The Saviour’s Birth Time
Revealed At Last!
A Power-Packed
Answer To
The Question:
WHO SAYS
X-MAS
IS WRONG?
By
Steve Hancock
Edited
By
Bill Moore
and re-edited by
Paul D. Newman
X-mas Before Messiah?
Positive Biblical Proof: The Wise Men
Never Went To Bethlehem!
Why does X-mass Occur in December?
Did Yahshua tell his disciples to celebrate His birth in the book of Luke?
These, and many other questions are answered in
This frank and fearless article.
So many people have written so much about X-mass, for so long a time, that it is virtually impossible to determine where fact stops and fiction begins. Numerous tracts have been written on the subject, but the truth has been twisted, turned, and tortured so flagrantly that it is high time someone heeded the advice of Isaiah The Prophet to “Cry aloud, spare not…”
When we examine X-mass through the looking glass of history and measure it by the yardstick of scripture, it becomes crystal clear that the rituals practiced and the customs followed today are merely variations of the ceremonies invented by the corrupt Pagans of yesterday. If a spring is no purer than its source, then it follows that there is little, if any, true worship in Christ-mass.
BLASPHEMOUS BABYLON
Let us begin our examination with that giant of a man who became king and priest of Babylon, that unholy city he founded and ruled for 185 years. Nimrod, the great grandson of Noah, encouraged idolatry to much extent, that the word Babylon became synonymous with false worship. Genesis 10:9 states, “He was a mighty hunter before Yahveh.” This means that he had placed himself in front of, or in the place of Yahveh, in his priesthood. Because of his religious dominion, hunting prowess and enormous size, his subjects stood in awe of him. While on a hunting trip, Nimrod was ambushed and slain. His wife, Semiramis, quickly ascended to the throne and thence began a reign of lust and depravity with few parallels in ancient or modern times. She used her inventive mind to cover up her wickedness and it is upon the myths she concocted that the entire X-Mass fabrication rests. Following the death of Nimrod, Semiramis turned to harlotry, and when she conceived, she explained that her deceased husband, now ruling in the heavens as the sun-god, had visited her in spirit form and fathered her child. The superstitious people believed the myth and accepted Nimrod as a god. Semiramis then proclaimed herself a goddess, and the Queen of Heaven, whose worship Jeremiah condemned (Jeremiah 7:17-18; 44:16-19, 25-26). When her son, Tammuz, was born at the time of the winter solstice, by primitive reckoning about Dec. 25, he became a god in their eyes, also. To appeal further to the people’s imagination, Semiramis embellished her legend with a tale of an evergreen tree that sprang forth from a dead stump overnight. The X-Mass tree and yule log used today, were first used to celebrate the birth of Tammuz, in what became an annual religious festival in Babylon.
THE FIRST LENT
History Depicts Tammuz as the “greatest lover of women, strong drink, evil jokes and fun.” It is not strange then, that the celebration of his birthday, always a wild drunken orgy, was a favorite festival among the corrupt people. When he died at forty years of age, the women of Babylon Lovingly set aside an annual mourning period for him of forty days (a day for each year of his age). When this practice was adopted by Yahveh's people later, Ezekiel sternly condemned it (Ezekiel 8:13 - 14). The introduction of this Lenten Season, however, did not abolish the Tammuz-mass, or T-mass celebration, for it was now a principal holiday in Babylon.
This is the Blasphemous record of pagan Babylon. We learn further from history, that the “Sun god, Queen of Heaven, and Son -of-Sun-god” that is, Nimrod-Semiramis-Tammuz became the First trinity godhead. Pagan Babylon passed on the false doctrine of the trinity, the T-mass (now called X-mass) celebration, and many other idolatrous customs and practices to our modern day. Over the years, the identities of their Pagan deities and festivals were disguised, historical truth was suppressed, and a spiritual darkness covered the religious world like a thick cloud.
The religion of Pagan Babylon did not disappear with the various world conquests. Rather, being so popular, it was passed on down, to what the Bible calls in Revelation 17, “Mystery Babylon.” Mystery Babylon is the Mother of Abominations of the Earth, according to verse 5. This is so important that Yahveh inspired that it be written in capital letters, so nobody would miss it, or be confused about it. Who else is the Mother of Abominations, than Pagan Babylon? What other system, according to verse 3, is full of names of blasphemy? Thus, Mystery Babylon is really ancient Babylon in disguise.
In disguise or not, Babylon’s influence has been quite powerful and penetrating over the years. Ahab’s 450 prophets of Baal (the lord), and 400 prophets of the groves were, in reality, priests of Sun worship. Their worship and sacrifice was performed only during the daylight hours when their Sun god was in the sky. It was at noon, the hour of the sun’s greatest strength, that Eliyahu chose to mock them for their god’s indifference to their plight (1 Kings 18:26-29). Nimrod’s Hebrew name was Baal. Semiramis was known to the Jews as Ashtoreth (Judges 2:13). In Rome she was called Venus; in Ephesus she was called Diana (Acts 19:27-28). The Assyrians knew her as Ishtar, and in Nineveh her name was Easter. The varieties of names for the same Babylonian deities are the results of the confusing of the languages at the tower of Babel (Genesis 11:7-9). It is certainly clear then, that these “names of Blasphemy” which originated in ancient Babylon, have been preserved through the years and can still be found in “Mystery Babylon” (Revelation 17:3)
Almost Enough Sheepskin
Why is it then, that we hear very little of Nimrod, or Semiramis, or Tammuz today? Even Mystery Babylon, whose identity is the Roman Catholic Institution, doesn’t speak of Nimrod or the other idols that filled ancient Babylon. Or do they? The Greek word for Mystery in Revelation 17, really means secret or hidden. Yahveh is clearly telling us in this text. That this latter day Babylon is truly Babylon of old; yet shrouded in secrecy. Yes, the roman catholic institution is ancient Babylon in disguise. It is obvious that ancient Babylon first disguised herself as a church. Next, she disguised her triune deity with the titles Father, Son, and Holy Ghost, and called it by the unscriptural term “the holy trinity.” She also took her lesser Deities, the moon god, bull god, mercury, Jupiter, etc. and camouflaged them with Christian names such as Michael the Archangel, St. Matthew, St. Paul, St. Barnabas, and others. This was the First attempt during the first century (Acts 14:11-12). But the movement didn’t gain acceptance until Constantine, the idol-worshipping emperor of Rome, was supposedly converted in the Fourth Century, and channeled his favorite dogmas and celebrations into Apostate Christendom. Here it was that Tammuz-mass was named Christ-mass, later shortened to Chr*stm*s. Yahshua spoke of the wolf in sheep’s clothing. And Paul wrote of Satan himself being transformed into an angel of light. This accurately foretold of Babylon’s great fraud. Yes, truly the “names of Blasphemy” remain unto this day. They have simply been hidden behind the camouflage and sheepskin of scriptual names, as her scriptual name Mystery Babylon implies.
Isn’t It Yahshua's Birthday?
The question arises: “But doesn’t Yahshua want us to celebrate His birth? What about the “X-Mass Story” found in the Bible?” Except for a few variations, the story generally goes something like this: Yahshua was born on December 25 and shepherds along with the wise men came to celebrate his birth. The wise men brought X-mass gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh, serving as an example to us that we should give presents to each other to celebrate his birth. The shepherds returned to their flocks and the wise men, warned of Herod’s wrath, returned home another way. Next we hear of Yoseph with Madonna and child leaving Bethlehem for Egypt; and after staying there for sometime, going up to Nazareth.” But this is, to a great extent, false. Yet few people have ever questioned the traditional Catholic teaching, so this myth is quite widespread in acceptance. Though this story is roughly what happened, there are some very significant differences between it, and the scriptual account of what really happened. Open your bibles and follow along in both Luke 2, and Matthew 2.
In Luke 2:1 we read that there was a worldwide taxing, and (verse 3-5) Yoseph and Miriam left their home in Nazareth and went to Bethlehem. While rooming in a stable, Miriam gave birth to Yahshua, and laid him in a manger (verse 7). He was not born in a manger, as some teach. Now there were shepherds tending their flock in the field, when they heard that Messiah was born (verse 11). This is witness enough that Yahshua was not born in the winter. Winters in Israel are so severe, that by mid-October all the sheep have been brought into a shelter. Additionally, Caesar never would have proclaimed the taxing which demanded such widespread travel, during the winter months when traveling is so difficult (Luke 2:1-3). Conclusive Biblical proof shows that Yahshua was born approximately in mid- September!!! (Around the feast of Sukkot!) Zacharias, the father of Yochannan the immerser, ministered in the temple during the 8th course (Abijah), which occurred on the Jewish calendar from Iyar 27 to Sivan 5, lasting one week. On our Calendar this would be June 1st to June 8th (I Chronicles 24:5-19; 27:1-2; and Josephus). Following this week’s ministry, Zacharius returned home, his wife conceived (Luke 1:23-24), and nine months later, about the middle of March, Yochannan the immerser was born. Since Yahshua was six months younger than Yochannan (Luke 1:26-36), His Birth must have occurred in the middle of September. Even Yahshua's traditional age of 33 and half years at his crucifixion in the spring, points to a birth in autumn, not in winter. So it is absurd to suggest that Yahshua was born in December!
