Advent and Christmas - part 2

Christmas Day

(from several sources but mostly from “The Pagan Origins of Christian Holidays” by Elisha Israel)

“Hear the word which the Lord speaks to you, O house of Israel: Thus says the Lord, Do not learn the way of the Gentiles; do not be dismayed at the signs of heaven, for the Gentiles are dismayed at them. For the customs of the people are futile: for one cuts a tree from the forest, the work of the hands of the workman, with the ax. They decorate it with silver and with gold; they fasten it with nails and hammers so that it will not topple.” -Jeremiah 10: 1-4 (NKJV)

Christmas is a "Christian" holiday supposedly in recognition of the birth of Jesus Christ. This is a religious as well as a social/cultural holiday observed in some fashion by billions of people around the world. During the Christmas season people send gifts to loved ones, acquaintances, and even strangers. However, this anniversary was not celebrated by early Christians, nor is there a decree to celebrate Christ's birth. The date of Christmas as well as the symbols and figures associated with it predate Christianity.

Why does the "Christian" world celebrate the birth of Christ on December 25th? A close look at the account of the birth of Jesus provides insight into the time when Jesus was born. This analysis suggests that the Messiah could not have been born on December 25th for a number of reasons. Here are just three:

#1 - Shepherds abiding in the field. Although the exact date is not provided by any of the Gospel writers, Luke states there were shepherds abiding in the field.  It was not the custom of the shepherds in this area to abide with their flocks during the winter.

#2 – Astronomy (not astrology). Using detailed Astrological mapping software scientists have determined a date closer to early September.

#3 – The ancient record. One of the first recorded references to the date of Christ's birth was made in approximately 200 A.D. by Clement of Alexandria who stated the following: “There are those who have determined not only the year of our Lord’s birth, but also the day; and they say that it took place in the 28th year of Augustus, and in the 25th day of (the Egyptian month) Pachon (May 20 in our calendar) ... Some say that it took place in the 16th year of Tiberius, on the 25th of Phamenoth [March 21] … Others say on the 25th of Pharmuthi (April 21) … and still others say that He was born on the 24th or 25th of Pharmuthi (April 20 or 21).”

How was December 25th chosen as the Savior's birth date? It helps to understand the significance of this specific date and the time surrounding the winter solstice for pagans. Also, keep in mind the Roman Church's willingness to encourage pagan practices and feasts to bring the heathens into the fold. In 274, Emperor Aurelian made the cult of Sol Invictus (" Invincible Sun") an official cult in Rome. December 25, the day of the winter solstice, of the same year Aurelian inaugurated a temple to Sol. Pope Julius and Catholic leaders declared December 25th as the official birth date of Christ. In 336 A.D. we find the first recorded celebration of Christmas in a list of Catholic Bishops.

Advent and Christmas - part 1

Advent

(from several sources but mostly from “The Pagan Origins of Christian Holidays” by Elisha Israel)

“Hear the word which the Lord speaks to you, O house of Israel: Thus says the Lord, Do not learn the way of the Gentiles; do not be dismayed at the signs of heaven, for the Gentiles are dismayed at them. For the customs of the people are futile: for one cuts a tree from the forest, the work of the hands of the workman, with the axe. They decorate it with silver and with gold; they fasten it with nails and hammers so that it will not topple.” -Jeremiah 10: 1-4 (NKJV)

Advent begins the liturgical (prescribed ritual for public worship) year which was mentioned as early as 380 A.D. The word “Advent” is from the Latin word “adventus” which means “coming”.

This coming that was celebrated was the arrival of pagan gods into pagan temples. It was believed that the gods dwelt amongst the worshippers during this time.

After Constantine passed the Edict of Milan (313 A.D.), which allowed the practice of the Christian religion, pagan feasts suck as adventus were given a Christian twist. (if you can’t beat them join them, infiltrate them and water down their strongholds) During this shift adventus/advent was equated with the coming of the Messiah.

