American / Biblical Holiday Study

Introduction:

This is a list of the most commonly celebrated holidays in America, plus the Biblical celebrations.

The purpose of parties, feasts, days off work are to build relationships.

The purpose of this study is to help me build stronger relationships with God, Jesus, Holy Spirit, family, friends, church community.

I have 4 sons and I have a different relationship with each of them. Use this study to build your family's relationship with God, and those around you in your own way.

Some things to think about: Answer now and again at the end of the study.

Does it matter to me that a holiday has a pagan (idol, sun, or self worship) past or elements?

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Is it good to change a bad holiday to a good holiday, (the meaning of it)?

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Do my holiday traditions matter to God? or is obeying God's commanded holidays important to him?

__________________________________________________________________________________________________ Mark 7:6-9

Does the specific date matter to me or God? Jewish calendar date? Roman (USA) calendar date?

__________________________________________________________________________________________________ Daniel 7:21-27 Specifically verse 25 is talking about "trying" to change set times and laws. God has not changed his Feasts or his laws. We have tried to change them.

What is my belief on alcohol, drug abuse? Gluttony? (over eating)

_______________________________________________________________________________________________________ Church of satan view Biblical view

Are traditions good? bad? Indifferent? (my opinion) _______________________________________________________________________

Definitions: 7th day = Saturday (look at a calendar) Sabbath = vacation day off work

Sabbath: (Biblical)

1 day per week and on certain Holidays (American and Biblical) and 1 year out of every 7

Weekly gathering of saints and no work.

Why / when did Sabbath change? Saturday Sabbath study Sunday Sabbath study

Comment: I was blessed when I observed Sunday Sabbath, I am blessed now when I observe Saturday Sabbath rest, and go to church on Sunday. Please read all 3 above articles, and google search others to make your own decision. I have said my entire life "If I became an atheist or hated God, I would still keep a sabbath", It's my day! Enjoy your rest.

Isaiah 58: 13 “If you keep your feet from breaking the Sabbath, and from doing as you please on my holy day, if you call the Sabbath a delight, and the Lord’s holy day honorable, and if you honor it by not going your own way, and not doing as you please or speaking idle words, 14 then you will find your joy in the Lord,

Ezekiel 20:19-20 I am the Lord your God; follow my decrees and be careful to keep my laws. Keep my Sabbaths holy, that they may be a sign between us. Then you will know that I am the Lord your God.

Taking specific days off is a sign that I follow God, I will also find Joy in God when I obey the sabbaths (7th day and holidays)

Do I, Will I celebrate?________________________________

Am I going to change how I celebrate it?___________________________________________________________________

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New Years Eve / Day: (American)

December 31 - January 1

Eat, drink, watch TV (countdown), party at a bar, friends house, or hotel. Stay up past midnight to celebrate new year.

Make New Year's resolutions.

COMMENTARY: Nothing wrong with starting fresh and making goals. December 31 is a "sabbath" for most of us.

Am I going to continue to celebrate?________________________________

Am I going to change how I celebrate it?____________________________________________________________________

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Valentine's Day: (American)

February 14

Eat, drink, cards, candy, gifts with special someone.

History

COMMENTARY: Nice to know the history, good to be reminded to treat your spouse / significant other special.

Am I going to continue to celebrate?________________________________

Am I going to change how I celebrate it?____________________________________________________________________

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Birthdays (public holidays and those I love): (American, Pagan)

Any day of year

Eat, drink, cards, candy, gifts with family, friends. Many people take a "sabbath" day off work for our birthdays.

Jehovah witness view Church of Satan view (If you are scared to open site): Since Satanism is a self-centered religion, the highest holiday of the year would be the Satanist’s own birthday, which needs no ritual but should be spent in doing things a Satanist would enjoy.

COMMENTARY: The only time birthdays are mentioned in the Bible are when an evil king is celebrating his birthday with a be-heading. (Pharaoh and his chief baker. Herod be-headed John the baptist). How do I treat my kids on their birthday compared to Church of satan views? (Fear God, don't fear their website). We personally still celebrate birthdays, but I believe having these perspectives is very important. (Meaning: Don't make our kids or ourselves "gods" on our birthdays)

Am I going to continue to celebrate?________________________________

Am I going to change how I celebrate it for me? For my kids?____________________________________________________________________

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Jesus Birthday:

Nisan 1 (March / April on our calendar)

Nisan 1 is the 1st day of the 1st month of the Biblical calendar. Exodus 12:1-2

Americans celebrate December 25 as Christ's birthday. Here is a video that convinced me why Jesus' birthday is Nisan 1. Jesus birthday Nisan 1

COMMENTARY: Nothing in the Bible gives his date of birth, or tells us to celebrate it.

