“WHEN THE LORD THY GOD SHALL CUT OFF 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 INQUIRE NOT AFTER THEIR GODS, SAYING, HOW DID THESE NATIONS SERVE THEIR GODS? EVEN SO WILL I DO LIKEWISE. THOU SHALT NOT DO SO UNTO THE LORD THEY GOD: FOR EVERY ABOMINATION TO THE LORD WHICH HE HATETH, HAVE THY DONE UNTO THEIR GODS...” (Deut.12:29-31)

We find many pagan practices concealed beneath a superficial Christianity—often under the mantle of some saint (i.e., St. Nicholas) but side by side with these are many usages never Christianized, even in appearance, and obviously identical with heathen customs against which the Church thundered in the days of her youth. But, grown old and tolerant, she has long since ceased to attack them. What pagan practices am I talking about? I’m going to show you how the heathens worshipped their gods and let you make the connection.

Let’s go back to Ancient Rome, B.C. The time is December 17th, the beginning of a Roman feast called Saturnalia, occurring about the time of the Winter Solstice, in honor of the god, Saturn. William Muir Auld, in his book, Christmas Traditions, 37 & 38, describes the feast for us:

“The approach of the feast was hailed by the Romans in the Empire with wild joy. Few failed to respond to the call, ‘Io Saturnalia! Io Saturnalia!’ Work of every kind ceased, except cooking. The schools were closed and the children had a day set apart for themselves. War was never declared during the happy season; and if hostilities were in progress they were suspended till the feast was over. Public places were decked with flowers and shrubs. The practice of giving and receiving presents was almost as common then as it is now at Christmas. Some of these gifts, little clay dolls and candles, were purchased at a kind of fair where they were displayed for sale. Mirth and frolic were indulged in by all without restraint.”

Another description appears in W. Warde Fowler’s book, The Roman Festivals, on 272:

“...then followed the family sacrifice of a sucking pig...Then came calls on friends, congratulations, games, and the presentation of gifts. All manner of presents were made, as they are still at Christmas: among them the wax candles (cerei) deserve notice, as they are thought to have some reference, like the yule log, to the returning power of the sun’s light after the solstice. They descended from the Saturnalia into the Christmas ritual of the Latin Church. The Sigillaria, or little paste or earthenware images which were sold all over Rome in the days before the festival, and used as presents, also survived into Christian times;”

There are many excellent resource books dealing with pagan customs adopted by “Christianity” (such as holly, ivy, mistletoe, Christmas trees, yule logs, Santa Claus, etc.). But it is scarcely necessary to point out that much of the “spirit” of this old Roman festival passed into Christmas celebration. So when we speak of the “spirit” of Christmas, maybe we should ask ourselves exactly what “spirit” is it? Remember John 4:24 says “...no lie is of the truth.”

The next question we should ask is who brought this pagan holiday into Christianity? The word “Christmas” itself should give you a clue! “Christ” “Mass”. (A term taken because of the Catholic Church’s midnight Mass on the eve of the pagan Roman festival.) So as you can see, the word “Christmas” is totally a Catholic invention, where else do you hear the term “mass” meaning “sacrifice”? In Will Durant’s, The Age of Faith, 841, it says:

“...Dec. 25th was formally set aside by the Church in Rome for the observance of the physical Birth of Christ. The festival may have been in existence as early as 336; but farther back than that it cannot be traced.”

Even “St.” Chrysostom, Bishop of Constantinople (398- 403) had some interesting comments on Christmas:

“On this day also the Birthday of Christ was lately fixed at Rome in order that while the heathen were busy with their profane ceremonies the Christians might perform their sacred rites undisturbed. They call this (Dec. 25, or viii. Kal. Jan, as the Romans wrote it), the Birthday of the Invincible One (Mithras), but who so invincible as the Lord? They call it the Birthday of the Solar Disc; but Christ is the Sun of Righteousness.”

