What's the Big Deal About Christmas

Joseph Herrin (Originally posted on 12-06-2014)

Kirk Cameron’s Saving Christmas - Poster Modified to Promote Truth in Advertising
(Click on Image to View Larger)

[NOTE: I believe the time is short and many dire things will fall upon the nations before much longer. Judgment must begin at the house of God. This judgment will be most severe for those Christians who have refused to heed the voice of the Spirit which is crying out, "Come out of (Babylon) My people, lest you participate in her sins, and partake of her plagues" - Revelation 18:4. What if this year is the last opportunity Yahweh gives to you to separate yourself from the profane and idolatrous practices of a compromised Christian religious system? What if this is your last opportunity to demonstrate to God that you have a higher regard for honoring Him with your obedience than for pleasing self, family, friends, and others?

Judgment will be exceptionally hard for those who resisted the will of God as He calls all of His people to "Come out from their midst and be separate," says the Lord. "And do not touch what is unclean; And I will welcome you. And I will be a father to you, and you shall be sons and daughters to Me," says the Lord Almighty" - 2 Corinthians 6:17-18. If you would be hidden in the day of the Lord's anger, two things are required of you.

Zephaniah 2:3
Seek Yahweh, all you humble of the land, who have kept his ordinances. Seek righteousness. Seek humility. Perhaps you will be hidden in the day of Yahweh's anger.

Humble yourself before God, and walk in righteousness. Yahweh has declared all idolatry to be unrighteousness. He has called His people to separate between the holy and the profane. Christmas is a profaning of the holy things of God.

With these things in mind, I am re-posting now, before the Christmas season gets into full swing, the writings Yahweh has led me to publish to inform His people of His will in this matter. This may be the last opportunity you have to demonstrate by your obedience that you choose to come out of the corruption and confusion of Babylon before Yahweh seals the foreheads of an overcoming elect who will be hidden in the day of His wrath. Yet, even if more time is granted, there is nothing to be gained by delaying the day of your obedience.

An Invitation: I believe it is encouraging to other believers who are being faced with the decision to separate themselves from the profane holiday of Christmas to hear from other believers who have taken this step of obedience. Whether this is your first year to forego the celebration of Christmas in your home, or you separated yourself from this annual observance years ago, I invite you to post a comment below to let other believers know that there is a remnant of obedient disciples of Christ who have accepted the cost, risked reproaches, and placed obedience to Yahweh above self-interest. If you have difficulty using the comment field, you can send your testimony of this matter to me and I will post it in the comments below the article. Please include your name when doing so, as it is my policy to not post anonymous comments.]

What's the Big Deal About Christmas?

I would like to challenge you with the following thought. Your success in passing through the coming days of Christian persecution and global tribulation are even now being forecast by your words and actions relating to the observance of the Christmas holiday. Before you dismiss such a claim as baseless, I challenge you to consider the following:

Once a Christian has been presented with the evidence of the idolatrous origins of the Christmas holiday, the date it is observed on, the rites and symbols associated with it, and Yahweh’s condemnation of His people mixing together the holy and the profane, they are brought to a crisis of decision. Their choice will have profound repercussions for their own life, as well as those who are close to them. As each believer weighs the evidence presented to them, they are confronted by the same influences, pressures, desires, and struggles between the flesh and spirit that they will encounter in the last dark days at the end of this age, days which we are even now entering into.

The decision to “come out of Babylon and be separate,” (Revelation 18:4) or to continue in the confusion of Babylon, is confronted by a growing number of Christians every year as they have presented to them the truth of the extra-Biblical and idolatrous origins of Christmas. Their response to the truth reveals the presence, or absence, of the fear of God in their lives. It exposes whether they can accurately discern between truth and error, between the mind of Christ and the voices of deception. How they handle the subject of Christmas participation will bring to the light of day many characteristics of their spiritual lives. It will be shown whether they are careful in examining all things in order to arrive at the will of Yahweh, or whether they manifest a carelessness and lack of concern for Yahweh’s judgment. Brought into the open will be their attitude toward personal suffering in obedience to Christ. It will also be shown how they handle pressures from family and other people of influence in their lives. Whether the person is ultimately a God-pleaser or a man-pleaser, whether they embrace suffering for truth or flee from it, will be revealed as they decide what their response to the truth will be.

