Truth Provided Newsletter -Shocking Facts about Christmas

Truth Provided Newsletter 12-17-00

Shocking Facts about Christmas

THIS NEWSLETTER IS DESIGNED AS A TOOL FOR THOSE WHO WOULD WANT TO SHARE WITH THEIR LOVED ONES THE 'TRUE MEANING OF CHRISTMAS' AS THE BIBLE OF THE CHRISTIAN GOD DEFINES IT.

2 Corinthians 11:1-4, "Would to God ye could bear with me a little in my folly: and indeed bear with me. For I am jealous over you with godly jealousy: for I have espoused you to one husband, that I may present you as a chaste virgin to Christ. But I fear, lest by any means, as the serpent beguiled Eve through his subtilty, so your minds should be corrupted from the simplicity that is in Christ. For if he that cometh preacheth another Jesus, whom we have not preached, or if ye receive another spirit, which ye have not received, or another gospel, which ye have not accepted, ye might well bear with him."

Greetings in these last hours of Earth's history. It is the time of year that almost everyone you meet greets you with the familiar phrase, "Merry Christmas." After reading this Newsletter I am sure you will understand why that particular phrase will never come forth from my lips. I cannot honestly speak such words as those that Scriptures overwhelming proclaim as an absolute mockery unto my Lord Jesus Christ. I pray this newsletter will be a blessing unto you and those you share it with. In it I have listed many facts you can use to share with loved ones about this so called "Christian" time of year.

A few questions that come to mind are: Was Jesus born on or around December 25? Is Jesus really the "Reason for the Season?" And if so, are we suppose to celebrate it as such? Or is this Jesus they are proclaiming "another Jesus" not mentioned in the Word of the Lord? Does the Jesus of the Bible agree with the Jesus of Christmas 100%? 90%? 50%? or even 10%? As we see in 2 Corinthians 11:1-4 that I shared at the top of this Newsletter. The Apostle was trying to prevent the Corinthians from becoming corrupted by false apostles, false teachers, and false Christians. According to Truth, there is only ONE Jesus Christ, ONE Holy Spirit, and ONE Gospel that is to be proclaimed to all the World. We should be preaching the Jesus of the Bible unto the World making absolutely sure not to "mix" that Gospel message with anything tainted by the World itself. For it is plainly written... "...know ye not that the friendship of the world is enmity with God? whosoever therefore will be a friend of the world is the enemy of God."-James 4:4 Fact is we are not to "add to, or take away" from the Word of God in any way shape or form! To preach "another Jesus" is to mix the Gospel with lies of Satan plain and simple. It is also causing those children that have heard the Truth and accepted it an opportunity to be lured away unto "another message" that may seem more acceptable to those around them. They see fellow Christians everywhere buying gifts, trees, and Christmas lights and they feel obligated and even expected to do the same. This is Satan's true desire. He will look for any opportunity he can find to get followers of Christ Jesus to do and embrace evil acts as Christian acts. The enemy will simply show them brothers and sisters in Christ doing his will with complete acceptance. This is always the case. If they THINK it's accepted, then they will THINK it's ok. If he can get you to accept his lies, ALONG with the Truth of the Lord, then his work is well on its way of completion into the hearts of Christians. However, it is written rather bluntly...

1 Corinthians 10:21, "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."

So, what in the world am I getting at? My point is this... Is this really Jesus Christ they claim that was born on December 25 the very same of the Christian Bible? And are all the acts, rituals, festivities, and merry making Christian in origin? Are they Biblical? Did the early Church accept, embrace, and take part in all this? Or is the hand of evil cleverly hidden in all this?

FOR THE SAKE OF SPACE. I CANNOT SHARE ALL THE HISTORIC
FACTS IN THIS NEWSLETTER. ADDITIONAL INFORMATION FOR
YOUR OWN RESEARCH CAN BE FOUND BY CLICKING HERE

IS IT ACCEPTABLE TO BLEND PAGANISM WITH CHRISTIANITY?

"When the LORD thy God shall cut off the nations from before thee, whither thou goest to possess them, and thou succeedest them, and dwellest in their land; Take heed to thyself that thou be not snared by following them, after that they be destroyed from before thee; and that thou enquire not after their gods, saying, How did these nations serve their gods? even so will I do likewise. Thou shalt not do so unto the LORD thy God: for every abomination to the LORD, which he hateth, have they done unto their gods; for even their sons and their daughters they have burnt in the fire to their gods. What thing soever I command you, observe to do it: thou shalt not add thereto, nor diminish from it." -Deuteronomy 12:29-32

In his book, "Too Long In The Sun," Richard Rives draws an appropriate parallel to the circumstances in Exodus 32, a Biblical precedent which provoked God nearly to the point of destroying the nation of Israel for their sin of blending pagan worship with His own.

"…the golden calf was built and the celebration declared a ‘feast to the Lord.’...The people had declared a celebration to honor God that he did not recognize as being in his honor." Richard Rives, Too Long in the Sun, Partakers Pub., 1996, pp. 129-30.

"Hathor and Aphis, the cow and bull gods of Egypt, were representatives of sun worship. Their worship was just one stage in the long Egyptian history of solar veneration. The golden calf at Mount Sinai is more than sufficient evidence to prove that the feast proclaimed was related to sun worship. The event at Mount Sinai was just one episode in the Satanic apostasy which began at the tower of Babel. The celebration of December 25th, originally proclaimed in honor of the birth of the sun god Mithra, can only be one of the final events in the long continuing saga of Satanic sun worship." -Ibid, pp. 130-31.

