Is Christmas in the Bible?

If I were to ask you if Christmas is in the Bible…

what answer would you give?

Years ago, I would have answered without hesitation “well, of course it is!” Most Christians believe that Christmas is in the Bible. To most the holiday season means celebrating the birth of the Savior, along with the jovial traditions of the season, which often include decorating the Christmas tree, exchanging gifts, singing carols, making cookies, going to Christmas parties, etc.

But have you ever wondered what this holiday season is really about? How did it originate? Is Christmas and its traditions something that we should partake in? And most importantly…was Christ ever in Christmas to begin with? As the Lord convicted my heart, may you also prayfully seek wisdom.

“And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.”

John 8:32

As Christians we are told to be in the world, but not of it. We are commanded to be separate. We have the Bible, we hear the pastor preach on Sundays, yet, with all our Bible “knowledge” we are often still influenced by the world around us, our culture, our traditions. And most people don’t question it; they just go along with what they’ve always been doing and don’t give it any further thought.

However, as Christians, we need to “Prove all things; hold fast that which is good,” (1Thess. 5:21); and “….try the spirits whether they are of God: because many false prophets are gone out into the world,” (1 John 4:1).

By uncovering the truth about Christmas, you will discover whether or not it really is of God and if a Christian should have any part in its celebration. As you examine this article, please read it with much prayer, laying aside the traditions you have been taught. I understand it’s hard to view this objectively when we have long been enchanted with the sentimental appeal of the “holiday spirit.”

The sentimental appeal of our cherished customs and traditions can be traced back to a past that is heavily steeped in ancient pagan idolatry. Once you know the shocking truth about Christmas, you may well wonder, how you could have been so misled into thinking that this was glorifying to Jesus Christ!

This article will disturb you, hopefully make you think, and cause you to examine your beliefs, if they are consistent with the truth of the Gospel.

- History of Christmas -

Did you know the early American Puritans rejected Christmas? To them, it had no place in a society founded on Christian principles, as found in the Scriptures. There were laws which imposed fines if they were found to observe any such day as Christmas. In 1644, the parliament of England banned Christmas, calling it the “Profane Man’s Ranting Day”.

The Encyclopedia Britannica has this: “Christmas (i.e., the Mass of Christ). Christmas was not among the earliest festivals of the church….”

In Colonial Massachusetts, it was illegal to even take December 25th off work. Christmas was forbidden as “unseemly to ye spiritual welfare of ye community.” It was banned in Massachusetts in 1659. It wasn’t until 1836 that any state in America declared Christmas a holiday (Alabama being the first). In Boston, public schools stayed open on December 25th until as late as 1870, and it was not until 1885 that all federal workers were given Christmas Day off.

The well-know preacher, Charles Spurgeon, as well as, A.W. Pink (also a preacher) did not celebrate Christmas, as they recognized it for what it was…a pagan holiday.

The World Book Encyclopedia defines “Christmas” as follows: “The word Christmas comes from ‘Cristes Maesse,’ an early English phrase that means ‘Mass of Christ.’ The word ‘Mass’ is strictly a Catholic word meaning ‘death sacrifice.’ “ So when millions of people are saying, “Merry Christmas” they are literally saying, “Merry Death of Christ.” How God must grieve over the brazen sin of polluting His Holy Name with this abominable filth!

- The Origins of Christmas -

So how did this holiday originate? It was through the pagan beliefs of ancient Rome, where December 25th was celebrated as the “Victory of the sun-god festival,” or “Saturnalia,” the feast of the birth of Sol (sun). For centuries, this had been an abomination to Christians. The celebration was an orgy of pagan revelry. To all ancient pagan civilizations, December 25th was the birthday of the gods—the time of year the days began to lengthen and man was blessed with a “regeneration of nature,” the unconquerable sun.

In order to make Christianity palatable to the heathen, the Roman Church under Emperor Constantine, took Saturnalia and adopted it into Christianity; eventually many of the associated pagan symbols, customs, and traditions were Christianized to make them acceptable to the Christian faith.

