We can know God and truth by reading His Word, yet even among those claiming belief in God or the Bible, a surprising number of people continue to follow worldly rituals instead of God and His Word. These rituals may be more far demonic than many want to believe. Let's take a look at the origin of Christmas and what it has to do with Nimrod and Satan.
The Ritual of Christmas
The word “Christmas” comes from the Middle English word “Cristemasse,” which comes from the Old English word “Cristes-messe” and means “Christ’s Mass.” It doesn’t take much digging to discover that this human-made holiday was created by the Roman Catholic Church as a Catholic ritual. Christmas has nothing to do with Jesus or His birth, and it has everything to do with Nimrod and Satan. Jesus didn't create or encourage a holiday around his birthday. God didn't forget to include the exact day; its absence from the Bible is intentional. Instead, Jesus warned us repeatedly against the dangers of religion and its rituals. But let’s dig a little deeper.
"Under these circumstances, after so many thousands of people had gathered together that they were stepping on one another, He began saying to His disciples first of all, "Beware of the leaven of the Pharisees, which is hypocrisy." - Jesus (Luke 12:1)
Pagan Sun gods
Two thousand years before the birth of Jesus, pagans worshipped numerous gods, including several sun gods. The Winter Solstice, on December 21st (the darkest day of the year), was the most sacred time for these demonic pagan rituals. Rome, one of the most powerful and influential cities then, was particularly active in these pagan practices. We’ll return to Rome (and the Catholic Church) in a moment. But first, we need to know... who is Nimrod, and how does he play a role in any of this?
Who Is Nimrod?
Before the flood, Noah had three sons, and one of them was named Ham. Later, Ham had a son named Cush, and Cush’s son was Nimrod. So Nimrod was Noah’s great-grandson.
"Now Cush became the father of Nimrod; he became a mighty one on the earth. He was a mighty hunter before the LORD; therefore it is said, "Like Nimrod a mighty hunter before the LORD." - Genesis 10:8-9
Upon first reading this, one might assume that Nimrod was a wonderful guy, but that only appears true to those who haven’t read the rest of the Bible. The word “before” used here is the Hebrew word pānîm (פָּנִים), which means to face, battle, or stand against. Even without a Hebrew translation, as we read further, it becomes evident that Nimrod was in direct conflict with God.
The first use of the word “became” here is the Hebrew word yālaḏ, which means to bear, bring forth, or help to be born, and it refers to Cush becoming the father of Nimrod, as we would expect.
Interestingly, the second word, translated to English as “became” and used to describe Nimrod, is a different Hebrew word, ḥālal (חָלַל), which means to pollute, profane, defile, desecrate, violate, dishonor, to wound, pierce through, as if by opening a wedge.
These words describe Nimrod’s life but also represent the actions of the Fallen Angels when they chose to create half-human, half-fallen-angel hybrids against God’s will. We know that once the bloodline is tainted with things that are no longer fully human, they’re no longer God’s creation, and it's an open door to the power and destruction of Satan.
The name Nimrod means rebellion and is referred to as a “Rebel against the Lord.” Interestingly, Satan is best known for his rebellion against God, which began with pride, and some of those who followed him (known as the Fallen Angels) are part of what’s known as The Great Rebellion. Rebellion against God only leads to darkness, and pride runs deep in Nimrod - from before his birth, placed in his name, and he followed through in his heart with his actions against God. Nimrod is a dark entity after Satan’s own heart.
Nimrod's Mother and Wife
Nimrod married his mother. Yep. (What could go wrong?!) Her name was Semiramis, and she was known by many names in other cultures, including the names of Ishtar, Astarte, Sammu-Ramat, Shammuramat, Isis, Inanna, Diana, Aphrodite, Venus, Easter, and the Queen of Heaven.
The Bible tells us that Nimrod was Noah’s great-grandson. Therefore, Semiramis (Nimrod's mother) was Noah's granddaughter.
Nimrod's Empire
Nimrod was mighty and became the founder and ruler of the first worldwide empire, known as Babylon. He was famous and known worldwide. Across numerous cultures, he went by many names, including Saturn, Osiris, Apollo, Nirari, and Ninus. As the one-world ruler, he declared himself a god and became the sun god of Babylon, known as Baal.
"He was a mighty hunter before (against) the Lord; therefore it is said, "'Like Nimrod a mighty hunter before (against) the LORD.' The beginning of his kingdom was Babel and Erech and Accad and Calneh, in the land of Shinar. From that land he went forth into Assyria, and built Nineveh and Rehoboth-Ir and Calah, and Resen between Nineveh and Calah, that is the great city." - Genesis 10:10-11
Before the flood, we see the prideful, selfish, and sinful actions of the fallen angels as they procreate with humans against God's warning. (Which is the reason for the flood - to wipe out the satanic entities who were exterminating the humans from the earth).
"The Nephilim were on the earth in those days, and also afterward, when the sons of God (fallen angels) came into the daughters of men (human women), and they bore children (angel-human hybrids) to them. Those (the offspring) were the mighty men who were of old, men of renown." - Genesis 6:4
These “mighty men” and “men of renown” are the true-life entities that many people today believe were merely legends or myths. Growing up in the United States, I was taught that the Greek gods, Egyptian rulers, and countless stories of super-powerful giants were fictitious. But to my surprise... in numerous cultures, especially in locations where these stories originate (like Greece), that’s not the case. I’ve learned first-hand testimonies (from those only one or two generations older than me) who laugh at the idea of these stories being “myths” because, in their countries, these are historical facts. The giants did exist. They did rule the world. And the Nephilim did enslave, rape, sacrifice, and eat humans. All the things that God warned them not to do.
There is power in the blood (for good and bad). It’s interesting to note that after the flood, Ham’s bloodline is the one that contains the descendants who carry the tainted Fallen Angel genetics.
God tells us that Noah's bloodline was pure.
"Noah was a just man, perfect in his generations, and Noah walked with God." - Genesis 6:9
Does this mean Noah was perfect? Of course not. God tells us that ALL have sinned. All includes Noah, too. God doesn't say that Noah was perfect, He tells us that his generations/ Noah's bloodline was untainted (by the Fallen Angels).
We know that Noah's bloodline was pure but Ham's offspring were not. Because Ham was the son of Noah, we know it was Ham's wife who carried the corrupted bloodline. And Ham's daughter is Semiramis.
It’s in Ham's bloodline (after the flood) where we see the remnants of the Satanic-created half-human hybrids known as the Nephilim and their ancestors, the giants.
"Miriam (Nimrod's uncle) became the father of Ludim and Anamim and Lehabim and Napthtuhim and Pathrusism and Casluhim (from which came the Philistines and Caphtorim. Canaan became the father of Sidon, his firstborn, and Heth and the Jebusite and the Amorite and the Girgashite and the Hivite and the Arkite and the Sinite, and the Arvadite and the Zemarite and the Hamathite; and afterward the families of the Canaanite were spread abroad. " - Genesis 10:13-18
Notice that these same cities are (not coincidentally) where the genetically-tainted hybrid giants, known as Nephilim, lived.
"Amalek is living in the land of the Negev and the Hittites and the Jebusites and the Amorites are living in the hillcountry, and the Canaanites are living by the sea and by the side of the Jordan. There also we saw the Nephilim (the sons of Anak are part of the Nephilim); and we became like grasshoppers in our own sight, and so we were in their sight." - Numbers 13:29 & 33
Nimrod was undoubtedly of the Nephilim bloodline and is conceivably far more than just another hybrid (but more on that later).
Nimrod's Legacy Continues
When Nimrod died in 2167 BC, his mom/wife promoted the idea that Nimrod had been a god. She also claimed that full-grown evergreen trees were springing up from the dead tree stumps.
A few years later, Semiramis (Nimrod’s mom/wife) claimed that she was visited by the spirit of Nimrod, who made her pregnant through immaculate conception. (Notice Satan's repeating pattern to mimick God's story and attempt to become a god). The immaculate conception isn’t true, but we have seen entities (Fallen Angels) impregnating women (in Genesis 6 - In The Days Of Noah) and this never leads to anything good.
The Fallen Angels (at least those who blasphemed God to procreate with humans) were no longer on the earth at this time because they were thrown into hell.
"... God did not spare the angels when they sinned, but cast them into hell and committed them to pits of darkness, reserved for judgment; and did not spare the ancient world, but preserved Noah, a preacher of righteousness... ." - 2 Peter 2:4-5
But we know other demonic entities can play a role here. There’s also one Fallen Angel, known as Satan, still roaming the earth. He, the leader of the other fallen angels, can also procreate with humans.
Semiramis bore a son named Tammuz (also known as Thammuz, Gilgamesh, Dumuzid, Dumid the Shepherd, Dumuzi, Dumu-zid, or Horus), who she claimed to be the reincarnation of her deceased son/husband, Nimrod. The satanic ideas of Semiramis and the birth of Tammuz are the beginning of the belief in reincarnation in all pagan religions. This birth makes Nimrod and then Tammuz the first Christ-imposters or the first type of antichrist. And the date of birth for the reincarnated Nimrod (now called Tammuz)... is December 25th.
Remember, Semiramis was the mother/wife and then widow to the worldwide ruler, so to secure her reign, she devised a way of keeping the spirit of Nimrod alive. She already deified Nimrod as Baal (the sun god) but needed a way for Nimrod to return to the people. After consulting her astrologers, Semiramis was informed that the sun dies on December 21st (the darkest day of the year) but begins to return to life again on the eve of December 25th as the days grow longer.
With this astrological information in mind, Semiramis claimed that on the anniversary of Nimrod/Tammuz’s birthday (December 25th), Nimrod’s spirit would visit these trees (the evergreen trees that returned from the dead), and Nimrod/Tammuz would leave gifts under them. Hmm, does this sound familiar to the current Christmas ritual today?
Remember, these entities also go by the names of Baal and the Queen of Heaven. These are powerful entities, and we're warned not to participate in their rituals because they're an abomination to God.
Queen of Heaven
Semiramis elevated herself to queen, not only of the land but as a god, and she was known as the Queen of Heaven. God warns us about her and uses the prophet Jeremiah to instruct people not to believe in her demonic ways.
"The word that came to Jeremiah from the LORD, saying...Thus says the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel... Do not trust in deceptive words... do not shed innocent blood in this place, not walk after gods to your own ruin. Will you steal, murder, and commit adultery and swear falsely and offer sacrifices to Baal and walk after other gods that you have not known, then come and stand before Me in this house, which is called by My name and say, 'We are delivered!' -- that you may do all these abominations?
Do you not see what they are doing in the cities of Judah and in the streets of Jerusalem? The children gather wood, and the fathers kindle the fire, and the women knead dough to make cakes for the queen of heaven, and they pour out drink offerings to other gods in order to spite Me." Jeremiah 7:1-19
Notice the connection here, that God, in the same topic, links the abominations of Baal and the Queen of Heaven because they're connected. These rituals aren't holiday games to be taken lightly; they include murdering children by burning them to death on the altar of Baal. Literally.