Am I going to start to celebrate?________________________________

How would I celebrate?____________________________________________________________________

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Palm Sunday: (Biblical)

Nisan 10 (March / April on our calendar)

Nisan is the 1st month of the Biblical calendar. Exodus 12:1-2

OT: Bible says to select a lamb for passover on this day. Exodus 12:3

NT: Bible says Jesus rode into Jerusalem on a donkey on this day. John 12

COMMENTARY: Notice date Lazarus was healed, notice, they are talking about Passover feast. Vs. 1, Vs. 12. Keep in mind Jewish days start at sunset and end at sunset the next day (24hrs)

Good day to remove the sin from our lives and remove the yeast / leaven from our houses.

Do I, Will I celebrate?________________________________

How would I celebrate?_________________________________________________________________________________

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Spring Feasts: Passover, Unleavened Bread, 1st Fruits. (3 feasts) (Biblical)

Nisan 14 -22 (March / April on our calendar) Friday night April 19 2019 Last supper, April 20 Passover, April 21-27 unleavened bread, April 23 1st Fruits (resurrection day) See CALENDAR for American dates.

OT: Bible says to sacrifice a lamb for passover meal on this day at sunset. Exodus 12

NT: . Jesus had last supper on this night, and was crucified next day. (remember 14th starts at sunset and goes 24hrs til next sunset) Jesus died at 3pm the day after last supper, but all of it still on the 14th. Mark 14:12

COMMENTARY: Commanded by God as part of the 10 commandments in Exodus 34 Leviticus 23. Passover (last supper) commanded by Jesus to celebrate in remembrance of him. Luke 22: 13-22

Nisan 10-14: Remove all leavening agents from home (yeast, bread, tortillas) Not as a ritual, not out of guilt but as an exercise to teach family how it is our responsibility to remove sin from our lives. (sin grows inside us like yeast in dough)

Nisan 14: Celebrate last supper, Lamb, Unleavened bread, red wine. Large family meal celebrating the freedom that is coming to us. Freedom from slavery (Egypt OT and sin NT) Read and teach about Exodus 12, and Luke 22 to my children. Sabbath day off work.

Nisan 15-22: Feast of unleavened bread, no yeast or leavening agents in house. Jesus in tomb, we are reminded everyday that Jesus took our sins away when we don't see bread in our house. Sabbath days off work on 1st day and 7th day of feast.

Nisan 17: 1st fruits, Jesus resurrection, In honor of this feast and this day, donate the 1st of something. (1st paycheck of new job, $ from 1st customer of new business, shows my faith in God to continue to bless me) This should be celebrated just like a Thanksgiving meal. Thankful and grateful to God for all he has done and will do in our lives. Unleavened bread (no yeast products)

Leviticus 23 and Luke 22, show us how to celebrate Passover, compare that with how we celebrate Easter.

Do I, Will I celebrate?________________________________

Am I going to change how I celebrate it?___________________________________________________________________

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Easter: (Pagan)

March / April (In 325 AD the Council of Nicaea established that Easter would be held on the first Sunday after the first Full Moon occurring on or after the vernal equinox)

Celebrate Jesus resurrection, easter eggs, candy, bunnies, egg hunts, ham.

Origin of Easter and History of spring feasts Asherah, Tammuz, Artemis all mentioned in the Bible as fertility gods.

Simpson's Willie explains

OT: Deuteronomy 12:3-4,8 ....wipe out their names.....not worship in their ways.....everyone doing as they see fit.

NT: 1 Corinthians 10:21-22 I read these verses as: Don't mix pagan worship with God's commanded way of worship.

COMMENTARY: Cherry picking verses above to prove my point, please read context of chapters. Also when studying have the goal of becoming "Holy" "Set apart" servant of God. If that's my goal, then it makes sense to clean up these areas.

