A) THE HISTORY IS KNOWN.

B) HISTORICAL FACTS.

C) DECEMBER 25TH.

D) THE ROMAN CATHOLIC cHURCHES INFLUENCE.

E) THE YULE-LOG.

F) THE CHRISTMAS TREE.

G) THE BIRTHDAY OF NIMROD AND THE LORD OF THE MOON.

H) BA-AL IS MOLECH.

I) MOLECH.

J) ELVES.

K) SANTA CLAUSE IN EUROPE.

L) OTHER GOD’S IN YOUR HOME.

M) CONSIDER.

 

 

A) THE HISTORY IS KNOWN

 

 

It is surprising to learn how many “Christians” know of the history of this pagan holiday.  Yet, the lack of concern as to how, repeat, HOW they bring it into their homes, let alone into the Church, is appalling.  I know that most will discard this paper at this point, however, it is those who are seeking a closer relationship with their Lord and Savior -- in an effort to perfect their Christian character -- which will find this editorial most useful.

 

Before moving on, consider this statement from my favorite Bible Commentator:  “I saw that our holidays should not be spent in patterning after the world, yet they should not be passed by unnoticed, for this will bring dissatisfaction to our children.  On these days when there is danger of our children partaking of evil influences, and becoming corrupted by the pleasures and excitement of the world, let the parents study to get up something to take the place of [these] more dangerous amusements.  Give your children to understand you have their happiness and best good in view.”  RH, October 8, 1867.

 

 

B) HISTORICAL FACTS

 

 

Fact:  December 25th birthday celebrations:

 

ZEUS, the Greek sun-god was born;

RAH, the Egyptian sun-god was born;

TAMMUZ [Eze. 8:14], the Babylonian sun-god was born.

MITHRA, the Roman sun-god was born.

 

That Christmas was originally a Pagan festival is beyond all doubt.  The time of the year and the ceremonies with which it is still celebrated, prove its origin.  In Egypt, the “son of Isis,” the Egyptian title for the queen of Heaven, was born at the time of the winter solstice.  The Egyptian year begins at a different time than Western countries.  Thus, only the heavenly bodies can be blamed for this coincidence.

 

Fact:  The early Puritans of New England (U.S.A.) banned the celebration of Christmas, declaring it as a holiday with many heathen origins and customs.  Congress designated Christmas Day a federal holiday in 1870 (along with New Year's Day, Independence Day, and Thanksgiving).

 

Few know of, or realize, that until 1863 A.D. in America, laws were on the books stating that if you had your doors of the church open on Christmas day, your pastor could be put in jail.  Even up until 1863 A.D., Protestant Americans knew this to be an invention of the Roman Catholic church, from which they had fled Europe.  However, by 1863 A. D., those laws were revoked.

 

 

C) DECEMBER 25TH

 

 

I hate to bore you with the facts, so please be patient with those who do not know them.  The question must be asked:  “Why does Christmas fall on December 25th?”  The Scriptures are silent about the precise day of Christ’s birth, or the time of the year when He was born (except it can be figured out by studying the Bible; see my Bible Study, “CHRIST’S BIRTH MONTH.”).  What is recorded implies that when the angel announced Christ’s birth to the shepherds of Bethlehem, they were feeding their flocks by night in the open fields.

 

Now the climate of Palestine, from December to February, is very piercing.  Therefore, it was not the custom for the shepherds of Judea to watch their flocks in the open fields later than about the end of October (see “Gill’s Commentary”on Luke 2:8).  There is great unanimity among Bible Commentators on this point, i.e., Barnes, Doddridge, Lightfoot, Joseph Scaliger, Joseph Mede, Jennings, and many more.  In addition, at the birth of Christ, every person was to travel to their place of birth to be taxed at the city where they belonged.  But the middle of winter for traveling would not be a fitting time for this business, especially for women with children.  Moreover, if any shall think that the winter was not that extreme in Palestine, let the reader remember the words of Christ:  “But pray ye that your flight be not in the winter,” Matthew 24:20.  

 

The facts are, that no such festival as Christmas was ever heard of until the Third Century; and not until the Fourth Century was far advanced, did it gain any observance.  However, on December 25th, a festival was celebrated among the heathen, in honor of the birth of the son of the Babylonian queen of heaven.  It is a known fact that the pagan feast of the “dies natalis Solis Invicti,” i.e., “The birthday of the Invincible Sun,” was held on December 25th.  Therefore, in order to conciliate the heathen and swell the number of the nominal adherents of Christianity; this festival was adopted by the Roman Catholic church.  Oh “how much more faithful are the heathen to their religion, who take special care to adopt no solemnity from the Christians.”  Tertullian, about the year 230 A.D.

