Jeremiah 5:21
O foolish people without heart, who have eyes and see not, and who have ears and hear not.
A couple of years ago I used to celebrate these events. At the time I understood that they were to celebrate the birth of our Messiah and His death. It was one of those things I had just gone along with most of my life. I had never stopped to think about it and see what His word said we should and should not do.
Romans 12:2
2 And do not be conformed to this world [any longer with its superficial values and customs], but be transformed and progressively changed [as you mature spiritually] by the renewing of your mind [focusing on His values and ethical attitudes], so that you may prove [for yourselves] what the will of Yahuwah is, that which is good and acceptable and perfect [in His plan and purpose for you].
We all grow. It is not something which one can just switch off straight away. One needs to learn, comprehend and then implement the change. A sister I know wrote this about these events which I felt was very appropriate. It’s the same view I hold today and it has taken a good 3 years to get here.
People who have known me long enough know by now that I don’t take any part in Christmas or Easter or Halloween or any of the festivals observed by main stream christian churches today.
They know that the reason for this is because I personally believe they are man made traditions that have no bearing of the birth or death and resurrection of our Messiah and are from pagan origin and are merely things which bring about commercialism and ways for retailers to make even more money from the public, which can put alot of pressure on people who are expected to buy and over indulge because man says so!
Well our Heavenly Father has His own festivals/appointed times which definately do have bearing on our Messiah’s birth (not 25th December but during Tabernacles) and His death and resurrection (Passover not Easter) and because I have personally chosen to put Him FIRST in my life, not myself, then I choose to keep HIS Feasts and not the ways of the world.
You do what you want my friends; Our Heavenly Father gave us His instructions and He doesn’t force anyone to do anything (unlike religion, He wants a personal relationship with us), but He has warned us that He is a jealous God and He has commanded us to love Him first and foremost in His Commandments.
So, if you say you love Him with all your heart soul mind and strength why are you not keeping His Sabbaths and Feasts but keeping those of the world?
– Helen Whittaker
Nottingham, United Kingdom
So with this in mind lets take a look at to what the Father tells us in His word regarding this time of year. By the end of this study, you should be able to see clearly where this tradition has come from and why it is we should not follow it today.
In Deuteronomy 12:28-32 the Father speaks to us concerning walking in the way of the nations.
Deuteronomy 12:28-32
28 Observe and obey all these words which I command you, that it may go well with you and your children after you forever, when you do what is good and right in the sight of Yahuwah thy Elohim.
29 “When Yahuwah thy Elohim cuts off from before you the nations which you go to dispossess, and you displace them and dwell in their land,
30 take heed to yourself that you are not ensnared to follow them, after they are destroyed from before you, and that you do not inquire after their gods, saying, ‘How did these nations serve their gods? I also will do likewise.’
31 You shall not worship Yahuwah thy Elohim in that way; for every abomination to Yahuwah which He hates they have done to their gods; for they burn even their sons and daughters in the fire to their gods.
32 “Whatever I command you, be careful to observe it; you shall not add to it nor take away from it.
So what is wrong with celebrating christmas, one might ask? The Father tells us the appointed times which He wants us to observe. He tells us that these appointed times are for us and they are times to spend with Him.
Leviticus 23:1-2
1 Then Yahweh spoke again to Moses, saying,
2 “Speak unto the children of Israel and say to them,
‘The appointed times of Yahweh, which you shall proclaim as holy convocations,
My appointed times are these.
In His word however, christmas is not an event He ever tells us to put aside. In fact in Jeremiah we see something which speaks the opposite. Jeremiah speaks of idol worship and also how we should worship the Father. It speaks specifically of the tradition we know today as the christmas tree.
Jeremiah 10:1-5
1 Hear the word which Yahweh speaks to you, O house of Yisra’ĕl.
2 Thus said Yahweh, “Do not learn the way of the gentiles, and do not be awed by the signs of the heavens, for the gentiles are awed by them.
3 “For the prescribed customs of these peoples are worthless, for one cuts a tree from the forest, work for the hands of a craftsman with a cutting tool.
4 “They deck it with silver and gold, they fasten it with nails and hammers so that it does not topple.
5 “They are like a rounded post which stands upright, and they do not speak. They have to be carried, because they do not walk. Do not be afraid of them, for they do no evil, nor is it in them to do any good.”
6 There is none like You, O Yahweh. You are great, and great is Your Name in might.7 Who would not fear You, O Sovereign of the nations? For this is Your due, for among all the wise men of the nations, and in all their kingdoms, there is none like You.8 They are both brutish (stupid) and foolish, an instruction (teaching) of worthlessness is the tree.
