Christmas has been celebrated all throughout the world in many different ways and by many different cultures, but do we truly understand the meaning and reasoning behind this world-wide phenomenon of a holiday that has encompassed even the non-religious?
Christmas is often celebrated with the decorating of what we call Christmas trees,
giving of gifts to loved ones (and sometimes, strangers), decorating houses and businesses with what we call festive lights and decorative displays, singing carols, and, of course, all the delicious goodies that hold no calories during what we call the “holiday season”—I may have made up that last part about the calories.
Did you know: Christmas has been an official national federal holiday in America since 1870.
This time has been celebrated even before the birth of Jesus, believe it or not—that is, the time from near the end of December until January—but the meaning and reasoning for this time of celebration could very well be seen as prophetic, if one chooses to view it that way, or a coincidence.
Surprisingly, there is no Hebrew word for coincidence.
Interesting. Maybe that is why people can say without a doubt that a lot of what is in the Old Testament prophetically points to Jesus as the coming Messiah—His birth, life, death, and resurrection.
As for prophetic, an example would be:
The Norsemen, or Norse People, celebrated this time (known as the winter solstice) as a celebration for the return of the sun.
In fact, the winter solstice was celebrated as the end of the worst of the winter days (which were seen as the dark and cold, you know, the lifeless, a dead soul) and as the return of the sun, which brings longer, brighter, and warmer days (you know, a spirit revived, the light of the world).
I’ve also read that during this time in December, many cultures and peoples, most of whom lived in harsh cold areas, would slaughter much of their cattle for two reasons: first, they did so for the purpose of not having to use precious resources to feed and ensure the survival of the cattle over the people (human life was more precious to them than animal life), and secondly, so that the people could have meat to eat and live on during the harsh and lifeless wintertime.
Yeah, uncalled-for dad joke, but funny.
Anyway, I thought this was very interesting for two reasons. First, it says that without the light of the world, the heart is cold and death stalks about. And secondly, they would make animal sacrifices to protect their supply but more importantly for the sustenance of life—an annual sacrifice for life.
This reminded me of the times before Christ, the times in the Old Testament, when the Jewish people would be subjected to the law and annual sacrifices—you know, the time before Grace.
The priests would be required to make annual sacrifices for themselves so they would be “clean” before approaching the Holy Place, and they would be “worthy” to then make an animal sacrifice for all the people in order to wash away their sins—an annual sacrifice for life.
In Rome, people celebrated what is known as Saturnalia, which was to honor what they believed was the god of Saturn, also the god of agriculture. During this time, believe it or not, it has been said that the slaves were actually treated as free people and supposedly given equal treatment during this time of celebration. During this time of winter solstice, known to us now as “the Christmas season,” slaves were granted temporary reprieve: a temporary freedom by a temporary savior, which was all granted politically by man to man, and which gave those in bondage a small window of time to experience a perceived freedom and life before they were once again put back in chains and enslaved into a life of death by their very same political “savior.” A brief glimpse of freedom and life and hope before an “eternity” of separation from those very things.
I thought this was very interesting because, although freedom and equity were granted, they were granted by man to honor a god who did not care to truly save people but only receive support and worship for the political reasons of man and the control over man with temporary and conditional love. Yet, in Christianity, we follow a God who loves us unconditionally, and instead of demanding worship through the chains of bondage, He offered His only son as a sacrifice to die on the cross and have his blood spilled to cover our sins and to save all people and to release all people from bondage (if we so choose to be free), and He welcomed all people with love, who choose for themselves to enter into His kingdom, into life and liberty.
As I said in Episode 018: The Great Wisdom Of…#1, “Love, as Pooh had so rightfully stated, is an emotion; it is a choice. Love is something that you feel toward another. Love is the most precious gift we have on this earth. Love is complete trust and faith; it is the choice and willingness to give your life and all you have for another. Love is truly wanting the one you love to be happy, even more than your own feelings.”
Without freedom, without liberty, without free will, one cannot truly love.
That is why it is our choice, each one of us, if we shall choose God and love and follow Him, or choose the ruler of this world and love and follow him.
Was Christmas always celebrated as the birth of Jesus?
From what I understand, no.
We’ve always celebrated the resurrection of Jesus since His death and, well, resurrection—that is, Christians, true believers. The resurrection is one of the many things that truly separates Jesus from all other religious prophets. You can see when the prophets of other religions have passed away, and not one of them has ever saved his people, loved his people unconditionally, offered salvation to all people, given this salvation freely, willingly taken the punishment of torture and death for their people, or risen, except for Jesus.
Anyway, it wasn’t until about the 4th century, from what I understand, that the Church made the birth of Christ a celebrated holiday. Again, as far as my understanding goes, there is no mention of the exact date of Jesus’ birth (I could be wrong, but if there is, I am unaware of it), but December 25 was chosen by the Church—I’ve also read that it was Pope Julius I who made this proclamation.
Supposedly, during the early years of Christmas, being that it was placed during the pagan time of celebration to other gods for the winter solstice, people were often rowdy and rambunctious and, sometimes, unruly. After Jesus’ death and resurrection, people used this time to celebrate Jesus’ birth, but many also compromised with the world.
It makes me think of Joshua 24:15.
In other words, some people truly chose to tear down God’s commandments, compromise their morals and standards, and limp along using God’s name in vain.
What do I mean by “using God’s name in vain?”
As I’ve heard it explained to me, and it makes a lot of sense: If you love God, then, as Jesus said in John 14:23, “If anyone loves me, he will keep my word…” And Jesus is a part of the Trinity, meaning his word is God’s Word, and God’s word is the teaching in the Bible. If you love God and have accepted Jesus as your Lord and Savior, then you will want to live a life that honors Him. You live your life to honor the one you love—a spouse will change their ways to honor their partner, a person living in selfishness and self-centeredness loves themselves, and a believer loves Jesus.
