The info I'll quote from another thread below, I already knew about - but what I also know is that Jesus was born in September but was "conceived" in December - so because of that - we enjoy the Christmas Hymns very much and have had them on since Thanksgiving and the fact that we can witness more easily during this season - where normally people won't hear HIS Name.
Christmas is an ancient word coming from two words meaning the mass of Christ:Christos (Gr.) - Messiah (Heb.); "anointed"
Maesse - Mass; the transubstantiation or the changing of the bread and wine into the literal body and blood of Christ.
Christ mass is the calling down of god from heaven transforming the wafer into the literal body of the messiah at the communion table. This is a continual "unbloody" sacrifice for sin in contradiction to Heb.10:10, 12, 14Luke 16:15 - that which is "highly esteemed"
(elevated) among men is abomination in the sight of God.abomination - Greek: bdelugma - a detestation;
idolatry; a stinking unacceptable sacrifice; abhor;unholy
I Corinthians 2:14 - The natural man recieveth not the Spirit of God: for they are foolishness unto him:neither can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned.natural - Greek: psuchikos - sensitive; animate;
sensual; non-spiritual The pagan festival of the Christmass is a tradition that is "highly esteemed" among the peoples of the world. If it were of God (spiritual), the world would look upon it as foolish. The gangster, the thief, the
homosexual, the prostitute, the abortionist all hate the word of God when He said "Thou shalt not", yet they will party and involve themselves in the wickedest immoral acts while embracing the traditions of the Christmass. Many who attend church regularly,while refusing to live righteously, keep it as their favorite festival and holiday. The business person who is unethical and immoral in business dealings, at
Christmas time, will disavow their marriage to have a sexual encounter at a "Christmas party" while getting drunk, all in the name of Jesus' birth. It's a time of compromise for many who call themselves "Christian",setting aside witnessing and calling men to repentance
"till January". Playboy magazine has their "Christmas issue", while liquor stores decorate with wreaths and "holiday cheer". Christians are commanded to separate from such ungodliness (II Cor. 6:14-17). Celebrants
stuff and glut themselves with material things and all kinds of delectable foods, while the world is destitute and starving, physically and spiritually.
Christmas is a time when true believers are expected to sit down at a family gathering passing out "free forgiveness" to unrepentant sinners as they curse and tell their off color stories. Forgiveness is never an initial act. It is always a response to repentance.
Paul said we are not to eat or communicate with
brothers living in rebellion against God. We are not to partake or walk with these unfruitful works of darkness as they walk disorderly and not in the ways of God (I Cor. 5:9, 11; Eph. 5:11; II Thess. 3:6,14).
(We will be persecuted for this kind of testimony).
The United States comprises approximately 4.6% of the world's population. This minute segment of the world is partying and lulling themselves into an easy religion with no striving or wrestling over sin at the Christmas season, while the world is dying in starvation, squalor, and disease without Christ. To celebrate Christ is to honour him. To honour him is to keep his sayings (John 14:23). If we are to honour
him, we will dispense with vain traditions. We will get Christ out of the mass. We will rid ourselves of the heathen festival of the mass (Christmass). We will throw out the pagan birthday of Hercules (December 25th). We will remember (celebrate) Jesus' birth everyday and never will we separate it from the resurrection. There is only one pure ritual. It is not
Christmas, Easter, or Valentines. James tells us,
"Pure religion (threskeia - ritual or ceremony) and undefiled (uncontaminated) it to visit the fatherless and widows "in their affliction" (the church under persecution) and keep yourselves unspotted (holy-pure-unmixed) from the world (James 1:27)."
Jesus said, "Inasmuch as ye have done it unto the
least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me (Matt. 25:40)." This is the true ritual (religion)with which we are to celebrate Jesus daily. All the things that man esteems: positions, awards, money,titles, recognition, tradition, material things, and the seeking of self is an abomination to God. The only
thing that honours Christ is a seeking and concern for others (spiritual and physical) and never self (Phillipians 2:4,5; I Cor. 10:24). The "natural"(sensual-sinful) man who loves and highly esteems the traditions of this world, always despises the atoning blood of Christ. They hold Jesus' words in contempt,refusing to live in daily repentance and submission to
the commandment of God. Man will not cease from sin until God moves on his heart to live holy
(pure-unmixed) before him throughout the year.The Christmas tree now so common among-us, was equally common in Pagan Rome and Pagan Egypt. In Egypt, that tree was the Palm Tree; in Rome it was the "fir".
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 a divine son. If the mother was the tree, the son must have been recognized as "Man the Branch" (a corruption of Zechariah's prophecy concerning Christ, the branch of God - Zech. 6:12).
This accounts for the putting of the yule-log into the fire Christmas Eve and the appearing of the Christmas tree the next morning. As Zero-Ashta, "the seed of woman," which name also signified "born of the fire"(the fire god), he has to enter the fire on "Mother night" (December 24th in the ancient world), that he
may be born the next day (December 25th) out of it, as the "Branch of God", or the Tree that brings all divine gifts to men. Thus, we see on Christmas morning the gifts under and around the tree as his gifts to his worshipers. December 25th was known far and wide throughout the pagan world as the exact birthday of Adonis the tree god (Allah) of Babylon. This Venus-Tree worship, along with her consort Baal (the sun), corrupted Israel, invoking the wrath of God for their idolatry. This goddess of the groves was
imported from Babylon (Iraq) into Israel upon the
marriage of Ahab, King of Northern Israel, to Jezebel,the daughter of Ethbaal, a priest of the Ashtoreth of Babylon (I Kings 16:31). God's judgement for such wickedness has been to purge Israel for 2600 years with sword, famine, and pestilence (Jer. 29:17-19).
Jesus was born of a virgin. He was God in the flesh.He died and shed his blood as an atonement for sin that all who believe in him will have eternal life.
However, Christmas (the Saturnalia) and The Christmas Tree (Venus - the groves) have nothing to do with his birth. We have corrupted ourselves.IF YOU CHOOSE TO BE A PART OF THIS THING ON DECEMBER 25 THAT IS ONE THING, BUT PLEASE DO NOT PROMOTE SUCH SYNCRETISM TO OTHER BELIEVERS.
Does anyone else here feel offended at anyone saying "Merry Christmas" ?
Just felt a Vote was in order so that we know whether we should or should not be wishing each other a Merry Christmas on the Forum.
Thank you all!
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