Shalom!
Hope everyone is enjoying their weekend. As I watch everyone preparing for another holiday season, I felt prompted to create this post. The holiday, Christmas, is coming up, in just a couple of days.
Many Christians will gather, in their homes and churches, to celebrate what they believe to be the Lord's Birthday. Many other Christians know that December 25th is not the Lord's Birthday, but celebrate it anyway, because we have also been taught that God did not reveal Yahshua's Birthday to us, and He does not expect us to even honor His Birthday.
I will attempt to demonstrate that both of these assumptions are inaccurate. (May Ruach Ha Kodesh, Ruach Emet, [The Holy Spirit, Spirit of Truth], open your eyes of understanding)
The following verse is taken from the Book of Jeremiah, the Prophet:
Jeremiah 10:2-4
thus saith the Lord,
Learn not the way 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.
The Lord tells us that, He did not come to destroy the Law or the Books of the Prophets; rather, to fulfill it.(The word fulfill means to make it valid, to demonstrate it's accuracy, and to faithfully keep it).
Matthew 5:17-18
17 Think not that I am come to destroy the law, or the prophets: I am not come to destroy, but to fulfil.
18 For verily I say unto you, Till heaven and earth pass, one jot or one tittle shall in no wise pass from the law, till all be fulfilled.
He also expects us to keep the Law, (His Commandments); not the way of the Heathen.
John 14:21 says:
21 He that hath my commandments, and keepeth them, he it is that loveth me: and he that loveth me shall be loved of my Father, and I will love him, and will manifest myself to him.
Yahshua's Commandments are the same commandments found in the Old Testament; the Law and the Prophets. (Many believe that the Lord has given us a new commandment, and has done away with the Law and the Prophets based on this following verse
John 13:34
34 A new commandment I give unto you, That ye love one another; as I have loved you, that ye also love one another.
Here, the Lord is simply giving them
another command, not a new one; which is to love one another, as He loves us; to love each other unconditionally, according to God's Love and Forgiveness; loving and forgiving each other, with brotherly love
(This verse has nothing to do with the Lord changing the Old Testament Laws, or abolish the Books of the Prophets).
(Please note, I am not referring to the sacrificial laws, rather the Ten Commandments and the additional commands; God's judgments, statutes and precepts. Yahshua actually became our Sacrifice, so there is no longer need of animal sacrifices. See Hebrews 10)
The Apostle Paul reiterates what the Lord says, in Roman 12:10
10 Be kindly affectioned one to another with brotherly love; in honour preferring one another;
Getting back to the topic, What does God Say About Christmas; we will look at Jeremiah 10:2-4 once again. We will review the meaning of it, verse by verse.
Jeremiah 10:2-4
thus saith the Lord,
Learn not the way of the heathen,
(Be holy. Do not be unequally yoked with the non-believer. Do not follow or copy their way of life)
and be not dismayed at the signs of heaven;
for the heathen are dismayed at them.
(Do not utilize the Heavens to make for yourselves, horoscopes )
For the customs of the people are vain:
(For the ways of the Heathen are vain)for one cutteth a tree out of the forest,
the work of the hands of the workman, with the axe.
(They cut down trees out of the forest)
They deck it with silver and with gold;
(They decorate it with wreaths and trimmings of silver and gold)
they fasten it with nails and with hammers, that it move not.
(They place it proudly, and articulately, in an upright position; securing it, so it will not fall).
This verse is referring to the ways of pagans; those who worship the Earth, and celebrate the Winter Solstice; those who practice astrology, (use the stars to tell the future, forecast horoscopes)- Please note: astrology is not the same as astronomy, (which is the study of the Heavens and its bodies. The Heavens declare the glory of God, and He uses them as signs for us). Astrology is the practice of a person using the stars and constellations to create their own destiny. They believe the stars and constellations guide them, versus, allowing God, through His Spirit and His Way, guide them.
Continuing on; God does not refer to Christmas, during Jeremiah's day, for at least (2), two reasons:
- Yahshua/Jesus Christ had not come into the World. Therefore, no one during Jeremiah's day would make mention of Him; accept when referring to the Prophecies of the Coming Messiah/King.
- Christmas is not a Biblical Holiday. It was implemented by the Catholic Church, as Rome worships the Sun. December 25th was the date chosen by the Roman Catholic Church to celebrate Yahshua's Birthday. But, initially, it was not the worship of the True Son, they incorporated. They actually worship the Italic god, Saturn, and the rebirth of the sun god.
