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Over the centuries, the origins of the Christmas festivities that are so much fun and make us “feel” so good have become more and more obscure. People in the 20th century give little thought to the origin of the popular celebration, but rather take it for granted. Since the truth of God’s Word is important, we can’t allow “feel-good” sentiments to keep us in the darkness of deception. Let’s seek out the origins of many time-honored customs of the Christmas season.
Yule Logs
The Yule log is in reality the “sun log.” Yule means “wheel,” in this case, the pagan symbol of the sun. It was a symbol, cut out of the trees sacred to the worship of Nimrod, to be burned for a while on each of the twelve nights of celebration culminating in his miraculous rebirth in the form of a tree that appears on the twelfth night. These fires, and others in the form of candles, represent his power in fire and light. Today, professing Christians speak of the sacred Yuletide season. The only place it is sacred is in the ancient Babylonian religions and her descendant pagan religions. There is nothing sacred about it to God! The symbols come from rank heathenism.
Mistletoe
In The Two Babylons, Alexander Hislop takes a look at the practice of kissing under the mistletoe. “That mistletoe bough in the Druidic superstition, derived from Babylon, was a representation of their Messiah, ‘the Man the branch.’ [This is Nimrod, whose Yule log was put into the fire to celebrate the sun god’s birth]. The mistletoe was regarded as a divine branch, a branch that came from heaven and grew upon a tree that sprang out of the earth. Thus by the engrafting of the celestial branch into the earthly tree, heaven and earth, which sin had severed, were joined together.”
Around the world, in many eras, this plant was considered magical, sacred, or of the gods, because it grew between the earth and heaven with no roots. When its deciduous hosts were bare and brown, the mistletoe was green! Today, we understand the reason. Mistletoe is a parasite. Also, it was thought to have extraordinary healing powers which, according to recent medical research, have proven unfounded.
How appropriate that Satan should dupe professing Christians with symbolism that so accurately depicts his very character—parasitic with false claims of healing! He attaches his destructive heresies, in what we assume to be Biblical practices, and robs us of true spiritual nourishment, which the keeping of God’s true holy days provides (Leviticus 23).
What Is the Christmas Tree all About?
If Christmas came from the Roman Catholics and they got it from paganism, where then did the pagans get it? What was the origin of the Christmas tree? Would you believe its roots begin just after the flood?
Nimrod, the grandson of Ham and the great-grandson of Noah, was the real founder of the Babylonian system that has gripped the earth ever since. It was a system of organized competition, of man-ruled governments and empires, based on the competitive and profit-making economic system.
Ancient writings speak of this man, Nimrod, who started a great, organized world apostasy against God, which continues to dominate the world to this day. In Genesis 10:8-9, the Hebrew word translated “mighty” is GIBBOR which means “tyrant” over the people. The Hebrew word translated “before” in verse nine is PANIYAM which actually means “against.” When properly translated, these verses clearly reveal that Nimrod was a “tyrant against God, ruling over the people.”
He was so wicked, it is said, that he married his own mother, Semiramis. After Nimrod was killed, his mother-wife propagated the doctrine of the survival of Nimrod as a spirit-being. She claimed a fullgrown evergreen tree sprang over-night from a dead tree stump which symbolized the springing forth into new life of the dead Nimrod. On each anniversary of his birth, she claimed Nimrod would visit the evergreen and leave gifts upon it. December 25th was the supposed birthday of Nimrod. This is the real origin of the Christmas tree!
Even in our current era of open and graphic talk about sex, it is surprising to learn that the male reproductive organ was of tremendous importance in the Mystery Religions representing, no doubt, power and fertility. Trees were common phallic symbols connected with the sun god. Ball ornaments, representing the womb as well as the sun and moon, were hung all around the phallus. (Many sources, from which we will spare you, actually boast as they expound on the details concerning these symbolic representations which they practiced in their religious beliefs!) Today, families gather together in breathless anticipation and delight when the obelisk (tree-top ornament) is placed in its position of honor. When you learn that it represents the sexual union between the Babylonian mother-goddess and her sun-god, son/husband, it becomes an object of disgust. (Encyclopedia Britannica, 14th edition, 1973.)
When we learn the stark reality concerning the origin of the Christmas tree, we must squarely face and admit to ourselves that we must not take part in this tradition. Those who set up and adorn a Christmas tree, though they may have the best of intentions and most wonderful feelings, they are actually bowing down and worshipping Satan at the foot of the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil!
Hear what God says in Deuteronomy 12:30-31:
“Take heed to yourself that you do not become ensnared by following them, after they are destroyed from before you, and that you do not ask about their gods, saying, ‘How did these nations serve their gods that I may do likewise? You shall not do so to the LORD your God, for every abomination to the LORD, which He hates, they have done to their gods.”
