🏳️‍🌈✝️🔻 Tis the Season for LIES and DECEPTION pt.2

The TRUTH on how Satan used FACT to create his own FICTION

By Rainbow Pastor David

11/22/2018

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The legend of Santa Claus can be traced back hundreds of years to a monk named St. Nicholas. It is believed that Nicholas was born sometime around 280 A.D. in Patara, near Myra in modern-day Turkey. Much admired for his piety and kindness, St. Nicholas became the subject of many legends. It is said that he gave away all of his inherited wealth and traveled the countryside helping the poor and sick. One of the best known of the St. Nicholas stories is that he saved three poor sisters from being sold into slavery or prostitution by their father by providing them with a dowry so that they could be married. Over the course of many years, Nicholas’s popularity spread and he became known as the protector of children and sailors. His feast day is celebrated on the anniversary of his death, December 6. This was traditionally considered a lucky day to make large purchases or to get married. By the Renaissance, St. Nicholas was the most popular saint in Europe. Even after the Protestant Reformation, when the veneration of saints began to be discouraged, St. Nicholas maintained a positive reputation, especially in Holland. 

St. Nicholas Lipensky as he appears on a Russian icon dated to 1294

from Lipnya Church of St. Nicholas in Novgorod

A Santa by Any Other Name

18th-century America’s Santa Claus was not the only St. Nicholas-inspired gift-giver to make an appearance at Christmastime. Similar figures were popular all over the world. Christkind or Kris Kringle was believed to deliver presents to well-behaved Swiss and German children. Meaning “Christ child,” Christkind is an angel-like figure often accompanied by St. Nicholas on his holiday missions. In Scandinavia, a jolly elf named Jultomten was thought to deliver gifts in a sleigh drawn by goats. English legend explains that Father Christmas visits each home on Christmas Eve to fill children’s stockings with holiday treats. Pere Noel is responsible for filling the shoes of French children. In Russia, it is believed that an elderly woman named Babouschka purposely gave the wise men wrong directions to Bethlehem so that they couldn’t find Jesus. Later, she felt remorseful, but could not find the men to undo the damage. To this day, on January 5, Babouschka visits Russian children leaving gifts at their bedsides in the hope that one of them is the baby Jesus and she will be forgiven. In Italy, a similar story exists about a woman called La Befana, a kindly witch who rides a broomstick down the chimneys of Italian homes to deliver toys into the stockings of lucky children.

Idol Worship

Do not be worshipers of handmade gods, as some of them were; just as it is written [in Scripture], “The people sat down to eat and drink [after sacrificing to the golden calf at Horeb], and stood up to play [indulging in immoral activities].” 1 Corinthians 10:7

Therefore, my beloved, run [keep far, far away] from [any sort of] idolatry [and that includes loving anything more than God, or participating in anything that leads to sin and enslaves the soul]. 1 Corinthians 10:14

Little children (believers, dear ones), guard yourselves from idols—[false teachings, moral compromises, and anything that would take God’s place in your heart]. 1 John 5:21

So put to death and deprive of power the evil longings of your earthly body [with its sensual, self-centered instincts] immorality, impurity, sinful passion, evil desire, and greed, which is [a kind of] idolatry [because it replaces your devotion to God]. Colossians 3:5

They are ignorant, who carry around their wooden idols [in religious processions or into battle] and keep on praying to a god that cannot save them. Isaiah 45:20

Those who regard and follow worthless idols turn away from their [living source of] mercy and lovingkindness. Jonah 2:8

Continue to follow the ways of this world with their satanic in origin holidays and you to will find out that GOD will not tolerate your disobedience to His will for your life. Like the people of Israel in the wilderness who made the decision to worship false gods, you will find that God will no longer rescue you in your time of distress. Only through repentance will you be able to get back into God’s good grace.

