The 25 Days of XMAS

From the blog spot;  "Biblepaedia"

In this series of posts, I hope to show misguided Christians that XMAS (i.e. Christ-Mass) has nothing at all to do with Jesus Christ, and is, in fact, the conspiracy of the Catholic Church (and other church denominations) to hide the fact that it is the worship of Nimrod from the very beginnings of the post-flood era.

The “Xmas tree” of Nimrod (from “The Two Babylons“)

“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.“ — Jeremiah 10-3,4

“The Catholic Encyclopedia(TCE) was published in 15 volumes between 1907 and 1912 by the Robert Appleton Company. In 1913 the publisher, renamed as Encyclopedia Press, Inc., released a new edition. A year later (1914) a comprehensive Index was released as Volume 16.”

Also, “The encyclopedia was designed to serve the Roman Catholic Church, concentrating on information related to the Church and explaining matters from the Catholic point of view…it offers in-depth portrayals of historical and philosophical ideas, persons and events, from a Catholic perspective, including issues that divide Catholicism from Protestantism and other faith communities.” [Wikipedia article on the encyclopedia]

---

ORIGIN OF DATE.—Concerning the date of Christ’s birth the Gospels give no help; indeed, upon their data contradictory arguments are based. The census would have been impossible in winter: a whole population could not then be put in motion. Again, in winter it must have been; then only field labor was suspended. But Rome was not thus considerate. Authorities moreover differ as to whether shepherds could or would keep flocks exposed during the nights of the rainy season. Arguments based on Zachary’s temple ministry are unreliable, though the calculations of antiquity (see above) have been revived in yet more complicated form, e.g. by Friedlieb (Leben J. Christi des Erlosers, Munster, 1887, p. 312). The twenty-four classes of Jewish priests, it is urged, served each a week in the Temple; Zachary was in the eighth class, Abia. The Temple was destroyed 9 Ab, A.D. 70; late rabbinical tradition says that class 1, Jojarib, was then serving. From these untrustworthy data, assuming that Christ was born A. U. C. 749, and that never in seventy turbulent years the weekly succession failed, it is calculated that the eighth class was serving 2-October 9, A. U. C. 748, whence Christ’s conception falls in March, and birth presumably in December. Kellner (op. cit., pp. 106, 107) shows how hopeless is the calculation of Zachary’s week from any point before or after it. It seems impossible, on analogy of the relation of Passover and Pentecost to Easter and Whitsuntide, to connect the Nativity with the feast of Tabernacles, as did, e.g., Lightfoot (Horne Hebr. et Talm., II, 32), arguing from O. T. prophecy, e.g. Zach., xiv, 16 sqq.; combining, too, the fact of Christ’s death in Nisan with Daniel’s prophecy of a three and one-half years’ ministry (ix, 27), he puts the birth in Tisri, i.e. September. As undesirable is it to connect December 25 with the Eastern (December) feast of Dedication (Jos. Ant. Jud., XII, vii, 6). The well-known solar feast, however, of Natalis Invicti, celebrated on December 25, has a strong claim on the responsibility for our December date. For the history of the solar cult, its position in the Roman Empire, and syncretism with Mithraism, see Cumont’s epoch-making “Textes et Monuments” etc., I, ii, 4, 6, p. 355. Mommsen (Corpus Inscriptionum Latinarum, 12, p. 338) has collected the evidence for the feast, which reached its climax of popularity under Aurelian in 274. Filippo del Torre in 1700 first saw its importance; it is marked, as has been said, without addition in Philocalus’ Calendar. It would be impossible here even to outline the history of solar symbolism and language as applied to God, the Messiah, and Christ in Jewish or Christian canonical, patristic, or devotional works. Hymns and Christmas offices abound in instances; the texts are well arranged by Cumont (op. cit., addit. note C, p. 355).

– from “The Original Catholic Encyclopedia” article on Christmas

Now, what is the “Solar feast”, i.e., the festival of the Unconquered Sun?

Well, we just saw that the solar cult was tied in the Roman Empire (of which the Catholic Church held rule) to Mitrhaism.

“In Rome, Mithras was a sun god, and, in Persia, he was a god of the morning sun. The Roman Mithras killed the Primeval Bull, mirroring the death of a Primeval Bull in the Persian religion.” [wikipedia article on Mithras]

Continuing in the encyclopedia, we find that

1. Augustine (Tract xxxiv, in Joan. in P.L., XXXV, 1652) denounces the heretical identification of Christ with Sol. Pope Leo I (Serm. xxvii in nat. dom., VII, 4; xxii, II, 6 in P.L., LIV, 218 and 198) bitterly reproves solar survivals—Christians, on the very doorstep of the Apostles’ basilica, turn to adore the rising sun.  Gives new meaning to the “Sunrise Services” many denominations practice in place of Easter services because they think they are putting away the pagan for Christian…
2. Sun-worship has bequeathed features to modern popular worship in Armenia, where Christians had once temporarily and externally conformed to the cult of the material sun
3.  Duchesne (Les origines du culte chretien, Paris, 1902, 262 sqq.) advances the “astronomical” theory that, given March 25 as Christ’s death-day [historically impossible, but a tradition old as Tertullian (Adv. Jud., 8)], the popular instinct, demanding an exact number of years in a Divine life, would place His conception on the same date, His birth December 25…Unfortunately, there is no contemporary evidence for the celebration in the fourth century of Christ’s conception on March 25.
4. And again,  “the same instinct which set Natalis Invicti at the winter solstice will have sufficed, apart from deliberate adaptation or curious calculation, to set the Christian feast there too.  By the way, the Natalis Invicti was the Roman Pagan concept of “Birthday of the Unconquered Sun“.