The children gather the wood for their own sacrifice as their fathers ignite and kindle the fire where they intend to burn their children alive. Meanwhile, the mothers are kneading dough for part of the burned sacrifice of their children to the Queen of Heaven (Semiramis). These rituals are so sick and demonic that you can't even make this stuff up.
'For the sons of Judah have done that which is evil in My sight,' declares the LORD, 'they have set their detestable things in the house which is called by My name, to defile it. They have built the high places of Topheth, which is in the valley of the son of Hinnom (the land of the Nephilim), to burn their sons and their daughters in the fire, which I did not command." - Jeremiah 7:1-31
There is power in the blood, especially in the blood of children --and these demonic entities know it -- that’s why blood is the goal of Semiramis and Baal (also known as Tammuz).
Why are these entities obsessed with blood? Because that’s a critical part of what makes us human: our DNA. Jesus died as our sacrifice on the cross for the sins of all humans. Not demonic entities. So, if they can remove or change enough of what makes us human, they achieve their goal of separating us from God... forever. But genetic manipulation and transhumanism are a blog post for another time.
"They built the high places of Baal that are in the valley of Ben-hinnom, to cause their sons and their daughters to pass through the fire to Molech, which I had not commanded them nor had it entered My mind that they should do this abomination, to cause Judah to sin." - Jeremiah 32:35
These fires are known as the Fires of Molech. Molech was a Canaanite diety (from the bloodline of Ham and the Nephilim), and his specialty was child sacrifice. Children were often sacrificed in a furnace set inside a bronze bull. Interestingly, the bull is a symbol of Baal. And as we see in the verse above, the two entities (Baal and Molech) go together.
According to God, these practices are both a sin and an abomination. Just because we don’t see people offering their children to be burned alive on an altar doesn’t mean these rituals aren’t still in use.
Today, we see parents lining up to sacrifice the lives of their children on Molech's altar, at a rate of one million child sacrifices per year, just in the United States. Parents are the ones we want to believe are there to protect these innocent lives. Yet, while their children struggle for life, the parents willingly have their beautiful child -- while still alive -- cut into pieces, their limbs ripped off, or their body poisoned to death on the abortion table of Molech's altar. According to the WHO (World Health Organization), across the world, there are more than 73 million abortions each year. Seventy-three million. Every year. Molech and Baal are powerful and active entities claiming the blood sacrifice of more than one billion children every fourteen years.
These entities haven’t changed, and neither have their goals... but their tactics have. Knowing God and understanding His Word are the best ways to protect ourselves from not noticing these entities, their tactics, and the demonic source behind all of it. We're to be diligent, know the truth, and not participate in these satanic rituals!
Mother & Child
The pagan image of a god-like mother with her god-child was already in place thousands of years before Jesus Christ. It was the image of Semiramus and her son/husband/reincarnated baby Nimrod/Tammuz. It’s the Queen of Heaven with her reincarnated Nimrod.
"And, said the woman, ' when we were burning sacrifices to the queen of heaven and were pouring out drink offerings to her, was it without our husbands that we made for her sacrificial cakes in her image and poured out drink offerings to her?" - Jeremiah 44:19
"Thus says the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel... do not do this abominable thing which I hate. But they did not listen or incline their ears to turn from their wickedness ... " - Jeremiah 44:2, 4, 5
This entity, idea, and depiction are dangerous, and God instructs us not to create things in her image (in the image of Semiramis/the queen of heaven). According to God, this is wicked.
Nowhere in the Bible does God tell us that Mary was a god, god-like, or had any traits other than fully human. To the contrary, God warns us NOT to worship her (or any other human), angels, created beings, or any entity besides God.
It’s easy to see that these ideas and images all stem from the same root, the roots of Nimrod, Semiramis, and Tammuz. None of this is Christian; it’s paganism infiltrating the religions of the world. The Bible is clear that the universe and all of creation are God-centric, not human-centric, and certainly not Mary-centric, with no reason for Mariology, assumption, dogma, or other false beliefs that are not of God.
Tammuz Death & Resurrection
When it came time for Semiramis to die, she supposedly negotiated a deal... that if she gave the life of someone else, she could live. So she offered her child, Tammuz, in place of herself, and a wild boar killed Tammuz. So distraught by this, she cried for days. After intense crying, she claimed that Tammuz was resurrected through the power of her tears. The death and supposed resurrection of Tammuz began the annual ritual of weeping for Tammuz. Wailing women would tear their hair and lacerate their breasts during this multi-day ritual. It would supposedly resurrect Tammuz from the dead each year before he returned once again to the depths of the earth.
Followers of this pagan ritual believed that Tammuz died each winter, visited them in spirit on December 25th, and was resurrected each spring as a sun god and the god of corn and vegetation. Semiramis declared this springtime ritual to be initiated as a time to remember Nimrod/Tammuz’s reincarnated resurrection, and she named this holiday after herself, one of the names she was known as Easter. Being one of the sun gods, they also worshipped on Sunday (instead of Saturday - the Sabbath Day of the Lord).
Though hundreds of years after this wailing ritual of tears began, it was still practiced as an annual pagan ritual during the time of Jesus. It was even performed at the gate of the Lord’s Temple - which God declared as a great abomination.
"And He said to me, “Son of man, do you see what they are doing, the great abominations which the house of Israel are committing here... " And He said to me, “Yet you will see still greater abominations which they are committing."
Then He brought me to the entrance of the gate of the LORD’S house which was toward the north; and behold, women were sitting there weeping for Tammuz." He said to me, “Do you see this, son of man? Yet you will see still greater abominations than these. Then He brought me into the inner court of the LORD’S house. And behold, at the entrance to the temple of the LORD, between the porch and the altar, were about twenty-five men with their backs to the temple of the LORD and their faces toward the east; and they were prostrating themselves eastward toward the sun.
He said to me, “Do you see this, son of man? Is it too light a thing for the house of Judah to commit the abominations which they have committed here, that they have filled the land with violence and provoked Me repeatedly? For behold, they are putting the twig to their nose. Therefore, I indeed will deal in wrath. My eye will have no pity nor will I spare; and though they cry in My ears with a loud voice, yet I will not listen to them." - Ezekiel 8:6, 13-18
Notice that this ritual of weeping for Tammuz also includes the worship of the sun god, which is the same entity - Nimrod (reincarnated as Tammuz), the sun god, also known as Baal. God tells us plainly that He will not pity those who actively participate in such abominations and satanic rituals, especially those done in the house of the Lord or under His name - which are actions aligned with Satan to provoke God. There's a steep consequence for participating in these rituals.
The Tammuz Tree
Nimrod died relatively young and was considered by his followers to have been “cut down” like a tree.
Jasher is a Biblically endorsed, extra-Biblical book referenced in the Bible, and it’s assumed that the reader has read it as well. Some stories in the Bible are not given in great detail because the book of Jasher is referenced instead, making it unnecessary to repeat the information since the reader is assumed to know this information in greater detail already. For example...
"So the sun stood still, and the moon stopped, until the nation avenged themselves of their enemies. Is it not written in the book of Jasher? And the sun stopped in the middle of the sky and did not hasten to go down for about a whole day.." Joshua 10:13
According to the book of Jasher, Shem (another of the three sons of Noah) placed a bounty on Nimrod's life, and a mighty hunter named Esau (the son of Jacob) killed Nimrod. Interestingly, Shem's bloodline is the same bloodline that Esau, Jacob, Abraham, and Jesus come through. It's also the same bloodline of Moses, Joshua, and David - these three removed nearly all (although not quite all) of the satanic hybrids/giants/Nephilim from the face of the earth (after the flood). There is greater importance and power in the blood than most people realize.
Enoch was a man of God, and the great-grandfather of Noah, while Nimrod was a man of Satan and the great-grandchild of Noah. Enoch’s writings provide the most detailed account of the fall of the “Watcher”: the Fallen Angels who fathered the Nephilim (the giant, half-human hybrids). While the book of Enoch is no longer included in most versions of the Bible, Enoch’s writings are quoted and mentioned by name in both the Old and New Testaments.
With this "cut down" like a tree idea, the pagans were ordered by Nimrod's mother/wife (Semiramis) to celebrate Nimrod's resurrection by cutting down an evergreen tree, taking it into their homes, and decorating it with silver and gold balls to symbolize Nimrod's testicles (remember, Semiramis was also known as the goddess of fertility).
The evergreen tree that revived from the dead was the location where, on the anniversary of Nimrod’s birthday, his spirit would visit these trees and leave gifts under them for his followers. Yes, the gifts under the tree are for those who follow the satanic leader, Nimrod (reincarnated as Tammuz).
Some people (who haven't studied the Word of God) argue that Christmas isn't in the Bible. The truth is, Christmas IS in the Bible. Like many things, its name has been changed (in this case, by the Catholic Church). In the Bible, Christmas is known as the days of Weeping for Tammuz and the Tammuz Tree holiday.
The Tammuz Tree was the idolatry and representation of the slain god (Nimrod) coming to life again with the hope that this demonic entity will give us gifts. These pagan practices were known as the Tammuz Tree, but after the Catholic Church incorporated these pagan beliefs into their church, these rituals and idols became known as the Christmas Tree. Changing the name of a satanic ritual doesn't change the power and energy behind it.
"For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in the high places." Ephesians 6:12
God, himself, warns us about the Tammuz Tree - which many now call the Christmas Tree - but the same ritual by another name maintains its Satanic energetic roots.
"Thus says the LORD, Do not learn the way of the nations, And do not be terrified by the signs of the heavens (sun gods) although the nations are terrified by them. For the customs of the peoples are delusion; because it is wood cut from the forest (Tammuz Tree), the work of the hands of a craftsman with a cutting tool. They decorate it with silver and with gold (Nimrod's testicles); they fasten it with nails and with hammers so that it will not totter." - Jeremiah 10:2-4
"There is none like You, O LORD; You are great, and great is Your name in might... But they are altogether stupid and foolish in their discipline of delusion—their idol is wood! Beaten silver is brought from Tarshish (Nimrod's cousin), and gold from Uphaz, the work of a craftsman... But the LORD is the true God; He is the living God and the everlasting King. At His wrath the earth quakes, and the nations cannot endure His indignation." - Jeremiah 10:6, 8-10
"Thus you shall say to them, “The gods that did not make the heavens and the earth will perish from the earth and from under the heavens. They are worthless, a work of mockery; in the time of their punishment they will perish.” - Jeremiah 10:11, 15
"I know, O LORD, that a man’s way is not in himself, nor is it in a man who walks to direct his steps. Correct me, O LORD, but with justice; not with Your anger, or You will bring me to nothing." - Jeremiah 10:23-24
God tells us these things for a reason and with extreme warnings. It's worth repeating that the same ritual by another name maintains its Satanic energetic roots.
This precise description of today's Christmas tree (also know as a Tammuz tree), is directly tied to these same satanic entities. When we read this passage in context, in chapters seven, eight, and nine, we see Baal mentioned by name, along with the practices of Tammuz and the fires of Molech (with the burning of children). This passage of the Christmas tree is the continuation of topic and thought from the previous chapters. According to God, these are not seperate issues, these ritual practices are linked because the same demonic entites are behind all of them.