In verse 8 the word tree is left out of many scriptures but it is actually written there.
In Jeremiah 2 we see the same tree which was spoken of in Jeremiah 10 being spoken of as something which a prostitute uses. A prostitute is a person who goes off with another and in unfaithful to their first love.
Jeremiah 2:19-20
19 “Your own wickedness will discipline you,
And your desertion of the faith will punish you.
Know therefore that it is an evil and bitter thing
For you to abandon (reject) Yahweh thy Elohim,
And for you to be indifferent to Me and dismiss the [reverent] fear of Me,”
says Yahweh Elohim of hosts.
20 “For long ago you broke your yoke [in deliberate disobedience]
And tore off your bonds [of the law that I gave you];
You said, ‘I will not serve and obey You!’
For on every high hill
And under every green tree
You have lain down like a prostitute.
We know (and will see later in this article) that it was the gifts which were stored under the tree. Scripture records under every green tree is where the prostitute would lay down.
Scripture tells us that people worshiped the tree as an idol and it caused people to turn their backs unto Yahweh and not their faces. It tells us that a time will come when trouble shall arise and they will pray and asked to be saved, but no help shall be provided.
Jeremiah 2:26-28
26 “As the thief is shamed when he is caught,
So the house of Israel is shamed—
They, their kings, their leaders,
Their priests, and their prophets—
27 Who say to a tree, ‘You are my father,’
And to a stone, ‘You gave me birth.’
For they have turned their backs to Me,
And not their faces;
But in the time of their trouble they will say,
‘Arise [O Elohim] and save us.’
28 “But where are your gods
Which you made for yourself?
Let them get up, if they can save you
In the time of your trouble!
For [as many as] the number of your cities
Are your gods, O Judah. [Why do not your many man-made idols run to help you?]
Is that what we want? To be in trouble and to ask for the Fathers help and for none to be provided?
The Father never told us to erect a tree, to celebrate His birth, to buy gifts for one another, to decorate our homes. He did provide us with a list of the appointed times and this was not one of them.
Jeremiah 3:1
1 That is to say, “If a man divorces his wife
And she goes [away] from him
And becomes another man’s [wife],
Will he return to her again? [Of course not!]
Will not that land [where such a thing happened] be completely desecrated?
But you [rebelled against Me and you] are a prostitute with many lovers;
Yet you turn to Me.” saith Yahweh
When one celebrates christmas, one is not celebrating an appointed time of Yahweh, but rather you are celebrating an appointed time of man. Yahweh relates this to playing the harlot (the same as what we see in Revelation 17 )
Revelation 17:1-2
1 Then one of the seven angels who had the seven bowls came and spoke with me, saying, “Come here, I will show you the judgment and doom of the great prostitute (harlot) who is seated on many waters [influencing nations].
2 She with whom the kings of the earth have committed acts of immorality, and the inhabitants of the earth have become intoxicated with the wine of her immorality.”
The problem with being intoxicated is that one cannot see or think straight. It causes one to only see one way and to become blind. Haven’t you ever heard someone describe someone who is drunk as “blind”?
We learn that this prostitute is a mother and she has many daughters. The mother is the Rome and the daughters are all the man made religions we have today which follow the same calendar which Rome established.
Revelation 17:5
5 And on her forehead a name was written, a mystery:
“BABYLON THE GREAT, THE MOTHER OF PROSTITUTES (false religions, heresies) AND OF THE ABOMINATIONS OF THE EARTH.”
Scripture tells us that IsraEl left Yahweh, the one whom they had married, to play the harlot with other gods and here we see the tree spoken of again:
Jeremiah 3:6
6 Moreover, Yahweh said to me in the days of Josiah the king [of Judah] (The Jews), “Have you seen what that faithless IsraEl has done—how she went up on every high hill and under every green tree, and there she was a prostitute?
We see that IsraEl committed adultery with idols of stone and with the trees which they cut down from the forest and fastened so they would not fall.
Jeremiah 3:9
9 Because of the thoughtlessness of Israel’s prostitution [her immorality mattered little to her], she desecrated the land and committed adultery with [idols of] stones and trees.
Many people use the tree simply because it is their tradition. Is tradition an excuse? Look at what He tells us about tradition…
Matthew 15:3
3 He replied to them, “Why also do you violate the commandment of Yahuwah for the sake of your tradition [handed down by the elders]?