Coin of Emperor Probus, circa 280, with Sol Invictus riding a quadriga, with legend SOLI INVICTO, “to the Unconquered Sun”: the Emperor (at left) wears a radiated solar crown, worn also by the god on the obverse

In Rome, the Romans celebrated the Winter Solstice as Saturnalia, (the birth of the Sun/Son) and the tradition goes all the way back to the ancient Assyrian celebration of the birth of the sun/son and the messiah, Ninos.  Ninos was the name for NIMROD, considered the Sun God.  These traditions of the religions of the world all have their roots in the Assyrian religious belief system of Ashurism.

Alexander Hislop in his book The Two Babylons said, , “the Tower of Babel was actually the worship of Satan in the form of fire, the sun and the serpent. However, Satan worship could not be done openly because of the many who still believed in the true God of Noah. So a mystery religion began at Babel where Satan could be worshipped in secret.” – Alexander Hislop, The Two Babylons, 2nd American ed.(Neptune, New Jersey: Loizeaux Brothers, 1959).

This mystery religion was adopted into the Holy Roman Catholic Church, where the Priests are the keepers of knowledge unto whom all sin must be confessed.

Semiramis, the wife of Nimrod, had a brilliant idea of how she could successfully revive her and Nimrod’s pagan religion and give it a new form. It was not long after the death of her husband that Semiramis became pregnant. She said that when Nimrod died that he went up to the sun, and the sun then became a symbol of Nimrod. She told the people that a ray of the sun had come to her and impregnated her with a child and that it was actually Nimrod coming back in a reincarnation of the sun god. The child was called Tammuz and these three were worshipped as the personification of the sun god, and this is where we find the three in one trinity doctrine originated and is where the first three came into existence. This mystery religion was nothing more than Satan worship.

From “The Two Babylons“

Part 2:

On “Santa Claus”:

Santa Claus, also known as Saint Nicholas, Father Christmas, Kris Kringle and simply “Santa”, is a figure with legendary, historical and folkloric origins who, in many Western cultures, is said to bring gifts to the homes of the good children on 24 December, the night before Christmas Day. (ref:http://1234christmas.com/about-santa-claus-sinterklaas/131/)

On Santa Claus derivation from the Germanic god ODIN:

Georg von Rosen – Oden som vandringsman, 1886 (Odin, the Wanderer)

Prior to Christianization, the Germanic peoples (including the English; Old English geola or guili) celebrated a midwinter event called Yule. With the Christianization of Germanic Europe, numerous traditions were absorbed from Yuletide celebrations into modern Christmas.   During this period, supernatural and ghostly occurrences were said to increase in frequency, such as the Wild Hunt, a ghostly procession through the sky. The leader of the wild hunt is frequently attested as the god Odin and he bears the Old Norse names Jólnir, meaning “yule figure” and the name Langbarðr, meaning “long-beard”.

The god Odin’s role during the Yuletide period has been theorized as having influenced concepts of St. Nicholas in a variety of facets, including his long white beard and his gray horse for nightly rides (see Odin’s horse Sleipnir), which was traded for reindeer in North America.   Margaret Baker comments that “The appearance of Santa Claus or Father Christmas, whose day is 25th of December, owes much to Odin, the old blue-hooded, cloaked, white-bearded Giftbringer of the north, who rode the midwinter sky on his eight-footed steedSleipnir, visiting his people with gifts. … Odin, transformed into Father Christmas, then Santa Claus, prospered with St Nicholas and the Christchild became a leading player on the Christmas stage.” (ref:  The Danish Histories, Book 1)

It is attested in primary sources that sacrifices were made to Odin during blóts– Norse pagan sacrifices to the Norse gods land spirits. Adam of Bremen relates that every ninth year, people assembled from all over Sweden to sacrifice at the Temple at Uppsala. Male slaves and males of each species were sacrificed and hung from the branches of the trees.

Note:  Now you know where the little figurines hung from the branches of the Xmas tree come from…

As the Swedes had the right not only to elect their king but also to depose him, the sagas relate that both King Domalde and King Olof Trätälja were sacrificed to Odin after years of famine. It has been argued that the killing of a combatant in battle was to give a sacrificial offering to Odin. (ref:  Wikipedia).  It should be noted that ODIN was a derivation of the god mercury:

“Worship of Odin may date to Proto-Germanic paganism. The Roman historian Tacitus may refer to Odin when he mentions Mercury as the chief god of the Germanic tribes.(see Tacitus on Germania) The reason is that, like Mercury, Odin was regarded as a Psychopomp, “guide of souls” and considered the god who brought poetry to mankind.“

On Mercury who was the root of Odin:

Mercury did not appear among the numinous di indigetes of early Roman religion. Rather, he subsumed the earlier Dei Lucrii as Roman religion wassyncretized with Greek religion during the time of the Roman Republic, starting around the 4th century BC. From the beginning, Mercury had essentially the same aspects as Hermes, wearing winged shoes (talaria) and a winged hat (petasos), and carrying the caduceus, a herald’s staff with two entwined snakes that was Apollo‘s gift to Hermes.  He was also, like Hermes, the Romans’psychopomp, leading newly deceased souls to the afterlife.  (ref:  Wikipedia)

On Hermes who was the root for Mercury:

A cult was established in Greece in remote regions, likely making him a god of nature, farmers, and shepherds. It is also possible that since the beginning he has been a deity with shamanic attributes linked to divination, reconciliation, magic, sacrifices, and initiation and contact with other planes of existence, a role of mediator between the worlds of the visible and invisible

Hermes is a god of transitions and boundaries. He is quick and cunning, and moves freely between the worlds of the mortal and divine, as emissary and messenger of the gods,[1] intercessor between mortals and the divine, andconductor of souls into the afterlife.  In some myths he is a trickster, and outwits other gods for his own satisfaction or the sake of humankind.  Prior to being known as Hermes, Frothingham thought the god to have existed as a snake-god.[87] Angelo (1997) thinks Hermes to be based on the Thotharchetype.[88] The absorbing (“combining”) of the attributes of Hermes toThoth developed after the time of Homer amongst Greek and Roman; Herodotus was the first to identify the Greek god with the Egyptian.  (ref:  Wikipedia).

