We’ve been living in the “Christian era” for about 2,000 years now. We’re now supposed to be in the modern, enlightened age of Internet access — with massive computerization of knowledge and Google’s mind-boggling accumulation of almost all kinds of information. We now have the capability to share such information around the world at almost the speed of light.

Yet, a great false and FAKE story is not only believed in by many to this day but even more so, it’s popularly and grandiosely celebrated, especially in this month of December!

This surprising phenomenon is one solid proof that indeed, Satan has been very successful in DECEIVING this WHOLE world even as prophesied in the Bible (Revelation 12:9).

It is therefore time we checked out the real facts, as compared with the popular but fake and false traditions, which also fulfilled what the Messiah said when He condemned the sincere but zealous and misguided religious people of His day.

He said, “And in vain do they worship Me, teaching as doctrines the commandments of men” (Matthew 15:9). “For laying aside the commandment of God, you hold the tradition of men… All too well you reject the commandment of God, that you may keep your tradition” (Mark 7:8,9).

NOTE: Even if we are very sincere, it’s still possible to worship God in vain!

What Tradition Are We Talking About?

What is the world’s greatest and oldest FAKE story — believed and celebrated by most until today? Surprisingly and perhaps blindly, most of the detailed icons, decorations, trimmings, and personalities used in the ancient pagan traditions are until today presently being used and practiced in association with the false and erroneous December celebration of the birth of the Messiah!

Actually, none of those have anything to do at all with His birth (like the predominant personality of Santa Claus, decorations with holly wreath, mistletoe, yule log, etc.). But more on these later.

A Bit of Ancient Pagan History…

This traditional celebration, with most of its ancient practices, actually dated back to about 2,000 years before the actual birth of the Messiah! This fact is documented by a New York Hamilton College Professor and Anthropologist named Dr. Earl W. Count in his 1953 book, 4,000 Years of Christmas. In it, he documents that the very same practices related to this ancient pagan celebration held on or around December 25 (during the winter solstice) are still the very same customs and traditions being practiced until today.

Of course, they were called by their ancient names, such as: Brumalia, Saturnalia, and also Bacchanalia during the pre-Christian period in history. But significantly, the date and the types of customs and traditions are very similar to what is being observed today.

How Did These Ancient Pagan Traditions Get Into Christianity?

These ancient pagan practices have initially been banned by earlier Popes, but because of their intrinsic and traditional popularity among the heathen pagans — who at that time were being enticed to join the Roman-led Church — their practices began to be gradually assimilated into the Roman Church by various later Popes and in cooperation with the then-Roman Emperors. In modern parlance, what happened is equivalent to the saying: “If you can’t lick them, join them.”

Yet, in the Roman Church’s attempt to distance itself from such ancient ungodly pagan origins, those very same practices and traditions were simply renamed with a new Christian-sounding name. Thus, it was eventually “sanitized” to be called “Christmas.” In more modern parlance, such practice is equivalent to: “Giving the same old dog a brand-new collar.” For more details on how these surprising developments came about, you may want to also read this eye-opening article.

Following is another source of information on these surprising developments:

The New Schaff-Herzog Encyclopedia of Religious Knowledge, states in its article on Christmas, excerpts concerning its assimilation into modern times:

How much the date of the festival depended upon the pagan Brumalia (Dec. 25) following the Saturnalia (Dec. 17-24) and celebrating the shortest day in the year [winter solstice] … cannot be accurately determined. [Because] the pagan Saturnalia and Brumalia were too deeply entrenched in [ancient] popular custom … The pagan festival with its riot and merrymaking was so popular that [even] Christians were glad of an excuse to continue its celebration with little change …

NOTE: Very surprisingly, instead of Christianity converting the pagans into practicing truth and righteousness, it was rather the other way around. It was the heathen pagans who successfully transformed Christianity into practicing its popular pagan, false, nonsense, and ungodly ways! We now see all these pieces of evidence in the customs and practices in the Christian Christmas celebrations — customs and practices that have absolutely nothing to do with Christ’s birth!

