Monthly Archives: December 2020

CHRISTMAS TRADITIONS ARE FROM PAGANISM

An argument against the celebration of Christmas as it has been done for years is the claim that many of the traditions found in the celebration of Christmas were brought over into Christianity from pagan practices. These include the yule log, the tree, special feasts or meals, and mistletoe. How can we justify these things? Isn’t it just like celebrating Halloween?

SOME HISTORICAL FACTS ABOUT OUR TRADITIONS

The Zondervan Pictorial Encyclopedia of the Bible says:

Gradually a number of prevailing practices of the nations into which Christianity came, were assimilated and were combined with the religious ceremonies surrounding Christmas. The assimilation of such practices generally represented efforts by Christians to transform or absorb otherwise pagan practices.

The Feast of Saturnalia in early Rome, for example, was celebrated for 7 days from the 17th to the 24th of December and was marked by a spirit of merriment, gift giving to children and other forms of entertainment. Gradually, early Christians replaced the pagan feast with the celebration of Christmas; but many of the traditions of this observance were assimilated and remain to this day a part of the observance of Christmas. Other nations, the Scandinavians, Germans, French, English and others, have left their mark .

Concerning these ancient elements, The Christian Encyclopedia says:

Various symbolic elements of the pagan celebration, such as the lighting of candles, evergreen decorations, and the giving of gifts, were adapted to Christian signification. Later as Christianity spread into northern Europe, the Celtic, Teutonic, and Slavic winter festivals contributed holly, mistletoe, the Christmas tree, bonfires, and similar items.

 God says:  “Do not worship the LORD your God in the way these pagan peoples worship their gods.”  Deuteronomy 12:4, New Living Translation.

“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… “     Deuteronomy 12:30-31.

To combine the worship of God with the practices of other false religions is called syncretism. Should Christians do this?  Many do, and at the same time reject the Holy days Christ and the early Gentile Church kept, as they  are today, which the Bible says will still be kept in the coming Kingdom of God!

 

British Australia

Why is this nation so attractive to so many who would love to live here?   Well, despite what some would claim, it is really because of the civilisation brought here by the British, a word made up of two Hebrew words, “covenant ” and “man”.

Way back at the time of Israel’s King David, Israel was made up of 12 Tribes, only one of which was the Jews. Ten Tribes were later carried away in captivity for their idolatry and only a tiny minority ever returned over later centuries. Their captors, the Assyrians, were defeated by the Babylonians and at that time Israel was freed. It was at exactly the same time that the “Scythians” appeared in history, about whom Rawlison states, ” There was a strong conviction on the part of those who came into contact with the Parthians, that they were Scyths”.

When Rome ruled the Mediterranean region Parthia ruled Asia, with the Euphrates as their border. The “Wise Men” or “Magi” who arrived to worship after Jesus Christ’s birth, were Parthian royalty who recognised their common ancestry, from David.

The Parthians were eventually pushed West by the Sassanian Persians, and migrated through the Caucasus Mountains, becoming known as Caucasians, though the Romans called them Goths. They merged with the Celts , early Israelite/ Phoenician colonists of Europe and the British Isles.

The Roman Empire was gradually conquered and supplanted by these Parthian refugees, who settled in NW Europe as the Angles, Saxons, Danes, Jutes and Normans, building the nation of Israelite Britain , or “covenant-land”, fulfilling all of the magnificent promises in the covenant made by God to Abraham and His family.

Genesis 23:16-18, “And the angel of the LORD called to Abraham from heaven a second time, saying, “By Myself I have sworn, declares the LORD, that because you have done this and have not withheld your only son, I will surely bless you, and I will multiply your descendants like the stars in the sky and the sand on the seashore. Your descendants will possess the gates of their enemies. And through your offspring all nations of the earth will be blessed, because you have obeyed My voice.”

Genesis 27:28-29, ‘May God give to you the dew of heaven
and the richness of the earth—
an abundance of grain and new wine.
May peoples serve you
and nations bow down to you.
May you be the master of your brothers,
and may the sons of your mother bow down to you.
May those who curse you be cursed,
and those who bless you be blessed.”

Genesis 35:10-11, ‘And God said to him, “Though your name is Jacob, you will no longer be called Jacob. Instead, your name will be Israel.” So God named him Israel. And God told him, “I am God Almighty.  Be fruitful and multiply. A nation—even a company of nations—shall come from you, and kings shall descend from you. The land that I gave to Abraham and Isaac I will give to you, and I will give this land to your descendants after you.”