Leviticus 23 and Luke 22, show us how to celebrate Passover, compare that with how we celebrate Easter.

Do I, Will I celebrate?________________________________

Am I going to change how I celebrate it?____________________________________________________________________

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Memorial Day: (American)

Monday May 27 Sabbath day off work

Remember our veterans, visit cemetery, parade.

COMMENTARY: Of course nothing in the Bible, Jews have several of their own celebrations that are not in the Bible for their military victories. I personally don't see anything wrong with celebrating country events or personal events as long as they aren't mixed with or confused with Biblical celebrations.

Do I, Will I celebrate?________________________________

Am I going to change how I celebrate it?____________________________________________________________________

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Feast of Weeks / Shavuot / Pentecost: (different names, same thing)(Biblical)

Sivan 6,7 - 50 days after passover June 8-10, 2019 Saturday

• Sabbath day off work, Read 10 commandments at church on 1st night

• Stay up all night reading the 1st 5 books (Torah) and Ruth, and Acts 2 of Bible

• Eat cheeses

• Get baptized by Holy Spirit

OT: Genesis 9 Noahide laws. Exodus 19-31 (all the commandments given to Moses on Mount Sinai, Exodus 32 (golden calf) Numbers 11 (70 elders) Old testament verses about Holy Spirit in us.

NT: Acts 2 New testament verses about Holy Spirit in us. (please read and study this entire chapter)

COMMENTARY: This is my favorite! This feast convinces me that dates are important.

• • 7 Noahide laws given to Noah on this day. Link to Math

  • 10 commandments / Torah given on Pentecost, 3000 killed after this feast because of golden calf in Exodus. Link to Math

  • 70 of Moses elders baptised by Holy Spirit on this feast day in Numbers 11. (notice only a taste Vs. 25 "although they never did so again"

  • Jeremiah 31:33 I will put My law in their minds, and write it on their hearts; Joel 2:28 “And it shall come to pass afterward That I will pour out My Spirit on all flesh; (Numbers 11 gives a taste of Holy Spirit, these 2 prophets say Holy Spirit is coming for everyone, Fulfilled on Pentecost by Holy Spirit, AFTER Jesus ascended into Heaven.)

  • 3000 souls saved (restored) in Acts 2 with baptism of Holy Spirit on this same feast day!

  • If I was a Jew during the time of Acts 2, and I was not celebrating this feast of Weeks, I would have missed out on the baptism of the Holy Spirit!

How do I get baptized by the Holy Spirit? John 3:5 Jesus answered, "Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit he cannot enter into the kingdom of God.

• • Pray to God "Show me who I need to forgive" Keep praying this until your mind is clear and everyone is forgiven. Up to you if this is 5 minutes or 5 years. Be aware it may be yourself that God points out to you. Matthew 6: 14 For if you forgive other people when they sin against you, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. 15 But if you do not forgive others their sins, your Father will not forgive your sins.

  • Pray to God "Show me the sin in my life, that I need to remove" I truly believe this requires action from me. (If I delete all the porn and "stay in him" he will make any addiction much easier to break) Keep praying this until your conscience is clear and forgiven and I have taken a step toward holiness. Matthew 18: 8 “If your hand or foot causes you to sin, cut it off and cast it from you. It is better for you to enter into life lame or maimed, rather than having two hands or two feet, to be cast into the everlasting fire. 9 And if your eye causes you to sin, pluck it out and cast it from you. It is better for you to enter into life with one eye, rather than having two eyes, to be cast into hell fire. (Notice it's our job to remove temptation)

  • Get baptised by water for forgiveness of sin. Matthew 3:11 "As for me, I baptize you with water for repentance, but He who is coming after me is mightier than I, and I am not fit to remove His sandals; He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire.

  • Ask / Pray to God for baptism of Holy Spirit Acts 19:1-6 He said to them, "Did you receive the Holy Spirit when you believed?" And they said to him, "No, we have not even heard whether there is a Holy Spirit." And when Paul had laid his hands upon them, the Holy Spirit came on them, and they began speaking with tongues and prophesying.

  • Not a one time event, this is constant work to stay "in him" Galatians 5:16 But I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh.