The shepherds came immediately (verse 16), in fact, they arrived before the circumcising, and found Yahshua still lying in a manger. Eight days after His birth, He was circumcised and named (verse 21). After Miriam’s purification, totaling 41 days (Leviticus 12:2-4), The family came to JERUSALEM to comply with the law of Yahveh (verse 22-23). Yahshua now approximately six weeks old, was brought into the temple. Simeon was lead of the Spirit to come see Yahveh's Messiah, “when the parents brought in the child” (verse 26-27) Anna, a Prophetess, came in at the same time (verse 38) and gave thanks unto Yahveh. So after “they had performed all things according to the Law… they returned… to their own city Nazareth” (verse 39). But still no wise men - - not yet.
Two Years Later
With the set-apart Family in Nazareth and the passing of about two years, the wise men finally completed their long toilsome journey. But they didn’t see Yahshua in Bethlehem as tradition teaches. They found him instead in Nazareth! Let’s turn to Matthew chapter two and see what the Bible says, and forget the Catholic tradition that we’ve blindly accepted for so long. In Matthew 2:1 the Greek text shows that the words “born” and “came” are somewhat different than the Greek words used elsewhere. The words used in verse 1 indicate the passage of time between the actual date of birth, and the arrival of the wise men. From the rest of the text, it is clear that a considerable amount of time elapsed between the original sighting of the star in the east when Yahshua was born, and the arrival in JERUSALEM of the wise men. Notice here, that the star did not lead the wise men to Bethlehem, but to JERUSALEM. This was done to notify the jealous Herod of the birth of the real King. So that this imposter’s anxiety would drive him to murder, and thus force The Family’s flight to Egypt and the fulfilling of Hosea’s prophecy, (Matthew 2:15) and Jeremiah’s Prophecy. (Matthew 2:17-18)
When Herod heard about the new king and the star in the heavens announcing his birth to the wise men, he was troubled about these things, and all JERUSALEM with him (verses 2-3). After Learning where the King should be born (verses 4-6), Herod “enquired of them diligently what time the star appeared” (verse 7). He obviously was told that the star had appeared approximately two years prior! For he sent them to search for a “young child” and not a babe. Furthermore, When he slew all the children, the ones that were killed were “two years old and under, according to the time which he had diligently enquired of the wise men” (verses 16-17).
The Wise Men Never Went To Bethlehem
Herod, being told of Micah’s prophecy (verse 6), sent them to Bethlehem (verse 8). But they didn’t go to Bethlehem! Neither did they “search diligently” as he had commanded them. (Verse 8), Because the star re-appeared to them, and led them to exactly where the young child was (verse 9). The wise men followed the star, and not the instructions of Herod. They went to Nazareth, because Yahshua had lived there since about six weeks old (Luke 2:39), and was in a house, and not a stable (Matthew 2:11).
Additional Proof that Yahshua was nearly two years old is found in Yochannan the immerser. Yahshua was six months younger than Yochannan the immerser (Luke 1:36) When Herod gave the death order for all children “two years old and under” (Matthew 2:16), Yahshua, being in the threatened age group had to be taken to Egypt for safety (Matthew 2:13). Yet Yochannan made no such escape, never the less was unharmed. Why? Obviously, Yochannan was older than two and beyond the threatened age group. Therefore Yahshua, being six months younger, had to be at least one year and six months old or older at the time of the wise men’s visit, was probably nearer to two years (Matthew 2:16-17)
Contrary to popular teaching, the wise men did not present X-mass gifts to Yahshua, nor were they birthday gifts or anything of that sort. These gifts were “Kings Gifts” of gold, frankincense, and myrrh sent from Daniel the prophet. It was custom in those days, that when visiting a King, the visitors presented gifts. Even the queen of Sheba presented gifts of gold and spices to King Solomon when she visited him (I Kings 10:2 and 10). These wise men did not travel 4000 miles just for a birthday party. Or a X-Mass celebration. They came to see the King of the JEWS and The King of Kings (Matthew 2:2). Notice that there is no command or even the slightest hint in the “Nativity Narrative,” or anywhere else in the Bible, to celebrate Yahshua's birth. Rather, Yahshua told us to commemorate his death, burial, and resurrection. (Luke 22:19, see also Acts 2:38).
Those Little Foxes
Many today celebrate X-mass in riot, revelry, and drunkenness. These are sins that YAHVEH’S people would never fall into. We all recognize those evils. But this tract is not primarily directed toward the world as a whole. This tract is intended for the honest hearted saint, who has fallen unknowingly into the errors of rome. This is aimed at exposing some of those “little foxes that spoil the vine.” So let us examine the things that sincere Messianics, by mistake, have followed.
Now that we have seen the history of X-mass, more accurately Tammuz -mass, let us see what the scripture says regarding our observance of it. Let us remove the shrouds of mystery and secrecy with which rome cleverly concealed it. First examination of the word, Christ-Mass, indicates its origin. What did Messiah ever have to do with the Catholic Mass? Clearly he had and remains to have nothing to do with that Abomination!
Certainly, one of the cardinal evils of X-mass is the Santa Claus lie. So-called "Christian" parents, who train their children not to lie, yet annually lie to their children, telling them that there is a Santa Claus coming from the North Pole, etc, need to repent and make peace with Yahveh. In Isaiah 5:14 we read that “hell hath enlarged herself,” and surely this is to accommodate among others, the Santa Claus lairs. Though human reasoning may suggest that such a “little lie” isn’t so bad, the scripture replies in Revelation 21:8 that “all liars” will make their eternal home in the lake of fire. This means those who tell big lies, little lies, black lies, white lies, and yes, even Santa Claus lies. There’s a story about a small boy, who, like most children today, was brought up to believe in Santa Claus. This boy had a reverent trust in his parents’ integrity, since they were a “Christian” family. Upon discovering that Santa Claus was a fable, his faith in his parents’ honesty and his belief in the reality of the unseen world was so shaken, that his sad comment was, “I’m going to look into this Yahshua Messiah business, too.” Remember parents you have the responsibility to “train up a (your) child in the way he SHOULD go…” Telling lies is not the way he should to, not even Santa Claus lies. If in later life your child goes down the wayward path of delinquency, just remember the poor example you set.
The Tammuz Tree
Another present day evil is the X-mass tree. Jeremiah warned the worldly Jews of his day against it when he wrote, “Thus saith Yahveh, Learn not the way of the heathen…”Yet people today, it seems, want to learn the way of the heathen. Jeremiah continues, “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 (globes in the shape of Tammuz's castrated testicles); they fasten it with nails and with hammers, that it move not. They are upright as the palm tree, but speak not: they must needs be borne (carried), because they cannot go (by their own power)…”(Jeremiah 10:2-5) In Jeremiah 7:30 he denounced the evil of the Jews setting the heathen abominations in the house of the Lord. Yet this Tammuz tree is often decorated and displayed in so-called full gospel churches. These worldly “sinner-gogues” are really fool-gospel churches. In Deut. 7:26, Yahveh warned “Neither shalt thou bring an abomination into thine house, lest thou be a cursed thing…” From this it is clear that a curse rests upon all of Yahveh’s children who dabble with the Devil’s devices. Some may argue that the X-mass tree is not an abomination. But remember friend, the use of X-mass trees, ceremonial candles, wassail bowls, holly wreaths and mistletoe all came from Babylonian idolatry, and Babylon is the MOTHER of abominations of the earth (Revelation17:5)
The cancer of X-mass observance has literally eaten away at the vitals of the Messianic experience. As belivers in Messiah have set their affections on things on the earth, they have sacrificed their pinnacle of blessings and power for the base pleasures of the flesh. As Esau, they have exchanged their birthright for a mess of holiday pottage. Certain Messianics have attended “harmless” office parties, where there is drinking, dancing and revelry, thereby losing their testimony and spiritual victory. Some churches have tried to compete with the world by offering X-mass programs for their young people. One Pentecostal church even dismissed its services during the season. These are certainly “… trees whose fruit withereth … twice dead, plucked up by the roots” (Jude 12)
Without Excuse
Yet after all this, there are still some who tenaciously hold on to their pagan traditions, suggesting that they will use celebrations to worship and glorify Yahveh. This will not glorify him, but horrify him. Some even go to the extreme of attempting to justify their celebration with Scripture. But the honest soul, who is sincerely seeking Yahveh’s will in his life, will quickly learn that the scripture offers no support, but rather, condemnation to the celebration of this pagan festival. Some try to apply Romans 14:5 to X-mass observance, supposing that they are merely esteeming one day above another. But to rightly divide the word of truth we must look at the surrounding text, and see what subject is being dealt with. In this setting Shaul (Paul) is discussing the Mosaic Law, and its application to us in this day. Back in chapter 13:8, he explains how to fulfill the law. In verse 9 he says much the same thing. Inverse 10, he is still talking about fulfilling the Torah. Parenthetically, he then tells the people to “awake out of sleep” and returns to admonitions about the law in chapter14. Beginning with the dietary laws, he next speaks of the Sabbath law of “one day above another.” Continuing in verses 14 & 15 of the same chapter, though dealing with the law of clean and unclean meats, he is still writing of the Torah. So it is absurd to suppose that Paul was leaving to personal choice, the observance of an unholy pagan festival in Romans 14:5. Rather, he was discussing the observance of the Sabbath.
