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Showing posts with label Christ. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Christ. Show all posts

Thursday, December 25, 2008

Pagan History of December 25 - Jesus Christ Was NOT Born On December 25th (Christmas Day)

Did you know that Jesus Christ was not born on December 25th?

Did you know that we can prove from the Scriptures that Jesus was not born in the winter?

Did you know that there is a holiday that was instituted over a thousand years before Jesus was born that prophetically foreshadowed the circumstances of His birth?

So why do we celebrate Christmas on December 25th?

The truth is that there was a late December pagan holiday that was celebrated long before Jesus was ever born. The Roman Catholics decided to "christianize" that pagan holiday starting in 336 A.D. as a celebration of the birth of Christ. The Christian Church and much of Judaism is entrenched deep in the ancient Babylonian mystery religion, only today it is referred to as 'culture' or 'traditions.' Most Christians and Jews either don't know or care to know the truth of these pagan ties.

A recent news article from the Scripps Howard News Service states in their article, "Christmas Celebration Crosses All Faiths."
  • "Christmas remains America's favorite holiday-a religious celebration that transcends the nation's increasingly multicultural society. Eighty-three percent of the adult residents of the United States-including Jews, Muslims and atheists-say they put a decorated tree in their homes. Fifty-nine percent say there is no holiday they love more than Christmas."
What is Christmas and from where did it originate? Yule is the Chaldean name for 'infant' or 'little child.' In ancient Babylon, the 25th of December was known as Yule day or the birth of the promised child day. This was the day of the birth of the incarnate sun, who appeared as a baby child to redeem a world bound in darkness. It was an essential belief of the Babylonian religious system, that the sun god, also known as Baal, was the chief god in a polytheistic system. Tammuz was also worshipped as the god incarnate, or promised baby son of Baal, who was to be the Savior of the world.

We find in the Catholic encyclopedia that Christmas was not even among the earliest church festivals. It was not until the latter part of the fourth century that the Roman Church began observing December 25th as Jesus' birthday. By the fifth century A.D., the Roman Church ordered the birth of Messiah to be forever observed on December 25th. At the time of this decree, the Roman Church knew full well that the pagan religious cults throughout the Roman and Greek worlds celebrated the pagan sun god, Mithra, on this self same day. This winter festival was known as the Nativity of the Sun. It was also known in the Roman Empire as Saturnalia [another name for sun worship].

Note: In 46 BC, when the Roman "Julian Calendar" was adopted, December 24th was the shortest day of the year. Therefore, December 25th was the first annual day that daylight began to increase. Thus, the origin of the REBIRTH or Annual Birthday of the Invincible SUN.

In accordance with the Roman "Julian calendar," the "Saturnalia" festival appears to have taken place on December 17th; it was preceded by the "Consualia" near December 15th, and followed by the "Opalia" on December 19th. These pagan celebrations typically lasted for a week, ending just before the late Roman Imperial Festival for "Sol Invictus" (Invincible Sun) on December 25th.

In 1582 AD. Roman Catholic Pope Gregory the XIII caused the current "Gregorian Calendar" to be adopted, in order to eliminate the solar time shift error introduced by the "Julian Calendar."

By December 1582 AD the shortest day of the year had shifted 12 days on the Roman "Julian Calendar" to Wednesday, December 12, 1582.

However, the Original December 25th 'Birth Date' was retained for all pagan Sun gods by the Roman "Saturnalia" and "Sol Invictus" traditions; which were now called the "Twelve Days of Christ Mass."

On the new Roman Catholic Gregorian calendar the shortest annual day was numerically shifted back 10 days to the 22nd of December, where it remains to this day; while the original order of the days of the week remained unchanged.

Therefore, Wednesday, December 12th, 1582 AD, became Wednesday, December 22nd, 1582 AD, and the True Sabbath Day remained unchanged.

Yahweh, the Only True Self-existent Eternal Creator, would never have allowed The True Messiah to be born on or near the December 25th birthday period of the pagan Sun gods; during the time in which virgins were sacrificed, murder was commonplace, and orgies the norm. This would be an entirely unacceptable association.

The winter festival was very popular in ancient times, and marked a time of rejoicing and festivity. Much of our present day customs involved in the Christmas season are a direct inheritance of the Roman winter festival of Saturnalia. These days involved gift giving, colored lights to ward off evil spirits, festive meals, and of course, decorated trees.

The present day Christmas tree also goes back to the worship of sacred trees in the ancient Babylonian system. The green evergreen symbolized the incarnate Baal coming to life through the incarnate baby Tammuz. The custom of decorating and worshipping trees spread throughout the known world, with the variety of tree used selected according to the natural growth of each area of the world. The Druids worshipped the oak tree, the Egyptians worshipped the palm tree, while in Rome it was the fir tree.