  • Search for the gifts you have now been given with this baptism of Holy Spirit. Hint: Your new gifts are to be used to serve others, and your creator. 1 Corinthians 12: 8 To one there is given through the Spirit a message of wisdom, to another a message of knowledge by means of the same Spirit, 9 to another faith by the same Spirit, to another gifts of healing by that one Spirit, 10 to another miraculous powers, to another prophecy, to another distinguishing between spirits, to another speaking in different kinds of tongues,and to still another the interpretation of tongues. 11 All these are the work of one and the same Spirit, and he distributes them to each one, just as he determines. 1 Peter 4:10 As each has received a gift, use it to serve one another, as good stewards of God's varied grace:

  • This is a relationship with my creator, He can do this in any order He pleases. Acts 2:4 And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit then after this in verse 37 Now when they heard this, they were cut to the heart, and said to Peter and the rest of the apostles, “Men and brethren, what shall we do?” 38 Then Peter said to them, “Repent, and let every one of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins; and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.

  • Notice HS first, then water baptism for remission of sins, then receive HS......again?? Sometimes we need HS first to convict us of our sins, water baptism as our symbol to God that we are cleaning ourselves of earthly desires. Then filled with HS to do his good works He has planned for us.

  • Daily ask the Holy Spirit (my helper) to show me who needs me today, how can I serve others and / or glorify YHWH.

Do I, Will I celebrate?________________________________

How will I celebrate it?_____________________________________________________________________

Am I willing to be baptized in the Holy Spirit ? ___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

4th of July: (American)

July 4 Sabbath day off work

Fireworks, BBQ, parade, family fun.

COMMENTARY: Of course nothing in the Bible, Jews have several of their own celebrations that are not in the Bible for different events. I personally don't see anything wrong with celebrating country events or personal events as long as they aren't mixed with or confused with Biblical celebrations.

Do I, Will I celebrate?________________________________

Am I going to change how I celebrate it?____________________________________________________________________

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Labor Day: (American)

1st Monday of September 2, 2019

"Sabbath" day off work (Monday)

Eat, drink, family, fun, boating, BBQ.

COMMENTARY: Of course nothing in the Bible, Jews have several of their own celebrations that are not in the Bible for different events. I personally don't see anything wrong with celebrating country events or personal events as long as they aren't mixed with or confused with Biblical celebrations.

Do I, Will I celebrate?________________________________

Am I going to change how I celebrate it?____________________________________________________________________

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Fall Feasts: Trumpets, Atonement, Tabernacles: (Biblical)

Tishri 1, sunset Sept. 29 - sunset Sept. 30, 2019 Feast of Trumpets, simple feast because it has not been fulfilled yet. Blow the shofar / trumpet. Take a day off work (Sabbath)

Sunset Oct. 8 - sunset Oct. 9 Day of Atonement, water baptism, forgive sins, new year resolutions, fasting, "deny myself".

Sunset Oct. 13 - sunset Oct. 21 Tabernacles, living in temporary structures, sabbath on 13th and 21st (1st and 8th day of feast)

• Leviticus 23

• Most agree that these feasts will be fulfilled on Jesus return, as the spring feasts were fulfilled on his 1st visit.

• Matthew 24: 31-41 Trumpet will sound at Jesus return.

• Jesus returns to Judge, and we will make atonement, or judged on the good and bad we have done. Lots of great verses

• Revelation 20 Jesus returns to "tabernacle" live with us for 1000 years.

• What if I believed in Jesus 2000 years ago and cried for him while he died on the cross, but then I didn't follow the feast of pentecost, I would have missed out on baptism of Holy Spirit. Read all of Matthew 24 It is all about end times, starting with temple destruction in 70 AD all the way until today. VS: 45 “Who then is the faithful and wise servant, whom the master has put in charge of the servants in his household to give them their food at the proper time? 46 It will be good for that servant whose master finds him doing so when he returns. 47 Truly I tell you, he will put him in charge of all his possessions. (I want to be found doing the proper things when he returns)

COMMENTARY: When the devil is tied up, we will only have ourselves to blame for our sins. If the Heavens opened up right now and I watched Jesus come down over Jerusalem to rule the world today......What am I going to do different tomorrow when I wake up? Do I know what is required of me to be Holy? To please Jesus?

