2000 And Beyond Continued...

Alrighty Then! It's been a few days since my last post. Strap yourself in for some things that are going to turn your world upside down and inside out. I know it did mine!

To begin with, I'm going to combine both meetings of Michael Rood's that year in 2000, because frankly what you hear in one, you'll hear that and more in the next one. That's the way it's been each year when he comes to share. For starters, Michael explained the origins of some of our celebrations that we have all held so dear. Mainly Christmas, New's Year's Day, and Easter, but there's more.

You know, I had asked myself many times prior to learning where these customs and celebrations came from. While I'm going to be somewhat brief, because again there are studies already done, and not wanting to reinvent the wheel here, but I'll give you the links to a couple that you can read for yourself at the end of this post. Also take the time and do some Google searches on your own. Again it's important to get a witness to all things.

So how many times have you and I heard this this one: "Christmas and Easter have become so commercialized that we have lost their true meaning." I know I have. So what are their true meanings? Let's start with Christmas, as that celebration just passed. Here's a short list of things Michael touched on regarding Christmas:

• There's no commandment in all of Scripture to keep our Savior's birthday, or any birthday for that matter, only to remember His death, burial and resurrection, which is done during Pesach (Passover)
• December 25th is the dead of winter and no flocks are out at this time of year, nor are the shepherds for that matter,they are all back in the villages for the winter. They actually take their flocks back to the villages by the commencement of the first rain, which happens in October/November time frame.
• Yahshua's birth actually happened in the fall, on one of the two Feast Days of Yahweh - Yom Teruach (The Day of Trumpets) or Sukkoth (Feast of Tabernacles) - These are a mere 15 days apart, and happen around September/October time frame
• The way the story has been told through all the story telling and plays is actually unscriptural! Here's what happened as one looks at what's written. To start with Mattithyahu (Matthew) chapter 2.
• Verse 2:1 Starts off saying "And Yahshua having been born..." indicating it's already happened. The following verses show the Magi coming and being summoned to Herodes, then leaving. We don't know how many came, though they did bring 3 gifts as stated in verse 2:11, so stating 3 Magi is incorrect.
• Verse 2:11 states that the Magi went into the "house" not the "manger" as in Luke. Why the discrepancy? Actually there is none, because The Magi didn't show up until nearly TWO YEARS AFTER Yahshua's birth! He was now in a house, no longer in a manger or tent laying in a feeding trough. That's why Herodes sent out the decree to kill all the male children two years old and under.
• A very important issue is His Name. The name Jesus is a Greek/Latin/Anglo Saxon name, and therefore not Hebrew. Remember He was given a Hebrew Name, born from one of the twelve Hebrew tribes, Yahudah, had Hebrew parents, and kept all of the Written Torah, both in letter and in spirit. The name Jesus doesn't mean anything in Hebrew, because of its origin. The Name: Yahshua means in Hebrew "Salvation of Yah" or "Yahweh is Salvation". Yah is the short poetic form of Yahweh, (see Psalms 68:4)and "shua" in Hebrew means "salvation". That's why in Matt. 1:21 says: "And she shall give birth to a Son, and you shall call His Name Yahshua for He shall save His people from their sins." It's built into His Name. I thought that was really awesome when I learned this.
• Christmas as a celebration was not observed until some 300 years after Yahshua's birth
• All the customs and the traditions surrounding this celebration are of pagan origin stemming clear back to Nimrod of Babylon. Here's some of what those celebrations were about:
• Two key figures in the origin of Christmas are actually Nimrod, a great grandson of 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).
• After Nimrod's death (c. 2167 BC), Semiramis promoted the belief that he was a mighty one or el. 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. On the anniversary of his birth, she said, Nimrod would visit the evergreen tree and leave gifts under it. His birthday fell on the winter solstice on December 25th.
• A few years later, Semiramis bore a son, Tammuz, also known as Horus or Gilgamesh. She declared that she had been visited by the spirit of Nimrod, being impregnated by the rays of the sun. Tammuz, she maintained, was Nimrod reincarnated. With a father, mother and son deified.
• Semiramis and Tammuz were worshipped as "Madonna and child." As the generations passed, they were worshipped under other names in different countries and languages. Many of these are recognizable: Fortuna and Jupiter in Rome; Aphrodite and Adonis in Greece and Ashtoreth/Astarte and Molech/Baal in Canaan.
• During the time between Babel and Messiah, pagans developed the belief that the days grew shorter in early winter because their sun-deity was leaving them. When they saw the length of the day increasing, they celebrated by riotous, unrestrained feasting and orgies. This celebration, known as Saturnalia, was named after Saturn, another name for Nimrod.
• "Christmas" is a contraction for "Christ’s Mass," a Roman Catholic observance. It was designed to compete with a heathen Roman feast of Saturnalia in honor of the sun deity Mithras. Mithras bore a remarkable similarity to the Scriptural Messiah and the Mithras feast, like Christmas, was to commemorate his birth. Mithras was known as the Sun Deity. His birthday, Natalis solis invicti, means "birthday of the invincible sun." It came on December 25th, at the time of the winter solstice when the sun began its journey northward again.
• During the fourth century, the emperor Constantine "converted" to "Christianity" and changed Sabbath keeping from the seventh to the first day of the week. Sunday was the day he had worshipped the sun as his el. He was also the high priest of Mithras worship, called "Pope" for Papa. This made it easier for the Romans to call their pagan December 25th winter solstice festival, in which they had celebrated the birth of the sun deity, the birthday of the "Son of God."
• The blending of Babylonian pagan rituals throughout millenia were mixed together or syncretized by the Roman Catholic (Latin for Universal, that is to say everything goes) believers, as they wanted total control over all, and did it by incorporating beliefs, customs, and traditions. Giving sainthood to pagan deities with a new name so pagans felt comfortable with their new rulers.
• Many of the trappings of "Christmas" like: yule logs, mistle toe, holly, wreaths, etc.,,, are all part of pagan worship of the sun, that can represent fertility symbols, like the wreath is the female sexual organ, and the tree is the male organ or phallic symbol. The round ornaments hung from the tree represent the testicles, I kid you not! Pagan customs from across Europe have also been incorporated into Christmas as time progressed, like from the Druids.

But we do find that Yahweh does address this pagan ritual in Scripture, and tells us in the Book of Yirmeyahu (Jeremiah), written around 600 years before Yahshua came, not to observe practices like Christmas tree worship in 10:2-4 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 adorn it with silver and gold, they fasten it with nails and hammers so that it does not topple. When I saw that, I thought I'd been duped.

Well, that's some of a long list of things that I found out from Michael Rood, and others. You can find out all this for yourself as well. Next time I'll share on what I learned about New Years and Easter. Below are but two studies of many that you can find online.

The Untold Story of Christmas
Are You Wrapped Up In Christmas?

May Yahweh Bless You and Guard You,
John