It was Constantine who first declared Christianity to be the “State” religion, as there was a true need to have unity between paganism and Christianity. Constantine forced all the pagans of his empire to be baptized into the Roman Church. The corrupt Roman Church was full of pagans now masquerading as Christians, all of which had to be pacified. What better way than to Christianize their pagan idolatries. Thus, the Babylonian Mystery Religion was introduced by Constantine in 313 A.D. The Constantine-led Roman Catholic Church was more than willing to adapt and adopt pagan practices in order to make Christianity palatable to the heathen. Constantine used religion as a political tool, totally devoid of any true spirituality.

The Church of Rome, under the rule of Pope Julius I, merely announced that the birth date of Christ had been “discovered” to be December 25th and was accepted as such by the “faithful.” Now the festival of Saturnalia could now be celebrated as the birthday of Christ! Since the pagans didn’t need to change their beliefs, it didn’t matter to them whether they worshipped the Egyptian goddess mother, Queen of Heaven, and her child, Tammuz, or, under the new names of the Virgin Mary and the Christ-Child (also referred to as “Madonna and Child”—both of whom are depicted with having a halo around their head, symbolic of the sun or sun worship). The Bible forbids the worship of the Queen of Heaven and her child (Tammuz) in Jeremiah, chapters 7 and 44. “Yule” was the Babylonian name for child or infant, and was celebrated on December 25th—long before Christ’s birth. When you celebrate Christmas…you are actually participating in an ancient sun-worship ritual, which is sacrilegious idolatry!

In 2 Corinthians 6:14 & 16, it says: “Be ye not unequally yoked together with unbelievers: for what fellowship hath righteousness with unrighteousness? and what communion hath light with darkness?….And what agreement hath the temple of God with idols?”

- What Does The Bible Say About Christmas? -

Pause for a second and imagine you are on a desert island, where there’s no culture or traditions to influence your thoughts or define how you should live…all you have in your possession is the Bible. What do you see within its pages?

Do you read in the Scriptures that Christ commanded us to celebrate His birth? Do you read that Christmas was celebrated among the apostles or disciples? No, neither Christ, nor the Apostles ever taught or practiced this doctrine! Nor is the word “Christmas” even in the Bible.

We find in the Scriptures that we are only told to remember His death, not His birth! In 1 Corinthians 11:24-26, we read: “And when he had given thanks, he brake it, and said, Take, eat: this is my body, which is broken for you: this do in remembrance of me. After the same manner also he took the cup, when he had supped, saying, This cup is the new testament in my blood: this do ye, as oft as ye drink it, in remembrance of me. For as often as ye eat this bread, and drink this cup, ye do shew the Lord’s death till he come.”

When we commemorate His death by taking part in the communion of the bread and cup, we are celebrating what He did for us at Calvary, for it is through Christ’s death and atoning sacrifice that we are reconciled to God, and have forgiveness of sins. It is His death, burial, and resurrection that we should be celebrating and rejoicing in, for it has purchased our redemption!

Bottom line, dear friend: if the Lord never commanded us to celebrate His birth, then why are we doing so?

We also know that Christ was not born on December 25th. Besides the fact that pagan celebrations were taking place on this day long before Christ was even born…how do we know that Christ wasn’t born on Dec. 25th anyway?

Let us see what the Bible has recorded concerning the time of Jesus’ Birth. Luke 2:8 “And there were in the same country Shepherds abiding in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night.” As these shepherds were watching their sheep by night in the open fields, an angel came to them with the message of Christ’s birth. It has well been established that the Shepherds of Judea did not keep their flocks out in these open fields any later than about the middle of October, due to the piercing nature of the winter wind, rain, and cold. The Shepherds always brought their flocks in from the mountain slopes and fields, no later, than the 15th of October. Obviously, the birth of Christ could not have occurred as late in the winter season as December.