To be ignorant is to have a lack of knowledge and this is just how the Father describes His people. But not just lacking in knowledge, but rather they also reject the knowledge given to them. The Father tells us that because we have rejected His word, He shall reject us from being His Priests.
Hosea 4:6
6 My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge.
Because you have rejected knowledge,
I will also reject you from being My priest.
Since you have forgotten the law of your Elohim,
I will also forget your children.
He tells us in 1 Peter 2:9 -10 that His people are a Royal Priesthood, thus those who reject the knowledge He provides us with are rejecting this position.
1 Peter 2:9
9 But you are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, His own special people, that you may proclaim the praises of Him who called you out of darkness into His marvelous light;
In Genesis 14:18 we see the Melchizedek approaching Abram. Melchi Means King. Zedek means Righteousness. We learn the Melchizedek was a Priest of Elohim – A Kohen in the original language.
Genesis 14:18
18 And Melchizedek king of Salem brought forth bread and wine: and he was the priest of the most high Elohim.
To be a priest of the most High, one needs to understand how Yahshua became out High Priest and a King of Righteousness. This study covers that topic. By understanding this you join the royal priesthood and become part of His holy nation. He will call you out of the darkness and into His Light that you might see.
In Hosea 4:12-13 we see the people consulting the trees again instead of consulting Yahweh which He tells us is the spirit of the prostitute leading them away and removing them from their Elohim. He shows us that they were using poplars which are very similar to the pine tree many use today.
We see the people were sacrificing on top of the mountains underneath the trees. The same place where the gifts are placed today. And the scriptures then tell us that the daughters of IsraEl shall also play the harlot and commit adultery because they did.
Hosea 4:12-13
12 My people (IsraEl) consult their trees,
and their [diviner’s] wand makes known.
For a spirit of prostitution has led them astray,
And they have played the prostitute, withdrawing themselves from their Elohim.
13 They sacrifice on the tops of the mountains
And burn incense on the hills,
Under oaks, poplars (cottonwood), and terebinths,
Because the shade is pleasant there.
Therefore your daughters play the prostitute
And your brides commit adultery.
How can the leaders of the people guide their people down this pathway? Isn’t this the blind leading the blind?
Yahweh tells His people to destroy the places where the nations serve their own gods, on the mountains under the tree. The sacrifices of the people were placed under the tree. The same place where today people place gifts (a sacrifice) for each other.
Deuteronomy 12:1-2
1 “These are the statutes and judgments (precepts) which you shall be careful to do in the land which Yahuwah thy Elohim of your fathers, has given you to possess as long as you live on the earth.
2 You shall utterly destroy all the places where the nations whom you shall dispossess serve their gods, on the high mountains and the hills and under every green tree.
Cain bought an offering of fruit unto Yahuwah. His younger brother Able bought an offering of the firstborn of a lamb unto Yahuwah.
Genesis 4:1-4
1 Now the man Adam knew Eve as his wife, and she conceived and gave birth to Cain, and she said, “I have obtained a man (baby boy, son) with the help of Yahuwah.”
2 And [later] she gave birth to his brother Abel.
Now Abel kept the flocks [of sheep and goats],
but Cain cultivated the ground.
3 And in the course of time Cain brought to Yahuwah an offering (minchah) of the fruit of the ground.
4 But Abel brought [an offering of] the [finest] firstborn of his flock and the fat portions.
And the Yahuwah had respect (regard) for Abel and for his offering (minchah);
5 but for Cain and his offering (minchah) He had no respect.
An offering in scripture is the same as a gift as we see in the word minchah, which is the word used above in verses 3, 4 and 5. The word minchah is used in the scriptures as an offering, as a present, as a gift, as an oblation, as a sacrifice and as meat.
Have you considered what it is that we see today underneath the tree? Is it not gifts or presents? The word gift in the scriptures also means a sacrifice. Each year that we persist in setting up a tree, buying gifts and placing them under the tree, we are following exactly what the scriptures show us not to do.
A sacrifice means that one is giving up something for another. This is what we see with people going into debt for one another.
In Exodus 25:1-2 we see that offerings were to be made to Yahuwah. Again the word offering we see (teruwmah) means an offering, oblation or a gift.
Exodus 25:1-2
1 Then Yahweh spoke to Moses, saying:
2 “Speak to the children of IsraEl, that they bring Me an offering (teruwmah). From everyone who gives it willingly with his heart you shall take My offering (teruwmah).
