Falling in Love with Christmas all Over Again-Part 2–STAR-75
This is Sabbath Thoughts and Reflections–Episode 75–Falling in Love with Christmas All Over Again–Part 2
Shalom
“I hate, I despise your feast days and I will not smell in your solemn assemblies. Though ye offer me burnt offerings and your meat offerings, I will not accept them, neither will I regard the peace offerings of your fat beasts. Take away from me the noise of your songs; for I will not hear the melody of your viols. But let judgment run down as waters and righteousness as a mighty stream. Have ye offered unto me sacrifices and offerings in the wilderness forty years, O house of Yisra’el? But ye have borne the tabernacle of your Molek and Kiyun your images, the star of your elohiym, which ye made to yourselves. Therefore will I cause you to go into captivity beyond Damascus, says Yahuah, whose name is The Elohiym Tseva’ot.” (Amos 5:21-27, Cepher)
Punishment for Syncretism
Just Like Our Daddies and Mommies
“But you are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a peculiar people; that ye should show forth the praises of Him who has called you out of darkness into His marvellous light: Which in times past were not a people but are now the people of Yahuah: which had not obtained mercy but now have obtained mercy.” (I Peter2:9,10; Cepher)
“Woe unto them that call evil good and good evil; that put darkness for light and light for darkness; that put bitter for sweet and sweet for bitter! Woe unto them that are wise in their own eyes and prudent in their own sight! Woe unto them that are mighty to drink wine and men of strength to mingle strong drink: Which justify the wicked for reward and take away the righteousness of the righteous from him! Therefore as the fire devours the stubble and the flame consumes the chaff, so their root shall be as rottenness and their blossom shall go up as dust: because they have cast away the Torah of Yahuah Tseva’ot and despised the Word of the Holy One of Yisra’el. Therefore is the anger of Yahuah kindled against His people and He has stretched forth His hand against them and has smitten them: and the hills did tremble and their carcases were torn in the midst of the streets. For all this His anger is not turned away but His hand is stretched out still.” (Isaiah 5:20-25, Cepher)
“Therefore seeing we have this ministry as we have received mercy, we faint not, but have renounced the hidden things of dishonesty, not walking in craftiness, nor handling the Word of Yahuah deceitfully, but by manifestation of the Truth commending ourselves to every man’s conscience in the sight of Yahuah. But if our Besorah be hid, it is hid to them that are lost, in whom the eloah of this world has bllinded the minds of them which believe not, lest the light of the glorious Besorah of Hamashiach who is the image of Yahuah should shine unto them.” (II Corinthians 4:1-4, Cepher)
The Problem Restated
In episode 74 or the first part of this Thoughts and Reflections, I introduced the problem of members of our community that contend there is no true evidence linking Christmas to paganism. As a result, several influential members of our Faith community are advocating a return to Christmas keeping for those of us who once rejected the horror-day.
Zachary Bauer Takes a Stand Against Christmas
What the Big Deal?
“I pray you could bear with me a little in my folly: and indeed bear with me. For I am jealous over you with a righteous jealousy: for I have espoused you to one man, that I may present you as a chaste virgin to HaMashiach. But I fear, lest by any means, as the serpent beguiled Chuah (aka: Eve) through his subtilty, so your minds should be corrupted from the simplicity that is in HaMashiach. For if he that comes preaches another Yahusha whom we have not preached, or if ye receive another ruach, which ye have not received, or another Besorah (gospel), which ye have not accepted, you might well bear with him. Therefore I thought it necessary to exhort the brethren, that they would go before unto you, and make up beforehand your bounty, whereof ye had notice before, that the same might be ready, as a matter of bounty and not as of covetousness. But this I say, He which sows sparingly shall reap also sparingly; and he which sows bountifully shall reap also bountifully.” (II Corinthians 11:1-6, Cepher)
There are Problems When we Compromise on Christmas
” I marvel that you are so soon removed from Him that called you into the grace of Mashiach unto another Besorah: which is not another, but there be some that trouble you, and would pervert the Besorah of HaMashiach. But thought we or an angel from heaven, preach any other Besorah unto you than that which we have preached unto you, let him be accursed. As we said before, so say I now again, if any man preach any other Besorah unto you than that you have have received, let him be accursed. For do I now persuade men, or Yahuah? (Compromise?) or do I seek to please men? For if I yet pleased men, I should not be the servant of Mashiach. But I certify you, brethren, that the Besorah which was preached of me is not after man. For I neither received it of man, neither was I taught it, but by the revelation of Yahusha HaMashiach.” (Galatians 1:6-12, Cepher)
Compromise: The Bain of a Believer’s Existence
“Guard and hear all these words which I command you, thta it may go well with you and with your children after you forever, when you do that which is good and right in the sight of Yahuah Elohayka. When Yahuah Elohayka shall cut off the nations from before you, whithere you go to possess them, and you succeed them, and dwell in their land: take heed to yourself that you be not snared by following them, after that they be destroyed from before you. And that you inquire not after their elohiym, saying, “How did these nations serve their elohiym?” even so will I do likewise. You shall not do so unto Yahuah Elohayka for every abomination to Yahuah, which He hates, have they done unto their elohiym, for even their sons and their daughters they have burnt in the fire to their elohiym. What thing soever I command you, guard to do it. You shall not add thereto, nor diminish from it.” (Deuteronomy 12:28-32, Cepher)
Circumstantial Evidence Suggests a Pagan-Christmas Link
“Taken altogether, the coincidences of the Christian (aka Catholic) feasts with the heathen festivals are too close and too numerous to be accidental. They mark the compromise which the church in the hour of its triumph was compelled to make with the vanquished yet still dangerous rivals. The inflexible Protestantism of the primitive missionaries, with the fiery denunciation of heathendom, had been exchanged for the supple policy, the easy tolerance, the comprehensive charity of shrewd ecclesiastics, who clearly perceived that if Christianity (again, Catholicism) was to conquer the world it could do so only by relaxing the too rigid principles of the Founder, by widening a little the narrow gate which leads to salvation.”
When We Compromise on Christmas We Trust Man Over the Creator on the Issue
Judgment May Come to Hebrew Roots
“I tell you that He will avenge them speedily (speaking of Father). Nevertheless when the Son of Adam comes, shall He find faith on the earth?” (Luke 18:8, Cepher)
The Bottom Line on Christmas
Stand Firm on the Truth
We’re In a Sifting Phase
KJV Psalm 1:4 The ungodly are not so: but are like the chaff which the wind driveth away. (Psa 1:4 KJV)
Mat 3:12 Whose fan is in his hand, and he will throughly purge his floor, and gather his wheat into the garner; but he will burn up the chaff with unquenchable fire.
Hos 13:3 Therefore they shall be as the morning cloud, and as the early dew that passeth away, as the chaff that is driven with the whirlwind out of the floor, and as the smoke out of the chimney.
Concluding Thoughts and Reflections on the Issue of Christmas Keeping
6 Be strong and of a good courage: for unto this people shalt thou divide for an inheritance the land, which I sware unto their fathers to give them. 7 Only be thou strong and very courageous, that thou mayest observe to do according to all the law, which Moses my servant commanded thee: turn not from it to the right hand or to the left, that thou mayest prosper whithersoever thou goest. 8 This book of the law shall not depart out of thy mouth; but thou shalt meditate therein day and night, that thou mayest observe to do according to all that is written therein: for then thou shalt make thy way prosperous, and then thou shalt have good success. 9 Have not I commanded thee? Be strong and of a good courage; be not afraid, neither be thou dismayed: for the LORD thy God is with thee whithersoever thou goest. (Jos 1:6-9 KJV)
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