The children of Israel placed themselves on the absolute edge of certain annihilation that day. It is a good thing that, "...the LORD repented of the evil which he thought to do unto his people."-Exodus 32:14 The Almighty could have easily removed every single Israelite from the face of the Earth. He could have easily rose up a mighty nation from the house of Moses instead as He intimated in Exodus 32:10. But as we know, He did not. That does not lessen the severity of their open denial of Him by any means. It was something that ANGERED THE LORD intensely. Yet, we see people doing this today with such disregard for His heart the world over.

THE NAME... CHRIST-MASS?

"The mass is the unbloody renewal of the sacrifice of Christ on Calvary's cross...Christ, through the ministry of the Roman Catholic priest, offers Himself to God in an unbloody manner under the appearances of bread and wine. The mass is the same sacrifice as the sacrifice of the cross because the Victim is the same. The purpose of the mass is, among other things, to satisfy the justice of God for the sins committed against Him." -Rev. John A. O'Brien, UNDERSTANDING THE CATHOLIC FAITH, Ave Maria Press, Nortre Dame, Ind, 1955, p. 212

Christ is crucified afresh in the Catholic church daily, obviously indicating His death on Calvary was insufficient by this event that is defined a "mass." Is it not written in Hebrews 7:27, "Who needeth not daily, as those high priests, to offer up sacrifice, first for his own sins, and then for the people's: for this he did once, when he offered up himself."

For this church to proclaim " The purpose of the mass is, among other things, to satisfy the justice of God for the sins committed against Him" is to boldly declare that which Jesus did was insufficient on Calvary. And that is blasphemy to say the least. Look further into the definition of the word "mass" in this Catholic document.

"When the priest pronounces the tremendous words of consecration, he reaches up into the heavens and brings Christ down from His throne, and places Him upon the (Roman Catholic) altar to be offered up again as the victim for the sins of man...Christ became incarnate a single time, the priest brings Christ down from heaven and renders Him present on the (Roman Catholic) altar as the eternal Victim for the sins of man-not once but a thousand times! The priest speaks and lo! Christ, the eternal, omnipotent God, bows His head in humble obedience to the priest's command...No wonder that the name which spiritual writers are especially fond of applying to the priest is that of 'altar Christus.' For the priest is and should be another Christ." -Rev. John A. O'brien, FAITH OF MILLIONS, Our Sunday Visitor, Huntington, Ind., 1938, pp. 243-244

They further define this "mass" as not only a sacrifice, but an opportunity for a mere man to become "another Christ" before the eyes of men. In fact, this "other Christ" makes declaration unto the REAL Christ asking him to come down from His throne and we are suppose to believe that the, " ... omnipotent God, bows His head in humble obedience to the priest's command.." In essence, they are saying God is under THEIR control here! By the way, have you ever noticed? Only two places on Earth call the gathering of fellow worshippers a 'mass.' The Roman Catholic Church, and the Satanic Church.

So, there you have it. The 'mass' is actually a depiction of a SACRIFICE, as well as a time for man to become God on Earth. And not only God on Earth, but one that gives orders unto the God of all creation Himself! To place the name "Christ" in front of the blasphemous word, "mass" so as to get "all the world" into a group hug of acceptance of the "Christmas" is not only evil, but it is an open mockery of all that is holy and true.

Also keep in mind the Catholic church even goes so far as to declare their "mass" an "unbloodly renewal of Christ on Calvary's cross" However, the Word of the Christian God declares quite the opposite is necessary in the order of things put forth in advance by the God of creation. See it written here...

"And almost all things are by the law purged with blood; and without shedding of blood is no remission." -Hebrews 9:22

Once again the Word of the Creator God proves the lie to be just that. A lie. It's really that simple.

THE DATE... DECEMBER 25TH?

Think about this common sense situation for a moment. Are we to assume the shepherds kept their flock of sheep outside in the Winter? Did the angels have appear to them in the Winter? Fact is, the sheep were brought in under cover around mid-October to early November to protect them from the cold, rainy, and hail season that would follow. These are not conditions worthy of sheep herding. Nor will you find shepherds outside this time of year. Therefore it would be impossible for them to actually have seen the angels bringing tidings of great joy. Common sense tells us that they would not have been outside at that time of year.

"And there were in the same country shepherds abiding in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night. And, lo, the angel of the Lord came upon them, and the glory of the Lord shone round about them: and they were sore afraid. And the angel said unto them, Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people. For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord." -Luke 2:8-11,

This would NOT have occurred in the Winter! This is absolutely impossible! According to the information we have about Palestine, the flocks were let out in the pastures in the month of March, and brought back in mid October to early November when the rainy season began.

"This proves plainly that the flocks were not yet brought home from their pastures, when the angels visited the shepherds. Some have the idea that there is no winter in Palestine, but that is a mistake, because sometimes it is very cold there, so that the lives of both men and beasts are in danger of the cold rain and hail storms of the winter."-- Horne's Introduction, Vol.II, pp. 23,24.

Concerning this, Adam Clarke makes the following remark in his commentary: "It was a custom among the Jews to send out their sheep to the desert about the passover, and bring them home at the commencement of the first rain. [See also the book, The Two Babylons, pages 91,92. ]

The first rain occurred around the Jewish month of Cheshvan. That is around mid October to November to those of us using the modern English calendar. So you see the flocks were BROUGHT IN well before Dec. 25! If everyone on planet Earth that claims Jesus as Lord would place their faith in "Whatsoever saith the Lord" we would have a LOT less Pagan activities going on. The devil is a cunning enemy, he has placed wolves in sheep's clothing before all of us masquerading as Christians, preachers, priests, and ministers to declare unto you the lie of Christmas. Why? So as to confuse the Truth that is held within the Word of God. Nullifying whatsoever saith the Lord for whatever your Christian brothers and sisters are doing. It is done to get all the world under his control by partaking in activities of the Pagan by calling it Christian.