Go, cry out to the gods you have chosen; let them rescue you in your time of distress. Judges 10:14

The one constant that has always remained in Satan’s chosen FALSE RELIGION “Catholicism” is the need to shroud the people in worship of IDOLS, to bow down to mankind in undeserved reverence, to call their “Leaders” Father which the BIBLE FORBIDS {Do not call anyone on earth [who guides you spiritually] your father; for One is your Father, He who is in heaven. Matthew 23:9}, to the actual worship of Mary who was just a woman chosen by God to give birth to His son on earth. The Pope’s have been photographed bowing to graven images of Mary with baby Jesus and kissing it like it was real. That my friend is IDOL WORSHIP.

Satan has been grooming the Catholic Church for centuries to become the most UNHOLY CHURCH which is leading MILLIONS straight to hell with their false teachings. The Catholic Church is now welcoming ALL RELIGIONS because they believe there are many ways to GOD. It is so bad that now MOST of the EVANGELICAL LEADERS in America and around the world are NOW TEACHING this instead of the WORD OF GOD.

God was very CLEAR about other gods and IDOLS as is written in Exodus 20:3-6.

“You shall have no other gods before Me. You shall not make for yourself any idol, or any likeness (form, manifestation) of what is in heaven above or on the earth beneath or in the water under the earth [as an object to worship]. You shall not worship them nor serve them; for I, the Lord your God, am a jealous (impassioned) God demanding what is rightfully and uniquely mine], visiting (avenging) the iniquity (sin, guilt) of the fathers on the children [that is, calling the children to account for the sins of their fathers], to the third and fourth generations of those who hate Me, but showing graciousness and steadfast lovingkindness to thousands [of generations] of those who love Me and keep My commandments.”

Do not turn to idols or make for yourselves molten gods (images cast in metal); I am the Lord your God. Leviticus 19:4

The sorrows [pain and suffering] of those who have chosen another god will be multiplied [because of their idolatry]; I will not pour out their drink offerings of blood, nor will I take their names upon my lips. Psalm 16:4

The rest of mankind, who were not killed by these plagues, did not repent even then of the works of their hands, so as to cease worshiping and paying homage to the demons and the idols of gold and of silver and of bronze and of stone and of wood, which can neither see 

nor hear nor walk; and they did not repent of their murders nor of their sorceries (drugs, intoxication) nor of their [sexual] immorality nor of their thefts. Revelation 9:20-21

Now the practices of the sinful nature are clearly evident: they are sexual immorality, impurity, sensuality (total irresponsibility, lack of self-control), idolatry, sorcery, hostility, strife, jealousy, fits of anger, disputes, dissensions, factions [that promote heresies], envy, drunkenness, riotous behavior, and other things like these. I warn you beforehand, just as I did previously, that those who practice such things will not inherit the kingdom of God. Galatians 5:19-2

The idols of the nations are silver and gold, the work of men’s hands.
They have mouths, but they do not speak; They have eyes, but they do not see;
They have ears, but they do not hear, Nor is there any breath in their mouths.  Those who make idols are like them [absolutely worthless—spiritually blind, deaf, and powerless]; so is everyone who trusts in and relies on them. Psalm 135:15-18

All who make carved idols are nothing. Their precious objects are worthless [to them], and their own witnesses (worshipers) fail to see or know, so that they will be put to shame. Who has made a god or cast an idol which is profitable for nothing? In fact, all his companions will be put to shame, for the craftsmen themselves are mere men. Let them all assemble, let them stand up, let them be terrified, let them together be put to shame.

The ironsmith shapes iron and uses a chisel and works it over the coals. He forms the [idol’s] core with hammers and works it with his strong arm. He also becomes hungry and his strength fails; he drinks no water and grows tired. The carpenter stretches out a measuring line, he marks out the shape [of the idol] with red chalk; he works it with planes and outlines it with the compass; and he makes it like the form of a man, like the beauty of man, that it may sit in a house. He cuts cedars for himself, and takes a cypress or an oak and lets it grow strong for himself among the trees of the forest. He plants a fir, and the rain nourishes it. Then it becomes fuel for a man to burn, so he takes one of them and warms himself; he also kindles a fire to bake bread. He also makes a god [from the same wood] and worships it. He makes it into a carved idol [with his own hands] and falls down and worships it! He burns half of the wood in the fire; over this half he [cooks and] eats meat, he roasts meat and is satisfied. Also he warms himself and says, “Aha! I am warm, I have seen the fire.” But from what is left of the wood he makes a god, his carved idol. He falls down before it, he worships it and prays to it and says, “Save me, for you are my god.” They do not know, nor do they understand, for God has muddied their eyes so that they cannot see, and their hearts (minds) as well so that they cannot understand. No one remembers, nor has knowledge and understanding [enough] to say [to himself], “I have burned half of this log in the fire, and also baked bread on its coals and have roasted meat and eaten it. Then I make the rest of it into an repulsive thing [to God]; I bow down [to worship] before a block of wood!” That kind of man (the idolater) feeds on ashes [and is satisfied with ashes]! A deceived mind has led him astray, so that he cannot save himself, or ask, “Is this thing [that I am holding] in my right hand not a lie?” Isaiah 44:9-20

