It’s Beginning To Look A lot Like Christmas!

Alas, It's that time of the year again where the snow placates the landscape with the treasury of snow (Job 38:22) and the lights are brimming with the festive joy of the season. Most people have their trees decorated, their presents purchased and wrapped, and they are eagerly awaiting Christmas day!

For some, Christmas time is all about celebrating the birth of Christ, and for others it's about presents, family, and traditions. But have you ever asked yourself:

Where does Christmas even come from?
Does Christmas originate in pagan traditions?
Is Christmas truly a Christian holiday?
Was Jesus actually born on Christmas day?
And is everything we do at Christmas something that is safe for Christians?

Well we are going to examine that today, and find the true origins of the Christmas Holiday and its western customs. Then we are going to look at the Bible to see what it says to know how we should deal with it. As a forewarning this might ruffle a few feathers as we dive into this subject.

Please know the goal of this is not to ruffle feathers for the ruffling of feathers sake. But to call God’s people to live in righteousness and obedience to God. I am reminded of the words of the Apostle Paul in Romans 14:7-9

“For none of us liveth to himself, and no man dieth to himself. For whether we live, we live unto the Lord; and whether we die, we die unto the Lord: whether we live therefore, or die, we are the Lord’s. For to this end Christ both died, and rose, and revived, that he might be Lord both of the dead and living.”

— Romans 14:7-9 KJV

Let us therefore come to this in a spirit of obedience, eagerly seeking the truth of God's word, and conform ourselves by the renewing of our mind! (Romans 12:2)

Investigating Possible Pagan Origins of Christmas.

Around this time of year, articles and posts on social media tend to pop up espousing opposing viewpoints. Some are for Christmas, promoting it with zeal, and others likewise condone it as devil worship, idol worship, and inordinate affection that takes away from the truth of Christ.

But what is the truth? How can we know for sure whether or not one side is telling the truth or not?

Well we can know the same way we know about anything else: Rigorous investigation into the validity of the claims, good biblical exegesis, and a good amount of bias checking. Ultimately the word of God is above question. If it tells us to do something, or not to do something, then being that it will transcend the very universe and all the molecules within it (Matthew 24:35) then we need to listen to it. Understanding context is crucial to this, and not only that, but also understanding the meaning of the scripture. Which often is only revealed by God to those who diligently seek him (Proverbs 2:6).

So that is our goal set out today in this teaching. To examine whether or not Christmas traditions are pagan in origin, and if so, what God has instructed us to do about it. If it turns out we are instructed to turn away from them, then what the Lord has forbidden, let no man say it is allowed. Time and culture does not change the decree of God. God is the same yesterday, tomorrow and forever (Hebrews 13:8).

Now it should be of no surprise to anyone that ancient, and even modern pagans, have worshiped many things. From rocks, to birds, to trees, fish, and as we shall see, winter solstice false gods. Surprisingly a vast number of pagan cultures across history and location, have winter solstice festivals surrounding the use of evergreen trees or plants, with some culminating their celebrations on December 25th or near to it.

Below is the collection of evidence I was able to find across the internet from multiple sources of little to great renown. I think after studying this evidence your position on the issue will either be radically changed or bolstered to the truth. So let’s dive in!

Mesopotamia To The Egyptians

We first start where anyone should, which is the earliest possible record we have. That leads us to Mesopotamia, the oldest recorded civilization in the world. So old that it is said to be dated back to 6000 BCE which is about how old humans have been on the planet according to Genesis.

Mesopotamia is considered to be the first human empire that spanned across a vast sum of land in the ancient world and held much power. Not much is known about their specific practises when it comes to winter solstice. But what can be found is the description of their gods bare a striking similarity to the Egyptians.

There is a lot left out of this teaching that involves investigations that uncovered things like the fact that they worshiped agriculture gods and performed rituals and appeasements to those gods for a good coming harvest. Things like Akitu which seems to stem from ancient practices of agriculture god worship in Mesopotamia.

From a Biblical standpoint these were the people of Adams day before the flood, where all manner of evil existed, even more so than today. At least from an organized perspective.

An interesting note is according to an Aggadic legend found in tractate Avodah Zarah, there is Talmudic Jewish hypothesis that Adam first established the tradition of fasting before the winter solstice, which later developed into the Roman Saturnalia and Kalendae, of which we will explore later. It doesn't make it a Holy Holiday if it is confirmed one day Adam actually did start the entire thing, as it was not enacted by God, but it certainly explains why it carried on into prevalence. Due to how many cultures celebrate the Winter Solstice it is unlikely Adam is the original source, but rather it was applied to Adam because he carries a lot of authority being the first man ever made.

You will find that every proceeding culture from then onwards carried on similar beliefs about the gods they worshiped and the times they worshiped them in the year. Which leads us to the ancient Egyptians, of which we do know a deal more about how they worshiped.

The Egyptians also celebrated the winter solstice around December 25th. For 12 days starting on December 21st the Egyptians would celebrate the solstice in honor of the re-birth of their sun god Ra, using Palm Branches and Papyrus Reeds for decoration. They had a special celebration on the 25th December for the re-birth of the sun. Three days prior to the 25th, the sun (or what they believed was Ra) would barely be visible during the daytime because it was at its lowest point in the sky. On the 25th of December, the sun would finally rise, leading the Egyptians to celebrate the re-birth of their sun god Ra.

It was their belief that Ra would get sick, and on the 25th of December, he would be reborn from his sickness. The green leaves that stayed green, much like evergreen trees today, symbolized for them that life was returning to the land soon. Specifically it was meant to unite their worship of Ra the sun god and his rebirth, who gave life to the land.