On Thoth, the Egyptian god from which Hermes was derived:

Thoth played many vital and prominent roles in Egyptian mythology, such as maintaining the universe, and being one of the two deities (the other beingMa’at) who stood on either side of Ra’s boat.  The Egyptians credited him as the author of all works of science, religion, philosophy, and magic.[32] The Greeks further declared him the inventor of astronomy, astrology, the science of numbers, mathematics, geometry, land surveying, medicine, botany,theology, civilized government, the alphabet, reading, writing, and oratory.

Thoth as Nimrod holding a Container – Vessel – Flow of the Collective Unconsciousness – Grids Restore to Zero Point at the Time of the Aquarian Age – Water Bearers Mesopotamia – Iraq – Cradle of Civilization – Sumer Anunnaki – Nibiru

On Nimrod being the source for Mercury, who was the source of Thoth, and from whom Santa Clause is derived:

Two prominent theories are now held in regard to Nimrod’s identity: one, adopted by G. Smith and Jeremias, is that Nimrod is to be identified with the Babylonian hero Izdubar or Gishdubar (Gilgamesh); the second, that of Sayce,Pinches, and others, identifies Nimrod with Marduk, the Babylonian Mercury. The former identification is based on the fact that Izdubar is represented in the Babylonian epos as a mighty hunter, always accompanied by four dogs, and as the founder of the first great kingdom in Asia. Moreover, instead of “Izdubar”—the correct reading of which had not yet been determined—Jeremias saw the possibility of reading “Namra Udu” (shining light), a reading which would have made the identification with Nimrod almost certain. Those who identify Nimrod with Marduk, however, object that the name of Izdubar must be read, as is now generally conceded, “Gilgamesh,” and that the signs which constitute the name of Marduk, who also is represented as a hunter, are read phonetically “Amar Ud”; and ideographically they may be read “Namr Ud”—in Hebrew “Nimrod.” The difficulty of reconciling the Biblical Nimrod, the son of Cush, with Marduk, the son of Ea, may be overcome by interpreting the Biblical words as meaning that Nimrod was a descendant of Cush. (ref: Jewish Encyclopedia).

Part 3:

We see two key figures in the origin of Christmas are Nimrod, a great grandson of Utnapishtim,(Noah) and his mother and wife, Semiramis, also known as Ishtar and Isis. Nimrod, known in Egypt as Osiris, was the founder of the first world empire at Babel, later known as Babylon, Genesis: (10: 8-12, 11: 1-9). From ancient sources such as the “Epic of Gilgamesh” and records unearthed by archeologists from long-ruined Mesopotamian and Egyptian cities, scholars have been able to reconstruct subsequent events.

As we have shown, after Nimrod’s death (c. 2167 BC), Semiramis promoted the belief that he was a god. She claimed that she saw a full-grown evergreen tree spring out of the roots of a dead tree stump, symbolizing the springing forth of new life for Nimrod. She said, “On the anniversary of his birth, Nimrod would visit the evergreen tree and leave gifts under it. A few years after Nimrod’s death, Semiramis bore a son, Ninos who sometimes called Gilgamesh. She declared that she had been visited by the spirit of Nimrod, who left her pregnant (from a sun ray, since Nimrod was the solar god) with the boy. “Nin” child or Ninos, which she maintained was Nimrod reincarnated. With a father, mother, and son deified, a trinity was formed in Assyria. Semiramis and Ninos were worshipped as “Madonna and child” in ancient Assyria. As the generations passed, they were worshipped under other names in different countries and languages, as mentioned. Many of these are recognizable to this day: Fortuna and Jupiter in Rome; Aphrodite and Adonis in Greece; and Ashtoreth/Astarte and Molech/Baal in Canaan.

All obelisks, including Washington’s monument, represent a sun ray of Nimrod, which was used to impregnate Semiramis, according to the myth created by demon spirits…this is also why they are phallic symbols.

Writers of the Old Testament have left us further proof that Pre-Christian Assyrians did decorate an evergreen in honor and memory of the birth of Tammuz (Nimrod reincarnated), as written in Jeremiah 10:2-4: ” 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.”

It is very important to remember that all (g)ods and (g)odesses, though derived from Nimrod, are actually demon spirits who gladly took on the pagan idols for their own use.  This can be found in Justin Martyr’s writings:

“…And, secondly, because we–who, out of every race of men, used to worship Bacchus (a early type of Nimrod)…(who in their loves with men did such things as it is shameful even to mention)…and Venus (a early type of Nimrod’s consort, Semiramis), and whose mysteries also you celebrate, or some one or other of those who are called gods–have now, through Jesus Christ, learned to despise these, though we be threatened with death for it. Those who believe these things we pity, and those who invented them we know to be devils….”
–CHAPTER XXV — FALSE GODS ABANDONED BY CHRISTIANS

“…For the truth shall be spoken; since of old these evil demons, effecting apparitions of themselves, both defiled women and corrupted boys, and showed such fearful sights to men, that those who did not use their reason in judging of the actions that were done, were struck with terror; and being carried away by fear, and not knowing that these were demons, they called them gods, and gave to each the name which each of the demons chose for himself...”
–Ch 5, Charge of Atheism Refuted

The “gods” of the world are just Satan and his minions:

“...And again, in another prophecy, the Spirit of prophecy, through the same David, intimated ‘Sing to the Lord, all the earth, and day by day declare His salvation. For great is the Lord, and greatly to be praised, to be feared above all the gods. For all the gods of the nations are idols of devils; but God made the heavens…”CHAPTER XLI — THE CRUCIFIXION PREDICTED

