Jesus Is The Reason For The Season

Or is he?  Well, yes and no I guess.  He's supposed to be that's for sure.  But is he really the reason for the Christmas season?  Here I go again.  Looking at the details and what is found and is NOT found in the Word of God.  Christmas is a celebration of the birth of Christ and is one of we Christians most important holidays.  We assume that December 25th is His birthday and is cause for great celebration!  And boy have we developed a lot of different traditions from nearly all cultures all over the world to help us celebrate!  Too many to even begin to list. 

But......is December 25th the day that little baby Jesus was born in that manager in Bethlehem?  Well, the truth be told, I don't really have a clue.  There's some stuff about His birth in the Bible.  But what is strangely missing is the actual DATE of His birth.  It's just not there.  However, it is clear that he was most likely NOT born in December.  When you look at Luke 2:8 which says "And there were in the same country shepherds abiding in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night."  So it might have been spring, summer or even fall but probably not winter.  Why?  Because in December it is too cold and rainy in Israel for the shepherds to be out in the fields at night tending their sheep.  And it's pretty clear from Luke 2:9-14 that the shepherds WERE in the field the night that Jesus was born: 

     "And, lo, the angel of the Lord came upon them, and the glory of the Lord shone round about them:  and they were sore afraid.  And the angel said unto them, Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people.  For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord.  And this shall be a sign unto you; ye shall find the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger.  And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God, and saying, Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men."

So the shepherds were definitely IN the field on the night of our dear Saviour's birth but it probably was not in December at all. 

Here 's another little item to note.  There is NO mention of wise men being at the manger either.  Although this is very clear from scripture, most folks just never notice this yet somehow we've developed this traditional "picture" of the manger scene with Mary, Joseph, baby Jesus, three wise men, and maybe a couple animals and maybe even some shepherds hovering over the manger looking at the babe.  Admit it, that's what you always assumed, right?  That's certainly what we see in all the nativity scenes we used to see set up all over our towns and cities.  Unfortunately, now the manger scene seems to be a violation of someone else's rights or something.  It's an offense to some.  Can you even imagine that?  I'm digressing again.  Anyway, why are those wise men there when they didn't even show up until possibly up to two years later and it sure wasn't at the birth manger?  The first mention of the wise men is in Matthew 2:1-8:

     "Now when Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judaea in the days of Herod the king, behold, there came wise men from the east to Jerusalem, saying, Where is he that is born King of the Jews?  for we have seen his star in the east, and are come to worship him.  When Herod the king had heard these things, he was troubled, and all Jerusalem with him.  And when he had gathered all the chief priests and scribes of the people together, he demanded of them where Christ should be born.  And they said unto him, In Bethlehem of Judaea:  for thus it is written by the prophet, And thou Bethlehem, in the Land of Juda, art not the least among the princes of Juda: for out of thee shall come a Governor, that shall rule my people Israel.  Then Herod, when he had privily called the wise men, enquired of them diligently what time the star appeared.  And he sent them to Bethlehem, and said, Go and search diligently for the young child; and when ye have found him, bring me word again, that I may come and worship him also."

Notice these scriptures don't say HOW MANY wise men either.  They don't say three; they just say "wise men."  So, it could have been two or many; we really don't know how many.  Notice too that they followed a large, bright star of some kind.  We don't really know what that star was exactly but it did move.  From Matthew 2:11 we know that when the wise men finally did find Jesus it was not in the manger at all but in a HOUSE somewhere.  We don't really know where either.  "And when they were come into the house, they saw the young child with Mary his mother, and fell down, and worshipped him ."  So it was in a house and this also indicates that Jesus was a young child;  not a baby but a young child! 

A while later, in Matthew 2:16 we see that King Herod was angry and decided to kill all the children in Bethlehem who were two years old and under.  "Then Herod, when he saw that he was mocked of the wise men, was exceeding wroth, and sent forth, and slew all the children that were in Bethlehem, and in all the coasts thereof, from two years old and under, according to the time which he had diligently inquired of the wise men."  So........Herod at least knew that Jesus could have been as old as two years by that time.  So that means that it is possible that the wise men didn't even find Jesus until he was two.

There's not much else in the Bible actually about the birth of Jesus.  So there goes another one of our "traditional" images of the manger scene.  No wise men, no decorated trees (see previous blog dated November 16, 2009) and it wasn't even in December!  So much for the Christmas cards with this picture on them.  In fact, there isn't even a record anywhere in the Bible of Jesus' birthday being celebrated.  Evidently that wasn't the custom at that time.   