As you can see, Satan has taken every angle he can come up with to defile the ONE called JESUS CHRIST by diverting attention AWAY from CHRIST and onto a man {elf – a fictitious figure}. It is Satan’s goal to get all of mankind to be so caught up in the FLESH they forget about Worshiping the TRUE KING Christ Jesus in their spirit. Satan knew the quickest way to get mankind to turn their attention away for JESUS onto mankind was to use his church {the Roman Catholic’s} who worship idols and every false religion is welcome in their church because they teach there are many ways to God, to perpetuate a LIE about a man who traveled around the world giving toys to all the “good” children.

One of the Catholic’s own monks became a Bishop and went on to be glorified as a SAINT in the church and worshipped still today as such because he gave away all his earthly possessions to help the poor and needy. So here is where the story of good ole Saint Nick got its true beginnings. 

{Every year millions of children around the world anxiously wait for the arrival of Santa Claus. Parents tell stories of the man with the white beard, red coat and polished boots who travels the world with his reindeer bearing gifts for all those who were well-behaved.  Perhaps one day, parents will also tell the story of the real Santa Claus – a man who dedicated his life to charity and gift-giving. 

The real story of Santa Claus begins with Saint Nicholas (270 – 343 AD), who was born in the village of Patara, an area which was once Greek but is now part of Turkey. He was born to wealthy parents, who died in an epidemic while Nicholas was still young.  Nicholas used his entire inheritance to assist the needy, the sick, and the suffering.  One account of Nicholas tells that he presented three impoverished daughters with dowries so that they would not have to become prostitutes. On three different occasions, the bags of gold providing the dowries had appeared in their home.  They had been tossed through an open window and are said to have landed in stockings or shoes left before the fire to dry. This led to the custom of children hanging stockings or putting out shoes, eagerly awaiting gifts from Saint Nicholas.

Nicholas was made Bishop of Myra while still a young man and became known throughout the land for his generosity to those in need and his love for children. Thus began the tradition of gift-giving in honour of Saint Nicholas, whose modern name Santa Claus, comes from the Dutch ‘Sinterklaas’. 

Saint Nicholas died on 6^th December, 343 AD and so on the eve of his death, children were bestowed gifts in his honour.  December 6^th is still the main day for gift giving in many countries in Europe.  In other countries, the day of gifts was moved in the course of the Reformation and its opposition to the veneration of saints in many countries on the 24^th and 25^th December. 

Nicholas' tomb in Myra became a popular place of pilgrimage. Because of the many wars and attacks in the region, some Christians were concerned that access to the tomb might become difficult. So in 1087, most of his bones were moved to Bari in Italy, where they remain to this day.  A basilica was constructed the same year to store his remains and the area became a pilgrimage site for the devout. 

An anatomy professor from the University of Bari, who catalogued, measured, and photographed the saint's remains in 1957 tried to sketch what Nicholas would look like if soft tissues were present on the skull, and in 2004, a facial anthropologist attempted to create a reconstruction by applying the latest computer diagnostic techniques to the data gathered in 1957. The results can be viewed here.

Many of the modern ideas of Santa Claus have been attributed to the poem by Clement Clarke Moore, “A Visit from St. Nicholas” (better known today as "The Night Before Christmas") in the Troy, New York, Sentinel on December 23, 1823. 