All of the dynamics are present in an individual’s decision regarding observance of the Christmas holiday that will be present in coming days when Christians will be faced with pressures to deny their faith, compromise the truth, and embrace deception in order to avoid personal suffering, reproach, or some threat to the happiness and safety of themselves, or the people they love. Many who confidently assert that they will die for Christ when put to the test will find that, like Peter, their bold statements lack substance. For many it will be revealed too late that in their refusal to “die daily” as they were faced with decisions between obedience and disobedience, between suffering and avoidance of suffering, between bearing reproach or being a man-pleaser, that they were establishing patterns and habits in their lives which will cause them to shrink back when faced with a decision to confess Christ and die, or to deny Him and live. Martyrdom is not a one time event. It is a way of life.

Oftentimes I have observed some financial company or advisor adding the following caveat to their words:

Past performance does not guarantee future results.

In other words, there is no certainty that what has occurred in the past will occur in the future. Such a statement absolves financial advisors from culpability should an investor follow their advice only to see their money disappear into thin air. In the realm of human behavior, however, future performance can oftentimes be predicted by observing past behavior.

I acknowledge the exceptions to this pattern. People can change. Yahweh does give men and women the grace to repent and amend their ways. Yet we should bear in mind that there is a point past which Yahweh will no longer strive with mankind. He will give them over to their own ways. Those who have been refusing to bear the cross of a disciple of Christ will at some point find that the opportunity to do so is no longer afforded them. The apostle John recorded the following words of the Son of God:

Revelation 22:10-13
And he said to me, “Do not seal up the words of the prophecy of this book, for the time is near. Let the one who does wrong, still do wrong; and let the one who is filthy, still be filthy; and let the one who is righteous, still practice righteousness; and let the one who is holy, still keep himself holy. Behold, I am coming quickly, and My reward is with Me, to render to every man according to what he has done.”

I believe many professing believers are deceiving themselves by holding onto the notion that they will be faithful unto death should persecution and suffering overtake them in the future. When they will not deny themselves today; when they will not choose obedience to Christ over pleasing family, friends, loved ones, and self, why would they reasonably conclude that they will do so in the future?

As I consider the topic of Christmas holiday observance, I perceive in it all of the pressures, influences, and considerations that believers will face in the coming tribulation. Some years back I was invited to hold a weekly Bible study in the home of an elderly Christian brother. After some months, the Spirit of Christ directed me to teach on the subject of the pagan origins of Christmas and the commandment of Yahweh to separate between the holy and the profane in our lives.

Ezekiel 44:23
“Moreover, [My priests] shall teach My people the difference between the holy and the profane, and cause them to discern between the unclean and the clean.”

I remember clearly the last day Yahweh allowed me to lead this Bible study. As half a dozen men sat around the dining room table with their Bible’s before them, one man complained of a sickening headache just as we were about to begin. I discerned it to be an attack of Satan to hinder this man from hearing what God would speak to him. I told the men that we should stop at once and pray for this brother. I led the prayer, asking God to rebuke the adversary who would hinder Yahweh’s truths from being proclaimed and understood by those gathered together. I prayed that the Great Physician might touch this man and make him whole so that he might receive all that Yahweh had determined to proclaim that day.

After praying, I had just began speaking when I saw this same man shaking his head back and forth vigorously. He had a look of incredulity upon his face. I asked him what was happening. He said the headache that was so intense just a moment ago was now completely gone. He was shaking his head just to make sure he was not imagining things, for even slight movements had been causing his head to ache before. Now there was no pain and his mind was alert and his thoughts clear. I affirmed to him that Yahweh had answered our prayers because it was important that all those present hear and understand what was to be shared.

I proceeded to declare the message that is set forth in the writing titled Removing the High Places. I have since formatted this teaching to be able to print it out in newsletter format, as it is one of the teachings I share with men in prison. It can also be found in a format suitable for viewing on the Internet.

http://www.heart4god.ws/index_htm_files/Removing%20the%20High%20Places.pdf

http://www.heart4god.ws/index_htm_files/Parables%20Bookshelf%20-%20Series%202-1-3.pdf

Removing the High Places - Cover Page

Removing the High Places - Inside Pages

There are many sources of information on the pagan origins of Christmas and Easter, but Yahweh inspired me to write on this subject with an emphasis upon the forces that wage war within and without a man or woman, leading them to compromise truth and engage in behavior that is displeasing to God. He specifically led me to cite the example of King Solomon. The Bible tells us:

I Kings 11:4-6
When Solomon was old, his wives turned his heart away after other gods; and his heart was not wholly devoted to Yawheh his God, as the heart of David his father had been. For Solomon went after Ashtoreth the goddess of the Sidonians... Solomon did what was evil in the sight of Yahweh, and did not follow Yahweh fully, as David his father had done.

