by Sister Stephanie A. Mayberry
One of the most common reasons given for celebrating Christmas is to celebrate the birth of Yeshua (Jesus). Ask just about anyone and they will typically cite Luke 2:10-11
10 And the angel said unto them, Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people.
Luke 2:10-11
11 For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord.
They get hung up on the word born and erroneously believe that it is a celebration of birth.
It is not.
They are Getting it All Wrong
It is the good news of the arrival of a KING, a SAVIOR, a MESSIAH, and these people had been hearing the prophecies of His arrival for generations.
He could have arrived in any way that Yehovah saw fit – suddenly appear as a man, created from the dust of the earth like Adam, any way to bring this SAVIOR into being would have brought the same proclamation.
He chose birth because He could enter into the human experience. Because Yeshua is God incarnate (Deuteronomy 6:4, 1 Timothy 3:16, Colossians 2:9, Isaiah 9:6, John 10:30, and so many more), He could come into existence any way He wanted, but in order to fulfill the law of recompense which would allow Him to become the sacrificial lamb He had to present Himself as a human being, sinless and perfect.
See, He chose to walk among us (John 1:1-14).
So how do we know that the angels are NOT celebrating a birth? Well, there are a few clues.
They Were Celebrating a Savior, a King
Just look at the words that are used. They are not celebrating a baby being born. They are celebrating a savior. The wise men (and there were MANY more than just three) came to honor a KING (who was around 3 years old when they got there – definitely not an infant).
How do we know this?
Prophecy.
Micah 5:1-6 gives us a very powerful picture of this “baby.”
1 Now gather thyself in troops, O daughter of troops: he hath laid siege against us: they shall smite the judge of Israel with a rod upon the cheek.
Micah 5:1-6
2 But thou, Bethlehem Ephratah, though thou be little among the thousands of Judah, yet out of thee shall he come forth unto me that is to be ruler in Israel; whose goings forth have been from of old, from everlasting.
3 Therefore will he give them up, until the time that she which travaileth hath brought forth: then the remnant of his brethren shall return unto the children of Israel.
4 And he shall stand and feed in the strength of the Lord, in the majesty of the name of the Lord his God; and they shall abide: for now shall he be great unto the ends of the earth.
5 And this man shall be the peace when the Assyrian shall come into our land: and when he shall tread in our palaces, then shall we raise against him seven shepherds, and eight principal men.
6 And they shall waste the land of Assyria with the sword, and the land of Nimrod in the entrances thereof: thus shall he deliver us from the Assyrian, when he cometh into our land, and when he treadeth within our borders.
In Isaiah 7:10-16 we see Yehovah telling Ahaz about the coming of Yeshua
10 Moreover the Lord spake again unto Ahaz, saying,
Isaiah 7:10-16
11 Ask thee a sign of the Lord thy God; ask it either in the depth, or in the height above.
12 But Ahaz said, I will not ask, neither will I tempt the Lord.
13 And he said, Hear ye now, O house of David; Is it a small thing for you to weary men, but will ye weary my God also?
14 Therefore the Lord himself shall give you a sign; Behold, a virgin shall conceive, and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel.
15 Butter and honey shall he eat, that he may know to refuse the evil, and choose the good.
16 For before the child shall know to refuse the evil, and choose the good, the land that thou abhorrest shall be forsaken of both her kings.
The emphasis is not on the birth, but on the emergence of a SAVIOR and what He will do.
That is important!
Birthdays are not Biblical
Birthdays are not biblical. You never see the disciples throwing Jesus a birthday party. In fact, there are only two birthdays in the Bible and in both of them someone was murdered.
Not very festive, is it?
But scripture actually has something to say about birthdays. We see it in Ecclesiastes.
1 A good name is better than precious ointment; and the day of death than the day of one’s birth.
Ecclesiastes 7:1
The day of death for a person who has lived according to scripture is a day of rejoicing. Death puts an end to the misery and suffering that the day of birth brings them into. Death rescues them from sin and the spiritual pollution that believers are bombarded with daily.
In death they return to Yehovah – they go home. Or rather they wait for His return and the promised Kingdom.
Now, make no mistake. This does not mean that we are to seek out death, but our day of birth is not a day of celebration when you are thinking with a mind that places holiness first and foremost (1 Peter 1:15-17).
The truth is, birthday celebrations are vanity at the very least and idolatry at the worst.
We are supposed to celebrate God Almighty and put Him FIRST – always. He comes before your spouse, your children, your parents, your family, your friends, your job, the money you have in the bank, EVERYTHING.
Where did Birthdays Start?
Various cultures developed their own birthday celebrations individually, but the very first birthday celebrations began with the Egyptians.
And their “birthday celebrations” had nothing to do with a person’s day of birth.
It had to do with Egyptian pharaohs being crowned as gods. When that happened it was called being “birthed,” hence the name birthday.
And it had nothing to do with Yehovah in any way – or humans for that matter.