Many of his modern attributes are established in this poem, such as riding in a sleigh that lands on the roof, entering through the chimney, and having a bag full of toys. St. Nicholas is described as being "chubby and plump, a right jolly old elf" with "a little round belly", that "shook when he laughed like a bowlful of jelly", in spite of which the "miniature sleigh" and "tiny reindeer" still indicate that he is physically diminutive. The reindeer were also named: Dasher, Dancer, Prancer, Vixen, Comet, Cupid, Dunder and Blixem (Dunder and Blixem came from the old Dutch words for thunder and lightning, which were later changed to the more German sounding Donner and Blitzen). 

Since then, the image of Santa Claus has been popularized through television, movies and children’s story books. While some dislike the idea of gift-giving at Christmas, believing that the lavish celebrations are not in line with their faith, or that Santa has become a symbol of materialism, others believe that it continues to honour the life and deeds of Nicholas, an individual beloved and revered as protector and helper of those in need. By April Holloway} 

St. Nicholas made his first inroads into American popular culture towards the end of the 18th century. In December 1773, and again in 1774, a New York newspaper reported that groups of Dutch families had gathered to honor the anniversary of his death.

The name Santa Claus evolved from Nick’s Dutch nickname, Sinterklaas, a shortened form of Sint Nikolaas (Dutch for Saint Nicholas). In 1804, John Pintard, a member of the New York Historical Society, distributed woodcuts of St. Nicholas at the society’s annual meeting. The background of the engraving contains now-familiar Santa images including stockings filled with toys and fruit hung over a fireplace. In 1809, Washington Irving helped to popularize the Sinterklaas stories when he referred to St. Nicholas as the patron saint of New York in his book, The History of New York. As his prominence grew, Sinter Klaas was described as everything from a “rascal” with a blue three-cornered hat, red waistcoat, and yellow stockings to a man wearing a broad-brimmed hat and a “huge pair of Flemish trunk hose.”

Shopping Mall Santas 

Gift-giving, mainly centered around children, has been an important part of the Christmas celebration since the holiday’s rejuvenation in the early 19th century. Stores began to advertise Christmas shopping in 1820, and by the 1840s, newspapers were creating separate sections for holiday advertisements, which often featured images of the newly-popular Santa Claus. In 1841, thousands of children visited a Philadelphia shop to see a life-size Santa Claus model. It was only a matter of time before stores began to attract children, and their parents, with the lure of a peek at a “live” Santa Claus.

In the early 1890s, the Salvation Army, supposedly a “CHRISTIAN” organization began cashing in on the PAGAN known as Santa Claus. They needed money to pay for the free Christmas meals they provided to needy families. They began dressing up unemployed men in Santa Claus suits and sending them into the streets of New York to solicit donations. Those familiar Salvation Army Santas have been ringing bells on the street corners of American cities ever since.

‘Twas the Night before Christmas

In 1822, Clement Clarke Moore, an Episcopal minister, wrote a long Christmas poem for his three daughters entitled “An Account of a Visit from St. Nicholas.” Moore’s poem, which he was initially hesitant to publish due to the frivolous nature of its subject, is largely responsible for our modern image of Santa Claus as a “right jolly old elf” with a portly figure and the supernatural ability to ascend a chimney with a mere nod of his head! Although some of Moore’s imagery was probably borrowed from other sources, his poem helped popularize the now-familiar image of a Santa Claus who flew from house to house on Christmas Eve–in “a miniature sleigh” led by eight flying reindeer–leaving presents for deserving children. “An Account of a Visit from St. Nicholas” created a new and immediately popular American icon. In 1881, political cartoonist Thomas Nast drew on Moore’s poem to create the first likeness that matches our modern image of Santa Claus. His cartoon, which appeared in Harper’s Weekly, depicted Santa as a rotund, cheerful man with a full, white beard, holding a sack laden with toys for lucky children. It is Nast who gave Santa his bright red suit trimmed with white fur, North Pole workshop, elves, and his wife, Mrs. Claus.