Still others have sought to defend their observance of X-mass with Col. 2:16 “Let no man therefore judge you…in respect of an holyday..” The only Holy Days are the ones that God gave to the patriarchs. To suggest that pagan X-mass is a Holy Day, is to ignore history, disregard scripture, and completely abandon common sense.
Satan’s Greatest Snare- - A Mixture
We must not take for granted our worship of Yahveh. Two priests were slain by Yahveh, because they were careless about their temple service (Leviticus 10:1 & 2). Yahveh has always forbidden worship of false gods, and even worship of the true Elohim on a false altar. The righteous leaders of Israel always destroyed the altars of false religions, and did not permit their people to worship on them (Exodus 34:13). The Israelites were not to “ do after their works,” even to do them unto Yahveh (Exodus 23:24). Because when they first “learned their works..” (Psalms 106:35), it served as a stepping-stone to bring them to “serve their idols” as well (v.36).
In Deuteronomy 12:29-31 the children of Yisrael were given commandments concerning their conquest and possession of heathen lands. They were sternly warned against worshipping their gods. Moreover, they were forbidden even to use the heathen’s methods to worship the true Elohim. “Thou shalt not do so UNTO YAHVEH…” (v. 30 & 31). This is why Eliyahu built an altar unto Yahveh (I Kings 18:32) and did not use the profane altar of Baal. This also explains why Gideon, and every one of the faithful rulers had to destroy all the symbols of idolatry before Yahveh’s wrath was appeased.
One man didn’t recognize the difference between the holy and the profane, so he took the consecrated vessels of Yahveh, and used them in a royal feast. Because he tried to mix the holy with the unclean, he was weighed in the balances and was found wanting. His Kingdom had been numbered and was finished. Many people today commit the same evil by bringing the profane pagan practices of X-mass into the set-apart services of Yahveh.
Yahveh no longer winks at ignorance, so it is essential that we know what he requires of us. Paul was fearful for the souls at Galatia, lest he had bestowed upon them labour in vain. In other words, they were going to be lost, because they had cast aside his previous warnings, and were again observing pagan festivals (Galatians 4:10 & 11).
The reckless holiday spending nearly starves some pastors out, and closes church doors. Many pastors find it difficult to have revival during December and January. Their members would rather finance holiday extravagance on the “easy payment plan.” than support the work of Yahveh. Though people claim to be celebrating Yahshua's birthday, they deny Him their substance, and give His presents to others. Foreign missionaries go hungry, while selfish Messianics throw away extra turkey dressing and spend money on foolish waste. People change their mailing lists each year, simply because they failed to receive a card or present from some old friend. X-mass is not the spirit of giving, but the spirit of GETTING.
In these days of spiritual coldness and indifference, we’ve often seen the smokescreen of “moderation” and “tolerance” to excuse spineless and weak-kneed compromise. There is a recklessly carefree attitude that is a growing trend in our “modern” Apostolic churches. The dry-rot of tradition has been a constant peril to the foundation of our faith. Yet, in Col. 2:8 we are warned “Beware lest any man spoil you through… the tradition of men…” X-mass is a deeply ingrained tradition, woven into the fabric of formal "Christendom". Yet if we are to heed this inspired text, we must come out of Babylon, be not partakers of her sins, that we receive not of her plagues (Revelation 18:4). We, who have come out of the trinity, must also come out of her celebrations, that we receive not of her plagues.
Let us not be swept up with the emotion of the season when we see the familiar bumper sticker “Keep Christ in Christ-mass”. Let us remember that Messiah did not institute any X-mass celebration, neither is he “in” the one observed today.
To Order Hardcopies of This Tract,
Write, Pastor STEVE HANCOCK
CALVARY APOSTOLIC CHURCH
P.O. Box 1427
McComb, Mississippi 39648
(601) 68-4GIVN
*Editor’s Note*
The Sin Of Achan
Pastors today must find it puzzling as to why their churches never receive True Victory, Why their Churches cannot stand before their enemies? The answer is apparent, just as Yahveh informed Yehoshua as to why Israel could not stand before their enemies, He informs his Church as to why it cannot stand before it’s enemies, The Church (as Israel was when they were defeated by the men of Ai) is Accursed. YAHVEH told YEHOSHUA “Yisrael hath sinned, and they have also transgressed my covenant which I have commanded them: for they have even taken of the accursed thing…Therefore the Children of YISRAEL could not stand before their enemies, but turned their backs before their enemies, because they were accursed: neither will I be with you any more, except ye destroy the accursed from among you…for thus saith The Yahveh of Yisrael, There is an accursed thing in the midst of thee, O YISRAEL: thou canst not stand before thine enemies, until ye take away the accursed thing from among you(Joshua 7:11-13). What was the accursed thing? It was a Babylonish garment (Joshua 7:21), Yahveh offered a stern rebuke to His Church in Revelation Chapter Two verse 14, “But I have a few things against thee, because thou hast there them that hold the doctrine of Balaam, who taught Balac to cast a stumblingblock before the children of Yisrael, to eat things sacrificed unto idols, and to commit fornication.” In verse 16 he offers this recommendation, “REPENT; or else I will come unto thee quickly, and will fight against them with the sword of my mouth (THE WORD OF YAHVEH).” When Messianic partake of X-Mass they are eating things sacrificed unto idols, X-Mass finds its root in Pagan Idolatry, not only does X-mass find its root in Paganism but so does Easter, the name Easter is the name of a Pagan goddess. How foolish people must look to YAHVEH when they Partake of the Idolatry and outright Paganism of those two Babylonish days!! (People who wear the name of YAHSHUA MESSIAH, THE PUREST NAME ON EARTH OR IN HEAVEN),
When a follower of Mesiah partakes of X-mass or Easter they join with the roman catholic institution in celebrating things that Rome (The Great Whore) has ordered to be observed, “Know ye not that your bodies are the members of Messiah? Shall I then take the members of Messiah, and make them the members of an harlot? YAHVEH forbid. What? Know ye not that he which is joined to an harlot is one body? For two, saith he, shall be one flesh…and ye are not your own.” (I Corinthians Chapter Six). Again in the book of Revelation, Chapter Two,
YAHSHUA MESSIAH rebukes his Church for accepting the doctrines and teachings of Rome, “Notwithstanding I have a few things against thee, because thou sufferest that woman Jezebel, which calleth herself a prophetess, to teach and to seduce my servants to commit fornication, and to eat things sacrificed unto idols. And I gave her space to repent of her fornication; and she repented not. Behold, I will cast her into a bed, and them that commit adultery with her into great tribulation, except they repent of their deeds. And I will kill her children with death; and all the churches shall know that I am he which searcheth the reins and hearts: and I will give unto every one of you according to your works.” This rebuke and warning is repeated by Yahshua in Revelation Chapter 18, “Come out of her (The Great Whore), My people, that ye be not partakers of her sins, and that ye receive not of her plagues.” Is not the Love and Grace of Yahveh enough, why would Yahveh's Children (People who have Repented of their sin, who have been baptized in the Name Of Yahshua Messiah for the remission of their sin, and who have received the gift of the Ruach HaKadosh) Join themselves with The roman catholic institution?
The answer to that question is, LACK Of KNOWLEDGE. Sadly that is why YAHVEH’S People perish. As long as the Babylonish garment is in the possession of the Church, Battles will not be won, For Yahveh will not be with them, until they destroy the accursed thing from among them!
“Wherefore Yahveh said, Forasmuch as this people draw near me with their mouth, and with their lips do honour me, but have removed their heart far from me, and their fear toward me is taught by the precept of men.” (Isaiah 29:13)
It is time again to worship Yahveh in Spirit (not in Flesh) and Truth (not in a lie), how can Yahveh accept polluted worship? We Must First Obey Yahveh from our heart and be a set-apart and separate people,…”touch not the unclean thing; and I will Receive you.” (II Corinthians 6:17)
Remember Church what The Prophet Samuel said to the people when they tried to offer unauthorized worship and sacrifice to Yahveh Almighty, “Hath Yahveh as great delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices, as in OBEYING the voice of Yahveh? Behold to Obey is better than sacrifice, and to HEARKEN than the fat of rams….Because thou hast rejected the Word of Yahveh, He hath also rejected thee…”
One Sacrifice For Sins For Ever
Transubstantiation (The Mass) is what is celebrated on December 25th; hence the Name X-Mass. Should a follower of Yahshua take part of the celebration of the Mass of Messiah? The Roman Catholic position is summed up in these words: “In the celebration of the Holy Mass, the bread and wine are changed into the body and blood of Messiah, It is called transubstantiation, for in the Sacrament of the Eucharist the substance of bread and wine do not remain, but the entire substance of bread is changed into the body of Messiah, and the entire substance of wine is changed into his blood, the species or outward semblance of bread and wine alone remaining.” In laymen terms what the great whore is saying is that, The Priest of Rome calls Yahshua down from heaven and puts him (literally) into a cookie and a cup of wine. The Catholic Encyclopedia says, “The dogma of the totality of the Real Presence means that in each individual species the WHOLE Messiah, flesh and blood, body and soul, Divinity and humanity, is really present.”
