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Image worship II

• Warning! Today’s blog contains information about our Magnificent Lord and Savior Yeshua (Jesus Christ of Nazareth) and a comparison of His birth celebration to pagan feasts that have become a part of most Christian’s Christmas holiday. We take caution in bringing out facts about the non-Christian portion of the Christmas celebration and we pray that no one’s curiosity will spark an interest in a pagan practice.
• According to Jewish requirements, in order to prove that Jesus was the Son of God the following tenants had to be demonstrated:
• First, let me say that I was fortunate to have life experiences that helped me to fully appreciate my spiritual relationship today. This journey of seeking truth began before I found faith in Jesus Christ. The search took me into various religious settings, such as Jehovah Witness, Islam and other beliefs. However, none of them impacted me as much as the message of God’s faithful relationship with the children of Israel. Israel’s story is seen throughout the Bible and is proven in historical evidence. Archeology supports the story about a virgin-born Messiah who lived, died, and was reported to have risen from the dead. Yeshua (Jesus) was the complete personification of God in the earth as He fulfilled all the prophesies that were foretold about the Savior of mankind (the walking Torah). The only prophesies left to fulfill is His Return and His Millennium Reign.

• He had to prove that in the beginning, He was with GOD.                             ^KJV Matthew 3:17 And lo a voice from heaven, saying, This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased. (Mat 3:17 KJV). 

He had to prove that He had a part in creation.                                                   ^KJV John 6:19 So when they had rowed about five and twenty or thirty furlongs, they see Jesus walking on the sea, and drawing nigh unto the ship: and they were afraid. (Joh 6:19 KJV) ²⁴ And they came to him, and awoke him, saying, Master, master, we perish. Then he arose, and rebuked the wind and the raging of the water: and they ceased, and there was a calm. (Luk 8:24 KJV).

He had to open blind eyes.                                                                                             ⁵ Then the eyes of the blind shall be opened,

He had to open deaf ears                                                                                          and the ears of the deaf shall be unstopped.

He had to cause the lame to walk.                                                                             ⁶ Then shall the lame man leap as an hart, and the tongue of the dumb sing: for in the wilderness shall waters break out, and streams in the desert. (Isa 35:5-6 KJV) ¹⁸ And in that day shall the deaf hear the words of the book, and the eyes of the blind shall see out of obscurity, and out of darkness.

He had to preach to the poor.¹⁹ The meek also shall increase their joy in the LORD, and the poor among men shall rejoice in the Holy One of Israel. (Isa 29:18-19 KJV)

 All of the above tenants for the promised Messiah to be accepted were fulfilled through Christ. No other prophet has fulfilled all of Isaiah’s 54 prophesies about the Promised One with complete accuracy as He did. Even so, they still crucified Him. Jesus proved His love for us by allowing an illegal court system to accuse, judge, beat, and sentence Him to death without speaking on His own behalf. Halleluiah!

Even in Islam, Yeshua (Jesus) and Mary are mentioned. Although they speak of Him as a prophet, the circumstances about His birth is formally recognized and recorded as being a miraculous event.  As a matter of fact, while we were teaching and sharing the Gospel with Christians in Pakistan, many Muslims came to hear us and to receive prayer.

John 6:14 talks about the non-Christian perceptions of Jesus as a prophet:

¹⁴ When the people saw him do this miraculous sign, they exclaimed, “Surely, he is the Prophet we have been expecting!”

¹⁵ When Jesus saw that they were ready to force him to be their king, he slipped away into the hills by himself. (Joh 6:14-15 NLT)

My point to fellow believers is that we must not mix what is Holy with the profane. Even if we saw our family members keeping these practices, it is time for us to break those generational rituals. Today, we hear atheists, agnostics, and anti-Christian radical groups telling our youth that we mix the religions of Christianity with Pagan rituals. So, when our children do the research and discover that what we are doing is irreligious, they may question other things we are doing or saying about God. This is particularly true for young men who are in prison. They are often recruited away from the Christian faith simply because they did not know the truth about their Christianity and were drawn away by a part-truth.

I have often heard the following statements: “Christians are confused. They don’t know what they believe.”

One example of this is the tradition of Christians bringing trees into their homes during Christmas. They are totally unaware of the fact that tree worship is real. In their religion, pagans use evergreen trees as altars to worship their gods.

I am using these examples to prove that we are closely resembling a heathenistic culture while we are innocently trying to celebrate our Lord and Savior’s birthday. Below, are some quotes from an article “Setting up your altar” on the Wiccan website. Wicca defined by Dictionary.com is a nature-oriented religion having rituals and practices derived from pre-Christian religious beliefs and typically incorporating modern witchcraft of a benevolent kind.

Image worship II

We often underestimate the real power of the kingdom of darkness and Satan loves to get us to commit spiritual adultery against God. No one can resist the powerful sense of joy when we give and receive gifts. Science of the brain says that we get hormone baths  when we feel good about making someone happy. But are we considering God’s feelings when we aid the enemy by setting up altars in our homes? We say it’s all for the children, but actually this was the feast when children were sacrificed by tree worshipers

⁵ You worship your idols with great passion beneath the oaks and under every green tree. You sacrifice your children down in the valleys, among the jagged rocks in the cliffs.