 

An unknown Syrian writer who wrote in the margin of the “Expositio in Evangelia of Barsalibaeus,” states:  “It was a solemn rite among the pagans to celebrate the festival of the rising of the sun on this very day, December 25th.  Furthermore, to augment the solemnity of the day, they were accustomed to kindle fires, to which rites they were accustomed to invite and admit even Christian people.  When therefore the Teachers observed that Christians were inclined to this custom, they contrived a council and established on this day the festival of the true Rising.”  “J. S. Assemanus, Bibliotheca orientalis 2,” page 164.  Translated by P. Cotton, “From Sabbath to Sunday,” 1933, pages 144-145.

 

 

D) THE ROMAN CATHOLIC cHURCHES INFLUENCE

 

 

Most scholars accept that the Church of Rome introduced and championed this new date for the celebration of the birth of our Lord.  For instance, Mario Righetti, a renowned Roman Catholic liturgist, who is the author of the standard four volume set on “Storia Liturgica - A History of Liturgy,” writes:  “After the peace the Church of Rome, to facilitate the acceptance of the faith by the pagan masses, found it convenient to institute the 25th of December as the feast of the temporal birth of Christ, to divert them from the pagan feast, celebrated on the same day in honor of the ‘Invincible Sun’ Mithras, the conqueror of darkness.”  “Mario Righetti, Manuale di Storia Liturgica,” 1955, II, page 67.

 

It would take us beyond our immediate scope to trace the process of adoption by the various Christian communities of the Roman Christmas date of the 25th of December.  It will be sufficient to notice that the adoption of the date of December 25th for the celebration of Christ’s birth, shows not only the influence of the Sun-cult and the “principalities and powers” that we face in the Church, but also of the primacy exerted by the church of Rome in promoting the adoption of the pagan holidays of “Dies Solis,” meaning, “The Day of the Sun,” and “Natalis Solis Invicti,” meaning, “The birthday of the Invincible Sun,” held on the 25th of December.  Let alone the Roman Catholics total influence as the “mother church” of the “daughter churches,” Revelation 17:5, that follow her in the change of the Biblical Sabbath to Sunday.  See my Bible Study:  “SABBATH STILL VALID TODAY.”

 

 

E) THE YULE-LOG

 

 

An old popular term for Christmas was “Yule-day.”  “Yule” is the Chaldee (Babylonian) name for an “infant’ or “little child,” and the night which preceded it was “Mother-night.”  This festival is known to have only an astronomical character, referring simply to the completion of the sun’s yearly course, and the commencement of a new cycle.

 

However, “Yule-Log” literally means “Child-Log.”  Think of that the next time you put your “Yule-Log” (child) on your fire during Christmas day celebrations, which God hates.  Once again, the Yule Log represents the sacrificing of your own child to the god Molech.  And on December 21st, Oden, who was the chief deity, flies through the night on his eight-legged horse, which is now symbolized as Santa’s eight reindeer guided sled.  Oden’s idols depict him as an ancient man with a long white beard.  People feared the wrath of Oden and would therefore leave gifts of cookies and milk for him to counteract his wrath.

 

Here is my Jeremiah 7:31 note:  “Tophet. . . to burn their sons and their daughters” = From “John Gills Exposition of the Bible” we read what Jarchi states about this:  “by putting them into the arms of the brazen image Moloch, heated hot.  The account he gives of Tophet is this, ‘Tophet is Moloch, which was made of brass; and they heated him from his lower parts; and his hands being stretched out, and made hot, they put the child between his hands, and it was burnt; when it vehemently cried out; but the priests beat a drum, that the father might not hear the voice of his son, and his heart might not be moved.’ ”

 

 

F) THE CHRISTMAS TREE

 

 

To say nothing of the Christmas Tree.  Really read carefully, ignoring the excuses made that these texts are not speaking of “a tree,” but read what Jeremiah (God) says about the Christmas Tree:

 

Jeremiah 10:3:  “For the customs of the people are vain:  for one cutteth a tree out of the forest, the work of the hands of the workman, with the axe.”

 

Jeremiah 10:4:  “They deck it with silver and with gold; they fasten it with nails and with hammers, that it move not.”

 

Do you see yourself “deck[ing]” your tree with tinsel?  Here is what God wants you to do about this custom:

 

Jeremiah 10:2:  “Thus saith the LORD {WHO IS TALKING; are you listening}, Learn not the way of the heathen.”

