REVEALED!! 3 AMAZING Reasons for the Prophetic Blood Moon
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Walid Shoebat - END TIMES ALERT! - (Full Version)
Walid Shoebat on The End Times ALERT! Eschatology: Holy Bible Prophecies!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_detailpage&v=rYv3L5UX7l0
History of Christmas
Having surveyed the subject of festivals in scripture we will briefly consider the origin and story of Christmas observance, I will not go into great detail on this subject as any encyclopaedia will give most of the required information.
The early church, as we have seen, simply did not observe Christmas. Until the 5th century there was no consensus of opinion as to when it should be observed. Jan 6th and March 25th were rival dates. According to the Encyclopaedia Britannica December 25th was originally a Mithraic festival, the natalis invicti solis, or birthday of the unconquered sun. It seems clear that the time of the winter solstice was generally a time of pagan festivity.
Before proceeding we must ask some controversial and radical questions. After the departure of the original apostles, did the church steadily grow into maturity, or did it steadily decline into darkness? Was the establishment of Christianity under Constantine as Rome's official religion a triumph or a tragedy? Was the "Christianising" of heathen places of worship and customs a wise and generous compromise, or was it departure from the truth?
I would submit that Scripture and history unite to testify that the organised church went progressively into darkness rather than into light. In general the church steadily lost the spiritual dimension of the New Covenant. Then, instead of simply retreating into the truths of the Old Covenant, its leaders like Jeroboam of old produced idols and festivals out of their own hearts to satisfy the people; or perhaps to be more accurate, they turned to paganism for their inspiration! Consequently the period when the church held undisputed sway over all Europe has become known to historians with unbelievable irony as the dark ages.
The date of Christmas is clearly heathen, but what about its customs? Where do they come from? In fact they come from many different sources all of which are pagan and were gradually added over the centuries. The decorating of homes and giving of presents comes from the Roman Saturnalia. Mistletoe comes from the druids. The Saxons used holly and ivy. The emphasis on lights and fires probably comes from the original sun worship at the darkest time of the year. The Christmas tree appears to be of German origin.
More significant perhaps than these customs, whose origin has largely been forgotten, is the central religious theme of Christmas: the worship of the mother and child. The ancient Babylonians worshipped a goddess mother and her son and this worship appears to have spread throughout the ancient cultures. At Christmas this ancient idolatry appears annually disguised as Mary and Jesus.
In mediaeval times the "merrymaking" aspect became particularly strong. This included eating, drinking, carol singing, dancing and pantomimes. Ceremonies were directed by a man whose official title was the "Lord of Misrule".
Christmas was forbidden in England by act of parliament by the Puritans under Cromwell, but revived with the restoration under King Charles II. In Scotland it has only become a public holiday in the last 30 years.
A minority of Christians, notably among the Brethren, have rejected Christmas in recent times.
Read more Christmas and other Festivals
Book 1 of Musings Christ Is the Question
What will you do with Jesus?
Sometimes people say Christ is the answer. This is true. Christ is the answer to every problem people have.
It also is true that Christ is the question.
Was there really a person named Jesus Christ? Undoubtedly so. The New Testament certainly has the ring of truth to it. I personally have read enough literature to perceive the New Testament is not some humanly contrived account.
Not too long ago a girl from our church, who now is in college, asked me how she is to answer a young person from a Christian background who is questioning his faith. It seems sometimes when Christian young people go off to college they return minus their faith.
I am glad to say that our girl is standing strong and encouraging others.
There probably are all sorts of ways to prove there is a God and that Christ is His Son. But I answered this way: "Tell the young man who is questioning his faith to ask God to reveal Christ to him. In other words, if you want to know whether or not there is a God, ask Him to show you."
This is what I did many years ago, and I'll tell you He has convinced me of His existence and that Jesus Christ is His Son. I know this now from the experiences I have had.
So let's assume there is a God and Jesus Christ is His Son. This poses a terrific question to every human being. If this is so, then the first priority of life is to find out what Christ wants you to do.
If God and Christ are really sitting up there looking at us, then how stupid it would be to ignore them and go about our business.
Think about the vanity of life. We spend years getting an education so we can earn money so we have enough to eat so we have energy enough to work. In addition we may wish to acquire a house or car or some other convenience or comfort.
But we truly are living in the valley of the shadow of death. If you don't think so, visit your local hospital. There are many hospitals in the region where I live in Southern California. I have never been to the hospital without having trouble getting a parking place. And the parking lot of the hospital where I go is huge.
You can go to the emergency room in the middle of the night, any night of the week, and there are people in the waiting room in various stages of distress. What does this tell us? It tells us that life is cruel.
Sometimes I look at the homeless people pushing their carts with all their belongings in them. These men and women at one time were happy boys and girls playing in the schoolyard. Now they are haggard, in dirty clothes, pushing their belongings down the street. At night they will try to find a place in back of a store or school where they can keep warm and sleep. No place to shower or even wash up. No money. No toilet.
Life beats the juice out of a person. We start off happy and confident, most of us. But life has a way of defeating us.
I notice how many television commercials are devoted to medicines that relieve stress and heartburn. People have a lot of worries: about their children; about their marriage; about their health; about their job; about their retirement. There always is something to worry about.
Tell me: Is life worth the trouble? Are you enjoying yourself right now? Will you be enjoying yourself ten years from now? Maybe, if you don't wake up some morning with cancer, or have a heart attack, or you child doesn't develop leukemia, or you are not raped, or your son doesn't become a homosexual or your daughter a lesbian so you can't extend your line through grandchildren.
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