There are at least ten references in the Bible warning that these green trees were associated with idolatry and pagan worship. Jeremiah 10:1-4 details the Israelites following the very pagan customs practiced today.
The very term, Christmas, comes from the sacred Christ-mass, where the Pope in the role of the High Priest of the mystery Babylon religion introduces the people to the concept of trans-substantiation. Using the wine and round wafers to reflect the life of Baal, the sun god, the name of Jesus replaces the ancient pagan custom. The wine and wafers are now said to be the transformation of the actual blood and body of Messiah within the person who ingests them. People, thereby, relive again and again the death and resurrection of the incarnate god.

Israelites performed this same ritual in their worship to the Queen of heaven and the incarnate god Tammuz.

Calvin, in 1550, instigated an edict concerning church holidays. A ban was passed against observing various church festivals, which included Christmas. In a tract on the necessity of reforming the church, Calvin exclaimed: "I know how difficult it is to persuade the world that Yahweh disapproves of all modes of worship not expressly sanctioned by His Word." John Knox, in the Scottish reformation, repeatedly confronted the Catholic Church, contending that true worship must be instituted by God, not derived from the traditions of men. At the heart of his argument was an appeal to Torah, especially, references to Deuteronomy 4 and 12, which states that one must not add to nor subtract from God's word.

John Knox, History of the Reformation in Scotland, 1950, Vol. 1, page 91 states the following: "That Yahweh's word damns your ceremonies it is evident; for the plain and straight commandment of Yahweh is, 'Not that thing which appears good in thy eyes, shalt thou do to the LORD thy Yahweh, but what the LORD thy Yahweh has commanded thee, that do thou; add nothing to it; diminish nothing from it.' Now unless that ye are able to prove that Yahweh has commanded your ceremonies, this His former commandment will damn both you and them."

The holidays of Christmas and Easter were banned from the Church of Scotland.
David Calderwood [1511-1651], representing the Scottish ministries, asserted in reference to Christmas and Easter: "The Judaical days had once that honor, as to be appointed by Yahweh Himself; but the anniversary days appointed by men have not like honor. This opinion of Christ's nativity on the 25th day of December was bred at Rome."

David Calderwood then exposed the Roman claims made for the 25th of December as the day of Messiah's birth. He argues that the Apostles never ordained it. He said the following: "Nay, let us utter the truth, December-Christmas is a just imitation of the December-Saturnalia of the ethnic [heathen] Romans, and so used as if Bacchus [another name for the sun god], and not Messiah, were the Yahweh of Christians."

George Gillespie [1613-1649], a premier Scottish theologian, wrote in a book published in 1637 called A Dispute Against the English Popish Ceremonies Obtruded Upon the Church of Scotland. "The holidays [reference to Christmas and Easter] take a severe beating on a number of accounts. Sacred significant ceremonies devised by man are to be reckoned among images forbidden in the second commandment in regards to worshipping idols."

It is certainly clear from all that we have read, that an end time apostasy has come upon both Jews and Gentiles. Both have strayed far from the original precepts of the faith, and there will be a heavy accounting before the LORD for this. These holidays represent only part of the great apostasy that has come upon God's people in the latter days.



Watch this video with an open mind - perhaps it is time for all of us to learn the truth.

Asatru
MandMEvangelists
Paganism/XmasHistory

Friday, December 19, 2008

Saint Nicholas: the Truth Behind Santa Claus IX of X


Santa is All-Powerful – He is Omnipotent

To the average child - Santa can do anything. The following are actual letters to Santa from children, taken from a local newspaper. Read these letters and look at the faith these children have in their god: (Knox 6)
"Dear Santa. . . If I could have one Christmas wish, it would be for my mom to get better. She has bad arthritis. Would you please heal her?"

"Dear Santa. . . For Christmas would you please give humanity a cure for cancer and a cure for AIDS, and would you please give us a new solar system where people live right?"

"Dear Santa. . . My mom and I both have disabilities. Would you please give both of us new bodies?"

"Dear Santa. . . Please bring peace on earth."

Is anything too hard for Santa?
Is anything too hard for the LORD? Genesis 18:14

And Jesus came and spake unto them, saying, All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth. Matthew 28:18

Come rain, sleet, snow, storm, hurricane, the darkest and dreariest of nights – Santa comes. Their Santa NEVER fails! In one night, the all-powerful, Santa delivers millions and millions of gifts to children all around the world. Who could do that? Now, who REALLY believes that? That little child who has been preached to about Santa. That is who. They believe it. Just ask one. Nothing is too hard for their Santa. If the Christian world had, even a small drop of the faith the average child has in Santa – we’d have revival overnight!

