WHAT IS THE SIGNIFICANCE OF DECEMBER 25?
By Dr. Lee Warren, B.A., D.D.
(c) 2002 PLIM REPORT, Vol. 11 #5
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Introduction
Christians
celebrate the birth of Messiah on December 25th with absolutely no knowledge about its origin. Nor
do they understand what is the original significance of December 25 among the
heathen nations. Finally, Christians have no knowledge of why the Roman Catholic
Church chose this day.
Most
ancient and advanced nations, such as Babylon, Egypt, Persia, Greece, Roman and
England, to name a few, believe December 25th was a solemn day and celebrated it. This
celebration on December 25 was associated with the worship of the sun and the
winter solstice.
The
greatest mystery ever told that was not fully understood by the Gentiles is in
the stars. King David wrote that the heavens declare the glory of Elohim (Psa.
19: 1-4). Before Israel’s prophets wrote it in the Old Testament, the heavens
revealed the story of the Savior’s virgin birth, death, burial, and
resurrection after 3 days (Matt. 12:40; 27:62-64; John 2:19-21).
Now all
cultures have worshiped the sun universally, but nowhere was it more adored than
in Egypt. In fact the king wore the solar disk with wings on it to show forth
that he was the representative of the sun or god on earth. The purpose of this
article is to explain the savior’s story in the heavens. But before discussing
the significance of December 25, we must first discuss the worship of the sun.
What
does the worship of the sun on December 25 reveal?
Now the
pagans’ worship of December 25 reveals the purpose of Yahshua the Messiah
hidden in a mystery. They called this day the birth of the Sun because each day
after December 25, the day light period got longer.
As the sun
makes it journey in the heavens, it moves from the summer solstice, which is
June 21, where it is at its highest point in the heaven to the winter solstice,
which is December 21, where it is at the lowest point in the heavens in the
northern hemisphere. This is one of the shortest daylight periods of the year
and the longest nights. The ancient cultures saw the victory of the sun over
darkness by the daylight period getting longer after December 25, which is why
they call it the birth of the sun (son).
Maxwell
Jordan in his book The Old Time Religion points out the significance of December 25 among
the pagan culture. He writes that on December 22, one of the shortest days of
the year, the night is longer than the day and as the sun moves south in the sky
during winter, the Sun goes south in heaven reaching its lowest point. In the
sky below the equator there are stars in the heavens forming a cross called the
southern cross known as Southern Constellation. Mr. Maxwell points out that on
the sundial the sun appears to stop moving for three days (December 22, 23, 24).
This correlates with the Saviour, Yahshua the Messiah’s being dead for three
days and three nights.
The book Two
Babylons by
Rev. Alexander Hisolp shows the pagan belief in this day. “In
Egypt, the son of lsis, the Egyptian title for the queen of heaven. was born at
this very time, … about the time of the winter solstice. The very name by
which Christmas is popularly known among ourselves- Yule-day §-proves at once
its Pagan and Babylonian origin. Yule “ is the Chaldee name for an
“infant” or “little child;” and as the 25th of December was called by
our Pagan Anglo-Saxon ancestors, “Yule-day,” or the “ Child’s day,”
and the night that preceded it, “ Mother-night,” long before they came in
contact with Christianity, that sufficiently proves its real character.”
He goes on
to say in his book: “Far and wide, in the realms of Paganism, was
this birthday observed. This festival has been commonly believed to have only an
astronomical character, referring simply to the completion of the sun’s yearly
course, and the commencement of a new cycle. But there is indubitable evidence
that the festival in question had a much higher reference than this that it
commemorated not merely the figurative birthday of the sun in the renewal of its
course, but the birth-day of the grand Deliverer.”
As was
stated in the beginning of the article the pagan culture as sun worshippers were
able to see that astronomically the winter solstice told the story of the
Savior’s death and December 25 is the birth of the sun which they attached to
their various gods or deities. Now this explains why the Roman Catholic Church
attaches the Messiah’s birth to this day.
When
was December 25 chosen as Xmas day? And why?
Now the
book Two
Babylons by
Rev. Alexander Hisolp explains how Xmas became to be celebrated as the Messiah
birthday. He writes: “How,
then, did the Romish Church fix on December the 25th as Christmas-da? Why, thus:
Long before the fourth century, and long before the Christian era itself, a
festival was celebrated among the heathen, at that precise time of the year, in
honour of the birth of the son of the Babylonian queen of heaven; and it may
fairly be presumed that, in order to conciliate the heathen, and to swell the
number of the nominal adherents of Christianity, the same festival was adopted
by the Roman Church, giving it only the name of Christ. This tendency on the
part of Christians to meet Paganism half-way was very early developed;”
Conclusion
First, all
mankind as creatures have to recognize that the stars and the various
configurations tell Elohim’s story which was not revealed to the Gentiles
because this was a mystery. The Apostle writes: “How
that by revelation he made known unto me the mystery; (as I wrote afore in few
words, Whereby, when ye read, ye may understand my knowledge in the mystery of
the Messiah) Which in other ages was not made known unto the sons of men, as it
is now revealed unto his holy apostles and prophets by the Spirit; (Eph
3:3-5)”
King David
writes that the mystery of the scriptures was told first by the heavens.
“The heavens declare the glory of Elohim; and the
firmament sheweth his handywork. Day unto day uttereth speech, and night unto
night sheweth knowledge. There is no speech nor language, where their voices is
not heard. Their line is gone out through all the earth, and their words to the
end of the world. In them hath he set a tabernacle for the sun, (Ps
19:1-4).”
This leaves mankind without an excuse, for someone can alter the scriptures, but
they cannot alter the story the stars tell.
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