Do I, Will I celebrate?________________________________

Am I going to change how I celebrate it?____________________________________________________________________

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Halloween: (Pagan, American)

October 31

Trick or treat, Trunk or treat at church, costumes, candy, "closest time to spirit world"

Hallow = Holy een = eve. November 1 is celebrating the Holy saints of the past, this is the eve of that celebration. Google search all you want on the history of this season. I can tell you, in the Witch, Voodoo world, this stuff is real. Please stay away from it. (I was born in Haiti, and own property in Belize, I can tell you stories)

Let's study Jeroboam for a Biblical answer.

While I was studying Biblical feasts and baptism of the Holy Spirit full time. I prayed "God what would you like me to do / study, what word do you have for me today?". While praying this, I cleared my mind, usually a white background waiting for something. This time, I pictured clear glass just trying to get my mind as "clear" as possible. Then written in red blood on the right side was the word Jeroboam. Like you would see on a horror movie mirror with the name falling down the side. I only knew he was in the Bible, haven't read about him, heard about him, had nothing to do with feasts so I didn't care, but I looked up his story any way and found it in 1 Kings chapters 11-15.

• Ahijah was the prophet sent by God to choose Jeroboam to be King over Israel after splitting from Judah. 1 Kings 11:26-40

• Jeroboam was a good man but then created golden calves so Israelites wouldn't have to go to Jerusalem to worship. Again, these were not new gods, they were images of the one true God. He also chose his own date to worship them which was around the same time as Halloween. (Jeroboam was celebrating Tabernacles, A good feast commanded by God, but he picked his own date and images of God) 1 Kings 12:25-33

• 1 Kings 13 Jeroboam was warned to change his ways, but did not.

• 1 Kings 14 Check out this story, King Jeroboam has his wife dress up in a costume to go see the same prophet Ahijah that made him king. Jeroboam wanted a miracle to heal his son. But God told Ahijah about the "trick". Then Ahijah prophesied all the punishments King Jeroboam would receive because of these sins.

• 1 Kings 15 Punishment prophecies fulfilled.

Comments: This story teaches us a lot about obeying God for the correct days and correct ways to worship him. It wasn't like Jeroboam was throwing a graduation party or a random fun party, Jeroboam was perverting one of God's parties. Halloween started as a Christian holiday (not commanded by God) then was perverted to a "devil's night".

Do I, Will I celebrate?________________________________

Am I going to change how I celebrate it?____________________________________________________________________

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Thanksgiving: (American)

4th Thursday in November 28, 2019

Large family meal, day off work "Sabbath", thanking God for our blessings.

Commentary: This is a tough one to think about and process, I had no problem with it, until I just wrote everything down for Jeroboam. Am I replacing one of God's holidays with this one? I would like to just take it at face value and celebrate it as a day set aside to thank God.

• Deuteronomy 26 Feast of First Fruits, This is our Thanksgiving offering. So if we are forgetting the 3 Feasts that we are supposed to be thankful to God and choosing our own date to be thankful in our own way......maybe it is a problem.

• Isiah 29:13 Mark 7: 6-9 They worship me in vain; their teachings are merely human rules.’ 8 You have let go of the commands of God and are holding on to human traditions.”

If I am obeying all the commanded feasts and add in an extra Thanksgiving day to observe, also celebrating Thanksgiving with my Father and Mother to honor them and not to offend them......then maybe that's okay??

Do I, Will I celebrate?________________________________

Am I going to change how I celebrate it?____________________________________________________________________

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Chanukah: (Jewish.....kinda Biblical)

December 23-30, 2019

Temple dedication feast, Candle lighting, family meals.

Not required in the Bible, Only mentioned one time as Jesus going to the feast of dedication. John 10:22-30 So we can learn a lot from this:

• Not a required Biblical feast, it's one Jews created and added, Jesus still went to it.

• This tells me it's okay to follow traditions of men, as long as we aren't forsaking God's commands / feasts.

• This feast is for temple dedication, We are supposed to be temples for Jesus / Holy Spirit to live in.

• I included this feast because of all the crazy prophecy we are watching happen in Israel right now. Pay attention to the Jerusalem temple site on this feast date.

Do I, Will I celebrate?________________________________

Am I going to change how I celebrate it?____________________________________________________________________

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Christmas: (Pagan)

December 25, set date every year.