 

However, here is a little gem from my favorite Bible Commentator:  “God would be well pleased if on Christmas, each Church would have a Christmas tree on which shall be hung offerings, great and small, for these houses of worship.  Letters of inquiry have come to us asking, Shall we have a Christmas tree? will it not be like the world?  We answer, You can make it like the world if you have a disposition to do so, or you can make it as unlike the world as possible.  There is no particular sin in selecting a fragrant evergreen, and placing it in our Churches; but the sin lies in the motive which prompts to action, and the use which is made of the gifts placed upon the tree.

 

“The tree may be as tall and its branches as wide as shall best suit the occasion; but let its boughs be laden with the golden and silver fruit of your beneficence, and present this to Him as your Christmas gift.  Let your donations be sanctified by prayer, and let the fruit upon this consecrated tree be applied toward removing the debts from our houses of worship.”  RH, December 11, 1879.

 

 

G) THE BIRTHDAY OF NIMROD AND THE LORD OF THE MOON

 

 

To the Pagans, this day was the birthday of Nimrod.  Among the Sabeans of Arabia it was the moon, and not the sun, that was the visible symbol of the object of their idolatry, in observance of the “Birthday of the Lord” festival, this “Lord” meaning “Nimrod.”  Muslims still follow the “Moon God” today; but are ignorant of such; because they do not study their own history (nor do Christians).  Just look on top of their mosques.

 

The “Lord Moon” is the great object of Arabian worship.  According to them, the “Lord Moon” was born on the 24th of December, which clearly shows that the birth which they celebrated had no necessary connection with the course of the sun.  The Saxons, as is well known, regarded the sun as a female divinity, and the moon as a male.  Thus, it is the birthday of the “Lord Moon,” and not that of the sun, that was celebrated by them on the 25th of December.

 

The name of the “Lord Moon” in the East was “Meni.”  A direct translation of Isaiah 65:11 [see your margin notes] is:  “But ye are they that forsake My holy mountain, that prepare a temple for Gad, and that furnish the drink-offering unto Meni.”  “Gad” refers to the sun god, and “Meni” designates the moon-divinity.  The name “Gad” refers to the war-god, for it signifies to assault, but it also signifies “the assembler,” and under both ideas it is applicable to “Nimrod.”  He was the first grand warrior.  The name of “Phoroneus” is another name for him in honor of having first gathered mankind into social communities.

 

The name “Meni,” meaning, “the numberer,” on the other hand, is a synonym for the name of “Cush,” or “Chus,” which, while it signifies “to cover,” or “hide,” also signifies “to count, or number.”  The proper meaning of the name “Cush” then, is “the Numberer” or “Arithmetician.”  For while “Nimrod” was the grand propagator of the Babylonian system of idolatry, he, as “Hermes,” “taught men the proper mode of approaching the Deity with prayers and sacrifice.”  “Wilkinson,” volume 5, page 10.  “Hermes” is said to have “first discovered numbers, and the art of reckoning, geometry, and astronomy.”  “ibid.” page 3.

 

The name “Meni” is just the Chaldee form of the Hebrew “Mene,” the “numberer” for in Chaldee “I,” often takes the place of the final “e.”  That “Nebo,” representing the primeval god and the great prophetic god of Babylon, was just the same god as “Hermes,” is shown in the peculiar emphasis of the first words in God’s Divine sentence that sealed the doom of Belshazzar, -- “Mene, Mene, Tekel, Upharsin,” Daniel 5:25, which is as much as covertly to say, “The numberer is numbered.”  Thus, if “Gad” was the “sun-divinity,” “Meni” was very naturally regarded as “The Lord Moon.”

 

That God hated such worship I hope you can now clearly grasp from the reading of His Word.  “Meni,” or “Manai,” signifies “The Numberer,” and it is by the changes of the moon that the months are numbered.  Psalm 104:19 states, “He appointed the moon for seasons:  the sun knoweth his going down.”  The name of the “Man of the Moon,” or the god who presided over that luminary among the Saxons, was “Mane,” as given in the “Edda,” “Mallet,” volume 2, page 24 (1809 Edition); and “Mani,” in the “Voluspa.”  “Supplement to Ida Pfeiffer’s Iceland,” ppages 322-323.