So how did we end up celebrating Christmas in December anyway?  Well, it turns out that it goes way, way, back a long, long time ago.  In fact, many of our traditional Christmas customs go back thousands of years ago and before Jesus was even born.  Most historians mention the ancient practice of honoring the sun god in late December.  There were parties, banquets, and gift exchanges for the festival of Saturnalia, named for the heathen god Saturn.  Over the many centuries these pagan celebrations have been mixed in with the worship of our Lord and somehow these practices which were never mentioned in the Bible became intertwined with the spread of Christianity. 

Now are you ready for a huge surprise?  This one blew me away.  The early settlers in New England did not even celebrate Christmas and, in fact, outlawed it! Christians helped pass laws that actually made it illegal to observe Christmas because they felt it was insulting to God to honor a day associated with pagan rituals.  Most of us are totally unaware that Christmas was banned in Boston from 1659 to 1681.  Christmas was not declared a federal holiday until 1870.  Can you believe that?  That wasn't even that long ago!  Who would have ever guessed that except maybe historians?  I guess it's an example of how ungodly things "creep" into our traditions and even into our churches today.    

Well, celebrating Christmas on Dec. 25th may not be the exact right date and many of the traditions we normally associate with Christmas may have originally been mixed with paganistic beliefs and practices but I believe that most of us who love the Lord celebrate this day with all of the right motives in our hearts.  Even though it may not actually be the day of Jesus' birth, we have been celebrating it as such for so many years that it has become one of our most important Christian holidays.  It is a day that we have chosen to honor the Lord and to pay respects to his day of birth (even though it technically isn't his birthday).  I just wish that we could all come away from the materialism of this day and truly just worhip the Lord on this special day. 

Did the early settlers have it right when they outlawed the celebration of Christmas?  I don't know.  You be the judge of that.  I do know that we've allowed it to become the most materialistic holiday ever and that is wrong for sure.  I wish we could just get back to the basics.  Keep it simple and full of love for one another and mostly for the Lord.  Teach your children the real Christmas story.  Read it straight from the Bible.  Explain to them that different customs, rituals, and traditions have developed over the years but that most of them have nothing to do with the actual biblical story of the birth of Jesus.  That doesn't necessarily make these traditions wrong.  But I think it's important that we all know the truth and can distinguish the actual and factual from what has just become customary. 

In the meantime, if you do shop for Christmas gifts, please go to the stores who are not afraid to allow their employees to say Merry Christmas; who are not afraid to display Merry Christmas signs on the doors and windows of their shops.  Fight back when it comes to "political correctness" which is not usually correct at all.  It's just plain dumb sometimes.  Don't turn your hard earned money over to the stores who have basically outlawed Christmas with their crazy policies.  It doesn't even make sense.  They're sure happy to take your money and plenty of it but they're not willing to recognize the Christ in Christmas.  Be different.  Make a difference.  Look around inside the stores.  If you see no signs of "Christmas" versus "holiday" in the store then go somewhere else after you tell the management why you are leaving.  Write a letter if you don't find anyone in authority to actually talk to in the store.  Written letters usually carry more weight anyway.

Were you surprised by any of this?  I was but I appreciate knowing the true facts about stuff;  especially about biblical stuff.  In the meantime, keep studying God's Word and keep on praying.  If you don't have a strong desire for God's Word in your heart, then just pray for it.  Ask God to instill this love of His Word in you.  I'm sure He will.  He is no respecter of persons.  What He does for one he will do for another. 

        



 

Oh Christmas Tree, Oh Christmas Tree.......

Well, it's getting to be that time of the year again. Have you noticed the Christmas (oh excuse me - holiday) "stuff" that's beginning to show up in the stores all around town?  Boy, Christmas comes around again faster and faster each year it seems. Why is that I wonder? I must be getting old or something. Time seems to be speeding up. It sure isn't me that is speeding up!