It benefits us to embrace God’s blessings that come from avoiding these practices as we humble ourselves and let God’s word and truth direct our lives more than continuing the satanic traditions of Nimrod and his followers.
Nimrod's Unholy Trinity
All the sun-gods created throughout the pagan world after Nimrod were fashioned after his likeness (or are the same entity but described differently in different cultures). They used different names but are still recognizable as copies of the son god of Babylon, known as Nimrod.
Nimrod’s mom/wife declared herself to be the “moon-goddess” and gave herself titles such as “queen of heaven,” “ever-virgin,” and the “mother of god” (that’s where the idea and images of Mary in the Roman Catholic religion came from). She also claimed the title of “fertility goddess,” as she had to be extremely fertile to give birth to all the pagan incarnate gods that represent Nimrod. Just as happened with Nimrod, all future female goddesses were copies of or molded after Semiramis.
Nimrod’s family, in the heart of Babylon, became the first pagan trinity: a blaspheme and rebellion against God. Nimrod became known as “god-the-father,” Tammuz was known as “god-the-son,” and Semiramis became the “dove” or “spirit” that held the unholy union together.
Tammuz was the offspring of two pagan gods, the sun god, Nimrod, and (his messed up relationship with his mother/wife), the moon-goddess of ancient Babylon. Tammuz was supposedly conceived through immaculate conception and was born on December 25th. The tree used to celebrate this ritual represents the slain god (Nimrod) to be reborn. The symbol of the adorned tree (with gold and silver balls) invites Nimrod to enter that house (as all demonic activity requires invitation). In this case, the invitation is given with the hope of an exchange of worldly gifts placed under the tree. Sound familiar?!
Remember, these are not human entities but forbidden hybrids with eternal spirits. No matter how long it's been since their original physical body died, their spirits continue to exist. Nimrod/Tammuz/Baal/Moloch, along with Semaramis/Ishtar, are all powerful entities who are alive and active in the spiritual realm today (which is entwined with and influences our physical world far more than most people realize). When we use specific symbolic invitations to invite these demonic entities into our homes, they're ready and waiting! These powerful, satanic entities have been doing this for thousands of years; they know what they're doing and how to deceive and entice humans into their plan. None of this is coincidental; it's a purposeful strategy.
This pagan holiday, along with its Tammuz (Christmas) Tree rituals and satanic presence, is in direct opposition to the truth: to the Holy Trinity of God the Father, God the Son Jesus Christ, and God the Holy Spirit. God and His trinity are the creators of the universe and all things. Created beings are incapable of becoming more than their creator, God.
Nimrod's Tower of Babel - The Root Of All Pagan Religions
Babylon was Nimrod's central city, and the Tower of Babel stood prominently within his vast territory. Nimrod was prideful and furious with God, so he set out to kill the being (God) who caused the flood because it killed his ancestors (the Satanic hybrid giants and first Nephilim). So Nimrod attempted to build a structure in opposition to God. There's too much here to include in this blog post, so I'll summarize to say that this was Satanic, and God put a stop to it.
Once Babylon (and the Tower of Babel) dispersed, the Babylonians were scattered and spread their pagan beliefs worldwide. Nimrod and his family's pagan beliefs and rituals are seen in every pagan religion around the world today. Their gods and goddesses have different names, but the principles remain the same.
Most pagan religions are either created or influenced by Nimrod, but as we've seen with the Roman Catholic Church, even religions that claim some form of Christ have invited, welcomed, and changed their rituals, practices, and doctrine based on the Satanic lies of Nimrod. Being deceived and adopting satanic practices is precisely what Paul warned us about in his many letters to the churches, cautioning against false doctrines, watered-down principles, or inviting Satanic influences into the churches.
"Now I urge you, brethren, keep your eye on those who cause dissensions and hindrances contrary to the teaching which you learned, and turn away from them. For such men are slaves, not of our Lord Christ but of their own appetites; and by their smooth and flattering speech they deceive the hearts of the unsuspecting." - Romans 16:17-18
"But false prophets also arose among the people, just as there will also be false teachers among you, who will secretly introduce destructive heresies, even denying the Master who bought them, bringing swift destruction upon themselves. Many will follow their sensuality, and because of them the way of the truth will be maligned; and in their greed they will exploit you with false words; their judgment from long ago is not idle (Nimrod/Baal, Semiramis), and their destruction is not asleep. (these entities are still alive)" 1 Peter 2:1
These are potent warnings, as these entities are not asleep or idle; they're actively deceiving people today.
Nimrod was a rebel who allowed himself to be worshipped as a god. In the post-flood era, Nimrod's rebellion became the foundation of humankind's largest religions. Throughout history, this system of satanic worship became known as the "Babylonian Mystery Religion."
Nimrod's Legacy Continues
Nimrod wielded so much power over the pagan world that hundreds of years later, long after Nimrod's death, Assyria was still regarded as "the land of Nimrod."
"They will shepherd the land of Assyria with the sword, the land of Nimrod at its entrances; and He will deliver us from the Assyrian when he attacks our land and when he tramples our territory." - Micah 5:6
Nimrod, as the first worldwide ruler, was known to everyone on the planet, and his birthday (the one of his/Tammuz reincarnation) on December 25th was celebrated for centuries before Jesus was born on the earth.
There is plenty of evidence that Santa is the symbol of Nimrod's essence. But to compare either of these satanic entities with the creator and savior of the world is horrifying. Yet this is the plan of the underworld, to entice and deceive people into action. December 25th marks the birthday of Nimrod's supposed reincarnation, NOT the birth of Jesus. To confuse or merge these two is nothing short of blaspheme.
When In Rome
To understand the origins of Christmas, we once again return to Rome. In 312AD, the Roman emperor Constantine converted from paganism to what's known today as Catholicism (which comes from the word katholikos, and means Universalism - so it's no surprise that this is a hybrid of other religions - including Nimrod and Semiramis). (Remember, all religions, cults, false, and worldly beliefs are based on the demonic entities of Nimrod and Semiramis).
After converting, Constantine tried to influence his empire toward Roman Catholic rituals and beliefs. But in an empire overflowing with pagans (whose practices were in practice for more than two thousand years), it was difficult for people to change their pagan beliefs. So, Constantine and many of his followers, instead of changing the minds of the people toward truth, they changed their religion to blend with the pagan world. They merged several pagan holidays to create a single, one-world holiday.
The person who chose December 25th as the day for this newly created holiday was Pope Julius the 1st. By inviting Satanic, pagan, and Nimrod-based (sun-god/Baal) worship rituals, they enticed pagans to join their so-called religious following. Not because the pagans had a change of heart but because the church invited the demonic entities and satanic rituals into their religion.
We see the Roman Catholic Church and the current Pope perpetuating this man-created, hybrid-based Christ-Mass ritual today. Also, notice that these rituals actively continue throughout the pagan world as well. Sadly, these practices extend into other religions around the world, including many Christian churches today. To incorporate anything of the world -- especially those rituals and practices that come from demonic entities -- is sternly warned against and is blasphemy and sin. Instead, we're to study God's Word so we can know and recognize these things.
"Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that you may prove what the will of God is, that which is good and acceptable and perfect." - Romans 12:2
"Now these were more noble-minded than those in Thessalonica, for they received the word with great eagerness, examining the Scriptures daily to see whether these things were so." - Acts 17:11
"Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free." - John 8:32
Many Christians might wonder, but wasn't Jesus born on December 25th also? Maybe it's a celebration of both? Nope.
Jesus Wasn't Born In December
God goes into tremendous detail about days, times, hours, and specific events (even what to wear, how to arrange things, and down-to-the-minute timing of holidays), yet there's no mention of the exact day of Jesus' birth or a commandment to celebrate it annually (unlike the annual celebrations of the Seven Biblical Feasts). The omission of an obvious birth date for Jesus is intentional. If it were critical for us to know and to celebrate on a specific day in a certain way, God would tell us. Even if a holiday were merely encouraged, God would let us know. But it's excluded as a date and as a holiday. That speaks volumes. Instead, God (through the Bible) instructs us to honor the birth of Jesus every day as a celebration of life and with gratitude for salvation. Remember, His coming wasn't about being born; His purpose was to save our souls (through His death and resurrection). (But that's a topic for another day.)
The Biblical information points to the fact that Jesus was not born in December or during winter at all. An obvious clue is the shepherds.
"In the same region there were some shepherds staying out in the fields and keeping watch over their flock by night." - Luke 2:8
In the northern hemisphere, December is the coldest month of the year. Even in Israel, the temperatures are often in the mid-forties and occasionally drop to 30 degrees. That time of year, shepherds don't typically stay outside in the fields overnight, as moving the flocks to more protected shelter is customary whenever possible. In Israel, shepherds usually only stay out in the fields (with their flock) overnight from spring through autumn. So we can conclude that Jesus was born sometime between springtime and autumn. Not winter.
Of course, Israel has a relatively mild climate, so this can't be used as absolute proof or evidence that Jesus wasn't born in December.
Winer Census?
Another clue that Jesus was not born in winter is Caesar's degree for a worldwide census. This census mandated that every inhabitant of the earth be accounted for, and for most, that meant a long journey from their homes to register at the location of their birth or their ancestor's city.
The census is why Mary and Joseph were traveling in the first place.
"Now in those days a decree went out from Caesar Augustus, that a census be taken of all the inhabited earth. And everyone was on his way to register for the census, each to his own city. Joseph also went up from Galilee, from the city of Nazareth, to Judea, to the city of David which is called Bethlehem, because he was of the house and family of David, in order to register along with Mary, who was engaged to him, and was with child." - Luke 2:1, 3-5
While it may not snow all winter in Bethlehem, it does get below freezing, and snow does occur there. But even at times without snow, temperatures in the thirties are very uncomfortable, especially considering most would be traveling for miles on foot or by donkey.
This mandated travel would unlikely have been decreed during the cold winter, making a long journey far more challenging. So, once again, Jesus being born sometime between spring and autumn is a far greater certainty.
Jesus' Actual Birthday
To calculate the birthday of Jesus, we must first know about the birth of John the Baptist.
"In the days of Herod, king of Judea, there was a priest named Zacharias, of the division of Abijah; and he had a wife from the daughters of Aaron, and her name was Elizabeth." - Luke 1:5
"Now it happened that while he was performing his priestly service before God in the appointed order of his division, according to the custom of the priestly office, -Luke 1:6
an angel of the Lord appeared to him, standing to the right of the altar of incense. - Luke 1:11
the angel said to him, "Do not be afraid, Zacharias, for your petition has been heard, and your wife Elizabeth will bear you a son, and you will give him the name John." -Luke 1:13
John's dad, Zacharias, was a priest of the division of Abijah. And Gabriel appeared to him while Zacharias served as a priest in the temple. We know this wasn't during one of the special holidays (that required all the priests to come to the temple) because God tells us it was "in the appointed order of his division."
