THE ORIGINS OF CHRISTMAS

Deuteronomy Chapter 12




Today we are walking in: The Origins Of Christmas








Job 36:4


For truly my words shall not be false: H8267 he that is perfect in knowledge is with thee.







FALSE



Today we look to the word H8267 sheqer--lie, deception, disappointment, falsehood; deception (what deceives or disappoints or betrays one)











The Torah testifies...............




Exodus 20:17


Thou shalt not bear false H8267 witness against thy neighbour.



Exodus 23:7


Keep thee far from a false H8267 matter; and the innocent and righteous slay thou not: for I will not justify the wicked



Deuteronomy 19:16


If a false H8267 witness rise up against any man to testify against him that which is wrong;







The prophets proclaim..................



Jeremiah 5:31


The prophets prophesy falsely, H8267 and the priests bear rule by their means; and my people love to have it so: and what will ye do in the end thereof?





Jeremiah 23:32


Behold, I am against them that prophesy false H8267 dreams, saith the LORD, and do tell them, and cause my people to err by their lies, and by their lightness; yet I sent them not, nor commanded them: therefore they shall not profit this people at all, saith the LORD.



Jeremiah 37:14


Then said Jeremiah, It is false H8267; I fall not away to the Chaldeans. But he hearkened not to him: so Irijah took Jeremiah, and brought him to the princes.







The writings bear witness...........................



Psalm 7:14


Behold, he travaileth with iniquity, and hath conceived mischief, and brought forth falsehood. H8267



Proverbs 11:1


A false H8267 balance is abomination to the LORD: but a just weight is his delight.



Proverbs 14:5


A faithful witness will not lie: but a false H8267 witness will utter lies.








A deeper look at Christmas origins
Man, Myth & Magic is a useful encyclopedia on mythology and religion. This multi-volume work uncovers the origins of major Western religious holidays, exploring the history of each. It offers further details on the origins of Christmas:


"Christmas has its origin in two ancient pagan festivals, the great Yule-feast of the Norsemen and the Roman Saturnalia...It was close enough to the winter solstice to acquire many of the associations of the Norse ceremony: the Yule-log, the evergreen decorations in houses and churches, even the Christmas feast itself. These elements were combined with the Saturnalia of the Romans to provide the basis for the early Christian festival.
"During the Saturnalia, gifts were made by the wealthy to the poor in honour of the golden age of liberty when Saturn ruled the known world, and slaves were allowed to change places and clothing with their masters. They even elected their own mock king who, for the period of the festival, ruled as a despot. The Saturnalia involved the wildest debauchery, and was a festival worthy of [the Yah] Pan himself.
"Naturally it came under heavy censure from the early Church and despite the fact that Yahusha Hamachiach and the saints gradually replaced the pagan deities it was long considered completely out of character with the Christian ideal. However, the festival was far too strongly entrenched in popular favour to be abolished, and the [Catholic] Church finally granted the necessary recognition, believing that if Christmas could not be suppressed it should be preserved in honour of the Christian Yah" (Man, Myth & Magic, Richard Cavendish, ed., 1995, Vol. 3, p. 418).
Christmas gains acceptance
The strange story of Christmas continued after the ancient celebrations were adopted by the Catholic Church. The church does not deny it.
The New Catholic Encyclopedia states: "Christmas originated at a time when the cult of the sun was particularly strong at Rome. This theory finds support in some of the Church Fathers contrasting the birth of Christ and the winter solstice. Though the substitution of Christmas for the pagan festival cannot be proved with certainty, it remains the most plausible explanation for the dating of Christmas" (1967, Vol. 3, p. 656).
Man, Myth & Magic explains when Christmas gained official recognition and when the name was substituted for the ancient heathen midwinter festival. "Once given a Christian basis the festival became fully established in Europe with many of its pagan elements undisturbed. It was only in the 4th century that 25 December was officially decreed to be the birthday of Christ, and it was another 500 years [the ninth century] before the term Midwinter Feast was abandoned in favour of the word Christmas" (Cavendish, p. 480).
James Hastings, Bible scholar, writer and editor of The Encyclopedia of Religion and Ethics, confirms that the church absorbed and tolerated heathen customs: "Most of the Christmas customs now prevailing in Europe, or recorded from former times, are not genuine Christian customs, but heathen customs which have been absorbed or tolerated by the Church" (1910, Vol. 3, p. 608).
Elements of the observance of Christmas were criticized and even forbidden in later centuries. "The undisguised pagan element in Christmas had often provoked criticism from extreme


