JUST WHOSE BIRTHDAY
IS
DECEMBER 25TH?


December 25th is one of the most celebrated times of the year. It is certainly one of the most profitable periods for businesses. Many even seek to stir up the spirit of Christmas in the month of July by proclaiming a "Christmas in July" sale. What is the truth behind December 25th. Is it really the birth date of the Savior?

December 25th has been made famous for being the birth date of the Savior. As stated, it is definitely an important time for businesses. Most retail businesses are either "made" or "broken" by this time of the year. It seems that the retail merchants begin their celebration of it earlier and earlier each year. At one time, the preparations for Christmas began immediately after Thanksgiving, but now they are beginning to prepare the public before Halloween! Many businesses even declare a "Christmas in July" Sale.

However, it is also an extremely important time of the year for religion and churches. There are many "Christmas plays" which seek to portray the birth of the Savior as related in the Biblical books of Matthew and Luke. Many of the churches and charitable organizations also profit greatly at this time of year for it is proclaimed as a great time of giving.

Just whose birthday is December 25? Is it the TRUE birthday of the Savior? Many people have been led to believe that such IS the case, however, if the Christian ministry or many who are privy to the TRUTH of the matter are confronted on the subject, they will openly confess that December 25 IS NOT the TRUE birthday of the Savior. They will openly admit that December 25th is deeply rooted in paganism and idolatry.

ROOTS OF PAGANISM

The Encyclopedia Britannica, 14th Edition, Vol. 5 has this to say, "Christmas was not among the earliest festivals of the church, and before the 5th century there was no general consensus of opinion as to when it should come in the calendar, whether on Jan. 6, Mar. 25, or Dec. 25th...In Britain, Dec. 25 was a festival long before the conversion to Christianity, for Bede relates that ‘the ancient peoples of the Angli began the year on Dec. 25 when we now celebrate the birthday of the L-rd; and the very night which is now so holy to us, they call in their tongue modranecht (môdra niht), that is, the mother’s night, by reason we suspect of the ceremonies which in that night-long vigil they performed’" (pp. 641-642).

Alexander Hislop writes, "Long before the fourth century, and long before the Christian era itself, a festival was celebrated among the heathen, at the precise time of the year, in honour of the birth of the son of the Babylonian queen of heaven; and it may fairly be presumed that, in order to conciliate the heathen, and to swell the number of the nominal adherents of Christianity, the same festival was adopted by the Roman Church, giving it only the name of Christ" (The Two Babylons, p. 93).

Hislop also says, "The very name by which Christmas is popularly known among ourselves—Yule-day—proves at once its Pagan and Babylonian origin [emphasis ours throughout]. ‘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 that preceded it, ‘Mother-night,’ long before they came in contact with Christianity, that sufficiently proved its real character," (The Two Babylons, p. 93-94).

What is a heathen or pagan? The primary definition given for heathen in Webster’s New World Dictionary is "orig., and in the Old Testament, a member of any nation or people not worshiping the G-d of Israel." It also says this about both words, "pagan and heathen as being applied to nonmonotheistic peoples, but pagan specifically refers to one of the ancient polytheistic peoples, esp. the Greeks and Romans, and heathen is applied to any of the peoples regarded as primitive idolaters."

WHOSE BIRTHDAY?

Just whose birthday was December 25? Hislop writes, "Therefore, the 25th of December, the day that was observed at Rome as the day when the victorious g-d reappeared on earth, was held at the Natalis invicti solis, ‘The birth-day of the unconquered sun’" (Ibid. p. 98). The Encyclopedia Britannica agrees, "...certain Latins as early as 354 may have transferred the birthday from Jan. 6 to Dec. 25, which was then a Mithraic feast, the natalis invicti solis or birthday of the unconquered Sun of Philocalus" (Ibid, p. 642).

Hislop further reveals, "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’" (Ibid. p. 93).

Raymond Capt writes, "Long centuries before the Christian era, the 25th of December was celebrated as a pagan holiday in honor of Nimrod, the ‘virgin-born’ son of Baal, the sun-god. His mother was worshipped as the ‘Queen of Heaven’ with Nimrod as the (false) Messiah. Eventually, this pagan holiday (Christmas Day) was incorporated into the Christian calendar with Christian overtones" (The traditions of Glastonbury, p.; 85).

The Encyclopedia Britannica further reveals, "Mithras, identified with Sol Invictus, thus became the giver of authority and victory to the imperial house" ([The Roman Caesars], 14th Edition, Vol. 15, p. 620). It goes on to say that the sanctification of Sunday and of the 25th of December are associated with Mithras.

There you have it! December 25th is associated with the birth of the Babylonian Queen of Heaven (Tammuz), the Egyptian Queen of Heaven (Horus), Nimrod (the false Messiah, son of Baal), Mithras, and the unconquered sun (Solis Invicti). It is a day that is associated with paganism, heathenism, Baal worship, and ancient false saviors, false messiahs.

Is it possible that it could still have been the Savior's birthday? Hislop writes, "How comes it that that festival was connected with the 25th of December? There is not a word in the Scriptures about the precise day of His birth, or the time of the year when He was born. What is recorded there, implies that at what time soever His birth took place, it could not have been on the 25th of December. At the time that the angel announced His birth to the shepherds of Bethlehem, they were feeding their flocks by night in the open fields. Now, no doubt, the climate of Palestine is not so severe as the climate of this country; but even there, though the heat of the day be considerable, the cold of the night, from December to February, is very piercing, and 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" (Ibid, p. 91).