We can narrow this timeframe on a calendar because the priestly duties were divided into twenty-four divisions, each serving for two weeks out of the year.
"Now the division of the descendants of Aaron were these... they were divided by lot, for they were the officers of the sanctuary and officers of God... Now the first lot came out for Jehoiarib, the second for Jedaiah... the seventh for Hakkoz, the eighth (lot, not month) for Abijah... the twenty-fourth for Maaziah." - 1 Chronicles 24:1, 5-10, 18
These two weeks of service were divided into one-week segments (from sabbath to sabbath) and repeated through the twenty-four divisions twice a year (in their appointed order).
"So the Levites and all Judah did according to all that Jehoiada the priest commanded. And each one of them took his men who were to come in on the sabbath, with those who were to go out on the sabbath, for Jehoiada the priest did not dismiss any of the divisions." - 2 Chronicles 23:8
This pattern resulted in each division serving two one-week periods each year. Note that the division of Abijah is also spelled "AbiYah" in Hebrew (as it means My Father is Yah).
We know from multiple sources that the division of Abijah served as priests in the temple during the fourth week of the month of Iyar (the eighth week of the Jewish year). And again during the fourth week of the month of Heshvan (the 32nd week of the year - since the divisions serve in order and on repeat) (according to the sacred Jewish calendar).
That puts the event of the angel Gabriel visiting Zacharias in either mid-May or the beginning to middle of November. (The Jewish religious calendar has fewer than 365 days and begins in March with Passover).
We know that Mary conceived Jesus during the sixth month of Elizabeth's pregnancy (with John the Baptist). Therefore, if Elizabeth conceived John the Baptist in either mid-May or the beginning to middle of November, that makes the miraculous conception (not the birth) of Jesus in either mid-November or the beginning to middle of May.
"When the days of his priestly service ended, he went back home. - Luke 1:23
After these days (the days of Zacharias' priestly service) Elizabeth his wife became pregnant and she kept herself in seclusion for five months," - Luke 1:24
Now in the sixth month (of Elizabeth's pregnancy) the angel Gabriel was sent from God to a city in Galilee called Nazareth, to a virgin engaged to a man whose name was Joseph, - Luke 1:26-27
The angel said to her, "Do not be afraid, Mary; for you have found favor with God. And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you shall name Him Jesus." - Luke 1:30-31
And behold, even your relative Elizabeth has also conceived a son in her old age; and she who was called barren is now in her sixth month." - Luke 1:36
Remember, God tells us,
"When the days of his (Zacharias') priestly service ended, he went back home.
After these days (the days of Zacharias' priestly service) Elizabeth his wife became pregnant - Luke 1:23-34
Even if Zacharias was visited by Gabriel on the first day of his service, he completed his week (until the following Sabbath) before heading home.
The end of service for the division of Abijah (and the beginning of the next week) would be the first week of Sivan, or the first week of Kislev. This would be the earliest possibility for Zacharias to be home and for Elizabeth to become pregnant.
Being six months apart, Jesus was born fifteen months (and perhaps one week) after the angel Gabriel appeared to Elizabeth’s husband, Zacharias. (That’s six months prior, plus one week of service and nine months of pregnancy).
To be more precise (since our current months aren't the same length), if we calculate six months (twenty-four weeks) plus one week and forty weeks (of pregnancy) on the sacred Jewish calendar, we get sixty-five weeks.
Gabriel's visit, during the fourth week of the month of Iyar, plus sixty-five weeks, brings us to the first week of the month of Tishri, which is approximately mid-September (at the earliest).
If Gabriel's visit was during the fourth week of the month of Heshvan, and we add sixty-five weeks, that brings us to the first week of Nisan, approximately mid-March (at the earliest).
We can conclude that Jesus was certainly not born during winter, and he was either born in the spring or autumn. But which one?
Based on the fact that Jesus was crucified during the Passover (which is in the spring) and he was 33 and a half years old at that time, we know he couldn't have been born in the spring. It would have been six months before that, leaving us only the autumn date.
Depending on whether the conception of both Elizabeth and Mary's pregnancies was immediate after the angel's visit or if there was a week or two delay (for one or both), we can conclude that Jesus was born between the first day of Tishri and the fourth week of Tishri, which is mid-September or early October.
Jesus was born between the first day of Tishri and the fourth week of Tishri, which is mid-September to early October.
If the Bible tells us that Jesus was born during the month of Tishri, can we narrow it down even more? I believe we can!
Feast of Tabernacles
Interestingly, and certainly not by coincidence, Tishri, which is the seventh month of the Jewish calendar (mid-September/early October), is the month of the Feast of Tabernacles. This festival begins on the 15th of the Jewish month of Tishri. For our current calendars, this usually occurs between mid-September and early to mid-October.
"Again the LORD spoke to Moses, saying, 'Speak to the sons of Israel, saying, 'On the fifteenth day of this seventh month shall be the Feast of Tabernacles for seven days unto the LORD." - Leviticus 23:33-34
In the Bible, there’s an interesting - and no doubt purposeful - word choice to describe Jesus’ birth.
"And the Word (Jesus) became flesh, and dwelt among us, we saw His glory, glory as of the only begotten from the Father, full of grace and truth." - John 1:14
The word translated as “dwelt” is the Greek word skēnoō, which means “to tabernacle.” This verse literally says, "And the Word became flesh, and tabernacled among us."
In the Old Testament, God dwelt among the Israelites through the tabernacle.
God also refers to the human body as a tabernacle, so it makes sense that for Jesus to dwell among us, He was given a tabernacle (body) to do so.
"For we know that if our earthly house of this tabernacle (our body) were dissolved, we have a building of God, a house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens. For we that are in this tabernacle (physical body) do groan, being burdened (by our flesh), not for that we be unclothed, but clothed upon, that mortality might be swallowed up of life." - 2 Corinthians 5:1-4
In the New Testament, when Jesus came to earth (as an infant) to tabernacle among humankind, He, of course, could have perfectly timed His arrival in that Bethlehem manger to coincide with the Feast of Tabernacles. This perfect timing is extraordinarily fitting because the Feast of Tabernacles is the holiest day and the most joyous of all the seven Jewish feasts. It’s the feast of thanksgiving.
God won't fulfill the complete meaning of the Feast of Tabernacles until the Lord returns to tabernacle among men for a thousand years, during the Millennium (which follows the upcoming seven-year Tribulation).
Interestingly, the Feast of Tabernacles is the seventh and final feast. It represents the Kingdom of the Lord and is known as the “Face To Face.” In both uses, humankind is honored to see God face to face - first in the flesh as Jesus and again when He returns as King.
How fitting that perhaps God’s timing includes this specific festival as a way to begin things, yet it’s also the last festival to be fulfilled. Like God himself, He is the beginning and the end.
"I am the Alpha and the Omega, the first and the last, the beginning and the end." - Revelation 22:13
God's timing is always intentional and perfect.
This perfect timing, of course, fits flawlessly into His preset timeline. Jesus was 33 and a half years old before his crucifixion. If He was born in spring or late December, this couldn’t be true.
We know Jesus was crucified during Passover - fulfilling the prophecy to become the Passover lamb. And if Jesus was born on the 15th of Tishri (in late September or early October), that would be six months before Passover (which occurs at the beginning of spring), making Him precisely 33 and a half years old.
But does God (through His Bible) give us more evidence that Jesus was born during the Feast of Tabernacles? I believe He does!
No Room at the Inn
The infant, Jesus, was laid in a manger because there was no room for them in the inn. But was it really an Inn?
"And she gave birth to her firstborn son; and she wrapped him in cloths, and laid Him in a manger, because there was no room for them in the inn." - Luke 2:7
The Greek word that's translated to "Inn" here is "katalyma," which means "a lodging place" or "temporary shelter."
Interestingly, in Hebrew, the Feast of Tabernacles is called the "Sukkah," which means "temporary shelter."
The Feast of Tabernacles is a seven-day festival where temporary structures (much like a hut) are built for lodging during the week-long festival. These shelters tend to have at least three walls and a covering typically made from branches.
For added clarity, a different word appears only a few chapters later (written by the same author, Luke - via the Holy Spirit), although it's also translated into English as "Inn."
"Likewise, a Levite also, when he came to the place and saw him, passed by on the other side. But a Samaritan who was on a journey, came upon him; and when he saw him, he felt compassion, and came to him and bandaged up his wounds, pouring oil and wine on them, and he put him on his own beast, and brought him to an inn and took care of him. On the next day he took two denarii and gave them to the innkeeper and said, 'take care of him, and whatever more you spend, when I return I will repay you." - Luke 10:32-35
Here, the Greek word (translated as Inn) is "pandocheion," which means "a public house for the reception of strangers."This word represents a different kind of place than the previous one. Luke 10 describes an innkeeper and a more formal lodging, unlike Luke 2, which includes a more intimate term that also appears as a temporary shelter (rather than a permanent hotel).
This intentionally chosen word (katalyma, meaning "temporary shelter") may indicate that Jesus' birth occurred during the week of the Feast of Tabernacles (which is in the autumn, late September to early October). The sukkah (as a small, temporary shelter) would have afforded them no room for a woman to give birth, so they opted for an adjacent stable instead.
"Speak to the sons of Israel, saying, 'On exactly the fifteenth day of the seventh month (Tishri), when you have gathered in the crops of the land, you shall celebrate the feast of the LORD for seven days... Now on the first day you shall take for yourselves the foliage of beautiful trees, palm branches and boughs of leafy trees and willows of the brook, and you shall rejoice before the LORDyour God for seven days... You shall live in tabernacles for seven days; all the native-born in Israel shall live in tabernacles (during the Feast of Tabernacles)." - Leviticus 23:34, 39
As part of the celebration, all families in Israel were living in their temporary sukkah during that week, making each one fully occupied -- since each sukkah was constructed only large enough for that particular family. Being obedient Jews, it's unlikely any Israelites (including Mary and Joseph) would morally be staying inside a house or in a hotel during that week. Instead, they'd be seeking shelter in a sukkah. So perhaps, the family offered their nearby stable instead.
Since Mary and Joseph were closing in on their journey to Jerusalem (only a few miles away), they were in Bethlehem. Interstingly, Bethlehem is the region where animals were raised for sacrifice at the Temple. So, there was likely a large number of well-cared-after shelters for animals in the area. These animals would become a loving sacrifice for God, in the same, humble place where Jesus was born, who would become the all-encompassing loving sacrifice for all of humanity.
It's also worth noting here that during His triumphant entry when Jesus rides into Jerusalem as King, the people cut branches from the trees and rejoice, just as occurs during the Feast of Tabernacles! In Matthew 21, we see Jesus' triumphant entry as King as he makes His way from the Mount of Olives to Jerusalem.
"The disciples went and did as Jesus had instructed them, and brought the donkey and the colt, and laid their coats on them; and He sat on the coats.
Most of the crowd spread their coats in the road, and others were cutting branches from the trees and spreading them in the road.
The crowds going ahead of Him, and those who followed were shouting, Hosanna to the Son of David; Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord; Hosannah in the highest!
