Yah'shua was here bearing witness of His Messiahship. Clearly, when we are amongst those who accept Yah'shua as Messiah it is a different witness that we are to bear and it is this that Yah'shua showed me last week that I want to share with you.

The Song of the Lamb and the Song of Satan

At Christmas people sing a lot, mostly carols. And they are admittedly quite beautiful though their doctrine os not infrequently Catholic and wrong. There is no doubt that many of them constitute genuine worship. They are a part of the repertoire of the Song of the Lamb. That Yah'shua is being honoured is, actually, a good thing, even if the date is the birthday of a wicked antichrist called Nimrod and the practices I have mentioned are all a part of the cult of pagan fertility worship - that's right, those who celebrate Christmas are cultists. However, they may have much truth and here we must applaud them. What they don't know is that we are commanded to sing two songs. So we can speak to them and say: "These are beautiful songs you are singing - I heartily say 'Amen!' to the honour and glory you give to Yahweh for honouring His Son! This is good! But did you know that you are singing two songs? Did you know that you are singing the Song of the Lamb and the Song of Satan when Scripture commands you not to?"

Rage

Now that should provoke some interesting reactions - indeed you'll get the same reaction that Yah'shua got from the Hanukkah celebrants when He said what He did in the portico of Solomon in the Temple at Jerusalem - curiosity and rage. There will be rage because you will be challenging spiritual territory occupied by demons and demons always get agitated in people when their kingdom is challenged, especially long-held territory. But you'll also get curiosity from those who are open to more truth. "What do you mean we're singing the 'Song of Satan' as well??!" Now unbelievers couldn't care less, but those who are born again and love Yah'shua will definitely be provoked. This is the approach I would make:

Mark of the Beast

"Scripture says that in the last days that Satan will be making war against the saints and trying to get them to get the mark of the beast - 666 - on their heads and hands, which will enable them to trade. Those who refuse will be killed by the Antichrist system."

Bible-believers will readily agree with this. It is a topic of great interest amongst evangelicals. Millions of believers think that all of this refers to chip implants, and it may well include that. However, as I have discussed elsewhere, this has more to do with our spiritual condition and attitudes than with subcutaneous microchips, bar-codes, the literal number 666, and the like. Back in 2002 I said:

"The first thing to observe is that there are two possible locations for this mark: the right hand or the forehead. The right hand is always used symbolically to represent might and power (e.g. Ex.5:6). The resurrected Yah'shua (Jesus) sits at the right hand of Yahweh, because that is the position of acceptance and authority (e.g. 1 Pet.3:22; Heb.1:13). The 'right hand of fellowship' indicates a believer in good standing with his local church or assembly and in union with the Body of Christ (Gal.2:9). Left is always used scripturally to represent evil or rejection. So when the right hand is being described in biblical symbolism, it is connected with what we do with our strength or energy, that is, our life. To have an evil mark upon the right hand means, in effect, that we have given our lives to evil.

"What of the forehead? The forehead in Scripture is used to denote our attitudes, and translates the Hebrew word mésah which literally means 'above the eye'. Thus the forehead is used negatively to denote opposition, defiance, or rebellion (Jer.3:3) or its opposite, obedience. The hardness of the forehead indicates our determination or power to persevere in that attitude (Ezek.3:8ff; Is.48:4). Because your forehead is open and fully visible, it was the most obvious place to put a badge or mark (Ezek.4:4; Ex.28:38; Rev.7:3; 13:16, etc.). In Ezekiel this mark is made with ink, in Revelation it is a seal, and in Exodus it is a plaque. The Hebrews, you will remember, were commanded to symbolically fill their minds with Torah which Jews have taken literally to mean wearing a phylactery on their foreheads containing four passages of Scripture (Ex.13:1-10; 13:11-16; Dt.6:4-9 & 11:13-21) which was to remind them of key doctrines of the faith.

The question we then need to ask is this: what attitudes, thoughts or actions - the things we do in every day life - would 'qualify' us to become part of the beast system and take away Yahweh's divine protection from us? And the answer is, anything that constitutes false religion. The Bible is packed with examples of how Israel and Judah apostacised by combining Yahweh-worship with pagan-worship .... religious syncretism. At this point I would introduce Christian Christmas celebrants to the 'eye-opener' in the Book of Revelation:

The Two Songs

"Then I saw another sign in heaven, great and marvellous: seven angels having the seven last plagues, for in them the wrath of Elohim is complete. And I saw something like a sea of glass mingled with fire, and those who have the victory over the beast, over his image and over his mark and over the number of his name, standing on the sea of glass, having harps of Elohim. They sing the song of Moses, the servant of Elohim, and the song of the Lamb, saying:

"'Great and marvellous are Your works, El Shaddai! Just and true are Your ways, O King of the set-apart ones (saints)! Who shall not fear You, O Yahweh, and glorify Your Name (Yahweh)? For You alone are holy. For all nations shall come and worship before You, for Your judgements have been manifested'"

(Rev.15:1-4, NKJV).

If this is the Song of the Lamb, what, then, is the Song of Moses? This is recorded for us in the Torah:

"I will sing to Yahweh, for He has triumphed gloriously! The horse and its rider He has thrown into the sea! Yahweh is my strength and song, and He has become my salvation; He is my Elohim, and I will praise Him; My father's Elohim, and I will exalt Him. Yahweh is a man of war; Yahweh is His name. Pharaoh's chariots and his army He has cast into the sea; His chosen captains also are drowned in the Sea of Reeds (Red Sea). The depths have covered them; they sank to the bottom like a stone.

"Your right hand, O Yahweh, has become glorious in power; Your right hand, O Yahweh, has dashed the enemy in pieces. And in the greatness of Your excellence You have overthrown those who rose against You; You sent forth Your wrath; it consumed them like stubble. And with the blast of Your nostrils the waters were gathered together; the floods stood upright like a heap; the depths congealed in the heart of the sea. The enemy said, 'I will pursue, I will overtake, I will divide the spoil; My desire shall be satisfied on them. I will draw my sword, my hand shall destroy them.' You blew with Your wind, the sea covered them; they sank like lead in the mighty waters.

"Who is like You, O Yahweh, among the elohim (gods, rulers, mighty ones)? Who is like You, glorious in holiness, fearful in praises, doing wonders? You stretched out Your right hand; the earth swallowed them. You in Your mercy have led forth the people whom You have redeemed; You have guided them in Your strength to Your holy habitation.