Exchanging gifts, big family meals, vacations, Sabbath days off work, Yule log, Christmas tree, Santa Claus

After doing this study, I hope this one is easier for your family to digest and make a decision on.

Comments:

• No where in the Bible is Christmas, or Christs birthday

• Christs actual birthday is most likely Nisan 1 (March/April) LINK to a video that convinced me.

• Almost every Christmas tradition is pagan and made up, nothing from Bible even the manger scene are graven images....to be technical.

• December 25 is the date to celebrate the "birth of the sun" the winter solstice, for thousands of years before Christ.

• This was enough to convince me: "Christians stole this holiday from us"

• Jeremiah 10:1-5 Scholars will tell you these verses are about idol making.....sounds like a Christmas tree to me. Make your own decision. So, why do I have a Christmas tree? What does it represent? Why do I decorate it? Why do I put presents under it? The answer to all of this is the exact same answers for idols. Remember seeing decorated Buddha statues, prayed to for Blessings (gifts under tree).....Yah, but!,

• I am deciding to set myself and my family apart as Holy.

• Amos 5: 21-27 Vs. 21 "I despise YOUR feasts"( Christmas is OUR feast, not God's.)........ Vs. 26 " [e]Sikkuth[f] your king, And Chiun, your idols, The star of your gods, " Google search these names. "Sikkuth" is Molech (we are sacrificing more babies through abortion than they sacrificed to Molech) "Star of your gods" This is the sun god, celebrated specifically on December 25 (winter solstice)

• Very clear God hates OUR parties, and we are commanded to follow Him and His parties.

• History of Christmas Link or just Google search Christmas history.

• Christmas evergreen tree? (thousands of years of pagan history) YHWH compared it to the Jews cheating on Him.

Jeremiah 10:1 Hear the word which the Lord speaks to you, O house of Israel. 2 Thus says the Lord: “Do not learn the way of the Gentiles; Do not be dismayed at the signs of heaven, For the Gentiles are dismayed at them. 3 For the customs of the peoples are [a]futile; For one cuts a tree from the forest, The work of the hands of the workman, with the ax. 4 They decorate it with silver and gold; They fasten it with nails and hammers So that it will not topple. 5 They are upright, like a palm tree, And they cannot speak; They must be carried, Because they cannot go by themselves. Do not be afraid of them, For they cannot do evil, Nor can they do any good.” DO YOU THINK THIS IS AN IDOL OR CHRISTMAS TREE? "SO THAT IT DOESN'T TOPPLE" GOOGLE SEARCH HISTORY OF CHRISTMAS TREES, READ ALL THE FOLLOWING VERSES ABOUT IDOLS UNDER GREEN TREES. THEN MAKE YOUR OWN DECISION, I WILL BE HUMBLE AND ASK YHWH GOD TO CONVICT ME OF THE TRUTH.

Deuteronomy 12: 1 12 “These are the statutes and judgments which you shall be careful to observe in the land which the Lord God of your fathers is giving you to possess, all[a] the days that you live on the earth. 2 You shall utterly destroy all the places where the nations which you shall dispossess served their gods, on the high mountains and on the hills and under every green tree. 3 And you shall destroy their altars, break their sacred pillars, and burn their [b]wooden images with fire; you shall cut down the carved images of their gods and destroy their names from that place. 4 You shall not worship the Lord your God with such things. SO....WE CAN'T USE THESE THINGS TO WORSHIP GOD??

Deuteronomy 16:1-17 is a review of the required festivals if we follow YHWH, vs. 21-22 “You are not to plant any sort of tree as a sacred pole (Asherah) beside the altar of Adonai your God that you will make for yourselves. 22 Likewise, do not set up a standing-stone; Adonai your God hates such things.

2 Kings 16: 2 Ahaz was twenty years old when he became king, and he reigned in Jerusalem sixteen years. Unlike David his father, he did not do what was right in the eyes of the Lord his God. 3 He followed the ways of the kings of Israel and even sacrificed his son in the fire, engaging in the detestable practices of the nations the Lord had driven out before the Israelites. 4 He offered sacrifices and burned incense at the high places, on the hilltops and under every spreading green tree.