The Advent wreath is a reminder of its pagan origins. The lighting of candles is a Catholic custom however the sun was central to pagan worship so the advent candle probably predates Catholicism. The pagans would light bonfires, or Yule logs, and torches in honor of the dying sun (Winter Solstice) to please the sun-god and ensure he would return. Worshippers would also decorate cart-wheels with candles which turned into the Christian practice of lighting wreaths. 

A Cemetery Visit and Ephesians 1

I am an American by birth,

a Veteran by choice,

a Christian and a Minister of the Gospel by the grace of God.

What makes us who we are? What force sways us to make the decisions we make? Is it the environment we grew up in? Our parents? Our peers?  God?

I went to the cemetery today for business and while I was there I decided to go see my maternal grandparent's grave marker. I am not sure what I expected. I have never been one to visit a grave and "talk to the deceased". As a matter of fact I tend to dismiss and even somewhat shun those who practice such trivial nonsense. Yet there I was stooping down to tenderly brush the leaves and dirt away, whispering words of love, affection, thanksgiving, and overall gratitude for the remarkable influence they had, and still have, on my life.

Even though they have been gone for 20 (grandfather) and 15 (grandmother) years my face grew warm and flush; tears stung my eyes but would not fall; and oh how I longed for one more hug, one more chance to say thank you, one more opportunity to tell them I love them. But, like David in 2 Samuel 12, I know I will see them again some day soon. While they were alive I fasted and wept for their salvation but now that they wait for me in the presence of the Lord I will go to them.

You see, in many ways I was their youngest child - not their oldest grandchild. They were my stability, my moral compass. I wanted to marry a man like my grandfather. I wanted to be the wife and mother I saw in my grandmother. As fate would have it I accepted God's grace and mercy - His gift of salvation long before they did. Was I put in their lives to bring them to the Lord? Where they put in my life to mold me into the woman I have become? The simple answer is yes.

 Ephesians 1:1 Paul tells us he was an apostle of Jesus Christ by the will of God. Paul did not choose his occupation, neither did the Church choose his occupation or elect him to that occupation - he served as an apostle by the will of God. 

Ephesians 1:4 When did God first start dealing with me? Before the foundation of the world. Charles Spurgeon is quoted as saying "I am glad He did it then; if He saw me now, He might have changed His mind." But in His infinite grace He loves us just the way we are. He loved us before the foundation of the world. Romans 5:8 "But God demonstrated His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us."

John 15:16 Jesus speaking "You did not choose Me, but I chose you and appointed you . ." Also Romans 3:10-11, Luke 19:10, and more. I am not going to get into election or predestination here - I am simply saying that I was put in their lives to show them the way of the Gospel and they were put in my life to mold me and shape me into the person I am today. 

We are all chosen to do a certain job, Luke 6:13, Acts 9:15, 1 Corinthians 1:27-28. Find out what it is and do it well. Do it for the Lord and not for any personal gain. You might never know why. 

As for my cemetery visit? I softly spoke words of love, thanked them for fulfilling their role, thanked God for giving me such wonderful grandparents and then went about my business. 

Why do Christians have trials?

Why do Christians have trials?

To glorify God: Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-Nego were thrown into the furnace unharmed to show Nebuchadnezzar that God was able to deliver them. Daniel 3:16 & 24-25 Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-Nego answered and said to the king, “O Nebuchadnezzar, we have no need to answer you in this matter. If that is the case, our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the burning fiery furnace, and He will deliver us from your hand, O king. But if not, let it be known to you, O king, that we do not serve your gods, nor will we worship the gold image which you have set up.” - Then King Nebuchadnezzar was astonished; and he rose in haste and spoke, saying to his counselors, “Did we not cast three men bound into the midst of the fire?” They answered and said to the king, “True, O king.” “Look!” he answered, “I see four men loose, walking in the midst of the fire; and they are not hurt, and the form of the fourth is like the Son of God.”

