ARE YOU STILL A PAGAN? COME OUT OF HER, MY PEOPLE!! PART 1 – CHRISTMAS
March 27, 2022 1:13 AM
MY HIDING PLACE
Shared on March 27/2022
For the audio version of this message, please refer to the link provided, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0rWyIXrz6CE. Thank you.
Dear brothers and sisters,
The Lord has impressed it upon my heart to address beliefs concerning Christmas. For many years, I myself have celebrated Jesus’ birthday on Dec.25th and have partaken in setting up lights, Christmas trees, decorations and done gift exchanges. However, the Lord has drawn my attention that those things I thought were done innocently and with the mind of worshiping Him, are no other than pagan or demonic traditions that have been passed on for millennia, adopted by churches and passed down to unsuspecting believers. I learned that the Lord actually hates the wicked pagan celebration held on Dec. 25th that people have labelled as ‘Christmas’. And He does not want us to participate in this nor any other pagan festivity such as Easter.
First of all, let’s remember that the Lord calls us to worship Him in spirit and in truth and not through idols made by men. We are asked to come out of Babylon which represents a system of adulterous ways of worshipping where anything ungodly is allowed. And we’re told to set ourselves apart and to be holy just like the Lord, Our God is holy. This involves us removing ourselves from things that do not glorify the Lord and that are instead traps of the enemy. It is easy to follow the crowd. But the Bible says that narrow is the road that leads to eternal life and very few find it.
Now that the Lord has enlightened me on this topic, I feel compelled to pass this knowledge along. I hope and pray that as you review the information below and research things further for yourself that you will come away from paganism and choose to live in His truth. Take the time to pray over these things and have the Lord confirm them in your own heart. The Lord cares much about us upholding His laws. And He promises endless blessings for anyone who chooses to abide by His commands. However, if we choose to steer away from His laws we’re calling His judgements on ourselves. A full list of these blessings and curses are mentioned in Deut.28 as well as Lev.26.
Furthermore, the Bible tells us in Heb.10:26-31, ‘If we deliberately keep on sinning after we have received the knowledge of the truth, no sacrifice for sins is left, but only a fearful expectation of judgment and of raging fire that will consume the enemies of God. Anyone who rejected the Law of Moses died without mercy on the testimony of two or three witnesses. How much more severely do you think someone deserves to be punished who has trampled the Son of God underfoot, who has treated as an unholy thing the blood of the covenant that sanctified them, and who has insulted the Spirit of grace? For we know him who said, “It is mine to avenge; I will repay,” and again, “The Lord will judge his people.” It is a dreadful thing to fall into the hands of the living God.’
And 1 Sam.25:21b)-23 says, “Does the Lord delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices as much as in obeying the voice of the Lord? To obey is better than sacrifice, and to heed is better than the fat of rams. For rebellion is like the sin of divination, and arrogance like the evil of idolatry.”
Rom. 12: 2 Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will.
And so, it is my hope that today, if you hear His voice, you do not harden your hearts but rather come into repentance and choose eternal life in Christ Jesus.
Now, the Bible is full of dates. However, it is no coincidence that Jesus’ birth date was left out. In reality, those who live their lives without the knowledge of God, cannot appreciate the gift of salvation and have no reason to celebrate it. But when we come to the Lord, decide to abandon the old ways, repent of our sins and commit our lives to the Lord, that is the day we celebrate our new birth with Christ. And so, you see, every person that comes to the Lord has a different date they get to celebrate and commemorate with the Lord Jesus. In fact, those of us who are wholeheartedly serving the Lord, get to celebrate that date with Him every day as we get to DAILY ask Him to forgive us of our sins, and to thank Him for His sacrifice on the cross.
ORIGINS OF DEC. 25 BIRTHDAY
In the book of Genesis, Nimrod was the son of Cush -Noah’s great grandson. He was a bold and strong man who went as far as building the Tower of Babel in defiance of the Lord. During his reign, Nimrod was recognized as a ‘god’ by his own people. Thus making his wife Semiramis (or Saturnalia), a ‘goddess’. Being that she didn’t want to lose her prestigious title, upon Nimrod’s death, she declared that he had ascended up into the heavens and had become the ‘sun god’. A few months later, Saturnalia became pregnant. To remedy the situation she claimed that her late husband had impregnated her with the rays of the Sun. She delivered a son, whom she named Tammuz. He was born on solstice, which in that year was Dec. 25th. Since mankind was scattered after Nimrod’s Tower of Babel occurrence, each culture around the world adopted its own version of sun god worship, with their particular ‘Tammuz’ whose birthday was on Winter Solstice.
Why does the church celebrate Jesus’ birth on the same day? Around 300AD, during the reign of Emperor Constantine, the majority of Romans were Pagan and held fast to their old traditions, teachings, and rituals. Constantine The Great, as well as the Roman leaders after him, knew it would be a challenge to get everyone to convert to Christianity over night. Instead of eliminating the solstice and spring equinox (from which derived Easter) pagan celebrations, Roman rulers slowly converted them into Christian rituals.
In ancient Rome, Saturnalia was the celebration of the solstice. The solstice is the darkest day of the year. On that day, people celebrated with gift giving, candle lighting, singing and home decorating. Sound familiar? The same traditions many Christians now celebrate in their homes and yet call ‘Christmas’. Saturnalia was a lawless, drunken time in Rome where literally anything was allowed. This was the most famous of Roman festivals. It was a time of feasting, role reversals, free speech, gift-giving and revelry.
