Snow is falling as I begin this piece of the assignment that has been a near constant part of my thoughts for the past two weeks. The stillness surrounding the snow covered landscape is a picture of the peace that is within my heart as I write. I knew when I began this blog in September that this day would come. What I didn't expect was that the emotions surrounding it would bring about such sorrow. Even at this point in the praying, research, and writing process, tears are gathering in my eyes. Once again I've found that peace and pain are quite comfortable as companions and can reside side by side.
You probably noticed that this is the first time that a post has come in more than one part and included an introduction. I felt that one was needed because the burden of this message is great and the hearts of the readers needed to be prepared. I read the Barna Group's findings for the first time early yesterday morning. It was a perfect introduction and I am grateful that Yahuah brought it to me.
It is interesting to point out that I did not choose the title for the post. One night as I knelt before Him in prayer, I asked what the next one should be about and that if He wanted to point me in the right direction by telling me His choice of a title, that I would be cool with that. However, that openness to His will immediately changed to anxiety when He clearly and unexpectedly spoke to my spirit, "Ho Ho Ho!" My thought was, "Oh, no!"
Why did I feel that way? Not for the reasons you might expect. Oddly enough, it wasn't fear of man that prompted the thought, it was the fear of not being able to communicate it in such a way that would honor Him in the way that He should be honored. He is the only One who matters.
How did this post come about? Yahuah had begun a work in me through the words of a friend to whom I am forever grateful, who inquired of me, "If the Word of God is supposed to be taken literally and He is the same yesterday, today, and forever, then why don't we do everything it says to do?" I stared at her e mail and the only honest answer (something that didn't end in some man-made ism like dispensationalism) that I could come up with was, "I don't know." That question gnawed at me and formed an earnest prayer within me asking Him to, "Show me all of the Truth!", and so He is.
This process that began with that prayer, includes digging deeper into the Bible for answers I have wondered about but didn't have the confidence to search out on my own, all the while asking Him to please give me greater wisdom and more revelation than I have ever had before. In our world, those in spiritual authority from clergy, to professors, to authors tell us what to think and how to interpret the Scriptures. I don't think most of us even consider questioning them. For me, it went back to something I referred to in, Pulling Weeds and Pruning Branches. When I would question something in my childhood pertaining to the Catholic religion, I was quickly informed that I had no right to do so and to let it drop. Well, I was fifty years old when questions came that refused to go away. It was time to let go of the intimidation factor.
A few months into this process, during a morning brunch with another friend, the topic of a YouTube channel came up in our conversation. She asked me if I had ever heard of The Fuel Project - Know Your Enemy series of videos? I had not. After her brief description, I knew that I wanted to watch them. I must confess to not having made my way through each video, but what I have learned made me much more aware and also sickened by the demonic tangle of Paganism that has wrapped it's web of deceit around every aspect of our world's culture and belief systems. I am not exaggerating. The prince of the power of the air (Ephesians 2:2) has made sure that the world is beneath a flood of it! Which brings me to the central point of this message.
After the great flood, Yahuah told those on board the ark to go out into the world to, "Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth." (Genesis 9:1) In time, Noah started a vineyard and one day drank too much of the fermented fruit. Ham was one of three sons of Noah. He came into his father's tent, saw that he was uncovered and told his brothers. His brothers discretely backed into the tent and covered their father. When Noah found out what had happened, he cursed Ham, the father of Canaan, and told him that he would be a servant to Shem and Japheth. (Genesis 9:20-27) It is astonishing to me that after all that this family had encountered that once again, within such a short amount of time, the heart of rebellion rose up against Yahuah. The curse that was placed upon Ham undoubtedly caused him to have bad feelings toward his father, Shem and Japheth, and most importantly toward the true Elohim that they served.
In Genesis 10, we see that Ham had a son named Cush. Cush married an evil woman named Samiramus (her god-name was Ishtar - in English it is pronounced Easter). Together they had a son named Nimrod who was the first to be called Baal, who is also known as Tammuz, (Ezekiel 8:14) and in Canaan he was called Molech (Leviticus 18:21, 20:2-8, 1 Kings 11:7-11, Jeremiah 32:33-35). Under the faithful, demonic tutelage of his mother, he grew up evil; embracing witchcraft and the worship of astrology. He was also mighty in battle and as a hunter, intimidating people with his power. As he grew, so did his fearsome reputation. When his father died, he and his mother married and their incestuous relationship formed an alliance that was an affront to the one true Elohim. This affront became Baal worship; the first organized, one world, false religion; the tentacles of which reach into every religion to this very day.