Australia is part of that ‘company of nations’.

From the source book: “Parthia, The Forgotten Ancient Superpower And Its Role In Biblical History.”    By Steven M Collins , Amazon.

If the Shoe Fits?

You would think that folk in the universities and government have to be pretty smart. Think again! It doesn’t  take much nouse to remember what happens when you get into bed with a nation that tramples on its neighbours, bullies smaller countries and helps themselves to the territory of others. You only need remember back as far as the 1930’s.

How can we trust a nation which has no God but the State and its lifelong leader, who stamps on those who do believe?  Its President would have us accept that it has no expansionist plans, but has laid the infrastructure for invasion under our noses as the ‘belt and road’, and even more blatantly in the South China Sea.     2nd Corinthians 6:14, ‘Do not be unequally yoked with unbelievers. For what partnership has righteousness with lawlessness?  Or what fellowship has light with darkness?’

It is not that it is shy about its growing power either. It is arrogant in its aggression and expansionist track record  in Asia and the Indo-Pacific. Proverbs 22:24, ‘Don’t befriend angry people or associate with hot-tempered people.’ NLT

Yet, even though its coercive forces are attempting to control the South China Sea to our North, our short sighted, unscrupulous universities are selling out our future security and well-being for their money, while our government has foolishly permitted them to gain a foothold in the port of Darwin and elsewhere, and invited their army to experience the Australian outback by joining in war games! Even Hitler did not get so lucky! They must be laughing at our gulability!

So , how should we react? The Bible wisely tells us to walk away from  dealings with them  under those circumstances, especially as their leaders angrily refute Australia’s rights to freely express its sovereignty. We should stop trading with them altogether until they learn that gunboat diplomacy belongs in the last century. It will be painful for both parties, but if others take courage from our example, an important lesson may be learned.

The Two Extremes

It is interesting to contrast the progressive liberalism  of Britain with the authoritarian dominion of China, and learn how not to govern a nation.

There was a time when Britain, even as recently as the last world war had great unity, moral standards, freedom and respect for the law, and was predominantly “Christian”, at least in name. China  was only just beginning to accept Communism, which sounded good to the millions  who had never had freedom or rights, and liked the idea of a classless society where the State would look after them.

But look at them now. Britain is thoughtlessly tearing itself apart, and so struggling with covid, has lost all moral standards, their freedom subject to evil “human rights’ laws, and “Christians” are disappearing rapidly. China has dragged itself out of the Middle Ages, but the Emperor has been replaced with a dictator and his elite, self serving supporters, just as we saw in Russia, so the classless  society never arrived, and the cost of Communist ‘care’ is no freedom or genuine individual rights, with an overpowering state controlling every move.

Neither country is a place most of us would chose to live. It all reminds me of my crusty old history teacher in his civics class, who, in relating the various forms of government, said: “The best form of government is a benevolent depot”.     Well, in modern language that is a King who loves and carefully rules his subjects entirely for their benefit rather than his own advantage.

The good news is that the governments of both Britain and China will soon be overthrown and be replaced with just such a ruler, the returned Jesus Christ, this time in great power and glory, who will govern the whole world with the help  of His  Saints in His Kingdom, – those who have proved their dedication to service.

Zechariah 14:6-7, ‘On that day his feet shall stand on the Mount of Olives that lies before Jerusalem on the east, and the Mount of Olives shall be split in two from east to west by a very wide valley, so that one half of the Mount shall move northward, and the other half southward….. Then the LORD my God will come, and all the holy ones with him.’

Revelation 20:4,  ‘I saw thrones on which were seated those who had been given authority to judge…….   they came to life and reigned with Christ a thousand years.’

The atheists will laugh at that, but they won’t be laughing when the whole world receives a miraculous, earth-shaking, advance warning, projected  graphically into their minds to encourage them to repent and avoid the Great Tribulation, God’s wrath because of our sins. Revelation 14:6-7, ‘Then I saw another angel flying overhead, with the eternal gospel to proclaim to those who dwell on the earth—to every nation and tribe and tongue and people. And he said in a loud voice, “Fear God and give Him glory, because the hour of His judgment has come. Worship the One who made the heavens and the earth and the sea and the springs of waters.

Further good news is that you will not experience the Great Tribulation which will  take almost all life from the earth, at all, if only you will recognise your sins, ask God for forgiveness, be baptised and receive the Holy Spirit.