"The people will hear and be afraid; sorrow will take hold of the inhabitants of Philistia. Then the chiefs of Edom will be dismayed; the mighty men of Moab, trembling will take hold of them; all the inhabitants of Canaan will melt away. Fear and dread will fall on them; by the greatness of Your arm they will be as still as a stone, till Your people pass over, O Yahweh, till the people pass over whom You have purchased. You will bring them in and plant them in the mountain of Your inheritance, in the place, O Yahweh, which You have made for Your own dwelling, the sanctuary, O Yahweh, which Your hands have established.

"Yahweh shall reign forever and ever" (Ex.15:1-18, NKJV).

Let us be quite clear - let us not be in any doubt what Yah'shua was telling the Apostle John in the Book of Revelation - those who have "victory over the beast" - that is, those who don't get the 666 mark on their hands or foreheads - those who have victory over his image (his 'god', 'ruler' or 'mighty one') - stand on the "sea of glass mingled with fire, having harps" . And what do they do with those harps and with their mouths? They sing two songs - the one I have just read to you and the one recorded in the Book of Revelation. Why the sea of glass? What is that? And why a harp?

The Sea of Glass Mingled with Fire

The Sea of Glass is imagery for the absolute purity of Yahweh-Elohim. It's mentioned twice in Scriptures (Rev.4:6; 15:2 cp. Ezek.1:5). The overcomers - the firstborn - the bikkurim or firstfruits of the resurrection - are pure and sing these songs. They are songs of victory. The journey of the Israelites out of Egypt to the Promised Land is a journey of purification under the blood of the Lamb. Those who sing the Song of Moses undergo the same spiritual journey as the children of Israel and those who sing the Song of the Lamb undergo the same spiritual journey as the first disciples. They are one Song in two parts even as it is written elsewhere in the Book of Revelation:

"Here is the patience of the set-apart ones (saints); here are those who keep the commandments of Elohim and the faith of Yah'shua" (Rev 14:12, NKJV).

Notice the dual identification marks of those who belong to Yahweh - having faith in Yah'shua the Messiah and obeying the commandments. And it requires great patience because of the opposition that obedience combined with faith brings. The latter is a sign of our truly loving Yah'shua (Jn.14:15).

Trouble for Those Who are True

Now when I gave up Christmas back in the early 1980's you have no idea how much opposition I had! It was though I had done something taboo, something unforgivable. I was accused of being antisocial, a troublemaker, antifamily and much else besides. My own church virtually accused me of being an apostate and our bishop hauled me into a meeting after I had written my first pamphlet saying that I had to observe it even though it was anti-biblical because that is what the leadership did! That's how all apostasy starts! The leaders believe in something false and the masses follow them blindly. People who were once my friends stopped being friends.

Compulsory Festival of the Kingdom of the World

What is it about this festival that makes it virtually compulsory in the West? It has a spirit and that spirit is not the Ruach haQodesh. Even before I became a believer I had a natural reaction against it - it's as though I knew instinctively that there was something wrong with it and I could never get 'into' it. The same was true of New Year celebrations - it all seemed so fake. And yet this festivals is so engraved in our Romanised world that it has become a religion for both Christians and unbelievers - it's the festival of the One World Religion. It's certainly one of the gods of commerce. But can we 'keep the Christ in Christmas' and still celebrate it? Impossible. It is unclean, demonic, because even though it contains Christian elements, its ruling spirit is demonic. Those who celebrate it will not be standing on that sea of glass and singing those two songs because what they are doing is lawless. You can't sing to Yahweh and Satan. Get rid of all your Christmas trappings and have nothing more to do with them.

The Laver of Purification

The sea of glass in the heavenly temple corresponds to the laver outside the Old Covenant temple, the 'sea of fire', the instrument of purification in which the priests had to wash themselves before entering. To enter the temple of Yahweh we have to be purified in our hearts, just as the sons of Aaron went through ritualistic cleansing. Yahweh wants pure worship and he will not accept or share the glory with any other gods. If you want to have peace with the world, celebrate Christmas, but Yahweh will not be in it and you will be acknowledging the world system and receiving the mark of the beast. Now if you sing both songs, guess what's going to happen?

True Israel is Constantly at War

"And the dragon was enraged with the woman (Israel), and he went to make war with the rest of her offspring (Messianic Israelites), who keep the commandments of Elohim and have the testimony of Yah'shua the Messiah" (Rev.12:17, NKJV).

If Satan is waging war against you, then the chances are you are a commandment-keeper who relies on Yah'shua the Messiah as Saviour because you're singing both the Song of Moses (obeying Torah) and the Song of the Lamb (trusting in the Messiah). Why would Satan leave you alone if you don't obey the commandments?

"Blessed are those who do His commandments, that they may have the right to the tree of life, and may enter through the gates into the city. But outside are dogs and sorcerers and sexually immoral and murderers and idolaters, and whoever loves and practices a lie" (Rev.22:14-15, NKJV).

Which Tree Do You Partake Of?

Because you are eating of the tree of life and have Eternal Life in you. Look what those who don't eat the tree of life do? They commit sexual immorality (fornication, adultery), murder, and love and practice lies. Lies! And who is the liar?

"Now by this we know that we know Him, if we keep His commandments. He who says, 'I know Him,' and does not keep His commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him. But whoever keeps His word, truly the love of Elohim is perfected in him" (1 John 2:3-5a, NKJV).

Your Response to the Cosmic Liar

Who is it we are listening to when we become liars?

"[The devil] was a murderer from the beginning, and does not stand in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaks a lie, he speaks from his own resources, for he is a liar and the father of it" (John 8:44, NKJV).

You can't Sing the Song of Yah'shua and not sing the Song of Moses just as you can't worship the Father without worshipping the Son too (Jn.14:6). You can't follow Christ and not obey the commandments (Jn.15:10). Impossible! You become a liar - a fraud. And once you know the truth - once you know what Yahweh requires of you, you are without excuse.

Popularity and Truth

The fact that Christmas is popular, the fact that getting presents is nice, the fact that the season is full of bright lights and glitter is irrelevant, and rather is a snare because it leads you into a false spirit. We should know by now that what is popular with the world does not mean that it is from Yahweh:

"What is highly esteemed among men is an abomination in the sight of Elohim" (Luke 16:15, NKJV).

A Strange Bed Fellowship

The fact that people are smiling, laughing and showing good will for a few days every year does not mean that are they like us, or we like them. It is absurd to believe that Christmas is a 'unifying' festival. Does Yahweh approve of it?

"For what fellowship has righteousness with lawlessness? And what communion has light with darkness? And what accord has Christ with Belial? Or what part has a believer with an unbeliever? And what agreement has the temple of Elohim with idols?" (2 Cor.6:14-16, NKJV).