God specifically warned the Isrealites to not continue in the ways of the Egyptians in Deuteronomy 18:9-14. And in Exodus 32, God showed how serious he was about this when He punished the Israelites for making a Golden Calf and worshiping it. The story goes, when Moses came down from the mountain carrying the 10 commandments of God written by His finger, glowing from the presence of God, he saw the Israelites worshiping the calf made of Gold and threw down the stone tablets and broke them. He destroyed the altar and later the participants of this idol worship from Egypt, were sentenced to death for their vile crimes.

The Romans

Fast forward to the Roman Empire, which oddly enough had almost the same gods of ancient Egypt and before that, Mesopotamia. They celebrated the climax of their winter solstice festival, at the same time the Egyptians did, December 25th!

On December 17th, eight days before Christmas on December 25th, the festival called Saturnalia began, which culminated on the 25th, which was called Brumalia. They held this festival yearly to celebrate their false god of agriculture, Saturn, hence the name Saturnalia. They also had the tradition of giving gifts during this time as well, mostly geared at children, but also larger more expensive gifts where given to people abroad. The season of giving was truly in the air!

There are some sources that make it clear that a person would be elected with the title “Misrule” or Temporary King during the celebrations to dictate the vile fornication/homsexuality, drug use, drunkenness, and orgies the Romans would participate in, and then at the end of the celebrations this person would be sacrificed to Saturn on the 25th.

If you look into the History of the Catholic Church, you will see that around 200 CE all the major factors for the Catholic Church had been established. More on the Catholic Church, and their involvement in setting Christs birth to the 25th of December later but for now, I would like to draw attention to how it wasn't until sometime in the years 490 - 570 that Byzantine chroniclers like John Malalas began to establish that date as a means to coopt people into Catholicism by replacing Saturnalia.

In the fourth century AD, Pope Julius I formalized that the nativity of Christ should be celebrated on 25 December. Before then, every single writer up until very close to the time of Paul, only speculated on the day Christ was born with most only estimating the year, with zero reference to a month, let alone a specific date. More on this later.

The Ancient Norsemen

Now Yule or Jol is probably one of the heaviest contributors to our Pagan celebration called Christmas. The amount of similarities between Yule and Christmas is astounding. For example:

On Christmas day or Yule Day, the Yule Father would hand out gifts to children (or so it was believed) who also happened to wear a Red hat. Thus the tradition of gift giving like the Romans did was established.
Decorating a Christmas tree comes from how the Ancient Norse would chop a tree down and decorate it come Mother’s Night or Christmas Eve (December 24th). Similar to how some people still hold the tradition of putting an angel on the top of the tree on Christmas Eve.
Other examples are the Christmas Ham we cook called the Yule ham. Which was cooked to honor the god Fryr.

Yule celebrations lasted for about 12 days before December 21–22 where Ancient Norsmen would light fires, drink and feast, and likely fornicate. They would also perform various other traditions and rituals such as felling a large Pine or Christmas tree, cutting the log to burn in the fire come Mother Night which was the climax of the celebration or winter solstice around December 22. And decorating the Yule Tree (Christmas Tree) in the same manner we do today the night before the end of celebrations on Christmas Eve.

Today there are smaller groups such as those in Catalonia who still burn the Yule Log in an event called "Festa di Ceppo" in which they burn the log and use that to make prayers to God, which is something the Lord expressly forbids (which would include rosary beads/vain repetition of prayers).

In Britain, the Yule log was seen by some as something that could be made into a magical amulet, and workers would make the Log into the hands of Father Christmas.

As you can see, Yule is a Holiday that has striking similarities to Christmas. What makes matters worse is most articles sight early 1500s Germany as the earliest reference to using Christmas trees in their homes. In Strasbourg Germany, laws were passed in the 1500s, cracking down on people cutting pine branches. Ordinances were put in place throughout the region of Alsace, limiting each household to only one tree.

But where did Germany get their seemingly insatiable lust for trees from?

Well none other than their Ancestors The Vikings! The Norsemen of Europe in whom the Germanic people descended from. As a historical fact we know that in 940 to 961 AD, Haakon the Good who was the King of Norway introduced his countrymen to Christianity by adopting the Roman Catholic established Holiday of Christmas. So summarizing everything we have gathered so far, we have the following:

The Egyptians who were heavily influenced by the Mesopotamians (6000 BCE) had their celebration of Ra on in and around December 25th.
The Romans Celebrated their god of agriculture Saturn in and around December 25th.
The Roman Catholics in and around the year 500 instituted December 25th as the Birth of Christ.
The Vikings who were influenced by Roman Catholicism instituted Yule as Christmas by Haakon the Good.
The Germanic people descended from their Viking ancestors and 500 years later still celebrated Christmas.

And there we have the general outline of the pagan tradition of Christmas. From the Egyptians to the Romans, to the Vikings, to the Germans, To North America and the world!

Nimrod, Semiramis, Evergreen Tree Connection

In my research, I found, tons, of, articles, everywhere about Nimrod. No joke there are a bunch of Christian articles about the guy, most of which seem to get their ideas from other people who got their own ideas from who knows what source. Because of this, and without being able to read the ancient sources to which people are getting the information from, I cannot include it in this text as a proof based on hearsay upon hearsay.

Most of the articles are pulling from Alexander Hislop it seems, who was a 19th century Scottish Minister opposed to the Catholic church saying that it was a front for the mystery religions of Babylon. And to some degree I agree with him based on evidence, both biblical and historical. However, without reading his book to verify his sources, I cannot confidently say there is a connection here.

A lot of sources claim that his blood fell on an evergreen tree, and so the holiday started there, with gifts being given to the tree to honor Nimrod. But I was unable to find a single proof text for this. All I saw were claims.

It is possible that it started in Babylon, but without some sort of proof , I would dismiss this entirely. Now for the Yule traditions, it is undebatable that our traditions came from there. To say the Vikings got it from Babylon after the splitting of the language by God, is plausible, but without some sort of proof, again, it's not worth including. Christians that build their entire argument on hearsay ought to be kicked out of the pulpit. It is irresponsible and evil to manipulate others and lie as a minister of the Lord, which is what you're doing without having proof.