Nimrod/Baal and Ishtar/Asherah/Easter began the organized worship of the sun. With her son/husband now taking center stage, he became the sadistic ruler of the then known world and started new cities which began with Babel, complete with its tower and attempt at a one world government and religion, and in time included Ninevah as well as others, (Genesis 10:10-11). He was seen as a god among the people and his mother/wife, Ishtar/Asherah/Easter, as the "Queen of Babylon" as well as the "Queen of Heaven". (Jeremiah 7:18, Jeremiah 44:17-25) She was known as the gentler of the two, the goddess of sex and fertility. She claimed that her spirit came from the moon and upon her death it would reside there. What a clever plan of Satan. The two most visible lights in the heavens were used as gods against the people!
Where does Christmas come into the picture? Nimrod's/Baal's birthday was celebrated on December 25th along with lesser sun gods and it was so for approximately two thousand years before Jesus the Christ (Yeshua the Messiah) was born.
How did they celebrate the birth of the sun of the god Baal? As the days grew shorter during the winter equinox, the people feared that the sun with its warmth and ability to bring forth food from the earth would not return, so Baal priests worshiped around trees that were evergreen and the people brought them into their homes as well as bows, holly, and berries to appease the sun gods in the hopes of having their warm months return. As the winter days began to lengthen at the time of Nimrod's birthday, the people saw it as a sign that their infant/child sacrifices in the fires of their Baal god Molech at Halloween, had been accepted and he was therefore honoring them with the return of the sun rising higher on the horizon and longer days. They celebrated the twelve days of winter solstice (where the twelve days of Christmas originates) with lots of food, alcohol, music, singing, the yule log, roasted chestnuts, (what would later become known as Christmas) ham, and kissing under the mistletoe (which led to unspeakable debauchery). Virtually every tradition we have surrounding December 25th has it's origins in demonic cultism and Pagan idolatry. Even the giving of gifts originated with their gifts of mainly candles and wax dolls that were in memory of the remainder of their infant/child sacrifices of Halloween to the Baal god Molech. http://www.newpatriotsblog.com/news/the-real-halloween/
The fact that Yeshua the Messiah was not born in winter is common knowledge. Shepherds are not in their fields in December. (Luke 2:8) So how did it come to be that believers and unbelievers around the world celebrate His birth on December 25th? At the beginning of Christianity, they didn't. Not the apostles, not the first century Christians. It came about through the agreement made by Roman Emperor Constantine and Pope Julius. To cut down on the persecution of believers and to give the Pagans a diversion, these men thought it a good idea to blend Paganism with Christianity and so that date was set in 349 AD. Pagans were in essence told that they didn't have to forsake their worship or their festivals - even the dates of their celebrations would remain the same, they just altered some of the behavior and changed the names to make them "holy" for the Christians. Just two examples of the changes that took place during this time in history were the Sabbath day that Yahuah set into place and told us to keep holy (Genesis 2:2-3, Exodus 20:8-10, Leviticus 23:2-3, Mark 2:27-28, just to list a few) became Sunday rather than from sunset Friday to sunset on Saturday as HE commanded, and another is where Ishtar/Queen of Heaven and Baal/sun of god were called Mary/Queen of Heaven and Jesus/Son of God. Have you ever wondered where the golden halos and disks behind the heads of saints in paintings and statues came from? They're suns! Perhaps the intentions of the emperor and the pope were good, but their decision was driven by an unseen enemy who knew that the blending of the two would be an abomination to Yahuah and it would pollute the followers of The Way, The Truth, and The Life.
"20 Woe to them that call evil good, and good evil; that put darkness for light, and light for darkness; that put bitter for sweet, and sweet for bitter! 21 Woe unto them that are wise in their own eyes, and prudent in their own sight!" Isaiah 5:20-21
If you have read this far you are probably thinking something along the line of, "What does any of this have to do with me?! I don't see it that way!" Neither did I. So what convinced me that my worship at Christmas was an abomination to The God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob? Part 2 to come.
(As an aside, please read all of the Scripture passages that I have put in parentheses above. His Word is alive and speaks for itself. It is our sword and our witness.)