The piece of bread having become “Messiah,” it is believed that in offering it up, the Priest sacrifices Messiah. A curse was pronounced by the Council of Trent on any who believed otherwise: “If any one saith that in the Mass a true and proper sacrifice is not offered to god…let him be anathema.” In Catholic belief, this “sacrifice” is a renewal of the sacrifice of the “cross”: Messiah…commanded that his bloody sacrifice on the “cross” should be daily renewed by an un-bloody sacrifice of his Body and Blood in the Mass under the simple elements of bread and wine.” Because the elements are changed into Messiah, he “is present in our churches not only in a spiritual manner, but really, truly, and substantially as the victim of a sacrifice.” Though the ritual has been carried out billions of times, attempts are made to explain that it is the same sacrifice as Calvary because the victim in each case is Yahshua Messiah. Did you catch that? Or do you still have scales on your eyes? The sacrifice of the Mass, which occurs daily in hundreds of thousands of Roman Catholic Whore Houses the world over, is the daily sacrifice of YAHSHUA MESSIAH!! X-Mass is the celebration of the First Mass said on behalf of Yahshua Messiah, The Birth of the continually sacrificed MESSIAH! How it must break the heart of our Adonai and Saviour Yahshua Messiach when so-called Apostolics join on December 25th with The Great Whore to Celebrate The first Mass said on behalf of the birth of Yahshua, The Day She (The Roman Catholic Institution) ordered that the birth of the messiah and the Celebration of the Mass be forever observed on this date, even though this was the day of the old Roman feast of the birth of Sol, one of the names of the sun-god! People who claim to have received The Ruach HaKadosh are taking orders from The Great Whore.
The WORD Of Yahveh condemns The Mass (the daily renewal of the un-bloody sacrifice of Yahshua Messiah), the writer of The book of Hebrews (most likely Shaul) states in chapter Ten, “By the which will we are sanctified through the offering of the body of Yahshua Messiah ONCE for all…But this man, after he had offered one sacrifice for sins for ever, sat down on the right hand of Elohim;…For by one offering he hath perfected for ever them that are sanctified.”(Hebrews 10: 10, 12 and 14)
A little leaven leaveneth the whole lump, when we allow one sin into the camp others follow, Apostolics who take part of X-Mass not only are refusing to worship Yahveh in Spirit and in Truth, they take part of the Sins of Rome, need we be reminded of what our savior told those who welcomed the teachings of Jezebel, “Notwithstanding I have a few things against thee, because thou sufferest that woman Jezebel, which calleth herself a prophetess, to teach and to seduce my servants to commit fornication, and to eat things sacrificed unto idols. And I gave her space to repent of her fornication; and she repented not. Behold, I will cast her into a bed, and them that commit adultery with her into great tribulation, except they repent of their deeds. And I will kill her children with death; and all the churches shall know that I am he which searcheth the reins and hearts: and I will give unto every one of you according to your works.”
Strange Fire Before Yahveh, Which He Commanded Them Not!
“And that ye may put difference between set-apart and non-set-apart, and between unclean and clean.” We read in The Book of Leviticus of Nadab and Abihu, the sons of Aaron, (Levitical Priest) who offered Strange Fire Unto Yahveh Almighty. (The word Strange comes from The Hebrew word zuwr, which means to commit adultery. Behold, I will cast her into a bed, and them that commit adultery with her into great tribulation, except they repent of their deeds) Is not the celebration of X-Mass, with all its pagan symbols and forms, a "strange fire" unto Yahveh, and is not this form of worship contrary to what He commands? Nadab and Abihu were guilty of a Great Sin, they were offering to Yahveh a form of worship which he commanded not, notice their punishment, “And there went out a fire from Yahveh, and devoured them, and they died before Yahveh. Then Moses said unto Aaron, This is it that Yahveh spake, saying, I will be sanctified in them that come nigh me, and before all the people I will be glorified…” The wages of this Sin was death! The Priest were to be set-apart Before Yahveh, as is the Church Of The Adonai Yahshua Messiah, Yet today Many in the church offer a Strange Fire (X-MASS, Paganism) unto Yahveh, A thing which HE Commanded them not, isn’t it strange that the Church of the Living Elohim will offer Him worship in the form of X-Mass, Something that was commanded by The Roman Catholic Institution (Jezebel, The Great Whore) but Never Commanded by Yahveh! If you follow Rome then Rome’s children You are! And You will receive of her plagues!!
Will The Real Pastors Please Stand Up
I Kings 12:26-33 Jeroboam’s Sin: In order to unify the northern ten tribes of Yisrael, evil King Jeroboam set up pagan idols, not in place of Yahveh, but as new focal points for directing worship to Yahveh. He even instituted a new festival on a new day; i.e., a new religious holiday of his own choosing. Even though the true Elohim of Yisrael was still to be the object of worship in the new religious holiday, both the holiday and the worship were not authorized by Yahveh nor accepted by Him (1 Kings 13:1-3; 15:29,30). Why? Because the concocted mixture of error with truth constituted false religion! The celebration of X-Mass is a religious holiday of man's own choosing, replete with pagan symbols and forms, all under the guise of worshiping the one true Elohim and Savior. But this worship form and system still constitutes false religion, and thereby, makes it unacceptable to Yahveh! And besides, where in the Word Of Yahveh do Apostolics have the right to add a new set-apart day to the pagan calendar, any more than King Jeroboam had the right to add a new set-apart day to Yahveh's theocratic calendar? Notice what Jeroboam said in I Kings chapter 12 verses 26 and 27: “And Jeroboam said in his heart, Now shall the kingdom return to the house of David: If this People go up to do sacrifice in the house of Yahveh at Jerusalem, then shall the heart of this people turn again unto their lord, even unto Rehoboam king of Judah, and they shall kill me, and go again to Rehoboam king of Judah.” I can hear many Pastors today echo the words of Jeroboam saying, “Now shall my income return to The Great Whore and her daughters. If this people (my congregation) go out into the world and celebrate X-Mass, then shall the heart of this people return to The Great Whore and her daughters, and my income which I have made off of this people shall perish and for gain of money is why I preach, I must allow them to continue in their Pagan Ways or I might have to Trade-In my Cadillac. Pastors today would rather fill their bellies with sugar and give their flocks candy to eat than partake of The Bread of Life and give to their churches Manna From Heaven! The Word of Yahveh spoken by Isaiah the prophet is still as practical today as it was Two Thousand Seven Hundred Years ago, “His watchmen are blind: they are all ignorant, they are all dumb dogs, they cannot bark: sleeping, lying down loving to slumber. Yea, they are greedy dogs which can never have enough, and they are shepherds that cannot understand: they all look to their own way, every one for his own gain, from his own quarter. Come ye, say they, I will fetch wine, and we will fill ourselves with strong drink; and tomorrow shall be as this day, and much more abundant. (Isaiah 56: 10-12) These weak kneed pastors fail to realize the blessings that they are missing out on by welcoming Pagan customs into their churches, they also fail to recognize that most of their congregations contain very sincere people that Love Yahveh enough to set aside these man made traditions, These people love the Adonai Yahshua Messiah more than life itself and want to follow and OBEY HIM.
Many pastors long for miracles in their churches (I’m not talking about a headache being relieved, I Am speaking of TRUE Miracles) and the POWER of Yahveh to be manifest in their lives, They can have what they long for by following the example of True men of Yahveh such as: Bro. Bud Tingle in Madisonville Kentucky; Bro. Larry Worthen in Grimsby Illinois; the writer of this Tract Bro. Steve Hancock in McComb Mississippi or Paul Newman of Tulsa, Oklahoma, these men have rid their lives of Paganism and Yahveh Almighty Blesses their Obedience to his Word. Their Faith is in ELOHIM ALMIGHTY, YAHSHUA MESSIACH, not man or an organization. Pastors it is time to “put off thy shoes from off thy feet, for the place where on thou standest is set-apart ground! The shoes that you wore in Egypt, The shoes that walked down the streets Governed by Pharaoh, The shoes that walked in Egyptian tradition, Those Shoes are not permitted on SET-APART GROUND! Once those shoes are removed then it is permitted to Draw Nigh unto Yahveh!
I would like to thank Pastor Steve Hancock for his time and efforts in writing this Tract and for letting me edit and add thought to his work. (Very little editing to the original work has been done, editing to the original work is in the form of grammatical changes, and no rewriting or changing of thought has been executed)
I would also like to thank Bro. Robert Kleiber for having enough Love for The GOSPEL of Yahshua Messiah and for YAHVEH’S Children to share the TRUTH with me.
Bro. Bill Moore
X-mas Before Messiah?