There are only two birthdays in the bible and neither of them are good
The best way to know how we are to live and what customs and traditions we are to adopt is to look at scripture. If you look in the
Bible you will see that only two birthdays are celebrated there – Pharaoh and Herod (Genesis 40:20-22, Matthew 14:6-10).
Both really bad guys, and in both “celebrations” someone died.
What’s more, nowhere in the book do we see the disciples giving Jesus a birthday party – or Jesus having a birthday party – or even talking about having a birthday party.
Where do you draw the line?
Yes, birthdays have pagan roots, but they also have a great deal of cultural significance.
You have to decide where to draw the line.
A birthday is just the anniversary of when a person joined the human race – and that they have survived another year. That’s a little tongue-in-cheek, but when you look at it, that should be the focus.
A simple meal, sharing happy memories, enjoying spending time with the person – there’s nothing wrong with that. We should celebrate each other all the time.
It can also be used to mark the passage of a personal year. It’s easy to remember the day you were born, so if you commit to something for a year, like reading through the Bible, then birthday to birthday is a good marker.
There are other activities that you can use this marked passage of time for as well.
Let me explain. During the year, each time Yehovah blesses you, write it down and put it in a jar. When your birthday comes around, take some time to read those blessings and reflect on how He is working in your life.
Each year, give the birthday person a Bible verse or portion of scripture that is “theirs” to remember, apply to their life, share with others, and make it a part of who they are. When their birthday rolls around, talk about the “old” scripture and how it affected them, how they lived it, then present them with a new one.
Use that day to bless someone else.
Leave the parties, cake, candles, and presents to the pagans.
God Gave Us Holy Days to Keep
Yehovah instituted the seventh day Sabbath and gave us that commandment to keep it at the time of creation.
In Leviticus 23 He gave us HIS prescribed feast days, the days He said we are to celebrate and honor Him.
Christmas is NOWHERE in the book. Neither is Easter for that matter, but that’s another post. Birthdays are not celebrated by ANY believers or Christians in the book – nowhere will you find it.
However, December 25th is the birthday of a god – Tammuz the reincarnation of Nimrod the sun god. Yeshua was born in the fall, around September or October on the Gregorian calendar.
When you celebrate these days you are honoring the spirit that is behind it.
And that spirit is NOT Yehovah, it is not holy at all.
That spirit does not care if you know about it, if you believe in it, or if you intend to worship it, it will take your worship any way you want – even if you say it is for Jesus.
See, Yehovah is crystal clear about what traditions we are to keep and the ones with pagan roots are ones He forbids us from celebrating. We can find it in Deuteronomy 12:29-31
29 When the Lord thy God shall cut off the nations from before thee, whither thou goest to possess them, and thou succeedest them, and dwellest in their land;
Deuteronomy 12:29-31
30 Take heed to thyself that thou be not snared by following them, after that they be destroyed from before thee; and that thou enquire not after their gods, saying, How did these nations serve their gods? even so will I do likewise.
31 Thou shalt not do so unto the Lord thy God: for every abomination to the Lord, which he hateth, have they done unto their gods; for even their sons and their daughters they have burnt in the fire to their gods.
What the world (and yes, it is a worldly tradition, not a holy day) celebrates as Christmas is actually the pagan winter solstice.
And those roots are dark and bloody, involving the rape of virgins and culminating some months later in sacrificing infants and dying eggs in their blood, only to begin the cycle again.
That’s just the short version. It is horrific and not a day to celebrate.
Christmas is NOT “for Jesus” and it Definitely is NOT Holy
Celebrating these things, saying you are going to celebrate Christmas and say “it is for Jesus” is akin to adding to the Word of God. Scripture tells us that is a sin. (Deuteronomy 4:2, Revelation 22:18-19)
Yehovah will sanctify a people, He sanctified His Sabbath, but He will NOT sanctify anything that is not of Him, especially days that are rooted in evil. We are called to obey Him FULLY, not only until it impedes on our own desires and hinders our will.
We are to do HIS will, not our own (Matthew 26:39, Luke 22:42, John 5:30).
We are called out of the world, called to put away the things of the world, to HATE them. When you choose the things that God Almighty calls an abomination and says we are to avoid then you are choosing those things over Him.
It is a sin to assert YOUR WILL over HIS and when you choose to celebrate these pagan traditions instead of keeping His feasts that is exactly what you are doing.
So, what’s it gonna be? Will you come out of the world and truly live for Him? Or will you continue in darkness and deceit honoring unholy spirits?
Scripture for Study:
Leviticus 23
Deuteronomy 6:4
1 Timothy 3:16
Colossians 2:9
Isaiah 9:6
John 10:30
John 1:1-14
Micah 5:1-6
Isaiah 7:10-16
Ecclesiastes 7:1
1 Peter 1:15-17
Genesis 40:20-22
Matthew 14:6-10
Deuteronomy 12:29-31
Deuteronomy 4:2
Revelation 22:18-19
Matthew 26:39
Luke 22:42
John 5:30
Luke 2:10-11
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