Why Satan produced the Heathen Mythologies

“…But those who hand down the myths which the poets have made, adduce no proof to the youths who learn them; and we proceed to demonstrate that they have been uttered by the influence of the wicked demons, to deceive and lead astray the human race. For having heard it proclaimed through the prophets that the Christ was to come, and that the ungodly among men were to be punished by fire, they put forward many to be called sons of Jupiter, under the impression that they would be able to produce in men the idea that the things which were said with regard to Christ were mere marvellous tales, like the things which were said by the poets. And these things were said both among the Greeks and among all nations where they [the demons] heard the prophets foretelling that Christ would specially be believed in; but that in hearing what was said by the prophets they did not accurately understand it, but imitated what was said of our Christ, like men who are in error, we will make plain. The prophet Moses, then, Was, as we have already said, older than all writers; and by him, as we have also said before, it was thus predicted: “There shall not fail a prince from Judah, nor a lawgiver from between his feet, until He come for whom it is reserved; and He shall be the desire of the Gentiles, binding His foal to the vine, washing His robe in the blood of the grape.” The devils, accordingly, when they heard these prophetic words, said that Bacchus was the son of Jupiter, and gave out that he was the discoverer of the vine, and they number wine [or, the ass] among his mysteries; and they taught that, having been torn in pieces, he ascended into heaven. And because in the prophecy of Moses it had not been expressly intimated whether He who was to come was the Son of God, and whether He would, riding on the foal, remain on earth or ascend into heaven, and because the name of “foal” could mean either the foal of an ass or the foal of a horse, they, not knowing whether He who was foretold would bring the foal of an ass or of a horse as the sign of His coming, nor whether He was the Son of God, as we said above, or of man, gave out that Bellerophon, a man born of man, himself ascended to heaven on his horse Pegasus. And when they heard it said by the other prophet Isaiah, that He should be born of a virgin, and by His own means ascend into heaven, they pretended that Perseus was spoken of. And when they knew what was said, as has been cited above, in the prophecies written aforetime, “Strong as a giant to run his course,” they said that Hercules was strong, and had journeyed over the whole earth. And when, again, they learned that it had been foretold that He should heal every sickness, and raise the dead, they produced Aesculapius…”CHAPTER LIV — ORIGIN OF HEATHEN MYTHOLOGY.

PART 4:

The Yule Log, from The Two Babylons

Brightly burns the Yule log tonight
Magic dances in firelight
Hold my hand and join the song
Raise the Sun King bright and strong
Dark is giving way to light
As brightly burns the Yule log tonight!(ref:  Twopagans.com)

---

Many cultures organize feasts, festivals, holidays and celebrations around December solstice.

In the Northern Hemisphere, the December solstice occurs during the coldest season of the year. Although winter was regarded as the season of dormancy, darkness and cold, the coming of lighter days after the winter solstice brought on a more festive mood. To many people, this return of the light was a reason to celebrate that nature’s cycle was continuing. (ref:  Timeanddate.com)

---

The winter solstice occurs on December 21 and marks the beginning of winter (this is the shortest day of the year).  The Newgrange burial mound in Ireland’s County Meath is surrounded by megalithic stones set in what archeologists believe to be astronomical position to the Winter Solstice. The Stone Age monument dates to around 3200 B.C., making it 500 years older than the Great Pyramid of Giza in Egypt and a thousand years older than England’s Stonehenge. Stonehenge itself has long been associated with the solstice and equinox cycles. Once again, there is evidence of ancient people recognizing these times of the year not just from an astronomical perspective, but in terms of spiritual reverence as well.

The more significant perspective that seems to hold a stronger connection to the historical evolution of Yule comes from Old Norse. According to The Barnhart Concise Dictionary of Etymology,

“Yule is derived into modern English from Jól deriving from Old Norse hjól, wheel, referring to the moment when the wheel of the year is at its low point, ready to rise again (compare to the Slavic karachun).”

For all it’s inputs and influences, Yule is still an important time of the year to pagans around the world. In the most direct terms it is still a festival that honors the cycle of nature and the Wheel of the Year. It is not just about the rebirth of the God figure in pagan lore.

 Yule is a 12 day holiday, it begins on “Mothers Night” (December 21st) and ends 12 days later on “Yule Night” (January 1st). It’s the origin for the Christian “12 Days of Christmas”.

 For Celtic pagans, Yule is the time when the Sun God Lugh is reborn in human form to rejoin his beloved wife Eriu. She is described as a hag, who transformed into a beautiful Goddess by the marriage and personifies the land of Ireland in her every feature and character. She becomes known in legend as the “Sovereignty of Ireland”. Yule is also the celebration of the cycle of life through Eriu and all her incarnations as the Maiden, Mother and Crone Goddess.

The first direct reference to the Yule log can be found around the 17th century. The Old Norse ‘jol’ seems to have been borrowed in Old French as ‘olif’, which gave way to the Modern French ‘joli'; “pretty, nice,” originally “festive”. In Scandanavia, Old Norse pagan fathers and sons would bring home large logs, which they would set on fire in the center of their village. The people would feast until the log burned out, which could take as many as 12 days. Some suggest this is the significance or origination of the 12 Days of Yule.  (12 Days of Christmas)

The colors of Yule, red, white and green come from the Holly Tree and honoring the Old King. (Nimrod’s death before rebirth as Tammuz)

(Ref:  The Pagan’s Path)

---

This Sabbat (i.e., Yule or Christmas) represents the rebirth of light. Here, on the longest night of the year, the goddess (Semiramis or her derivative) gives birth to the Sun god (Nimrod or his derivative) and hope for new light is reborn. Yule is a time of awakening to new goals and leaving old regrets behind.

Yule coincides closely with the Christian Christmas celebration. Christmas was once a movable feast celebrated many different times during the year. The choice of December 25 was made by the Pope Julius I in the fourth century AD because this coincided with the pagan rituals of Winter Solstice, or Return of the Sun. The intent was to replace the pagan celebration with the Christian one.