Sentimentality vs. Truth

What do you think Moses and the children of Israel were leaving behind? Paganism and idolatry. That's part of the Song of Moses. We must not be deceived by the sentimental appeal of such festivals. I grew up in the Far East in a land with many faiths and traditions. I was exposed to the traditions of the Chinese Buddhists, Muslim Malays, Indian Sikhs, Indian Hindus and others. They were often very colourful. Chinese New Year was very spectacular and was one of my favourites as a boy. But they are not of Yahweh and we are forbidden to imitate them or have anything to do with them. True believers here struggle doing away with Christmas whilst Japanese and Chinese believers struggle in stopping ancestral worship which causes great divisions in families where such idolatry has been practised for thousands of years. Yet Yahweh demands complete allegiance - we can't claim to belong to Him unless we give it all.

The Idolatry of 25 December

No date is welcomed more on the calendar than 25 December:

"Old and young -- rich and poor -- pious and vulgar, saint and sinner, with boundless frenzy, race with the coming of Christmas day like the waters of a flooded river, submerging everything before it. Christmas is the day when the driving power of this festival ... reaches its zenith. No other day can equal it for fleshly revelry, and debauchery combined with a heathen misrepresentation of Christ which, as a fanatical religious orgy from every quarter swirls to a literal vortex of confusion and jamboree on December 25th.

"No -- Christmas is NOT of [Yahweh]. It is abomination to Him. It is NOT honouring to [Yah'shua the Messiah]. It only calls forth from multitudes of unthinking people a natural sentimentality and a false worship of Him. The observances of Christmas are in no way inspired by the [Ruach haQodesh]. The Christmas spirit is only terrible mockery to Him.

The Truth Costs and Rewards

Now I am not saying it is easy to quit. There is a price to pray. But there is also an incalculable payoff. You're not only getting rid of a counterfeit to true worship in which you give Satan what he craves so much - worship - but you are giving place in your mind and heart to the Ruach haQodesh and getting a nasty mark erased from your hand and forehead. Part of the payoff are seven festivals commanded by Yahweh which will enable you to walk the path of righteousness, honouring and pleasing Yahweh, and bless you with shalom. Yahweh has His big celebration at Sukkot - in the autumn/fall, not at the winter solstice - the time of greatest darkness. Satan tried to sneak in Hanukkah which has become christmasised by the Jews as they try to compete with the lure of Christmas. Well, we don't need to complete. We don't need any 'replacement Christmas' and when we say we do we're just admitting our addiction to its familiar spirit. We're to have nothing to do with it - period:

"Have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness, but rather expose them" (Eph.5:11, NKJV).

"If we say that we have fellowship with Him, and walk in darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth. But if we walk in the light as He is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanses us from all sin" (1 John 1:6-7, NKJV).

And that's what we want - cleaning so we can walk on that sea of glass mingled with holy fire and so praise Yahweh with clean hearts!

Different Anti-Christmas Spirits

Now there are those like Jehovah's Witnesses, who practice their own false religion whilst recognising the truth about the satanic origin of Christmas, whom we don't want to imitate in their attitude. When Yah'shua was walking in the temple during Hanukkah He did not launch into a public attack on the false spirit of the Hasmoneans even though elsewhere, and at other times, He most certainly did expose religious hypocrisy and false teaching. Indeed He said to the Pharisees:

The Origin of Christmas

Since the heavens have by no means passed away, not a single letter of the Torah or Law can fail. That Torah gives as no licence whatsoever to celebrate Christmas which is one of Satan's many abominations. So how did Christmas come to be?

"The celebration of Christmas is a mixture of pagan Babylon's 'mystery' idolatry in its purest form, imported through Pergamos (Rev. 2:13) into Rome, and there incorporated into her pagan religious ritual, and from thence introduced into the world by the Roman Catholic Church as a commemoration of Christ's birth. A wealth of proof can easily be produced today to put this fact beyond question.

"It is freely admitted by all learned and honest writers of old, that the date of Christ's birth cannot be known. How then did it come to pass that the Roman Catholic Church fixed December 25th as the day He was born?

"First, we must remember that Satan's chief object has always been to claim the honour and worship due to the most High God. For it is written in Isaiah:

"How art thou cut down to the ground. who dist lay low the nations. For thou hast said in thine heart. I will ascend into heaven, I will exalt my throne above the stars of God: I will sit also upon the mount of the congregation, in the uttermost parts of the north: I will ascend above the heights of the clouds; I will be like the Most High" (Isa. 14:12, 13, 14).

"In keeping with these words of Isaiah long centuries before the time of Christ, Satan in his bid for the worship due to God, instituted a great pagan feast which was celebrated at that exact time of the year in the Chaldean city of Babylon. This heathen celebration was in honour of the birth of Tammuz or Bel or Bacchus who was the son of Semeramis, or Cybele or Rhea, the Chaldeans queen of heaven.

"Now in Babylon where the sun was worshiped, it was not worshiped as merely a light giving divinity, but as the Incarnate God. And one essential in this Chaldean worship was, that Baal was that same God. So when Tammuz was worshiped as God incarnate the implication was that he was an incarnation of the sun, or Baal.

"When Belshazzar was slain (Dan. 5:30) and the Chaldeans defeated by Darius the Mede, those with authority and power to continue Babylon's idolatrous 'mystery' worship, fled to the city of Pergamos, where afterward a Christian Church was founded (Rev. 2:13). There for many centuries Satan himself brought about the worship of Aesculapius, the child of the 'incarnate sun.' This worship was celebrated in frantic excesses of evil as Babylon's 'mystery' idolatries were perpetuated in their exile. Then in the course of time, at the death of Attalus III when Phyrgia was given to the Roman Empire in 133 B.C., the worship of pagan Babylon was removed from Pergamos and its wicked course renewed in the city of Rome on the Tiber.

"Now nearly every recorded form of pagan worship which has descended from the Babylonian 'mysteries' focuses the attention of its deluded worshipers on a mother god and the birth of her child. In Egypt the mother and child were Isis and Osiris. In India they were Isi and Iswara. In Asia the mother was Cybele and the son Deoius. In Greece we find Ceres and her son Plutus. Even in Tibet and China the mother was Shing Moo, and her son was devoutly worshipped with her. Lastly, we have many records of the mother Fortuna and her son Jupiter in pagan Rome. In the worship of all these false gods there has been more or less departure from the original Babylonish form. Only in the Roman Catholic Church can we find today the pure idolatry of the ancient Chaldean 'mysteries'. From that source has emanated the greatest 'mystery' idolatry of all ages. For Rome has given to the world this mother and child worship of wicked Babylon of old, concealed beneath the Satanic disguise of a commemoration of the birth of Jesus Christ (Yah'shua the Messiah).