 

That it was the birth of the “Lord Moon” that was celebrated among our ancestors at Christmas is clear in the name that is still given in the lowlands of Scotland to the feast on the last day of the year, which is a remnant of the old birth festival for the cakes than made, which are called, “Nur-Cakes,” or “Birth-cakes.”  That name is “Hogmanay” [see “Jamieson’s Scottish Dictionary,” sub voce], and “Hog-Manai,” in Chaldee signifies, “The feast of the Numberer;” in other words, “The festival of Deus Lunus,” or better, of the “Man of the Moon.”  Everybody in the south of Scotland is personally cognizant of the fact that “Hogmanay” begins on the evening before New Year’s day.

 

Even where the “sun” was the favorite object of worship, as in Babylon itself and elsewhere, at this festival it was worshipped not merely as the orb of day, but as God incarnate (see “Plutarch, De Iside,” volume 2, section 52, page 372).  It was an essential principle of the Babylonian system that the Sun, or better, “Ba-al,” was the one and only God (see “Macrobius,” Sat., lib. I. Ch. 23, page 72e).  When therefore, “Tammuz” was worshipped as God incarnate, this implied also that he was an incarnation of the “sun.”  In Hindu mythology, which is admitted to be essentially Babylonian, this comes out very distinctly.  There, “Surya,” or the “sun,” is represented as being incarnate and born for the purpose of subduing the enemies of the gods, who, without such a birth, could not have been subdued (see “Sanscrit Researches of Col. Vans Kennedy,” page 438).  

 

It is no mere astronomic festival then that the Pagans celebrated at the winter solstice.  That festival at Rome was called, “The Feast of Saturn,” and the mode in which it was celebrated there showed whence it had been derived.  Thus, Christmas is held in honor of the birth of the Babylonian Messiah, regardless of how “Christian” you try to make it.

 

Space is the only hold back now.  In addition to the Christmas Tree & Yole Log, what of the:  Lighted Wax Candles, Mistletoe, The Boar (Ham), And The List Goes On, And On, And On, And On?

 

 

H) BA-AL IS MOLECH

 

 

The ancient false gods of Ba-al and Tammuz, were worshipped by the Moabites under the name of “Molech,” First Kings 11:7.  The Moabites would sacrifice their children to this deity during the winter solstice (Lev. 18:21).  During the year, all the parents that had a child that year, would compile a “Wish List” of things they would like to happen for them in the next year after sacrificing their child to this false god.  Does this sound like setting your child on Santa’s lap in order for them to tell him of their desires?

 

That parents willingly put their child on the lap of this idol, is to reinstate the actions towards the false god Molech, whose lap was burning from lumps of coal being set on fire.  Does this remind you of the tradition that if a child was bad throughout the year that they would not receive any good gifts but only lumps of coal in their stockings hung by the fire.  You can hang stockings anywhere; therefore, why by the fireplace?

 

 

I) MOLECH

 

 

Some images of the idol of Molech show him wearing the famous hat of Santa (when his goat head is covered with it).  On the idol of Mithra, it is prominent.  Pay close attention to children under the age of one to one and a half and notice how their little faces are scared when placed upon Santa’s lap.  It is not until they have better perception to understand that their parents are telling them that this dressed up red man (red for fire) is safe.

 

On a side note, and this has nothing to do with your experiences, when I learned the truth about Santa at around five, I was shocked to learn that my parents would lie to me (Tooth fairy went down, Easter Bunny went down, etcetera; all in one day), and my trust in them wavered from that point onward.  Of course, children in their later years began to view Santa Clause as a giver of prosperity.  Just as the Moabites anticipated from their god Molech.

 

 

J) ELVES

 

 

Images also depict the false god Mithra flying upon a magical chariot.  Today, the portrayed horses are reindeer.  In most of the world (Europe), Santa is known as an “Elf.”  Elves are known as the teachers of the dark past.  From “Websters Dictionary” we learn:  “Elf - 1. A wandering spirit; a fairy; a hobgoblin; an imaginary being which our rude ancestors supposed to inhabit unfrequented places, and in various way to affect mankind. 2. An evil spirit; a devil.”  Satanists state that, “Elves are disembodied spirits used in magic, sorcery and are the principal agents in seances.”

 

 

K) SANTA CLAUSE IN EUROPE

 

 

Under the leadership and decrees of the Roman Catholic church, delegated, assessed and determined, established by the resolution of the “Council of Vatican II,” in the 1970’s:  “No Roman Catholic Bishop by the name of St. Nicholas ever existed.”  Plus:  “The legends attributed to St. Nicholas had no Christian origin and probably came from pagan traditions.”

