Christmas is a typical holiday that most of us grew up with. Santa Claus, elves, gift giving, big meals, etc. But WHY do we observe this day? Of course it is fun to get together with family, enjoy nice meals and receiving a gift is ALWAYS nice, however, could we be missing something in celebrating Christmas, or even RECEIVING something that is NOT good for us?

Hopefully you will come to see that this day which is supposedly observed in honor of Christ, is not only unbiblical, it is a facade which draws attention away from the real plan of God, and incorporates misinformation.

Matthew 15:9. . ." And in vain they worship Me, Teaching [as] doctrines the commandments of men. "

POINT: Christ himself warned that he could be worshiped IN VAIN, that is, people could be doing a lot of "religious sounding" things in an attempt to honor Christ, BUT DO IT ALL IN VAIN. Have you ever asked yourself, "WHY do I do the things I do?"

Whether you believe the bible or not, WHY do you observe Christmas? Is it really something you have proven for yourself from the Bible, or is it just something you grew up doing and haven't considered its validity? If you don't believe in God or the bible, WHY do you get involved with an expensive ritual that has "religious" meaning?

Take this challenge: Go to your Bible and search it from cover to cover and you will see that NOWHERE in the entire Bible is anything ever mentioned about Christmas or it's observance. Don't you think that if Christmas were something God wanted us to observe, it would be MENTIONED in the Bible, at least in some form?

There are definitely days which God established for us which Outline His Plan quite beautifully. Christmas and Easter are NOT included, not to mention Halloween and other secular observances.

THE CRITICAL POINT TO REALIZE IS THIS. YOU COULD BE INVOLVED WITH DAYS AND EVENTS WHICH ACTUALLY HIDE THE TRUE MEANING OF THE PLAN OF GOD. YOU COULD BE WORSHIPING GOD IN VAIN. WOULDN'T YOU WANT TO KNOW IT IF YOU WERE? HOW DO YOU TELL? YOU HAVE TO GO TO THE ONLY PLACE WHERE WE RECEIVE OUR AUTHORITY TO EVEN BE AWARE OF GOD. . .THE BIBLE!

Let's look at some facts which might help us to see the truth about Christmas. Christmas is traditionally observed by those who consider themselves "Christians" to honor Christ's birth. There is no doubt that this birth event was historic by any measure and quite important to mankind, however, nowhere in the Bible will you find any reference to the date of Christ's birth.

December 25th is a miserable time of year in Israel or Jerusalem. The brief passages that indicate the time when Christ was born is found in Luke 2:7-8;

:7 "And she brought forth her firstborn Son, and wrapped Him in swaddling clothes, and laid Him in a manger, because there was no room for them in the inn. :8 Now there were in the same country shepherds living out in the fields, keeping watch over their flock by night."

First, realize that because there was no room for the family in the Inn, (because of the time of year... likely a Holy Day period when thousands of people would be in the vicinity) they had to go out into the barn where Christ was born. Giving birth to a child on December 25th, OUTSIDE, would not be a realistic thing. I suppose it could be argued that there was heat in the barn, or that the animals in the barn created enough heat for the family, so lets take a look at the next verse.

Notice that shepherds were actually living out with the flock of sheep as they were feeding from day to day. How many farmers do you think have flocks of ANYTHING out in the fields feeding on the growing vegetation on December 25th in Israel? NONE. At that time of year, all the flocks are sheltered from the harsh weather and feed in the barns because there is nothing growing in the fields. It is obvious that Christ wasn't born in the winter, so why do some observe this day in December? For that matter, why do they observe it at all?

If God had wanted us to "honor" Christ by observing the day of his birth, why is there no command or dates given to help us KNOW when this day occurred? There are dozens of reasons why people observe this day, all of them basically indicating that it doesn't really matter when we observe it, just that we do it to "honor Christ."

Remember the warning about VAIN WORSHIP? Could this be a form of it?

Exodus 23:33 "They shall not dwell in your land, lest they make you sin against Me. For [if] you serve their gods, it will surely be a snare to you."

Deuteronomy 12:30-32 "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.' :31 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. :32 Whatever I command you, be careful to observe it; you shall not add to it nor take away from it."

POINT: Here, God makes it quite plain that to add to or take away from all that He instructs won't work. This is just another reason WHY most people have no idea about the Plan of God and how these "substitute" "holidays" (twisting God's "Holy Days") dilute and minimize the truth. Remember, the truth is all Satan is fighting against. Lies and deceptions he doesn't have to bother with because they are going his way already.