In these words are recorded a great tragedy. Solomon was deeply loved by Yahweh. The Bible even tells us that Yahweh gave to Solomon a name meaning “beloved of Yah.”

II Samuel 12:24-25
Now Yahweh loved [Solomon] and sent word through Nathan the prophet, and he named him Jedidiah because of Yahweh.

Solomon was a man greatly blessed by God. In his youth Solomon walked humbly before Yahweh, and delighted in Him. When Yahweh asked Solomon to request anything he desired, Solomon replied that he wanted wisdom to know how to rule Yahweh’s people, for he deemed himself to be a mere child who did not know how to come in, or go out. Yahweh was pleased with this request, and gave Solomon wisdom beyond that of any other man. He also gave him riches and honor. Yet, over time, Solomon began to be drawn away by his love for many women. He married 300 wives and had 700 concubines. Many of these women came from foreign nations who worshiped false gods and whose societies followed many idolatrous practices.

I think many people today imagine these idolatrous practices as being apparently evil, such as child sacrifice, or drinking blood. This, however, was not the case. Many of these idolatrous practices were beloved by their people, and shared numerous similarities with the present holidays known as Christmas and Easter. In fact, in the passage from I Kings cited above, the goddess Ashtoreth was specifically named. Ashtoreth was a fertility goddess. She is called in other languages and cultures Astarte, Ishtar, and Eostre. In English, her name has come down to us as Easter.

On Easter every year in “Christian nations,” the holiday that bears the name of this fertility goddess is attended with rites and symbols related to rebirth and new life. Easter bunnies and colored eggs are both symbols of fertility, as are grass and flowers. The many sunrise celebrations that are observed on Easter originate in the pagan rite of arising early to watch the Sun ascend over the horizon, for the Sun was considered a deity and a giver of life. People would bake hot crossed buns and give them to their daughters as they invoked the goddess to make them fertile. If the people had no daughters, they gave the buns to their sons. This is where the nursery rhyme originated.

Hot Crossed Buns and Easter Eggs

Hot cross buns
Hot cross buns
One a penny
Two a penny
Hot cross buns

If you have no daughters
Give them to your sons
One a penny
Two a penny
Hot cross buns

The cross on the buns was the “t” or “tau” symbol of Tammuz, the son of the fertility goddess. He was reportedly killed by a wild boar, but is reborn at Easter. This is why there are 40 days of mourning leading up to Easter, a period that the Roman Catholic Church adopted and refers to as Lent. Lent begins on Ash Wednesday as the tau symbol of Tammuz is placed on the foreheads of people, continuing the millennia’s old ritual of pagan idolatry. This ash on the forehead is an ancient symbol of mourning. The t, or tau symbol, identified the mourning as being on behalf of Tammuz.

The Bible describes this idolatrous practice as far back as the days of Ezekiel who lived six centuries before the birth of Christ.

Ezekiel 8:14-15
Then He brought me to the entrance of the gate of the Lord's house which was toward the north; and behold, women were sitting there weeping for Tammuz. And He said to me, “Do you see this, son of man? Yet you will see still greater abominations than these.”

Jeremiah lived around the same time and he describes the women of Israel baking cakes for “the queen of heaven” (Jeremiah 7:18). These are actions that Yahweh describes as “abominations,” for He is a jealous God and has said “You shall have no other gods before me.” The actions described by Ezekiel and Jeremiah were some of the types of things Solomon’s wives loved to do. They were similar to the actions Christians observe today as they practice Christmas and Easter: Giving presents to one another on the winter solstice; Slaying a wild boar as an act of revenge for the boar that killed Tammuz (this is the origin of eating ham on Christmas and Easter); Incorporating signs of fertility at Easter, and the focus on the Sun.

The Roman Catholic Church came up with alternate explanations of these rites to make them appear “Christian,” and to thereby disarm the disciples of Christ who opposed the incorporation of idolatrous practices into Christianity. Still, many of the faithful disciples of Christ refused to have anything to do with these profane and idolatrous ways. What does Easter ham have to do with Christ? Yahshua is described as the Passover “Lamb” of God. Pigs were considered unclean animals, despised by the Jews. In the same way, it is incongruous to associate the birth of Christ with an orgy of materialism. The Christmas season is marked by shopping. It is a period of time with a greater fixation of materialism than any other time of year.