Scholars have connected the Germanic and Scandanavian celebration to the Wild Hunt, the god Odin, the Germanic Yule and the pagan Anglo-Saxon Mōdraniht. Yule-tide was traditionally celebrated during the period from mid-November to mid-January and therefore around the same time as the Solstice. During Yule, a sacrifice was made where the blood was smeared on idols, and the meat (goat and boar) cooked and served at banquets. This tradition later evolved in ham and is still very much celebrated by many. Fires were lit, and toast drunk to Odin for victory in battle and good harvests. They would burn a log and for as long as the log burned they continued to feast. This could last up until 12 days. Yule was traditionally celebrated three days after Midwinter, but shifted to reflect Christian dates. Modern Wiccans and other neo-pagan religions often celebrate Yule as an alternative to Christmas. In most forms of Wicca, it’s celebrated at winter solstice as the rebirth of the Great horned hunter god, who is viewed as the newborn solstice sun. Some celebrate with their witch friends while others celebrate at home. In 2013, over 3,500 people gathered for a Yuletide celebration at Stonehenge to watch the sunrise.
As you can see, from what I have just outlined, for centuries people have embraced the various pagan rituals, that were mixed them together in a cocktail which they had labelled as ‘Christmas’ and celebrated Tammuz’s birthday they had labelled as Jesus’ birthday.
The worship of the sun, moon and stars is strictly forbidden in the Bible. In Exodus 20:4-6 we read, ‘You shall have no other gods before me. “You shall not make for yourself an image in the form of anything in heaven above or on the earth beneath or in the waters below. You shall not bow down to them or worship them; for I, the Lord your God, am a jealous God, punishing the children for the sin of the parents to the third and fourth generation of those who hate me, but showing love to a thousand generations of those who love me and keep my commandments.
Jer.10:3-5 For the practices of the peoples are worthless; they cut a tree out of the forest, and a craftsman shapes it with his chisel. They adorn it with silver and gold; they fasten it with hammer and nails so it will not totter. Like a scarecrow in a cucumber field, 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.”
Isaiah 44:9-20 All who make idols are nothing, and the things they treasure are worthless. Those who would speak up for them are blind; they are ignorant, to their own shame. Who shapes a god and casts an idol, which can profit nothing? People who do that will be put to shame; such craftsmen are only human beings. Let them all come together and take their stand; they will be brought down to terror and shame. The blacksmith takes a tool and works with it in the coals; he shapes an idol with hammers, he forges it with the might of his arm. He gets hungry and loses his strength; he drinks no water and grows faint. The carpenter measures with a line and makes an outline with a marker; he roughs it out with chisels and marks it with compasses. He shapes it in human form, human form in all its glory, that it may dwell in a shrine. He cut down cedars, or perhaps took a cypress or oak. He let it grow among the trees of the forest, or planted a pine, and the rain made it grow. It is used as fuel for burning; some of it he takes and warms himself, he kindles a fire and bakes bread. But he also fashions a god and worships it; he makes an idol and bows down to it. Half of the wood he burns in the fire; over it he prepares his meal, he roasts his meat and eats his fill. He also warms himself and says, “Ah! I am warm; I see the fire.” From the rest he makes a god, his idol; he bows down to it and worships. He prays to it and says, “Save me! You are my god!” They know nothing, they understand nothing; their eyes are plastered over so they cannot see, and their minds closed so they cannot understand. No one stops to think, no one has the knowledge or understanding to say, “Half of it I used for fuel; I even baked bread over its coals, I roasted meat and I ate. Shall I make a detestable thing from what is left? Shall I bow down to a block of wood?” Such a person feeds on ashes; a deluded heart misleads him; he cannot save himself, or say, “Is not this thing in my right hand a lie?”
Psalm 115:4-8 But their idols are silver and gold, made by human hands. They have mouths, but cannot speak, eyes, but cannot see. They have ears, but cannot hear, noses, but cannot smell. They have hands, but cannot feel, feet, but cannot walk, nor can they utter a sound with their throats. Those who make them will be like them, and so will all who trust in them.
Dear brothers and sisters,
Please take some time to evaluate what I have just presented to you. Pray over it and do your own research. It is imperative that we abide by Father’s laws and forsake all that He calls evil. These pagan traditions only worship Satan. It is about time we push against the tide of complacency and ignorance and spread truth to our families and friends. May we all seek to do ONLY what pleases Father and be found holy in His sight.
ADDITIONAL FINDINGS:
CHRISTMAS TREE
Another pagan custom that is celebrated at Christmas is the Christmas tree. The evergreen trees represented the “return of life” and “light” as the winter solstice meant the days were starting to get longer. Christians thought that since Jesus’ birth represented to them the light and the life of the world, that they would borrow this tradition with similar meanings. And so, as Christians became more complacent, they adopted more and more of the pagan tradition without any consideration for God’s laws. People begin with the hanging of an apple on it. Hence the red balls on green trees.
SANTA CLAUS
There are many stories regarding the origins of this particular character. Some say that it is based primarily on St. Nicholas, a Fourth Century Lycian bishop from modern-day Turkey -a man who did many good deeds and was very generous. Others go as far as claiming that he represents Molech, an ancient god to which even the Israelites in Jeremiah’s time would sacrifice their own sons and daughters. A fire was lit on Molech’s lap where children would be placed and left to burn as a sacrifice to this god. From which derived the tradition to have children sit on Santa’s lap.
MISTETOE & HOLLY
Mistletoe and holly were believed to be magical plants in Europe, and especially among the Druids and Vikings. Ancient Celts would decorate their homes with holly as a protection.
CAROLING
Caroling actually began as the Germanic and Norse traditions of wassailing. Wassailers went from home to home, drunk, singing to their neighbors and celebrating their “good health.”