(To read more about the Origins of Christmas, and the many practices of not only the Roman Catholics, but of Germans, Wiccans and so forth, visit
The Origin of Christmas by Last Trumpet Ministries)- Please note: The Roman Catholic Church began practicing the ways of the Heathen, and now today's Church; both Protestant and others, now celebrate Christmas as Yahshua's Birthday; learning and following the way of the Heathen
Ok,we have come to realize that this so-called "Christmas Holiday", taken to be the Lord's Birthday, was actually pagan practices that had been around long before Yahshua was born. We have, also come to realize that December 25th is not the Lord's Birthday. So, when is? God has a calendar, and He gave it to the Israelites. When God created the Heavens and the Earth, He told us that the sun, moon and stars would be for signs, and for seasons.
Genesis 1:14
14 And God said, Let there be lights in the firmament of the heaven to divide the day from the night; and let them be for signs, and for seasons, and for days, and years:
The moon was meant to start our new month. Today, Israel still uses the moon to do so, according to Scripture, but, the rest of the world is using a Gregorian, (sun calendar). You can see where this can bring confusion.
Many believe that God did not create a calendar for us, and that all calendars must be man-made; even the Hebraic/Jewish ones. But, in the next excerpt, from an article from The Church of God, In Truth; Calendar from God's Word,
I hope you will begin to see how God gave us the time, days, months and years, we live by and dwell in.
"From the very beginning God set the rules and tools for a calendar in motion! "In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth. And the earth was without form, and void; and darkness was upon the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters. And God said, Let there be light: and there was light (Gen. 1:1-3). God recreated light out of darkness. Then "God said, Let there be lights in the firmament of the heaven to divide the day from the night; and let them be for signs, and for seasons, and for days, and years" (Gen. 1:14). This is the very beginning foundational instruction for us to understand God's calendar. The moon and the sun are for days, nights, weeks, lunar months, festival years with [seasons] appointed times. God's Word shows four basic units of time to build a calendar. The day, the week, the lunar month and the festival year are the ingredients God used to establish His calendar for us.
Even the world recognizes the heavenly bodies are "to divide the day from the night, and are for signs, and for seasons, and for days, and years" (Gen. 1:14). Calendars, watches and clocks are kept in perfect time by the movements found in the heavens! Ship are navigated by heavenly stars. The world depends on God's created movements for their accuracy.
DAY
God said in Genesis, that the end of every day is sunset. "And God called the light Day, and the darkness he called Night. And the evening and the morning were the first day" (Gen 1:5). Also in Genesis 1:8; 1:13; 1:19; 1:23; 1:31. "It shall be unto you a Sabbath of rest, and ye shall afflict your souls: in the ninth day of the month at even, from even unto even, shall ye celebrate your Sabbath" (Lev. 23:32). God's word starts a day at evening. The sun sets, rises and then sets again. This cycle of setting, rising and setting again is a day. God does not count time by half days, hours, minutes or seconds.
WEEK
The seven day week was established when God rested on the seventh day. This week cycle has been in operation since the beginning of established time. "Thus the heavens and the earth were finished, and all the host of them. And on the seventh day God ended His work which He had made; and He rested on the seventh day from all His work which He had made. And God blessed the seventh day, and sanctified it: because that in it He had rested from all His work which God created and made" (Gen. 2:1- 3). A week is seven consecutive days and is dependant upon the sun. One week is completed after the setting of the sun seven times!
MONTH
A month is counted by whole days, not by hours, minutes or seconds. A month of days [Strong's # 3391] is what God's Word says! The New Brown, Drivers, Briggs, Gesenius Hebrew- English Lexicon defines #3391 as: 1. new moon-- month of days ---a month of time; 2. Calendar month with names; 3. Produce of months, ie. Of various season of year. "Shallum the son of Jabesh began to reign in the nine and thirtieth year of Uzziah king of Judah; and he reigned a full month [month of days] in Samaria" (2 Kings 15:13). "And she shall put the raiment of her captivity from off her, and shall remain in thine house, and bewail her father and her mother a full month [month of days]: and after that thou shalt go in unto her, and be her husband, and she shall be thy wife" (Deu. 21:13). "And Laban said to him, Surely thou art my bone and my flesh. And he abode with him the space of a month [month of days]"Gen. 29:14.