This focus on materialism is as unbefitting of a celebration of Christ’s life as Easter ham is as a substitute for the Passover Lamb. Christ carried forth His ministry as a homeless wanderer. He counseled His disciples to carry only the bare essentials with them as they traveled about (Luke 9:3). He told those who were His disciples to sell all they have, give to the poor, and then come and follow Him. The emphasis of Christ’s life and instruction was selflessness and an emptying of material goods. This was also the practice of the early church.

Acts 2:44-45
And all those who had believed were together, and had all things in common; and they began selling their property and possessions, and were sharing them with all, as anyone might have need.

Luke 14:33
“So therefore, no one of you can be My disciple who does not give up all his own possessions.”

Christ made a whip of cords and drove the merchants and money changers out of the Temple of God. In this hour of great apostasy the church has invited the merchants and money changers back in. They now make a celebration out of the greatest orgy of conspicuous consumption and the pursuit of mammon the world has ever witnessed. They do all this in the name of Christ.

Although such behavior was unknown by Christ and His apostles, nor was it practiced by the virgin church espoused to the Son of God, the focus on buying and selling entered into the church through the practice of syncretism (the merging of pagan and idolatrous practices into Christianity). It has now become a cherished tradition, and the highlight of the year for many people, Christian and non-Christian alike. This is the same way Solomon’s wives felt about the rituals they had known in their homelands. Therefore, they spoke to Solomon about wanting to continue these practices. They wanted to continue to celebrate Ashtoreth (Easter). They wanted to commemorate the birth of the Sun every winter solstice. Solomon, wanting to make his wives happy, gave them what they wanted, even though he knew to do so was against the commandment of Yahweh.

At the Bible study I mentioned from some years back, I set before the men the origins of the various practices and symbols related to Christmas and Easter. I will not repeat them all here. The information is available in a number of my writings. I particularly recommend the series titled Syncretism.

http://www.heart4god.ws/index_htm_files/Syncretism.pdf

I asked the men at the end of the Bible study if they understood what had been presented to them, and if they agreed that the rites and symbols of Christmas and Easter had arisen from unclean sources. They all responded affirmatively. They admitted that the evidence was quite plain. The following week I was preparing for the next Bible study when the Spirit of Christ spoke to me quite plainly. He indicated that I was to ask the men what they were planning to do with the truths presented to them the previous week. We had just observed Thanksgiving. Christmas was a few weeks away. Yahweh instructed me to ask the men if they were going to continue to observe this holiday with all of its idolatrous and unclean practices and origins. The Spirit of Christ told me that if the men were not going to act upon the truth presented to them the week before that I was not to give them any more truth.

There are times when the Spirit speaks to me something that I know will be controversial, and will likely result in some emotional response. When I see the weight of some situation like this looming before me I feel stirred up in spirit and it is my habit to begin pacing back and forth while praying earnestly. This is what I gave myself to that day. I was stirred up in spirit by what the Lord was communicating to me. My heart’s desire was to faithfully represent God, being obedient to His command. At the same time, I had some trepidation as I considered how these men might respond.

When I arrived at the Bible study I began by asking the question the Spirit had placed upon my heart. I repeated my questions from the previous week, asking the men if they agreed that what was presented to them was true. They again affirmed that it was. I then asked if any of them were changing their plans regarding Christmas. The answer was “no.” (Two of the men, the elderly host and his grandson, had already quit observing Christmas, being aware of the holiday’s unclean origins.) One man who was present had a wife and daughters. He expressed how it would cause much strife in his home for him to choose to no longer observe the Christmas holiday. This man loved his wife and daughters and wanted to make them happy. Like Solomon, he chose to appease those family members he loved, rather than to honor God by his obedience.

Yahshua said that if we follow Him as disciples we will come into strife with the members of our own households. He declared this to be part of the cost of being His disciple. All who would follow Him must count the cost and embrace it.

Luke 14:26-30
“If anyone comes to Me, and does not hate his own father and mother and wife and children and brothers and sisters, yes, and even his own life, he cannot be My disciple. Whoever does not carry his own cross and come after Me cannot be My disciple. For which one of you, when he wants to build a tower, does not first sit down and calculate the cost, to see if he has enough to complete it? Otherwise, when he has laid a foundation, and is not able to finish, all who observe it begin to ridicule him, saying, ‘This man began to build and was not able to finish.’”