When He had entered Jerusalem, all the city was stirred, saying, 'Who is this?' And the crowds were saying, 'this is the prophet Jesus, from Nazareth in Galilee." - Matthew 21:6-11
And in the book of John, we see the same description, including palm tree leaves and rejoicing.
"On the next day the large crowd who had come to feast, when they heard that Jesus was coming to Jerusalem, took the branches of the palm trees and went out to meet Him, and began to shout, 'Hosanna! Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord, even the King of Israel. " - John 12:12-13
It's again, by no coincidence, that the Son of God, on this exact day, the day of His birth (the 1st of Tishri), the people were cutting down foliage, palm branches, and boughs of leafy trees to rejoice over the Lord. It's just as the prophets had said.
"Speak to the sons of Israel, saying, 'On exactly the fifteenth day of the seventh month (Tishri), when you have gathered in the crops of the land, you shall celebrate the feast of the LORD for seven days... Now on the first day you shall take for yourselves the foliage of beautiful trees, palm branches and boughs of leafy trees and willows of the brook, and you shall rejoice before the LORD your God... " - Leviticus 23:34, 39
Wow!
God's Word, the Bible, continues to blow my mind with His level of detail, purposeful intention, and intricate, perfectly timed plans. I'm grateful and humbled as each piece comes together for us while we grow deeper in His Word.
The Feast of Tabernacles lasts for seven days. How do we know Jesus was born on the first day of the festival? Let's take a deeper look!
An Exact Birthday?
As instructed by God (in Leviticus), the infant Jesus was circumcised eight days after His birth.
"Then the LORD spoke to Moses, saying, 'Speak to the sons of Israel, saying, 'When a woman gives birth to a male child... On the eighth day the flesh of his foreskin shall be circumcised." - Leviticus 12:1-3
And regarding the first seven and then the eighth day after the Feast of Tabernacles, God declares:
"Again the LORD spoke to Moses, saying, 'Speak to the sons of Israel, saying, 'On the fifteenth day of this seventh month shall be the Feast of Tabernacles for seven days unto the LORD." - Leviticus 23:33-34
"On the eighth day you shall have a holy convocation and present an offering by fire to the LORD; it is an assembly." - Leviticus 23:36
Exactly eight days after Jesus was born, He was taken to the temple in Jerusalem to be circumcised.
"And when eight days had passed, before His circumcision, His name was then called Jesus... And when the days for their purification according to the law of Moses were completed, they brought Him up to Jerusalem to present Him to the Lord..." to carry out for Him the custom of the Law... When they had performed everything according to the Law of the Lord, they returned to Galilee, to their own city of Nazareth." - Luke 2:21-22, 27, 39
The eighth day of the Feast of Tabernacles is known as Simchat Torah., which means "rejoicing in the Torah," "Rejoicing over the Law." or "Rejoicing over the Word." On this joy-filled day, the Jews celebrate the Torah (the first five books of the Bible).
This day marks the end of one yearly cycle of reading the Torah and the joyful celebration to begin reading the Torah again.
On this eighth day, Jesus is circumcised as His first act is of obedience and fulfillment of the law. It's perfectly appropriate that Jesus fulfills this new beginning as He is the Torah, He is the Word.
Jesus is the fulfillment of the Law Himself. Jesus is our living, breathing Torah. He is the Word.
"In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God." - John 1:1
"And the Word (Jesus) became flesh, and dwelt among us," - John 1:14
The Feast of Tabernacles is the seventh feast, during the seventh month (in the Jewish calendar), and it lasts for seven days. In the Bible, the number seven is the number of completion for the natural world. So it's no surprise that God would use this festival as His holy day to bring Christ -- in the flesh -- to humanity. And the number eight rises above all of the natural world... to the supernatural, God.
Interestingly, the number eight (in the Bible) means "a new beginning" and also "eternity." Jesus' birth was a new beginning for humankind, as He is our eternal savior.
Therefore, if Jesus was eight days old on the eighth day of the Feast of Tabernacles, then Jesus was born on the first day of the festival. Then (fittingly and in God's perfect timing), we can conclude that Jesus was born on the fifteenth day of Tishri.
Jesus was born on the fifteenth day of Tishri.
An Exact Year?
If we know that Jesus was born on the fifteenth day of the seventh month (of Tishri), what day is that on our current calendars?
To know this, we need to know the year of Jesus' birth.
It seems evident that Jesus' birth occurred in the year between B.C. (Before Christ) and A.D. (Anno Domini - meaning "in the year of the Lord." One would assume it would be 1 AD, but that's not necessarily correct. Sadly, it's more complicated than that.
The birth of Jesus was so profound that it changed everything... from hearts and lives to salvation and eternity; it also changed history and the way we calculate time. Yet, in true Satan fashion, the dark entities work diligently to remove as much of God from this world as possible.
Sadly, this includes adding, subtracting, and misguiding the accuracy of calendars... until our current calendars no longer testify to the exact year of our Lord's arrival.
The calculations to find the exact year are challenging, and the depth of bible study involved takes me from the seventy weeks of Daniel 9 (490 years) to the temple dedication in Ezra 6, and then to Genesis, Revelation, and so many places in between. Because I don't reach a confident date, I won't elaborate on the Bible verses that led me this close.
Per usual, using the Bible as my primary (if not the solitary source -- instead of man-created supposition), the best calculation for Jesus' birth is 4 BC or 5 BC (although there is some merit for 3 BC and 6 BC).
When we consider that Jesus was crucified on a Wednesday (and if that's news to you, then this is a bigger calculation that I won't do here, so happy blessings to you as you research that truth as well). And, yes, the "Good Friday" idea, combined with being raised on Sunday morning, isn't scriptural if Jesus was dead for three days. There's plenty of scripture to back this idea, so I'll let you discover that on your own.
According to Exodus, Passover falls on the fifteenth day of the month of Nisan. Passover begins Thursday after sundown. Therefore, Jesus was crucified on a Wednesday evening, which was the Day of Preparation for Passover, and He was raised to life again before sunrise on Sunday morning.
If Jesus was crucified on the Day of Preparation for Passover and if that was on a Wednesday in that year, then the year that makes the most sense for His birth is 5 BC, making Passover on Nisan 14, 5 BC, which is Wednesday, March 21, 5 BC.
We also know that John the Baptist was born on Passover, which was six months before Jesus' birth. So if John's birthday was on Nisan 14, 5 BC, that's Wednesday, March 21, 5 BC, then Jesus was born on the 15th of Tishri in 5 BC (7-15-5, 3757), and on our current calendar, that's Wednesday, September 16th, 5 BC.
Jesus was born on the fifteenth day of Tishri. If the year of His birth was 5 BC, then Jesus was born on Wednesday, September 16th, 5 BC.
This exact date (for our modern calendar) is more difficult to arrive at with only scripture backing up scripture. There is strong biblical evidence to confidently determine that Jesus was born on the fifteenth day of Tishri. But we can't stand as firmly on the September 16th date as the exact year isn't as clear. It's an excellent guess, and we know the exact date is sometime between mid-September and early October.
A Jubilee & Grace
When we consider 5 BC as the year that Jesus might have been born, it's interesting to note that the number five symbolizes God's grace, goodness, and favor toward humans. Wow. Jesus' birth, death, and resurrection to life for the salvation of human souls is certainly the unconditional and loving act of God's grace on all of us.
As we continue to read about the birth of Jesus in Luke chapter 2, we find God's grace!
"When they (Mary, Joseph, and 8-day-old Jesus) had performed everything according to the Law of the Lord, they returned to Galilee, to their own city of Nazareth. The Child (Jesus) continued to grow and become strong, increasing in wisdom; and the grace of God was upon Him." - Luke 4:39-40
God's grace appears numerous times throughout scripture. Here, we see God's grace in reference to Jesus once again.
"For the grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation to all men." - Titus 2:11
God's grace is the merciful kindness by which God opened the door to salvation (through Christ). It's also through His grace that we can gain biblical knowledge and increase in strength and wisdom through the trials of this dark world.
And it's by no coincidence that we call it grace when we humbly bow in prayer to give thanks. We thank God for grace. It would be fitting and perfect timing for God to give us the grace of Jesus during this particular year - the year of His birth. Grace upon Grace.
Many chronologies conclude that 4 BC was the 80th jubilee year (as described in Leviticus 25 and 27). A jubilee year is a time of forgiveness, and freedom from bondage, followed by celebration. These don't happen very often! A jubilee year follows a period of seven cycles of seven years (49 years), and the jubilee is celebrated during the fiftieth year. The year following Jesus' birth may be the eightieth jubilee year (yes, eighty celebrations with fifty years in between -- exactly 400 years since the first jubilee). And this 80th jubilee would begin a few months after Jesus was born.
Biblically, the number 80 signifies the culmination of a journey of task and the fulfillment of God's promise. Perhaps this is the fulfillment of God's promise that a Savior would be born, and Jesus is our passage of forgiveness and freedom from the bondage of sin and death. So we celebrate His grace and the freedom that comes with Him.
Interestingly, the word jubilee means"the blast of a horn," which is celebrated by the trumpet of the shofar. Of course, we know the sound of the shofar trumpet ushers in the arrival of Jesus in the future as well, when He comes for His people during the rapture and again when He returns at the end of the seven-year Tribulation.
If you'd like to know more about When Will Jesus Return (and the importance for Christians to know about God's Holy Days, read my blog post!)
The Antichrist, False Prophet & The Tribulation
All of this grace and blessing focused on humans (who are created lower than the angels) makes the fallen angels rage with jealousy. So they're doing everything in their power to separate humans from the loving grace of God.
Today, we face the same infiltration of satanic practices that they did in biblical times... sadly, even within our churches and certainly in all the religions of the world, we see the hand of Satan.
One of Satan's repeating tactics is to use just enough truth in his lies to make them believable by mimicking God. If you can't beat Him, join Him (or at least pretend to join Him... or pretend to be Him).
During the upcoming seven-year tribulation, an entity called the Antichrist will rule the world with a one-world-government. Similar to what Nimrod accomplished as the first one-world ruler.
This upcoming Antichrist has a sidekick known as the False Prophet, who rules the world with a one-world religion. The False Prophet is described in the Bible with characterizations that make it difficult not to see his role is clearly to unite all religions and Satanic worship into one katholikos or universal religion. Sound familiar?
Requiring swiftness (as the first 3 1/2 years are critical to Satan’s plan), this universal religion forms from an already established enormous following across the planet. Other prominent religions will unite with this one and create the one-world religion.
True to Satan's repeating pattern, this one-world religion will distort the truth and separate people from God. Remember, Satan is described in the Bible as "an angel of light" and "the morning star," so his deception (especially after thousands of years to plan it) will be immensely believable (except to those who study God's Bible -- which He gave to us for this exact reason).
Nimrod's Return?
In June of 2000, archeologists claim to have found the tomb of Nimrod. And today, scientists are working on technology to resurrect extinct beings.
One such project is a group of genetic scientists (using CRISPR Gene Editing Technology) working to bring back the Wooly Mammoth by 2027.