"How did this come to pass? In the third century when the Apostolic Church was in its infancy, grievous wolves entered among the flock of God speaking perverse and evil doctrines. Slowly and cautiously at first (Acts 20:29), they began to bring Rome's pagan worship among the believers Constantine's false conversion and his edict making Christianity the state religion of the Roman Empire, rapidly developed the imported paganism in the worship of the fast decaying Church of Rome.

"Now Rome's way of converting the other pagans to her style of worship has always been to absorb them gradually, along with their idolatrous observances. So about the 4th century the Roman Church brought the worship of Semeramis the Babylonish queen of heaven and her son Tammuz into her ritual, disguised as the worship of Mary and her son Jesus (Yah'shua). Then followed the December 25th commemoration of the birth of Christ, and the evil institution of the 'mass' for Christ, and behold! -- the iniquity of Christmas was launched forth! Thus the pagans in the now apostate Church could worship the queen of heaven and observe the birth of her son Tammuz while the untaught unsuspecting believers thought they were honouring Christ in the same ritual, Behold the trail of Satan's Christmas festive ritual of counterfeit! From Babylon on the Euphrates, to Pergamos once the capital of Asia, to Rome upon the Tiber and thence into the apostate Church there, finally to emerge through the Roman Catholic Church a flood of lying pagan wonders, covering the earth!

"Faithful men of God who knew and loved the Scriptures of truth fought against the mingling of paganism with the name of Christ. They were valiant in opposing the entry of Christmas and its festivals among the believers. But in spite of their efforts, the lukewarm and rapidly decaying church, with the exception of a few faithful Christians, was overcome and finally forced to submit to the observance of the mother and child worship from Babylon. Sad and solemn has been the spiritual and moral wreckage wrought by this Romish evil down through the history of men. And in spite of the plain truths of the Word of God, revealing His holy hatred of idolatry, nearly all of the Protestant Churches and assemblies of Christian believers have followed Rome in her Satanic observance and unholy celebrations of Christ-mass.

Seeking a Proper Balance

It is right that we expose Christmas, and forcefully if necessary, but we also want to be constructive and redemptive. We want to agree with what is right about the Christmas festival so that we can point celebrants who accept Christ to something better and deliver them thereby out of error. In this we need not - and must not - compromise the truth - exposure is important but correction without a redeeming alternative is not constructive.

What Liberty Have We Been Given to Observe Special Days?

Perhaps one of the approaches which we can use, as opportunity presents itself, is the one I have suggested to you today. What we cannot do, as some have suggested, is observe Christmas on 25 December without the Christmas tree, Yule long and other trappings. The excuse is offered that Paul gives us this liberty:

"One person esteems one day above another; another esteems every day alike. Let each be fully convinced in his own mind. He who observes the day, observes it to the Messiah; and he who does not observe the day, to the Messiah he does not observe it" (Rom.14:5-6, NKJV).

Only Yahweh Can Authorise Israel's Commemorations

Two things must be said about this passage. Firstly, only Yahweh can authorise the observance of festivals for the whole Messianic Community. This He has already done in the Torah with His moedim or appointments: the weekly Sabbath, the Seven Annual Festivals and the monthly New Moons. These all have application in the New Covenant for all of them point to Yah'shua - so we don't need any 'extra' New Covenant ones. We know that this is the case because Yahweh Himself says that these same appointments will continue into the Millennium and Paul says we are to observe the former moedim in "sincerity and truth" (1 Cor.5:8, NKJV). You will not find a single reference authorising the introduction of new observances or changes in the Sabbath but rather an endorsement of the old - not "one letter of the Torah" will "fail", we are told, and Yah'shua confirms this elsewhere too (Mt.5:17-20).

Freedom for Personal and Family Observances

Secondly, since what I have just said is true, Paul can only be referring to personal observances like anniversaries, birthdays and the like. Look at the context. Romans 14 is about "doubtful things" (Rom.14:1, NKJV), not the things which are clearly established such as the moedim. What are these?

Why indeed do they rage? Because they are not in the truth and their conscience is condemned by us when we refuse to participate. When whole nations celebrate these things, as they have been doing for centuries (in Norway they halve taxes in December so people can indulge more), then you know that powerful territorial spirits back these things up to. And once you start disturbing territorial spirits by planting a home in their midst where these idolatries are rejected, then they react like physical your body does to an irritating boil to eliminate it unless you resist and make your home permanently Yahweh's possession. But you have to make that choice and consecrate your land and property to Him.

Don't Force Demonic Spirits on the Children of the Kingdom

For the very first time in years former believers have tried to force Christmas observance on one of my children so I am serving them public notice to cease forthwith for I am declaring as the fatherly head that whatever they try to impose on a little one is a demonic imposition on that child's head. All true fathers in Tsiyon should do this. The blood of Messiah is between our little ones and all the abominations in the world when we stand true in Yah'shua. They must come through me first. I utterly repudiate Tammuz worship and the abominable Christmas system in its entirety and cannot befriend it in any way. Therefore they are publicly rebuked and instructed to desist or suffer the inevitable consequences.

Vision of the Horseman with Sickle

Glory to YAHWEH - not any old deity or to the spirit of humanism or atheism, or even 'God' and certainly not to the abomination called 'Christmas' or 'Brumalia'. This saying, uttered by Yahweh's malakim, was made in a specific context and with a certain response in mind. The context was the birth of the Messiah. What was that response?

"Indeed, let us go to Beyth Lechem (Bethlehem, the House of Bread) and see this matter that has taken place, which the Master has made known to us" (Lk.2:15b, ISRV).

Now if your purpose is to bring glory to Yahweh-Elohim and join with me and come to the House of Bread - Yah'shua being the "Bread of Life" (Jn.6:35,48) - then I will gladly proclaim true shalom and tov with you. And if you have forgotten Him, or been blinded by the false traditions of the world, I will gladly help you part the veil of error and point you to the place where you can meet with the Master face-to-face and know Him and His love again. Always. Otherwise there can be no shalom between us and I would be doing you a disservice to partake in the false peace of the world system, or to go through the act of imitating shalom. Though I will desire it and pray for it for you, I cannot pretend what is not. I come with shalom and pray shalom on all but I cannot - and will not - partake of Satan's counterfeits.

Winning Souls for Yah'shua

Who 'Satan' Really Is

It is one thing to be in ignorance of Satan's lies but to openly return to them, for whatever reason, is to spit in Yah'shua's face. Remember, that Santa Claus did not die for your sins and cannot bring you to heaven. We must be in no doubt as to what Santa really is and what he represents, for what was it that Satan said?

"I will ascend above the heights of the clouds, I will be like the Most High" (Isa.14:14, NKJV).

When we come into agreement with counterfeits, whether we accept that there are real spirits behind them or not, we are inviting the same judgement on our heads as Satan received:

"Yet you shall be brought down to Sheol, to the lowest depths of the Pit" (Isa.14:15, NKJV).