Now keep in mind Deut. 18:9:

“WHEN THOU ART COME INTO THE LAND WHICH THE LORD GIVETH THEE, THOU SHALT NOT LEARN TO DO AFTER THE ABOMINATIONS OF THOSE NATIONS.” (Emphasis mine)

The Bible makes no mention of any Christians ever celebrating Jesus’ Birth! As a matter of fact, Ecclesiastes 7:1-5,8 says:

“A good name is better than precious ointment; AND THE DAY OF DEATH THAN THE DAY OF ONE’S BIRTH. It is better to go to the house of mourning, than to the house of feasting: for that is the end of all men; and the living will lay it to his heart. Sorrow is better than laughter: for by the sadness of the countenance the heart is made better. The heart of the wise is in the house of mourning; but the heart of fools is in the house of mirth. It is better to hear the rebuke of the wise, than for a man to hear the song of fools...BETTER IS THE END OF A THING THAN THE BEGINNING THEREOF: and the patient in spirit is better than the proud in spirit.”(Emphasis added)

When I searched for the heart of the early Christians, I found that it wasn’t the birth of Christ, but hope in the Lord’s imminent return from heaven in great power and glory that was the flame that fired their devotion!

“At such times, when concordant hearts yearned for the grand denouement,all retrospect was precluded, and even a song of Bethlehem, had it been thought of, would have struck a jarring note. The thrill of anticipation found more natural expression in impatient invitatories flung by eager voices toward the dark and silent sky: Let Grace come and let the world pass away! Hosanna to the God of David, Maranatha! Come Lord Jesus, come quickly!”(Christmas Traditions, William Muir Auld, 1939, 22).

And again, on page 23:

“In fact the very idea of such a celebration appeared to many highly repugnant. It looked too much like regarding their divine Redeemer after the manner of an earthly potentate.”

God is Holy and will not be worshipped like the gods of the heathen! What really bothers me is why are Christians celebrating a Catholic holiday? The Puritans refused to and went so far as to outlaw the holiday! They couldn’t understand why a God-fearing man would want to take part in any holiday that smacked of Catholicism! They called Christmas a “popish invention” and “filthy rags of the beast”. And isn’t it amazing that Christians who preach against idolatry, have no problem setting up their little nativity scenes every year? Like the pagan mother-goddess worship that goes on daily in Catholicism, Christianity seems to feel that the “Mother-Child” images are somehow pleasing to the Lord Jesus during Christmas. I have news for you - Jesus Christ is no longer a baby. He grew into a man who offered up His life for our sins at Calvary so that we could be saved. At His first coming - He was a Lamb. But He’s coming again, people, and not as a baby - not as a Lamb - but as a Lion! In power and might! To destroy the wicked, the idolators, the liars, and those who believe not on the finished work of Christ on the cross.

I realize that Christmas has been a big part of all our lives. Many of us have precious memories of Christmas past. But God has commanded us to “...walk in truth” (3Jn.4). I couldn’t put my feelings on this subject in words any better than R.F. Becker in The Truth About Christmas:

I HAVE NO DESIRE TO DISCOURAGE ONE HONEST SOUL. BUT I HAVE WITNESSED THIS CHRISTMAS FESTIVAL OF SIN CREEPING AS A DEADLY THING, COILING ITS SLIMY AND GLITTERING IDOLATRIES SLOWLY AND SURELY AROUND THE FEEBLE CHURCH OF GOD AS PART OF THOSE WHO KNOW CHRIST AS LORD AND SAVIOR TOTALLY UNAWARE OF THE TRUTH ABOUT CHRISTMAS. AND FEW ARE THE VOICES RAISED IN PROTEST OF THIS PAGANISM, FOR THE HONOR OF JESUS CHRIST OUR ONLY LORD AND SAVIOR. IT IS MY DESIRE TO SEE, NOT ONLY THE SOULS OF MEN SAVED, BUT THE CHILDREN OF GOD WALKING IN OBEDIENCE TO HIM. THE APOSTLE JOHN SAID, ‘I HAVE NO GREATER JOY THAN TO HEAR THAT MY CHILDREN WALK IN TRUTH.’" (3Jn 4)(Emphasis mine)

I Peter 4:4 says, “Wherein they think it strange that ye run not with them to the same excess of riot, speaking evil of you.” Try not celebrating Christmas and watch that Scripture come to life!

I’d like to share with you the plans that the pope has for a future Christmas. CHRISTMAS 2000! And believe me when I tell you, now is the time to separate yourself from her feast days and idolatries. Because what’s coming has been prophesied of old and it is a one-world religion headed by none other than the pope.