Protestants but the festival was not really affected by their beliefs until the Puritans came to power in the 17th century.
"[At that time] Christmas was attacked as 'the old heathens' feasting day to Saturn their Yah' and carols were forbidden. Finally, 25 December was proclaimed a fast day [a time of abstaining from food and festivity to focus on religious devotion] in 1644. The new rule was enforced by the army, which spent much of its time pulling down the greenery that festive 'pagans' had attached to their doors.
"In Scotland the prohibition was enforced with great rigour. This anti-Christmas attitude spread to Puritan territories in America. The Church established special services for Christmas in Boston during the 1690s, but many civil authorities strongly opposed this move. And it was not until some 150 years later that Christmas first became a legal holiday in the United States, in Alabama in 1836" (Man, Myth & Magic, Cavendish, pp. 480-481).
Why Dec. 25 as the date for Christmas?
Sir James Frazer wrote at length on the roots of modern Christian holidays. And here's what he had to say about why Christmas began as it did:
"What considerations led the ecclesiastical authorities to institute the festival of Christmas? It was a custom of the heathen to celebrate on the same twenty-fifth of December the birthday of the Sun, at which they kindled lights in token of festivity.
"In these solemnities and festivities the Christians also took part. Accordingly when the doctors [theologians] of the Church perceived that the Christians had a leaning to this festival, they took counsel and resolved that the true Nativity should be solemnised on that day and the festival of the Epiphany on the sixth of January . . .
"The heathen origin of Christmas is plainly hinted at, if not tacitly admitted, by Augustine [the fifth-century Catholic theologian] when he exhorts his Christian brethren not to celebrate that solemn day like the heathen on account of the sun, but on account of him who made the sun. In like manner [Pope] Leo the Great rebuked the pestilent belief that Christmas was solemnized because of the birth of the new sun, as it was called, and not because of the nativity of Christ.
"Thus it appears that the Christian Church chose to celebrate the birthday of its Founder on the twenty-fifth of December in order to transfer the devotion of the heathen from the Sun to him who was called the Sun of Righteousness" (pp. 358-359).
This was despite Yah's direct warning against adopting pagan worship customs to honor Him (Deuteronomy 12:29-32).
Does Christ approve of Christmas?
Having considered mainstream church teaching and practice on this subject, we also need to ask: What did Christ Himself teach about Christmas?


The fact is, Yahusha neither observed Christmas nor taught others to observe it. It did not originate with Him. But He did speak out strongly against the traditions of men: "And in vain they worship Me, teaching as doctrines the commandments of men" (Mark 7:7).
Indeed, Yahusha taught that Scripture cannot be broken (John 10:35), and it explicitly warned against adopting pagan worship customs to honor the true Yah (Deuteronomy 12:29-32).
Furthermore, Yah inspired Daniel to prophesy several centuries before Christ that religious men would attempt to change "times and law," including Yah's festival seasons (see Daniel 7:25; compare Leviticus 23 with Matthew 5:17-19).
After Yahusha Hamachiach returns to earth, during His reign over the nations He will see to it that all of Yah's annual festivals are observed by all peoples. The book of Zechariah reveals that it will take a few years before at least a few nations learn to accept Christ's teachings. The autumn Feast of Tabernacles is a case in point.
Zechariah 14 addresses the second coming of Christ, concluding with one particularly revealing insight into what will come next: "And it shall come to pass that everyone who is left of all the nations which came against Jerusalem shall go up from year to year to worship the King [Yahusha Hamachiach], the Lord of hosts, and to keep the Feast of Tabernacles" (Zechariah 14:16).
Then the account continues by describing appropriate corrective punishments for those nations that do not comply (Zechariah 14:17-19).
Christ's true disciples today observe His Holy Days
The big question is, are you ready to begin following the real Christ? In times past Yah overlooked the ignorance of men, but today He commands all men and women to repent of unYahly activities, including observing manmade religious holidays (Acts 17:30).
If you are coming to understand that Christmas does not represent Christ, then you should take a stand and avoid its observance (Matthew 7:21; Luke 6:46). Why stumble between the truth and error? Why not start following the true Christ and His biblical teachings? (John 8:32; John 17:17).
The Bible clearly reveals our Creator's requirement to observe His annual festivals and Holy Days—the Passover, the Feast of Unleavened Bread, Pentecost, the Feast of Trumpets, the Day of Atonement, the Feast of Tabernacles and the Eighth Day. They disclose Yah's wondrous plan and purpose for humankind.
The Bible shows that the true followers of Yah observed these festivals in both the Old and New Testaments. True Christians still observe them today. Yah has not changed!