Matthew 10:34-38
“Do not think that I came to bring peace on the earth; I did not come to bring peace, but a sword. For I came to set a man against his father, and a daughter against her mother, and a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law; and a man's enemies will be the members of his household. He who loves father or mother more than Me is not worthy of Me; and he who loves son or daughter more than Me is not worthy of Me. And he who does not take his cross and follow after Me is not worthy of Me.”

As soon as I heard the answer from these men, I announced what the Spirit of Christ had told me. I informed them that I could not continue the Bible study with them. Yahweh would not permit me to deliver to them more truth if they were unwilling to walk in the truth already presented to them. The man who had the headache the week before was the one who spoke of fearing the reaction of his wife and daughters. It was reported to me by the host and his grandson that after I left, this man became quite angry. Nevertheless, it is a principle of God that those who are faithful with the truth already given to them will be given more truth. Those who are unfaithful are in danger of losing even the truth they have already received (Matthew 25:14-30).

Matthew 25:28-29
“Therefore take away the talent from him, and give it to the one who has the ten talents. For to everyone who has shall more be given, and he shall have an abundance; but from the one who does not have, even what he does have shall be taken away.”

Luke 19:26
“I tell you, that to everyone who has shall more be given, but from the one who does not have, even what he does have shall be taken away.”

What do you think the behavior of this man will be in future days when he is faced with a decision to honor God and suffer, or to please his wife and daughters? Will he choose Yahweh over his family? The cost of obedience to Christ is not likely to decrease in the days ahead. Is it reasonable to conclude that men and women who will not pay the cost of discipleship now, who reject the cross of Christ, who will not obey the truth when to do so is costly, will prove willing to die as martyrs in the days ahead? Will those who refuse to die daily in the multitude of decisions and tests that God brings to them, suddenly find within themselves the resolve to glorify Yahweh in an hour of great persecution?

In recent weeks there has been much talk about Kirk Cameron’s new movie titled Saving Christmas. I thought perhaps the movie was aimed at defending Christmas against a growing secularism and commercialism. I was surprised, and saddened, when I watched the movie trailer and discovered that it was in fact focused on refuting those who have chosen to not participate in Christmas due to conviction, having become aware of its pagan origins and its spiritually unclean rites and symbols. Following is the trailer for the movie.

http://youtu.be/yqG1Hafyhhk



A positive thought which comes to me as I consider the focus of this movie is that the truth of Christmas’ pagan origins, and the conviction that participating in such rites is contradictory to the will of God, is increasing to such an extent that it has now appeared on the radar of mainline denominational Christianity. It is no small decision for many believers to choose not to participate in Christmas, for it is a cherished holiday, loved as much by the unsaved as it is by those professing to be Christians. That so many are paying the cost of estrangement, reproaches, and being labeled extremist, by family, friends, and neighbors reveals that there remains a remnant who place obedience to God above personal interests.

In the days of Elijah, Israel and Judea had been overrun with idolatry and paganism. Elijah lamented that he felt like he was the only one left to follow Yahweh with a whole heart. Yahweh responded by informing Elijah that He had preserved 7,000 men unto Himself who had not bowed the knee to Baal. Are we seeing a similar situation today?

For those who have eyes to see, the parallels are deeply troubling. Although I had not intended to share much in this post regarding specific aspects of the idolatrous origins of Christmas, I am inclined to make mention of one prominent aspect of Christmas that reveals we are living in days very similar to those of Elijah.

Yahweh told the prophet that He had reserved 7,000 men to Himself who had not bowed the knee to Baal. Baal is also spelled as Bel. We observe this name in the English word “obelisk.” An obelisk is a “shaft of Bel/Baal.” The Freemasons are servants of Lucifer and they have adopted the Obelisk as one of their chief symbols. Washington, D.C. was designed by a Freemason, and at its center lies the largest Obelisk in the world, the Washington Monument. The Christmas tree is also a type of obelisk. It represents the same thing as the stone obelisks throughout the world. It is a monument to the worship of Satan/Lucifer, the light bearer. This is why Christmas trees are adorned with lights, and have either an angel or a star adorning the top of them. The angel, or star, represents Lucifer.

Brothers and sisters, I am aware that Satan, through the Roman Catholic Church, has presented alternate explanations for all of the symbols and rites associated with this pagan holiday. Whether it is the candy cane, the Christmas tree, the tradition of giving gifts, lighting candles, or putting a star atop the Christmas tree, these pagan traditions have all been covered in a thin veneer of Christianity. Yet peel away the facade and underneath lies the diabolic truth.

