagan and a reproach to the land. Well into the 1800s, it was still against the law in many parts of America, including most of New England. The Pennsylvania Quakers scorned the observance of December 25th as Christ's birth as much as the Puritans.

On December 25, 1789, the U.S. Congress was in session—Congress worked on this ordinary day—just as they were for the next 67 Christmas days. America worked on December 25th, for it was not until 1870 that it proclaimed Christmas a federal holiday. The famous crossing of the Delaware by the God-fearing George Washington took place on Christmas night, 1776, where he surprised the Hessians in the midst of their Christmas reveling.

Imagine this: according to author R. Strand, "the two most controversial issues being debated in many of our churches before the Civil War were slavery and the celebration of Christmas." [End of quote] The day was viewed as an affront against the Lord Jesus Christ. From the 1600s to the 1800s, Christmas was forbidden in much of America.

Concluding section #1:

• God does not direct His children to observe this day.
• Christ was not born on December 25th.
• We are commanded against mixing Christ with devil customs.
• The church of the Scriptures did not observe it.
• America did not observe it and it was against the law.
• It was viewed as an affront to our Lord Jesus Christ.
• Remember, the passing of time and mixing (truth with half-truths or lies) will not convert a lie into truth.

Section Two: Jesus hates the spirit of compromise, which is simply obscured disobedience. Revelation, chapter 2, verse 6:

But this thou hast, that thou hatest the deeds of the Nicolaitanes, which I also hate.

And then in Revelation, chapter 2, verses 12-16:

12 And to the angel of the church in Pergamos write; These things saith he which hath the sharp sword with two edges;

13 I know thy works, and where thou dwellest, even where Satan's seat is: and thou holdest fast my name, and hast not denied my faith, even in those days wherein Antipas was my faithful martyr, who was slain among you, where Satan dwelleth.

14 But I have a few things against thee, because thou hast there them that hold the doctrine of Balaam, who taught Balac to cast a stumblingblock before the children of Israel, to eat things sacrificed unto idols, and to commit fornication.

15 So hast thou also them that hold the doctrine of the Nicolaitanes, which thing I hate.

16 Repent; or else I will come unto thee quickly, and will fight against them with the sword of my mouth.

Jesus Christ hates the doctrine of the Nicolaitanes. Bible commentaries agree that the Nicolaitanes appear as advocates of returning to pagan worship and habits. The dictionary word for this act is paganizing, defined as: "rendering heathenish; behaving like pagans; adopting heathen principles and practice." [End of quote] Ancient, prominent men in the church history such as Irenaeus, Clement of Alexandria, and Tertullian certified the existence of the Nicolaitanes. Some of the church fathers, including Irenaeus, assert that Nicolaus, a proselyte of Antioch, one of the seven original deacons, fell away from the faith and became the leader of the heretical Nicolaitanes. The meaning of Nicolaitanes is "adherent of Nicolaus." The Anchor Bible writes the following as the probable teaching of the Nicolaitanes: "It was licit to sacrifice to the idols in order to escape martyrdom, since true confession was that of the heart, not of the lips. Consistent with this thought, they also taught fornication was of no import. This teaching justified their membership in the city guilds and their sharing in the common meals." [End of quote] The sect of the Nicolaitanes did exist in Rome around the time that Christmas received its nefarious launch.

It has been suggested that Christmas, wrapped in its pagan trappings, couldn't be compared to the doctrine of the Nicolaitanes because it doesn't promote fornication, but the record tells another story. According to a news release on December 26, 2002, in USA Today, teens who say they are dating seriously are nearly 300% more likely to lose their virginity in December than in any other time of the year. That information was discovered by researchers at Mississippi State University. The following is an excerpt from that article:

The researchers' review of data from a federal health survey of 21,000 teens led them to predict that teens with romantic partners are nearly three times more likely to make their sexual debut in December than those who are dating casually. The accent on romance during the holiday plays a key role. "We call it the 'Santa Claus effect,'" says Martin Levin, lead author of the study. The report appears in the current issue of the Journal of Marriage and Family. [End of quote]

A video produced by the History Channel, titled Christmas Unwrapped, also states that demographers point to a bulge in conception at Christmas time.

The following excerpt is from the writings of T.C. McKenney:

Mistletoe was sacred to the Druids, and was worshipped by them. They also used it to cast spells, the principal belief being that if they held it over a woman's head, she was powerless to resist, and they could then have their way with her sexually. From this comes our custom of hanging it over doorways, and the tradition that if a girl is caught under the sprig of mistletoe she may be kissed and may not resist. As it all had to do with family and sex, the berries on the sprig made its power more potent. We still consider our mistletoe sprigs to be worth more if they have berries.

I think a very good case can be made that "Old Saint Nick" is a mixture of the pagan devil god Oden and Nicolas of Antioch, the alleged father of the Nicolaitanes. Remember, a sect of the Nicolaitanes had a presence in Rome around the time Christmas made its debut. Oden was a pagan German god. The Germans believed he made nocturnal flights through the sky with his long white beard on a white horse. He supposedly observed his people and decided who was to prosper or who was to perish. Sound familiar? A TV documentary tracing the legend of Santa Claus followed it back to Rome around 300 A.D. Here we find a St. Nicholas who, based on how people performed during the year, gave gifts to the people. In this particular ritual, traced back to around 300 A.D., St. Nicholas walks down the street with angels walking with him, as well as devils dressed up in what appear to be wildebeest heads. These devils are running and jumping among the procession. The documentary favorably positioned this St. Nick as the one who took paganism and Christianity and mixed them together. This of course is the doctrine of the Nicolaitanes, which Jesus hates.