As you head out to the shopping malls, specialty shops, online stores this winter take time to  reflect on the HISTORY of the PAGAN HOLIDAY you are CELEBRATING and see how well it lines up with your “FAITH and TRUST” in CHRIST JESUS as your Lord and Savior.  Ask yourself if you will be able to come up with a CLEVER ENOUGH reason to give FATHER GOD when you stand before Him to account for your actions, as to WHY YOU CHOSE to CELEBRATE A PAGAN HOLIDAY all your life and IGNORE the LIE that SATAN was perpetuating throughout the body of Christ lead by his personal church the Roman Catholics.

As we come to the end of this article let me share with you about the WINTER SOLSTICE and how it became the day Satan TRICKED the CHURCH into celebrating as CHRIST JESUS birth, once again making the birth of JESUS a mockery in this world.

The winter solstice marks the shortest day of the year and is also traditionally understood to be the beginning of winter. This year, the solstice will occur on Dec. 21st, and according to a timetable created by the Astronomical Applications Department of the U.S. Naval Observatory, people in New York will only experience 9 hours and 15 minutes of daylight all day. Those in the U.K. will only have 7 hours and 49 minutes of daylight.  

The solstice (also known as Yule) has been celebrated as a pagan holiday for thousands of years, and in all actuality, many of the Christmas traditions that seem to be so tightly intertwined with the Christian holiday itself are actually "borrowed" from the pagans. (And by borrowed, we mean condemned and then eventually repurposed). Want to find out which of your favorite Christmas traditions are actually steeped in the pagan celebration of the solstice?

Winter Solstice Facts

Amid the whirl of the holiday season, many are vaguely aware of the approach of the winter solstice, but how much do you really know about it? Whether you’re a fan of winter or just wish it would go away, here are 10 things to note—or even celebrate—about the solstice.

1.      It happens between December 20^th and December 23^rd from year to year, with the 21^st and 22^nd being the most common dates.

2.      It happens at a SPECIFIC, brief moment.

Not only does the solstice occur on a specific day, but it also occurs at a specific time of day, corresponding to the instant the North Pole is aimed furthest away from the sun on the 23.5 degree tilt of the Earth’s axis. This is also the time when the sun shines directly over the Tropic of Capricorn. Regardless of where you live, the solstice happens at the same moment for everyone on the planet (you can check what time it will occur for you here).

3.      It marks the longest night and shortest day of the year for the Northern Hemisphere.

As most are keenly aware, daylight hours grow shorter and shorter as the solstice approaches, and begin to slowly lengthen afterward. It’s no wonder that the day of the solstice is referred to in some cultures as the "shortest day" or "extreme of winter." New York City will experience 9 hours and 15 minutes of sunlight, compared to 15 hours and 5 minutes on the summer solstice. Helsinki, Finland, will get 5 hours and 49 minutes of light. Barrow, Alaska, will not have a sunrise at all (and hasn't since mid-November; its next sunrise will be on January 22), while the North Pole has had no sunrise since October. The South Pole, though, will be basking in the glow of the midnight sun, which won't set until March.

4.      Ancient Cultures viewed the Winter Solstice as a time of death and rebirth.

The seeming death of the light and very real threat of starvation over the winter months would have weighed heavily on early societies, who held varied solstice celebrations and rites meant to herald the return of the Sun and hope for new life. Scandinavian and Germanic pagans lit fires and may have burned Yule logs as a symbolic means of welcoming back the light. Cattle and other animals were slaughtered around midwinter, followed by feasting on what was the last fresh meat for several months. The modern Druidic celebration Alban Arthan reveres the death of the Old Sun and birth of the New Sun.

5.      The day marks the discovery of new and strange worlds

The Pilgrims arrived at Plymouth on December 21, 1620, to found a society that would allow them to worship freely. On the same day in 1898, Pierre and Marie Curie discovered radium, ushering in an atomic age. And on December 21, 1968, the Apollo 8 spacecraft launched, becoming the first manned moon mission.

6.      The word Solstice translates roughly to “Sun Stands Still.”

Solstice derives from the Latin scientific term solstitium, containing sol, which means "sun," and the past participle stem of sistere, meaning "to make stand." This comes from the fact that the sun’s position in the sky relative to the horizon at noon, which increases and decreases throughout the year, appears to pause in the days surrounding the solstice. In modern times, we view the phenomenon of the solstice from the position of space, and of the Earth relative to the Sun. Earlier people, however, were thinking about the Sun’s trajectory, how long it stayed in the sky and what sort of light it cast.