Have you ever wondered why a nation that has rejected Christ, banned prayer from the schools, removed every symbol of Christ from the public square, which promotes homosexuality and the murder of the unborn, continues to celebrate Christmas and Easter on government property, including the White House? This year there are 26 Christmas trees in the White House.

Have you wondered why the Rockefeller family, a family well known for their Luciferian, Illuminati associations, annually erects one of the largest Christmas trees in the nation amidst great fanfare and elaborate productions? The reason is that the Christmas tree has nothing to do with Jesus Christ/Yahshua the Messiah. The Christmas tree is an ancient symbol of Satanic worship. This is seen as a person examines the context in which these trees appear. Below is a statue of Prometheus beneath the Christmas tree at Rockefeller Center.

Prometheus Under the Christmas Tree at Rockefeller Center

The statue of Prometheus bringing fire down from heaven and giving it to mankind, is one of the most evident pieces of art found on the Rockefeller Center complex. It is a re-telling of the story of Lucifer who offered to mankind the fruit of the tree of knowledge of good and evil. An Internet website shares the following commentary on this statue found on the Rockefeller property.

This statue depicts Prometheus, a Titan of Greek mythology known for his great intelligence. He has however betrayed the god Zeus by stealing fire and giving it to mankind. He is credited to have taught mankind the arts of civilization such as writing, mathematics, agriculture, medicine, and science. Zeus then punished Prometheus for his crime by having him bound to a rock while a great eagle ate his liver every day only to have it grow back to be eaten again the next day.

Paul Manship’s sculpture featured in the Sunken Plaza of the Rockefeller Center portrays Prometheus holding the fire stolen from Zeus and gliding towards humanity. He lies inside a ring in which are outlined the signs of the Zodiac. Behind the statue is an inscription saying:

“Prometheus, teacher in every art, brought the fire that hath proved to mortals a means to mighty ends.”
[Source: http://vigilantcitizen.com/?p=329]

Substitute the name Lucifer for Prometheus, and you will perceive the true substance of this monument. Lucifer was judged by God, not for a benevolent act on behalf of mankind. Lucifer’s fall occurred prior to Adam and Eve’s residency in Eden. It is described by the prophet Isaiah

Isaiah 14:12-14
"How you have fallen from heaven, O star of the morning, son of the dawn! You have been cut down to the earth, you who have weakened the nations! But you said in your heart, 'I will ascend to heaven; I will raise my throne above the stars of God, and I will sit on the mount of assembly in the recesses of the north. I will ascend above the heights of the clouds; I will make myself like the Most High.'”

At Rockefeller Center, the statue of Prometheus/Lucifer is located directly beneath the tree that is erected annually. Prometheus is seen with the gift of fire in his hand, and he is right beneath the tree where the gifts would be laid.

Prometheus with His Gift Under the Tree

Atop the tree is a great star. This star symbolizes Lucifer, the light bearer. In the writing titled A Rockefeller Christmas, I have shared the following relating to this star.
---
Star Redesigned as Comet
The star, now five years old, was made by the crystal manufacturer Swarovski, which had commissioned the designer Michael Hammers to design a replacement for an aging fiberglass star. Mr. Hammers's star had 12 rays, spiky triangles of glass with 25,000 tiny crystals glued inside. All told, the crystals have a million glittery facets.

For the makeover, he decided to do more to project light through the rays. That meant adding the LEDs. Mr. Hammers said in an e-mail message from Beijing, where he is involved in a performance of Bach's ''Christmas Oratorio,'' that he had a comet in mind.

''Every star on a Christmas tree is a Christmas star,'' he wrote, adding that many people suspect the original Christmas star was a comet.

Of course, comets streak across the sky like a certain sleigh with eight tiny reindeer, but that is another story.
[Source: http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9F0DE2DA173AF93BA25752C1A96F9C8B63]

There is another being who is compared to a streaking star, a flash of light, as he was cast from heaven to earth.

Ezekiel 28:16
Therefore I have cast you as profane from the mountain of God.

Luke 10:18
And He said to them, “I was watching Satan fall from heaven like lightning...”

Revelation 12:9-10
And the great dragon was thrown down, the serpent of old who is called the devil and Satan, who deceives the whole world; he was thrown down to the earth, and his angels were thrown down with him.