Another thing many miss is the simple fact that Joseph and Mary would NOT have traveled to Bethlehem in Winter. Luke 2:4-5 tells us, "And Joseph also went up from Galilee, out of the city of Nazareth, into Judaea, unto the city of David, which is called Bethlehem; (because he was of the house and lineage of David) To be taxed with Mary his espoused wife, being great with child." Simple historic fact is, Rome would NEVER have the people travel at a time of year that would most certainly cause great distress and even death not only of mankind, but of beast as well. They didn't have heated cars, buses, trains, and airplanes in those days. Satan is relying on our creature comforts to fog the minds of those that would look upon this simple Historic fact. Are we subconsciously ignoring the obvious here? It appears so.

"How much the date of the festival depended upon the pagan Brumalia (December 25th) following the Saturnalia (December 17th-24th), and celebrating the shortest day of the year and the 'new sun'...cannot be accurately determined. The pagan Saturnalia and Brumalia were too deeply entrenched in popular custom to be set aside by Christian influence...The pagan festival with it's riot and merrymaking was so popular that Christians were glad of an excuse to continue its celebration with little change in spirit and in manner. Christian preachers of the West and the Near East protested against the unseemly frivolity with which Christ's birthday was celebrated, while Christians of Mesopotamia ACCUSED THEIR WESTERN BRETHREN OF IDOLATRY AND SUN WORSHIP FOR ADOPTING AS CHRISTIAN THIS PAGAN FESTIVAL" Emphasis added. -The New Schaff-Herzog Encyclopedia of Religious Knowledge

"The twenty-fifth of December is supposed to be the day of the birth of Jesus Christ, and its observance has become customary and popular. But yet there is no certainty that we are keeping the veritable day of our Saviour's birth. History gives us no certain assurance of this. The Bible does not give us the precise time. Had the Lord deemed this knowledge essential to our salvation, he would have spoken through his prophets and apostles, that we might know all about the matter. But the silence of the Scriptures upon this point evidences to us that it is hidden from us for the wisest purposes. In his wisdom, the Lord concealed the place where he buried Moses. God buried him, and God resurrected him, and took him to heaven. This secrecy was to prevent idolatry." -Review&Herald 12-9-1884

The infinite wisdom of our Lord is so apparent in this simple fact. He spared us the date of His birth so as to prevent our desire to make that day into a day of IDOL WORSHIP. Yet we see Satan has devised a way around that. ALL the world is indeed wondering after the Beast!

"As star cult, sun-worship, became (in the third century A.D.) the dominant official creed, paving the road for the ultimate triumph of Judaeo-Christian monotheism. So strong was the belief in the Invincible Sun (Sol Invictus) that for example Constantine I (ad. 337), himself at first a devotee of the sun cult, found it, indeed perfectly compatible with his pro-Christian sympathies to authorize his own portrayal as Helios. And in 354 the ascendant Christian church in the reign of his pious but unsavory son, Constantius II, found it prudent to change the celebration of the birth of Jesus from the traditional date (January 6) to December 25, in order to combat the pagan Sun god’s popularity—his "birthday" being December 25." -Frederick H. Cramer, Astrology in Roman Law and Politics, p. 4. Copyright 1954 by the American Philosophical Society, Philadelphia.

"The reasons for celebrating our major feasts when we do are many and varied. In general, however, it is true that many of them have at least an indirect connection with the pre-Christian feasts celebrated about the same time of year — feasts centering around the harvest, the rebirth of the sun at the winter solstice (now Dec. 21, but Dec. 25 in the old Julian calendar), the renewal of nature in spring, and so on." -The New Question Box - Catholic Life for the Nineties, copyright 1988 by John J. Dietzen, M.A., S.T.L., ISBN 0-940518-01-5 (paperback), published by Guildhall Publishers, Peoria Illinois, 61651., page 554.

The REAL reason for December 25. It has everything to do with the "the rebirth of the sun at the winter solstice" the Pagan "Brumalia" and absolutely nothing to do with the birth of the Son of God. So, is it becoming clearer as to who is REALLY being worshipped at Christmas? THE SUN! Christmas is the "winter solstice" plain and simple. It is when the Sun hangs longer in the sky for all inhabitants of Earth. It is evident by the days becoming longer as the year progresses. It is a Pagan celebration of the rebirth of their Sun god Mithra. It is actually no different than Easter. Pagans worship the Sun, Moon, and Stars. Easter is actually the "renewal of nature" for the Pagans. Ask any Pagan you meet why they "fast 40 days" before their festival of "Easter" that falls on the first SUNday after the first FULL MOON of Spring. Like Christmas, Easter has nothing to do with Christ, and EVERYTHING to do with Pagan worship of the Sun, Moon, and Stars. Now do you see why Easter falls on a "different date" every year? If it was really about Jesus' death and resurrection the date would be the same every year. Fact remains, Easter falls on a date calculated by the orbit of the Moon around earth. Christmas is more deceiving however because it is calculated on the orbit of the planet around the Sun. That also happens to be how we calculate our Solar year. That's why Christmas always falls on the same date. It is an "annual" calculation, where the moon's orbit is calculated monthly. (Now do you understand why the Pope looks to change the calendar again? He wants to make Easter a FIXED date.)

DID EARLY CHRISTIANS CELEBRATE CHRISTMAS?