The Independently-Thinking Pope

Happily, there is one pope who has independent thinking concerning the facts on the birth of Christ (rather than just simply going along with, and blindly swallowing old false traditions). He then published his research about some true facts concerning Christ’s birth.

The former Pope Benedict XVI (Joseph Ratzinger, who wants to call himself, “Pope Emeritus”), prior to his being pope was a prolific author, a professor of theology, and for 24 years was Prefect of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith (which functions included historical research for the Catholic Church). [Did his accurate knowledge on Christ’s birth, etc., cause his early retirement?]

In his 2012 NY Times bestseller, Jesus of Nazareth: The Infancy Narratives, he debunked most of the commonly held beliefs concerning Christmas which are taught and often depicted in manger scenes, such as the presence of animals in the manger (the truth is, the shepherds and their flocks were out in the fields that night). The pope also said that Jesus was not only not born in December but also very much earlier than the Catholic’s claim of 1 A.D. birth.

COMMENT: Pope Benedict’s XVI’s writings help shed light on the fact that the beliefs in this world’s present Christmas celebrations are badly punctuated with errors — thus it is fake.

Not Everyone Accepted Pagan Christmas Celebrations

It’s not only Pope Benedict XVI. Many centuries earlier, several religious groups staunchly rejected such fake and paganized Christmas celebrations. Notice the following excerpts from the Wikipedia article on Christmas Controversies:

Puritan Era

Prior to the Victorian era, Christmas in the United States was primarily a religious holiday observed by: the Roman Catholic, Episcopalian, and Lutheran denominations.

The Puritans, on the other hand, objected to the Christian feast of Christmas, during the English Interregnum (1649-1660), when England was ruled by a Puritan Parliament. Puritans sought to remove elements they viewed as unbiblical, from their practice of Christianity, including those feasts established by the Anglican Church. In 1647, the Puritan-led English Parliament banned the celebration of Christmas, replacing it with a day of fasting and considering it “a popish festival with no biblical justification”, and a time of wasteful and immoral behaviour … The Restoration of King Charles II in 1660 ended the ban.

Many clergymen still disapproved of Christmas celebration. In Scotland, the Presbyterian Church of Scotland also discouraged observance of Christmas. James VI commanded its celebration in 1618, but attendance at church was scant.

In Colonial America, the Pilgrims of New England disapproved of Christmas. The Plymouth Pilgrims put their loathing for the day into practice in 1620 when they spent their first Christmas Day in the New World building their first structure in the New World — thus demonstrating their complete contempt for the day.

Christmas observance was outlawed in Boston in 1659. The ban by the Puritans was revoked in 1681 by an English appointed governor, Edmund Andros; however, it was not until the mid-19th century that celebrating Christmas became fashionable in the Boston region. By the Declaration of Independence in 1776, it was [still] not widely celebrated in the U.S.

Why Such Controversy?

Let us now consider the TRUE FACTS to show how fake it is:

The Popular Belief

The common and popular belief is that the Messiah (falsely named Jesus; His true name is Yahshua) was born on the night of December 25, right in the middle of winter. On that same night of His birth, animals were in the manger, including three kings, as depicted in popular manger scenes.

How true are these popular beliefs? Let us analyze each one of these and compare them with solid documentary evidences:

A. The Time of the Messiah’s Birth

All reputable encyclopedias and dozens of learned scholars around the world state that Jesus was NOT born on or anywhere near December 25.

What’s the Evidence?

The careful Gospel writer and Greek historian Luke meticulously records at least four important solid facts surrounding Christ’s birth — all of which points away from that false December 25 date. What are these four solid facts?

