Stewarton Bible School

Is Christmas Christian?

1. Introduction

'What a strange question,' you may exclaim. 'Of course Christmas is Christian: it commemorates the birth of the Saviour of the world - Jesus Christ - the Son of God!'

Stunning as the following facts may appear, it is essential to bring them to your notice.

This article will first answer the question: When, according to Scripture, was Jesus Christ born? It will then go on to quote various historians who wrote concerning Christmas, then list the scriptural alternatives to Christmas, Easter, All Saints day etc. and the customs associated with them. It will end with a challenging question which all true believers - of whatever faith - must answer.

To begin with let me plainly state that the Scriptures do not give the precise date of the Saviour's birth. However, by close examination of various passages in the Bible we are able to conclude that most certainly he was not born on the 25th December (mid-winter in the northern hemisphere) but at some time in the autumn of the year. Here is how we arrive at that opinion.

2. Scriptural Evidence

The story of the Saviour's birth is well known; but for those who do not have Bibles here it is.
Luke 1: 5: There was in the days of Herod, the king of Judaea, a certain priest named Zacharias, of the course of Abia: and his wife was of the daughters of Aaron, and her name was Elisabeth.
6: And they were both righteous before God, walking in all the commandments and ordinances of the Lord blameless.
7: And they had no child, because that Elisabeth was barren, and they both were now well stricken in years.
8: And it came to pass, that while he executed the priest's office before God in the order of his course,
9: According to the custom of the priest's office, his lot was to burn incense when he went into the temple of the Lord.
10: And the whole multitude of the people were praying without at the time of incense.
11: And there appeared unto him an angel of the Lord standing on the right side of the altar of incense.
12: And when Zacharias saw him, he was troubled, and fear fell upon him.
13: But the angel said unto him, Fear not, Zacharias: for thy prayer is heard; and thy wife Elisabeth shall bear thee a son, and thou shalt call his name John.
14: And thou shalt have joy and gladness; and many shall rejoice at his birth.
15: For he shall be great in the sight of the Lord, and shall drink neither wine nor strong drink; and he shall be filled with the Holy Ghost, even from his mother's womb.
16: And many of the children of Israel shall he turn to the Lord their God.
17: And he shall go before him in the spirit and power of Elias, to turn the hearts of the fathers to the children, and the disobedient to the wisdom of the just; to make ready a people prepared for the Lord.
18: And Zacharias said unto the angel, Whereby shall I know this? for I am an old man, and my wife well stricken in years.
19: And the angel answering said unto him, I am Gabriel, that stand in the presence of God; and am sent to speak unto thee, and to shew thee these glad tidings.

This passage tells us that the angel Gabriel visited Zacharias during the course of Abia. What is meant by "the course of Abia?"

The "course of Abia" (Abijah in Hebrew) we learn from 1 Chronicles 24:7-10, was the 8th of 24 courses during a 12 month year. Each group of priests (all except the most senior who were on duty more often) officiated in the Temple for two weeks every year. Zacharias' turn of duty came when the 8th group (Abijah's) attended; which was during weeks 15 and 16 after the start of the year.

A year in the sacred calendar begins with the new moon nearest the spring equinox. Consequently the new year starts in March or very early April. For the purpose of this study we will work with the equinox date of 20th March. Fifteen weeks (105 days) after the 20th March bring us to early July. In other words, in early July the angel Gabriel told Zechariah that his aged wife Elisabeth would conceive and bear a son, whose name was to be John. Six months into Elisabeth's pregnancy, that is in early January, Gabriel informed the virgin Mary that she also was to conceive and bring forth a son, the Son of the Highest - the Messiah! When Mary said that this was not possible as she had never had sexual intercourse with a man, Gabriel told her that the aged Elisabeth, who had been barren for many, many years, was already six months pregnant - another apparent impossibility with man, but not with God. For with God nothing shall be impossible!
Luke 1: 26: And in the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent from God unto a city of Galilee, named Nazareth,
27: To a virgin espoused to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David; and the virgin's name was Mary.
28: And the angel came in unto her, and said, Hail, thou that art highly favoured, the Lord is with thee: blessed art thou among women.
29: And when she saw him, she was troubled at his saying, and cast in her mind what manner of salutation this should be.
30: And the angel said unto her, Fear not, Mary: for thou hast found favour with God. 31: And, behold, thou shalt conceive in thy womb, and bring forth a son, and shalt call his name JESUS.
32: He shall be great, and shall be called the Son of the Highest: and the Lord God shall give unto him the throne of his father David: 33: And he shall reign over the house of Jacob for ever; and of his kingdom there shall be no end.
34: Then said Mary unto the angel, How shall this be, seeing I know not a man?
35: And the angel answered and said unto her, The Holy Ghost shall come upon thee, and the power of the Highest shall overshadow thee: therefore also that holy thing which shall be born of thee shall be called the Son of God.
36: And, behold, thy cousin Elisabeth, she hath also conceived a son in her old age: and this is the sixth month with her, who was called barren.
37: For with God nothing shall be impossible.