Positive Biblical Proof: The Wise Men
Never Went To Bethlehem!
Why does X-mass Occur in December?
Did Yahshua tell his disciples to celebrate His birth in the book of Luke?
These, and many other questions are answered in
This frank and fearless article.
So many people have written so much about X-mass, for so long a time, that it is virtually impossible to determine where fact stops and fiction begins. Numerous tracts have been written on the subject, but the truth has been twisted, turned, and tortured so flagrantly that it is high time someone heeded the advice of Isaiah The Prophet to “Cry aloud, spare not…”
When we examine X-mass through the looking glass of history and measure it by the yardstick of scripture, it becomes crystal clear that the rituals practiced and the customs followed today are merely variations of the ceremonies invented by the corrupt Pagans of yesterday. If a spring is no purer than its source, then it follows that there is little, if any, true worship in Christ-mass.
BLASPHEMOUS BABYLON
Let us begin our examination with that giant of a man who became king and priest of Babylon, that unholy city he founded and ruled for 185 years. Nimrod, the great grandson of Noah, encouraged idolatry to much extent, that the word Babylon became synonymous with false worship. Genesis 10:9 states, “He was a mighty hunter before Yahveh.” This means that he had placed himself in front of, or in the place of Yahveh, in his priesthood. Because of his religious dominion, hunting prowess and enormous size, his subjects stood in awe of him. While on a hunting trip, Nimrod was ambushed and slain. His wife, Semiramis, quickly ascended to the throne and thence began a reign of lust and depravity with few parallels in ancient or modern times. She used her inventive mind to cover up her wickedness and it is upon the myths she concocted that the entire X-Mass fabrication rests. Following the death of Nimrod, Semiramis turned to harlotry, and when she conceived, she explained that her deceased husband, now ruling in the heavens as the sun-god, had visited her in spirit form and fathered her child. The superstitious people believed the myth and accepted Nimrod as a god. Semiramis then proclaimed herself a goddess, and the Queen of Heaven, whose worship Jeremiah condemned (Jeremiah 7:17-18; 44:16-19, 25-26). When her son, Tammuz, was born at the time of the winter solstice, by primitive reckoning about Dec. 25, he became a god in their eyes, also. To appeal further to the people’s imagination, Semiramis embellished her legend with a tale of an evergreen tree that sprang forth from a dead stump overnight. The X-Mass tree and yule log used today, were first used to celebrate the birth of Tammuz, in what became an annual religious festival in Babylon.
THE FIRST LENT
History Depicts Tammuz as the “greatest lover of women, strong drink, evil jokes and fun.” It is not strange then, that the celebration of his birthday, always a wild drunken orgy, was a favorite festival among the corrupt people. When he died at forty years of age, the women of Babylon Lovingly set aside an annual mourning period for him of forty days (a day for each year of his age). When this practice was adopted by Yahveh's people later, Ezekiel sternly condemned it (Ezekiel 8:13 - 14). The introduction of this Lenten Season, however, did not abolish the Tammuz-mass, or T-mass celebration, for it was now a principal holiday in Babylon.
This is the Blasphemous record of pagan Babylon. We learn further from history, that the “Sun god, Queen of Heaven, and Son -of-Sun-god” that is, Nimrod-Semiramis-Tammuz became the First trinity godhead. Pagan Babylon passed on the false doctrine of the trinity, the T-mass (now called X-mass) celebration, and many other idolatrous customs and practices to our modern day. Over the years, the identities of their Pagan deities and festivals were disguised, historical truth was suppressed, and a spiritual darkness covered the religious world like a thick cloud.
The religion of Pagan Babylon did not disappear with the various world conquests. Rather, being so popular, it was passed on down, to what the Bible calls in Revelation 17, “Mystery Babylon.” Mystery Babylon is the Mother of Abominations of the Earth, according to verse 5. This is so important that Yahveh inspired that it be written in capital letters, so nobody would miss it, or be confused about it. Who else is the Mother of Abominations, than Pagan Babylon? What other system, according to verse 3, is full of names of blasphemy? Thus, Mystery Babylon is really ancient Babylon in disguise.
In disguise or not, Babylon’s influence has been quite powerful and penetrating over the years. Ahab’s 450 prophets of Baal (the lord), and 400 prophets of the groves were, in reality, priests of Sun worship. Their worship and sacrifice was performed only during the daylight hours when their Sun god was in the sky. It was at noon, the hour of the sun’s greatest strength, that Eliyahu chose to mock them for their god’s indifference to their plight (1 Kings 18:26-29). Nimrod’s Hebrew name was Baal. Semiramis was known to the Jews as Ashtoreth (Judges 2:13). In Rome she was called Venus; in Ephesus she was called Diana (Acts 19:27-28). The Assyrians knew her as Ishtar, and in Nineveh her name was Easter. The varieties of names for the same Babylonian deities are the results of the confusing of the languages at the tower of Babel (Genesis 11:7-9). It is certainly clear then, that these “names of Blasphemy” which originated in ancient Babylon, have been preserved through the years and can still be found in “Mystery Babylon” (Revelation 17:3)
Almost Enough Sheepskin
Why is it then, that we hear very little of Nimrod, or Semiramis, or Tammuz today? Even Mystery Babylon, whose identity is the Roman Catholic Institution, doesn’t speak of Nimrod or the other idols that filled ancient Babylon. Or do they? The Greek word for Mystery in Revelation 17, really means secret or hidden. Yahveh is clearly telling us in this text. That this latter day Babylon is truly Babylon of old; yet shrouded in secrecy. Yes, the roman catholic institution is ancient Babylon in disguise. It is obvious that ancient Babylon first disguised herself as a church. Next, she disguised her triune deity with the titles Father, Son, and Holy Ghost, and called it by the unscriptural term “the holy trinity.” She also took her lesser Deities, the moon god, bull god, mercury, Jupiter, etc. and camouflaged them with Christian names such as Michael the Archangel, St. Matthew, St. Paul, St. Barnabas, and others. This was the First attempt during the first century (Acts 14:11-12). But the movement didn’t gain acceptance until Constantine, the idol-worshipping emperor of Rome, was supposedly converted in the Fourth Century, and channeled his favorite dogmas and celebrations into Apostate Christendom. Here it was that Tammuz-mass was named Christ-mass, later shortened to Chr*stm*s. Yahshua spoke of the wolf in sheep’s clothing. And Paul wrote of Satan himself being transformed into an angel of light. This accurately foretold of Babylon’s great fraud. Yes, truly the “names of Blasphemy” remain unto this day. They have simply been hidden behind the camouflage and sheepskin of scriptual names, as her scriptual name Mystery Babylon implies.
Isn’t It Yahshua's Birthday?
The question arises: “But doesn’t Yahshua want us to celebrate His birth? What about the “X-Mass Story” found in the Bible?” Except for a few variations, the story generally goes something like this: Yahshua was born on December 25 and shepherds along with the wise men came to celebrate his birth. The wise men brought X-mass gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh, serving as an example to us that we should give presents to each other to celebrate his birth. The shepherds returned to their flocks and the wise men, warned of Herod’s wrath, returned home another way. Next we hear of Yoseph with Madonna and child leaving Bethlehem for Egypt; and after staying there for sometime, going up to Nazareth.” But this is, to a great extent, false. Yet few people have ever questioned the traditional Catholic teaching, so this myth is quite widespread in acceptance. Though this story is roughly what happened, there are some very significant differences between it, and the scriptual account of what really happened. Open your bibles and follow along in both Luke 2, and Matthew 2.
In Luke 2:1 we read that there was a worldwide taxing, and (verse 3-5) Yoseph and Miriam left their home in Nazareth and went to Bethlehem. While rooming in a stable, Miriam gave birth to Yahshua, and laid him in a manger (verse 7). He was not born in a manger, as some teach. Now there were shepherds tending their flock in the field, when they heard that Messiah was born (verse 11). This is witness enough that Yahshua was not born in the winter. Winters in Israel are so severe, that by mid-October all the sheep have been brought into a shelter. Additionally, Caesar never would have proclaimed the taxing which demanded such widespread travel, during the winter months when traveling is so difficult (Luke 2:1-3). Conclusive Biblical proof shows that Yahshua was born approximately in mid- September!!! (Around the feast of Sukkot!) Zacharias, the father of Yochannan the immerser, ministered in the temple during the 8th course (Abijah), which occurred on the Jewish calendar from Iyar 27 to Sivan 5, lasting one week. On our Calendar this would be June 1st to June 8th (I Chronicles 24:5-19; 27:1-2; and Josephus). Following this week’s ministry, Zacharius returned home, his wife conceived (Luke 1:23-24), and nine months later, about the middle of March, Yochannan the immerser was born. Since Yahshua was six months younger than Yochannan (Luke 1:26-36), His Birth must have occurred in the middle of September. Even Yahshua's traditional age of 33 and half years at his crucifixion in the spring, points to a birth in autumn, not in winter. So it is absurd to suggest that Yahshua was born in December!
