many of you might know this, but most fo you don't. now bare with me there's a lot of reading.
A Story from the Past
It was the night before the great celebration. Every child in the house was filled with anticipation and awe. Their fresh, new clothes were hanging out and waiting for each child to wear the next morning. None of them could bear the thought of going to bed and sleeping. How could one sleep, knowing that gifts, deserts, and fun awaited each of them the next day? They couldn't help wondering what words they would hear read from the sayings of their great King and Saviour. Would the queen proclaim a huge party for the children tomorrow like she usually did? Who would recommit their hearts to serve the Church? Who would rededicate their lives to serve their wonderful Saviour, Lord and King? Waiting for all of this was almost more than any child could take. Nevertheless, each of them was firmly instructed to march straight off to their beds and go to sleep.
As the children walked reverently past the family's decorated tree, they bowed their knees. It was so beautiful with its bright candles, glistening with liberally wrapped gold and silver tinsel. They thought of how this tree represented the new life of their King and Saviour, who had died, but had miraculously come back to life. As they bowed, each one also felt as if they might die waiting for the morning to come. They knew that many of their cousins, aunts, uncles and friends would be with them to sing songs, eat tasty food, pastries and dainties.
After the morning Church Service in honour of their great Lord and King, they would all be free to do as they pleased. They knew very well that each child would receive many gifts. They wondered what would be waiting for them the next morning. There was not one of them who hadn't hoped for something special that whole year long.
As the children went off to bed, the parents began to celebrate the evening with a party. Although this was supposed to be a Holy event in honour of their Lord, their minds were elsewhere. Somehow, the smell of wine, sweet breads, and other delicacies took complete control of their thoughts. This was truly a time of fun, fellowship and relaxation. Every family had a beautiful, decorated tree, sumptuous foods, wine, and the latest in fashion and gifts. This was a time for gladness, fellowship, merriment including the sacred worship of their Lord who had died and come back again.
Many of the men had worked very hard during the previous month. Now it was time to relax and enjoy the fruits of their hard labour. Some of them had made huge profits the previous month by buying and selling numerous gift and church items necessary for this special holiday. This was truly the best time of the year for them. Some adults were already merry from attending numerous celebrations given all week long at their work place or business associate's home.
Sound Familiar?
You may be thinking that this is a story about christmas taken from the archives of early America or Europe. However, this is not the case. Instead, this scene was common during the Babylonian holiday 'saturnalia'1 (Sat-tur-nail-yah). Observing saturnalia was normal in the days of early Babylon, when Noah's grandchildren and great-grandchildren were adults. This holy day was called saturnalia in commemoration of the rebirth of their god saturn, whose real name was Nimrod. It always took place for a week, ending on December 25th2. Nimrod was the great grandson of Noah (Gen. 10:8-9; 1Chron. 1:10).
Why does this pagan holiday have such a strong resemblance to what we call "christmas"? Because in almost every detail, the sentiment, worship and celebration of christmas are exactly the same as ancient Babylon's saturnalia. Why?
Before this can be understood, some background must be given. The Bible says of Nimrod that "he began to be a mighty one in the earth. He was a mighty hunter before the LORD: wherefore it is said, Even as Nimrod the mighty hunter before the Lord". Secular history also abundantly records that, 'Nimrod was a mighty hunter'. However, this is not referring to him hunting animals, but his own fellow man. Simple research done at a library or encyclopedia3 will show this to be true. Semiramis was his wife and queen. She is said to have been exceptionally beautiful as well as a powerful witch of satan. Together, both she and her husband, Nimrod, succeeded in forming the new world's first and biggest pagan religious system. Because after Noah, "the whole earth was of one language, and of one speech", most of the world's population centred around the middle east (Gen. 11:1). This is how Nimrod's Babylonian religion was able to spread throughout the whole world after the Lord had "confound(ed) their language" (Gen. 11:7,9). Nimrod was not alone in this. He had been deeply influenced by his father Cush, who was the son of Ham. Already Cush had adopted the name of the god, "Bel"4 for himself (Isa. 46:1; Jer. 50:2, 51:44).