The Bible records that at the time of Christ’s birth: “And it came to pass in those days, that there went out a decree from Caesar Augustus, that all the world should be taxed. And all went to be taxed, every one into his own city,” (Luke 2:1, 3). It was because of this tax that Joseph traveled to Bethlehem, “To be taxed with Mary his espoused wife, being great with child,” (vs.5). While in Bethlehem, unable to secure a room in which to lodge, Mary delivered her child in a stable behind an inn. Certainly, this taxation could not have occurred in the winter, since, it would have been virtually impossible for everyone to comply. In fact, History records that these taxations always took place at the end of harvest, which was sometime in September or October, a much more logical time for taxation and travel.

Dear friend, isn’t it amazing that no one knows the exact date of the most important birth in the history of mankind! There is not one single reference in all 66 books of the Bible, and not one mention in early church literature pinpointing the date of Christ’s birth. Obviously, God did not want us to know the exact date Christ was born! We must remember that the Son of God pre-existed from eternity with the Father. John 10:30 “I and my Father are one.” Perhaps for us to affix a “date of birth” to Christ—who always was—is to detract from His divinity. One thing is certain…if God wanted the church to celebrate the birth of His Son, He would have told us to do so!

“….If any man shall add unto these things, God shall add unto him the plagues that are written in this book: And if any man shall take away from the words of the book of this prophecy, God shall take away his part out of the book of life, and out of the holy city, and from the things which are written in this book,” Revelation 22:18-19.

- Christianization of Pagan Customs,

Symbols and Terminology -

Pagan holidays, along with their customs and traditions were reclassified as Christian holidays – “holy-days” (i.e. Christmas, Easter, Halloween, Valentine Day, etc.); each of them coming from ancient Babylon, through Rome…and the Roman Catholic Church.

The Christmas Tree: Holly and ivy, the mistletoe, and the evergreen tree were widely considered as symbols of immortality and fertility among the ancient pagan nations, because they never turn brown.

In Jeremiah 10:1-4, we read: “Hear ye the word which the LORD speaketh unto you, O house of Israel: Thus saith the LORD, Learn not the way of the heathen….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; they fasten it with nails and with hammers, that it move not.” Although some commentaries have suggested that the trees mentioned in this passage were carved into the shapes of varying pagan deities, we must acknowledge the fact that these verses say nothing at all about the tree being shaped or carved. Only that it was cut down out of the forest by a workman with an axe, and then decorated with silver and gold, just like the modern Christmas tree! The round balls of silver and gold actually represented the sun-god. Millions of trees are annually sacrificed to satisfy the Christmas “sun-god.”

When you consider the song, “O’ Christmas Tree” and the fact that millions of people each year are singing—to a tree, and admiring it, placing it in a central place in their home—the word “worship” comes to mind. One of the definitions for worship, according to Dictionary.com is: “adoring reverence or regard.”

Christmas Wreaths: In Pagan mythology, evergreen means eternal life and a never-dying existence. Christmas wreaths, made from evergreens, were most frequently round, which symbolized the sun (just as halos do in most religious art). Hence, the round Christmas wreaths stand for an eternal sun, a never-dying or self-renewing sun.

Christmas Ham: Hogs were slaughtered and the eating of the carcass was one of the central festivities of the Saturnalia. Each man would offer a pig as a sacrifice because superstition had it that a boar had killed the sun deity, Tammuz. Hence, the tradition of the Christmas Ham on December 25th.

Christmas Stockings: According to tradition, a poor widower of Myra, Turkey, had three daughters, for whom he could not provide a dowry. On Christmas Eve, “Saint Nicholas” threw bags of gold down the chimney, thereby saving the daughters from having to enter into prostitution. One bag rolled into a shoe, and the others fell into some stockings that had been hung by the fire to dry. Hence, the beginning of the tradition of the “Christmas stocking” or “boot.”