1. HISTORICAL EVIDENCE: The Empire-wide Roman Census and Taxation (Luke 2:1-5). The top leadership of the powerful Roman empire, with the added wisdom of the Roman Senate, would never contemplate an empire-wide Census and Taxation in the middle of a cold winter season, which if they did would have been doomed to failure. [Historically, it was customary for Rome not to go to war during winter, unless provoked by enemies.]
2. METEOROLOGICAL EVIDENCE: The warm weather then was suitable for feeding flocks even at night (Luke 2:8). This event can never happen during winter when it would be very cold outdoors and the fields can occasionally be covered with snow, hiding the grass underneath it. Also, all shepherds know that sheep would refuse to stay out in the fields since it was both very cold and also the rainy season during winter in Israel.
3. LOGICAL EVIDENCE: The newly born Messiah was just wrapped in “swaddling clothes” (Luke 2:7,12). IF He was supposed to be born during winter, Joseph and Mary would have prepared in advance thick “woolen” [Greek G2053; GK2250] or “erion” clothes for the Child, but they did not, since they knew that the expected birth was not during winter. Please note also that the word “swaddling” (mentioned twice, even used as a sign to identify that Child) comes from the Greek word [G4683; GK5058] “sparganoo” which simply means “strips of long cloth” but definitely not woolen clothing.
4. BIBLICAL EVIDENCE: All the inns were fully occupied when they arrived (Luke 2:7). When Joseph and Mary arrived late in the day in Bethlehem due to carefully slow travel due to her very advanced pregnancy, there were no longer any inns available. Thus, for that night, under such an emergency situation, they simply settled in a manger. But the important question to ask is: Why?

Answer: Their arrival was also near the start of the annual seventh-month Festival Pilgrimage for all Israel to gather at their only designated Festival site which was at Jerusalem. Because of such a very big number of people attending and arriving almost all at the same time, housing accommodations include those at adjacent cities such as Bethlehem became a big problem, especially for those late-comers (like Joseph and Mary).

Smartness of the Roman Rulers

Most Bible readers are not aware that the Roman authorities were very wise in scheduling the Census and Taxation of the Jews to coincide with their God-commanded seventh-month annual festivals right after their summer harvest season (Leviticus 23:23-44). Knowing their habitual annual festival pilgrimage to Jerusalem, and with income from their recent harvests, the Roman plan for that Census and Taxation decreed that year was designed to “hit two birds with one stone” — so to speak. And as an obvious advantage to the Roman Census Officials and Tax Collectors, all they do was just to go to Jerusalem to simplify their task. The Romans also knew that every male in every household will be represented there in Jerusalem in obedience to God’s command to the Israelite people (Exodus 23:17; 34:23; Deuteronomy 16:16). Thus, this wise and clever strategy saved the Roman officials’ time and effort from going to every village in the whole land of Israel for such purpose. Sadly, most scholars did not even grasp this very important connection.

So, When Was Christ Really Born?

There is much speculation and scholarly studies regarding the exact date when the Messiah was born. But based on scriptural evidence, it is very obvious that the Messiah was born in the seventh month [September-October in the Roman Calendar]; coinciding with the seventh-month annual festivals commanded by God (Leviticus 23:23-44). There is also strong evidence to show that He could have been born on the Feast of Trumpets (or Tishri 1). However, unlike the annual Holy Days of God which gives us the exact date reckonings, the Bible is surprisingly silent about His actual birth date. This is therefore an indication that God does NOT want us to be celebrating His human birthday. Besides that, let us remember that His true existence was from eternity [no beginning and no end]  (John 1:1-2).

B. Nativity Scene Is Patently False

This world has been given the popular but false idea concerning His birth with the “Nativity Scene” (also called “Belen” in Filipino). But what are the facts?