Yule is celebrated by fire and the use of a Yule log.  This is a graphic representation of the rebirth of the god within the sacred fire of the Mother goddess. As the log burns, visualize the Sun shining within it and think of the coming warmer days. Traditionally, a portion of the Yule Log is saved to be used in lighting next year’s log. This piece is kept throughout the year to protect the home.

(ref:  Twopagans.com)

“…It was traditional to offer gifts of imitation fruit (a symbol of fertility), dolls (symbolic of the custom of human sacrifice), and candles (reminiscent of the bonfires traditionally associated with pagan solstice celebrations). A mock king was chosen, usually from a group of slaves or criminals, and although he was permitted to behave in an unrestrained manner for seven days of the festival, he was usually killed at the end. The Saturnalia eventually degenerated into a week-long spree of debauchery and crime – giving rise to the modern use of the term saturnalia, meaning a period of unrestrained license and revelry…” (ref:  TimeandDate.com)

---

“…Therefore, the 25th of December, the day that was observed at Rome as the day when the victorious god reappeared on earth, was held at the Natalis Invicti Solis, “he birth-day of the unconquered Sun.”  The Yule Log is the dead stock of Nimrod, deified as the sun-god, but cut down by his enemies; the Christmas-tree is Nimrod redivivus — the slain god come to life again…it was an essential principle of the Babylonian system, that the Sun or Baal was the only god.  When, therefore, Tammuz was worshipped as god incarnate, that implied he was an incarnation of the Sun. Now, the great god (Nimrod), cut down by his enemies (in reality by Semiramis), was symbolized by the Yule Log being cut down.   Then his reincarnation into the living tree (Christmas tree, representing Tammuz the everlasting god) would come through the burning of the Yule Log (this symbolized the “Ignigena”, or “born of the fire”, from the fiery bowels of the mother goddess Semiramis…” – ref:  “The Two Babylons“

Just as Justin Martyr pointed out in his treatise against Satan, this is part of the on-going battle of Satan to deceive the world and blend a pagan, satanic viewpoint with the true, Christian viewpoint, so that eventually Christian’s would no longer be observing and following Christ, but Satan himself…

PART 5:

Now come two arguments often used to justify Christmas observance.

1) Many will reason this way: “But, even though the exact date of Jesus’ birth is unknown, should we not select some date to celebrate as His birthday?” The answer is positively no! Take notice of the following statement quoted from the Catholic Encyclopedia: “Sinners alone, not saints, celebrate their birthdays.” The celebration of birthdays is not a Christian, but a pagan custom, observed by sinners!

2) But, many still reason, “Even so—even though Christmas was a pagan custom, honoring the false sun-god [Nimrod], we don’t observe it to honor the false god, we observe it to honor Christ.”

But how does GOD answer in His Word? “Take heed to thyself that thou be not snared by following them [the pagans in their customs] . . . that thou enquire not after their gods, saying, How did these nations serve their gods? even so will I do likewise. Thou shalt not do so unto the Lord thy God: for every abomination to the Eternal, which he hateth, have they done unto their gods” (Deuteronomy 12:30-31).

God says plainly in His Instruction Book to us, that He will not accept that kind of worship, even though intended in His honor. To Him, He says, it is offering what is abominable to Him, and therefore it honors, not Him, but false pagan gods. GOD says we must not worship Him according to the “dictates of our own conscience”—a term we often hear. But Jesus says plainly, “God is a spirit: and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth” (John 4:24). And what is truth? God’s Word—the Holy Bible—said Jesus, is truth (John 17:17); and the Bible says God will not accept worship when people take a pagan custom or manner of worship and try to honor Christ with it.

Again, Jesus said: “In vain they do worship me, teaching for doctrines the commandments of men” (Matthew 15:9). Christmas observance is a tradition of men, and the commandments of God, as quoted, forbid it. Jesus said, further, “full well ye reject the commandment of God, that ye may keep your own tradition.”

That is precisely what the millions are doing today. They ignore the commandment of God. He commands, regarding taking the customs of the pagans and using them to honor or worship God:

“Thou shalt not do so unto the Lord thy God.”

Still, most people today take that command of God lightly, or as having no validity whatsoever, and follow the tradition of men in observing Christmas.

Make no mistake! God will allow you to defy and disobey Him. He will allow you to follow the crowd and the traditions of men. He will allow you to sin.

But He also says there is a day of reckoning coming.

As you sow, so shall you reap! Jesus was the living Word of God in Person, and the Bible is the written Word of God. And we shall be judged, for eternity, by these words! They should not be taken lightly or ignored.

---

Ref: “The Plain Truth About Christmas” by Herbert W. Armstrong (1892-1986)

---

---

PART 6:

“…Evergreen trees were important fertility emblems for pre-Christian ceremonies marking the winter solstice. People from ancient societies believed that by decorating their homes and temples with evergreen plants, such as holly, ivy and mistletoe, they were helping to carry the diminished sun through a critical period. . . . Mistletoe was the most sacred plant of the Druids. . . . [It] was given great reverence . . . because it grows on the venerated oak. The custom of kissing under the mistletoe comes from the ancient idea thatmistletoe is the oak’s genitals. And so it was believed that an embrace under its glistening berries was sure guarantee of a fruitful union. . . . The decoration of Christmas trees is a survival of pagan tree veneration. . . . For centuries before Christianity, holly was . . . used . . . for celebrating their midwinter Saturnalia…”

– Dallas Morning News (December 6, 1986)

“The Celts of the British Isles and Gaul believed the Holly King ruled over winter and death.”
-Pagan Yule: Christmas Plants Holly, Ivy and Mistletoe: Traditional Yuletide Symbols
by Jill Stefko

“Ancient pagans fashioned ivy “into wreaths and garlands for decorations during the winter months.” Ivy had close ties with the Roman god of wine, Bacchus (The derivative of Saturn).  Holly, meanwhile, figured prominently in the Roman celebration of the Saturnalia (upon which the Christmas holidaywas directly modeled), as it was considered sacred to the god Saturn. Among the Celts, holly played a major role in summer and winter pagan solstice observances.”
– “The Green Mountain Gardener”
Dr. Leonard Perry