Your life will honor the one you choose to love.
Now, it won’t always be easy, but if one is willingly choosing over and over and over again without conviction to live a life that dishonors God and still claims to be “Christ-like,” that person is using God’s name in vain.
As Elijah said, “How long will you go limping between two different opinions? If the Lord is God, follow him; but if Baal, then follow him.”
For those that might not know: Baal was considered a god of fertility who was signified by an Asherah pole, which was to show worship toward Asherah as well. Interestingly, the goddess Asherah was considered to be Baal’s mother and Baal’s mistress…
The goddess Asherah was worshiped with a time of sexual perversion, homosexuality, and orgies—and, in some cases, in full public display; and Baal was worshiped with the sacrificing of children. And it gets more perverse.
Anyway, some people did just as the ancient Israelites and compromised with the world, accepting the world’s traditions and gods as their own. In short, Christmas went from the celebration of the birth of Jesus to a mixture of customs with excess and depravity that was customary in the world.
Look up “the lord of misrule.”
Anyway, during the early times, Christmas was also when those who were blessed with more could, and often were expected, to open their homes or venues to entertain the less fortunate. Their blessings were often viewed as greed, and this was how they repaid their debt to society for being blessed.
If gained rightly, blessings are gifts for work and sacrifice.
We took God’s blessings and made them curses. We took our souls selfish desires and wants and turned God’s blessings into things to be coveted and dispersed without care, without love, and without charity. We took God’s unconditional love and grace and fashioned it into a burden and unspoken law of man.
Christmas is a time of celebration of God’s love for us all, for the entire world.
It was recorded in the Bible and in other historical texts found that Jesus’ birth, life, death, and resurrection were all foretold through prophecy hundreds, if not thousands, of years before His time.
In fact, this, what was known more as an English tradition for Christmas—that of rowdiness, rambunctiousness, forced “charity” for the sins of having been blessed in life, and, often, lawless acts by the poor (the have-nots coveting the haves; they would riot, steal, vandalize, and, sometimes, murder)—this “tradition” was changed to be more of a family and community gathering of goodwill and charity in America soon after the Revolutionary War.
Once America won its independence from Britain, English customs were quickly, as some historians say, “falling out of favor” in the new colonies. And this, “the lord of misrule” and the drunken parties (often associated with what we call Mardi Gras nowadays), was one of those “Christmas traditions” that fell out of favor—it was a compromise with the world to disgrace and pervert the birth of our Savior.
But what does Christmas actually mean?
Christmas is a time to celebrate the birth of Jesus the Christ.
Jesus was, and is, the son of Yahweh, the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, the one true God.
Isn’t it offensive and exclusive to claim there is only one true God?
It very well is to the world. In fact, I’ve found that it is offensive, exclusive, and intolerant to mention anything in and to this world that goes against the world’s own opinion or belief.
But hold on to your seat, because I’m about to get more offensive and exclusive with the truth.
There is only one way to Heaven, not many as the world would want us to falsely believe.
If we wish to be saved, if we wish to go to Heaven, if we wish to be free and see eternal life, then, as Jesus said in Matthew 7, “Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it...”
This is the way of the world, claiming and believing that all religions are true, all paths lead to Heaven, all gods are just different names for the one God, and that all truths are true.
But Jesus continues, “But small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life, and only a few find it.”
And Jesus is the narrow road; he is the small gate; he is life.
In the book of John, Jesus states, “I am the door...” “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father [that is God] except through me.”
So how do we enter this small gate? How do we become saved and go to Heaven?
Faith.
In Romans 10:9 it clearly tells you, “…if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.”
Because by Jesus’ own mouth it is stated that “unless one is born again he cannot see the kingdom of God” (John 3:3).
So, if you confess with your mouth that Jesus Christ is Lord, that he died on the cross to save you of your sins, and that he rose again and sits at the right hand of the Father, and you believe this in your heart, then you will be saved.
And once you’re saved, you become a new creation. In other words, your spirit is reborn.
Our spirit, as I believe and you can find studying the Bible, is what died in the Garden when Adam and Eve ate of the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil. Yes, our bodies began to age and decay and turn back to dust as well, but our spirit took the immediate death. That is how we are reborn when we accept Jesus as our Lord and Savior. Our spirit becomes alive once again. And through God’s grace we are saved.
“For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life” (John 3:16).
“For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast” (Ephesians 2:8-9).
We cannot do enough good works to outweigh our sin. If you believe that the scales can balance based on good works and do not believe in Jesus, then you will be judged based on works, and as it says in Romans 3:20, “For by works of the law no human being will be justified in his sight, since through the law comes knowledge of sin.” No person can do enough good works to cover their sins; only Jesus Christ was able to live a pure and righteous life, blameless, and thus be a sacrifice for our atonement. “But if by grace, it is no longer on the basis of works; otherwise grace would no longer be grace.”
If you want to be saved, you must accept Jesus, and you must believe in Him. There is no other way to be saved; there is no other way to Heaven.
If you are still reading and you want to be saved, then, please, believe this in your heart and repeat this prayer:
Father, I believe that Jesus Christ is your son and that he died on the cross for me and rose again. I invite him into my heart and life to be my Lord and my Savior. In Jesus name. Amen.
Now, we know so much more about this time known as the Christmas season and more. So let us celebrate the birth of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, and also spend quality time with our loved ones.
Merry Christmas!!!!!
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