7.      Stonehenge is aligned to the sunset on Winter Solstice.

The primary axis of the megalithic monument is oriented to the setting sun, while Newgrange, another structure built around the same time as Stonehenge, lines up with the winter solstice sunrise. Some have theorized that the position of the Sun was of religious significance to the people who built Stonehenge, while other theories hold that the monument is constructed along natural features that happen to align with it. The purpose of Stonehenge is still subject to debate, but its importance on the winter solstice continues into the modern era, as thousands of hippies, pagans, and other types of enthusiasts gather there every year to celebrate the occasion.

8.      Ancient Romans celebrated reversals at the midwinter festival of Saturnalia.

The holiday, which began as a festival to honor the agricultural god Saturn, was held to commemorate the dedication of his temple in 497 BCE. It quickly became a time of widespread revelry and debauchery in which societal roles were overturned, with masters serving their slaves and servants being allowed to insult their masters. Mask-wearing and play-acting were also part of Saturnalia’s reversals, with each household electing a King of Misrule. Saturnalia was gradually replaced by Christmas throughout the Roman Empire, but many of its customs survive as Christmas traditions.

9.      Some traditions hold that dark spirits walk the earth on the winter solstice.

The Iranian festival of Yalda is celebrated on the longest night of the year. In pre-Islamic times, it heralded the birth of Mithra, the ancient sun god, and his triumph over darkness. Zoroastrian lore holds that evil spirits wander the earth and the forces of the destructive spirit Ahriman are strongest on this long night. People are encouraged to stay up most of the night in the company of one another, eating, talking, and sharing poetry and stories, in order to avoid any brushes with dark entities. Beliefs about the presence of evil on the longest night are also echoed in Celtic and Germanic folklore.

10.  Some thought the world would end on the 2012 Winter Solstice.

December 21, 2012 corresponds to the date 13.0.0.0.0 in the Mesoamerican Long Count calendar used by the ancient Mayans, marking the end of a 5126-year cycle. Some people feared this juncture would bring about the end of the world or some other cataclysmic event. Others took a more New Age-y view (literally) and believed it heralded the birth of a new era of deep transformation for Earth and its inhabitants. In the end, neither of these things appeared to occur, leaving the world to turn through winter solstices indefinitely, or at least as long as the Sun lasts.

 

The Christmas tree or the Yule tree?

The Christmas tree actually has its origins in pagan worship. According to Chron, "The Yule tree has been in traditions thousands of years before it became known as the Christmas tree in the 1840s." Evergreen trees were seen as a symbol of continual life, especially at the time of the solstice. Sometimes, these trees were even decorated with trinkets that symbolized the person's wishes for the New Year (such as coins, lights and corn, meant to bring wealth, sunlight and a bountiful harvest, respectively). Yule Tree history for those who do not know can be found here.

Decorating and/or bringing a tree into one's home to celebrate the holiday was frowned upon in "every Christian denomination" until Queen Victoria pulled a 180 on the whole thing. She wanted to have one for herself after she came back from a trip to Germany, so everyone else had to adjust, which, if you think about it, is a pretty queenly move.

Holly and mistletoe: symbols of rebirth

 

Mistletoe, holly, and pretty much every evergreen plant you might associate with Christmas was actually a solstice tradition first. These were the plants that typically thrived during the winter months, and because it was often a pagan tradition to bring in flowers and plants from outside to decorate one's home during every holiday, these were the ones most associated with the winter solstice. 

Mistletoe is especially steeped in pagan ritual, as it was often used by ancient Celtic as a symbol of sexuality, fertility and abundance. But the reason we kiss under it goes back to Scandinavian mythology according to the Vancouver Sun. Baldur, the son of Odin and Frigg, was so beloved that his mother made everything — including trees, stones, elements and sicknesses — promise that it would not harm him. However, Loki, god of fire, found that she had forgotten to ask mistletoe and killed Baldur with a dart fashioned with the poisonous plant (we assume for the lulz). Afterward, Frigg vowed that the plant should never again be used as a weapon and that she would kiss anyone who passed under it. So, like with many things, kissing under the mistletoe is Loki's fault.