The shepherds came immediately (verse 16), in fact, they arrived before the circumcising, and found Yahshua still lying in a manger. Eight days after His birth, He was circumcised and named (verse 21). After Miriam’s purification, totaling 41 days (Leviticus 12:2-4), The family came to JERUSALEM to comply with the law of Yahveh (verse 22-23). Yahshua now approximately six weeks old, was brought into the temple. Simeon was lead of the Spirit to come see Yahveh's Messiah, “when the parents brought in the child” (verse 26-27) Anna, a Prophetess, came in at the same time (verse 38) and gave thanks unto Yahveh. So after “they had performed all things according to the Law… they returned… to their own city Nazareth” (verse 39). But still no wise men - - not yet.
Two Years Later
With the set-apart Family in Nazareth and the passing of about two years, the wise men finally completed their long toilsome journey. But they didn’t see Yahshua in Bethlehem as tradition teaches. They found him instead in Nazareth! Let’s turn to Matthew chapter two and see what the Bible says, and forget the Catholic tradition that we’ve blindly accepted for so long. In Matthew 2:1 the Greek text shows that the words “born” and “came” are somewhat different than the Greek words used elsewhere. The words used in verse 1 indicate the passage of time between the actual date of birth, and the arrival of the wise men. From the rest of the text, it is clear that a considerable amount of time elapsed between the original sighting of the star in the east when Yahshua was born, and the arrival in JERUSALEM of the wise men. Notice here, that the star did not lead the wise men to Bethlehem, but to JERUSALEM. This was done to notify the jealous Herod of the birth of the real King. So that this imposter’s anxiety would drive him to murder, and thus force The Family’s flight to Egypt and the fulfilling of Hosea’s prophecy, (Matthew 2:15) and Jeremiah’s Prophecy. (Matthew 2:17-18)
When Herod heard about the new king and the star in the heavens announcing his birth to the wise men, he was troubled about these things, and all JERUSALEM with him (verses 2-3). After Learning where the King should be born (verses 4-6), Herod “enquired of them diligently what time the star appeared” (verse 7). He obviously was told that the star had appeared approximately two years prior! For he sent them to search for a “young child” and not a babe. Furthermore, When he slew all the children, the ones that were killed were “two years old and under, according to the time which he had diligently enquired of the wise men” (verses 16-17).
The Wise Men Never Went To Bethlehem
Herod, being told of Micah’s prophecy (verse 6), sent them to Bethlehem (verse 8). But they didn’t go to Bethlehem! Neither did they “search diligently” as he had commanded them. (Verse 8), Because the star re-appeared to them, and led them to exactly where the young child was (verse 9). The wise men followed the star, and not the instructions of Herod. They went to Nazareth, because Yahshua had lived there since about six weeks old (Luke 2:39), and was in a house, and not a stable (Matthew 2:11).
Additional Proof that Yahshua was nearly two years old is found in Yochannan the immerser. Yahshua was six months younger than Yochannan the immerser (Luke 1:36) When Herod gave the death order for all children “two years old and under” (Matthew 2:16), Yahshua, being in the threatened age group had to be taken to Egypt for safety (Matthew 2:13). Yet Yochannan made no such escape, never the less was unharmed. Why? Obviously, Yochannan was older than two and beyond the threatened age group. Therefore Yahshua, being six months younger, had to be at least one year and six months old or older at the time of the wise men’s visit, was probably nearer to two years (Matthew 2:16-17)
Contrary to popular teaching, the wise men did not present X-mass gifts to Yahshua, nor were they birthday gifts or anything of that sort. These gifts were “Kings Gifts” of gold, frankincense, and myrrh sent from Daniel the prophet. It was custom in those days, that when visiting a King, the visitors presented gifts. Even the queen of Sheba presented gifts of gold and spices to King Solomon when she visited him (I Kings 10:2 and 10). These wise men did not travel 4000 miles just for a birthday party. Or a X-Mass celebration. They came to see the King of the JEWS and The King of Kings (Matthew 2:2). Notice that there is no command or even the slightest hint in the “Nativity Narrative,” or anywhere else in the Bible, to celebrate Yahshua's birth. Rather, Yahshua told us to commemorate his death, burial, and resurrection. (Luke 22:19, see also Acts 2:38).
Those Little Foxes
Many today celebrate X-mass in riot, revelry, and drunkenness. These are sins that YAHVEH’S people would never fall into. We all recognize those evils. But this tract is not primarily directed toward the world as a whole. This tract is intended for the honest hearted saint, who has fallen unknowingly into the errors of rome. This is aimed at exposing some of those “little foxes that spoil the vine.” So let us examine the things that sincere Messianics, by mistake, have followed.
Now that we have seen the history of X-mass, more accurately Tammuz -mass, let us see what the scripture says regarding our observance of it. Let us remove the shrouds of mystery and secrecy with which rome cleverly concealed it. First examination of the word, Christ-Mass, indicates its origin. What did Messiah ever have to do with the Catholic Mass? Clearly he had and remains to have nothing to do with that Abomination!
Certainly, one of the cardinal evils of X-mass is the Santa Claus lie. So-called "Christian" parents, who train their children not to lie, yet annually lie to their children, telling them that there is a Santa Claus coming from the North Pole, etc, need to repent and make peace with Yahveh. In Isaiah 5:14 we read that “hell hath enlarged herself,” and surely this is to accommodate among others, the Santa Claus lairs. Though human reasoning may suggest that such a “little lie” isn’t so bad, the scripture replies in Revelation 21:8 that “all liars” will make their eternal home in the lake of fire. This means those who tell big lies, little lies, black lies, white lies, and yes, even Santa Claus lies. There’s a story about a small boy, who, like most children today, was brought up to believe in Santa Claus. This boy had a reverent trust in his parents’ integrity, since they were a “Christian” family. Upon discovering that Santa Claus was a fable, his faith in his parents’ honesty and his belief in the reality of the unseen world was so shaken, that his sad comment was, “I’m going to look into this Yahshua Messiah business, too.” Remember parents you have the responsibility to “train up a (your) child in the way he SHOULD go…” Telling lies is not the way he should to, not even Santa Claus lies. If in later life your child goes down the wayward path of delinquency, just remember the poor example you set.
The Tammuz Tree
Another present day evil is the X-mass tree. Jeremiah warned the worldly Jews of his day against it when he wrote, “Thus saith Yahveh, Learn not the way of the heathen…”Yet people today, it seems, want to learn the way of the heathen. Jeremiah continues, “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 (globes in the shape of Tammuz's castrated testicles); they fasten it with nails and with hammers, that it move not. They are upright as the palm tree, but speak not: they must needs be borne (carried), because they cannot go (by their own power)…”(Jeremiah 10:2-5) In Jeremiah 7:30 he denounced the evil of the Jews setting the heathen abominations in the house of the Lord. Yet this Tammuz tree is often decorated and displayed in so-called full gospel churches. These worldly “sinner-gogues” are really fool-gospel churches. In Deut. 7:26, Yahveh warned “Neither shalt thou bring an abomination into thine house, lest thou be a cursed thing…” From this it is clear that a curse rests upon all of Yahveh’s children who dabble with the Devil’s devices. Some may argue that the X-mass tree is not an abomination. But remember friend, the use of X-mass trees, ceremonial candles, wassail bowls, holly wreaths and mistletoe all came from Babylonian idolatry, and Babylon is the MOTHER of abominations of the earth (Revelation17:5)
The cancer of X-mass observance has literally eaten away at the vitals of the Messianic experience. As belivers in Messiah have set their affections on things on the earth, they have sacrificed their pinnacle of blessings and power for the base pleasures of the flesh. As Esau, they have exchanged their birthright for a mess of holiday pottage. Certain Messianics have attended “harmless” office parties, where there is drinking, dancing and revelry, thereby losing their testimony and spiritual victory. Some churches have tried to compete with the world by offering X-mass programs for their young people. One Pentecostal church even dismissed its services during the season. These are certainly “… trees whose fruit withereth … twice dead, plucked up by the roots” (Jude 12)
Without Excuse
Yet after all this, there are still some who tenaciously hold on to their pagan traditions, suggesting that they will use celebrations to worship and glorify Yahveh. This will not glorify him, but horrify him. Some even go to the extreme of attempting to justify their celebration with Scripture. But the honest soul, who is sincerely seeking Yahveh’s will in his life, will quickly learn that the scripture offers no support, but rather, condemnation to the celebration of this pagan festival. Some try to apply Romans 14:5 to X-mass observance, supposing that they are merely esteeming one day above another. But to rightly divide the word of truth we must look at the surrounding text, and see what subject is being dealt with. In this setting Shaul (Paul) is discussing the Mosaic Law, and its application to us in this day. Back in chapter 13:8, he explains how to fulfill the law. In verse 9 he says much the same thing. Inverse 10, he is still talking about fulfilling the Torah. Parenthetically, he then tells the people to “awake out of sleep” and returns to admonitions about the law in chapter14. Beginning with the dietary laws, he next speaks of the Sabbath law of “one day above another.” Continuing in verses 14 & 15 of the same chapter, though dealing with the law of clean and unclean meats, he is still writing of the Torah. So it is absurd to suppose that Paul was leaving to personal choice, the observance of an unholy pagan festival in Romans 14:5. Rather, he was discussing the observance of the Sabbath.