Pride Precedes a Fall

Why do people turn away from Yahweh? Why do wise people like Solomon turn to pagan idols? It is for the same reason that Satan rebelled:

"Pride goes before destruction, and a haughty spirit before a fall. Better to be of a humble spirit with the lowly, than to divide the spoil with the proud" (Prov.16:18-19, NKJV).

Examine your hearts honestly and consider. And if you have turned your hearts off by selling them to Satan, fall on your knees and repent, and ask Yahweh for a new heart:

"'Then I (Yahweh) will sprinkle clean water on you, and you shall be clean; I will cleanse you from all your filthiness and from all your idols. I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit within you; I will take the heart of stone out of your flesh and give you a heart of flesh. I will put My Ruach within you and cause you to walk in My statutes, and you will keep My judgements and do them...Cast away from you all the transgressions which you have committed, and get yourselves a new heart and a new spirit. For why should you die, O house of Israel? For I have no pleasure in the death of one who dies,' says Yahweh-Elohim. 'Therefore turn and live!'" (Ezek.36:25-27; 18:31 NKJV).

Christmas is Idolatry and Spirit Prison

Christmas is about as idolatrous and pagan as it gets. It's spirit is, moreover, very ancient - it's an old Chaldean mystery. It seduces the flesh with its fake Christ, glitter, lights and bribery. I can tell you in the Name of Yah'shua the Messiah that there are no Christmas-observers amongst the children of the first resurrection if they know the truth of what it is. Those who celebrate it, and indeed any abomination of the heathen, will not enjoy the Millennium but spend a thousand years in spirit prison awaiting their final judgement. They will not, moreover, be receiving the witness of Yah'shua while they are incarcerated, as those before the flood did:

"For Messiah also suffered once for sins, the just for the unjust, that He might bring us to Elohim, being put to death in the flesh but made alive by the Ruach, by whom also He went and preached to the spirits in prison, who formerly were disobedient, when once the Divine long-suffering waited in the days of Noah, while the ark was being prepared, in which a few, that is, eight souls, were saved through water. There is also an antitype which now saves us -- baptism (not the removal of the filth of the flesh, but the answer of a good conscience toward Elohim), through the resurrection of Yah'shua the Messiah, who has gone into heaven and is at the right hand of Elohim, malakim (angels) and authorities and powers having been made subject to Him" (1 Peter 3:18-22, NKJV).

These souls had never heard the Gospel. Those hearing me today or reading this later have heard it and are without excuse. Therefore I am calling on all those who now know the truth to forsake the lie of Yuletide and abandon it forever.

What Shall We Do?

If you have been convicted in your heart that Christmas observance or sympathy with it in any form, then I invite you to respond as the apostles directed:

"Now when they heard this, they were cut to the heart, and said to Peter and the rest of the apostles, 'Men and brethren, what shall we do?' Then Peter said to them, 'Repent, and let every one of you be baptised in the name of Yah'shua the Messiah for the remission of sins; and you shall receive the gift of the Ruach haQodesh. For the promise is to you and to your children, and to all who are afar off, as many as Yahweh our Elohim will call" (Acts 2:37-39, NKJV).

Cast out the demons of Christmas and Hanukkah and get rid of everything to do with these idolatrous festivals. Dedicate 25 December to Yahweh and restore it to what Yahweh intended it to be - just another day. If it's not on a Sabbath, why not offer your employer your services? The chances are you'll get paid 150% or more! Give your family a treat with the extra money you've earned. The Ruach will tell you what to do with your newly freed 25 December, I guarantee it.

Appendix 1

ONE FAMILY'S RESPONSE TO CHRISTMAS

(27 November 1983)

Centuries before Christianity came into being various pagan nations of Europe celebrated festivals at the end of December and the beginning of January. When the festival season rolled around, little children were filled with anticipation and excitement. The whole family got busily involved in putting up decorations. Boughs of holly and evergreen were assembled and placed about the house. The mistletoe was hung. A tree was chosen and decorated with ornaments. It was a season of giving and receiving presents, a time to sing songs, admire all the pretty lights and burn the Yule log. There was a parade with special floats, sumptuous meals and merrymaking.

In ancient times, many of the earth's inhabitants, realising their dependence upon the sun for light, heat and the growing of crops, watched the sun's yearly course in the heavens with deep interest. At different seasons, feasts and celebrations were held to help, it was thought, the solar disc on its way. The end of December was an especially significant time in the northern hemisphere. The days were short - the sun was at its lowest point. Special festivals of thanksgiving and encouragement to the sun were held. When, at the winter solstice, the days began to lengthen, there was great celebration lasting into the first part of January. The sun - the light of the world - had been reborn!

The modern Christmas tree is supposed to have originated in Germany in the Middle Ages. Since evergreens were green throughout the dead winter, people looked upon them as especially imbued with life. It was in honour of the tree spirit or the spirit of growth and fertility that greenery was a prominent part of the ancient pagan winter celebrations. The Romans trimmed trees with trinkets and toys at that time of the year. The Druids tied gilded apples to tree branches. To certain peoples an evergreen decorated with orbs and other fruit-like objects symbolised the tree of life in the garden of Eden. Branches of holly and mistletoe were likewise revered. Not only do these plants remain green throughout the winter months, but they actually bear fruit at that time, once again a type of the spirits of fertility. Still today, catching someone under a branch of mistletoe can serve as a convenient springboard for romantic activity.

Few people stop to wonder what in the world such strange customs have to do with the birth of Yah'shua!

The ancients lit festive fires in the last part of December to encourage the waning sun god, just as Christmas bonfires, candles and other lights burn today at the same time of the year. Use of the 'Yule log', part of the 'Yuletide' season, owes its origins to the ritual burning of a carefully chosen log by the Druids. The word 'Yule' comes from the old Anglo-Saxon hweol, meaning 'wheel', a round wheel being the appropriate symbol for the sun.

The fourth-century writer Libanius describes end-of-the-year gift-giving and partying in the ancient non-Christian Roman Empire:

"Everywhere may be seen...well-laden tables...The impulse to spend seizes everyone. He who through the whole year has taken pleasure in saving...becomes suddenly extravagant...A stream of presents pours itself out of all sides" (Christmas in Ritual and Tradition).

Of all times of the year, it was indeed the season to be jolly. Drunkenness was widespread. Fortunately, however, the modes of transportation in those days did not lend themselves to the high rate of drunken-driver-induced traffic fatalities that are part of the Christmas season in many nations today.