Yule logs: flaming symbols of the solstice

You kind of had to figure that yule logs were, in fact, named after the Yule celebration of the solstice. According to the International Business Times, "Some Wiccans welcome the new solar year with light," including candles and yule logs. The burning of the yule log can take place in one's fireplace at home or in a large bonfire, which harkens back to ancient pagan rituals celebrating Yule. 

In 1966, WPIX in New York aired the original Yule Log show, a loop of a log burning in a fireplace. The station aired it for a few years before re-filming...

Eat, drink and eat some more

Funnily enough, even though everyone associates Christmas with the overindulgence of food and drink, this is another tradition borrowed from the ancient pagan holiday. People would feast during the solstice, a time when food was actually scarce, in order to show they had hope for an abundance of food in the new year. It was also common to overindulge because the winter months in Europe were brutally cold, and everyone was depressed and bored. Sounds like Christmas to us!

In addition, "elaborate Yuletide activities" among the nobles were common in the Middle Ages, and sometimes, the wealthy would actually compete with one another over who could be more charitable. This meant, of course, that the poor ate well and received gifts, which also meant everybody, had a pretty good time. 

"For me? You shouldn't have!"

While it is difficult to imagine Christmas without the glut of gift-giving and receiving, this particular tradition used to be frowned upon and may actually have its origins in the ancient Roman holiday of Saturnalia. Imitation fruit, dolls and candles were often given as gifts, all three symbolizing different aspects of the holiday. Candles, when given during the festival, were actually meant to represent the bonfires or Yule log associated with the solstice (and dolls apparently were for human sacrifice, FYI). 

 

However, those who celebrated the solstice started giving gifts around the holiday that symbolized their love and worship of nature, including "clove spiked apples and oranges." According to Live Science, while it was more common to give gifts around New Years until the 1800s, we now give gifts at Christmastime, possibly as a change made to reflect the solstice. 

Here is a link to a really good article from Desiring God about the Deceptions of the LIAR Satan. https://www.desiringgod.org/articles/satans-ten-strategies-against-you

 

In truth, many of the most well-known Christmas traditions come from the celebration of Yule or the winter solstice. So, if you're inclined, you might want to learn more about the holiday itself in order to better understand the roots of these customs. Have a happy solstice! 

Winter Solstice has been celebrated in cultures the world over for thousands of years. This start of the solar year is a celebration of Light and the rebirth of the Sun. In old Europe, it was known as Yule, from the Norse, Jul, meaning wheel.

Today, many people in Western-based cultures refer to this holiday as "Christmas." Yet a look into its origins Christmas reveals its Pagan roots. Emperor Aurelian established December 25 as the birthday of the "Invincible Sun" in the third century as part of the Roman Winter Solstice celebrations. Shortly thereafter, in 273AD, the Christian church selected this day to represent the birthday of Jesus, and by 336AD, this Roman solar feast day was Christianized. January 6, celebrated as Epiphany in Christendom and linked with the visit of the Magi, was originally an Egyptian date for the Winter Solstice.

Additional resources

Most of the customs, lore, symbols, and rituals associated with "Christmas" actually are linked to Winter Solstice celebrations of ancient Pagan cultures. While Christian mythology is interwoven with contemporary observances of this holiday time, its Pagan nature is still strong and apparent. Pagans today can readily re-Paganize Christmastime and the secular New Year by giving a Pagan spiritual focus to existing holiday customs and by creating new traditions that draw on ancient ways.

Here are some ways to do this:

• Celebrate Yule with a series of rituals, feasts, and other activities. In most ancient cultures, the celebration lasted more than a day. The ancient Roman Saturnalia festival sometimes went on for a week. Have Winter Solstice Eve and Day be the central focus for your household, and conceptualize other holiday festivities, including New Year's office parties and Christmas visits with Christian relatives, as part of your Solstice celebration. By adopting this perspective, Pagan parents can help their children develop an understanding of the multicultural and interfaith aspects of this holiday time and view "Christmas" as just another form of Solstice. Have gift exchanges and feasts over the course of several days and nights as was done of old. Party hearty on New Year's Eve not just to welcome in the new calendar year, but also to welcome the new solar year.