Discipline for known sin:  “For whom the Lord loves He corrects, just as a father the son in whom he delights.”  Proverbs 3:11-12 also Hebrews 12:5-11

To prevent us from falling into sin: “Therefore, since Christ suffered for us in the flesh, arm yourselves also with the same mind, for he who has suffered in the flesh has ceased from sin, that he no longer should live the rest of his time in the flesh for the lusts of men, but for the will of God.” 1 Peter 4:1-2

To keep us from pride: “A man’s pride will bring him low, but the humble in the Spirit will retain honor.” Proverbs 29:23

To build faith: “In this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while, if need be, you have been grieved by various trials, that the genuineness of your faith, being much more precious than gold that perishes, though it is tested by fire, may be found to praise, honor, and glory at the revelation of Jesus Christ.” 1 Peter 1:6-7

To cause growth: “And not only that, but we also glory in tribulations, knowing that tribulation produces perseverance; and perseverance, character; and character, hope. Now hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out in our hearts by the Holy Spirit who was given to us.” Romans 5:3-5

To teach obedience and discipline:  The Lord has just told Ananias to go get Saul of Tarsus and Ananias is frightened. “But the Lord said to him ‘Go, for he is a chosen vessel of Mine to bear My name before Gentiles, kings, and the children of Israel. For I will show him how many things he must suffer for My name’s sake’.”  Acts 9:15-16

To equip us to comfort others: “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our tribulation, that we may be able to comfort those who are in any trouble, with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God.” 2 Corinthians 1:3-4

To prove the reality of Christ in us: I heard a cute little anecdote to explain this concept – If you squeeze a lemon you get lemon juice. If you squeeze an orange you get orange juice. If you squeeze a Christian you should get Christ. “ . . . We are hard-pressed on every side, yet not crushed; we are perplexed, but not in despair, persecuted, but not forsaken, . . . that the life of Jesus also may be manifested in our mortal flesh.” 2 Corinthians 4:7-11

For testimony to angels:  “To them it was revealed that, not to themselves, but to us they were ministering the things which now have been reported to you through those who have preached the gospel to you by the Holy Spirit sent from heaven—things which angels desire to look into.”1 Peter 1:12  also Ephesians 3:8-11

Why I don't celebrate holidays

  I have been asked more than once why I don’t celebrate _____ (fill in the blank)

  Please allow me to clarify a few things: Yes, I can get rather dogmatic and even legalistic over some issues; No, I am not saying that others should or should not celebrate any Pagan holiday cloaked in Christian trappings; Yes, that last statement was rather passive-aggressive.

  I am not a scholar. I am not saying I have all the answers – or even all the facts. I am simply sharing my point of view. I try not to “sling” scripture, and do not appreciate those who do. However, when possible I like to provide scriptural references. All scriptural references used here are from the NKJV unless otherwise noted.

  So why don’t I decorate our house and celebrate holidays like Easter, Christmas, Valentine’s Day, St Patrick’s Day, etc.? The simple answer is that it is not “okay” for me. Some Christians drink alcohol and that is okay for them. Some Christians smoke/chew tobacco and that is okay for them. Some Christians practice fornication, lie, exceed the posted speed limit, smoke marijuana or use other drugs, and a sundry of other behaviors that are okay for them – but not okay for all of us based on our own individual walks with the Lord. 1 Corinthians 10:23 “All things are lawful for me, but not all things are helpful; all things are lawful for me, but not all things edify.”

  Anniversaries are important to some, not so much for me. As a society we celebrate our own birthday; graduations; wedding anniversary; birthdays and deaths of those we admire (dare I say worship?) such as U.S. Presidents, civil leaders, etc. A quick look at my desk calendar shows:

·        New Year’s Day honoring the god of new beginnings. The month January was named in honor of Janus, the god of new beginnings.

·        Epiphany or Theophany or Three Kings Day - the feast commemorates principally (but not solely) the visit of the Magi to the Christ child (and who said there were only three?)

·        Martin Luther King Jr. day is an American federal holiday marking the birthday of Martin Luther King, Jr. observed on the third Monday of January, which is around King's birthday, January 15. (Not even on his true birthday because that might fall on an inconvenient day)

·        Valentine’s Day – the gods Pan, Juno, Cupid . . . Need I say more?