Satan seeks to portray himself as a victim of an unjust God. He declares himself to be an angel of light, a bringer of knowledge and truth to mankind.
---
It is Lucifer whom the Rockefeller’s honor with their lighted tree every year. It is Lucifer who is honored in the White House. A stone obelisk stands outside as a monument. Portrayed in the ritual of cutting down a tree, bringing it into one’s home, adorning it with lights, topping it with a star or an angel, and placing gifts beneath it, is the act of men and women inviting Lucifer into their homes year after year and honoring him for his gifts. And what do men, women and children have to do to receive these gifts? They must bow down before the tree topped with the star or angel, the symbol of Lucifer.

The apostle Paul spoke the following sobering words.

II Corinthians 11:14-15
And no wonder, for even Satan disguises himself as an angel of light.

“Satan disguises himself.” What a masterful stroke he has accomplished here. He has so disguised himself that under the guise of honoring the birthday of Christ, men and women bring this symbol of Satan into their homes annually, gather around it, and bow down before it. What did Yahweh say to Elijah? “I have reserved 7,000 men for Myself who have not bowed the knee to Baal.” Will you be one of the remnant reserved unto God?

Admittedly, the information in this single blog post is far from exhaustive. It is insufficient to instruct any man or woman in the full truth of Christmas or Easter. This writing is not intended to provide the many historical evidences and proofs of the idolatrous origins of these holidays. I must refer you to other writings I have made freely available that delve more deeply into these subjects. I will provide links at the bottom of the post in order that those who love truth and who fear Yahweh might test these things for themselves.

Before I do, I would make mention of the movie that “stars” Kirk Cameron, and which is titled Saving Christmas. The movie is actually an argument for saving the practice of syncretism, which is defined in the following manner:

Syncretism: the attempt to reconcile disparate or contrary beliefs, often while melding practices of various schools of thought. This may involve attempts to merge... several originally discrete traditions, especially in the theology and mythology of religion, and thus assert an underlying unity allowing for an inclusive approach to other faiths.

If you consider the definition of syncretism, you will find that it stands in direct opposition to the will and ways of God. He has said:

II Corinthians 6:14-18
Do not be bound together with unbelievers; for what partnership have righteousness and lawlessness, or what fellowship has light with darkness? Or what harmony has Christ with Belial, or what has a believer in common with an unbeliever? Or what agreement has the temple of God with idols? For we are the temple of the living God; just as God said, “I will dwell in them and walk among them; And I will be their God, and they shall be My people. Therefore, come out from their midst and be separate," says the Lord. “And do not touch what is unclean; And I will welcome you. And I will be a father to you, and you shall be sons and daughters to Me,” says the Lord Almighty.

Do not be bound together... Come out... Be separate... Do not touch... What harmony has Christ with Bel...?

Brothers and sisters, what is occurring at Christmas is the very thing denounced by the apostle in these words to the church. Christmas is the merging, and attempted harmonizing, of the things of Christ with traditions, dates, and rituals associated with Baal/Bel worship. One of the chief elements seen in Kirk Cameron’s film is the Christmas tree. He defends this as a Christian symbol, but to do so he must go outside the Bible and the history of the early church, and draw from the history of Christianity after it had descended into apostasy.

It is ever the ploy of Satan to cause men to adopt some profane symbol or rite by deceiving them as to its real meaning. This is a tactic employed by Freemasonry. Albert Pike, in his Masonic tome titled Morals and Dogma, has shared the following in defense of the deception practiced upon the members of this Luciferian organization.

Masonry, like all the Religions, all the Mysteries, Hermeticism and Alchemy, conceals its secrets from all except the Adepts and Sages, or the Elect, and uses false explanations and misinterpretations of its symbols to mislead those who deserve only to be misled; to conceal the Truth, which it calls Light, from them, and to draw them away from it. Truth is not for those who are unworthy or unable to receive it, or would pervert it....

The truth must be kept secret, and the masses need a teaching proportioned to their imperfect reason…

The Blue Degrees are but the outer court or portico of the Temple. Part of the symbols are displayed there to the Initiate, but he is intentionally misled by false interpretations. It is not intended that he shall understand them; but it is intended that he shall imagine he understands them. Their true explication is reserved for the Adepts, the Princes of Masonry. The whole body of the Royal and Sacerdotal Art was hidden so carefully, centuries since, in the High Degrees, as that it is even yet impossible to solve many of the enigmas which they contain. It is well enough for the mass of those called Masons, to imagine that all is contained in the Blue Degrees; and whoso attempts to undeceive them will labor in vain, and without any true reward violate his obligations as an Adept. Masonry is the veritable Sphinx, buried to the head in the sands heaped round it by the ages.