MOON
God established the moon to show us when the month begins and ends. The cycle of the moon determines the lunar month. A new moon is the beginning of the dark moon phase. This cycle begins and ends with a true conjunction of the sun and moon. This begins a new month and moon phases. The day on which the true conjunction of the sun and moon happens is the first day of the month. "He appointed the moon for seasons: the sun knoweth his going down" (Psa. 104:19). Sunset, sets the precedent for the new dark moon phase to start the month. When the last of the sun has set, a new day begins! When the last of the waning crescent illumination is gone out, a new month begins with a dark moon phase, at that moment the sun and the moon are in conjunction, that can happen 14 to 22 hours before the mean [middle] conjunction. This can change the date for a Holy Day by as much as a day before the mean [molad]conjunction!
This un-noticed time is referenced by Rabbi's, authors and astronomers. Rabbi Nathan Bushwick, in his book "Understanding the Jewish Calendar" pg.71, ch. 9, writes: "As the moon moves around the earth, there is one moment that it is exactly between the earth and the sun. At that moment the earth faces the dark side of the moon. Already for about a day before this moment the moon has not been visible from any point on the earth and it will remain invisible for about a day more."
Some astronomers say the beginning dark moon phase of a new moon starts long before the mean conjunction! Roper Mountain Science Center and Observatory, Greenville, South Carolina: "Most calendars list New Moon---seeing it in the middle of its "new" phase. Here you are interested in the very beginning of the "New" phase, so that pushed things back as much as nearly a full day."
Royal Observatory, Greenwich, England: "O" illumination happens hours before the mean [middle] conjunction."
God established the moon to show us when the month begins. This cycle of the moon determines the lunar month. It begins and ends with the true conjunction of the sun and moon.
Some have asked why the Church of God, In Truth, uses the term true conjunction. It is important that God's people should recognize that there is a difference between a mean [middle] conjunction and a true conjunction. There is always a true conjunction before a mean conjunction.
The term true conjunction is used in the Encyclopedia Judaica, Vol 5, pages 45& 46, under calendar: "A month is the period of time between one conjunction of the moon with the sun and the next. The true and the mean conjunction: From the true conjunction to the first sighting of the new crescent in the region of Jerusalem observation at which may well be presupposed in the calculations of the astronomical Jewish calendar......shortly before the autumnal equinox the minimum interval from the true conjunction to the phases is approximately 20 hours, while the maximum is close to 72 hours, with the minimum of approximately 18 hours shortly before the vernal equinox."
A crescent moon is used by most pagan religions. The word crescent is in the Bible, but never used for determining a new month. Crescent moons are used only for pagan ornaments found in Judges 8:21,29 and Isa. 3:18.
God's way is harmony in all His creation.
"He appointed the moon for seasons: the sun knoweth his going down" (Psa. 104:19). Sunset, sets the precedent for the beginning of the dark moon phase to start a new month! When the last of the sun has set, a new day and date begins. When the last of the waning crescent illumination has gone out, a new month begins with a new dark moon phase, called a true conjunction!! This happens everywhere on earth at the same time
SEASONS
God established the beginning of His Holy Memorial Convocations and Festivals [appointed times] by using the true conjunction of the sun and the moon. "And the LORD spake unto Moses and Aaron in the land of Egypt, saying, This month shall be unto you the beginning of months: it shall be the first month of the year to you" (Exo. 12:1-2). The words new moon and month are interchangeable. When acknowledging a new moon we acknowledge the precedent set by the sun. Sunset, sets the precedent! "He appointed the moon for seasons [appointed times]: the sun knoweth his going down" (Psa. 104:19). Gen. 1:14 is the foundation for verses like Psa. 104:19.
We find appointed time was set into God's creation from the beginning of creation. The word Season is [Strong's number 4150] in the Bible meaning-- appointed times or fixed time.
YEAR
God's Festival year is determined by the earths one revolution around the sun. From one spring equinox to the next spring equinox is the most accurate count of a festival year. Equinox is the word turn in God's word. During the month of the turn' is when the appointed times of God's Holy Days should be. "And the Feast of harvest, the firstfruits of thy labours, which thou hast sown in the field: and the Feast of ingathering, which is in the end of the year [turn], when thou hast gathered in thy labours out of the field" (Exo 23:16). "And thou shalt observe the feast of weeks, of the firstfruits of wheat harvest, and the feast of ingathering at the year's end [turn]" (Exo 34:22). The Hebrew word for turn is called Tekufath. The turns of the year are at the beginning and the middle of the year. This is when the sun turns from the Southern Hemisphere to the Northern Hemisphere and vise- versa. The Strong's number for turn is 8622, meaning: coming round, circuit. In reference to Exodus 34:22 its meaning is: at the circuit of the year."