Ezekiel 20: 27 “Therefore, son of man, speak to the people of Israel and say to them, ‘This is what the Sovereign Lord says: In this also your ancestors blasphemed me by being unfaithful to me: 28 When I brought them into the land I had sworn to give them and they saw any high hill or any leafy green tree, there they offered their sacrifices, made offerings that aroused my anger, presented their fragrant incense and poured out their drink offerings. 29 Then I said to them: What is this high place you go to?’” (It is called High place to this day.) 30 “Therefore say to the Israelites: ‘This is what the Sovereign Lord says: Will you defile yourselves the way your ancestors did and lust after their vile images? 31 When you offer your gifts—the sacrifice of your children in the fire—you continue to defile yourselves with all your idols to this day. Am I to let you inquire of me, you Israelites? As surely as I live, declares the Sovereign Lord, I will not let you inquire of me. NOTE: THEY WERE INQUIRING OF YHWH GOD!! THESE WERE IDOLS UNDER GREEN TREES AND SACRIFICES OF THEIR BABIES AND GIFTS TO THE JEWISH YHWH GOD. BUT DOING IT IN PAGAN WAYS!!

According to HIstory Channel the Puritans banned Christmas trees as pagan, until so many Germans and Irish brought over the tradition and it became part of all of America in the 1930's with Rockefeller center tree. See the abortion graph below. NO, ABORTION AND CHRISTMAS TREES ARE NOT RELATED. HOWEVER, NOT KNOWING GOD'S WORD AS A NATION IS RELATED. Same as Jews, God's chosen people. They were passing babies through the fire at the same time as putting idols under green trees.

2 kINGS 17:10 They set up sacred stones and Asherah poles on every high hill and under every spreading tree. 11 At every high place they burned incense, as the nations whom the Lord had driven out before them had done. They did wicked things that aroused the Lord’s anger.

Ezekiel 6: 11 “‘This is what the Sovereign Lord says: Strike your hands together and stamp your feet and cry out “Alas!” because of all the wicked and detestable practices of the people of Israel, for they will fall by the sword, famine and plague. 12 One who is far away will die of the plague, and one who is near will fall by the sword, and anyone who survives and is spared will die of famine. So will I pour out my wrath on them. 13 And they will know that I am the Lord, when their people lie slain among their idols around their altars, on every high hill and on all the mountaintops, under every spreading tree and every leafy oak—places where they offered fragrant incense to all their idols.

Jeremiah 3:6 The Lord said also to me in the days of Josiah the king: “Have you seen what backsliding Israel has done? She has gone up on every high mountain and under every green tree, and there played the harlot. 7 And I said, after she had done all these things, ‘Return to Me.’ But she did not return. And her treacherous sister Judah saw it. 8 Then I saw that for all the causes for which backsliding Israel had committed adultery, I had put her away and given her a certificate of divorce;

Jeremiah 2: 20“Long ago you broke off your yoke and tore off your bonds: you said, ‘I will not serve you!’ Indeed, on every high hill and under every green tree you lay down as a prostitute.

Jeremiah 3: 13 Only acknowledge your iniquity, That you have transgressed against the Lord your God, And have scattered your [b]charms To alien deities under every green tree, And you have not obeyed My voice,’ says the Lord. IS THIS WHY WE CAN'T HEAR YHWH'S VOICE TODAY?

Jeremiah 17:1 “The sin of Judah is written with a pen of iron; With the point of a diamond it is engraved On the tablet of their heart, And on the horns of your altars, 2 While their children remember Their altars and their wooden[a] images By the green trees on the high hills.

QUESTIONS: Is Jesus God?

If Jesus is God, then is the manger scene an image of God?

The golden calves were not new idol gods. They were images of the one true God that took them out of Egypt.

Is there anything about our Christmas traditions that is from the Bible?

What would you say is the idol of Americans today? An idol is what we trust. Would you agree that we trust our "stuff" We trust our wealth, our jobs for our security. The American economy certainly trusts black friday to keep it going. So if that is our idol, What do we put under our green trees? We are no different or better than all of the Jews in the old testament.

Christmas trees and abortions have been around thousands of years. But both became a normal part of our Christian culture only in the last 100 years. Looks very similar to what happened to the Jews before they either repented or were removed from their land.