Exchanging Presents: For many people, buying and exchanging gifts is the most important part of Christmas. Many go heavily into debt to buy presents they can’t afford, or they don’t need, sometimes to impress people they don’t even like. Most assume that the Christmas tradition of exchanging gifts is a reenactment of the Magi bringing gifts to Jesus, but such is plainly not the case. The wise men did not exchange gifts among themselves. They presented their gifts to Jesus who was born to be the “King of the Jews”. (It was an Eastern custom to present gifts when coming into the presence of a king). However, despite popular belief, these gifts were not birthday gifts. How do we know that? Because the Magi (Wise Men) did not come to visit Jesus until He was nearly two years old! Many people seem to overlook that verse! Matthew 2:11 “And when they were come into the house, they saw the young child with Mary his mother, and fell down, and worshipped him: and when they had opened their treasures, they presented unto him gifts; gold, and frankincense, and myrrh.”

Even if we believed that the Magi brought “birthday” presents to Jesus, how then, does that justify our buying gifts for each other? Shouldn’t we instead give some sort of sacrificial gift or offering to Jesus? Wouldn’t that be much more consistent? After all, it is supposed to be His birthday, isn’t it? What then, must Christ think? Here everyone comes together in the spirit of the celebration, “supposedly” for Christ’s birth, and they give gifts to everyone but Jesus! Sadly, people often buy so many gifts (for people who don’t really need them) that they have nothing left to give to the Lord!

And who is it that profits from all of this spending? It’s the merchants; they love this time of the year! They make a profit off the birth of Jesus! Can you see anything “Christian” in this commercial, materialistic festival? Christ certainly isn’t glorified in it…most times, he is forgotten!

There is also a superstitious, pagan origin of presenting gifts to one another, originated by the Roman custom of exchanging food, trinkets, candles, etc. during the mid-winter Kalends (the first day of the month in the ancient Roman calendar). This custom was transferred to December 25th by the Roman Church in keeping with the Saturnalian festival and in celebration of the benevolent St. Nicholas.

Santa Claus: Santa Claus has become one of the most popular and widely accepted and unopposed myths ever to be successfully interwoven into the fabric and framework of Christianity.

Santa Claus or “Father Christmas” is a corruption of the Dutch “Sant Nikolaas.” Saint Nicholas was the 4th century Catholic bishop of Myra in Asia Minor, who gave treats to children. The red suit comes from the fact that Catholic bishops and cardinals in Italy wear red. Santa Claus was also known as “Kriss Kringle,” a corruption of the German “Christ Kindle”—Christ Child. This has to be one of the most subtle of Satan’s blasphemies, yet most Christians are unaware of it.

Santa Claus is blasphemously compared to God. Think about it. Santa is made out to have god-like qualities. Omniscient—

Santa supposedly knows when every child sleeps, awakes, has been good or bad. Omnipresent—on Christmas Eve, Santa appears to be every where at once, visiting the “good” children in the world. Omnipotent—Santa seems to have the power to give each child exactly they want.

And who do you think is behind all of this? Satan, the old deceiver again has transformed himself into an angel of light (2 Cor. 11:14). It’s also interesting to note that if you rearrange a few letters, “Santa” becomes the word “Satan.”

Throughout the year, parents discipline their children for telling lies, but then at Christmastime they themselves lie to their children about Santa Claus. Children who are taught the Santa Claus myth may later question whether Christ is only a myth, too.

Some parents hint to their children, things like: “You’d better be good because Santa is watching you.” What an abomination this is in God’s sight, for Christian parents to teach their children to reverence Santa instead of Christ.

“Thou shalt have no other gods before me,” Exodus 20:3.

- Being Set Apart -

How tragic it is that the Christian church today continues to hold this unholy alliance with the world in the celebration of Christmas. They put up the same forbidden trees in their homes, cover it with globes (symbols of the sun), exchange gifts and lie to their children about Santa Claus. Then they are feebly encouraged in church to put Christ back into Christmas—when Christ was never in Christmas to begin with, nor will He ever be!