Evergreen Tree Worship of Many Cultures

Many cultures have defied trees either as gods or as givers of life in a mystical fashion. The Celtic folk, Druid Priests, Native Americans, Indians, and even the Norse also, all had an affinity for trees and for tree worship.

The Celtics and Druids believe in the power or spirit of trees with some believing peoples spirits lived in the trees themselves, and so they would cut down the Pine or Fir tree and bring it into their homes to “warm” the spirits living within them for the winter:

The Native Americans worshiped the Cedar tree as being sacred;
The Norse believed in a tree called Yggdrasil which was the tree of life that connected all realms;
In ancient India, there is a tree called the Kalpa Tree 'Kalpavriksha' which to them is a sacred wishing tree that has long been an object of adornment and worship. It was believed by them that this tree produced the fruit which nourished the first men.

Many cultures and pagan traditions for 1000s of years have had the use of evergreen trees and plants as their symbol of life starting with the Egyptians in their temples and carrying onto to the Celtic Pagans of the recent past. It is common for many of these cultures to either cover the interior of the temples with evergreen branches or bring evergreen trees into their temples and homes. Usually surrounding the winter solstice.

Mistletoe is also something that these cultures in where it grew would worship or see as a sacred symbol.

The True Tree Of Life

It is important to understand that the Satan always offers a counterfeit to the real thing. We see this in every action he takes or has part in, in the scriptures. Without diving into the occult to prove this, it is proof enough when we examine the prevalence of tree worship in the world of the pagan occult. Jesus is describes himself in John 15:5 as being the vine, of which we are the branches. In the garden of Eden, there is a tree of life as we see in Genesis 3:22 which is the very same Tree that Jesus promises to give eat of to those who are saved and overcome in Revelation 2:7.

Suffice it to say, tree worship is in essence a derivation from the truth, that in Christ there is eternal life, in Christ are all things held together Colossians 1:16-17 and all things are made for him and by him. He is King of Kings and Lord of Lords (1 Timothy 6:15,Revelation 17:14,Revelation 19:16). There is no other vine of which one can eat, that will give any life everlasting.

Investigating Pagan Winter Solstice Sun Worship.

A number of Pagan cultures around the world worship the sun to this day. In fact outside of the Abrahamic religions, which would be Judaism, then the fulfillment of original Judaism to Christianity, and the offshoot of Islam from Ishamel, every single other culture has some sort of sun worship, sun deity worship, or celebrations surrounding the winter solstice. Its quite remarkable considering this can also be traced back to Mesopotamia.

Makar Sankrati

Makar Sankranti is a winter solstice celebration for Hindu’s and Buhdists which goes by many names such as Uttarayana, Sankranti, Til Sakraat, Magha, Môkôr Sôṅkrānti, Mela, Ghughuti, Bhogi, Sakraat, Pongalshows.

Makar Sankranti is observed with social festivities such as colorful decorations, rural children going house to house, singing and asking for treats. At this event, they say a prayer to the Sun and bathe at the Prayagaraj confluence of the River Ganga and River Yamuna.

On Makar Sankranti, lord Surya (also called Sun) is revered and worshiped. The steps pagan idol worshipper take to worship lord Surya are as follows:

They clean the house completely, especially the praying area.
They then take an oil bath early in the morning.
Then they apply ‘tilak’ of rice flour and ‘roli’ on their forehead.
They take out and place the idol or picture of their false god Shani on the platform in their praying area.
They then place ‘Thaali’, in front of the idol of the false god, and some money to seek his blessings.
They then sprinkle rice and ‘roli’ on the ‘Baayna’.
They then begin their idol worship the false deity ‘Surya Dev’ by lighting a candle and chanting ‘Surya mantra’ 12 times.
After all the rituals are completed, one needs to distribute ‘Baayna’ to all the married ladies in the family and friends along with the priests.

It is important to note this does not take place during Christmas, but after in mid January. This is included for evidence towards sun worship across the globe around the winter solstice.

Alban Arthan Mummer's Day Samhain, Imbolc, Beltane

There is a host of Celtic (Irish and Scottish) seasonal festivals surrounding the Winter solstice.

Alban Arthan is one of them. In a particular ritual, Druids would gather by the oldest mistletoe-clad oak. The Chief Druid would ritually make his way to the mistletoe that was to be cut, and other Druids would hold open a sheet to catch the mistletoe, making sure none of it touched the ground. The Chief Druid would brandish a golden sickle, and in one chop, the Chief Druid would remove the mistletoe to be caught below. This was not a part of a seasonal festival, but in the context of a sacrifice of two white bulls to invoke prosperity from the gods. The holiday is observed in a manner that commemorates the death of the “holy” King identified with the wren bird (symbolizing the old year and the shortened sun). This is where the tradition of mistle-toe comes from, a pagan origin involving blood sacrifice to appease the gods.

Mummer’s Day is another festival that inspired our boxing day and new year. It was a time where people would paint their faces black, and dance in a ritualistic fashion. The tradition of mumming dates back centuries, probably thousands of years, and is something that can be found all throughout Europe and even in Russia. According to Celtic and Nordic folk traditions, is not only someone who disguises himself to perform in seasonal plays, but he is also a being that walks between the worlds - between the mundane and the spiritual. This is why in old Scottish traditions the mummers on Hogmanay (New Year's) would travel to loved ones' homes and perform an old custom of what is believed to have been driving away evil spirits.

Samhain is a Gaelic festival that take place all the way up to December 31st. types of celebrations that take place during this period are Bonfires, Guising/Mumming, Divination, Saining, Veneration of the dead, Feasting.