These little kids believe and have more faith in their Santa than all the Christians of the world. If the Christians of the world could just catch a spark of that faith these kids have in Santa – we would have a world-wide revival. Have you ever considered how unbelievable and powerful Santa is? The scientific journal SPY magazine (January 1990) constructed a scientific analysis of Santa. Here’s some of there conclusions:
Santa has 31 hours of Christmas to work with, thanks to the different time zones and the rotation of the earth, assuming he travels east to west (which seems logical). This works out to 822.6 visits per second. This is to say that for each house, Santa has 1/1000th of a second to park, hop out of the sleigh, jump down the chimney, fill the stockings, distribute the remaining presents under the tree, eat whatever snacks have been left, get back up the chimney, get back into the sleigh and move on to the next house.

. . . a total trip of 75-1/2 million miles, not counting stops to do what most of us must do at least once every 31 hours, plus feeding and etc. This means that Santa's sleigh is moving at 650 miles per second, 3,000 times the speed of sound.

The payload on the sleigh adds another interesting element. Assuming that each child gets nothing more than a medium-sized lego set (2 pounds), the sleigh is carrying 321,300 tons.

This increases the payload - not even counting the weight of the sleigh - to 353,430 tons. 353,000 tons traveling at 650 miles per second creates enormous air resistance - The lead pair of reindeer will absorb 14.3 QUINTILLION joules [jewels-measurement of energy] of energy. Per second.

In short, they will burst into flame almost instantaneously and create deafening sonic booms in their wake. The entire reindeer team will be vaporized within 4.26 thousandths of a second. Santa, meanwhile, will be subjected to centrifugal forces 17,500.06 times greater than gravity. A 250-pound Santa (which seems ludicrously slim) would be pinned to the back of his sleigh by 4,315,015 pounds of force.
(SPY Magazine, January 1990)

In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye. . ." (1 Cor. 15:52) – Santa appears – all over the world! He just quietly "tip-toes" in – and "tip-toes" out. You hear nothing. You see nothing. He appears like a "thief in the night". (1 Thess. 5:2). And we expect our children to believe in a supernatural being that can do all that? And you know what – THEY DO! And they believe it with all their little heart, soul and mind!
35 Then one of them, which was a lawyer, asked him a question, tempting him, and saying,
36 Master, which is the great commandment in the law?
37 Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind.
38 This is the first and great commandment.
Matthew 22:35-38


Where did Santa come from? How did Santa get here? When did Santa magically appear? Like, Melchisedec (which most Bible students believe to be a reference to the incarnate Jesus Christ), Santa Claus is like the Son of God: "Without father, without mother, without descent, having neither beginning of days, nor end of life; but made like unto the Son of God;. . ." Hebrews 7:3 Santa is from everlasting to everlasting. His "years are throughout all generations". Possessing the attribute of an eternal God, Santa ". . . thou art the same, and thy years shall have no end." He has no beginning. He has no end. Like God Almighty, Santa is eternal. The famous editorial, Yes, Virginia There is a Santa Claus, written by Francis P. Church and published in The New York Sun on September 21, 1897 to 8-year-old Virginia O'Hanlon, ends with the following words:
"No Santa Claus! Thank God, he lives, and he lives forever. A thousand years from now, Virginia, nay, ten times ten thousand years from now, he will continue to make glad the heart of childhood."
(Francis P. Church Yes, Virginia There is a Santa Claus, The New York Sun, September 21, 1897)
1 The LORD reigneth, he is clothed with majesty; the LORD is clothed with strength, wherewith he hath girded himself: the world also is stablished, that it cannot be moved.
2 Thy throne is established of old: thou art from everlasting. Psalm 93:1-2

Art thou not from everlasting, O LORD my God, mine Holy One? we shall not die. O LORD, thou hast ordained them for judgment; and, O mighty God, thou hast established them for correction. Habakkuk 1:12

24 I said, O my God, take me not away in the midst of my days: thy years are throughout all generations.
25 Of old hast thou laid the foundation of the earth: and the heavens are the work of thy hands.
26 They shall perish, but thou shalt endure: yea, all of them shall wax old like a garment; as a vesture shalt thou change them, and they shall be changed:
27 But thou art the same, and thy years shall have no end. Psalm 102:24-27


The Christmas "Spirit"? And yes, Santa has his own "spirit." The "Spirit of Christmas." Isn’t that a little strange? Gene Autry’s famous song "Here Comes Santa Claus" begins with the words, "Speakin' of Christmas spirit." Ring a bell? . . .
16 And I will pray the Father, and he shall give you another Comforter, that he may abide with you for ever;
17 Even the Spirit of truth; whom the world cannot receive, because it seeth him not, neither knoweth him: but ye know him; for he dwelleth with you, and shall be in you. John 14:16-17 I wonder what John thinks of the "spirit of Christmas"?