"Christmas was not among the earliest festivals of the Church...the first evidence of the feast is from Egypt." "Pagan customs centering around the January calendars gravitated to Christmas." "...In the Scriptures, no one is recorded to have kept a feast or held a great banquet on his [Jesus] birthday. It is only sinners who make great rejoicings over the day in which they were born into this world" -Catholic Encyclopedia, 1911 Edition, published by the Roman Catholic Church

And to settle some minds out there that place absolutely no stock in any boast of Catholicism as authentic, especially in areas dealing directly with Christianity, I added the following quotes. It appears the history of the murderous Catholic church is finally opening the eyes of many in reality. And that is prophetically sound. For soon EVERYONE will know the truth about Catholicism.

"A broad element of English Christianity still considered Christmas celebration a pagan blasphemy. The Puritans, Baptists, Quakers, Presbyterians, Calvinists and other denominations brought this opposition to early New England and strong opposition to the holiday lasted in America until the middle of the 18th century." -The Origins of Christmas," Rick Meisel, Dec. 19, 1993, p. 4.

"...Christmas was not among the earliest festivals of the church...." -Encyclopedia Britannica, 1946 edition

"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 [eg Communion - death of Christ] rather than their birth..." "...A feast was established in memory of this event [the birth of Jesus] 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 [SUN], as no certain knowledge of the day of Christ's birth existed." Emphasis added. -Encyclopedia Americana, 1944 Edition

So the answer is NO. The early and True Christian Church, our Biblical example on how to walk as Christians, was not found to be one celebrating a Pagan Christmas feast day. In fact, the early church displayed STRONG OPPOSITION to this Pagan feast day for hundreds of years! So, why do Christians of today celebrate that which is known to be of Pagan origin? Because Revelation 13:3 does indeed say that ALL the world wonders after the Beast. It also says in Revelation 17 that The Roman Church is the "mother of harlots." And what does Jeremiah 6:2 define women in prophecy as? CHURCHES. In other words, the reason everyone is doing as the Roman Catholic church has invented is because she IS their mother church. June 26, 2000 the official start of the ONE WORLD CHURCH confirms that. They are all going back home to their mother!

ORIGIN OF GIFT GIVING...

"The interchange of presents between friends is alike characteristic of Christmas and the Saturnalia, and MUST HAVE BEEN ADOPTED BY CHRISTIANS FROM THE PAGANS, as the admonition of Tertullian plainly shows." Emphasis added. -Bibliotheca Sacra (vol 12 pp 153-155)

The giving the presents was a Roman custom. The yuletide and the yule log are remnants of old Teutonic nature worship."-- Schaff-Hersog Encyclopedia.

"From the first institution of this festival, the Western nations seem to have transferred to it many of the follies and censurable (XXX) practices which prevailed in the pagan festivals of the same season such as adorning the churches fantastically, mingling puppet-shows and dramas with worship, universal feasting and merrymaking, Christmas visits and salutations, Christmas presents and jocularity, and Christmas revelry and drunkenness.... The Christmas holy days, which by a law of Tehodosius the Greek (emperor A.D. 383-395) were to comprise fourteen days, ...have borne so close a resemblance wherever they have been observed to the Roman Saturnalia, Sigillaria, etc., and to the yule feast of the ancient Goths, as to afford strong presumption of an unhappy alliance between them from the first."-- Ecclesiastical History, by Mosheim, Vol. 1, page 280.

CHRISTMAS STEMS FROM SUN WORSHIP?

The author of "The Two Babylons" identifies also the child, whose birth was so universally celebrated, with Nimrod, who built the tower of Babel, and says that he was worshiped by the name Osiris in Egypt, and Tammuz (the same one as Adonis the famous hunter) in Phoenicia and Assyria. (See page 56.) This Tammuz is also mentioned by the holy prophet, Ezekiel, who in a vision saw the women of Judah weeping for him. He is there spoken of in company with sun-worship.

"It was an essential principle of the Babylonian system that the sun, or Baal, was the one only god. (Notice, "BAAL?" As in Daniels day too?) When, therefore, Tammuz was worshiped as God incarnate, that implied also that he was an incarnation of the sun."--Alexander Hislop, The Two Babylons, Loizeaux Brothers, page 96.

"This festival has been commonly believed to have had only an astronomical character, referring simply to the completion of the sun’s yearly course, and the commencement of a new cycle. But there is indubitable evidence that the festival in question had a much higher influence than this--that it commemorated not merely the figurative birthday of the sun in the renewal of its course, but the birth-day of the grand Deliverer...the Sun-God and great mediatorial divinity." -Ibid pp. 94, 97.

In Egypt, the son of Isis, the Egyptian title for the queen of heaven, was born at this very time, ‘about the time of the winter solstice.’ The very name by which Christmas is popularly known among ourselves - Yule day - proves at once its Pagan and Babylonian origin. ‘Yule’ is the Chaldee name for an ‘infant’ or ‘little child’ and as the 25th of December was called by our Pagan Anglo-Saxon ancestors, ‘Yule-day,’ or the ‘Child’s day,’ and the night which preceded it, ‘Mother-night,’ long before they came into contact with Christianity, that sufficiently proves its real character. Far and wide in the realms of paganism was this birth-day observed." -Ibid pp. 93, 94

We can see that in this way we trace sun-worship back to Nimrod whose worship was universal in the old time. So, I do believe we have good reason to say: "Little children, keep yourselves from idols."

THE PAGAN CHRISTMAS TREE...