Still others have sought to defend their observance of X-mass with Col. 2:16 “Let no man therefore judge you…in respect of an holyday..” The only Holy Days are the ones that God gave to the patriarchs. To suggest that pagan X-mass is a Holy Day, is to ignore history, disregard scripture, and completely abandon common sense.
Satan’s Greatest Snare- - A Mixture
We must not take for granted our worship of Yahveh. Two priests were slain by Yahveh, because they were careless about their temple service (Leviticus 10:1 & 2). Yahveh has always forbidden worship of false gods, and even worship of the true Elohim on a false altar. The righteous leaders of Israel always destroyed the altars of false religions, and did not permit their people to worship on them (Exodus 34:13). The Israelites were not to “ do after their works,” even to do them unto Yahveh (Exodus 23:24). Because when they first “learned their works..” (Psalms 106:35), it served as a stepping-stone to bring them to “serve their idols” as well (v.36).
In Deuteronomy 12:29-31 the children of Yisrael were given commandments concerning their conquest and possession of heathen lands. They were sternly warned against worshipping their gods. Moreover, they were forbidden even to use the heathen’s methods to worship the true Elohim. “Thou shalt not do so UNTO YAHVEH…” (v. 30 & 31). This is why Eliyahu built an altar unto Yahveh (I Kings 18:32) and did not use the profane altar of Baal. This also explains why Gideon, and every one of the faithful rulers had to destroy all the symbols of idolatry before Yahveh’s wrath was appeased.
One man didn’t recognize the difference between the holy and the profane, so he took the consecrated vessels of Yahveh, and used them in a royal feast. Because he tried to mix the holy with the unclean, he was weighed in the balances and was found wanting. His Kingdom had been numbered and was finished. Many people today commit the same evil by bringing the profane pagan practices of X-mass into the set-apart services of Yahveh.
Yahveh no longer winks at ignorance, so it is essential that we know what he requires of us. Paul was fearful for the souls at Galatia, lest he had bestowed upon them labour in vain. In other words, they were going to be lost, because they had cast aside his previous warnings, and were again observing pagan festivals (Galatians 4:10 & 11).
The reckless holiday spending nearly starves some pastors out, and closes church doors. Many pastors find it difficult to have revival during December and January. Their members would rather finance holiday extravagance on the “easy payment plan.” than support the work of Yahveh. Though people claim to be celebrating Yahshua's birthday, they deny Him their substance, and give His presents to others. Foreign missionaries go hungry, while selfish Messianics throw away extra turkey dressing and spend money on foolish waste. People change their mailing lists each year, simply because they failed to receive a card or present from some old friend. X-mass is not the spirit of giving, but the spirit of GETTING.
In these days of spiritual coldness and indifference, we’ve often seen the smokescreen of “moderation” and “tolerance” to excuse spineless and weak-kneed compromise. There is a recklessly carefree attitude that is a growing trend in our “modern” Apostolic churches. The dry-rot of tradition has been a constant peril to the foundation of our faith. Yet, in Col. 2:8 we are warned “Beware lest any man spoil you through… the tradition of men…” X-mass is a deeply ingrained tradition, woven into the fabric of formal "Christendom". Yet if we are to heed this inspired text, we must come out of Babylon, be not partakers of her sins, that we receive not of her plagues (Revelation 18:4). We, who have come out of the trinity, must also come out of her celebrations, that we receive not of her plagues.
Let us not be swept up with the emotion of the season when we see the familiar bumper sticker “Keep Christ in Christ-mass”. Let us remember that Messiah did not institute any X-mass celebration, neither is he “in” the one observed today.
To Order Hardcopies of This Tract,
Write, Pastor STEVE HANCOCK
CALVARY APOSTOLIC CHURCH
P.O. Box 1427
McComb, Mississippi 39648
(601) 68-4GIVN
*Editor’s Note*
The Sin Of Achan
Pastors today must find it puzzling as to why their churches never receive True Victory, Why their Churches cannot stand before their enemies? The answer is apparent, just as Yahveh informed Yehoshua as to why Israel could not stand before their enemies, He informs his Church as to why it cannot stand before it’s enemies, The Church (as Israel was when they were defeated by the men of Ai) is Accursed. YAHVEH told YEHOSHUA “Yisrael hath sinned, and they have also transgressed my covenant which I have commanded them: for they have even taken of the accursed thing…Therefore the Children of YISRAEL could not stand before their enemies, but turned their backs before their enemies, because they were accursed: neither will I be with you any more, except ye destroy the accursed from among you…for thus saith The Yahveh of Yisrael, There is an accursed thing in the midst of thee, O YISRAEL: thou canst not stand before thine enemies, until ye take away the accursed thing from among you(Joshua 7:11-13). What was the accursed thing? It was a Babylonish garment (Joshua 7:21), Yahveh offered a stern rebuke to His Church in Revelation Chapter Two verse 14, “But I have a few things against thee, because thou hast there them that hold the doctrine of Balaam, who taught Balac to cast a stumblingblock before the children of Yisrael, to eat things sacrificed unto idols, and to commit fornication.” In verse 16 he offers this recommendation, “REPENT; or else I will come unto thee quickly, and will fight against them with the sword of my mouth (THE WORD OF YAHVEH).” When Messianic partake of X-Mass they are eating things sacrificed unto idols, X-Mass finds its root in Pagan Idolatry, not only does X-mass find its root in Paganism but so does Easter, the name Easter is the name of a Pagan goddess. How foolish people must look to YAHVEH when they Partake of the Idolatry and outright Paganism of those two Babylonish days!! (People who wear the name of YAHSHUA MESSIAH, THE PUREST NAME ON EARTH OR IN HEAVEN),
When a follower of Mesiah partakes of X-mass or Easter they join with the roman catholic institution in celebrating things that Rome (The Great Whore) has ordered to be observed, “Know ye not that your bodies are the members of Messiah? Shall I then take the members of Messiah, and make them the members of an harlot? YAHVEH forbid. What? Know ye not that he which is joined to an harlot is one body? For two, saith he, shall be one flesh…and ye are not your own.” (I Corinthians Chapter Six). Again in the book of Revelation, Chapter Two,
YAHSHUA MESSIAH rebukes his Church for accepting the doctrines and teachings of Rome, “Notwithstanding I have a few things against thee, because thou sufferest that woman Jezebel, which calleth herself a prophetess, to teach and to seduce my servants to commit fornication, and to eat things sacrificed unto idols. And I gave her space to repent of her fornication; and she repented not. Behold, I will cast her into a bed, and them that commit adultery with her into great tribulation, except they repent of their deeds. And I will kill her children with death; and all the churches shall know that I am he which searcheth the reins and hearts: and I will give unto every one of you according to your works.” This rebuke and warning is repeated by Yahshua in Revelation Chapter 18, “Come out of her (The Great Whore), My people, that ye be not partakers of her sins, and that ye receive not of her plagues.” Is not the Love and Grace of Yahveh enough, why would Yahveh's Children (People who have Repented of their sin, who have been baptized in the Name Of Yahshua Messiah for the remission of their sin, and who have received the gift of the Ruach HaKadosh) Join themselves with The roman catholic institution?
The answer to that question is, LACK Of KNOWLEDGE. Sadly that is why YAHVEH’S People perish. As long as the Babylonish garment is in the possession of the Church, Battles will not be won, For Yahveh will not be with them, until they destroy the accursed thing from among them!
“Wherefore Yahveh said, Forasmuch as this people draw near me with their mouth, and with their lips do honour me, but have removed their heart far from me, and their fear toward me is taught by the precept of men.” (Isaiah 29:13)
It is time again to worship Yahveh in Spirit (not in Flesh) and Truth (not in a lie), how can Yahveh accept polluted worship? We Must First Obey Yahveh from our heart and be a set-apart and separate people,…”touch not the unclean thing; and I will Receive you.” (II Corinthians 6:17)
Remember Church what The Prophet Samuel said to the people when they tried to offer unauthorized worship and sacrifice to Yahveh Almighty, “Hath Yahveh as great delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices, as in OBEYING the voice of Yahveh? Behold to Obey is better than sacrifice, and to HEARKEN than the fat of rams….Because thou hast rejected the Word of Yahveh, He hath also rejected thee…”
One Sacrifice For Sins For Ever
Transubstantiation (The Mass) is what is celebrated on December 25th; hence the Name X-Mass. Should a follower of Yahshua take part of the celebration of the Mass of Messiah? The Roman Catholic position is summed up in these words: “In the celebration of the Holy Mass, the bread and wine are changed into the body and blood of Messiah, It is called transubstantiation, for in the Sacrament of the Eucharist the substance of bread and wine do not remain, but the entire substance of bread is changed into the body of Messiah, and the entire substance of wine is changed into his blood, the species or outward semblance of bread and wine alone remaining.” In laymen terms what the great whore is saying is that, The Priest of Rome calls Yahshua down from heaven and puts him (literally) into a cookie and a cup of wine. The Catholic Encyclopedia says, “The dogma of the totality of the Real Presence means that in each individual species the WHOLE Messiah, flesh and blood, body and soul, Divinity and humanity, is really present.”