• Adorn the home with sacred herbs and colors. Decorate your home in Druidic holiday colors red, green, and white. Place holly, ivy, evergreen boughs, and pine cones around your home, especially in areas where socializing takes place. Hang a sprig of mistletoe above a major threshold and leave it there until next Yule as a charm for good luck throughout the year. Have family/household members join together to make or purchase an evergreen wreath. Include holiday herbs in it and then place it on your front door to symbolize the continuity of life and the wheel of the year. If you choose to have a living or a harvested evergreen tree as part of your holiday decorations, call it a Solstice tree and decorate it with Pagan symbols.

• Convey love to family, friends, and associates. At the heart of Saturnalia was the custom of family and friends feasting together and exchanging presents. Continue this custom by visiting, entertaining, giving gifts, and sending greetings by mail and/or phone. Consider those who are and/or have been important in your life and share appreciation.

• Reclaim Santa Claus as a Pagan god form. Today's Santa is a folk figure with multicultural roots. He embodies characteristics of Saturn (Roman agricultural god), Cronos (Greek god, also known as Father Time), the Holly King (Celtic god of the dying year), Father Ice/Grandfather Frost (Russian winter god), Thor (Norse sky god who rides the sky in a chariot drawn by goats), Odin/Wotan (Scandinavian/Teutonic All-Father who rides the sky on an eight-legged horse), Frey (Norse fertility god), and the Tomte (a Norse Land Spirit known for giving gifts to children at this time of year). Santa's reindeer can be viewed as forms of Herne, the Celtic Horned God. Decorate your home with Santa images that reflect His Pagan heritage. 

• Honor the Goddess as Great Mother. Place Pagan Mother Goddess images around your home. You may also want to include one with a Sun child, such as Isis with Horus. Pagan Goddess forms traditionally linked with this time of year include Tonantzin (Native Mexican corn mother), Holda (Teutonic earth goddess of good fortune), Bona Dea (Roman women's goddess of abundance and prophecy), Ops (Roman goddess of plenty), Au Set/Isis (Egyptian/multicultural All Goddess whose worship continued in Christian times under the name Mary), Lucina/St. Lucy (Roman/Swedish goddess/saint of light), and Befana (Italian Witch who gives gifts to children at this season).

• Honor the new solar year with light. Do a Solstice Eve ritual in which you meditate in darkness and then welcome the birth of the sun by lighting candles and singing chants and Pagan carols. If you have a indoor fireplace or an outdoor fire circle, burn an oak log as a Yule log and save a bit to start next year's fire. Decorate the inside and/or outside of your home with electric colored lights. Because of the popularity of five pointed stars as holiday symbols, this is a good time to display a pentagram of blue or white lights.

• Contribute to the manifestation of more wellness on Planet Earth. Donate food and clothing to poor in your area. Volunteer time at a social service agency. Put up bird feeders and keep them filled throughout the winter to supplement the diets of wild birds. Donate funds and items to non-profit groups, such as Pagan/Wiccan churches and environmental organizations. Meditate for world peace. Work magic for a healthier planet. Make a pledge to do some form of good works in the new solar year.

It is my prayer that God has revealed to you the TRUTH in your spirit from the Bible and from learning the HISTORY behind this Pagan Holiday promoted by the World that glorifies mankind and Satan and NOT GOD…

Every man and woman will one day stand before God and will be held accountable for NOT obey the TRUTH. What will your excuse be? Will you have an excuse? Or will you stand with your head held high knowing that you refused to give into this world and the lies Satan has deeply planted into the hearts of mankind.

I pray you will be blessed the rest of this year and be doubly blessed as you go into the new year knowing the TRUTH.  God loves you and wants the very best for you, it is up to you allow Him to work on your behalf.

God Bless,

Rainbow Pastor David

Tis the Season For LIES and DECEPTION pt. 1