1 Beloved, believe not every spirit, but try the spirits whether they are of God: because many false prophets are gone out into the world.
2 Hereby know ye the Spirit of God: Every spirit that confesseth that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is of God:
3 And every spirit that confesseth not that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is not of God: and this is that spirit of antichrist, whereof ye have heard that it should come; and even now already is it in the world. 1 John 4:1-3

SANTA

You better watch out,
You better not cry
You better not pout,
I'm telling you why Santa Claus is comin' to town
He's making a list,
He's checking it twice
He's gonna find out
Who's naughty or nice
Children the world over are taught to FEAR Santa. You’d better go to bed little boy – Santa is watching. Millions of fearful children are told, "You’d better behave. Santa is watching. You might not get anything for Christmas."

The fear of the Lord is the "beginning" of the Christian faith. And the fear of Santa is the beginning of the Santa faith – and possibly the destruction of their Christian faith!
The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom:. . . Psalms 111:10
While our children should be taught the fear of the Lord, most are taught the sacrilegious fear of the false god of Santa.
Come, ye children, hearken unto me: I will teach you the fear of the LORD. Psalm 34:11

Tuesday, December 09, 2008

Saint Nicholas: the Truth Behind Santa Claus VI of X


Santa is a Carpenter?




Mark 6:3 tells us the L
ord Jesus Christ was a carpenter.
Is not this the carpenter, the son of Mary, the brother of James, and Joses, and of Juda, and Simon? and are not his sisters here with us? And they were offended at him. Mark 6:3
Santa is no plumber, or electrician, or blacksmith. Santa is a carpenter. Surprise. Surprise. Wow! Who would have ever guessed it! What a coincidence. Oh yea, remember the God-Thor? His symbol is a hammer.








His house. . . was toward the north (Ezekiel 8:14)
Everyone knows Santa lives at the North Pole. Brrr. . . Why the north pole? Nobody lives at the North Pole. . . Why did they pick the NORTH Pole?

Could it possibly be because someone else lives in the north?

Then he brought me to the door of the gate of the LORD'S house which was toward the north; . . . Ezekiel 8:14

1 Great is the LORD, and greatly to be praised in the city of our God, in the mountain of his holiness.
2 Beautiful for situation, the joy of the whole earth, is mount Zion, on the sides of the north, the city of the great King. Psalm 48:1-2

The Lord dwells in "the north, the city of the great King". By the way, remember what Lucifer said in Isaiah 14:13, when he rebelled against God? Remember where he was going to exalt his throne?
12 How art thou fallen from heaven, O Lucifer, son of the morning! how art thou cut down to the ground, which didst weaken the nations!
13 For thou hast said in thine heart, I will ascend into heaven, I will exalt my throne above the stars of God: I will sit also upon the mount of the congregation, in the sides of the north:
14 I will ascend above the heights of the clouds; I will be like the most High. Isaiah 14:12-14
Where else would Satan (oops. . . it’s just too easy to get those two mixed up) Claus be but in the NORTH.


The ever-familiar holly plant that decorates our Christmas world has a very interesting history. A very interesting history indeed. The iiex chinensis, better known as holly, is the substantial subject of myths and pagan worship. For instance, the pagan Romans decorated their houses and temples with the "sacred" holly, which represented their goddess Saturnalia. By the way, there's where our modern day custom of decorating with holly originated. Among history's most blatant devil-worshippers were the Druids. The Druids were known for their human sacrifices and the authors of our Halloween. The Druids wore the holly in their hair and considered the "holly" plant sacred, hence the name "holy" or "holly." The Druids also believed the "holy" berries represented the blood of their Goddess. (Hmmm. . . I wonder where they go that strange idea from?) As Christianity began spreading throughout the Roman world, the use of pagan holly was outlawed. Plant aficionado and author, Virginia Klara Nathan, writes:
"Ancient history says that the Druids used holly in their religious rites long before the custom came to the European continent. The Druids of ancient Britain and Gaul held the English holly tree sacred. The 'holy' connotation continued in later days in Europe, where the plant was widely believed to repel evil spirits. People planted trees and used their branches as protection against witchcraft, mad dogs, and other evils. With the coming of Christianity, the use of holly was condemned as a pagan ritual and forbidden by the Christian council."
(Nathan, Virginia Klara. "Red-Berried Hollies." Extension Technician, in The Virginia Gardener Newsletter, Volume 7, Number 12. qtd at )
Nathan also writes as many of the condemned pagan practices, began infilturating Christianity the thorny pagan holly plant became symbolic with the "crown of thorns" that the Lord Jesus Christ wore. The Germans even refer to the holly plant as Christdorn - meaning, "Christ's crown of thorns."