A suggestion surfaced in 1880 that a St. Nicholas, a real person fitting the description of Santa Claus, existed in the fifth century. Some scholars doubt his existence. The Pope downgraded St. Nicholas's status and removed him from sainthood in the late 20th century.

Revelation, chapter 2, verses 14, 15 & 20, condemn the doctrine of Balaam and the teaching of Jezebel, which are both kin to the doctrine of the Nicolaitanes. Balaam's doctrine taught the children of Israel to eat things sacrificed to idols and to commit fornication. Mixing the truth with a lie is an abomination unto the God of creation.

As a side note, the eating of things sacrificed to idols must be defined. The most famous of all sacrifices in the Word of God was the sacrifice of the Passover Lamb, which was followed by the feast of unleavened bread. Exodus, chapter 12, verses 24-27:

24 And ye shall observe this thing for an ordinance to thee and to thy sons for ever.

25 And it shall come to pass, when ye be come to the land which the LORD will give you, according as he hath promised, that ye shall keep this service.

26 And it shall come to pass, when your children shall say unto you, What mean ye by this service?

27 That ye shall say, It is the sacrifice of the LORD'S passover, who passed over the houses of the children of Israel in Egypt, when he smote the Egyptians, and delivered our houses. And the people bowed the head and worshipped.

The Passover was an annual holy event where the children of Israel brought their sacrificial lamb as a memorial of what great deliverance God had wrought in their lives. They and their families ate the sacrifice. Eating things sacrificed unto idols simply means: eating of a sacrificial feast made in the honor of a devil god. An example would be the worship of the Syrian sun-god—also known as Baal, also known as Mythra, and also known as Nimrod—whose birthday was December 25th. The worship of the sun-god came with various trappings and culminated with a great feast on December 25th, which is a memorial to a devil-god. Eating of this feast would be "eating meats sacrificed unto idols."

The Christian church, since the days of its beginning, was persecuted and condemned by pagan Rome, which controlled much of the world—at least until Constantine became the emperor of Rome in 313 A.D. Just prior to the decisive battle to conquer the Roman legions, Constantine said he saw a cross in the sky and said he was instructed to conquer under that sign. He won the battle, became the emperor of Rome and confessed his conversion to Jesus Christ. History reports that his troops were baptized and Christianity became a state-endorsed religion. The "converts" to Christianity came in a flood, including the pagan priests of the sun-god. They brought their devil customs with them, which were quickly incorporated into the Christian ranks. It was in this same fourth century that Pope Julius I officially chose December 25th as the day to celebrate Christ's birth. The following excerpt is from the History Channel's website:

It is commonly believed that the church chose this date in an effort to adopt and absorb the traditions of the pagan Saturnalia festival. [End of quote]

This is an obvious demonstration of the doctrine of the Nicolaitanes in action.

II Corinthians, chapter 6, verses 14-18, read:

14 Be ye not unequally yoked together with unbelievers: for what fellowship hath righteousness with unrighteousness? and what communion hath light with darkness?

15 And what concord hath Christ with Belial? or what part hath he that believeth with an infidel?

16 And what agreement hath the temple of God with idols? for ye are the temple of the living God; as God hath said, I will dwell in them, and walk in them; and I will be their God, and they shall be my people.

17 Wherefore come out from among them, and be ye separate, saith the Lord, and touch not the unclean thing; and I will receive you,

18 And will be a Father unto you, and ye shall be my sons and daughters, saith the Lord Almighty.

Concluding Section Two:

• Jesus hates the doctrine of the Nicolaitanes.
• The doctrine of the Nicolaitanes teaches the mixing of Christianity with pagan devil customs and winks at fornication. The celebration of Christmas embodies these things.
• There was a sect of Nicolaitanes in Rome around the time Christmas made its debut.
• Constantine legalized Christianity and paganism infiltrated the ranks.
• It is commonly believed that the pope instituted December 25th as Christmas in order to adopt and absorb the tradition of the pagan Saturnalia festival.
• God's Word declares, "And what concord hath Christ with Belial? or what part hath he that believeth with an infidel? And what agreement hath the temple of God with idols?" (II Corinthians 6:15-16)

GOD SAID, Jeremiah 10:1-4:

Learn not the way of the heathen,...

GODSAID, II Corinthians 6:15:

What concord hath Christ with Belial?...

GODSAID, Luke 16:15:

...for that which is highly esteemed among men is abomination in the sight of God,

MAN SAID: It's fine to mix pagan (Satanic) customs with the Lord Jesus Christ. God is not opposed to it. It's a good way to sanitize paganism.

Now you have THE RECORD.



This ends Part One of the two-part series concerning Christmas. The conclusion of this matter will be published, God-willing, in next week's feature titled, "Christmas...Can You Believe It (Part Two)?"



References:

King James Bible

The Anchor Bible Commentary

Christmas Unwrapped, The History Channel video

Complete Works of Josephus, p 30

Del Re, G. & P., The Christmas Almanac, Doubleday & Co., 1979

The Eerdmans Bible Dictionary

Hislop, A., The Two Babylons, Chick Publications

The History of Santa Claus, Films For The Humanities & Sciences

McKenney, T.C., Holidays & Holy Days, WFLM Publications, 1987

Miles, C.A., Christmas Customs and Traditions, Dover Publications

Morris, H., "Daily Bread," Institute for Creation Research Publications

The Oxford Dictionary of the Christian Church

"The Real Story of Christmas," www.historychannel.com

Strand, R., Fascinating Facts About Jesus, New Leaf Press, 2000

USA Today, 12/26/02, p 7D

Webster, N., American Dictionary of the English Language, 1828

• Go Further With Christ
• Email To a Friend
• Comments or Questions?