An important part of the pagan harvest festivals -- beginning in October-November with what has become Halloween -- involved good and bad spirits. In many lands, visitors -- usually bringers of good or evil -- made their appearance in the winter season. Through blending pagan legends with traditions about Roman Catholic saints, certain figures emerged, with similar personalities. We recognise them today in different nations as Santa Claus, Father Christmas, St.Nicholas, St.Martin, Kris Kringle, Weinachtsmann, and Père Noël. Whatever name is used, all these winter visitors fulfil a similar rôle. These fictional persons - 'Christianisations' of the pagan Germanic deities -- clearly perpetuate certain fold-ritual themes wherein varying degrees of rewards and punishments were dealt out to the celebrants. Through the centuries these customs came to be centred around children.

It is not too hard to see a connection between Santa Claus using the chimney or the shoes and stockings hung by the fireplace and the ancient superstitions about hearth spirits. For thousands of years, especially among the Chinese, it was customary to sweep and scour the house in preparation for the visit of the hearth spirit. Each year, dressed in a pointed, fiery red cap and jacket, this fire god travelled from the distant heavens to visit homes and distribute favours or punishments. Today he is welcomed in the western world each Christmas season.

Popular Christmas customs, as we can see, plainly reflect non-Christian legends and practices. Some of the very Christmas customs observed today were once banned by the Catholic Council of Rome, Parliament, and the Puritans of New England. Why? Because they had nothing to do with Christianity.

Yah'shua's Real Birthday

The Bible does not say that Yah'shua was born on 25 December. In fact. It doesn't tell us which day Yah'shua was born. It doesn't even tell us the month. But it does, however, show that Yah'shua's birth did not take place in December or, for that matter, in any of the winter months. This is clear from Luke 2:8. When Yah'shua was born, "there were in the same country shepherds living out in the fields, keeping watch with their flock at night" (KJV). The shepherds were living out in the open fields, sleeping with their flock at night. As many commentators admit, the shepherds would not have been doing this during the cold and rainy winter months. It was hardly the kind of weather for sleeping out in the fields...or for having a baby in a stable and laying Him in a manger (Luke 2:7)!

So we know when Yah'shua was not born. If we are supposed to celebrate His birthday, why doesn't Scripture give us the date of that event? Elsewhere in the Bible, when Yahweh revealed certain days He wanted His people to observe, no room was left for doubt as to when these days occurred. Information for determining the exact days for celebration was abundantly clear and concise: "the fourteenth day of the first month" or "count fifty days to the day" or "in the seventh month, on the first day of the month" (see Leviticus 23). The instructions were specific because Yahweh wanted His people to observe those particular days.

When Yah'shua's name is applied to borrowed pagan ideas and practices, is Yah'shua really honoured? It was Yah'shua Himself who told His people not to seek to worship Him with customs borrowed from other religions (Dt.12:29-32). Time and time again He made is clear through His prophets that He wanted His people to remain "cleansed...of everything pagan" (Nehemiah 13:30).

One Family's Response to Christmas

Appendix 2

LETTER TO FRIENDS, 6 APRIL 1984

(Abridged and Revised 15 December 2007)

Dear Friend

This letter is to invite you to join with us in the spirit of celebrating the birth of our Saviour, Yah'shua the Messiah, this 6th April. Did you know that Christ was born on 6 April and not 25 December? We are writing you this letter to explain why we have taken this very personal decision not to celebrate Christmas this coming December but rather to memorialise the first advent of the Messiah this April.

It remains our earnest desire to establish the Kingdom of Yahweh and in contemplating this command of the Master we have personally covenanted to try to purify our lives and our home, and to separate ourselves from the Babylon that surrounds us, to truly be in the world but not of it. It is therefore for this reason that we have examined the basis of what we call 'Christmas' and decided that this festival, which the world celebrates each year in December, has nothing to do with the kind of Zion that we wish to build in our home. We pray that this letter will explain our reasons for making this choice.

A History of Christmas

The word 'Christmas' means 'Mass of Christ' or, as it came to be shortened, 'Christ-Mas'. It owes its origin to the Roman Catholic Church who in turn borrowed the festival, not from the Scriptures, but from paganism.

"Christmas was not among the earliest festivals of the Church...the first evidence of the feast is from Egypt...pagan customs centring around the January calends gravitated to Christmas...In the scriptures, no one is recorded to have kept a feast or held a great banquet on his birthday. It is only sinners (like Pharaoh and Herod) who made great rejoicings over the day in which they were born into this world" (Catholic Encyclopaedia, 1911, under 'Christmas' & 'Natal Day').

"Christmas (i.e. The mass of Christ) was mot among the earliest festivals of the Church" (Encyclopaedia Britannica, 1946).

"Christmas...was, according to many authorities, not celebrated in the first centuries of the Christian Church, as the Christian usage in general was to celebrate the death of a remarkable person rather than his birth...A feast was established in memory of this event (Christ's Birth) in the Fourth Century. In the fifth century the Western Church ordered it to be celebrated forever on the day of the old Roman feast of the Birth of Sol (the Sun), as no certain knowledge of the day of Christ's birth existed" (Encyclopaedia Americana, 1944).

When Was Yah'shua Born?

Man may speculate by scriptural exegesis or by an appeal to secular records but the only reliable facts come through a knowledge of the Divine Will. Since is not revealed in our canon of the Bible, our only knowledge of the exact birth coming through modern revelation, and since no provision is made scripturally for the observance of Christ's birth, Bible-believing Christians and Messianics are under no obligations to observe it. There is thus no corporate observance of the birth of Messiah in this ministry.

But why has Christmas still persisted? Indeed, how did this pagan custom creep into Christianity?

"How much the date of the festival depended upon the pagan Brumalia (25 December) following the Saturnalia (17-24 December), and celebrating the shortest day of the year and the 'new sun'...cannot be accurately determined. The pagan Saturnalia and Brumalia were too deeply entrenched in popular custom to be set aside by Christian influence...The Pagan festival with its riot and merrymaking was so popular that Christians were glad of an excuse to continue its celebration with little change in spirit and manner s. Christian preachers of the West and the Near East protested against the unseemly frivolity with which Christ's birthday was celebrated, while Christians of Mesopotamia accused their Western brethren of idolatry and sun-worship for adopting as Christian a Pagan festival" (New Scholl-Herzog Encyclopaedia or Religious Knowledge).

And that is how Christmas became fastened on our Western world through a pagan emperor at a time when the Church was in universal apostasy. Moreover, the inclusion of this pagan festival as a Christian one was the direct consequence of an heretical pseudo-Christian doctrine called Manichaeism which identified the Son of Elohim (God) with the physical sun, which gave the excuse the apostates wanted for calling their pagan-festival date of 25 December (birthday of the SUN-god) after the birthday of the SON of God. We may choose to call it Christmas all we will but it is still the same old pagan sun-worshipping festival!