⁶ Your gods are the smooth stones in the valleys. You worship them with liquid offerings and grain offerings. They, not I, are your inheritance. Do you think all this makes me happy?

⁷ You have committed adultery on every high mountain. There you have worshiped idols and have been unfaithful to me.

⁸ You have put pagan symbols on your doorposts and behind your doors. You have left me and climbed into bed with these detestable gods. You have committed yourselves to them. You love to look at their naked bodies.

⁹ You have given olive oil to Molech with many gifts of perfume. You have traveled far, even into the world of the dead, to find new gods to love.

(Isa 57:5-9 NLT)

“Setting up your altar”

“Yule, the winter solstice, is a time of great symbolism and power. It marks the return of the sun, when the days finally begin to get a little longer. It’s also a time to celebrate with family and friends, and share the spirit of giving during the holidays. Here are some great Yule rituals that you can do to celebrate this winter Sabbat, either as part of a group or as a solitary.”

Decorate your Yule altar with symbols of the season — candles, suns, evergreen boughs, and even Santa Claus!. Image by Patti Wigington 2008

• Setting Up Your Yule Altar

Before you hold your Yule ritual, you may want to set up an altar to celebrate the season. Here are some quick tips on how to decorate for the Yule holiday, keeping the themes and symbolism of the Sabbat in mind, and ideas on how to deck your halls and walls for winter solstice. Enjoy the magic of the season with a Yule-themed altar!” More » http://paganwiccan.about.com/od/yulerituals/tp/YuleRituals.htm

• “Christmas is the most popular of all festivals among Christians and many non-Christians alike, and its observance combines many strands of tradition. From the ancient Roman pagan festivals of Saturnalia (December 17) and New Year’s come the merrymaking and exchange of presents. Old Germanic midwinter customs have contributed the lighting of the Yule log and decorations with evergreens.” http://paganwiccan.about.com/od/yulerituals/tp/YuleRituals.htm“Such festivals were probably a Christian adaptation of the pagan festivities of the Saturnalia. By the 13th century these feasts had become a burlesque of Christian morality and worship. In spite of repeated prohibitions and penalties imposed by the Council of Basel in 1431.”SaturnSaturn’s great festival, the Saturnalia, became the most popular of Roman festivals, and its influence is still felt in the celebration of Christmas and the Western world’s New Year.significance as ritualOne of the best-known festivals of ancient Rome was the Saturnalia, a winter festival celebrated on December 17–24. Because it was a time of wild merrymaking and domestic celebrations, businesses, schools, and law courts were closed so that the public could feast, dance, gamble, and generally enjoy itself to the fullest. December 25—the birthday of Mithra, the Iranian god of light,…
• http://www.britannica.com/topic/Saturnalia-Roman-festival
• feast: Carnivals and saturnalias
• http://www.britannica.com/topic/Saturnalia-Roman-festival
• Saturn (Roman god)
•  
• The feast of Saturnalia held from December 17-24 was outlawed because supposedly human sacrifices took place on the high places. Town folk could see the procession of pagans holding candles that lit the way whenever an unfortunate soul was being carried up the mountain to be sacrificed to the Roman god, Saturn. Originally, these fall festivals were not a part of any Christian celebrations. It was not until the Catholic Church told the Pagans that they would no longer be allowed to continue their human sacrifices. Furthermore, if they converted to Catholicism they could still have the festival, but no killings. The worship of Saturnalia may have ended if we had not brought some of the cultural traditions into the Church.

Candles

• Outdoor Christmas light displays on houses evolved from decorating the traditional Christmas tree and house with candles during the Christmas season. The tradition of lighting the tree with small candles dates back to the 17th century and originated in Germany before spreading to Eastern Europe. The small candles were attached to the tree branches with pins or melted wax. In addition, European Christians used to display a burning candle in the windows of their house that was visible from the outside.

Read more : http://www.ehow.com/about_6500955_history-christmas-lights-houses.html

St. Nicholas is the Saint better known as “Santa Claus” (Sinterklaas in the Dutch whence “Santa Claus” comes). His image in America has been mixed up with a lot of traits and imagery from sources as disparate as the poetry of Clement Moore, pagan Norse mythology, and American advertising. In real life, though, St. Nicholas was a beloved and wonderful Bishop of Myra (in modern-day Turkey). He was born in Asia Minor in A.D. 260 and orphaned at an early age. As a young man, he made a pilgrimage to Palestine and Egypt, becoming a Bishop upon his return. He was imprisoned during the persecutions of Diocletian, but was released after Constantine came to rule. According to legend, he was present at the Council of Nicaea and became so incensed at Arius —

When the great Saint died, he was buried in Myra, but the town was later taken by the Saracens in A.D. 1034. The Italians rallied to gather and preserve his relics from desecration, and in 1097, sailors brought them to Bari, Italy. A lovely church — the Church of San Niccolo — was built to house them, and there they can be found today. A curative Oil of Saints — “Manna di San Niccolo” — is said to exude from them to this day.

 Image worship II

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