“Holly and other evergreens were subsequently adopted by common Christians as Christmas decorations in Roman times. This, despite protests from disapproving Church Fathers, who regarded the decorations as “too pagan.”
Such protests notwithstanding, evergreen decorations were well on their way to becoming Christmas institutions, symbols of the pagan past co-opted by the new religion.”
– “The Green Mountain Gardener”
Dr. Leonard Perry

“Holly was the sacred plant of the god Saturn and was used at the RomanSaturnalia festival to honour him. Romans gave one another holly wreaths and carried them about decorating images of Saturn with it.”
-All About Christmas – Mistletoe and Holly

“The Saturnalia (which means ‘sun-stop’) is the week-long pagan festival of the winter solstice which began on December the 17th as the sun was seen to be rising further to the south and thought of as “dying”. By December the 25th, the ancient world’s solstice, it could be recognized as beginning to turn northwards again and was said to be “re-born” and therefore was proclaimed to be the birthday of the sun-deity.”

“All of the known sun-deities were ‘born’ on December the 25th, these include Mithra, Krishna (Vishnu), Osiris, Horus, Hercules, Dionysus (Bacchus), Tammuz, Indra, Jesus Christ (via the Catholic church), Buddha as well as the Scandinavian goddesses.”

Aryan Sun Myths, The Origins of Religion
– S.E. Titcombe

“Behind all Pagan deity worship stands Satan himself. He accepts honor in whatever name we wish to call him; Baal, Moloch, Marduk, Venus, Odin, Krishna, Aphrodite, Ishtar, Zeus, Amon-Ra, Mithras, Ahura-Mazda, Dagon — male or female, it matters not. The most important day in the life of anysatan worshipper is their annual birthday.”

“For roughly 4,000 years, the SOLSTICE has been — by proxy — the day of Satan’s birthday celebration (because he is the designer of the original astrological religious pattern), and deceived mankind to cause them to worship the sun.”

“Nimrod, grandson of Ham, son of Noah, was the real founder of the Babylonian system that has gripped the world ever since. Nimrod built the tower of Babel, the original Babylon, ancient Nineveh, and many other cities. He organized this world’s first kingdom. The name Nimrod, in Hebrew, maybe derived from “Marad’ meaning, “he rebelled.” (Gen. 10: 6,8-12)

“Nimrod was known as the god of the Chaldean Mysteries. In the Chaldean mysteries, the Babylonian dictator Nimrod was deified as Saturn. Satan and Saturn are the same words, one ‘Early Latin’, and the other ‘Late Latin’… His birthday was celebrated on December 25th or the Saturnalia. Saturn and Mystery are both chaldean words, and they are correlative terms. As Mystery signifies the hidden system, so Saturn signifies the hidden god.“
Hebrew Roots – The Neglected Commandments

“Saturnalia was an ancient Roman festival in honor of the deity Saturn, held on the 17th of December of the Julian calendar and later expanded with festivities through to the 23rd of December. The holiday was celebrated with a sacrifice at the Temple of Saturn, in the Roman Forum, and a public banquet, followed by private gift-giving, continual partying, and a carnival atmosphere that overturned Roman social norms: gambling was permitted, and masters provided table service for their slaves…Saturnalia is a festival of light leading to the winter solstice, with the abundant presence of candles symbolizing the quest for knowledge and truth…celebrated in the later Roman Empire at the Dies Natalis of Sol Invictus, the “Birthday of the Unconquerable Sun,” on December 25…Role-playing was implicit in the Saturnalia’s status reversals, and there are hints of mask-wearing or “guising”…Rampant overeating and drunkenness became the rule, and a sober person the exception…Children received toys as gifts…In a practice that might be compared to modern greeting cards, verses sometimes accompanied the gifts…candles were a substitute offering (in lieu of human sacrifice) to Saturn for the light of life“
– Saturnalia, on Wikipedia

“The Saturnalia was named for Saturn, otherwise known as Cronus. Cronus is an alias for Tammuz. Tammuz was Nimrod reborn – alias, his son. His wife and mother was Rhea (Semiramis). Egyptian and Babylonian antiquities recognize his mother as Semiramis, and his birthday is celebrated on 25th December. Semiramis was depicted as a virgin Madonna holding the “Christ” child.“

“The Saturnalia, therefore, was just another observance for Tammuz/Nimrod, the Babylonian, counterfeit redeemer.”

Hebrew Roots – the Neglected Commandments

---

As a Christian, you have to understand that Christmas has nothing to do with Jesus Christ, and separate the two in your mind and heart.  Jesus Christ the Messiah is real, Christmas is nothing more than a deception by the Father of Lies, Satan, who originated and passed this lie down through history with the first AntiChrist, Nimrod.

---

In the following video, pay close attention to reference of the berries being the male genitalia:

PART  7:

DECK THE HALLS WITH BOUGHS OF HOLLY

By Dr. Leonard Perry, Extension Professor
University of Vermont
Holly has become almost synonymous with the holiday season. Its bright red berries and shiny green leaves are found on holiday wrapping paper, greeting cards, and of course, live in garden shops.

But did you know that “decking the halls with holly” is an ancient custom several thousand years old? The ancient Romans, Greeks, and Druids all decorated their homes with this plant.

The Druids of pre-Roman Britain believed that holly was a sacred tree that was never deserted by the sun. That belief stemmed from the fact that holly growing in a deciduous forest remained green all winter long.

The Romans considered holly to be a symbol of good will and sent wreaths of it to newlyweds as a token of good wishes and congratulations. Holly also was used during the Festival of Saturn, which was held each year beginning on Dec. 17 to honor the Roman god of sowing and husbandry.



