Christmas is pagan

[Esaias]

Exodus 31:13 KJV Speak thou also unto the children of Israel, saying, Verily my sabbaths ye shall keep: for it is a sign between me and you throughout your generations; that ye may know that I am the LORD that doth sanctify you.

Exodus 13:6-10 KJV Seven days thou shalt eat unleavened bread, and in the seventh day shall be a feast to the LORD. (7) Unleavened bread shall be eaten seven days; and there shall no leavened bread be seen with thee, neither shall there be leaven seen with thee in all thy quarters. (8) And thou shalt shew thy son in that day, saying, This is done because of that which the LORD did unto me when I came forth out of Egypt. (9) And it shall be for a sign unto thee upon thine hand, and for a memorial between thine eyes, that the LORD'S law may be in thy mouth: for with a strong hand hath the LORD brought thee out of Egypt. (10) Thou shalt therefore keep this ordinance in his season from year to year.

Holy Days and religious festivals are a sign, or token, of which god you really worship. If you are keeping the holy days of ancient pagan demons, THAT'S WHO YOU ARE WORSHIPPING. If you have been baptised into Christ, and yet you keep the holy days of satan, you are committing SPIRITUAL FORNICATION, HARLOTRY, and ADULTERY against your Saviour.

The Sabbaths of God were to be FOR A SIGN "upon the hand and ... between the eyes" (forehead) of God's people. It was a mark of ownership, covenant, fealty, loyalty, and belonging.

What do you think the following verses are referring to?

Revelation 13:16-17 KJV (16) And he causeth all, both small and great, rich and poor, free and bond, to receive a mark in their right hand, or in their foreheads: (17) And that no man might buy or sell, save he that had the mark, or the name of the beast, or the number of his name.

Revelation 14:9-11 KJV And the third angel followed them, saying with a loud voice, If any man worship the beast and his image, and receive his mark in his forehead, or in his hand, (10) The same shall drink of the wine of the wrath of God, which is poured out without mixture into the cup of his indignation; and he shall be tormented with fire and brimstone in the presence of the holy angels, and in the presence of the Lamb: (11) And the smoke of their torment ascendeth up for ever and ever: and they have no rest day nor night, who worship the beast and his image, and whosoever receiveth the mark of his name.

The beast institutes false worship among the nations, and causes them to be marked in the hand and the forehead. John is seeing in vision a spiritual reality concerning the world and its inhabitants. Just as God has a "mark" on His people, in their foreheads and their hands, so does the beast, satan's earthly power and influence. Just as God's mark includes His Holy Sabbaths, the beast's mark includes his "holy days". Holy days, or religious festivals, repeating observances of set times, observed in commemoration of religious ideas and concepts, intended to pass on religious ideas from one generation to the next, are part of the MARK, either of God... or of satan.

Which one do YOU have?

[Esaias]

Just as God's mark includes His Holy Sabbaths, the beast's mark includes his "holy days".

[Esaias]

When are you guys going to "take dominion" and repurpose the pentagram?

[Esaias]

Somebody beat y'all to it:

[Esaias]

[Originalist]

Originally Posted by Esaias

Tabernacles is no more a "Jewish feast day" than Christmas is a Christian holy day.

The Feast of Tabernacles

[Esaias]

Originally Posted by Originalist

The Feast of Tabernacles

Did you hit reply before finishing your post?

Anyway, the Feasts of Jehovah are just that - HIS feasts, not "Jewish" feasts. Jews are Pharisees, following Pharisaism. The feasts weren't given to the Jews, they were given to Israel.

I don't understand why so many professing Christians would balk at celebrating God's holy days but have no problem with and in fact WANT to keep pagan devil-worship rites "in Jesus' name". It literally is proof of the cognitive dissonance afflicting most people nowadays.

[Esaias]

The only BIBLICAL argument the paganisers have for their devil worship rites amounts to "the bible says God doesn't care, we can do what we want". Which is a lie. Why can't anyone come up with a biblical argument detailing, from the Scripture, why December 25th ought to be recognised as the birthday of Jesus? Why can't anyone come up with a Biblical argument detailing the scriptural authority for religious customs like christmas trees, presents under the trees, routine annual gift giving, misteltoe, evergreen wreaths, nativity scenes (which are always a bunch of unbiblical lies and perversions of truth because three wise men didn't show up at a stable where baby Jesus was sleeping)?