Yet, even with that warning it seems the children of Israel carried the worship of the tree with them out of Egypt. God specifically warned them again in Jeremiah 10:2-4:
“Thus says the LORD, ‘Do not learn the way of the heathen … for the customs of the people are vain (futile!); for one cuts a tree out of the forest with the axe, the work of the hands of the workman. They adorn it with silver and with gold; they fasten it with nails and hammers, so that it will not move.”
Did you see that? Not only is God condemning participation in any pagan custom and in particular this tree worship—just in case you’ve been under the misconception that anything you choose to dedicate to God is acceptable to him. He is telling you that this kind of worship is vain, futile, useless! And He Hates It!
Now we can see how it stands to reason that God pronounced the destruction of “Babylon the Great,” meaning the whole world system at the end of this age. He inspired the Apostle John to write: “Babylon the Great is fallen, is fallen...” (Revelation 18:2).
Was Christ Born in a Cave?
Every year, near Christmas, documentaries are broadcast showing alternative explanations to the Biblical accounts surrounding Christ’s birth. They attempt to give equal weight and authority to ancient folk lore and traditions which have definite connections with ancient pagan myths.
One example that continues to surface is an alternate possible site of Christ’s birth in a cave. While the Bible is specific in the New Testament as well as in prophecy that Bethlehem would be the birthplace of the Messiah, the legend that Christ may have been born in a cave in Jerusalem continues. It was in a cave, myth has it, that the worshipped and much loved sun god, Mithra was supposed to have been born of a “virgin goddess.” Since we have seen how the Catholic Church renamed other gods and their rituals to bring in converts, it is not surprising to find that caves dedicated to various gods have been rededicated to Christ. One such cave is in Jerusalem. Formerly dedicated to Tammuz (Nimrod), it is now presented as the birthplace of Christ. Another, on Vatican Hill, was rededicated to Christ when Catholics attempted to thwart the worship of Mithra in 376 AD. When do you suppose the rededication took place? Why, of course, the day the sungod worshippers were accustomed to celebrating the rebirth of the sun December 25th!
The Christmas Parties and Decorations
Alfred Carl Hottes wrote in his book, 1001 Christmas Facts and Fancies, about a winter celebration going by two different festival names in the third and fourth centuries BC. They were called Bacchanalia and Saturnalia. The names may not be familiar, but many of the traditions would be. “The people gave themselves up to wild joy.” Part of their revelry included processions, singing, lighting candles, decorating their houses with green trees, drinking, partying, and giving presents. Sound familiar?
When these practices first appeared in Rome, they were met with great opposition. Ancient Roman Religion, by Grant, tells us that the Roman Senate tried to eradicate it by having 7,000 of its adherents killed. However, not to miss out on the gaiety of the celebrations, Julius Caesar reintroduced it, but it was combined with another pagan festival, the Kalends, from which we get many of our popular Christmas customs.
Today, many believe that the Apostle Peter was speaking of the Saturnalia when he wrote: “For the past time of our lives is sufficient to have worked out the will of the Gentiles, when we ourselves walked in licentiousness and lusts, and were debauched with wine, carousing, drinking and wanton idolatries. In seeing this difference in your behavior, they are astonished that you do not rush with them into the same overflowing debauchery, and they revile you” (I Peter 4:3-4).
The Giving of Gifts
From The New Standard Encyclopedia’s entry on Christmas we find “[t]he custom of giving gifts at Christmas time can be associated with the wise men (notice “THE” wise men, not “THREE”, wise men) of the East giving gifts to Christ. The wise men did give their gifts to Christ. But in reality, at least so far as the English speaking people are concerned, it [giving gifts at Christmas] is derived from an old heathen custom.”
As discussed in the introduction, the wise men did give gifts to Christ, but they did not exchange gifts with each other in the presence of our Lord! Neither is it recorded anywhere that they presented gifts to anyone else or received gifts themselves. The Adam Clarke Commentary explains it well: “He [CHRIST] was a king and the people of the East never approached the presence of a king without a present in their hands.”
Notice this account in Matthew: “..behold, Magi from the east arrived at Jerusalem, saying, ‘Where is the one who has been born King of the Jews? For we have seen His star in the east, and have come to worship Him’ ” (Matthew 2:1-2). This was not a new custom being introduced by the wise men to establish a Christmas tradition. They were merely following a custom of presenting gifts to a king when coming into his presence.
Today, the greed of commercialism has especially contributed to shoving Christmas down the throats of people worldwide. Our country’s economy rises and wanes with the Christmas season. We read of it every year. Businesses make it or break it as a result of their Christmas profits or losses. Add to that the psychology of “keeping up with the Jones’s,” and it is no wonder that the merchants start advertising Christmas in October
Merchandising religion was also important in Paul’s day. There was a great hue and cry by the craftsmen who profited from the sale of idols that had been dedicated to the worship of pagan gods. The truth of the gospel was turning people away from idol worship, not only in Jerusalem but in all Asia. The conversion of thousands was a threat to their livelihood. This is another example of commercialism before truth. Are we willing to follow the truth of God or the lies of this world?