Satan is the great deceiver who deceives the entire world. He has reserved many of his greatest acts of deception for the people of God. This is why it is requisite that the saints of Christ examine all their ways, all the traditions passed onto them by former generations. They must pray that Yahweh might teach them the difference between the holy and the profane, and they must be willing to separate themselves from that which Yahweh calls unclean, even if doing so proves costly or engenders reproach.

Do not suppose that Satan has been any less successful in deceiving the mass of men and women in the church than he has been in deceiving the millions of men who have reached only the lower degrees of Freemasonry. Do you think it incredible that the Christmas tree is in fact an ancient symbol of Baal worship and that millions of Christians have been tricked into bringing it into their homes? I tell you it is no more incredible than commemorating the death of Yahshua, the Passover Lamb of God, by eating the Easter ham. It is no more unbelievable than to comprehend that Satan has caused nearly all of the churches to replace the Biblical Passover Feast on which Christ was slain with a holiday bearing the name of a pagan goddess of fertility, and to bring into this celebration the many rites, symbols and traditions associated with Easter/Eostre/Ishtar/Astarte/Ashtoreth.

We do many things in ignorance, and Yahweh is gracious to forgive us our error when we repent. However, when we have truth presented to us, we are brought to a crisis of decision. Will we honor God, possibly suffering reproach, and the anger and misunderstanding of those we love? Or will we stop our ears, and close our minds to the truth, embracing arguments and justifications to continue in the error which we love? Will we try to persuade ourselves that it is really no big deal with God? Really? Walking in truth and eschewing deceit and idolatry is no big deal with God? Joining together Christ and Belial, light and darkness is no big deal? If we will deem it so, then what might we not sanction? Is anything forbidden? Is Yahweh a God of absolute tolerance? Will He wink at our corruption? Will He smile as we bring confusion between the holy and the profane?

Perhaps the day will come when you are faced with denying Christ or being executed. Having established a pattern of compromise, is it not possible in that moment that you will reason that God will understand that you did not mean it? You could persuade yourself that you will be given more days to share the gospel of Christ if you avoid death by denying Christ momentarily. It doesn’t matter, you might reason, as all of the men hearing your confession know you are being coerced.

Do you really think the decisions you make now regarding truth and obedience, and your response to the pressures others exert upon you, will have no bearing upon your future performance? Will you be a martyr on the last day of your life when you refused to be a martyr every other day? Maybe what you do about Christmas is a big deal after all...

Postscript:

Kirk Cameron does not stop at advocating in favor of Christmas celebrations. He has also stated publicly that he believes Christians should celebrate Halloween, going so far as to suggest that they should be holding the biggest Halloween party on their block.

http://www.christianpost.com/news/kirk-cameron-on-halloween-christians-should-have-the-biggest-party-on-the-block-128345/

Links:
Removing the High Places
http://www.heart4god.ws/index_htm_files/Removing%20the%20High%20Places.pdf

Syncretism
http://www.heart4god.ws/index_htm_files/Syncretism.pdf

A Rockefeller Christmas - Redux
http://parablesblog.blogspot.com/2013/12/a-rockefeller-christmas-redux.html

Christmas Season Versus Sabbath Rest
http://parablesblog.blogspot.com/2010/11/christmas-season-versus-sabbath-rest.html

Fat Tuesday (Mardi Gras), Ash Wednesday, Lent and Easter
http://parablesblog.blogspot.com/2009/02/fat-tuesday-mardi-gras-ash-wednesday.html

I also recommend the more recent writing titled Prometheus, Ebola, and the Coming Days of Woe. It contains relevant information from the movie Prometheus that was released in 2012. In one scene from the movie, the captain of the spaceship Prometheus upon awakening from two years in a state of hibernation erects a Christmas tree. This action is an anomaly in the movie, having no purpose unless one understands the esoteric origins of the Christmas tree and its relationship to Prometheus/Lucifer.

http://parablesblog.blogspot.com/2014/08/prometheus-ebola-and-coming-days-of-woe.html

Heart4God Website: http://www.heart4god.ws    

Parables Blog: www.parablesblog.blogspot.com    

Mailing Address:
Joseph Herrin
P.O. Box 804
Montezuma, GA 31063