·        President’s Day is an occasion to remember all the presidents, not just George Washington or Abraham Lincoln, whose birthday is also in February.

·        Ash Wednesday is the first day of Lent, 46 days before Easter

And that is just January and February.

  Okay, back to point. I think we should celebrate each day the Lord has given us to grow in Him and do His will. Psalm 118:24 “This is the day the Lord has made; we will rejoice and be glad in it.” Although it is the social norm today to celebrate the birth and death of those we admire/worship, we don’t know the date Jesus was born or died. If we are followers of Messiah we should celebrate what He celebrated and told us to remember and keep. Jesus is the fulfillment of the Jewish feasts. Celebrate His fulfillment of them. Celebrate the Lord’s Supper (Mat 26:26-30, Mark 14:22-26, Luke 22:13-20).

  And besides, if the Easter and Christmas holidays are important celebrations to honor the birth, death and resurrection of Jesus Christ, why is it nowhere mentioned in the Bible? Why didn’t Christ instruct His closest followers, His twelve chosen apostles, to keep Christmas? Why didn’t they institute or teach these observances to the early Church?

 

  Before you answer, consider that Jesus gave great authority to His twelve apostles, assuring them that they will hold positions of great importance and responsibility in His Kingdom (Mat 18:18 & 19:28; Luke 22:29-30). But since Jesus never taught His apostles to keep Christmas, nor did they ever teach Christmas or Easter to the Church though they had years of opportunity to do so, shouldn’t that make us question whether these are things Jesus really wants or appreciates?

  I like the American holidays of Thanksgiving and Independence Day - although they didn't eat turkey, cranberry sauce, stuffing and pumpkin pie on the first Thanksgiving and we didn't actually gain our independence until Sept 3, 1783, but that is subject for future posts.

Earthen Vessels with Heavenly Treasure

When you live a life of faith in Jesus Christ you are an insufficient vessel containing sufficient treasure. 

Not that we are sufficient of ourselves to think of anything as being from ourselves, but our sufficiency is from God, who made us sufficient as ministers of the new covenant, not of the letter but of the Spirit; for the letter kills, but the Spirit gives life. 2 Corinthians 3:5-6

We are not sufficient to supply the resources we need for the life He has called us to live. But as believers we need not despair because our sufficiency is from God. 



We are Earthen Vessels filled with Heavenly Treasure. God has set a pattern into the Christian life. He has crafted us as earthen vessels. We are weak and ordinary, as if made by clay. Earthen, frail, vulnerable, and inadequate, believers are meant for a purpose but are entirely insufficient for its demands. God knows we are made of common, ordinary dust. 

And yet:

But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, that the excellence of the power may be of God and not of us. 2 Corinthians 4:7 

The wonder of being a vessel is that vessels are designed to contain something. And that is where the believer’s meaning, purpose, and fulfillment in life rests—in the treasure we are meant to contain. And yet still, the believer is but an earthen vessel. Though a container, we might refer to the believer as a simple, clay flower pot. Now a clay pot is no big thing, but containing the right flower, its worth is magnified—magnified for how it reflects the beauty of the flower. This is a good picture of what the Christian life is supposed to be. The believer has great treasure kept within earthen vessels of his body and soul, in fact, within our very life. Paul has told us of this great treasure:
 
For we are to God the fragrance of Christ. 2 Corinthians 2:15

That very word, fragrance, fits the imagery of a flower in a container. We are a fragrance of Christ. This fragrance comes not from the clay pot, but from that which resides in the pot. If one is to be the fragrance of Christ, that sweet-smelling aroma can only originate from Christ Himself. A clay pot only has an ordinary earthen fragrance and can never smell as a fresh flower. The fragrance comes from Christ Himself, because the life of Jesus is manifested in the believer’s body. The life of Christ is the treasure housed within the believer’s earthen vessel, within the believer’s mortal flesh.

The earthen vessel - mortal flesh. The treasure - the life of Jesus. 