1. There were no animals in the manger. With their shepherds, all animals have been out in the fields even at night and could have stayed there for very many weeks already (Luke 2:8). And when the shepherds were suddenly notified about the birth, “they came with haste” to find where the Child was (Luke 2:16). Obviously, there was no time for them to still carry or drag animals with them, apart from being expected to scour the whole city of Bethlehem at night, looking for a baby in a manger with swaddling clothes. Thus, no animals were in the manger.
2. There were no three kings in the manger. The Bible indicates “wise men” [Greek G3097; GK3407] “magi” from the east (Matthew 2:1). If Matthew really meant “kings,” he would have used the Greek word [G935; GK995] “basileus,” but he did not. It was also illogical that there were three other kings permanently residing in Jerusalem or in Bethlehem at that time, so that they can be at the manger also that very same night at very short notice. Please remember that King Herod was a very jealous king, and he would not have tolerated any potential competitor to his throne. He would have them killed unless they were just passing by. Thus, the idea of “three kings” is simply a false assumption, a fake idea.
3. Why “from the east”? Historical studies show that when King Cyrus allowed the return of the captive Jews to their native land in Israel, a substantial number preferred to just stay put in Babylon and their population eventually grew. Probably taught by the wise and gifted prophet Daniel many centuries earlier in astronomy and in prophecy, the descendants of some of the knowledgeable ones among them determined that the very unusual star (Numbers 24:17) they saw at the west at the time of Christ’s birth was a signal for them to visit the birth of such a very noble king.
4. The arrival of the wise men was not at the manger, but in a house (Matthew 2:11). By this time, the “babe” (Luke 2:12) [G1025; GK1100] was no longer [Greek] a “brephos” but was now a “child” (Matthew 2:11) [G3813; Gk4086] [Greek] a “paidion.” The distance from Babylonia to Jerusalem was about 1,000 miles (1,609 km.), following the Fertile Crescent Route. Some scholars estimate the total travel time (including constantly waiting for replenishment of their food supplies along the long route, plus factoring in a winter season break during that long arduous trip) to have taken them about a year’s journey. King Herod, to be very sure he killed the Christ-child, doubled the age bracket based on his inquiry from the wise men — of boys to be killed to two years old (Matthew 2:16).

C. The Christmas Tree and Christ’s Birth — What’s the Connection?

Very few have ever pondered this important question. But the very obvious answer is none!

This traditional practice of buying or putting up a well-decorated Christmas tree is another clear sign that we are not really honoring the birth of Christ, but more on perpetuating an ancient but false tradition. Notice that the Christmas tree is usually the centerpiece in all the decorations. Christ is just a marginal idea to most celebrants.

Was this ancient practice of putting up and decorating a Christmas tree — even long before the birth of the Messiah — addressed in the Bible?

Anciently, the prophet Jeremiah was inspired by God to describe this practice of making what we now call a “Christmas tree” and condemned it. Please read for yourself Jeremiah 10:1-4:

Hear the word which the Lord speaks to you, O house of Israel.
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.
For the customs of the peoples are futile;
For one cuts a tree from the forest,
The work of the hands of the workman, with the ax.
They decorate it with silver and gold;
They fasten it with nails and hammers
So that it will not topple.

NOTE: Since the prophet Jeremiah is reckoned to have been inspired to have written his scroll no less than 600 years before the birth of the Messiah, we can deduce here that the customs and practices associated with Christmas such as the making of a Christmas tree have indeed been a very ancient practice. This tells us that Christmas celebrations with all its trimmings have originally nothing to do with celebrating Christ’s birth at all. And if some insists in celebrating, it is a wrong date.

D. Unmasking “Santa Claus”

• What has Santa Claus got to do with the birth of the Messiah? Was he even there?
• Why is it then that he is the most popular star and undisputed mascot during Christmas celebrations?
• Why is he even more popular than Jesus, supposedly the central figure during Christmas?
• Did you know that only a woman is supposed to be called “Santa” as in Santa Maria? So, why is he called “Santa”?

Actually, his name is “S-A-T-A-N” in disguise, if you just reverse the last three letters. His other name is St. Nick or St. Nicolas. In Greek, “nikos”+”laos” = literary means “conquer people.” For a Word Study on this name and more, please see Appendix 1 at the end of this article.

Biblical Comments on Santa Claus

Traditionally, most parents are encouraged to tell their children lies about Santa. That practice confirms the Spirit of Lying and that Satan is indeed the “Father of Lies” existing in most households from the infancy of their own children (John 8:44).

