The VOICE of Prophecy!
LET’S TALK ABOUT CHRISTMAS!
Monday 14 December 2020
“THE TWELVE DAYS OF CHRISTMAS,” when do they begin and end?
Judging by the number of Christmas decorations that have illuminated and festooned the dwellings in my “lowly” City of Lincoln since the middle of November; it should all be over now!
Of course, no one believes that. But what exactly do you believe? There is such a thing as “Twelvetide,” and it begins and ends on specific dates; involves designated feast days and observances; and revolves around the birth, nativity and Epiphany of Jesus. Yet I doubt that 1 in 100 could explain what these are, and if or why they observe them.
IN AMERICA, where Thanksgiving is a much bigger deal than Christmas; commercially, ‘the twelve days of Christmas’ are considered to begin (TODAY) on the 14 of December; and end on Christmas day, 25 December.
According to Wikipedia:
“Presently, the commercial practice treats the Solemnity of Christmas, 25 December, the first day of Christmas, as the last day of the “Christmas” marketing season, as the numerous “after-Christmas sales” that commence on 26 December demonstrate. The commercial calendar has encouraged an erroneous assumption that the Twelve Days end on Christmas Day and must therefore begin on 14 December.”
BUT IN THE UK, where the “established church” (including the monarchy) exert considerable cultural influence over customs and practices; and in much of Western Europe and the Commonwealth, still under the sway of Roman Catholicism; ‘the twelve days of Christmas’ continue to pivot around the winter solstice and New Year celebrations. That is to say they revolve around dates adopted from ancient pagan rituals and sun worship. So the “Twelvetide” runs from 25 December until the 5 January:
“The Twelve Days of Christmas, also known as Twelvetide, is a festive Christian season celebrating the Nativity of Jesus. In most Western ecclesiastical traditions, “Christmas Day” is considered the “First Day of Christmas” and the Twelve Days are 25 December through 5 January, inclusive. For many Christian denominations—for example, the Anglican Communion and Lutheran Church—the Twelve Days are identical to Christmastide…”
So now we know when the twelve days begin and end (not in the middle of November). But do we know WHY these days are used to celebrate the birth of Jesus, the Christ?
I suspect few people (even among Christians) either know, or really care.
The Plain Truth About Christmas
What if I told you that; “By keeping Christmas you are actually worshipping the Devil – YOU ARE A SATAN WORSHIPPER!” Would that concern you? If you believe that Jesus is the Christ, it should!
I’ve often remarked on my Facebook page that “I don’t observe Christmas” (and haven’t for over 44 years). By that I mean I don’t go in for the decorations, exchanging gifts, midnight mass, or nativity plays etc. However, I am ashamed to admit that as a busker, I have “played along” with the seasonal melodies from time to time, in the past. BUT NO MORE!
Since reading “The Plain Truth About Christmas” in 1975; written by Herbert W Armstrong (an American Evangelist who published The Plain Truth magazine, and led the Worldwide Church of God for 60 years, from 1937 until his death in 1986) ; I have known about the pagan origins of Christmas, and the importance of not going along with these ancient sun worshipping rituals.
I DON’T WANT TO BE A ‘PARTY POOPER.’
There is nothing wrong with getting together with family and friends and having a good time. What we shouldn’t do is follow customs and practices actually forbidden by God in His word (the Bible); and then say we are doing it in the name of God and Christ.
FOR MANY PEOPLE CHRISTMAS ends up being the worst time of the year; as they struggle to live up to expectations they can’t afford.
It’s tempting to think (as the narrative goes in Charles Dickens’, “A Christmas Carol”), that if we could just distribute our resources generously and fairly; THEN EVERYONE COULD HAVE A HAPPY CHRISTMAS. But this is a complete fiction; because at the end of the day, the same satanic system that creates the poverty stricken masses persists after each Boxing Day!
Most of us are aware that Christmas is extremely commercial; and often people get into financial difficulty when they try to observe it as they are led to believe they should.
Keep in mind that the custom of trading gifts is pagan in origin; and Christmas is neither in the Bible nor commanded by God or Jesus. Current Christmas traditions have more to do with myth and legend than any scriptural or religious injunction:
“The name “Santa Claus” is a corruption of the name “St. Nicholas,” a Roman Catholic bishop who lived in the 5th century. Look in the Encyclopedia Britannica, volume 19, pages 648-649, 11th edition, where you’ll read: “St. Nicholas, bishop of Myra, a saint honored by the Greeks and Latins on the 6th of December …. A legend of his surreptitious bestowal of dowries on the three daughters of an impoverished citizen … is said to have originated the old custom of giving presents in secret on the Eve of St. Nicholas [Dec. 6], subsequently transferred to Christmas day. Hence the association of Christmas with Santa Claus ….”
excerpt from The Plain Truth About Christmas, by Herbert W Armstrong
It’s an interesting observation that one term for the Devil is “Old Nick;” and that SANTA is an anagram of SATAN.
There is more compelling and historical evidence that discredits the Christmas traditions held dear by so many believers and unbelievers alike (and there’s a clue).
I encourage you to read “THE PLAIN TRUTH ABOUT CHRISTMAS,” by Herbert W Armstrong; then do your own research and decide whether the observance of Christmas worships the true God and His Christ; or whether in fact it is pagan worship of a false god!
“Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.”
(John 8:32, NIV)