There are plans to eventually have thousands of genetically modified Wooly Mammoths roaming northern Canada, Alaska, Siberia, and Antarctica. The resurrection of extinct mammals may sound like a fictional movie, but this project is backed by numerous investors and more than 15 million dollars already.
Interestingly, the business plan for this project appears to have no financial ability to pay back investors, making it evident that there’s a very different reason to invest in genetic work that can create de-extinction. The resurrection of the Wooly Mammoth is only the beginning. Conceivably, the Nephilim (re-animated from the DNA of buried giants) are next. And perhaps, resurrecting Nimrod’s body is already underway.
People not familiar with biblical eschatology (the study of biblical End Times) may find the idea of bringing Nimrod back to life to rule the world difficult to believe. But the Bible tells us this (about the coming Antichrist),
"The beast that you saw was, and is not, and is about to come up out of the abyss and go to destruction. And those who dwell on the earth, whose name has not been written in the book of life from the foundation of the world, will wonder when they see the beast, that he was and is not and will come." - Revelation 17:8
An entity that was in existence (in the past) but isn’t right now (is currently dead) yet will come back (in the future) prompts more than a few questions. Is the Antichrist raised from the dead? Well, I don’t see any Biblical evidence that anyone except God can raise the dead (especially after several days, years, or centuries). But perhaps, that leaves the possibility of a genetically-engineered de-extinction process.
We also know that possession (of a human body) by a demonic entity is possible. And today, it’s conceivable that the Antichrist could be the return of a deceased Nimrod who arrives through biotech along with his resurrected demonic seed.
Repeating History
As interbreeding between genetically modified humans increases, altered DNA migrates into the natural environment. When that happens (as is already occurring among genetically modified plants and animals), man-altered or Fallen Angel gene characteristics will once again be spread and rise through the human gene pool, altering the human genetic code until it eliminates humanity as we know it (although God comes to stop us before this kills off all human life).
Thanks to the Fallen Angels, this is what happened before the Flood, and perhaps that’s part of Satan’s plan for the end times as well - to create a generation of genetically altered ‘Nimrods’ (human-hybrids that are more demonic entity than human) to serve Satan and fight against God. We’ve seen this before, so we know it’s one of Satan’s repeating patterns that we’re likely to see again.
If you still believe that early humans were uneducated cave men and that we're on a steady increase of knowledge the further we get from that origin... that's not what the Bible tells us.
Actually, the opposite is true. God originally created humans to live much longer lives with far greater wisdom than we have today. Human degregation is from the fall of mankind and the natural decline of time through waterered-down genetics.
When it comes to technology... today, we can't even figure out (let alone re-create) how the previous generations built the megaliths and pyramids all across the planet... and perfectly aligned them with each other.
Of course, when we see these structures through biblical eyes, these structures are built not by human hands but by fallen-angel/human hybrids utilizing powers and technology beyod our capabilities today.
We've also seen that they had knowledge of human DNA and the ability to combine it with animals more than we are now. For more on this read my blog post, In The Days of Noah, or to see when technology was greater than it is today, check out Satan's Repeating Pattern.
Though today, many believe that certain "advancements" in medicine and genetic manipulation toward transhumanism are new and cutting-edge, yet that couldn't be further from the truth. The genetic alterations are merely a renewal of the forbidden rituals that these same entities performed thousands of years ago. Our labratories may look different but the outcome is the same and they all lead to the same goal... to remove enough human DNA from the blood until we're no longer God's creation as humans, and therefore we're seperated from God. We're to study God's Word so we can recognize this as it unfolds once again.
Antichrist As The Son of Satan
The phallic symbol of Nimrod's testicles as silver and gold balls decorating the Tammuz Tree and Semiramis being the "goddess of fertility" are two of the many sexual references. Satan fell from grace because of pride (desiring in his heart to be like God), along with those who followed him. They witnessed God create the universe, the earth, and all of creation, including Adam, Eve, and all humans as God's children. With the desire in their hearts to become like God, the Fallen Angels wanted to create their own offspring, but this time through hybrid sexual perversion that God warned them against. They saw that human women were beautiful and they lusted after them, taking them for themselves.
"Now it came about, when men began to multiply on the face of the land, and daughters were born to them, that the sons of God saw that the daughters of men were beautiful; and they took wives for themselves, whomever they chose." - Genesis 6:1-2
But reproduction runs deep in this story. All the way back to Satan in the Garden of Eden.
"And I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your seed and her seed; He shall bruise you on the head, and you shall bruise him on the heel.” - Genesis 3:15
The seed here refers to offspring, and perhaps specifically, a son; meaning Jesus. But if God has a son, and there is enmity between the two seeds (sons), then does Satan have a son?
If the Fallen Angels were able to reproduce their seed in the womb of a human woman, and we know that Satan was originally an angel as well, the it makes sense that Satan could do the same thing.
Perhaps this means that Satan has a hybrid son (like the Nephilim). But instead, unlike the Nephilim, perhaps his stature isn't the size of a giant, but meant to fit in, to go unseen and welcomed into the world, people's lives, hearts, and even within the rituals of churches. Could the upcoming Antichrist, who becomes the worldwide dictator, be a hybrid son of Satan himself? It seems possible. If so, could Satan have done this before? Of course. There is speculation that Nimrod was precisely that, the hybrid offspring of the Fallen Angel named Satan.
Perhaps a verse in the book of Daniel hints at this. Speaking of the last days of human government, Daniel says,
"And in that you saw the iron mixed with common clay, they will combine with one another in the seed of men; but they will not adhere to one another, even as iron does not combine with pottery.” - Daniel 2:43
Perhaps this indicates that the same phenomenon that occurred in Genesis chapter six would happen again in the end times; where Fallen Angels' seed combined with human seed to produce some new kind of Nephilim. And perhaps the return of biological hybridization of demonic entities with humans.
It's more than a little disturbing that man continues to intentionally set course to repeat what ancient records say the Fallen Angels did. The accelerated pace of scientific exploration against God’s Divine Order and the subsequent revival of Fallen Angel technology, leading toward transhumans or revived forms of Nephilim, pushes the end-times clock closer to midnight than most comprehend.
God's Strategic Plan
When we consider all these things, and we seek answers -- not from the world but from God -- we need to know Him. Thankfully, He wrote a book that transcends time so we can read His Word today! Instead of making decisions based on what others say (including myself), let the Bible interpret itself. There are uncountable blessings for those who read and study God's Word. The answers are there.
The more we understand God -- and see His pattern of love for us -- the more we can answer the question... what would God do?
Would He leave the birthday of His Son -- the Savior of the world -- to be on a random day? Or would the God of perfection, intricate planning, who gives attention to every detail, would He use one of His Holy days to perfectly time the arrival of the Savior of the world? It seems to me, of course, He would!
Truth Will Set You Free
Personally, as a born-again Christian, I chose not to partake in the rituals of Christmas. I encourage you to look at the balls on your Christmas Tree a little differently. Do your own in-depth Bible study, and let the Holy Spirit convict you to what's right.
Celebrations may not be a salvation issue, but opening ourselves to demonic entities is clearly an abomination that results only in adverse outcomes. When we do activities that God specifically tells us not to participate in, this is sin. We are living outside the will of God.
Continuing in our growth as Christians will forever deepen our walk, our relationship with God, and the clarity through which we see the world. The more we see it through God's eyes, the better our lives become. Growth and new information are always challenging at first, but the deeper you dig into God's Word, the more exciting things become! The truth will set you free!
From Nimrod, Christmas, and the Antichrist, we gain a bigger picture of Satan's plan and how his strategic deception is so convincing that it's invited and welcomed into the hearts and minds of believers and even into many churches. We must do our part to seek out and read God's word daily so we're not deceived by Satan's strategic and intricately laid plans.
Ultimately, we know that Nimrod’s kingdoms fell—Assyria to Babylon, Babylon to Persia, Persia to the Greeks, and that God’s kingdom endures forever. Prayerfully, be sure your actions follow God. Knowing God better and diving deeper into His Word helps us know His desire for our lives.
What Does God Want Us To Do?
God tells us what He desires for us and what to remove from our lives.
Throughout the Bible, we have numerous examples of people who chose to follow these demonic entities. We also see people who go along with the rituals instead of glorifying God. For both, the result is the same: destruction, suffering, and death.
Thankfully, God also gives us examples of people whose hearts and actions are focused on God. One of these is Josiah, the king of Israel. When he reads the words of the Lord (given to Moses), Josiah doesn't debate it, argue against it, or justify his current actions. Instead, when Josiah realizes what he and his nation have been doing is wrong, he immediately tears his clothes (a sign of severe grief, mourning, and sorrow), then he sets out to change his actions.
"Then Hilkiah the high priest said to Shaphan the scribe, "I have found the book of the law in the house of the LORD. ... And Shaphan read it in the presence of the king. ... When the king heard the words of the book of the law, he tore his clothes" - 2 Kings 22:8-11
"Then the king commanded... "great is the wrath of the LORD that burns against us, because our fathers have not listened to the words of this book, to do according to all that is written concerning us." - 2 Kings 22:13
"Thus says the LORD, "Behold, I bring evil on this place and on its inhabitants... Because they have forsaken Me and have burned incense to other gods that they might provoke Me to anger with all the work of their hands" - 2 Kings 22:16-17
"But to the king of Judah (Josiah)... because your heart was tender and you humbled yourself before the LORD when you heard what I spoke... and you have torn your clothes and wept before Me, I truly have heard you," declares the LORD." - 2 Kings 22:18
Josiah didn't keep this revelation to himself; he shared the word of the LORD with others. He gathered all the people,
"... all the people, both small and great; and he read in their hearing all the words of the book." - 2 Kings 22:18
In the presence of everyone, Josiah made a covenant with God: a vow to change wholeheartedly.
"The king stood by the pillar and made a covenant before the LORD, to walk after the LORD, and to keep His commandments and His testimonies and His statues with all his heart and all his soul, to carry out the words of this covenant that were written in this book." - 2 Kings 23:3
What Josiah did next was to put his heart change into physical action. Big action! Action against the demonic entities -- the same entities that entice people today to embrace the Tammuz Tree disguised as Christmas. His first action was to clean out God's house. What a beautiful example for us to clean out these idols (Christmas trees) from our churches.
"Then the king commanded Hilkiah the high priest and the priests of the second order and the doorkeepers, to bring out of the temple of the LORD all the vessels that were made for Baal (also Nimrod), for Asherah (Semeramis), and for all the host of heaven (queen of heaven), and he burned them outside Jerusalem in the fields of the Kidron, and carried their ashes to Bethel (also known as Luz, the land of the Canaanites and Hittites)." - 2 Kings 23:4
"He (Josiah) did away with the idolatrous priests whom the kings of Judah had appointed to burn incense in the high places in the cities of Judah and in the surrounding area of Jerusalem, also those who burned incense to Baal, to the sun and to the moon and to the constellations and to all the host of heaven." - 2 Kings 23:5
"He brought out the Asherah from the house of the LORD outside Jerusalem to the brook Kidron, and burned it at the brook Kidron, and ground it to dust, and threw its dust on the graves of the common people (those who followed the ways of Baal)." - 2 Kings 23:6
"They tore down the altars of the Baals in his presence, and the incense altars that were high above them he chopped down, also the Ashram, the carved images and the molten images he broke in pieces and ground to powder and scattered it on the graves of those who had sacrificed to them." - 2 Chronicles 34:4
"He also broke down the houses of the male cult prostitutes which were in the house of the LORD, where the women were weaving hangings for the Asherah." - 2 Kings 23:7
In the midst of a fallen world, completely entrenched in the activities and rituals of satanic powers and demonic entities, Josiah bravely and boldly stood with God and cleaned house. Thoroughly.