Traditionally, Satan is believed not to pass through the door, but thru the chimney. Christ said: “Most assuredly, I say to you, he who does not enter … by the door, but climbs up some other way, the same is a thief and a robber” (John 10:1).

Santa Claus is popularly taught to dwell in the north and comes riding from the north. In like manner, Satan has always aspired to be “like the Most High [God]” (Isaiah 14:14). Since Scriptures indicate that God dwells “on the farthest sides of the north” (Isaiah 14:13), in trying to compete with, duplicate, and eclipse God, he also claims to be dwelling in the north.

E. The Messiah’s Name Was Not “Jesus”!

The biblical Messiah came from an Israelite family of the tribe of Judah who traced their lineage to Abraham and beyond. Coming from a very long generation of Hebrew families, obviously and very logically, He had a Hebrew name, and was called by that name!

Let us also remember that a person’s NAME is considered a Proper Noun which does NOT change — lest the true identity of that person gets lost. [I plan to write a more detailed article on this topic sometime later.]

But meanwhile, have you ever noticed that:

Product names never change in any country or in any language in this whole wide world? Examples: Toyota, Ford, Samsung, Boeing, etc.?

Personal names never change in any country or in any language in this whole wide world? Examples: Buddha, Mohammed, Albert Einstein, Adolf Hitler, etc.

But ENEMIES of God’s people historically changed their personal names! For example, after Babylon conquered Israel’s southern tribes, their leadership changed the names of the noble Hebrew lads into the following names: Daniel to Belteshazzar; Hananiah to Shadrach; Mishael to Meshach; and Azariah to Abednego (Daniel 1:7).

Digging even deeper into the history of Bible translations, the Romans who somehow historically hated the Jews, previously made corruptions to the true Hebrew names of those lads as reflected in the Latin Vulgate translation by Catholic theologian Jerome. In their original form, those Hebrew names contained derivatives of the Name of the God of Israel. Thus, Daniel’s name was actually: Dani’el; Hananyah; Misha’el; and Azaryah. Did you notice that they contained the names of the God of Israel “El” and “Yah’?

Whose Right Is it to Give the Messiah His Name?

Let us remember that only the Father – and no one else, has the right to give the correct name to His Son. Therefore, to make sure that this will truly be done, the Father personally sent the Angel Gabriel to both Yoseph and Mariam to dictate to them the Name of the Child which was to be born, which is Yahshua [prior to its corruption to “Jesus”] (Matthew 1:20; Luke 1:26-38). And there was a very important reason for that Name: “for He shall save His people from their sins” (Matthew 1:21). Since God also names beings for what they are, and to fulfill prophecy the Son may also be referred to as “Emmanu’el” which means “God [El] with us” (Matthew 1:23; Isaiah 7:14).

When Did the Letter “J” Appear in the Alphabet?

The letter “J” [considered the youngest letter in the Roman alphabet] was just added in the last 400 years. Prior to that time, there was NO such thing as the letter “J.”

For proof, please look at the Geneva Bible of 1588, and other literature prior to that time period. You will not find any letter “J” in the text! Therefore, the name “Jesus” is NOT found there, except the Greek “Iesous” which does not mean anything in either the Greek or in any of the Latin languages — except to a pagan deity. This is actually at insult to Him! The name “Jesus” started to be popularized only in the King James Bible, then copied in other English Bible versions.

For comments on the Name Yahshua, please read Appendix 2 at the end of this article. And for more scholarly details on the name “Jesus,” please read Appendix 3 below.

Summary

This article has just exposed the long-standing falsehood and corruptions accepted, believed, even worshipped, and blindly celebrated by most Christians in this world today. It is time our eyes are opened to recognize the massive deceptions of Satan the Devil.

Conclusion

Let us therefore now stop following FAKE and false teachings, practices, and traditions! For most, it is not yet too late to make a change and repent. Of course, we do not want to be spending our money, other resources, our efforts and energies, and all our sincerity to all just end up in vain. Yes, it is very possible to be worshipping God in VAIN — and all for nothing in the end!