To read more, click
here
So, there we have it; God's calendar, in a nutshell. This calendar was given to the Hebrews, but, as you can see, it was the very start of Creation.
Now, we get back to the Lord Yahsua's Birthday. How can we determine when the Lord's Birthday is? Well,
Leviticus 23 contains the days that the Hebrews were to observe God's Holy/Feast Days/Festivals. (These Feast Days point to Yahshua, Whose Name literally means, Yah's Salvation, or the Salvation of Yah, (God).
Thus, the Feast Days point to the Birth, Death, and Resurrection of the Lord Yahshua, (our Salvation). I think the Birth of Messiah is a pretty important event, don't you? God certainly thought so, as it is included in the Scriptures.
The Feast of Tabernacles is an important time for Jewish people. It is the time when they remember how God delivered their ancestors from Egypt, and sheltered them. Jewish people are commanded to dwell in "Succoth" or "Booths", as a reminder that God is their shelter.
In New Testament Times, and Biblical Prophetic Times, we have come to acknowledge the first day of the Feast of Tabernacles, as the Lord's Birthday. The Prophet Isaiah prophesied the coming of the Savior in Isaiah 7:14
14 Therefore the Lord himself shall give you a sign; Behold, a virgin shall conceive, and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel. (God Is With Us).
And, during the Lord Yahshua's Second Advent, we recognize that He will return to Tabernacle with us once again.
Now that we've gotten this far, let's dig deeper. Here's some videos that I hope will shed some more light.
BT Daily: Was Jesus Really Born on December 25th
BT Daily: If Christ is NOT in Christmas...
Beyond Today: God's Holy Day Plan: Blueprint for Salvation
The Christmas Tree's Origin
YouTuber loveisgod7-Christmas Pagan Holiday Warning.
Did Early Christians Celebrate Christmas-I chose this video to share because it really sheds some light on the Origins of the Pagan Practices of the Roman Catholic Church, (How they introduced Christmas to the Church)
The next videos will show the True Birthday of our Messiah, (Blessed is He),
Yahshua/Jesus was born on Sukkot/Feast of Tabernacles
This next video does a perfect job at explaining Why Sukkot, (The Feast of Tabernacles) is Yahshua's Birthday. (A Must See!)
Why Sukkot is Yeshua's Real Birthday
Now that we've found out that the Feast of Tabernacles, one of God's Holy Feast Days, is Yahshua's Birthday, I'd like to share with you, a Messianic calendar I've been using for years now. It can be found at Messianic.ws (Free to view and print)
http://www.messianic.ws/PDFfiles/Calendar%205773-5774.pdf
It's a great, simplistic calendar that shows the Gregorian calendar, along with the Hebraic/Jewish Calendar. Remember, God's Feast Days are based off of the Hebrew Calendar. The Sabbath, New Moon, (Month-Rosh Chodesh), and Holy Feast Days are listed.
(Note: A little tip- The lines on the calendar show that God's day begins at sunset. I don't go by the 6pm Roman times or 12pm times to end the day, when celebrating the Feast Days. I check the sunset times, and go by that.
More References from Amazon
"Tree of Life" Art Calendar from Israel, Hebraic Roots, Biblical / Jewish calendars made in Israel for Christians and Messianic Believers
Prophetic Calendar: The Feasts of Israel
The Creator's Calendar
A Family Guide to the Biblical Holidays
Disclaimer: The individual views of websites/video owners/creators, are not not necessarily the views of King's Kidz Messianic Homeschool. I have placed these links/videos, to share facts and information, pertaining to the matter at hand; in which, those I do agree. The respective information is the opinions of those whom information was created by.
Well, this completes our venture on discovering, "What does God Say About Christmas?"
I hope and pray that you have learned something, and that you will seek to follow the Holy Spirit's prompting to keep God's Feast Days, and disengage from pagan practices; from following the ways of the heathen.
For those who already knew this, I'm so glad. I would ask if you would like to share anything further? Please feel free to post your comments to share.
Everyone, I would love to hear from you.
YHVH bless you in your education endeavors. Thanks, always, for visiting. Your comments or questions are welcome. You may post them below.