When you read and analyse the lyrics of “Deck the Halls” you see it has nothing at all to do with Xmas (or maybe everything to do with it?) and is, in fact, a song about Saturnalia: Debauchery, drinking, loud boisterous parties and burning the Yule Log (A symbol of the FIRST antichrist, Nimrod)

Here’s a quick glossary: (source:  Family Christmas online)

Boughs of holly – branches from the holly tree, a winter decoration that some people say traces back to the druids
Gay apparel – party clothes
Troll – to sing boisterously, especially in a round or other counterpoint.
Blazing Yule – the Yule log – tradition said that on New Year’s Eve (Yule), it was good luck to bring in a log that was long enough to burn all night long.
Strike the harp – This probably implies both: “strum a stringed instrument,” and “play the piano,” since the array of strings on pianos and harpsichords are called “harps” to this day. Or “strike” could be a sort of shorthand for “strike up,” in the sense that we might say “Strike up the band.” Whatever this phrase means exactly, there is to be no hitting.
Merry measure – keep in time while singing along on a fast song

Deck the hall with boughs of holly! (symbol of Nimrod)
Fa La La La La, La La La La
‘Tis the season to be jolly!  (Jolly in the sense of partying – Saturnalia)
Fa La La La La, La La La La
Don we now our gay apparel!
Fa La La La La La, La La La
Troll the ancient Yuletide carol! (Yule Log is symbol of Nimrod’s death and resurrection as Tammuz)
Fa La La La La, La La La La

See the blazing Yule before us!
Fa La La La La, La La La La
Strike the harp and join the chorus!
Fa La La La La, La La La La
Follow me in merry measure!  (Dancing and celebrating the Yule, or Nimrod’s death and ascension as the Sun God)
Fa La La La La La, La La La
While I tell of Yuletide treasure!
Fa La La La La, La La La La

Fast away the old year passes.  (Seeming death of the Sun god)
Fa La La La La, La La La La
Hail the new, ye lads and lasses.  (The ascension of the Sun(god)
Fa La La La La, La La La La
Sing we joyous, all together,  (Celebrating Tammuz, the risen Nimrod)
Fa La La La La La, La La La
Heedless of the wind and weather,  (Drunken revelry knows no bad weather)
Fa La La La La, La La La La


“Deck the Halls” was first printed in “Musical and Poetical Relicks of the Welsh Bards“, preserved by tradition and authentic manuscripts from REMOTE ANTIQUITY; never before published…” by Edward Jones, London, 1784. The music appears on p. 64 under the title “Nos galen”. The title and words are in Welsh only, the title meaning “New Year’s Night.” The melody may date from the days of the Druids, 2000-3000 years ago, as the statement “…The Druids always commenced their celebrations from the proceeding night…” in “Caeser’s Commentarys”. The book goes on to say that they (Druids) worshipped the “arcane eternal fire”, which was, of course, what Nimrod discovered and also worshipped.

PART 8:

As a Christian, it would be important to know the origins of something that claims to be associated with Christ, and that is caroling.  Let’s see what we can find out:

---

A Christmas carol (also called a noël) is a carol (song or hymn) whose lyrics are on the theme of Christmas, and which is traditionally sung on Christmas itself or during the surrounding holiday season. Christmas carols may be regarded as a subset of the broader category of Christmas music.

In England and other countries, such as Poland (koleda), Romania (colinde) and Bulgaria (koledari), there is a tradition of Christmas caroling (earlier known aswassailing), in which groups of singers travel from house to house, singing carols, for which they are often rewarded with gifts, money, mince pies, or a glass of an appropriate beverage.

Ref: Miles, Clement, Christmas customs and traditions, Courier Dover Publications, 1976

Wassailing

The tradition of wassailing (alt sp wasselling) falls into two distinct categories: The House-Visiting wassail and the Orchard-Visiting wassail.

The House-Visiting wassail, caroling by another name, is the practice of people going door-to-door singing Christmas carols. The Orchard-Visiting wassail refers to the ancient custom of visiting orchards in cider-producing regions of England, reciting incantations and singing to the trees to promote a good harvest for the coming year.

ref: http://www.oed.com/ Oxford English Dictionary

In recent times, the toast (Wassailing) has come to be synonymous with Christmas, but since Christianity gradually replaced the indigenous Anglo-Saxon religion around the 7th and 8th centuries, there is no evidence that the traditional ceremony of wassailing is Christian in origin.

Although wassailing is often described in innocuous and sometimes nostalgic terms, the practice in England has not always been considered so innocent.Wassailing was associated with rowdy bands of young men who would enter the homes of wealthy neighbours and demand free food and drink (in a manner similar to the modern children’s Halloween practice of trick-or-treating). If the householder refused, he was usually cursed, and occasionally his house was vandalized.

Ref: English Christmas Carols – Christmas Songs of England

Wassailing also refers to drinking (and singing) the health of trees in the hopes that they might better thrive. An old rhyme goes:

Wassaile the trees, that they may beare You many a Plum and many a Peare:
For more or lesse fruits they will bring, As you do

The purpose of wassailing is to awake the cider apple trees and to scare away evil spirits to ensure a good harvest of fruit in the Autumn. The ceremonies of each wassail vary from village to village but they generally all have the same core elements. A wassail King and Queen lead the song and/or a processional tune to be played/sung from one orchard to the next, the wassail Queen will then be lifted up into the boughs of the tree where she will place toast soaked in Wassail from the Clayen Cup as a gift to the tree spirits (and to show the fruits created the previous year). Then an incantation is usually recited such as

Here’s to thee, old apple tree, That blooms well, bears well.
Hats full, caps full, Three bushel bags full, An’ all under one tree. 
Hurrah! Hurrah!

Then the assembled crowd will sing and shout and bang drums and pots & pans and generally make a terrible racket until the gunsmen give a great final volley through the branches to make sure the work is done and then off to the next orchard.