Lastly, let's take a look at the "nativity" scene associated with Christmas. This is supposedly taken from the Bible where the "3" Wise Men visit Mary, Joseph and the baby in the manger. This is not based on facts but on man's sentimental ideas, trying to worship Christ in their own way.

Remember in Luke 2:8-20, shepherds were in the field, and it was THEY who traveled to see the Christ child in Jerusalem, while he was yet in the manger, and not the wise men.

Notice further proof of this:

Matthew 2:1-2 "Now after Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of Herod the king, behold, wise men from the East came to Jerusalem, :2 saying, "Where is He who has been born King of the Jews? For we have seen His star in the East and have come to worship Him."

POINT: Notice it says "wise men" and not THREE wise men as the yearly tradition suggests.

Matthew 2:11 "And when they (wise men) had come into the house, they saw the young Child with Mary His mother, and fell down and worshiped Him. And when they had opened their treasures, they presented gifts to Him: gold, frankincense, and myrrh."

POINT: You will see by this scripture that these wise men entered into the HOUSE where Christ was. This was some time AFTER Christ was born and the family was in their house by then, back from the Holy Day celebration. Also notice that gifts were given to Christ, not to each other. This was a unique time in history with a unique person being born. The gifts were for a King. So where did we get the idea of exchanging gifts with each other as a religious practice?

History shows us that at the time of these "traditions" Christianity had taken on a new form, quite different from the original which the apostles practiced. In an effort to win over pagans from their beliefs in the 4th century, the December 25th celebration of the return of the "SUN" (from shorter daylight to longer daylight) was combined with the birth of the "SON" of God. In fact, the "Madonna and Child" theme we associate with Christmas was actually known in the pagan societies millennia before Christ's birth. The mingling of these various practices worked well to bring people from other religious pagan practices into the "new" church that was far different from what Christ instituted. It was the church Christ began that the great false church's "religious" authorities persecuted over the ages.

So where did Christmas really come from? You can verify most of this in many history books if you desire, and links below. Check into these tid bits:

• The "Yule log" is a take off of the "yule" or WHEEL, which was a pagan sun symbol.
  
• Candles were used quite extensively to "encourage" the waning sun god to return.
  
• The mistletoe, associated with "healing," was also utilized in the pagan drunken orgy celebrations that certainly included kissing, as is done today.
  
• St. Nicholas (remember old saint nick) was a Roman Catholic bishop who gave gifts which was accepted into Christian practices of worship. The term "Old Nick" was widely known to be a name for the Devil back then.
  
• Last, but not least, is it a coincidence that the name Santa Claus is quite easily arranged to closely read "Satan's cause?" Imagine that!

2 Corinthians 11:14 "And no wonder! For Satan himself transforms himself into an angel of light. :15 Therefore [it is] no great thing if his ministers also transform themselves into ministers of righteousness, whose end will be according to their works."

Remember the warnings of Christ? He knew and prophesied that there would be false religion and false ministers who appeared as "ministers of righteousness," yet who would be deceiving MANY. Most are likely not deceiving the many on PURPOSE, but they themselves BELIEVE that what they are preaching and believing is God's truth, when in fact it is Satan's lies that are substituted as truth.

Matthew 24:5 "For many shall come in my name, saying, I am Christ; and shall deceive many."

Mark 13:6 "For many shall come in my name, saying, I am; and shall deceive many."

Luke 21:8 "And he said, Take heed that you be not deceived: for many shall come in my name, saying, I am [Christ]; and the time draws near: go you not therefore after them."

What Christ is warning us about is that there would be MANY who would come;

• In Christ's name, as His representative
• Saying that Jesus is the Christ
• Saying that Jesus is Lord and savior and that we need Him
• BUT would deceive many in the message through some means

1 Corinthians 14:33 "For God is not [the author] of confusion, but of peace, as in all churches of the saints. "

If this is true, where is the peace and lack of confusion in the world's Christian religions? Something is seriously wrong with "traditional Christianity" today. You need to know about it!

I realize many people will think this to be fanaticism, and "foolishness," and that it really doesn't matter that we do these things as long as we "do it to honor Christ." That's expected. This isn't for them. This is for those of you who sincerely want the truth and are willing to dig for it.

Christmas-2

Check out some Christmas Celebration FACTS.