The plain truth about Christmas
DOES IT REALLY HONOR CHRIST?
Now come two arguments often used to justify Christmas observance.
1) Many will reason this way: "But, even though the exact date of Jesus' birth is unknown, should we not select SOME date to celebrate as His birthday?" The answer is positively yes, on Pentecost. (added by The house of the prophets).
2) But, many still reason, "Even so - even though Christmas was a pagan custom, honouring the false sun-god, we don't observe it to honour the false god, we observe it to honour Christ."
But how does God answer in His Word? "Take heed to thyself that thou be not snared by following them [the pagans in their customs]... that thou enquire 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 Eternal, which he hateth, have they done unto their gods" (Deut 12:30-31).
God says plainly in His Instruction Book to us, that He will not accept that kind of worship, even though intended in His honour. To Him, He says, it is offering what is ABOMINABLE to Him, and therefore it honours, not Him, but false pagan gods.
God says we must not worship Him according to the "dictates of our own conscience" - a term we often hear. But Jesus says plainly, "God is a spirit: and they that worship Him must worship Him in spirit and in truth" (John 4:24). And what is truth? God's Word - the Holy Bible - said Jesus, is truth (John 17:17); and the Bible says God will not accept worship when people take a pagan custom or manner of worship and try to honour Christ with it.
Again, Jesus said: "In VAIN they do worship me, teaching for doctrines the commandments of men" (Matt 15:9). Christmas observance is a TRADITION OF MEN, and the commandments of God, as quoted, forbid it. Jesus said, further, "full well ye reject the commandment of God, that ye may keep your own tradition."
That is precisely what the millions are doing today. They ignore the commandment of God. He commands, regarding taking the customs of the pagans and using them to honour or worship God: "Thou shalt not do so unto the Lord thy God." Still, most people today take that command of God lightly, or as having no validity whatsoever, and follow the tradition of men in observing Christmas.
Make no mistake. God will ALLOW you to defy and disobey Him. He will ALLOW you to follow the crowd and the traditions of men. He will ALLOW you to sin. But He also says there is a day of reckoning coming. As you sow, so shall you reap.
Jesus was the LIVING Word of God in Person, and the Bible is the WRITTEN Word of God. And we shall be judged, for eternity, by these words. They should not be taken lightly or ignored.
WE'RE IN BABYLON, AND HAVEN'T KNOWN IT
Christmas has become a commercial season. It's sponsored, kept alive, by the heaviest retail advertising campaigns of the year. You see a masqueraded "Santa Claus" in many stores. Ads keep us deluded and deceived about the "beautify Christmas spirit." The newspaper, who sell the ads, print flowery editorials exalting and eulogizing the pagan season, and its "spirit."
A gullible people has become so inoculated, many take offence when told the truth. But the "Christmas spirit" is created each year, not to honour Christ, but to sell merchandise.
Like all Satan's delusions, it appears as an "angel of light," is made to appear good.
Billions of dollars are spent in this merchandising spree every year, while the cause of Christ must suffer. It's part of the economic system of Babylon.
We have professed to be Christian nations, but we're in Babylon, as Bible prophecy foretold, and we don't know it. "Come out of her, my people, that ye be not partakers of her sins, and that ye receive not of her plagues" - now soon to fall - is the warning of Revelation 18:4.
This year, instead of gift trading, why not put that money into God's Work?
End
By: Herbert W. Armstrong