From the above passages we learn, amongst other things, three vital facts:

From the above scriptural evidence it is certain that Jesus Christ was not born on the 25th December but in the autumn of the year. Now this is an amazing fact because late September/early October coincides with the Week of Tabernacles, the most sacred week in the sacred calendar. (Leviticus 23:23-44) The Week of Tabernacles is a memorial of Israel's 40 years in the wilderness when the nation lived in 'tabernacles' (booths or tents) and when Jehovah took up residence in a 'tabernacle' which was pitched in the centre of the camp. That is the low-level memorial of Tabernacles. The high-level reality of Tabernacles was when Yeshua the Son of the Highest, the Messiah, GOD INCARNATE, took up residence in a frail human body. In other words, God 'tabernacled' with mankind in the person of His Son - Jesus Christ!

2. Authoritative Quatations

Now that we know that the Saviour was not born on the 25th December but in the autumn of the year, probably during the Week of Tabernacles, let us consider what various historians say about how the 25th December came to be celebrated as the Saviour's birth. Pause a while and consider the stunning truths you have just read. Here are famous scholars and historians revealing amazing facts: These are truly eye-opening facts. Remember them.

4. Bible Festivals, What Are They?

Christmas is not merely a Pagan festival, its adoption into the ecclesiastical calendar along with several other heathen observances (Easter, Ash Wednesday, Halloween etc.) has almost blinded the church to the sacred Sabbaths of Yahweh mentioned in the Bible: sacred days the whole Christian church is commanded to keep. What are these sacred times? They are: Yes, these are the sacred Sabbaths of the Almighty God, which we are now proclaiming to you.
Leviticus 23: 1: And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying,
2: Speak unto the children of Israel, and say unto them, Concerning the feasts of the LORD, which ye shall proclaim to be holy convocations, even these are my feasts.

These are the only sacred festivals in the Bible which believers are commanded to observe.

5. What Now?

If you have read thus far, you will no doubt be wondering, How does this information affect me? Believe me, I sympathise with you if you are now in a dilemma. Many years ago I was in just such a situation. If all this about Christmas is correct, then how must I react? To ignore truth is obviously not a safe policy to follow: especially when it concerns the choice between Baal worship on the one hand and obedience to the commandments of God on the other. Perhaps you should do what I did when I first learned the truth about Christmas: Go to the library and check it all out. Read as many encyclopaedias, dictionaries and other reference works to see if all this is true. Also read Stewarton Bible School's booklets on the Feast days of the God of Israel and The Sacred Calendar of the God of Israel. And, when you have really studied the matter, make your choice to: There really is no other option.

6. What About My Family?

Many sincere folks will nervously ask: What about my family, my children, my friends? How can I possibly stop keeping Christmas; it's a family day for us and the children and grand-children all expect presents; they'll all think I've gone crazy! Well let me tell you that it was exactly the same for me and my family. I have 4 children and now 8 grand-children. Did they suffer? Do the children feel deprived. Did they understand? I can tell you that the children are the least problem. They'll understand faster than you think. Besides you no longer need to tell them all those lies about Santa Claus visiting millions of homes each Christmas with presents for good little boys and girls. Just tell them the truth: that Xmas is not a festival the Almighty wants Christians to keep and that they will get their presents on His Feasts or on their own birthdays. Incidentally, the patriarchs of old remembered their birthdays: that's how all of them knew how old they were.

Is it possible to stop keeping Christmas? Yes it is: tens of thousands of Christians the world over have already done so. What's more they are now keeping the Festivals of the God of Israel. Believe me, and I can speak from experience, their children and grandchildren are in no way deprived.

Summary

  1. According to the Scriptures Jesus Christ, Yeshua the Messiah was born in the autumn of the year; probably during the Week of Tabernacles. This extremely important Biblical festival commemorates and foreshadows two important events:
  2. The early apostolic Church did not celebrate Christmas. You may read the New Testament again and again and you will find this to be the case.
  3. Only after several centuries did the Roman Church begin to celebrate Christmas: which was - and still is - a pagan festival commemorated in honour of the SUN god, variously known as Tammuz, Mithra, Saturn, Adonis and BAAL! In order to win converts to the Christian faith the Catholic Church adopted this pagan festival, renamed it Christmas and now celebrates it in honour of the SON of GOD! Alas! the whole Christian world, with the exception of a few believers, has followed suit. But Christmas is still a pagan festival through and through. Its change of name from Saturnalia, the birthday of the Sun god, to Christ's Mass has not altered its true character one iota: and the evil spirit behind its celebrations still produces the deception, debt, drunkenness, misrule and licentiousness that characterised the pagan revelries of bygone days.
  4. The sacred festivals listed in the Bible (Leviticus chapter 23) are for Jewish as well as Gentile believers in the God of Israel. These divine festivals constitute the Signature (Sign) of Yahweh the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.
  5. True believers must give up celebrating the heathen festivals of Christmas, Easter, Ash-Wednesday etc. and begin keeping the Bible feasts listed in Leviticus chapter 23. There really is no other safe alternative.
I'll end this article with a prayer that the Holy Spirit will grant you the humility, understanding and courage you will need in order to brake with paganism and take your stand for the Truth of the Almighty God as revealed in His Word.

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Author: David B Loughran
Stewarton Bible School, Stewarton, Scotland
1997     ... Reformatted: December 1999