"Certain Latins, as early as 354, may have transferred the birthday from January 6th to December 25th, which was then a MITHRAIC FEAST...or BIRTHDAY OF THE UNCONQUERED SUN...The Syrians and Armenians, who clung to January 6th, accused the Romans of sun-worship and idolatry, contending...that the feast of December 25th had been invented by the disciples of Cerinthus (an apostate)..." (Encyclopaedia Britannica, Ibid.).

The Real Origin of Christmas

If we got Christmas from the Roman Catholics, and the Catholics got it from Roman paganism, where did the pagans get it? What was its ultimate origin? The answer will probably surprise you as much as it did us.

The custom originated in BABYLON, the original Babylon of ancient NIMROD (see Genesis 10:8-9; 1 Chronicles 1:10). Nimrod, grandson of Ham, son of Noah, was the real founder of the Babylonish system that has gripped the world ever since - the system of organised competition - of man-ruled governments and empires, based upon the competitive and profit-making economic system. Nimrod built the Tower of Babel, the original Babylon, ancient Nineveh (the Assyrian capital), and the obnoxious practice of child-sacrifice. He organised the world's first kingdom, making himself king. The name Nimrod, in Hebrew, is derived from marad, meaning 'he rebelled'. Nimrod was no friend of Yahweh.

A great deal about this man is gleaned from many ancient writings, a man who started the great organised world apostasy from Yahweh that has dominated this world until now. Nimrod was so evil that it is said he married his own mother whose name was Semiramis. After Nimrod's untimely death, his so-called mother-wife, Semiramis, propagated the evil doctrine of the survival of Nimrod as a spirit-god. She claimed a full-grown evergreen tree sprang overnight from a dead tree stump, which symbolised the springing forth unto new life of the dead Nimrod. On each anniversary of his birth, she claimed, Nimrod would visit the evergreen tree and leave gifts upon it. December 25th was the birthday of Nimrod. This was the real origin of the Christmas Tree and brought into use into the western world by Martin Luther!

Through her scheming and designing, Semiramis became the Babylonian 'Queen of Heaven', and Nimrod, under various names, became the 'divine son of heaven'. Through the generations, in this idolatrous worship, Nimrod also became the false Messiah, son of Baal, the Sun-god. In this false Babylonian system, the 'Mother and Child' (Semiramis and Nimrod reborn) became the chief objects of worship. This worship of 'mother and child' spread over the world. The names varied in different countries and languages. In Egypt it was ISIS and HORUS. In Asia, CYBELE and DEOSIUS. In pagan Rome, FORTUNA and JUPITERPUER. Even in Greece, China, Japan and Tibet is to be found the counterpart of the Madonna, long before the birth of Christ. With spiritual eyes one can see how Satan was preparing to undermine the work of the Son of Yahweh-Elohim before His glorious advent into the world of sin.

So we see that the real origin of Christmas goes back into ancient Babylon. It is bound up in the organised apostasy which has gripped the deceived world these many centuries. In Egypt, it was always believed that the Son of Isis (Egyptian name for 'Queen of Heaven') was born on 25 December. Paganism celebrated this famous birthday for centuries before the birth of Christ. The apostles and early Church or Messianic Community of Yah'shua never celebrated Christ's birthday at ANY time. Rather, they were commanded to observe (as opposed to celebrate) Christ's DEATH - not at Easter (another pagan festival, incidentally), but during Pesach or Passover and each Sabbath (1 Corinthians 11:24-26; John 13:14-17).

Thus the ancient idolatrous 'Chaldean mysteries' founded by this wife of Nimrod have been handed down through the pagan religions under new Christian-sounding names.

Surely Not the Holly Wreath and Mistletoe Too?

Everyone knows the mistletoe custom - its' rather quaint, isn't it? Or is it? Among the ancient pagans the mistletoe was used at this festival of the winter solstice because it was considered sacred to the sun, because of its supposed miraculous healing power. The pagan custom of kissing under the mistletoe was an early step in the night of revelry and drunken debauchery - celebrating the death of the 'old sun' and the birth of the new one at the winter solstice.

Holly berries were also considered sacred to the sun-god. The Yule-log is in reality the 'sun-log'. 'Yule' means 'wheel', a pagan symbol of the sun. Yet today professing Christian speak of the 'sacred Yuletide season'! In Norway, Sweden and Denmark, Christmas itself is called 'Jul', pronounced 'Yule'. Even the lighting of fires and candles at Christmas is merely a continuation of the pagan custom, encouraging the waning sun-god as he reached the lowest place in the southern sky.

"The holly, the mistletoe, the Yule-log...are relics of pre-Christian times" (Encyclopaedia Britannica).

"The use of Christmas wreaths is believed by authorities to be traceable to the pagan customs of decorating buildings and places of worship at the feast which took place at the same time as Christmas. The Christmas tree is from Egypt, and its origin dates from a period long anterior to the Christmas era" (Frederick J. Haskins, Answers and Questions).

Santa Claus

The name 'Santa Claus' is a corruption of the name 'St.Nicholas', a Roman Catholic bishop who lived in the 5th century.

"St.Nicholas, bishop of Myra, a saint honoured by the Greeks and Latins on 6 December...A legend of his surreptitious bestowal of dowries on the three daughters of an impoverished citizen...is said to have originated the old custom of giving presents in secret on the Eve of St.Nicholas (December 6th), subsequently transferred to Christmas day. Hence the association of Christmas with Santa Claus" (Encyclopaedia Britannica, 19:648-9).

Throughout the year, parents punish their children for telling falsehoods. Then at Christmas time, they themselves tell their little children this 'Santa Claus' lie. Is it any wonder that many of them, when they grow up and learn the truth, begin to believe that God is a myth too? Christmas may seem to be innocent, sweet, and full of 'good will'. But remember - Satan often appears as an "angel of light" ready to deceive (2 Corinthians 11:14; Revelation 12:9).

What is Yahweh's View?

Our opinions are of no consequence when the will of Yahweh is known for He is the author of all Truth. What does the Creator think of Christmas and other festivals?

"Thus saith Yahweh, LEARN NOT THE WAY OF THE HEATHEN...FOR THE CUSTOMS OF THE PEOPLE ARE VAIN: for one cutteth a tree out of the forest, the work of the hands of workman, with the axe. They deck it with silver and with gold; they fasten it with nails and with hammers, that it move not" (Jeremiah 10:2-6, KJV).