Imbolc, and Beltane are more pagan originating festivals that involve all different forms of appeasement to a false god with rituals, and to celebrate things that are not the creator God.

Inti Raymi

The Inca Empire also had a winter solstice celebration where they paid homage to their false sun god Inti. The celebration was called Inti Raymi which is Quechua for “sun festival”.

What's different about this tradition is that like the rest of the southern hemisphere, the winter solstice takes place in June, thus their festival took place around the same time. The Incas would fast for the days before the solstice, and then before dawn on the day of solstice, they went to a ceremonial plaza and waited for the sunrise. When it appeared, they crouched down before it, offering golden cups of chicha which was a “sacred” beer made from fermented corn. They would then sacrifice animals to their false god during the ceremony.

This again is mentioned due to how sun worship and winter solstice worship occurs even for cultures on the southern hemisphere, further tracing lineage back to ancient Mesopotamia.

Many Other Cultures

Many other cultures around the world celebrate their winter solstice with festivals and ceremonies, most of which are counter to the Bible, counter to God, and counter to sound orderly living (2 Thessalonians 3:6, Romans 16:17-18).

The Chinese celebrate Dong Zhi
The Japanese celebrate Toji
The Native Americans of Mexico, the Zuni, celebrate Itiwanna, the birth of the sun.
The Hopi Native Americans of Mexico, also Zuni, celebrate Soyal.
The Zuni people also celebrate Shalako which is dedicated to the gods for good harvest.
The ancient Zoroastrian people or Iranian, celebrate Shab-e Yalda which means “Night of Birth”
The Turkish people celebrate Nardoqan, which also is about sun worship.
The Yazidis, practice the Feast of Ezid, which is 3 days of fasting to honor of what they call God, but in reality it is just sun worship.
The Latvians have a festival called Ziemassvētki, in which they decorate Christmas trees and is dated back to 1476, and before that the Vikings, another proof other then Germany that Christmas trees came from the Vikings and Yule.
In the Altiplano regions of South America, the Aymara people celebrate Willkakuti which is again based on pagan sun worship.
In Mapuche culture in the Southern Hemisphere again they practice sun worship during We Tripantu.
Back to the Slavic peoples of Eastern Europe, there is a pagan tradition to worship Koliada which is a sun deity. The celebration with the same name Koliada involves, you guessed it, singing carols at the end of December, much like how people go Christmas Caroling today!

From all of these tongues, tribes, and people we see a common worship of the sun to honor a false god, during the winter solstice.

Now before we go any further, I think it's important that we recognize that we have a common enemy, Satan, Lucifer, and his host, who has been on Earth since the beginning and is the great deceiver of mankind (John 8:44).

It is more than probable that the cause of these ancient religions worshiping the same things is a result of a mixture of human depravity (Romans 1:21-25), and Satan's own deceiving (1 Peter 5:8). It is easy to see the similarities amongst many of these cultures as mere coincidence, but when you understand there is a spiritual realm, with many “gods” or really just demons, who are behind the darkness of this world (Ephesians 6:12), it becomes abundantly clear that these are not just mere coincidences. There is something more at work, and it is worth being examined before willy nilly propping up a Christmas Tree which may be considered Idol worship and sin.

An argument I find compelling is that no Christian would never name their child after Lucifer or Satan, even though it's technically just a name. This is because the name belongs to our enemy. But is not pagan idol worship the enemy of Christians too? Why then do we erect trees in our homes if they are markedly pagan?

Can anything else that has no real power like divining or any other occult tradition be adopted for Christmas and redeemed for Christ?

If the answer is no, how then can a Christmas Tree or the many traditions during Christmas, including its false claim to the birth of Christ to mask Saturnali and sun worship, be redeemed?

In other words Christmas Trees are not harmless “freedoms in Christ” for Christians to partake in or not. They are rooted in pagan idolatry and witchcraft, which according to 1 Thessalonians 5:22, and Ephesians 5:11, we should not have in our homes.

When Was The Actual Birth Of Christ?

With all this talk about the pagan origins of Christmas, it is natural for someone to want to know the actual date of Christ's birth.

There are some clues in the Bible, namely in the 4 Gospels, and Revelation, but aside from this, we actually don't know the exact date. However, one thing is certain, there is zero evidence anywhere that the Date of Christ's birth was on the 25th of December. From what we will go over below, the actual date should be sometime in September, but it seems the Lord has purposely veiled this.

It is important to note that Christmas being set to the 25th was historically enacted by the Roman Catholic Church. This is something that is debated, especially by the Catholic church. There is an article here defending Christ birth on December 25th. However it is written by a Catholic person (clearly biased) who is without the Spirit of Truth (John 16:13) based on the fact that he has yet to see the Catholicism is not Christianity and the “Plus Religion” as its called (Faith + Works) cannot offer eternal life. Only Christ, and his doctrine can through his blood spilt on the cross for us and our repentance and faith in him for the payment for our sins can save us.

The article uses quotes to past Popes and other Catholic figures as proof of the claim, which sort of proves it does come from the early Catholic Church and not the opposite. It is incredibly biased and lacking any convincing evidence. Considering the History of the Catholic Church, their false doctrines, and their horrific murders/inquisitions of the past, not even to mention the current sex abuse scandals, It is safe to say that you should take their article with a whole bag of salt.

Now conversely there is an article here which is from BYU (The Brigham University of Utah), a relatively unbiased source, and they do an amazing job at tracing the facts of Christ’s birth. Taken from their article, here is what is found:

Irenaeus of Lyons

4 or 3 BC

Clement of Alexandria

Between April 19 or 20 2 BC, and May 20 2 BC

Tertullian of Carthage

3 BC or possibly 2 BC

Julius Africanus

2 BC

Eusebius of Caesarea

2 BC

This second article vastly outweighs the scholarly quality of the Catholic one above in magnitudes of order. What is clear from all the evidence combined, is there is pretty much Zero evidence that the birth of Christ was on December 25th. All the biblical evidence, star constellation evidence, and early writings, put the date of Jesus Birth sometime between Late March to Mid September 7-2 BCE.