What a powerful example of how our love for God can be enacted.
How Did It Get This Way... Again?
The world returned to these same demonic entities, as it did previously, through a process of temptation, enticement, and under the guise of tolerance.
Our culture (just as it happened in Josiah's day) partook in redefining their world to remove God and (whether the majority realized it or not) refocused the specific Satanic practices of Nimrod (Baal) and Semeramis. A fallen world continuously seeks to justify its fallen state by redefining values, reframing reality, and lowering its standards to align with its fall.
This process is so methodical and convincing that it slowly becomes embraced by people who claim to know God. At first, the practices of Nimrod and Semeramis appear as small enough steps that they become acceptable norms. And then another small step, and another... toward these demonic lies. It becomes death by a thousand tiny steps.
Satan's plan penetrates us through a thousand accommodations, the acceptance of small untruths, the tolerance of evil, the willingness to go along with what we know to be sinful, and ultimately, the invitation of satanic entities into a nation, culture, cities, individual lives and hearts. Through continuous exposure to evil, moral reality becomes desensitized. So much so that it penetrates our churches. Remember, one of the first actions Josiah took was to remove the physical vessels that were made for Baal/Nimrod and Semiramis/Asherah from the temple. May we each work to remove these items from our lives and sacred places of worship as well.
"For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the principalities, against the powers of this dark world and, against the spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly places." - Ephesians 6:12
Let us not invite these entities in by placing the physical vessels in our homes, lives, or hearts.
The Pattern of a Wicked Heart
Through Satan's repeating pattern, we know the natural progression in the hearts of his followers begins by tolerating the accepting and finally believing his lies. Belief is followed by taking small but increasingly more significant decisions and actions not only towrd Satan but taking a stand against God. Belief and action harden the hearts of Satan's followers, and the next stage is to convince others to follow as well, including through the use of cohesion, removing truth, and ultimately through force. At this stage, the hearts of Satan's follower's become offended at any opposition which leads to anger, fury, and ultimately the brutal killing of those who acknowleged God. These are the obvious and repeating plans, tactics, and traits of Satan.
Without the truth and love of God in a person's heart, there is no absolute truth (because truth is absolute not what ewe decide it may be that day) and, therefore there's no direction except toward Satan.
Josiah's Example
Though most of us aren't kings over a nation, we can emulate Josiah's actions in our personal lives.
Those who know God as our personal savior must rise above the fallen world and raise our standards toward God's eternal and unchanging truths. The truth about God's eternal truth about creation, His intricate and purposeful design of men and women, the sacredness of marriage, family, and so much more. We must reject satan's modified definitions, the reversal of roles, values, and knowing good from evil, while we simultaneously uphold to God's standards.
We can control what comes into our homes, what we choose to watch on the internet and television, and by refusing to participate in satanic activities like the Tammuz Tree (Christmas) rituals. As we remove ourselves from these demonic strongholds, we also renew our lives in God's truth.
Instead of the satanic rituals of Christmas, we can celebrate God every day. What would the world look like if we rejoiced each day ... as if we have the power of the Holy Spirit living vibrantly inside us?
May our hearts and minds know and love God; and may our actions represent God and be to His glory. Amen, and amen. So they may know we are the salt of the earth and that the fallen world may see God through our lives.
"Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that you may prove what the will of God is, that which is good and acceptable and perfect." - Romans 12
FROM PAGAN SATURNALIA TO “CHRISTIAN” CHRISTMAS
How, then, did these pagan customs become a part of the greatest “Christian” holiday, Christmas? That first-century Christians did not celebrate Christmas is borne out by early “Christian” writers. The Catholic Encyclopediamakes the following admission: “Christmas was not among the earliest festivals of the Church. Irenaeus and Tertullian omit it from their list of feasts.” When apostate Christians began to fall away to pagan practices, Tertullian complained: “By us, who are strangers to Sabbaths, and new moons and festivals, once acceptable to God, the Saturnalia [and other pagan feasts] are now frequented, gifts are carried to and fro, . . . and sports and banquets are celebrated with uproar.”—Gal. 4:10, 11; Col. 2:8.
In an effort to gain pagan converts the Roman Catholic clergy in the fourth century after Christ took in this pagan Saturnalia on December 25 and sponsored it as the “mass of Christ” or “Christ-mass.” Christmas, therefore, is nothing more than a carbon copy of the pagan Saturnalia. This is generally admitted by historical and religious scholars. Says a world history, On the Road to Civilization, page 164: “The feast of Saturn, the Saturnalia, was a winter festival which lasted a week beginning on the twenty-fifth day of December, and was celebrated with dancing, the exchanging of gifts, and the burning of candles. The Saturnalia was later taken over by the Christians as their Christmas, and given a new significance.”
Elaborating on the customs of the Saturnalia, the New Americanized Encyclopedia Britannica,1900, Vol. IX, page 5236, says: “Saturnalia . . . celebrated on the 19th . . . lasted seven days. The time was one of general joy and mirth. The woolen fetters were taken from the feet of the Image of Saturn, and each man offered a pig. During the festival schools were closed. . . . Gambling with dice, at other times illegal, was practiced. All classes exchanged gifts, the commonest being tapers and clay dolls. These dolls were especially given to children. Varro thought that these dolls represented original sacrifices of human beings (children to the ‘Infernal God’).”—Jer. 32:34, 35.
Last December, “Rev.” A. E. Palmer of Holy Trinity Church was reported by the Examiner to have said: “‘Why choose December 25 as the date of the sacred festival? Wouldn’t any other public holiday do just as well for this jollification?’ There was no evidence, he said, that Jesus was born on December 25 but the Church took over a great many of the ancient pagan festivals and gave them Christian meaning. On December 25 was celebrated the return of the sun, with the days becoming longer, and the Church chose this as being symbolic of the light that shone through the darkness. Christmas without Christ, he said, was nothing but a pagan festival.”
James M. Gillis, C. S. P., editor of the Catholic World (December 2, 1945), makes this candid confession: “It is a well-known fact that the popes and councils in the early Church deliberately placed a Christian festival on or near the day of a previously existing pagan carnival, with the purpose of ousting the heathenish and generally licentious celebration.” Like Haman of old, the Catholic Church became ensnared with her own scheme.—Esther 7:10.
Behind its newly, loosely fitted “Christian” mask Christmas was and is nothing more than the ancient pagan Saturnalia. And it is the spirit of this pagan holiday that is hailed as “the beautiful spirit of Christmas.” What is so beautiful about a pagan holiday that dishonors God? What is so beautiful about a festival that is kept in defiance of God’s commands? What is so beautiful about a celebration that has perpetuated a lie? That makes hypocrites out of its participants? That has blinded men to truth and righteousness? What is beautiful about a “disgusting” thing?
IDENTIFYING THE “SPIRITS”
The spirit of God that produces fruits of “love, joy, peace, long-suffering, kindness, goodness, faith, mildness, self-control” is not identified in the Saturnalia borrowed from the pagans. As the well-known Biblical and historical authority, James Murdock, reports in a footnote in his translation of Mosheim’s Institutes of Ecclesiastical History: “From the first institution of this [Christmas] festival the Western nations seem to have transferred to it many of the follies and censurable practices which prevailed in the pagan festivals of the same season, such as adorning the churches fantastically, mingling puppet shows and dramas with worship, universal feasting and merry-making, visits and salutations, presents and jocularity, revelry and drunkenness.”—Gal. 5:22-25, NW.
Instead of converting pagans to “Christianity” the apostate Christians fell victim to their own passions and desires and were swept out to sea by pagan practices. This God foretold: “You must not serve their gods, because that will be a snare to you.”—Deut. 7:16, NW.
The campaign that is now being waged to “put Jesus Christ back in Christmas” is an open admission that Christ is not in its celebration. And, as “Rev.” Palmer stated, “Christmas without Christ is nothing but a pagan festival.” So it is. Christ was never in Christmas, nor was Christmas ever in Christ. More apropos and in line with Christian principle would be the slogan: “Away from Christmas and back to Christ.” Simply to label the pagan Saturnalia as Christian does not make it so. A wolf does not become a lamb simply because we call it such. No, nor does Christmas become Christian because professing Christians take part in its celebration. Its celebration by certain religious organizations does not make it Christian, any more than bingo games, lotteries or card parties in religious parish houses or parish schools are for that reason Christian.
Is the spirit of God to be found in the practice of exchange handed down by demon-worshiping pagans? Is the spirit of God found in the annual $50-million Christmas-tree business that commemorates the lie of human immortality? Is it found in the glittering balls of gold that pay homage to Balder, god of the ever-mystical sun? Is the spirit of God found in the millions of toy soldiers and tanks, guns and planes that glorify war and not “peace on earth, good will toward men”? Is it found in the gluttony, the drunkenness, lasciviousness and murder committed on this day called “Christmas”?
Hardly. “Do not be misled,” says the inspired Paul. “God is not one to be mocked. For whatever a man is sowing, this he will also reap; because he who is sowing with a view to his flesh will reap corruption from his flesh, but he who is sowing with a view to the spirit will reap everlasting life from the spirit.” The Christmas spirit is well described for us by apostles Paul and Peter at Galatians 5:19-21 and; 1 Peter 4:1-4. By these fruits we know her.—Gal. 6:7, 8, NW.
IDENTIFYING FRUITS OF “CHRISTMAS TREE”
The Christmas spirit is supposed to be one of good will toward men. After fifteen hundred years of Christmas celebrating, how much good will is there in the world today? How much good will is practiced during the holiday season itself? How Christlike are the people during this “most sacred festival”? Read and decide for yourself what spirit predominates.
According to a report by Gerhard J. Falf, University of Pennsylvania sociologist, “more murders are committed on Christmas day than on any other one day of the year.” Is this the Christian spirit? A chief detective of a department store declares: shoplifters and pickpockets “increase in numbers” when Christmas arrives. Is this spirit Christian? Last year, in Detroit, Michigan, Carl Ross tried to defend his truckload of trees from a crowd. An unidentified man “grabbed a stake from the truck and beat him unconscious with it. As he lay there while the crowd looted his trees, someone stole $400, his day’s receipts, from his pocket. His father finally got the truck in motion and fled for his life with about a third of his load.” Another man complained that a dealer had beaten him when he offered him fifty cents for his last tree. “An unusual number of persons reported that their front lawn evergreens had been cut down during the night,” the Detroit News announced. Is this the spirit of Christianity?