"The Christmas tree, now so common among us, was equally common in Pagan Rome and Pagan Egypt. In Egypt it was the palm tree; in Rome it was the fir; the palm-tree denoting the Pagan Messiah, as Baal-Tamar, the fir referring to him as Baal-Berith. The mother of Adonis, the Sun-God and great mediatorial divinity, was mystically said to have been changed into a tree, and when in that state to have brought forth her divine son. If the mother was a tree, the son must have been recognized as ‘Man the Branch.’ And this entirely accounts for putting the Yule Log into the fire on Christmas Eve and the appearance of the Christmas tree the next morning. As Zero-Ashta, ‘The seed of the woman,’ ...he has to enter the fire on ‘Mother night,’ that he may be born the next day out of it, as the ‘Branch of God,’ or the Tree that brings divine gifts to men. ...the divine child born at the winter solstice was born as a new incarnation of the great god (after that god had been cut in pieces...on purpose to revenge his death upon his murderers.) Now the great god, cut off in the midst of his power and glory, was symbolised as a huge tree, stripped of all his branches, and cut down almost to the ground. But the great Serpent, the symbol of the life restoring Aesculapius, twists itself around the dead stock...and lo, at its side sprouts a young tree - a tree of an entirely different kind, that is never to be cut down by a hostile power -...and thus shadowed forth the perpetuity and everlasting nature of his power, how that after having fallen before his enemies, he has risen triumphant over them all. Therefore, the 25th of December, the day that was observed in Rome as the day when the victorious god reappeared on earth was held at the Natalis invicti solis, 'The birthday of the unconquered Sun." -The Two Babylons, p. 97, 98.

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. -Review&Herald 12-11-1879

"Hear ye the word which the Lord speaketh unto you, O house of Israel: Thus saith the Lord, Learn not the ways of the heathen, and be not dismayed at the signs of heaven; for the heathen are dismayed at them. 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. They deck it with silver and with gold; they fasten it with nails and with hammers, that it move not. They are upright as the palm tree, but speak not: they must needs be borne, because they cannot go. Be not afraid of them; for they cannot do evil, neither also is it in them to do good. Forasmuch as there is none like unto thee, O Lord; thou art great, and thy name is great in might." -Jerimiah 10:1-6

By the way... Pagans and "Evergreen trees" go way back...

Deuteronomy 12:2, "Ye shall utterly destroy all the places, wherein the nations which ye shall possess served their gods, upon the high mountains, and upon the hills, and under every green tree:"

1 Kings 14:22-23, "And Judah did evil in the sight of the LORD, and they provoked him to jealousy with their sins which they had committed, above all that their fathers had done. For they also built them high places, and images, and groves, on every high hill, and under every green tree."

Psalms 37:35, "I have seen the wicked in great power, and spreading himself like a green bay tree."

Isaiah 57:5, "Enflaming yourselves with idols under every green tree, slaying the children in the valleys under the clifts of the rocks?"

Jeremiah 3:6, "The LORD said also unto me in the days of Josiah the king, Hast thou seen that which backsliding Israel hath done? she is gone up upon every high mountain and under every green tree, and there hath played the harlot."

YULE TIDE AND YULE LOG:

"The Yule Log tradition comes to us from Scandinavia, where the pagan sex and fertility god Jul, or Jule (pronounced 'yule'), was honored in a twelve-day celebration in December. A large, single log (generally considered to have been a phallic idol) was kept with a fire against it for twelve days, a different sacrifice to Jul being offered in the fire on each of the twelve days." -Holidays and Holy Days, by Tom C. McKenney

This is where the Twelve Days of Christmas originated which are now counted as the twelve days between "Christmas" and Epiphany (January 12th). Did you notice? (That's actually more than 12 days? CoNfUsEd?)

HANGING STOCKINGS:

Stocking hanging comes from an English legend: "Father Christmas once dropped some gold coins while coming down the chimney. The coins would have fallen through the ash grate and been lost if they hadn't landed in a stocking that had been hung out to dry. Since that time children have continued to hang out stockings in hopes of finding them filled with gifts." -The History of Christmas;

LIGHTED CANDLES:

"Lighted candles are foreign to the worship of God in the church of the New Testament scriptures. Yet, they too had their place in the worship of the sun god of paganism and in Christmas today. " -Alexander Hislop, THE TWO BABYLONS, Loizeaux Bros., Neptune, N.J., 1959, p. 94 and 97

MISTLETOE:

"Among the pre-Christian Druidic superstitions, derived from ancient Babylon, was the legend of the mistletoe. It was regarded as a divine branch which came down from heaven and grafted itself into an earthly tree. Thus the mistletoe became a token of reconciliation, the kiss being a symbol of pardon" -Alexander Hislop, THE TWO BABYLONS, Loizeaux Bros., Neptune, N.J., 1959, p. 9

CHRISTMAS: A CATHOLIC ORDINANCE:

"The third one of the great feasts of the church, Christmas, doesn't seem to be kept during the first three centuries. In contrast to it a memorial of Christ's baptism was celebrated in the Orient as a revelation of his Messiahship and glory of his divinity called Epiphania, the sixth of January. This festival was, in Egypt, also given the meaning as a memorial of Christ's birth, and in that way they had in a certain sense a substitute for Christmas, which had not yet begun."-- Ecclesiastical History, by C.A. Cornelius, part 1, page 139.

"It began first to be celebrated in the Roman Church about 360, and from there it spread to the Orient," After he has mentioned "Saturnalia," the Roman feast of joy, which began the seventeenth and ended the twenty-fourth of December with the "Sigillaria," he continues: "At last the so-called 'Brumalia,' or the winter solstice, was celebrated the twenty-fifth of December. It was also called 'deus natalis invicti solis' (the birth feast of the unconquered sun), because in that season when the short days are gone, the sun again comes forth victorious from the gloomy night to travel on its orbit like an unconquered hero."--Notes to Luke 2:8. part 2, page 91.