We let the reader come to his or her own conclusion as to what Yahweh meant. But Jeremiah would appear to be quite clear: "the way of the heathen - the customs of the people". We are commanded not to follow after the heathen or their customs which is viewed as being idolatry. The fifth verse of the passage shows that these trees cannot speak - cannot walk - must be carried. "Be not afraid of them; for they (the trees) cannot do evil, neither also is it in them to do good". They are not gods to be feared. Some will interpret this to mean that there is no harm in having a Christmas tree, but is that what Yahweh says? You must decide for yourself.

What of Exchanging Gifts?

Didn't the Wise Men give gifts when Christ was born? But what is the historical origin of trading gifts back and forth and what do the scriptures say about it?

"The interchange of presents between friends is alike a characteristic of Christmas and the Saturnalia, and must have been adopted by Christians from the Pagans, as the admonition of Tertullian plainly shows" (Bibliotheca Sacria, 12:153-5).

The exchanging of gifts at Christmas does not celebrate Christ's birthday nor does it do honour to Him. Suppose someone you love has a birthday. You want to honour that person on his or her birthday. Would you lavishly buy gifts for everyone else, trading gifts back and forth with all your other friends and loved ones, but ignore completely any gift for the one whose birthday you are honouring? It's rather absurd when viewed in that light, isn't it? We as a family feel that it is hypocritical to exchange gifts for ourselves on CHRIST'S BIRTHDAY as there is usually a tendency to forget the Saviour and become engrossed in our presents and celebrations. It happens every Christmas. Indeed, don't we become like the pagans themselves? Self-centred and carnal? For most it is an excuse to indulge in base passions; others temper it down - but it is still the same FEAST OF BRUMALIA. We consider that it is reasonable to give gifts on people's own birthdays. That makes sense. We wonder how Yah'shua (Jesus) must feel at Christmas as the world-over millions of people celebrate Nimrod's devilish wolf festival in the sheep's clothing of Christianity. Do you think Christmas will be a part of the calendar of the New Jerusalem and the Millennial Zion? Or will Christ wash the old world order away and make everything anew? It bears meditating on because our children are affected by it one way or another.

So people, the world-over, honour a day that is not Christ's birthday by spending every penny they can scrape together in buying presents to trade back and forth among friends and relatives. It has been our experience that when the month of December rolls around that nearly everyone forgets to give gifts to Christ and His work altogether. December is often the most difficult month to keep witnessing work going. People are too busy trading gifts back and forth among themselves to think of Him and the Kingdom work. Then in January, and even into February, it seems as if they have to catch up from what they spent for Christmas, so that the budget funds inevitably suffer. Yahweh's work suffers. Does the exchanging of gifts teach us anything useful? More often than not, the gifts we buy are an indulgence in luxuries that could hardly be equated with the economy of Zion and the principle of stewardship. It is an excuse to get the things we often don't need and can't afford.

But why were gifts presented to Christ in the first place? Was it His birthday? Not at all, because the wise men came several days or weeks after the date of His birth. Was it to set us an example today to trade gifts back and forth among ourselves? No, they did not exchange gifts - "but they presented unto HIM gifts". They gave their gifts to Christ, not to their friends, relatives or one another!

"Verse 11 (of Matthew 2). "They presented Him gifts". The people of the East never approach the presence of kings and great personages without a present in their hands. The custom is often noticed in the Old Testament, and still prevails in the East..." (Adam Clarke, Commentary, 5:46).

Custom required that they present gifts, even as the Queen of Sheba brought gifts to Solomon. The custom of trading gifts does not stem from scriptural incident at all but rather, as quoted from historical sources above, it is the continuance of an ancient pagan custom. Instead of honouring Christ, it invariably retards the spreading of the Gospel at the Christmas season each year, conceals and overshadows the redemptive message in the true festivals of Yahweh, and aligns people's hearts with the spirit of the world and with false religion.

That is not to say that the giving of gifts is evil in itself - it can be, and ought to be, a spontaneous expression of genuine love, and not something that is simply 'expected'. The most important gift in the world if the Gift of Christ, the gifts of His redeeming work. In return, He asks us to given Him "a broken spirit, a broken and a contrite heart" (Psalm 51:17) so that He may bestow upon us the even greeter gift of eternal life. Our gifts to each other should be based in genuine, Zionic charity.

Honouring Christ?

Many will reason: "Even so - even though Christmas was a pagan custom, honouring the false sun-god, we don't observe it to honour the false god, we observe it to honour Christ."

That may be well-intended but so are many things that lead to sin and spiritual death. It is truly said that the road to hell is paved with good intentions. We may well be sincerely motivated by good feelings and we will not be condemned for that.

"Take heed to thyself that thou not be snared by following them (the pagans and their customs)...that thou enquire not after their gods saying, How did these nations serve their gods? Even so will I do likewise. Thou shalt not so do unto Yahweh thy Elohim; for every abomination to the Eternal, which He hateth, have they done unto their gods" (Deuteronomy 12:30-31, KJV):

We as a family do not believe that Christmas honours Yah'shua (Jesus) at all. Many people are able to make Christmas a spiritual occasion but do not perhaps appreciate its origins. If you were a Jew and discovered that a non-biblical traditional festival fell on Hitler's birthday, might you not wish to do away with the date? We feel the same about Christmas and its so-called 'spirit'. We desire to worship Yahweh "in Spirit and in Truth" (John 4:24) and will henceforth shun the pagan and Babylonish feast of Brumalia of Christmas, We do not desire to follow after the precepts of men nor the heathen.

"In vain do they worship Me, teaching for doctrine the commandments of men" (Matthew 15:9, KJV).

Yah'shua (Jesus) also said: "Full well ye reject the commandment of Elohim (God), that ye may keep your own tradition". He commands, regarding the customs of the pagans and using them to honour and worship Yahweh: "THOU SHALT NOT SO DO UNTO YAHWEH YOUR ELOHIM (GOD)".

After much soul- and scripture-searching, and after much prayer, we as a family have elected not to observe the festival of Christmas this December not indulge in the usual customs. This letter is, as we set out initially, to inform our friends why we have decided to do this. We pray that this has been enlightening to you and that you will be better informed as to the true origins of Christmas. We believe this is a matter of personal conscience. And so if you find us not celebrating Christmas next December, you will hopefully know why.

Next December we intend to dedicate the money we have saved from not purchasing gifts to Yahweh foe His use to help promulgate the Gospel. Such a gift would, we think, be more worthy of us.

We close by joining together in sharing with you the hope and happiness which we feel in Christ. We are content with the blessings that we enjoy and are grateful to our Maker for the road he has led us along. May we be of service to you in our small way whenever you need us.

May Yahweh bless you with peace and happiness on this day in the knowledge that Elohim came down from heaven and was born amongst us to be both our servant and our Redeemer. May that revelation encourage and inspire us to become servants to Him and to each other.

Endnotes