 

In some versions of Santa Clause in Europe, he is seen riding upon a goat, which goes back to the false gods Mithra and Molech, which have goat-like heads.  Either way, Santa Clause is always accompanied by his helpers, which are half goat and half man.  They travel with Santa Clause from house to house; scaring children as they went (better be good, not naughty but nice).

 

The god Myra, in Turkey, would leave sacred gifts under the sacred trees.  If you were not a good child, he would either abduct you or beat you with sticks.  In fact, mostly in the Germanic cultures, Santa Clause used to be known as Satan himself.  In popular Rustic speech, Santa Clause is even called, “Old Nick.”  The “Concise Dictionary of English Etymology” defines “Nick” as, “The Devil.”  In fact, “Old Nick” was a well-known British name for “Satan.”

 

“Nikolaos” means, “The conqueror of the people.”  Revelation 2:15 states:  “So hast thou also them that hold the doctrine of the Nicolaitans, which thing I hate.”  See my Bible Study:  “NICOLAITANS, THE.”  In the play, “ROBIN Good-Fellovv, His Mad Pranks, and marry Lefts,” Allen W. Wright, in his book, “The History of a Hobgoblin,” about this play, he writes, “Robin itself was a medieval nickname for the devil.  Robin’s trademark laugh is ‘Ho Ho Ho!’ ”

 

 

L) OTHER GOD’S IN YOUR HOME

 

 

Evergreen trees were brought into people’s homes in order to symbolize eternal life and the concurring of death.  Mistletoe has no roots going into the ground, and therefore it is seen as a gift from the heavens (false gods).  The Druids would cut down the Mistletoe with a golden sword, having it fall into a sheet; for it was sacred and not to be touched by human hands.  It was thus established by the Druids, that all who passed under the Mistletoe were “kissed” by Frea, the goddess of futility.

 

The “World Book Encyclopedia” states:  “The belief that santa comes down through the chimney developed from an old Norse Legend.  The Norse believed that the goddess Hertha appeared in the fireplace and brought good luck to the home.”  “Druid homeowners would leave a treat consisting of milk and pastries to appease this deity that cam down into their chimney into their fireplace.”

 

Bottom line, as always Biblically, Who/who do you worship?

 

 

M) CONSIDER

 

 

“The youth should be treated very carefully.  They should not be left on Christmas to find their own amusement in vanity and pleasure seeking, in amusements which will be detrimental to their spirituality.  Parents can control this matter by turning the minds and the offerings of their children to God and His cause and the salvation of souls.”  AH:478.2.

 

“Christmas day, precious reminder of the sacrifice made in man’s behalf, should not be devoted to gluttony and self-indulgence, thus exalting the creature above the Creator.  Let us who are partakers of this great salvation show that we have some appreciation of the gift, by rendering to God our thank-offerings.  If we would indulge less in feasting and merriment upon these occasions, and instead make them the means of benefiting humanity, we should better meet the mind of God.  It is a pleasure and gratification to exchange gifts with our friends; but are there not nobler and more glorious objects for which we may give our means, and thus do good by shedding light upon the pathway of others? . . . Our holidays have been perverted from their intended use.  Gifts are lavished upon one another, and praise which should have been given to God, to Whom all these things belong, is bestowed upon poor mortals.”  RH, December 11, 1879.

 

“There is no harm in presenting to our friends gifts which they really need.  But I entreat you, my brethren and sisters, do not, because it is the custom, bestow gifts upon those who have no real need, while you do little for the poor, and entirely neglect to make your offerings to God. . . The Chinese new year is sacredly kept for one week, with great ceremony.  Old debts are paid, old grudges are forgiven.  If an individual cannot pay his debts, his fellow-Chinamen assist him, so that old accounts may not be carried into the new year.  They say Joss (their god) will be angry with them if they neglect this work.  Although these heathen are ignorant of the true God, yet in these things their example is worthy of imitation, even by Christians.”  RH, January 4,1881.

 

“We have tried earnestly to make the holidays as interesting as possible to the youth and children while changing this order of things.  Our object [HERE IS WHAT IS TO BE OUR OBJECT] has been to keep them away from scenes of amusement among unbelievers.  Instead of following a selfish custom, and giving to those from whom presents will be expected in return, let us make our offerings to the Lord. . . [1RH:395] I have thought that while we restrain our children from worldly pleasures, that have a tendency to corrupt and mislead, we ought to provide them innocent recreation, to lead them in pleasant paths where there is no danger. . . Worldly pleasures are infatuating; and for their momentary enjoyment, many sacrifice the friendship of Heaven, with the peace, love, and joy that it affords.”  RH, January 29, 1884.

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