This article here from a Messianic Jew shows that our Savior was more than likely born in September. She does a pretty good job putting all the evidence together. There is plenty of evidence such as when Shepard’s would have historically been in the field for the Angel to appear unto them (Luke 2:8-15), and other Biblical evidence such as John's birth and Mary's visit (Luke 1:39-56), and most importantly the Word of God which tells us in Revelation 12:1-2 the sign of Christ's birth in the sky, which happened on September 15th 6 BC and other dates around this time perhaps as a means to signal the time.

Now I believe based on all the evidence I have reviewed, that his birth was more than likely sometime between April and September, with a high probability it was in September. But I want you to consider this:

If God, who is perfect, and sovereign, wanted us to know and celebrate the birth of His Son, would it not stand to reason He would specifically let us know when exactly it took place?
Would he not also make sure his Apostles were celebrating this event?
Would there not be some sort of Biblical precedence?

Now can we be sure it's in September without any doubt? No. It’s the most plausible yes, but not a 100% surety, and that’s the point. I want you to keep in mind that nowhere in scripture did the early Christians celebrate Christ’s birth, it was not described and more importantly it was not something prescribed for us to do.

From what we know it was a Roman Catholic priest in the second century who was the first to proclaim Christ's birth was on December 25th. Beyond this, there is no evidence to back up his claim, furthermore there were those prior to this trying to figure out the day of Christ’s birth too. It seems that the Lord has purposely veiled the day.

One might retort that “because we have the day as it is, it is then evidence of God's approval” but this is just faulty thinking lest we say any wicked nation, any established thing, is evidence of God's approval.

What we actually see in the Bible, is those established nations, Sanhedrin’s and otherwise counsels of people with power, were often the ones needing the rebuke of God through Jesus, Moses, and the Prophets. In fact it was the established Sanhedrin that persecuted their Messiah, like the Prophets before them. (Matthew 23:29-39)

The Bible Gives Us Our Answer!

Let’s quickly summarize what we have learned:

Christmas traditions like the tree, gifts, caroling, yule hams, the date, etc, all stem from pagan celebrations of sun gods and false deities.
Christ's birth is not in December and is probably in September at the very latest.
We have no specific prescription or instruction in scripture to celebrate Christ’s birth. But we do see descriptive celebration over the coming of the messiah, and what this meant for the salvation of man, and the answering of prophecy.

So if the Bible does not specifically instruct us to celebrate Christ's birth (by purposely leaving out the exact date, and by leaving no Biblical command for it). Is there any wiggle room at all in the Bible that would justify us to celebrate it anyway? Or is there any place in the Bible that forbids doing Christmas as our way of honoring Christ? Is it Christ’s literal birth that should be celebrated, or the coming of the messiah and what this meant for the salvation of all.

Let's find out!

Deuteronomy 12:3-4 gives us the clearest most exact command to not take pagan traditions, rituals, idols, or customs, and use them to worship God. Plain and simple, if a Christmas Tree is an idol (which it is) if you erect one in your home, you are sinning according to the command of the Lord.

“And ye shall overthrow their altars, and break their pillars, and burn their groves with fire; and ye shall hew down the graven images of their gods, and destroy the names of them out of that place. Ye shall not do so unto the Lord your God.”

— Deuteronomy 12:3-4 KJV

“Ye shall not do so unto the Lord your God.” is a pretty clear message, that these things, we are not to do unto the Lord. Additionally John 4:24 makes it inarguably clear how we are to worship God, and thus, how we are not to worship Him. It reads:

“God is a Spirit: and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth.”

When you combine the joint meaning of these two verses about the worship of God, you get a clear message from the Lord. “Do not worship Him with pagan things, worship Him in spirit and in truth, for He is a Spirit.”

One is strictly condemning the adoption of pagan rituals for worship, and the other is strictly telling us how to worship him.

But what does that mean, to worship in spirit and truth? Well it means that we worship him not with outward things like trees, rosary beads, and statues, but in our hearts, in our minds, in our souls, and in our spirit. (Mark 12:29-31)

Now in case there was any remaining doubt, read Deuteronomy 12:3-4 which directly speaks of God's people (the Jews then, now the Christians too), being commanded to not adopt the traditions and religions of the pagan cultures we overtake.

“When thou art come into the land which the Lord thy God giveth thee, thou shalt not learn to do after the abominations of those nations.

There shall not be found among you any one that maketh his son or his daughter to pass through the fire, or that useth divination, or an observer of times, or an enchanter, or a witch.

Or a charmer, or a consulter with familiar spirits, or a wizard, or a necromancer.

For all that do these things are an abomination unto the Lord: and because of these abominations the Lord thy God doth drive them out from before thee.

Thou shalt be perfect with the Lord thy God.

For these nations, which thou shalt possess, hearkened unto observers of times, and unto diviners: but as for thee, the Lord thy God hath not suffered thee so to do.”

— Deuteronomy 12:3-4 KJV

Additionally I would like to now introduce a verse that has brought much debate for Christians on this issue and settle the debate once and for all.

“Hear ye the word which the LORD speaketh unto you, O house of Israel:

Thus saith the LORD, Learn not the way of the heathen, and be not dismayed at the signs of heaven; for the heathen are dismayed at them.

For the customs of the people are vain: for one cutteth a tree out of the forest, the work of the hands of the workman, with the axe.

They deck it with silver and with gold; they fasten it with nails and with hammers, that it move not.

They are upright as the palm tree, but speak not: they must needs be borne, because they cannot go. Be not afraid of them; for they cannot do evil, neither also is it in them to do good.”