This proves that the twenty-fifth of December was an annual feast celebrated in the honor of the sun. Frederick Neilsen, a Danish bishop, says, "During the first three centuries we find no trace of any feast for the birth of Christ."-- Ecclesiastical History, page 224.

The commentator, Adam Clarke, gives the following information: "The Latin church, supreme in power and infallible in judgment, placed it on the twenty-fifth of December, the very day in which the ancient Romans celebrated the feast of their goddess Bruma.... Pope Julius I was the person who made this alteration, and it appears to have been done for this reason: the sun now began his return toward the northern tropic, ending the winter, lengthening the days, and introducing the spring."-- Notes to Luke 2:8.

From Johnson's Encyclopedia and other sources we also learn that Julius I, Bishop of Rome, appointed the twenty-fifth of December for the celebration of Christ's birth.

All this proves very plainly,

(1)that the birth of Christ was not universally celebrated by the Christians during the first three centuries;

(2) that it was the Latin church which first ordained it to be celebrated on the twenty-fifth of December;

(3) that it was Julius I, Bishop of Rome, who made the appointment;

(4) and that the customs at this old pagan festival were transferred to Christmas. This is truly surprising. Here are indeed reasons for a solemn search of heart, fervent prayer, and firmness of character for those who wish to be pure in the sight of God. -No Foundation in the Bible By, S. Mortensen

Christmas a Catholic invention? And EVERYONE is doing it? Surprised? Fact is, Scriptures declare that ALL the world will do as this beast declares to the churches. For it is not only the WHORE OF BABYLON, it is also the MOTHER OF HARLOTS according to Revelation 17:5. Harlots are WOMEN are they not? And in prophecy, women = churches do they not? (See Jer. 6:2) So you see, the Bible is rather accurate in describing that a "Christian" church will be doing BABYLONIAN rituals and she will also teach all the other churches of the world to do the same. In other words, you can thank the Roman Catholic Church for almost ALL the doctrinal statements in your church that have pagan origins tied to them. Some of you reading this Newsletter may be doing Catholic rituals without even realizing it. For a little more info on this, see this Newsletter of Sept, 19, 1999.

THE LIE OF SANTA CLAUSE ALL PARENTS TELL THEIR CHILDREN

Think about this for a moment. Parents all over the world have been telling bold face lies to their children since birth about a fat man in a red suit that supposedly comes down a chimney to place gifts underneath a pine tree. Now guess what happens when that child comes to a certain age where he or she understand right from wrong. Could it be age 5, 7, or 9 perhaps? The child realizes one day that mommy and daddy have been lying to him the whole time! And not only that, this child now realizes that IT WORKED!!! He actually realizes that his parents lied to him and HE BELIEVED THEM! He honestly down deep in his heart realizes that the lie was believed hook, line and sinker! So now he has concrete evidence that lying is a resourceful tool that he can use to his advantage. And his very own loving parents taught him this tool from hell.

"Nicholas Saint (St. Claus), a highly popular saint of the Roman Catholic Church, and reverenced with still greater devotion by the Russian Church, which regards him as a special patron, was one of the early bishops of Mysia, in Lysia. The precise date of his episcopate is a subject of much controversy. Of his personal history hardly anything is certainly known, and the great popularity of the devotion to him wrought through his intercession. He is regarded in Catholic countries as a special patron of the young, and particularly of scholars. On the vigil of his feast, which is held on December 6, a person in the appearance and costume of a bishop assembles the children of a family or a school and distributes among them, to the good, gilt nuts, sweetmeats, and other little presents as the rewards of good conduct; to the naughty ones, the redoubtable punishment klanbauf. The supposed relics of St. Nicholas were conveyed from the East to Bari, in the kingdom of Naples, toward the close of the eleventh century." Thus the fable is a part of the old relic-worshiping traditions of a corrupt church. The nearness of his feast, in December, to the Christmas festival, led to associating the saint and the present-giving idea with the feast of December 25. We must admit, in the light of the Bible, that it is very foolish and wrong to teach little children the tales of Santa Claus. -The Library of Universal Knowledge "...Little children, keep yourselves from idols."

Ever notice these shocking facts?