In 2 Kings 6:1-4 we read of Pekah the King who did not walk right in the sight of Yahweh, and instead walked the path of the Kings of IsraEl . He sacrificed (placed gifts) on the hill tops and under the green trees.
2 Kings 16:1-4
1 In the seventeenth year of Pekah the son of Remaliah, Ahaz the son of Jotham, king of Judah, became king.
2 Ahaz was twenty years old when he became king, and he reigned sixteen years in Jerusalem. He did not do what was right in the sight of Yahweh thy Elohim, as his father David had done.
3 Instead he walked in the way of the kings of IsraEl, and even made his son pass through the fire [as a human sacrifice], in accordance with the repulsive [and idolatrous] practices of the [pagan] nations whom Yahuwah drove out before the IsraElites.
4 He also sacrificed and burned incense on the high places and on the hills and under every green tree.
The time of year known as christmas focuses upon the children because in the ancient pagan times it was the children who were sacrificed as gifts.
Isaiah 57:4-5
4 “Of whom do you make fun?
Against whom do you open wide your mouth
And stick out your tongue?
Are you not children of rebellion (sin),
Offspring of deceit,
5 Who inflame yourselves [with lust in pagan rites] with idols
among every green tree.
Who sacrifice the children in the ravines
Under the clefts of the rocks?
If Yahweh said that IsraEl would die by disease and by the sword , what shall be the result of those today who do not follow His word?
When we look at what is represented by incense in His word, we discover that incense represented the prayers which were going to Yahweh. But here we see the incense going before their idols. Prayer before an idol. This is worship.
Ezekiel 6:11-13
11 “Thus says Yahweh Elohim, ‘Strike with your fist, stamp with your foot and say, “Alas, because of all the evil atrocities of the house of IsraEl, which will fall by sword, by famine, and by virulent disease!
12 He who is far away will die of the virulent disease, and he who is near will fall by the sword, and he who remains and is besieged will die by the famine. Thus I will spend My wrath on them.
13 Then you will know [without any doubt] that I am Yahweh, when their slain are among their idols around their altars, on every high hill, on all the tops of the mountains, under every green tree and under every oak with thick branches, the places where they offered sweet incense and a soothing aroma to all their idols.
We see the incense as a representation of the prayers of the people of Yahweh in Revelation 8:3-4
Revelation 8:3-4
3 Another angel came and stood at the altar. He had a golden censer, and much incense was given to him, so that he might add it to the prayers of all the saints (Yahweh’s people) on the golden altar in front of the throne.
4 And the smoke and fragrant aroma of the incense, with the prayers of the saints (Yahuwahs’s people), ascended before Yahweh from the angel’s hand.
In Ezekiel 23 we learn as to why this pagan event centers around the children. We see that these events cause the people to profane His Sabbaths. We now know that the tree was one of the idols they used and here we see that they slay the children to the idols. This is why the time of year we now know as christmas focusses upon children. The children who run to the tree and drop to their knees to open the gifts.
Ezekiel 23:36-39
36 Moreover, Yahweh said to me, “Son of man, will you judge Oholah (Samaria, capital of Israel) and Oholibah (Jerusalem, capital of Judah)? Then inform them of their atrocities [the detestable and vile things they do].
37 For they have committed adultery, and blood is on their hands. They have committed adultery [against Me] with their idols and have even forced their sons, whom they bore to Me, to pass through the fire as [an offering of] food to them (idols).
38 Moreover, they have done this to Me: they have defiled My sanctuary on the same day [of their idolatries] and have profaned My Sabbaths.
39 For when they had killed their children [as offerings] to their idols, then they came the same day to My sanctuary to profane it. And behold, this they did within My house.
Scripture tells us that His temple is within us and if we corrupt it, He will destroy the destroyer.
1 Corinthians 3:16-17
16 Do you not know and understand that you are the temple of Elohim, and that the Spirit of Elohim dwells in you?
17 If anyone destroys the temple of Elohim [corrupting it with false doctrine], Elohim will destroy the destroyer; for the temple of Elohim is holy (sacred), and that is what you are.
Celebrating this event as they did in times past is to corrupt His temple. We were to sing praises to Yahweh, not to another god.
Psalms 47:6-7
6 Sing praises to Elohim, sing praises;
Sing praises to our King, sing praises.
7 For Elohim is the King of all the earth;
Sing praises in a skillful psalm and with understanding.
Scripture tells us that those who worship idols will be a part of the second death.