Raymond Capt also writes, "Some writers state the blooming of the Thorn Tree around Christmas time is in honor of Chr-st’s birthday. However, one thing is certain, December 25th was not the birthday of Jesus" (Ibid, p. 85).

DECEPTION FORETOLD

The Savior warned long ago, "Take heed that no man deceive you. For many shall come in My name saying ‘I am Messiah;’ and shall deceive many...And many false prophets shall rise, and shall deceive many...For there shall arise false messiahs, and false prophets, and shall shew great signs and wonders; insomuch that, if it were possible, they shall deceive the very elect," Mt. 24:4, 11, 24.

We also read, "And the great dragon was cast out, that old serpent, called the Devil and Satan, which deceiveth the whole world: he was cast out into the earth, and his angels were cast out with him," Rev. 12:9.

Deceive means, to make (a person) believe what is not true; delude; mislead, to be false to, betray (Webster’s New World Dictionary).

The Christian world has been DECEIVED into believing that they can worship our Heavenly FATHER and His Beloved Son through lies, deceit, deception, outright paganism and heathenism. They think that it is all right to take a period that is rooted and grounded in paganism and heathenism and apply it to the worship of the FATHER and Son.

When the children of Israel were delivered into the land of Canaan they were warned, "When YAHWEH thy Elohim shall cut of 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 Elohim, saying, How did these nations serve their Elohim? even so will I do likewise. Thou shalt not do so unto YAHWEH thy Elohim: for every abomination to YAHWEH, which He hateth, have they done unto their Elohim; for even their sons and their daughters they have burnt in the fire to their Elohim. What thing soever I command you, observe to do it: thou shalt not add thereto, nor diminish from it," Dt. 12:29-32.

Notice the word nations. The Hebrew word from which it is translated is "goyim" and is elsewhere translated as HEATHEN or GENTILES. The people of Canaan were pagans, heathen, Gentiles. Their idolatrous religious worship was an abomination to YAHWEH.

Ezekiel also reveals that the worship of tammuz was an abomination to YAHWEH (Ez. 8:13-14).

YAHWEH also inspired the prophet Jeremiah to write, "Learn not the way of the heathen...for the customs of the people are vain..." Jer. 10:2-4.

Has YAHWEH changed? "For I am YAHWEH, I change not; therefore ye sons of Jacob are not consumed," Mal. 3:6.

SHAME AND CONFUSION

Scripture reveals that the worship of the Queen of Heaven and her son Tammuz were not only an abomination, but it was confusion, "Seest thou not what they do in the cities of Judah and in the streets of Jerusalem? The children gather wood, and the fathers kindle the fire, and the women knead their dough, to make cakes to the queen of heaven, and to pour out drink offerings to other elohim, that they may provoke Me to anger. Do they provoke Me to anger? saith YAHWEH: do they not provoke themselves to the confusion of their own faces?" Jer. 7:17-19.

The Hebrew word translated as confusion in this instance is "bosheth" and also means "shame" and "an idol."

This is Babylon! The word Babylon comes from the Hebrew word Babel which also means confusion! YAHWEH condemned both Judah and Israel because they turned to the ways of the pagans, the heathen, the ways of the people of Canaan and also to the ways of Babylon! They were overthrown and destroyed because of their refusal to repent. Look at the judgment of the great whore called MYSTERY, BABYLON THE GREAT in the book of Revelation 17 & 18. She will be overthrown and destroyed just as Israel and Judah were.

TURN TO THE TRUTH

Even the sincerity of the Nativity Scene is wrong Scripturally. Lk. 2:8-39 reveals that only the shepherds visited a babe in a manger. His parents left for their home in Nazareth after 40 days.

Mt. 2:9-13 reveals that the wise men saw a young child in a house. Afterwards, his parents took YAHshua to Egypt as Herod was seeking to kill all males two years and under (v. 16). We really don’t even know the real number of wise men who came to visit the newborn Savior. Scripture doesn’t say. Scripture reveals that there were three types of gifts offered; gold, frankincense and myrrh. The number of wise men portrayed by the Nativity Scene is also a myth.

December 25th is NOT the birthday of the TRUE Savior. It was the birthday of the gods of paganism and heathenism. The pagan and heathen NEVER worshipped the TRUE Elohim, nor do they today. December 25th is a lie, a deception, a fraud, Babylon, confusion and shame.

The Apostle Paul wrote, "For the mystery of iniquity doth already work: only he who now letteth will let, until he be taken out of the way. And then shall that Wicked be revealed, whom the Master shall consume with the spirit of His mouth, and shall destory with the brightness of His coming: Even him, whose coming is after the working of Satan with all power and signs and lying wonders, and with all deceivableness of unrighteousness in them that perish; because they received not the love of the truth, that they might be saved. And for this cause YAHWEH shall send them strong delusion, that they should believe a lie: That they all might be damned who believed not the truth, but had pleasure in unrighteousness," 2 Thes. 2:7-12.

The Savior YAHshua said, "YAHWEH is Spirit: and they that worship Him MUST worship Him in spirit and in TRUTH," Jn. 4:24.

The Apostle John wrote, "I have not written unto you because ye know not the truth, but because ye know it, and that no lie is of the truth," 1 Jn. 2:21.

Neither the Heavenly FATHER nor His Beloved Son can be worshipped through lies, deceit nor falsehood. They desire to be worshipped through the TRUTH ONLY. December 25th IS NOT the true birthday of the Savior. It is our heartfelt desire to urge you to REPENT of the lie, come out of deception, turn to the truth and it will set you free (Jn. 8:32). We urge you to escape the judgment which will be brought on this world because of belief in lies.

By Jerry Healan

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