SANTA CLAUSE ~STRANGELY COMPARED TO~ JESUS CHRIST

1. Has white hair like wool 1. Revelation 1:14 - Daniel 7:9

2. Beard-curly and white 2. Isaiah 50:6 - Rev. 1:14

3. Comes from North Pole 3. Ez. 1:4; Ex.26:35 Psa.48:2

4. Omniscient-knows about all 4. Revelation 19:6

5. Ageless, eternal 5. Rev. 1:8,21:6; Hebrews 13:8

6. Makes List of Judgments 6. Rev.20:12; 14:7; 21:27; 2 Cor.5:10

7. Checks list twice 7. Dan. 8:14; Matt. 10:26, 1 Cor.5:10

8. Gifts given on basis of a list 8. Matt.25:21; Rev. 21:27; 22:14

9. Christmas rewards once yearly 9. Leviticus 23:26-32

10. Confess wrongs to Santa 10. I John 2:1, I Tim. 2:5

11. Promise to be better next year 11. John 14:15,21; 15:10; I Jn. 2:3

12. Asks children to obey parents 12. Eph. 6:1; Prov. 6:20; Col. 3:20

13. Hour of his coming a mystery 13. Luke 12:40; Mark 13:33; Matt.24:36

14. Rudolph's shining nose to guide 14. Matt. 2:2,7,9-10; Numbers 24:17

15. Calls all children to his knee 15. Matt. 19:14, Luke 18:16

16. Be good for goodness sake 16. Matt. 19:17; Col 1:29; Phil. 2:13

17. Has a twinkle in his eye 17. Rev. 1:14, 2:18

18. Swift visit to whole world in 1 day. 18. 2 Peter 3:8; Rev. 18:8, Isa. 47:9

19. Omnipresent-Found in every mall 19. Psa. 139:7-10; Eph. 4:6

20. Says "Ho,ho" 20. Zecheriah 2:6

Like many of us, when I was a child, I was told that Santa Claus was "All Powerful" He makes billions of toys and delivers them in one night. He defies the laws of nature by flying and jumping down narrow chimneys. With Santa all things are possible. He is by definition, Omnipotent.

Omnipotent: "...having unlimited power or authority; all powerful-the Omnipotent God." -Webster's New World Dictionary

I was told that Good Ol' Saint Nick knows all things. At least he knows when every boy and girl is bad or good or how they behave throughout the year does he not? He is by definition, Omniscient.

Omniscient: "...having infinite knowledge; knowing all things-the Omniscient God." -Webster's New World Dictionary

WHERE DID WE GET THE RED AND GREEN COLORS AT XMAS?

Look what the Scriptures attribute to the colors, Red and Green...

Leviticus 14:33-39, "And the LORD spake unto Moses and unto Aaron, saying, When ye be come into the land of Canaan, which I give to you for a possession, and I put the plague of leprosy in a house of the land of your possession; And he that owneth the house shall come and tell the priest, saying, It seemeth to me there is as it were a plague in the house: Then the priest shall command that they empty the house, before the priest go into it to see the plague, that all that is in the house be not made unclean: and afterward the priest shall go in to see the house: And he shall look on the plague, and, behold, if the plague be in the walls of the house with hollow strakes, greenish or reddish, which in sight are lower than the wall; Then the priest shall go out of the house to the door of the house, and shut up the house seven days: And the priest shall come again the seventh day, and shall look: and, behold, if the plague be spread in the walls of the house;"

Are you mimicking the plague of leprosy upon the walls of your own home in acceptance? With pride? Do you SEEK leprosy? A disease that even with today's massive technology is incurable?

WHO'S TO BLAME FOR ALL THIS PAGAN INFILTRATION?

Who do we have to thank for all this Pagan infiltration in our lives? PLEASE, don't take my word for it. The Roman Catholic church ADMITS this very fact...

Cardinal Newman admits in his book that; the "temples, incense, oil lamps, votive offerings, holy water, holidays, and seasons of devotion, processions, blessings of the fields, sacerdotal vestments, the tonsure (of priests, munks and nuns), images, and statues... are all of pagan origin." -The Development of the Christian Religion Cardinal Newman p.359

Such boldness! Such arrogance! It's as if the devil is puffing up his chest to proclaim to God Himself that, "Yes, they know it's against your will Lord! Yet they choose it over you anyway!!" The Catholic church is openly declaring that they are that "Christian church that is doing Babylonian acts" in Revelation by that statement! Notice the following list of Pagan rituals and symbols that Catholicism has introduced into Christianity. ALL "so called" Protestant Churches are taking part in many of these as well... 666-CHAR.htm#pagan After viewing the facts on that page how can anyone honestly say that you would still wonder who the WHORE OF BABYLON is? It's really that graphic folks! It's really that obvious, and thanks to the prophetic fact that we are living in the days when knowledge should increase, we now have veritable historic documentation to back it up! WE HAVE THE PROOF NOW!

PAGAN SUN WORSHIP MELDED WITH CHRISTIAN 'SON' WORSHIP

Referring to Rorate (Nativity), a traditional Scottish melody featured on her recent Christmas album, American Scottish fiddler Bonnie Rideout described the lyrics in a way that really captures the essence of Christmas - namely syncretism:

"Its about the birth of the Son, meaning the s-o-n, the Christ-child. And then the lyrics continue to talk about the earth and the sea and the birth of the sun, s-u-n, meaning the winter solstice. The sun is coming back and with the return of the sun, comes new hope. But in the Christian sense, the birth of the Son, meaning the Christ child, is the bringing of new hope for Christians. So there is this sort of nice interplay with the Christian and the Pagan beliefs coming together and sort of meaning the same thing, which is the rebirth of the spirit, its a very uplifting feeling." -Bonnie Rideout, The Thistle and Shamrock, produced by Fiona Ritchie, National Public Radio, 12/23/99.

That's Christian music?

...In closing

Our Lord rightly demands more of us than of those that look elsewhere for peace. He does this simply because we have been blessed with the opportunity to live in the age of wonderful research and discovery "when knowledge should increase" as Daniel spoke of in Chapter 12 of his book. Plus, the Bible has been in our mothers tongue several hundred years now without Roman Catholic persecution for reading it. In the glorious and peace filled light of this situation, we would certainly deserve severe condemnation from above for our ignorance if we should continue to honor the Pagan traditions of Babylon, or shall I put it plainly, IDOL WORSHIP.