But Christian Romans continued to decorate with holly during festive seasons. European Christian symbolism included the belief that the spiny leaves and red berries were a reminder of the crown of thorns and the blood of Christ. The Pennsylvania Dutch held that the plant's white flowers represented Jesus' purity. The Germans called this pla
nt Christdorn, Christ's crown of thorns. They thought holly had white berries until they were stained by Christ's blood. (Nathan, Virginia Klara. "Red-Berried Hollies." Extension Technician, in The Virginia Gardener Newsletter, Volume 7, Number 12. qtd at )
Not surprisingly, considering the holly plant's storied ancestry, many writers believe the actual "crown of thorns" wore by the Lord Jesus Christ, was indeed the familiar "holly" wreath. Another plant enthusiast writes of the holly plant and it's portrayal of the "crown of thorns":
Holly lost its pagan associations and became a symbol of Christmas, with the sharply pointed leaves symbolizing the crown of thorns which Jesus was made to wear prior to his crucifixion, and the berries becoming a symbol of the blood of Christ. Some refer to Holly as the Holy Tree and claim that it grew in Christ's footsteps. The white flowers represent Jesus's purity and birth, and the bitter bark is said to represent the passion. Some writers hold that holly was actually the plant which did actually form the crown of thorns and that the berries were originally white before being stained by Christ's blood. ("Holly Plant, Christmas Plants and Flowers," http://www.piglette.com/christmas/holly-plant.html) And it is not surprising, one of the many portraits of good 'ol Santa blasphemously portrays him wearing the "holy" crown, symbolic of the Saviour's "crown of thorns." One author writes of this portrait of Santa or Father Christmas wearing the "crown of thorns":
Originating in England, Father Christmas was depicted as a friendly fellow wearing a crown of holly and a scarlet or green fur-lined robe. To many, this wreath of holly represented the crown of thorns that Jesus wore when He was crucified and the red berries are symbolic of the blood He shed."
("Santalady's Favorite Antique Post Cards and Related Traditions Picture," www.santalady.com/cards.html)




Monday, December 01, 2008

Saint Nicholas: the Truth Behind Santa Claus IV of X


Santa

You ever noticed how easy it is to transform "Satan" from "Santa"? Just move the "n" to the end. "Satan" appears. . . Hmmm….

An internet Google search on "Satan Claus" [not Santa Claus – but SATAN Claus] found over 1,700 hits! Obviously, there are many that tie the two together.

The rearranging of letters (called anagrams) to hide secret names or words has long been practiced in the occult. The Jewish Encyclopedia writes of the Jewish occult book called the Cabala:

The golden age for anagrams began with the Cabala. The Platonists had strange notions as to the influence of anagrammatic virtues, particularly of anagrams evolved from names of persons. It is not surprising, therefore, that the cabalists, like all the Neoplatonists, pretended to discover occult qualities in proper names and in their anagrams. (www.jewishencyclopedia.com)

One of the most well known anagram in the occult world is the name of Sanat Kumara. Sanat is better known as Satan. Constance Cumbey, writes in her best-selling, new-age expose, The Hidden Dangers of the Rainbow, ". . . they [New Agers] freely call Sanat Kumara (Satan) 'God'. And their doctrinal reference books by Helena Petrovna Blavatsky and Alice Ann Bailey freely cross-reference Sanat Kumara with Venus. In occult writings, Lucifer and Venus are one and the same." (Constance Cumbey, The Hidden Dangers of the Rainbow, p. 138)

Texe Marrs writes of 'Sanat' in Dark Secrets of the New Age:

. . .
the New Age offers a being called Sanat Kumara. 'Sanat' is obviously a thinly veiled reference to Satan; nevertheless, New Age teachers evidently believe that the new spelling will alleviate the concerns of those not yet ready to confess Satan as their Lord and Messiah. (Texe Marrs, Dark Secrets of the New Age, pp. 79-80)


H.P. Blavatsky, the Satanist and new age teacher writes in The Secret Doctrine - (Complete Book Here):

Many a mysterious sacred name. . . conveys to the profane ear no more than some ordinary, and often vulgar [common] word,
because it is concealed anagrammatically or otherwise. (H.P. Blavatsky, The Secret Doctrine, Vol II, p. 78)

Like S-A-N-T-A?

Blavatsky also writes:

"The
name isn't important. It is the letters." (H.P. Blavatsky, The Secret Doctrine, Vol II, p. 350)

Blavatasky’s anagrams were used to disguise who her true god was. Blavatasky openly taught Satan is mankind’s true redeemer, creator and Saviour.