Please remember what Christ prophesied concerning His coming? When people then paraded their religious accomplishments before Him, He bluntly said, “I NEVER KNEW YOU…” (Matthew 7:23).

For additional readings on Christmas topics, please read our two articles:

Would Jesus Endorse the Celebration of Christmas?

7 Shocking Reasons Why the Traditional Jesus is Not the Biblical Messiah

Appendix 1

The analysis on the meaning of this Greek name (Nicolas, Nikolas), according to Vine’s Complete Expository Dictionary of Old and New Testament Words, on page 735 and confirmed by Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance of the Bible both show that “nikos” (G3534) means victory, while its closely related word “nikao” (G3528) means to conquer, overcome, prevail, [to be] victorious, [achieve] victory. When you add to that word “nikao” the word “laos” (G2992), which means people, it now literally means “conquer people.” This actually reflects Satan’s ultimate goal and on-going attitude towards all people [humanity]— to destroy and kill them.

As a matter of background interest, there are two other Bible verses in the NT where the name “Nicolaitans” was used (Revelation 2:6,15). The Aramaic English New Testament quotes Revelation 2:6 and makes a footnote on page 669 which explains: “Nicolas was a leader from Syrian Antioch who led many into heresy. Various Roman authorities record that these followers of Nicolas were apparently steeped on carnal sin on a massive scale. Others suggested the name of the group implies a rigid kind of hierarchy because “nicolaitan” can be read as “to conquer the people.” Compare this to the “conquering” language in Revelation 2:7 which uses the same word in Greek, nikaio.”

The New International Version Study Bible, on page 2488, also gives an added commentary on Revelation 2:6: “Nicolaitans. A heretical sect within the church that had worked out a compromise with the pagan society. They apparently taught that spiritual liberty gave them sufficient leeway to practice idolatry and immorality. Tradition identifies them with Nicolas, the proselyte of Antioch who was one of the first seven deacons in the Jerusalem church (Acts 6:5), though the evidence is merely circumstantial. A similar group at Pergamum held the teaching of Balaam (vv. 14-15), and some at Thyatira were followers of the woman Jezebel (v.20). From their heretical tendencies, it would appear that all three groups were Nicolaitans.”

These biblical accounts should help us see the same problems in some churches in our day.

Appendix 2

The name Yahshua means Yahweh’s salvation, so by stating His name and then showing what the name means, “He will save His people from their sins,” clearly show the Aramaic writing style that does not exist in Greek. The name “Jesus” has no such etymology in Greek and comes from “Ieasous” which is the masculine form of the pagan goddess of healing Ieasa.

~Footnote on Matthew 1:21, from the Hebrew Roots Bible, p. 1176.

Appendix 3

Jesus: Consider Iesous, rendered as “Jesus” in the English versions up to now. For example, the authoritative Greek-English Lexicon of Liddell & Scott, under Iaso, the Greek goddess of healing reveals that the name Iaso is Ieso in the Ionic dialect of the Greeks, Iesous being the contracted genitive form. In David Kravitz, Dictionary of Greek and Roman Mythology, we found a similar form, namely Iasus. There were four different Greek deities with the name of Iasus, one of them being the son of Rhea. Further, it is well known that Ies is the abbreviated form of the name Iesous, and Dr. Bullinger, in The Apocalypse, p. 396, says Ies was part of the name of Bacchus. Also see Come Out of Her, My People, by C. J. Koster.

The original KJV translators consistently translated the Greek term Iesous as Jesus even when referring to Joshua (Yehoshua) son of Nun in Ib’rim [Hebrews] 4:8, thereby recognizing that the same term should be used throughout. Modern translators have opted in Ib’rim 4:8 to render Iesous as Joshua (Yehoshua) thus recognizing that the Greek term was a place holder for the original Hebrew Name, but have inconsistently not rendered Iesous as Joshua (Yehoshua) throughout the rest of the Messianic Writings (N.T.).

~From Explanatory Notes, pp. 1223-1224; of The Scriptures, Institute for Scripture Research