Before the birth of Nimrod's son, Nimrod had been killed; some say torn to pieces by wild animals; maybe wild boars5. Being very resourceful and using satanic assistance, his wife, Semiramis, thought of a way to preserve her Babylonian religion and her power. Prior to the birth of her son, on our December 25th, she told everyone that her baby was the rebirth (incarnation) of her husband, Nimrod, who had returned to life on earth again as a god through her son. She then took on the title of "Queen of Heaven"6 (Jer. 7:18, 44:17-19, 25). Because of the timing, the winter solstice, when the sun was at its lowest point, Semiramis was able to convince her subjects that Nimrod (known as Saturn) had indeed come back to life through her son. This is exactly where the shrines to the "mother and child" or "Madonna" come from7, as found throughout the world. Everyone reverenced Nimrod and believed Semiramis' story, thereby they worshipped him on his son's birthday, "saturnalia". This pagan holy day spread to the rest of the world when "the LORD scattered them abroad from thence upon the face of all the earth" (Gen. 11:8-9).
In honour of this great event, Semiramis instituted cutting and lavishly decorating trees (a fir tree in the Roman culture) to represent the new life of Nimrod8, through his son.
This is only a small portion of what can be found in relation to the origin of what we today call "christmas". Now to answer the question, how such a wicked pagan holiday came to be observed as christmas. Everything here is very easy to verify in a library.
In the days of Constantine, A.D. 324, when he had succeeded in gaining control of the entire Roman Empire, the celebration of saturnalia was quite popular. What was he to do? Christianity was now 'legal', in fact it was more than this. It was the official religion of the empire. One problem, though. What was Constantine supposed to do with everyone's favorite pagan holidays? Bear in mind that these holidays had been in practice for over two thousand years all over the world. Bear also in mind that most of those who became "Christians", because it was law, weren't any different in temperament or sin from any religious, but unconverted, person today.
Because the empire was now officially "Christian", what was Constantine to do with all the "traditional" long standing, satanic holidays? Although his kingdom was under his leadership, it was not unshakable, by any means. He had conquered his other three rivals, but there were still enemies in the land. Having married Christianity with Sun worship9 (his true religion), Constantine was not a real Christian. He knew nothing of the early Christian's doctrine of the two opposing kingdoms (one in heaven and one on earth). He was certainly not against war or the killing of his enemies, no matter how small or insignificant their offense. He certainly could not risk a revolution by abolishing his subject's pagan holidays. Therefore he did the only thing a natural man (1Cor. 2:14) could do; he changed the name of the holiday "saturnalia" to "christmas". Now, at the same time, everyone could honour Christianity's Christ and still allow the pagan hearted "Christians" to indulge themselves in saturnalia. This way his subjects could have their cake (Christianity) and eat it too (saturnalia's fun and celebrations).
Nothing delighted those, who were Christians in name only, more. Constantine really thought that he had done a good thing. Instead, he was more successful in destroying Christianity than any other pagan Caesar up to this point. What was shocking is that many of the real Christians had been in the process of backsliding during this time. Many of the "nominal" (compromising) Christians of these days were in the practice of meeting "Paganism halfway". Tertullian bitterly lamented "the inconsistency of the disciples of Christ"10 in his old age (230 A.D.). He wrote "by us who are strangers to Sabbaths (Jewish), and new moons, and festivals, once acceptable to God, the saturnalia, the feasts of January... are now frequented; gifts are carried to and fro, new year's day presents are made with din, and sports and banquets are celebrated with uproar; oh, how much more faithful are the heathen to their religion, who take special care to adopt no solemnity from the Christians"11.
Don't get the idea that just because saturnalia was called christmas, all Christians celebrated it. There were many Christians who uncompromisingly opposed not only Constantine's ungodly policies, but this as well. Many real Christians were persecuted by the Roman empire under Constantine as well as later on in the name of the "Holy" Roman Catholic Church. In every instance, our brethren gave not only their lives, but their families or Church to the flame or stake, other than compromise the doctrine of Christ. This can also be verified by reading such books as the "Martyrs Mirror", "In a Whale's Belly", "Foxes book of Christian Martyrs".
The Burning Question
Brother or sister: please consider what you are doing when you celebrate "christmas"? Who are you really honouring on this day when you: give gifts to one another; spend God's money to buy and decorate a tree in your home; when you go to a special "christmas" service at your Church; or have a special meal of dainties and meats with your family, Church or friends? Please consider who is really being honoured?
It certainly isn't Christ Jesus! Please don't deceive yourselves! You are honouring the false pagan god, Nimrod. But you answer by saying, 'in my heart, I'm worshipping and honouring Jesus'. And is saying this supposed to make it "okay" and pleasing to Him? Think about someone throwing a birthday party for you, but it's not close to being your birthday. And besides this, it's on the exact same day and done the exact same way that some local rapist or murderer used to celebrate his deeds with his friends. How would you feel, knowing about this rapist's or murderer's celebration and then hearing that your friends are having a great time, without you even being around much, by celebrating your birthday on that day, and in the same way, that this rapist or murderer did? Do their "words" about honouring you make it all right? Please think about how Jesus must feel. Do you think He will overlook this "little" pagan love of yours?