And now it stands proven that Satan, or the Red Fiery Dragon, the ‘Lord of Phosphorus’ and
Lucifer, or ‘Light Bearer’, is in us; it is our Mind — our tempter and Redeemer, our intelligent liberator and Saviour. . . (HP Blavatasky, The Secret Doctrine p. 513)

Satan, the Serpent of Genesis is the real creator and benefactor, the Father of Spiritual mankind. For it is he . . . who opened the eyes of the automaton (Adam) created by Jehovah. . . he still remains in Esoteric Truth the ever loving messenger . . . (H.P. Blavatsky, The Secret Doctrine, Vol 3, p. 243

Gail Riplinger writes in her excellent book, New Age Versions on the use of anagrams in the occult world: Lucifer's True Identity as Satan is Revealed as the Anagram, a Transposition of Letters, To Obscure It. "Blinds," as esoterics call them, include scrambling the letters of a name to hide the true meaning of a word from the uninitiated. (Gail Riplinger, New Age Versions, p. 52)

It is interesting Mrs. Riplinger also raises a red flag about the anagram Santa:

Gods of the New Age include Sanatan and Sanatsiyata, . . . New Agers say each name is 'concealed anagrammatically' 'and are aliases,' and are 'an anagram used for Occult purposes. Is Santa, the great usurper of Christ's attention at Christmas, an anagram? "Ole Nick" is listed among the fallen angels or devils in the Dictionary of Fallen Angels. Scholars concur that Christ was born in the fall on the 4th day of the feast of tabernacles. December 25 is actually "the feast in honor of the birth of the son of the Babylonian queen of heaven, later called Saturnaha by the heathen Romans. (Gail Riplinger, New Age Versions, p. 52)

Santa is also from the Latin word sanctus which means also saintly, holy. Our English words "saint, sanctify, et al" comes from santa. Sounds like Satan’s "I will be like the most High" plan is in action.

Let them praise thy great and terrible name; for it is holy. Psalm 99:3

God’s name is called "holy" over 40 times in the King James Bible.

"Holy Claus". . .?

The name Santa Claus is also derived from the Dutch Sinter Klaas, which also was a form of Saint Nicholas.

What about Claus? The Alice Bailey founded new age, occult publishing company was originally named Lucifer Publishing Company but in 1924 the name was cleverly changed to Lucis Trust. By the way, the Lucifer worshipping Lucis Trust is a major player in the works of the United Nations, formerly located in the United Nations building but now located on prime-time 1200 Wall Street. Claus sounds a lot like "claws." Maybe Santa Claus means "Satan's Claws"? Like a lion's "claws"? Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour:1 Peter 5:8

Jolly Old St. Nick
While Santa and Claus may be disguising their real meaning – there is no disguising St. Nick. He is a well-known character.

Old Nick: A well-known British name of the Devil. It seems probable that this name is derived from the Dutch Nikken, the devil...(Encyclopedia of Occultism and Parapsychology, p.650)

Nick, the devil. (Walter W. Sleay, Concise Dictionary of English Etymology, p. 304)

Devil
: Besides the name Satan, he is also called Beelzebub, Lucifer . . . and in popular or rustic speech by many familiar terms as Old Nick . . . (Oxford English Dictionary Vol III D-E)

Actor Adam Sandler and New Line Studios are obviously aware Nick is an alias for Satan. Their movie Little Nicky is about the son of Satan named Little Nicky. A teaser for the film says, "If your mother was an angel and your father was the devil you'd be messed up too." In the popular Cloud Ten Pictures "Apocalypse" film series Revelation, Tribulation, & Judgment, the Antichrist just so happens to be played by none other than the actor "Nick" Mancuso. Hmmm… The Cloud Ten Pictures are based on Tim LaHaye and Jerry Jenkin’s popular Left Behind Apocalypse book series. Oh, the name of the Antichrist in the Left Behind series? Nicolae "Nick" Carpathia, of course. In fact, one of the books in titled, Nicolae, The Rise of the Antichrist. It is also interesting, the book American Slang defines the slang word nick: to rob or steal. (Robert L. Chapman, American Slang, p. 297)

This is how the Lord Jesus characterizes the devil in John 10:
1 Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that entereth not by the door into the sheepfold, but climbeth up some other way, the same is a thief and a robber. . .
9 I am the door: by me if any man enter in, he shall be saved, and shall go in and out, and find pasture. 10 The thief cometh not, but for to steal, and to kill, and to destroy: I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly. John 10:1,9,10

Father Christmas
The Christmas Poem reads:
Hurry up please Christmas Day,
When Father Christmas on his sleigh,
Comes to pay a visit.

Into every house he creeps
While each of us soundly sleeps

While he pays a visit.
The famous anthropologist Claude Levi-Strauss writes in his popular analysis of "Father Christmas":
Father Christmas is dressed in scarlet: he is a king. His white beard, his furs and his boots, the sleigh in which he travels evoke winter. He is called "Father" and he is an old man, thus he incarnates the benevolent form of the authority of the ancients.
In other words, Father Christmas is God incarnate. Levi-Strauss goes on to write that children believe in him, paying homage to him with letters and prayers. The Devil’s stated goal in Isaiah 14:13-14, is to be like God the Father. And what better "I will be like the most High. . - name to fame" than "Father of Christ-mass".
And call no man your father upon the earth: for one is your Father, which is in heaven.
Matthew 23:9
What about Kriss Kringle?