As an aside, you might as well know that I'm "nipping" the political correctness nonsense in the bud.  None of that for me!  December 25th is Christmas for crying out loud.  You don't hear people saying "Happy Holiday" on February 14th do you or on Mother's Day or Father's Day?  That's enough.....I'm not even going to go there right now - maybe some other day.  On December 12th I'll gladly start saying Happy Hanukkah to my Jewish friends and family.  That reminds me of my Jewish girl friend in high school.  Her family did choose to put up a Christmas tree in December.  I don't know why.  I suppose because there were only two Jewish kids in our school and I guess maybe my friend was a little envious of all the Christmas hoopla like presents and decorations that all of her friends got to enjoy.  So I guess her parents didn't want her to feel left out so they "caved in" to the wordly secular stuff in order to make their only child happy.  Who knows?  I'm just guessing.  Anyway, one year, they suddenly found out that Grandma was coming for an unexpected visit and would arrive that very day.  Boy, the entire family (and I)  hustled around hiding all evidence of Christmas in that house that day!  But I digress.....

There are lots of things about this time of the year, the Christmas season, that are addressed in the Bible. It may come as a surprise to you about some of them though. Some things that we just assume are in there, are not;  some things that we don't think are in there, are!  This "posting" may appeal to you "Scrooges" out there who really don't want much of anything to do with all of the Christmas hustle/bustle anymore. Some of you who are very thorough in your study of the Word will already know all about it. Others, not-so-much....  You may be taken aback and totally shocked about one of our favorite yuletide traditions, the highly ornamented and beautifully decorated Chrismas tree.  Ahhhh, yes, it brings such joy to gaze upon our gorgeous, glamorously decorated and brightly lit Christmas trees!  They're so beautiful, aren't they?  They help usher in this season of great joy and glad tidings!

Not so fast.  Have you ever even bothered to wonder what God might have to say about these decorated trees?  I never even thought about it until one day years ago when I suddently really noticed  this scripture in Jeremiah.  So......is there really anything in the Bible about Christmas trees you ask?  Well, not specifically Christmas trees per se but there is something that sounds very similar to them but it's probably not what you are going to expect to hear.  Ready?  Let's look at Jeremiah 10: 2-5.

"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 in 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: 2-5.

Oh no, you just popped my bubble!  I love Christmas trees.  Yeah, me too.  But this does sound eerily like a Christmas tree, doesn't it?  Cutting a tree from the forest with an axe, decking it with silver and gold (notice the word "decking" - like in Deck the Halls....), fastening it with nails and hammers (sounds like those now old-fashioned wooden Christmas tree stands) so that it won't move or fall down.  It has to be carried (it must be "borne" because it cannot go).  Oh my, it DOES sound just like a modern day Christmas tree!  Wow!  Who would have guessed that these decorated trees might be a no-no in God's eyes?  Not me.  I was really shocked by it the very first time I read it years ago.  You never hear anyone teaching about it either, do you?

So where did this tradition come from anyway?  These verses (which were written a long time before Jesus was even born) indicate that this particular activity was practiced by pagans who worshipped false gods.  Certainly NOT the Creator of the universe!  The fact that the word "vain" is used here shows that this was a useless practice.  Also, God clearly says to "learn not the way of the heathen."  These long-ago pagans did much the same thing that we do today; at least it's what we did before we started buying our Christmas trees at neighborhood corner lots or in the grocery store parking lots.  They went out into the forest and picked a tree, cut it down with an axe, brought it home, made a wooden "stand" for it so it wouldn't fall over, and decorated it with gold and silver ornaments of some kind.  Sound familiar? 

What does this all mean?  I don't know for sure but I'm thinking that God doesn't particularly like His children (that would be us) participating in pagan worship practices.  Turns out a lot of our traditional holidays from all cultures are based on pagan practices.  They don't really have anything at all to do with God or Jesus. 

I'm not saying that it's a sin to have a Christmas tree.  I'm just relating what this one particular scripture has to say about "glitzed up" trees full of "bling."  Use your own judgment on this one.  The Bible is full of interesting little tidbits like this and for some reason I am fascinated by them.  This is just ONE of many Christmas traditions that have absolutely nothing to do with Christ at all.   Maybe we'll talk about some more of them later.

In the meantime, you be the judge.  I'm just giving you a little tidbit of insight you can "chew on" for a while and amaze your friends with your knowledge.  I'm just sayin'........  They might laugh at you.  Then again, maybe they'll find it interesting too.  I'm not sure that it's a big deal in the whole realm of things but I just found it kind of fascinating.   
 

   

Worried About Those Who Are "Left Behind"?