Many upright Christians in the past have taken part in this old Pagan festival to some extent, and of these I see no reason for criticism. For they simply did it in ignorance. Thank the Lord for His "winking" at our times of ignorance as His Word says He did in, Acts 17:30 as well as in 1Timothy 1:13. The Roman Catholic Council of Valencia of 1229ad made absolutely certain that Bible were NOT to be found in their possession. So many were unable to find certain Bible facts for themselves. And if they were found with His Word in their homes, they would certainly die a cruel torturous death if they did not relinquish that Book and deny their understanding of it. In this enlightened age it is indeed high time to proclaim: "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?" 2 Corinthians. 6:15,16. Still many Christians, not only Catholics, but Protestants as well continue year by year embracing the Sun worshipping Christmas festival to honor the old idol relics under a Christian garb.

I have noticed other downfalls to this Pagan Christmas season as well. I recall some years back when I lived in the Chicago area. A man killed his fellow man at a gas station holdup on Christmas eve. When asked why he did it he said, "I needed the money to buy Christmas gifts for my children." Is this what Jesus would have us do? Is this proving to be a 'blessed by Jesus' time of year? Or 'planned by Satan' time of year. I also recall a situation where a young boy committed suicide because his mommy and daddy didn't have enough money for Christmas gifts for his siblings. The child figured his death would allow extra money for his siblings. Again I ask, is this a season blessed by the Lord? What of all the elderly in nursing homes left abandoned by loved ones on Christmas day? Was this designed to occur by Jesus, or Satan? I recall as a child, I was made fun of because I didn't receive as many toys on Christmas as everyone else did because we were poor. Is this an activity that a blessed season would encourage? Or is this designed to occur by a devil who invented the season to make situations like this pop up all over the place. What about all the drunks depressed and suicidal behind the wheels of their cars in your neighborhoods killing your loved ones during the Christmas season? Did you also know that December 25th is consistently the highest recorded day of the year for suicide year after year? Is this a season that the Lord God designed for His people? Or is this a day designed by the destroyer devil designed for his people? LOOK AROUND! The Christmas Season glorifies SATAN! It does not glorify Jesus at all!

For what's it worth. Christmas falls on the EXACT DAY of the Pagan celebration of the birth of their Sun god Mithra. The name Christ-Mass has its origin in Satanic as well as Pagan beliefs both stemming from Sun worship. The early "example" of our Christian Church did NOT celebrate the birth of Christ. In fact Jesus made special note NOT to mention His date of birth in His Word because of what the earlier church did at Sinai. Plus early Christians spoke out against those that did celebrate the obvious Pagan festival of Christmas. Their basis of argument was an exposure of its obvious Pagan Sun worshipping links. The gift giving was first celebrated by the Sun worshipping Pagans at the time of year they celebrate the re-birth of the Sun god. The stockings hanging at the fireplace were adopted from the tales surrounding Father Christmas of the Babylonian Sun worshipping Church. The yule tide log points directly to the sex and fertility Sun gods of the Pagan as well as the "12 days" they would play their XXX rated Pagan games. The candles are also lighted this time of year by the Babylonian Pagan. The mistletoe has its origin in the pre-Christian Druidic superstitions. The lie of Santa Clause itself has Satan's mark of approval on it in a very graphic manner. It even has the ability to convince loving parents the world over to TEACH their very own children that lying is a very powerful tool they can use! Plus, all that Santa Clause is, can be found as a blasphemous mockery of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. Men the world over commit armed robberies and even kill people to get cash to buy their children Christmas gifts on this day! Suicide is at its peak on this one day year after year. There are reports of children committing suicide on this day. Depression runs rampant throughout the land in the hearts of literally billions during the Pagan Christmas season. Even the colors of red and green are what the High Priests would look for in days past as EVIDENCE their was a plague running rampant in the house. Christmas trees are the chosen place of Sun worship for many Pagans throughout Biblical history. And yes, even Jeremiah warns that it is the house of the heathen that sports the tree of Sun worshipping Pagan this time of year. So I ask you, are you a member of a Christian Church? Or are you in a Church that Revelation 17:5 describes? Think about that simple fact for a moment. The Word tells us in prophecy that a "Christian Church" will do Sun worshipping BABYLONIAN acts. So much so, that the Lord proclaims a declaration such as this in prophecy...

Revelation 17:5, "And upon her forehead was a name written, MYSTERY, BABYLON THE GREAT, THE MOTHER OF HARLOTS AND ABOMINATIONS OF THE EARTH."

And also understand that Revelation tells us that the TRUE Remnant of Jesus Christ will NOT be defiled by these churches that do these acts. They will follow the Lord Jesus wherever He decides they should go. They will not be directed by the "traditions of men" that go against the Word of their God. Please understand the simplicity of this Bible fact. In 1 Corinthians 10:21 we read, "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." To have Truth of the Lord's table intertwined with the lies of the devil's table is deadly!

If I were to summarize the sin being embraced at Christmas in one sentence? I would have to say this... "It is Sun worship mixed with Christianity. The very same thing that anger the Lord at Mt' Sinai!"

The most dangerous thing I see with this is that sooner or later EVERYONE realizes that Santa Clause and all that encircles Christmas is an easily proven fable. So most of us simply come to a place were we dismiss it. Problem with that is MANY also decide that Christianity must also be a fable as well simply because of the way it is mixed with Paganism! And THAT is deadly!

I repeat: Is this a season that the Lord God designed for His people? Or is this a day designed by the destroyer devil designed for his people? LOOK AROUND! The Christmas Season glorifies SATAN! It does not glorify Jesus at all!

FINAL POINT:

"And Elijah came unto all the people, and said, How long halt ye between two opinions? if the LORD be God, follow him: but if Baal, then follow him..." -1 Kings 18:21

...Nicholas

My fervent prayer is that you have been blessed by the Truth Provided in this Newsletter.

Truth is Truth!

...Nicholas

John 14:29!

TIME IS SHORT