And there is the seemingly innocent, friendly, jingle-jangle name of Kriss Kringle.

By far, the name Kriss Kringle is the most blasphemous. With Kriss, Satan slowly removes the mask. There is no doubt about the intentions of "Kriss Kringle". Believe it or not. . . Kriss Kringle is German for "little Christ Child".
Kriss Kringle A US name for Santa Claus derived from the German Christkindl (little Christ child).
(Brewer's Dictionary of Twentieth-Century Phrase and Fable, p. 334)
Santa Claus or Kriss Kringle is the counterfeit "Christ Child"! Is it possible that these subtle allusions to Satan and counterfeit attacks at the Lord Jesus Christ are just merely coincidences? Keep reading. . . The evidence has just begun.



Friday, November 21, 2008

Saint Nicholas: the Truth Behind Santa Claus I of X


Where did Santa Claus come from?


Santa began as a fourth century Catholic bishop named Saint Nicholas. The cult of St. Nicholas was one of histories most widespread religious movements. According to St. Nicholas historian, Charles W. Jones, ". . . the cult of St. Nicholas was, before the Reformation, the most intensive of any nonbiblical saint in Christendom. . . there were 2,137 ecclesiastical dedications [churches] to Nicholas in France, Germany, and the Low Countries alone before the year 1500." (Jones, Charles. W. "Knickerbocker Santa Claus." The New-York Historical Society Quarterly, October 1954, Volume XXXVIII Number Four, p.357)

The popular book, The Christmas Almanack, states, "By the height of the Middle Ages, St. Nicholas was probably invoked in prayer more than any other figure except the Virgin Mary and Christ Himself" (Del Re, Gerard and Patricia. The Christmas Almanack. New York: Random House, 2004, p. 131)

Miraculous folklore and legend surround the mysterious St. Nicholas. Among the more popular legends of St. Nicholas is the rescue of three poverty-stricken girls destined for prostitution. These girls were poor and did not have the dowry for marriage. St. Nicholas saved them from a life of shame, by providing marriage dowries of gold. They then were able to get properly married.

Another amazing miracle in the life of St. Nicholas is the three young boys who were sadistically murdered by a wicked innkeeper. Their bodies were chopped up and preserved in pickle barrels, with the cannibalistic intent of feeding their flesh to unsuspecting house guests. Of course, the amazing St. Nicholas resurrected the boys and their mutilated bodies. And like Santa, Saint Nicholas gave gifts to poor children, hence, his veneration as Patron Saint of Children. During the Middle Ages, hundreds of plays and paintings told and re-told the amazing feats of St. Nicholas.

Next, according to legend, Santa magically appears in the Netherlands around the seventeenth century. During this time, Sinter Klaas (a.k.a. Santa Claus) was officially born. Dutch children began the tradition of placing their shoes by the fireplace on December 5, for the mystic fourth century Bishop, Saint Nicholas. (Note: In the Dutch language Saint Nicholas is "Sint Nikolass," which was shortened to "Sinter Klaas," of which the anglicized form is "Santa Claus.") The next morning, the gleeful

Dutch children quickly awoke to gifts and goodies in their shoes, left by Sinter Klaas. Like today’s Santa, Sinter Klaas, miraculously, traveled from housetop to housetop, and entered through the chimney.

Our next stop on the Santa highway is the year 1626 in the New World called America. Searching for the "American dream," Dutch settlers sailed from the Netherlands and established the Dutch colony called New Amsterdam (today called New York). The Dutch colonists quickly settled into America, bringing their customs, and of course, their beloved Sinter Klaas.

In December 1809, American essayist Washington Irving published a popular satire of the Dutch founding of New York titled A Knickerbocker History of New York. More than any other event, it was Irving’s Knickerbocker History that is credited for creating our modern day Santa Claus. The following history-making words from The Knickerbocker History became the public inauguration of Santa Claus. Who could have possibly imagined the significance these simple words would soon have?