All they really have to offer is "I like it, so I'll keep doing it."

DESPITE God explicitly stating His people are FORBIDDEN to take pagan religious rites and "repurpose them" for worship of God. God's people are to ABSTAIN from pagan religious activities, customs, traditions, rituals, rites, ceremonies, etc.

...Come out from among them, and TOUCH NOT THE UNCLEAN THING, and I will receive you... and be your Father, and your God...

Eternal Life does indeed require repentance from dead works, including all pagan religious customs and traditions.

[thephnxman]

His NAME is Jesus!

Originally Posted by Esaias

The only BIBLICAL argument the paganisers have for their devil worship rites amounts to "the bible says God doesn't care, we can do what we want". Which is a lie. Why can't anyone come up with a biblical argument detailing, from the Scripture, why December 25th ought to be recognised as the birthday of Jesus? Why can't anyone come up with a Biblical argument detailing the scriptural authority for religious customs like christmas trees, presents under the trees, routine annual gift giving, misteltoe, evergreen wreaths, nativity scenes (which are always a bunch of unbiblical lies and perversions of truth because three wise men didn't show up at a stable where baby Jesus was sleeping)?
All they really have to offer is "I like it, so I'll keep doing it."
DESPITE God explicitly stating His people are FORBIDDEN to take pagan religious rites and "repurpose them" for worship of God. God's people are to ABSTAIN from pagan religious activities, customs, traditions, rituals, rites, ceremonies, etc.
...Come out from among them, and TOUCH NOT THE UNCLEAN THING, and I will receive you... and be your Father, and your God...
Eternal Life does indeed require repentance from dead works, including all pagan religious customs and traditions.

Very well put, Beloved

Brother Villa

[derAlte]

Over the years, I have heard all sorts of doctrines preached as fact. But I have learned that there is only one eternally reliable source for the establishment of doctrine and that is the Word of God. I don’t care how much sense a teaching may make using man’s wisdom or how many books by obscure 18th Century scholars that are quoted in support it, if the teaching is not supported by the Word of God, it is not eternal. A custom may have been relevant to a certain age but if the Word of God isn’t behind it, it doesn’t automatically mean I’m going to observe it just because it is the tradition of the group of church folks I hang out with. Guess I’m a contrary old cuss.

I was very disappointed some years ago when an elder whom I highly respected made the assertion regarding a certain practice that “God doesn’t change.” God DOES NOT change but the elder’s view was NOT supported by Scripture. He was extrapolating his opinion as being God’s opinion and I came to the sad conclusion that this elder was more interested in defending 1950s Southern Pentecostal culture than he was eternal Word of God doctrine as taught by the Lord Jesus Christ and His disciples. As one preacher once put it, he was trying to turn a variable into a constant.

I am not an Iron-Age Semite living in the shadow of two ancient powerful empires. I think we have to be careful not to extrapolate messages given to that age as automatically applying to the one we live in. Often they do, but sometimes not. The cultures are not the same. There may be many similarities but they are not identical. Sin, as defined by Almighty God Himself in the Old Testament remains eternally defined. Stealing, lying, false witness, covetousness, fornication, and idolatry are always going to be sin no matter what age one studies. But what may be a manifestation of sinfulness in one age may not be the same thing in another. I think of late 17th Century Mennonites who were pacifists. In those days, army soldiers wore mustaches as a sign of their martial profession. Fast-forward 300 years and the Mennonites are still not wearing mustaches even though having one has no connection in people’s minds to military activities today.

So, frankly, I’m skeptical of some of the assertions made by anti-Christmas proponents because of their appeal to so-called historical facts and the assumption that some present-day customs have been practiced from ancient pagan times in an unbroken chain and have only been dolled up with a veneer of Christianity to make them acceptable to the righteous. I may be wrong but there is an element in historical Christianity who are frankly a bunch of old poops who don’t believe in having the least bit of fun, and this has their fingerprints all over it (all present company excepted!). However, I’m going to have another look at this issue and see if any of the arguments have merit.