In Deuteronomy 12:29-32, God warned His people, Israel, to destroy all vestiges of pagan worship that they found in the “Promised Land.” Not only did God want to prevent His people from being enticed to worship false gods, but He also specifically revealed that He did not want His people to worship Him in the same manner in which the heathen worshipped their gods. We know, therefore, that our Lord is displeased by practices which profess to honor Him, but are really only a cover-up for pagan practices. God desired them to worship Him, but only according to what He commanded, not adding to God’s commandment, nor taking away from them. Therefore, is not “putting Christ back into Christmas,” worshiping God in our “own way?” In partaking of Christmas, are we putting Christ in a pagan celebration? God never intended for His people to be imitators of the pagan customs of the world, but has called us to be separate and set apart, as a light in this dark world. “And what agreement hath the temple of God with idols?….Wherefore come out from among them, and be ye separate, saith the Lord, and touch not the unclean thing; and I will receive you,” 2 Corinthians 6:16-17.

Some might declare that they don’t want to hear anything more about the paganism of the season. They want to cover their ears and shut their eyes to the truth. They don’t want to think about it, talk about it, or give up what they hold so dearly. But the unsavory truth about it is…that when we hold onto something so tightly and we don’t want to let go of it, it becomes an idol. An idol is anything that comes between you and God. “Thou shalt have no other gods before me,” Exodus 20:3.

Some Christians readily acknowledge the pagan origins of Christmas, but at the same time, they offer all sorts of worldly compromising excuses and participate in it anyway. Some think it is a good time to witness to sinners about Christ. While it is never wrong to witness, it is always wrong to sin. You don’t have to compromise with the world, in order to witness to the world. In fact, in order for our witness to be effective, just the opposite must be true. We must be different from the world! We must be a light set on a hill, a holy and peculiar people. (Matthew, 5:13-16, I Peter 2:9).

God says to the church in our generation to come out of spiritual Babylon: “Come out of her, my people, that ye be not partakers of her sins….” Revelation 18:4.

“Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world. If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him,” 1 John 2:15.

“Wherefore come out from among them, and be ye separate, saith the Lord, and touch not the unclean thing; and I will receive you,” 2 Corinthians. 6:17.

“And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God,” Romans 12:2.

You might be thinking but I’d be depriving my kids if I didn’t celebrate Christmas! Deprive them of what? The truth? If you really want to deprive them—continue to celebrate the world’s pagan holiday, setup the forbidden idolatrous tree, continue to lie to your children about Santa Claus—and you will deprive them (and yourself) of the truth, and maybe much more than that! Colossians 3:9 says “Lie not one to another….” and 1 Corinthians 10:14, “Wherefore, my dearly beloved, flee from idolatry.” Christians, WE are responsible to bring up our children“…in the nurture and admonition of the Lord,” (Ephesians 6:4), not in the ways of the world! We are responsible to teach them the truth and to walk in the truth ourselves!

Think about this…sinners who love Christmas, hate Christ! Even those who aren’t religious, go to church on holidays! It’s perfectly safe for the most pagan person in the world to join in the Christmas spirit. The biggest thieves, drunkards, liars, hypocrites love Christmas; they love the parties, feasting, gifts, carols, and the merriment, but they hate everything that is truly spiritual. That should tell us something is definitely wrong!

You might be thinking but won’t people think I’m a fanatic if I don’t celebrate Christmas? Yes, they probably will. No one enjoys being considered a fanatic; it is most difficult to swim against the stream. The Christmas tradition is so firmly entrenched in our society…and even in our own hearts. The question is not “is it hard?” but rather, “is it right?” The right thing is not always easy. Christ has never promised us that following Him would be easy. However, He will give you the strength to overcome.

Sometimes our spirit is willing, but our flesh is weak. There’s a tug-of-war that goes on in the soul. Perhaps that’s how you feel in your heart right now. You know that Christmas is probably not something you should be partaking in, but yet, you aren’t quite willing to give it up. Friend, the Lord will help you, if you but ask! Fall on your knees and spill your heart out to the Lord, tell Him how difficult this is for you and ask Him to make you willing to made willing to do His Will, no matter the cost.