And the sage Oloffe dreamed a dream,–and lo, the good St. Nicholas came riding over the tops of the trees, in that self-same wagon wherein he brings his yearly presents to the children. . . And when St. Nicholas had smoked his pipe, he twisted it in his hatband, and laying his finger beside his nose, gave the astonished Van Kortlandt a very significant look; then, mounting his wagon, he returned over the treetops and disappeared. (Irving, Washington. Knickerbocker’s History of New York, New York: Frederick Ungar Publishing Co., 1928, p. 50)

At this early period was instituted that pious ceremony, still religiously observed in all our ancient families of the right breed, of hanging up a stocking in the chimney on St. Nicholas Eve; which stocking is always found in the morning miraculously filled; for the good St. Nicholas has ever been a great giver of gifts, particularly to children. (Irving, Washington. Knickerbocker’s History of New York, New York: Frederick Ungar Publishing Co., 1928, p. 68)

Next stop on our investigative journey for Santa, surprisingly, comes from the pen of a New York theology professor named Dr. Clement Clarke Moore. In 1822, inspired by Irving’s popular, Knickerbocker History’s portrayal of jolly St. Nicholas, Dr. Moore quietly wrote a trivial poem titled, "A Visit from St. Nicholas" for his own children as a simple Christmas present. Dr. Moore had no intention of publishing his poem, but in 1823 it was published anonymously, by a friend, in the Troy Sentinel. Moore’s extremely popular poem was the spark that lit the Santa Claus wildfire. Santa quickly began flying through America. Dr. Moore’s poem was later renamed the famous, "Twas’ The Night Before Christmas."

The finishing touches for Santa occurred around 1863 from the artistic hands of cartoonist Thomas Nast. Inspired by Moore’s popular poem, Nast illustrated scores of Santa pictures in Harper’s Weekly and the world was officially baptized with the face of Santa Claus. Nast’s early Santa was burly, stern, gnome-like, and covered with drab fur, much unlike today’s colorful and jolly fellow. But make no mistake – it was Santa.

Let us investigate the traditional Santa story a little closer. . .


St. Nicholas Symbols - Here


The mysterious St. Nicholas.

The first major problem in the Santa Claus saga is the person of St. Nicholas. There is very little evidence, if any, that the man St. Nicholas actually existed.

Nicholas' existence is not attested by any historical document, so nothing certain is known of his life except that he was probably bishop of Myra in the fourth century. . . ("Nicholas, Saint" Encyclopaedia Britannica 99)

Nicholas, Saint (lived 4th century), Christian prelate, patron saint of Russia, traditionally associated with Christmas celebrations. The accounts of his life are confused and historically unconfirmed ("Nicholas, Saint" Microsoft Encarta Encyclopedia 99)

Unfortunately, very little is known about the real St. Nicholas. Countless legends have grown up around this very popular saint, but very little historical evidence is available. (Del Re, Gerard and Patricia. The Christmas Almanack. New York: Random House, 2004, p. 130)

In 1969, the final nail in the coffin to the feeble fable of St. Nicholas was officially hammered down. Despite the fact, St. Nicholas is among Roman Catholicism’s most popular and venerated "Saints," Pope Paul VI officially decreed the feast of Saint Nicholas removed from the Roman Catholic calendar. UPI Wire Services reported that St. Nicholas and forty other saints were deleted because "of doubt that they ever existed." ("Pope Marches 40 Saints Off Official Church Calendar." UPI Wire Services. )

Because the saint's life is so unreliably documented, Pope Paul VI ordered the feast of Saint Nicholas dropped from the official Roman Catholic calendar in 1969. ("Santa Claus" Microsoft Encarta Encyclopedia 99)

In October 1954, prominent St. Nicholas historian, Charles W. Jones, published an irrefutable dismantling of the historical accuracy of Irving’s Knickerbocker History in the prestigious, The New-York Historical Society Quarterly titled, "Knickerbocker Santa Claus." Jones proved the early New Amsterdam Dutch were Reformation Dutch who believed the veneration of saints as evil heresy, especially St. Nicholas. Jones provided first-hand documents of the early Dutch that decrees "very severe" laws prohibiting any celebration of St. Nicholas. Jones added that "there is no record of anyone breaking such laws." Jones’s convincing analysis should be carefully examined by anyone researching the true origin of Santa. The following brief cites are from Jones’s convincing work:

Nearly everyone repeats this story [the Dutch-Santa]. . . But when we look at the evidence—that is, the newspapers, magazines, diaries, books, broadsides, music, sculpture, and merchandise of past times, the picture is not substantiated. (Jones, Charles. W. "Knickerbocker Santa Claus." The New-York Historical Society Quarterly, October 1954, Volume XXXVIII Number Four, p. 362)

There is no evidence that it [Santa Claus] existed in New Amsterdam, or for a century after occupation. . . (Jones, Charles. W. "Knickerbocker Santa Claus." The New-York Historical Society Quarterly, October 1954, Volume XXXVIII Number Four, p. 362)

I have not found evidence of St. Nicholas in any form—in juveniles or periodicals or diaries—in the period of Dutch rule, or straight through the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries to the year 1773. (Jones, Charles. W. "Knickerbocker Santa Claus." The New-York Historical Society Quarterly, October 1954, Volume XXXVIII Number Four, p. 362)