The piece of bread having become “Messiah,” it is believed that in offering it up, the Priest sacrifices Messiah. A curse was pronounced by the Council of Trent on any who believed otherwise: “If any one saith that in the Mass a true and proper sacrifice is not offered to god…let him be anathema.” In Catholic belief, this “sacrifice” is a renewal of the sacrifice of the “cross”: Messiah…commanded that his bloody sacrifice on the “cross” should be daily renewed by an un-bloody sacrifice of his Body and Blood in the Mass under the simple elements of bread and wine.” Because the elements are changed into Messiah, he “is present in our churches not only in a spiritual manner, but really, truly, and substantially as the victim of a sacrifice.” Though the ritual has been carried out billions of times, attempts are made to explain that it is the same sacrifice as Calvary because the victim in each case is Yahshua Messiah. Did you catch that? Or do you still have scales on your eyes? The sacrifice of the Mass, which occurs daily in hundreds of thousands of Roman Catholic Whore Houses the world over, is the daily sacrifice of YAHSHUA MESSIAH!! X-Mass is the celebration of the First Mass said on behalf of Yahshua Messiah, The Birth of the continually sacrificed MESSIAH! How it must break the heart of our Adonai and Saviour Yahshua Messiach when so-called Apostolics join on December 25th with The Great Whore to Celebrate The first Mass said on behalf of the birth of Yahshua, The Day She (The Roman Catholic Institution) ordered that the birth of the messiah and the Celebration of the Mass be forever observed on this date, even though this was the day of the old Roman feast of the birth of Sol, one of the names of the sun-god! People who claim to have received The Ruach HaKadosh are taking orders from The Great Whore.
The WORD Of Yahveh condemns The Mass (the daily renewal of the un-bloody sacrifice of Yahshua Messiah), the writer of The book of Hebrews (most likely Shaul) states in chapter Ten, “By the which will we are sanctified through the offering of the body of Yahshua Messiah ONCE for all…But this man, after he had offered one sacrifice for sins for ever, sat down on the right hand of Elohim;…For by one offering he hath perfected for ever them that are sanctified.”(Hebrews 10: 10, 12 and 14)
A little leaven leaveneth the whole lump, when we allow one sin into the camp others follow, Apostolics who take part of X-Mass not only are refusing to worship Yahveh in Spirit and in Truth, they take part of the Sins of Rome, need we be reminded of what our savior told those who welcomed the teachings of Jezebel, “Notwithstanding I have a few things against thee, because thou sufferest that woman Jezebel, which calleth herself a prophetess, to teach and to seduce my servants to commit fornication, and to eat things sacrificed unto idols. And I gave her space to repent of her fornication; and she repented not. Behold, I will cast her into a bed, and them that commit adultery with her into great tribulation, except they repent of their deeds. And I will kill her children with death; and all the churches shall know that I am he which searcheth the reins and hearts: and I will give unto every one of you according to your works.”
Strange Fire Before Yahveh, Which He Commanded Them Not!
“And that ye may put difference between set-apart and non-set-apart, and between unclean and clean.” We read in The Book of Leviticus of Nadab and Abihu, the sons of Aaron, (Levitical Priest) who offered Strange Fire Unto Yahveh Almighty. (The word Strange comes from The Hebrew word zuwr, which means to commit adultery. Behold, I will cast her into a bed, and them that commit adultery with her into great tribulation, except they repent of their deeds) Is not the celebration of X-Mass, with all its pagan symbols and forms, a "strange fire" unto Yahveh, and is not this form of worship contrary to what He commands? Nadab and Abihu were guilty of a Great Sin, they were offering to Yahveh a form of worship which he commanded not, notice their punishment, “And there went out a fire from Yahveh, and devoured them, and they died before Yahveh. Then Moses said unto Aaron, This is it that Yahveh spake, saying, I will be sanctified in them that come nigh me, and before all the people I will be glorified…” The wages of this Sin was death! The Priest were to be set-apart Before Yahveh, as is the Church Of The Adonai Yahshua Messiah, Yet today Many in the church offer a Strange Fire (X-MASS, Paganism) unto Yahveh, A thing which HE Commanded them not, isn’t it strange that the Church of the Living Elohim will offer Him worship in the form of X-Mass, Something that was commanded by The Roman Catholic Institution (Jezebel, The Great Whore) but Never Commanded by Yahveh! If you follow Rome then Rome’s children You are! And You will receive of her plagues!!
Will The Real Pastors Please Stand Up
I Kings 12:26-33 Jeroboam’s Sin: In order to unify the northern ten tribes of Yisrael, evil King Jeroboam set up pagan idols, not in place of Yahveh, but as new focal points for directing worship to Yahveh. He even instituted a new festival on a new day; i.e., a new religious holiday of his own choosing. Even though the true Elohim of Yisrael was still to be the object of worship in the new religious holiday, both the holiday and the worship were not authorized by Yahveh nor accepted by Him (1 Kings 13:1-3; 15:29,30). Why? Because the concocted mixture of error with truth constituted false religion! The celebration of X-Mass is a religious holiday of man's own choosing, replete with pagan symbols and forms, all under the guise of worshiping the one true Elohim and Savior. But this worship form and system still constitutes false religion, and thereby, makes it unacceptable to Yahveh! And besides, where in the Word Of Yahveh do Apostolics have the right to add a new set-apart day to the pagan calendar, any more than King Jeroboam had the right to add a new set-apart day to Yahveh's theocratic calendar? Notice what Jeroboam said in I Kings chapter 12 verses 26 and 27: “And Jeroboam said in his heart, Now shall the kingdom return to the house of David: If this People go up to do sacrifice in the house of Yahveh at Jerusalem, then shall the heart of this people turn again unto their lord, even unto Rehoboam king of Judah, and they shall kill me, and go again to Rehoboam king of Judah.” I can hear many Pastors today echo the words of Jeroboam saying, “Now shall my income return to The Great Whore and her daughters. If this people (my congregation) go out into the world and celebrate X-Mass, then shall the heart of this people return to The Great Whore and her daughters, and my income which I have made off of this people shall perish and for gain of money is why I preach, I must allow them to continue in their Pagan Ways or I might have to Trade-In my Cadillac. Pastors today would rather fill their bellies with sugar and give their flocks candy to eat than partake of The Bread of Life and give to their churches Manna From Heaven! The Word of Yahveh spoken by Isaiah the prophet is still as practical today as it was Two Thousand Seven Hundred Years ago, “His watchmen are blind: they are all ignorant, they are all dumb dogs, they cannot bark: sleeping, lying down loving to slumber. Yea, they are greedy dogs which can never have enough, and they are shepherds that cannot understand: they all look to their own way, every one for his own gain, from his own quarter. Come ye, say they, I will fetch wine, and we will fill ourselves with strong drink; and tomorrow shall be as this day, and much more abundant. (Isaiah 56: 10-12) These weak kneed pastors fail to realize the blessings that they are missing out on by welcoming Pagan customs into their churches, they also fail to recognize that most of their congregations contain very sincere people that Love Yahveh enough to set aside these man made traditions, These people love the Adonai Yahshua Messiah more than life itself and want to follow and OBEY HIM.
Many pastors long for miracles in their churches (I’m not talking about a headache being relieved, I Am speaking of TRUE Miracles) and the POWER of Yahveh to be manifest in their lives, They can have what they long for by following the example of True men of Yahveh such as: Bro. Bud Tingle in Madisonville Kentucky; Bro. Larry Worthen in Grimsby Illinois; the writer of this Tract Bro. Steve Hancock in McComb Mississippi or Paul Newman of Tulsa, Oklahoma, these men have rid their lives of Paganism and Yahveh Almighty Blesses their Obedience to his Word. Their Faith is in ELOHIM ALMIGHTY, YAHSHUA MESSIACH, not man or an organization. Pastors it is time to “put off thy shoes from off thy feet, for the place where on thou standest is set-apart ground! The shoes that you wore in Egypt, The shoes that walked down the streets Governed by Pharaoh, The shoes that walked in Egyptian tradition, Those Shoes are not permitted on SET-APART GROUND! Once those shoes are removed then it is permitted to Draw Nigh unto Yahveh!
I would like to thank Pastor Steve Hancock for his time and efforts in writing this Tract and for letting me edit and add thought to his work. (Very little editing to the original work has been done, editing to the original work is in the form of grammatical changes, and no rewriting or changing of thought has been executed)
I would also like to thank Bro. Robert Kleiber for having enough Love for The GOSPEL of Yahshua Messiah and for YAHVEH’S Children to share the TRUTH with me.
Bro. Bill Moore
I would also like to explain that my editing has been in the removal of words of heathen origin, popular in modern English and with the replacing of several names to their Hebrew origins. I thank my loving savior, YAHSHUA MESSIAH for allowing me to bring this message to a worldwide audience!
Paul D. Newman
No comments:
Post a Comment