How then are you going to explain this to the one who made no compromises for you on the cross? What are you going to say to Him Who said, "He that is not with me is against me; and he that gathereth not with me scattereth abroad12"?
What are you going to say when the Lamb of God reminds you of His words "He that loveth father or mother more than me is not worthy of me: and he that loveth son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me13"? If you don't stop this paganism, what are you going to say to Jesus?
Dear Pastors (my dear fellow labourers): I beg of you. Please consider how you are going to explain saturnalia before the great judgement, when you taught your people to ignore "love not the world, neither the things that are in the world"? If you've encouraged your people to venerate this satanic holiday and helped them forget that "if any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him14", where do you think you will be going after you die? Please don't deceive yourselves into thinking that "the blood" will cover your offending "one of these little ones which believe in Me", when He says of you, "it were better for him that a millstone were hanged about his neck, and that he were drowned in the depth of the sea"15. Is this not "exactly" what you are doing when, by example, you teach that it's okay for your people to practice "measuring themselves by themselves, and comparing themselves among themselves"16 when it comes to this pagan saturnalia, called "christmas". Dear heart, how are you going to explain this to Jesus?
Brethren: We didn't just make this up, because we didn't like the commercialization of "christmas". Studying this and learning this years back was a shock to us, as well. Now that we know its origin, everything, including its commercialization, makes perfect sense. Please, make no mistake about this: Nimrod was and still is a type of antichrist. Those who honour him by celebrating "christmas" (make no mistake here) are actually worshipping him. Please think about where you will go after you die? Nimrod has been worshipped the world over by pagans as Orion, the man in the moon, Tammuz (TAO), Jupiter, Vulcan, Baal, Odin (the real Darth Vader), with mistletoe, the "christmas goose", the "christmas tree", and the "Yule (infant) Log". His wife, Semiramis, has been worshipped the world over as the "Queen of Heaven", Juno, Astarte, Venus, Cybele, and Diana the goddess of the Ephesians, on "Lady-Day".
Dear hearts, if you have been guilty of making this pagan day "christmas" a holiday in your life, please repent in your heart and stop it immediately. In love I tell you, "time is short" and He is coming "whose fan is in his hand, and he will thoroughly purge his floor, and will gather the wheat into his garner; but the chaff he will burn with fire unquenchable"17.
Let no man deceive you with vain words: for because of these things cometh the wrath of God upon the children of disobedience. Be not ye therefore partakers with them. For ye were sometimes darkness, but now are ye light in the Lord: walk as children of light. Eph. 6-8
Footnotes
1 Tertullian, De Idolatria, c. 14, vol. IV, pg. 682 (A.D. 200); Caligula (Caesar Caius) strictly regulated the "feast of saturn" or "saturnalia" (in the year 33).
2 Anglo-Saxons celebrated "Yule (infant) day" or "Child's day" Sharon Turners' Anglo-Saxons, vol. 1, pg. 219; American Heritage Dictionary, 1992.
3 Encyclopedia Americana 1976 ed., vol. 20, pg. 356
4 Gregorius Turonensis, De rerum Franc., lib. i; Bryant, vol. ii. pg. 403, 404.
5 Pausanias, lib. vii, Achaica, cap. 7; Two Babylons, Hislop, pg. 99 & 234; Theocritus, Idyll, xxx. V. 21, 45
6 Two Babylons, Hislop, pg. 91-103; 304.
7 Indrani, wife of the Indian god Indra is such a representation in the East. See Asiatic Researches, vol. Vi. pg. 393.
8 Berlin Correspondent of London Times, Dec. 23, 1853; OVID, Metam., lib. x.v. 500-513; from Baal-berith which means "Lord of the fir-tree".
9 Eutropius, x. pg. 131-133
10 Two Babylons, Hislop, pg. 99 & 234
11 Tertullian, De Idolatria, c. 14, vol I. pg. 682.
12 Matt. 12:30
13 Matt. 10:37
14 1John 2:15
15 Matt. 18:6
16 2Cor 10:12
17 Luke 3:17
(feel free to do as you will i don't really believe in heaven or hell i just believe in knowing the truth. pass it along or disguard it, its all up to you)
taken from here
http://www.montanasat.net/rickv/Saturnalia.html