Perhaps unbeknownst to the general public, this ancient English tradition is still very much thriving today. A folktale from Somerset reflecting this custom tells of the “Apple Tree Man”, the spirit of the oldest apple tree in an orchard, and in whom the fertility of the orchard is said to reside. In the tale a man offers his last mug of mulled cider to the trees in his orchard and is rewarded by the Apple Tree Man who reveals to him the location of buried treasure.

Ref: Sue, Clifford; Angela, King (2006). England in Particular: A Celebration of the Commonplace, the Local, the Vernacular and the Distinctive.

Now, let’s get to the bottom-line origin of Christmas Carols:

Yule Goat

A folk tale depiction of Father Christmas riding on a goat. This may be where the reindeer originated (Wikipedia)

The Yule goat is a Scandinavian and Northern European Yule and Christmas symbol and tradition. Its origin may be Germanic pagan, and the figure has existed in many variants during Scandinavian history.

The custom of wassailing is sometimes called “going Yule goat” in Scandinavia. The Yule goat’s origins might go as far back as pre-Christian days. A popular theory is that the celebration of the goat is connected to worship of theNorse god Thor, who rode the sky in a chariot drawn by two goats, Tanngrisnir and Tanngnjóstr. (in my opinion, the origins of flying reindeer)

The last sheaf of grain bundled in the harvest was credited with magical properties as the spirit of the harvest and saved for the Yule celebrations, called among other things “Julbocken” (the Yule goat).  A man-sized goat figure is known from 11th-century remembrances of Childermas, where it was led by a man dressed as Saint Nicholas, symbolizing his control over the Devil.

The function of the Yule goat has differed throughout the ages. In a Scandinavian tradition similar to wassailing, held at either Christmas or Epiphany, young men in costumes would walk between houses singing songs, enacting plays and performing pranks. This tradition is known from the 17th century and continued in places into the early 20th century. The group of Christmas characters would often include the Yule goat, a rowdy and sometimes scary creature demanding gifts.  But the goat gradually became a nicer being. In the eighteenth century the Christmas goat was the being coming with the gifts. He is nowadays replaced by the Christmas Man, at first similar to the brownie who lived in the barn of the farms, but now the American type similar to the Santa Claus is what you see.

ref:  “The Straw Goat“

Julbocken , or the Christmas Goat (1912)

During the 19th century the Yule goat’s role all over Scandinavia shifted towards becoming the giver of Christmas gifts, with one of the men in the family dressing up as the Yule goat.  In this, there might be a relation to Santa Claus and the Yule goat’s origin in the medieval celebrations of Saint Nicholas.

The Yule goat in Scandinavia today is best known as a Christmas ornament. This modern version of the Yule goat figure is a decorative goat made out of straw and bound with red ribbons, a popular Christmas ornament often found under the Yule tree or Christmas tree.

Ref:Rossel, Sven H.; Elbrönd-Bek, Bo (1996). Christmas in Scandinavia.

THOR:

Old Norse Þórr, Old English ðunor, Old High German Donar, Old Saxon thunar, and Old Frisian thuner are cognates within the Germanic language branch, descending from the Proto-Germanic masculine noun *þunraz ‘thunder’.

Ref: Orel, Vladimir (2003). A Handbook of Germanic Etymology. Brill.

THOR is the derivation of Nimrod, as you can plainly see in my other postings of Nimrod. As a side note, The swastika symbol has been identified as representing the hammer or lightning of Thor.

Detail of swastika on the 9th century Snoldelev Stone (ref: Wikipedia)

Scholar Hilda Ellis Davidson (1965) comments on the The Straw Goat usage of the swastika as a symbol of Thor:

“The protective sign of the hammer was worn by women, as we know from the fact that it has been found in women’s graves. It seems to have been used by the warrior also, in the form of the swastika. […] Primarily it appears to have had connections with light and fire, and to have been linked with the sun-wheel.“

Ref: Worsaae, J. J. A. (1882). The Industrial Arts of Denmark.Ref

So, as we see, the practice of “Christmas Caroling” has it’s roots, as do all secular practices, in ancient occultic beliefs based on the first AntiChrist, Nimrod.

PART  9:

PART  10:

From L. Woodbridge, ‘Black and White and Red All Over: The Sonnet Mistress Amongst the Ndembu’, in Renaissance Quarterly, 40.2 (1987), pp. 247-97 at pp. 274-5

Moore did not create Santa but “crystalized popular notions of the visit of the gift bringer” (Barnett 27), and in doing so he took over the ritual colours, probably from the Dutch, whose St Nicholas (like Moore’s) comes down the chimney, a descent primarily responsible for the white and black in his color scheme: “His clothes were all tarnished with ashes and soot.”  Soot is an inevitable symbolic substance, completing a triad, in its blackness, with the red of fire and the white of ash: one thinks of blackened chimney sweeps in May ceremonies, and of the many blacked faces in folk festivities.  The chimney descent supports the theory that Santa is ultimately the Norse god Thor: The Norse god Odin, who rode a white horse or drove reindeer, may also have contributed to the Santa Claus legend] as Francis Weiser points out, Thor was represented with a long white beard; his colour was red, since his element was fire, into which he descended through chimneys.  His chariot was drawn by twowhite goats.  He became the Yule-god through battling against the giants of ice and snow; he lived in the northland among icebergs (113).  Moore’s St. Nick is a fire-spirit at least in his pipe-smoking: “The smoke it encircled his head like a wreath.”  Professor of Hebrew and Oriental languages at a theological college (Pimlott 115), Moore had the education to be aware of mythic antecedents of the Christmas figure he assembled.  Santa’s debt to Thor was spotted as early as 1872, when O. M. Spencer placed both figures in the context of seasonal fertility  rite: Thor battling the ice-giant is Spring’s eternal conflict with Winter.  The three ritual colors attached to St. Nicholas since the Middle Ages are appropriate to a figure rooted in the seasonal fertility rite.