In his Apostolic Letter, Tertio Mellennio Adveniente,(the coming of the third millennium) Pope John Paul II informs us that on Christmas Eve, the year 2000, he plans to give Jesus a birthday gift of a one- world religion. The Whore of Babylon has begun her crusade to bring home all her “lost children”. The Pope is preparing for the “Great Jubilee”.

“Special tasks and responsibilities with regard to the Great Jubilee of the year 2000 belong to the ministry of the bishop of Rome. In a certain sense, all the popes of the past century have prepared for this jubilee...The Pontifical Council for the Promotion of Christian Unity has become an important catalyst in the movement toward full unity.”

But this “full unity” is conditional! The Pope must remain the “Vicar of Christ”. This “Great Jubilee” will be a historic religious event. In his Apostolic Letter, the Pope says:

“...the actual celebration of the Great Jubilee, will take place simultaneously in the Holy Land, in Rome, and in the local churches throughout the world.”

Even the world leaders are preparing for this event! On the U.S. Newswire on Sept. 29, 1995, a transcript of remarks by President Clinton, Vice President Gore, Chairman Yasser Arafat, Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin, President Hosni Mubarak and King Hussein at a reception for heads of state. Chairman Arafat is quoted as saying:

“I would like to tell all of you, before President Clinton, the man whom I consider created the miracle and made that peace. (Applause.) ...I invite you, Mr. President, to celebrate a very special occasion, as I mentioned to you this morning, that, soon, I hope you will be able to join us when we celebrate Christmas in Bethlehem in Jerusalem. Yes, the year 2000 will be a historic event and a religious event.”

My question here would be why Arafat would celebrate Christmas anywhere? He is NOT a believer in Jesus Christ! But if you research Christmas at all, you will find that even the Muslims celebrate Christmas as well as many other non-Christian religions. Which proves that the world does not need Jesus Christ to celebrate Christmas, they don’t even give Christ a thought! But let’s get on with the Christmas of 2000. All the world’s religions are flocking to the Church of Rome to get in on the “peace train”. But as Jehu said in II Kings 9:22, “...what peace, so long as the whoredoms of thy mother Jezebel and her witchcrafts are so many?” Do you need to hear more of her (the Church of Rome) whoredoms? Well, then, let’s go back to Pope John Paul II’s Apostolic Letter, Tertio Mellennio Adveniente, he says, speaking of the Great Jubilee,

“The Blessed Virgin who will be as it were ‘indirectly’ present in the whole preparatory phase, will be contemplated in this first year especially in the mystery of her divine motherhood. It was in her womb that the Word became flesh! The affirmation of the central place of Christ cannot therefore be separated from the recognition of the role played by his most holy mother...I entrust this responsibility of the whole church to the maternal intercession of Mary, mother of the redeemer. She, the mother of fairest love, will be for Christians on the way to the Great Jubilee of the third millennium the star which safely guides their steps to the Lord. May the unassuming young woman of Nazareth, who 2,000 years ago offered to the world the incarnate Word, lead the men and women of the new millennium toward the one who is the true light that enlightens every man.” (Emphasis added)

Hebrews 10:12 tell us that JESUS CHRIST OFFERED HIMSELF! Mary did not offer Him up. And Jesus Christ is our Daystar, not Mary! And the Holy Spirit guides us, not Mary! How can any God- fearing , Bible reading Christian join hands with such an idolatrous system as the Roman Catholic Church for ANY reason? I, for one, will not! Not for a feast, not for false peace! Galatians 4:8-11 says it best:

“Howbeit then, when ye knew not God, ye did service unto them which by nature are no gods. But now, after that ye have known God, or rather are known of God, how turn ye again to the weak and beggarly elements whereunto ye desire again to be in bondage? Ye observe days, and months, and times, and years. I am afraid of you, lest I have bestowed upon you labor in vain.”

Not only is Christmas of past and present pagan and full of idolatry, but the future Christmas is frighteningly worse! It will be the beginning of the end for those of us who will not join hands with the Roman Catholic Church or any other religion that teaches or preaches any other gospel than that which was given to us in the Holy Scriptures. For now, we are merely “evil spoken of” (I Pet.3:16, 4:4), but soon we will be killed and those that kill us will think that they are doing God service! (John 16:2 & Isaiah 66:5) But remember that God knows how to deliver His people. Don’t be afraid to follow Jesus Christ. It comes down to choosing between the world and the Word of God. Which will YOU choose?

Diane Wachtel