— Jeremiah 10:1-5 KJV

Now some have claimed that the above verse is not about a Christmas tree, but about a totem or an idol. However I don't see the word “totem” used here. In fact, decking it with silver and gold is something many do with their Christmas trees, and fastening it with nails and hammers so that it doesn't move is also what people do.

The point of this passage is not to condemn totems and only totems, even if it was strictly speaking of a totem, but instead condemning idols. You see, it is not the totem that is the problem, but the fact that it was idol worship. The striking resemblance of the passage sounding like a description of a Christmas tree is no mistake, for the Christmas tree is in fact a totem/idol, proven to be used as such by pagans then and still now.

Furthermore, idols are not only an idol if you give it an idolatrous value in your heart and life. But rather, an Idol is anything that presents itself as a symbol of worship to something, or someone, regardless if you yourself worship it. Otherwise why would God command us to destroy those temples and idols of others and not use them in worship to Him? Especially when we know full well they are dead gods?

Is it not obvious that it's because Idols are anything that are built by human hands to symbolize or facilitate worship of anything that is not God? So if we are commanded not to adopt pagan idols and rather destroy them, and Christmas trees are pagan idols, then it is abundantly clear we should rather destroy them, then keep them.

What's worse is some people say it is meant to represent Christ! Which is a violation of Exodus 20:4 and John 4:24.

““Thou shalt not make unto thee any graven image, or any likeness of any thing that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth:” ”

— Exodus 20:4

““God is a Spirit: and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth.””

— John 4:24 KJV

Also touching briefly on the article above, John MacArthur's main argument is based on a faulty understanding of Idols. To say nothing of him characteristically avoiding the key verses we have mentioned here. Perhaps at a later date we will tackle his other positions that are false, but for now lets stay on track.

the bottom-line is most of Christmas is pagan, and we are commanded to not participate in it. The Bible expressly tells us in Ephesians 5:8-11

“For ye were sometimes darkness, but now are ye light in the Lord: walk as children of light:
(For the fruit of the Spirit is in all goodness and righteousness and truth;)
Proving what is acceptable unto the Lord.
And have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness, but rather reprove them.”

— Ephesians 5:8-11 KJV

Dealing With Rebuttals & Arguments For Christmas.

But the verses you use don't mention a tree!

Well, are you sure about that? Although the words ”Christmas tree” is not in the Bible, the description of one is, and the pagan rituals that take place on Christmas are strictly condemned in the Bible as well. Is a Yule Tree not an abomination of the nation of the Vikings that Deuteronomy 18:9 forbids?

You have to remember that the Bible is not a glossary, listing every sin imaginable, it gives us categories of sin. For example, the Bible also doesn't tell you to not drink battery acid, but I would not recommend it. It does tell you however, that you should treat your body like the temple of God (1 Corinthians 6:19), so anything that could be seen as actively harming yourself like that, is a violation of scripture. There are principles and categories that the Bible teaches that apply to all manner of things. (2 Timothy 3:15-17)

What about making the time about Jesus?

You certainly can and should do something with your family during this time, gather, break bread, take communion, study the word, and dedicate time to worshiping God and serving others, and evangelizing to the lost. But to erect a tree? And participate in what are pagan traditions?

I dare say there is someone other than Christ you are serving if this is the case. If anything the Christmas tree acts as a symbol of your disobedience more than it does a symbol of your worship of God who cannot be worshiped with idols or man made things. We worship him with our daily lives, with the conversation of our lives, and with our dedication to him. Christmas can be used to focus on Christ, but do not be deceived, it is not his birthday, and to teach that it is, is a lie, to celebrate it, is to go outside of scripture and do what no Apostle or Christian ever did until a pope decided to make it official.

But what about Gift Giving?

Gift giving is probably the hardest thing to depart from. But it stems from the gifts the Yule Father would give to children in ancient Norse rituals. Yet our actual Father does tell us to give gifts (Acts 20:35) and is the giver of good gifts (James 1:17). What's the difference? Well the difference is you should not wait for a specific day to give to others, especially a day associated with the Yule Father/Santa. Should we not rather give to all liberally at all times (Galatians 6:10)?

Would you be able to say your financial, and gift giving throughout the year matches this time where you give to those you love? What about giving to those in need in your local area (James 2:16)? What profit is it to give to those you love above those in need (Matthew 5:46)?

Let us at all times serve God and do what is needful for the many. Surely this is a better way to worship our Father in spirit and truth is it not? A better way to celebrate Christ?

But Jesus’ Birth WAS Celebrated by the Three Wise Men, so we should celebrate his birth too!

Well, on this statement you are wrong. Look at Matthew 2:2 and specifically note the purpose for them to visit Christ. “…we have seen his star in the east, and are come to worship him.” The magi did not come to celebrate his birth, but to worship him, because… He is God! Birthday celebrations are arguably a pagan influence and have certainly impacted the minds of Christians universally.

But the Angels rejoiced and made celebration of Christs Birth!

It is important to understand the difference between celebrating Christ’s birth, and celebrating Christ the Messiah King of Kings and Lord of Lords. People will cite Luke 2:1-20 as evidence that the angels celebrated the birth of Christ. It is so vital that you again understand this subtle yet insidious belief, that marks the difference between true and incorrect understanding. The Angels, markedly celebrated CHRIST! Markedly celebrated our Lord of Lord King of Kings! Not his birth and his birth alone.

I would like to acknowledge however that the birth of Christ is a pivotal and crucial part of the reason we have salvation. But the Angels were celebrating not for the births sake, but for what God was doing through Christ, that good will towards men, and the prophesied event had come to pass. Surely the day of Christs birth was a momentous day for all mankind, but not the birth alone, rather the coming of the time of salvation for the Jew, and the Gentile. So do we celebrate his birth? No… We celebrate Christ Jesus coming to die for our sins, and not on a specific day, but everytime we wake up, we eat, and we sleep, we have reason to praise the Lord Jesus Christ. For if you have salvation, you are truly blessed indeed.