Revelation 21:7-8
7 He who overcomes [the world by adhering faithfully to Yahshua our Savior] will inherit these things, and I will be his Elohim and he will be My son.
8 But as for the cowards and unbelieving and abominable, and murderers, and sorcerers [with intoxicating drugs], and idolaters and occultists [who practice and teach false religions], and all the liars [who knowingly deceive and twist truth], their part will be in the lake that blazes with fire and brimstone, which is the second death.”
So we can see through all these scriptures that what we know today as christmas has its roots firmly planted in the pagan world of trees and sacrifices under them. It brings to mind the first commandment and second commandments.
Exodus 20:3-6
3 “You shall have no other gods before Me.
4 “You shall not make for yourself any idol, or any likeness (form, manifestation) of what is in heaven above or on the earth beneath or in the water under the earth [as an object to worship].
5 You shall not worship them nor serve them; for I, Yahweh your Elohim, am a jealous Elohim, visiting (avenging) the iniquity (sin, guilt) of the fathers on the children, to the third and fourth generations of those who hate Me,
6 but showing graciousness and steadfast lovingkindness to thousands of those who love Me and keep My commandments.
There is coming a day when Babylon shall fall, and the cypress and cedar trees shall rejoice.
Isaiah 14:7-8
7 The whole earth is at rest and quiet;
They break forth into singing.
8 Indeed the cypress trees rejoice over you,
And the cedars of Lebanon,
Saying, ‘Since you were cut down,
No woodsman has come up against us.’
We cannot serve two gods. One and one alone is all.
Matthew 6:24
24 “No one can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve Yahweh and mammon [money, possessions, fame, status, or whatever is valued more than Yahweh].
Yahuwah tells us not to celebrate the way in which the heathen do.
Leviticus 18:3-5
2 “Speak to the children of Israel and say to them, ‘I AM Yahuwah Elohim.
3 You shall not do what is done in the land of Egypt where you lived, and you shall not do what is done in the land of Canaan where I am bringing you. You shall not follow their statutes (practices, customs).
4 You are to follow My judgments (precepts, ordinances) and keep My statutes and live by them. I AM Yahuwah Elohim.
5 So you shall keep My statutes and My judgments, by which, if a person keeps them, he shall live; I AM Yahuwah.
In Jeremiah 10:1-2
Jeremiah 10:1-2
Hear the word which Yahuwah speaks to you, O house of Israel.
2 Thus says Yahuwah,
“Do not learn the way of the [pagan] nations,
And do not be terrified and distressed by the signs of the heavens
Although the pagans are terrified by them;
And again in Deuteronomy 12:2-4
Deuteronomy 12:2-4
2 You shall utterly destroy all the places where the nations whom you shall dispossess serve their gods, on the high mountains and the hills and under every green [leafy] tree.
3 You shall tear down their altars and smash their [idolatrous] pillars and burn their Asherim in the fire; you shall cut down the carved and sculpted images of their gods and obliterate their name from that place.
4 You shall not act like this toward Yahuwah Elohim.
So let us finish upon an uplifting word from Yahweh. Isaiah 56 tells us about what we should do.
Isaiah 56:1-6
1 This is what the Yahweh says,
“Maintain justice and do righteousness,
For My salvation is soon to come,
And My righteousness and justice is soon to be revealed.
2 “Blessed (happy, fortunate) is the man who does this,
And the son of man who takes hold of it,
Who keeps the Sabbath without profaning it,
And keeps his hand from doing any evil.”
3 Do not let the foreigner who has joined himself to the Yahweh say,
“Yahweh will most certainly separate me from His people.”
And do not let the eunuch say, “Look, I am a dry tree.”4 This is what Yahweh says,
“To the eunuchs who keep My Sabbaths
And choose what pleases Me,
And hold firmly to My covenant,
5 To them I will give in My house and within My walls a memorial,
And a name better than that of sons and daughters;
I will give them an everlasting name which will not be cut off.
6 “Also the foreigners who join themselves to Yahweh,
To minister to Him, and to love the name of Yahweh,
To be His servants, everyone who keeps the Sabbath without profaning it
And holds fast to My covenant [by conscientious obedience];
7 All these I will bring to My holy mountain
And make them joyful in My house of prayer.
Their burnt offerings and their sacrifices will be accepted on My altar;
For My house will be called a house of prayer for all the peoples.”
8 Yahweh Elohim, who gathers the dispersed of IsraEl, declares:
“I will gather yet others to them (IsraEl), to those [already] gathered.”
The Calendar of Scripture 