Christ in us, our hope of glory. Colossians 1:27 

Paul’s point here is the believer hosts incredible treasure in an ignoble, earthen vessel. God has ordained this to be that "the excellence of the power may be of God and not of us." If any excellent power is seen in and through the believer’s life, it is to be seen clearly as something foreign to his nature—it must be clear that God is the power of excellency residing in the believer.
 
Of course, this is not the manner in which humanity regularly thinks. Man generally focuses upon the earthen vessel. He shines it, paints it, polishes it, shapes it, postures it, and does whatever he can to keep it from perishing. But the outer man is perishing daily. There is no way to stop the process brought on by the Curse. The believer is encouraged to recognize these vessels are only meant for a temporary season. As long as the inner man is being renewed day by day, the believer walks the right path and God is having His way in the man.

The dynamic, animating force that is to develop, drive, and produce a Christian life is to come from the contents of the vessel, not the vessel itself. This power is to come from the treasure rather from the human in whom the treasure dwells—from the flower rather than from the clay flower pot. This is a picture of insufficient vessels, containing sufficient treasure.

The Twelve Signs of Mazzaroth (or Zodiac) - Introduction

The Twelve Signs of Mazzaroth – a brief introduction

Let’s be clear here.  I am talking about Astronomy, not Astrology.  Occults have twisted Astronomy into Astrology and horoscopes, but that does not diminish the fact that the images found in the constellations represent Biblical themes and broadcast God’s truth.

The word Mazzaroth is seen only once in the Bible, Job 38:31-32.  The word’s precise meaning is uncertain but its context is that of astronomical constellations.

The word Zodiac comes from the Greek root word zoa – meaning the way of life.  The Zodiac has been perverted and twisted into idol worshiping, horoscopes and soothsaying predictions of events, personalities, future and fortune.  The Zodiac is simply a reference to the twelve groups of stars that tell God’s story.

Jeremiah 10:1-2 “Hear the word which the Lord speaks to you, O house of Israel. Thus says the Lord: ‘Do not learn the way of the Gentiles; do not be dismayed at the signs of heaven, for the Gentiles are dismayed at them’.”  God has put a message in the stars.  The Zodiac was put there to tell a story in pictures.

Genesis 1:14 “Then God said, ‘Let there be lights in the firmament of the heavens to divide the day from the night; and let them be for ^(a) signs and ^(b) seasons, and for ^(c) days and ^(d) years”

The lights in the heavens, the sun, moon and stars have four purposes:

(a)    Signs – symbolic representations of a story or message

(b)   Seasons – appointed times, not Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter

(c)    Days – sun and moon; sun up to sunset, or sunset to sunset for the Hebraic day

(d)   Years – one revolution around the sun

God created the stars (Gen 1:14-16), and He knows their number and calls them by name (Psalm 147:4, Is 40:26)

Psalm 19:1-3 “⁽¹⁾ The heavens declare the glory of God; and the firmament shows His handiwork. ⁽²⁾ Day unto day utters speech, and night unto night reveals knowledge, ⁽³⁾ there is no speech nor language where their voice is not heard.”

(1)    The heavens declare the glory of God

(2)    There is a message in the stars

(3)    The language of the stars is known throughout the world

Romans 1:19-20 (paraphrased) God has clearly shown us who He is and what His plan is through His creation.  

Let’s look at the twelve constellations, signs of the zodiac, as twelve chapters in God’s book, each representing a Tribe of Israel and a season or appointed time.  The first chapter is Virgo.  I will explain why when we look at Virgo in more detail in the next few posts.

For the sake of brevity here is the list:

Virgo - Zebulun

Libra - Levi

Scorpio - Dan

Sagittarius - Asher

Capricorn - Naphtali

Aquarius - Reuben

Pisces - Simeon

Aries - Gad

Taurus - Joseph's sons Ephraim & Manasseh

Gemini - Benjamin

Cancer - Issachar

Leo - Judah

All quoted scripture is from NKJV unless otherwise noted.  Material collected from various sources.  Main sources used were “The Holy Land Key” by Ray Bently and also Pastor Tim Warner’s messages on answersinrevelation.org/Mazzaroth.html