This is a sobering and often misunderstood topic. Many of us are very concerned about that very situation happening to our own loved ones. We don't want them to have to undergo living during the tribulation after the rapture of the Church. We pray fervently for their salvation NOW. But, in the very back of our minds, we might think, "Well, if it comes to pass that they don't "make" the rapture, at least they can get "saved" during the tribulation." Although that's not a particularly comforting thought, at least it's better than not ever getting "saved" at all. We might need to rethink that last thought though and come to the understanding that TODAY is the day of salvation; not post-rapture. Let's see what the Word has to say about it.

Let's look at II Thessalonians 2:9-12 (NIV): "(9)The coming of the lawless one will be in accordance with the work of satan displayed in all kinds of counterfeit miracles, signs and wonders, (10) and in every sort of evil that deceives those who are perishing. They perish because they refused to love the truth and so be saved. (11) For this reason God sends them a powerful delusion so that they will believe the lie (12) and so that all will be condemned who have not believed the truth but have delighted in wickedness."

This is an often overlooked and misunderstood couple of scriptures. So short but so very powerful and very, very important. So what does it mean? After God removes the Holy Spirit (the restrainer), it looks like there isn't going to be any more opportunity for salvation for some people. Who are these people? Well, they are the people who are either inside or outside of the Church who, after adequately hearing the Truth of God's Word (the gospel), have willingly and intentionally refused to love that Truth and have chosen instead to delight in the wickedness of the world. Please note that some of these people are INSIDE the church faithfully attending church and perhaps doing many good works but they are not in relationship with the Lord and living in obedience to Him.

God will send these people (v. 11) a powerful delusion so that they may never again have an opportunity to believe the truth that they refused to believe earlier. What truth? The gospel truth! They will forever be doomed to believe "the lie" (v. 12) of satan. God's purpose in doing this is so that they will be condemned. Sounds harsh but that is straight out of verse 12.

Therefore, and this is very important to understand, for those who have already heard and understood God's Word, yet have not loved its truth (they've heard but have rejected the gospel) but have chosen instead the pleasure of sin, "no sacrifice for sins is left, but only a fearful expectation of judgment" (Heb. 10:26-31 - some very sobering scriptures to read!). Salvation during the days of the tribulation will be offered ONLY to those who have NEVER had an adequate opportunity to receive the knowledge of the truth or to hear and understand the gospel.

There are many in the world who have never heard and understood the gospel. However, I maintain that is pretty much NOT the case in the USA and in most of the so-called "western" world with a church on every corner and a TV evangelist on hundreds of TV stations and preachers and teachers teaching the Word on thousands of radio stations across this country and around the world day and night 24/7.

If you are a true believer and seriously dedicated to the Lord, I'm pretty sure you've probably witnessed to and explained the gospel to your children, spouses, brothers, sisters, parents, and other family and loved ones. So they've already heard it, probably many times over. If they have rejected it and continue to reject it right up until the rapture of the Church, I believe it will be too late.

What about the "Left Behind" book series? Many, many get "saved" during the tribulation in that series of novels. Well, what about it? Well, in my opinion, it is not scripturally sound (based on the above scriptures) and is therefore doctrinally wrong.  I just wish that anyone who is going to go to all the work of writing a book and/or making a movie would make it scripturally accurate.  Have you ever noticed that problem when you're watching some of the television "epic" movies about Jesus?  Most of them are not scripturally accurate.  Why won't they just add a true man or woman of the Word to advise them on their projects?  How hard would that be?   

I'm not a Bible scholar by any means. I'm just a lay person who carefully and in great detail reads and studies the Word. I might be wrong and I hope that I am actually because I have a large family of unsaved loved ones. However, these scriptures tell a different story. I sure can't rely on my family and friends getting "saved" after the rapture during the tribulation. They've all heard the gospel. They "get it" but they just reject it as a bunch of nonsense. Their eyes are blinded because of lack of faith (2Cor. 4:4). It's something to at least think about, isn't it? It's all the more reason to put a fire in our mouth and spread the Word, especially to our own loved ones! TODAY is the day of salvation! Why take the chance? We must be BOLDER in our witness and less concerned about being rejected. It's not too late yet. But one day it will be.

I think that most of us who are mature Christians can read the signs of the times. We know that the time is short. His coming truly is soon and getting sooner every single day, every single minute. Let's stop wasting time. Eternity is at stake for our so-far lost loved ones. But there's still hope. It's not too late yet. We've got to keep working while it is still day! Darkness is coming but it's not here yet! Don't give up! Keep praying, keep witnessing, keep ministering, keep studying God's Word, keep on keepin' on!