The first time my family and I heard about the true origins of Christmas, we laid it aside. We didn’t want to hear anything negative about this, because we were in the midst of planning all our Christmas activities. A year later, we received more information, telling us again how pagan Christmas was and how it should have no place in the life of a Christian. Little did we know that the Lord was preparing our hearts to receive His truth! This time we took it to heart and made it a matter of prayer. Afterwards we knew we had no choice. By God’s grace, we had to forsake it. It wasn’t easy. Most of our family and friends couldn’t understand our new convictions…but despite our difficult stand, we knew we had made the right decision. My family and I like to remember the chorus to the song Dare to be a Daniel, as it illustrates how we felt at that time: “Dare to be a Daniel, Dare to stand alone! Dare to have a purpose firm! Dare to make it known.”

“So that we may boldly say, The Lord is my helper,

and I will not fear what man shall do unto me.”

Hebrews 13:6

I know what I’m saying is difficult to hear. Give up Christmas? By now, you might be wishing you never laid eyes on this tract, but please hear me out. It’s a hard thing to hear, but it’s also a hard thing to write. No one enjoys being an “Ebenezer Scrooge” or the “Grinch” who stole Christmas…but the Lord has laid this on my heart to share with you and I cannot keep silent.

God is seeking those who will forsake the false ways, who will lay aside the traditions of men, who will worship the Lord in the beauty of holiness, and will not compromise the truth!

“But the hour cometh, and now is, when the true worshippers shall worship the Father in spirit and in truth: for the Father seeketh such to worship him. God is a Spirit: and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth,” John 4:23-24.

God loves truth. He is concerned for the truth. He longs for those who will believe the truth, and worship Him in truth! But friend, there isn’t a shred of truth in Christmas. Everything about this holiday is false, corrupt, idolatrous, and pagan. It is one big lie! What will you do? Who will you follow? What will you believe?

“Therefore to him that knoweth to do good, and doeth it not, to him it is sin,” James 4:17.

“…as for me and my house, we will serve the LORD,” Joshua 24:15.

“For ye were sometimes darkness, but now are ye light in the Lord: walk as children of light: (For the fruit of the Spirit is in all goodness and righteousness and truth;) Proving what is acceptable unto the Lord. And have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness, but rather reprove them,” Ephesians 5:8-11.

GOD HELP US TO BE A HOLY SEPARATE PEOPLE!

Prayerfully seek the Lord Jesus for the truth and He will always guide you and keep you on the right path.

“Howbeit when he, the Spirit of truth, is come, he will guide you into all truth….” John 16:13.

“Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you,” Matthew 7:7.

~Truth Comes With Responsibilities~

~Let us be ambassadors for Christ in Spirit and in Truth~

If you have any questions or comments, please feel free to contact us. It would be a blessing to hear from you! May the Lord Jesus Christ bless you with the truth!

Reference Notes

- Alexander Hislop, The Two Babylons (pg. 91 & 93)

- Ralph Woodrow, Babylon Mystery Religion (pg.163-166)

- The New Catholic Encyclopedia, 1965 E.D. Vol 2 (pg. 656)

- Charles Haff, The Message of the Christian Jew, Newsletter, Nov./Dec.1977

- Encyclopedia Americana, Vol.6 (pg 623)

- L.R.Shelton, Christmas, A Demon Holiday (pg. 3-4)

- Albert James Dager, The Origins of Christmas Tradition, “Media Spotlight”(pg. 2)

- R.F. Becker, The Truth about Christmas (pg. 19-20)

- Lasley F. Gober, The Christmas Lover’s Handbook (pg. 64)

- Christina Hole, Christmas & It’s Customs (pg. 35)

- Chick Publications, The Crusader’s Vol. 15 ( pg. 26)

- Perilous Times, 1991 Issue

- Dr. Russell K.Tardo, The Shocking Truth about Christmas

- Paul Caulfied, Berean Baptist Church (Audio Tape “Christ-Mass”)

- Pastor David Meyer, Last Trumpet Newsletter (10/83 Vol. 2 Issue 11)

- Catholic Encyclopedia-New Advent-Pope Julius I, Vol 8, 1910

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