But Jesus celebrated cultural events like Hanukkah and Passover!

There is an argument for how Jesus “celebrated” Hanukkah, but this simply isn't true. The word says in John 10 that Jesus was in the city at this time, but does not say he participated in any festivities. In fact I would strongly argue that the reason he was there was to reveal himself to the Jews as the son of God and God himself. They even tried to stone him for this but he disappeared into the crowd.

When it comes to Passover, Jesus himself commanded the Jews to observe it Exodus 12:1-29, and Numbers 9:2. So Jesus celebrating Passover is something that is to be expected, since he commanded the Israelites to do so. Hanukkah however is a man made time, not a Holy day like Passover. I doubt Christ celebrated Hanukkah. One rebuttal will be “Jesus did celebrate a wedding though!” and yes it's true, he turned water into wine (alcoholic beverage) in John 2:1-11. The difference here again has to do with God's decree. Marriage is something the Lord instituted and hates divorce (Malachi 2:16). Hanukkah still remains an earthly, man made tradition of Jews, and not a Holy day of God.

The evolving traditions argument or adoption argument

There are some who like to view the adoption or evolution from the pagan origins of Christmas as a sign of our Triumph over those Pagan ways, redeeming the traditions for Christ. See Here, Here, Here, and Here.

The problem with these false theories is Deuteronomy 12:1-4 and Deuteronomy 18:9-14 that we already covered. Additionally, can you redeem a ouija board for Christ? Can you redeem pagan sacrifices for Christ?

Clearly not, but what are you doing then when you erect a pagan tree and … redeem it for Christ!?

The case is closed, not by me, but by God. These are verifiable Pagan traditions, the Lord says do not worship him with Pagan traditions, there is nothing more to be said and done but to Repent and obey the Lord.

But I really don't do Christmas as a form of worship at all, for it's just meaningless fun!

Now this rebuttal is a fairly good one, it is essentially using the meat sacrificed unto idols argument.. But improperly. The argument goes: “A tree is just a tree, and presents are just presents and we are not worshiping God through it, nor intentionally or participating in pagan worship.”

On the surface that seems like a solid argument to dismiss this entire article, however there are some major flaws in that reasoning. Let me point out what those are with comparison, analogy and scripture.

Let's say every December, you and your family had a tradition of pulling out some basic cards, and asking family members to select cards at random. Whoever got whatever card, were then able to pick a present from a pile of presents with the corresponding card. Now let's say this exact method was the method pagans used to divine the fates of people, or in some sort of other ritualistic form of tradition.

Would it suddenly make the ritual your family performs, suddenly benign, simply because your reasons for doing it have nothing to do with the pagan origins? Or if what you did was not based on any pagan origins like Christmas is, but was 100% a new invention of your family, would it then be okay?

Well if the answer was yes, then any tradition of Pagans can be used in any fashion so long as your heart is not using it improperly correct?

Well thank God he has outlined that its not okay, and here is why:

The issue is not the actual methods and materials of the practice but in the association and origin. As in the case of meat sacrificed to Idols, the gods the meat is sacrificed to, and then sold at the market cheaper are dead, and the meat is just meat. In that section of scripture, Paul is instructing us that if eating meat sacrificed unto idols causes your weaker brother/sister to stumble into sin, such as going to the temple of idols to worship because he falsely associated your meat eating with acceptance of idols. Then you are to not eat meat. So even if by emulating a pagan ritual, and changing its form to something benign, it would then make it technically not the same thing, it still makes you guilty on two counts:

One of violating Deuteronomy 12 and Deuteronomy 18, and two, of allowing others to see your acceptance of what will ultimately lead them to adopt more and more worldly practices and traditions in the name of “adopting them” or “redeeming them”. This is how we get people thinking they can violate scripture and do online baptisms and communion, to the point where they are in grievous sin. This is the main danger for churches who adopt a seeker friendly mentality as well. Anything goes as long as you can tie a magical string back to Christ.

So if anything has a tradition in pagan traditions we can't practice it at all?

Well you can find the answer to the question by asking 2 questions:

Is the practice exclusively performed by pagans to exclusively do that which the Bible condemns?

If yes, then you cannot use it or redeem it. If it originates in pagan traditions, then it is pagan. If you can find sufficient evidence that the origins of it stem from something benign, then you may be able to do it, but the issue with Christmas traditions is there is no other source, it is a pagan ritual. Considering everything else in the article, where would you rather fall? On the side of sin, error and pride? Or on the side of humility and obedience to God? If you are on the right side, you will choose to forgo Christmas celebrations in the pagan ways, in order to honor God. Instead, make this time about family, spreading the Gospel, and helping those in need!

Is the practice done by pagans but also done by others in a benign way and did not originate in paganism?

If yes, then you can use it. For example, cooking a Christmas Ham was a sacrifice to Fryr and is the origin of that custom. But does that mean anytime you eat or cook ham you are worshiping Fryr? No of course not, but if you do it during the time Pagans did worship Fryr and you do it for ritualistic or traditional reasons, then you are participating in a pagan rituals. Now one could make an argument that other cultures ate the ham at the same time for no pagan purposes, and thus it makes it benign. And if that is so, then it ceases to be an issue. However, keeping in mind 1 Corinthians 10, if it causes others to stumble into sin, then you should abstain, for your conscience and theirs.

Philosophical Reasons

There are still those however that try to use vain philosophies of men (Colossians 2:8) to argue how the pagan Christmas tree has all sorts of amazing Christian Symbolism in it. This is a common tactic of false heretical teachers. An example of that reasoning comes from this website that gives anecdotal unscriptural reasons to have a Christmas tree due to its symbolization. Problem is, as we have already covered, we are not to create idols or symbols to aid our worship or otherwise represent our worship to God. We are to worship in spirit and truth, and nothing else. I wont engage in dismantling these vain philosophies so that I do not run the risk of violating scripture as we see in 2 Timothy 2:14-16.

Misused Scripture

There is a scripture in the Bible that some might use to support their use of a Christmas tree despite what we covered, and that is Hosea 14:8

““Ephraim shall say, What have I to do any more with idols? I have heard him, and observed him: I am like a green fir tree. From me is thy fruit found.””

— Hosea 14:8

Funny enough, that this scripture actually is good evidence against Christmas celebrations. The Lord is where our efforts of praise go, not into a tree!

What's being said here is not God telling us he is a tree and so go get a tree and worship it. But rather what's being said is “Do away with your Idols, for the Lord God is our God, and in him, in spirit and truth, is his fruit found”. This verse is actually against idol worship using trees, and for our argument of worshiping God through spirit and truth.

Closing Summary and Final Appeal.

Since those who are Christs are those who follow his voice and do as he commands, why entangle yourself in the ways of the world when we are told not to (2 Timothy 2:4)? Why make excuses and justify it? Surely those who love the Lord will consider themselves in all this, and be willing to cast aside anything that even resembles evil! 1 Thessalonians 5:15-23

“See that none render evil for evil unto any man; but ever follow that which is good, both among yourselves, and to all men.

Rejoice evermore.

Pray without ceasing.

In every thing give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you.

Quench not the Spirit.

Despise not prophesyings.

Prove all things; hold fast that which is good.

Abstain from all appearance of evil.

And the very God of peace sanctify you wholly; and I pray God your whole spirit and soul and body be preserved blameless unto the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.”

— 1 Thessalonians 5:15-23 KJV

The natural reply to an article such as this would be Why?

Why on Earth do we need this teaching on Christmas?
Isn't Christmas the only Holiday that truly belongs to Christians?

Ask yourself this: Is the purpose of Christ’s deaths to have trees and presents and succulent meals with family? Or is it to give opportunity to the lost that they might be saved?

We all know we are to live for Christ, but unfortunately the majority of North American Christians have only taken this at face value, and applied it loosely to their lives, acknowledging their sin, but not understanding the totality of this command.

Surrendering our lives to God in humble contrition and repentance is part of the deal we make for… You know… God in the flesh, dying for our sins, the just for the unjust (1 Peter 3:18).

For us, It is a small thing in comparison to what Christ has done for us, to obey the call of the Lord to surrender our lives completely to him as it is the very least we can do. The whole reason for the season is because the Lord has paid an enormous debt on our behalf for our sins of lying, stealing, adultery, blasphemy and more. And the Lord God of heaven commands us to adhere to his word and way (John 14:15). We don't do this out of pure compulsion against our will but rather the opposite: As a demonstration of our love for him (1 John 4:19) and as the evidence of being born again a new creation (2 Corinthians 5:17).

To take the topic of the article, which is a dead tree placed in our houses for Christmas, and make it an analogy:

Us who are saved are much like how if a tree were to be given new life from a dead state, it would produce healthy and vibrant fruit. So it is in that manner, we are to be living for Christ, producing fruit, and not just decorated like the finest morticians work, but alive, and living unto Christ fully. It is important to soberly remember that the measure in which you fear the Lord, you will depart from your iniquity. Just as Proverbs 16:6 says

“By mercy and truth iniquity is purged: and by the fear of the LORD men depart from evil.”

This departure is a mark of your true conversion to Christ, from being once dead in sins to now being alive in Christ. He has made us completely new, and dead to sin, within him.

As hard as it is, we have been called to be separate from this world (2 Corinthians 6:17, Ephesians 5:11, James 4:4, 2 Timothy 2:4-5, 2 Timothy 2:19-22, Deuteronomy 12:3-4) and to do so may mean being an outcast to our community of Christian friends and family as well as the world.

Jesus warned that in our faith there would be one turned against another for the pursuit of righteousness and truth (Luke 12:51-53). Divisions we must have brothers and sister, and the type of division we need is one that divides over truth and righteousness according to the Bible.

I pray if you listened to this or read it on our site, that you would deeply consider this teaching, and that you would adhere to Gods word and way, and depart from those who advise you to do otherwise.

Even if you don't do it for Pagan worship, do you believe that every single person who practiced these pagan traditions in the past, did so with full knowledge of what they were doing? Or do you think, perhaps like us, they did so because well… Everyone else was doing it?

Perhaps just like that, some in these ancient times thought nothing of it, but did so out of various reasons. In much the same way, many today put up Christmas trees and wreaths and all manner of lights and decorations with no thought of it.

These ancient people likely did the same and performed various traditions and rituals thinking they were simply things they ought to do for good, to be accepted, to have fun, or to ward off evil, with only a few that were actually worshiping false gods. Notice how God does not command in Deuteronomy 12 and 18 to destroy the hearts of idol worshippers, but the idols themselves? Right, because the heart position is not the problem, the fact that it is an idol is.

So then the question remains… Should Christians Celebrate Christmas? Perhaps before you were equipped with this knowledge the answer was a straight yes. But hopefully you now see that this is not something Christians should do. Instead spend time with family, worship the Lord, take communion, praise God, eat food, and go share the gospel.

Colossians 3:23-24

“And whatsoever ye do, do it heartily, as to the Lord, and not unto men; Knowing that of the Lord ye shall receive the reward of the inheritance: for ye serve the Lord Christ.”

— Colossians 3:23-24 KJV

I encourage you this season, to meditate upon all the facts brought up in this, and change the way your family does Christmas. If you worship God this season, do it without Idols, do in spirit and in truth, and honor the Lord by obeying his word.