In the spirit of Christmas “a Santa Claus bandit who said ‘my kid is going to have a real Christmas,’ robbed a Brooklyn toy store of $900.” As “jolly good fellows” during this carnival of self-indulgence 1,200 drunks were gathered off the streets of Los Angeles alone. “I’ve never seen anything like it!” exclaimed a bewildered policeman. “They’re stacked up here like cordwood.” A tabloid headline noted breezily, “Los Angeles Staggering into Christmas.”
As Jesus accurately said: “This people honors me with their lips, yet their hearts are far removed from me. It is in vain that they keep paying respect to me, because they teach commands of men as doctrines.” This was true in Jesus’ day, and it is true regarding Christendom today. It is true regarding all her feasts and practices, Christmas not excluded.—Matt. 15:8, 9, NW.
ABOMINATION IN GOD’S SIGHT
The Christmas festival is held high among men of the world. But, as Jesus stated: “You are those who declare yourselves righteous before men, but God knows your hearts; because what is lofty among men is a disgusting thing in God’s sight.” While church bells ring out and men make a pretense at prayer on this day, yet God views their festivities as a disgusting pagan celebration. To Christians that fell away to similar practices Paul said: “You are scrupulously observing days and months and seasons and years. I fear for you, that somehow I have toiled to no purpose respecting you.” From these things men were made free by Christ, but Christendom has returned to them. She has become as disgusting to God as a dog that “has turned back to its own vomit, and the sow that was bathed to rolling in the mire.”—Luke 16:15; Gal. 4:10, 11; 2 Pet. 2:22, NW.
What, then, is the spirit of Christmas? It is “earthly, animal, demonic.” It is the spirit of paganism parading in Christian garb. It is the spirit of the Devil that has intoxicated the whole world. The keeping of Christmas cannot pass as innocent fun for children, because the name and worship of God are involved. The festivities and decorations are demonic, because they glorify paganism, which is demonism. The associating of God’s name and Word with pagan customs is desecrating that name, taking it in a worthless way. One of the Ten Commandments is: “You must not take up the name of Jehovah your God in a worthless way, for Jehovah will not leave the one unpunished who takes up his name in a worthless way.”—Jas. 3:15; Ex. 20:7, NW.
Cannot Christians celebrate Christmas out of a pure heart to the honor of Jehovah God? God himself answers through his Word: “Do not become unevenly yoked with unbelievers. For what partnership do righteousness and lawlessness have? Or what fellowship does light have with darkness? Further, what harmony is there between Christ and Belial? Or what portion does a faithful person have with an unbeliever? And what agreement does God’s temple have with idols? . . . ‘Therefore get out from among them, and separate yourselves,’ says Jehovah, ‘and quit touching the unclean thing,’ ‘and I will take you in.’ ‘And I shall be a father to you, and you will be sons and daughters to me,’ says Jehovah the Almighty.” So it is a choice of accepting Christmas with its spirit and losing God, or accepting God and receiving his spirit and favor and losing Christmas. The right choice should not be hard to make.—2 Cor. 6:14-18, NW.
Two key figures in the origin of Christmas are Nimrod, a great grandson of Noah, and his mother and wife, Semiramis, also known as Ishtar and Isis. Nimrod, known in Egypt as Osiris, was the founder of the first world empire at Babel, later known as Babylon (Genesis 10:8-12; 11:1-9). From ancient sources such as the "Epic of Gilgamesh" and records unearthed by archeologists from long-ruined Mesopotamian and Egyptian cities, we can reconstruct subsequent events.
After Nimrod's death (c. 2167 BC), Semiramis promoted the belief that he was a god. She claimed that she saw a full-grown evergreen tree spring out of the roots of a dead tree stump, symbolizing the springing forth of new life for Nimrod. On the anniversary of his birth, she said, Nimrod would visit the evergreen tree and leave gifts under it. His birthday fell on the winter solstice at the end of December.
A few years later, Semiramis bore a son, Horus or Gilgamesh. She declared that she had been visited by the spirit of Nimrod, who left her pregnant with the boy. Horus, she maintained, was Nimrod reincarnated. With a father, mother, and son deified, a deceptive, perverted trinity was formed.
Semiramis and Horus were worshipped as "Madonna and child." As the generations passed, they were worshipped under other names in different countries and languages. Many of these are recognizable: Fortuna and Jupiter in Rome; Aphrodite and Adonis in Greece; and Ashtoreth/Astarte and Molech/Baal in Canaan.
During the time between Babel and Christ, pagans developed the belief that the days grew shorter in early winter because their sun-god was leaving them. When they saw the length of the day increasing, they celebrated by riotous, unrestrained feasting and orgies. This celebration, known as Saturnalia, was named after Saturn, another name for Nimrod.
Lupercus was a hunter of wolves (Latin lupus is "wolf"), associated with the Roman god Faunus, god of agriculture and fertility. Since Rome took its gods from those it conquered, we can trace Faunus to its Greek equivalent, Pan, god of woods, fields, and flocks. The ancients pictured both of these mythological beings as having a human torso, but legs, horns, and ears of goats. This fits nicely with the fact that they sacrificed goats and used thongs from their skin to whip women during this "feast." The Bible often compares God's people to sheep while frequently linking Satan with goats.
Pan can be traced to the Phoenician sun god Baal (also a god of fertility and nature). We can make a strong case that Baal is none other than Nimrod. In Genesis 10:9, Moses describes Nimrod as a "mighty hunter." In the days after the Flood, animals multiplied rapidly and caused fear among the people. Nimrod grew powerful because of his ability to fight the wild animals. Tradition says that he roamed as far as Italy to hunt wolves.
Valentine comes into play here. The word derives from the Latin valens, meaning "strong, powerful, mighty." Our word valiant, "courageous, heroic," also comes from this root. These are apt descriptions of Nimrod. In a sense, he was the peoples' valentine!
The heart, ubiquitous symbol of Valentine's Day, is actually a symbol for Nimrod. The Romans acquired the heart symbol from the Babylonians, who spoke the Chaldean tongue. In this language, the word for "heart" was balor bel. Due to its similarity in sound to "Baal," it became an emblem for Nimrod.
If we got Christmas from the Roman Catholics, and they got it from paganism, where did the pagans get it? Where, when, and what was its real origin?
It is a chief custom of the corrupt system denounced all through Bible prophecies and teachings under the name of Babylon. And it started and originated in the original Babylon of ancient Nimrod! Yes, it stems from roots whose beginning was shortly this side of the Flood!
Nimrod, grandson of Ham, son of Noah, was the real founder of the Babylonish system that has gripped the world ever since—the system of organized competition—of man-ruled governments and empires, based upon the competitive and profit-making economic system. Nimrod built the Tower of Babel, the original Babylon, ancient Nineveh, many other cities. He organized the world's first kingdom. The name Nimrod, in Hebrew, is derived from "Marad," meaning "he rebelled."
From many ancient writings, considerable is learned of this man, who started the great organized worldly apostasy from God that has dominated this world until now. Nimrod was so evil, it is said he married his own mother, whose name was Semiramis. After Nimrod's untimely death, his so-called mother-wife, Semiramis, propagated the evil doctrine of the survival of Nimrod as a spirit being. She claimed a full-grown evergreen tree sprang overnight from a dead tree stump, which symbolized the springing forth unto new life of the dead Nimrod. On each anniversary of his birth, she claimed, Nimrod would visit the evergreen tree and leave gifts upon it. December 25th was the birthday of Nimrod. This is the real origin of the Christmas tree.
Through her scheming and designing, Semiramis became the Babylonian "Queen of Heaven," and Nimrod, under various names, became the "divine son of heaven." Through the generations, in this idolatrous worship, Nimrod became the false Messiah, son of Baal the Sun-god. In this false Babylonishsystem, the "Mother and Child" (Semiramis and Nimrod reborn), became chief objects of worship. This worship of "Mother and Child" spread over the world. The names varied in different countries and languages. In Egypt, it was Isis and Osiris. In Asia, Cybele and Deoius. In pagan Rome, Fortuna and Jupiterpuer. Even in Greece, China, Japan, Tibet is to be found the counterpart of the Madonna, long before the birth of Christ!
Thus, during the fourth and fifth centuries, when the pagans of the Roman world were "accepting" the new popular "Christianity" by hundreds of thousands, carrying their old pagan customs and beliefs along with them, merely cloaking them with Christian-sounding names, the Madonna and "Mother and Child" idea also became popularized, especially at Christmas time. Every Christmas season you will hear sung and chanted dozens of times the hymn "Silent Night, Holy Night," with its familiar "Mother and Child" theme. We, who have been born in such a Babylonish world, reared and steeped in these things all our lives, have been taught to revere these things as holy and sacred. We never questioned to see where they came from—whether they came from the Bible or from pagan idolatry!
We are shocked to learn the truth—some, unfortunately, take offense at the plain truth! But God commands His faithful ministers, "Cry aloud, spare not, lift up thy voice like a trumpet, and show my people their transgression" (Isaiah 58:1). Shocking as these facts are, they are the plain facts of history and the Bible!
The real origin of Christmas goes back to the ancient Babylon. It is bound up in the organized apostasy with which Satan has gripped a deceived world these many centuries! In Egypt, it was always believed that the son of Isis (Egyptian name for "Queen of Heaven") was born December 25th. Paganism celebrated this famous birthday over most of the known world for centuries before the birth of Christ.
December 25th is not the birthday of Jesus the true Christ! The apostles and early true Church never celebrated Christ's birthday at any time. There is no command or instruction to celebrate it in the Bible—rather, the celebrating of birthdays is a pagan, not a Christian custom, believe it or not!
Thus the ancient idolatrous "Chaldean Mysteries," founded by this wife of Nimrod, have been handed down through the pagan religions under new Christian-sounding names.
Nimrod means "let us revolt." In the context of Genesis 10, there is absolutely no mention of animals that he supposedly hunted. The context has to do with the description of character, moral spirituality, and culture. Nimrod was a mighty man, a mighty hunter in terms of men. He was like the Nephilim (see Genesis 6:4). He was a giant of a moral and spiritual nature.
What was Nimrod doing when he was hunting? Nimrod hunted other Nephilim and eliminated them. He got rid of the competition and established a despotic and autocratic system of government. He did that before the Lord. In other words, he did what he did right in front of God. God was aware of what he was doing. The revolt was not hidden.
If a person is standing before another, he can stand before him as a friend, as neutral, or as an enemy. There is already an indication of how Nimrod stood before the Lord, because he is named "he who revolts." He is standing before the Lord as an enemy. He is against God, as chapter 11 shows.
Nimrod founded a city, and he named it Babilu. Not Babel. He called it Babilu, which means "Gate of God." "Babel" is what the Hebrews called it, and thus when Moses, a Hebrew, wrote Genesis, he called it "Babel." Babel is the Hebrew name. It sounds somewhat similar to Babilu, but Babel means "confusion."
Notice the word “before” in "He was a might hunter before the LORD." The word literally means "face"—that which is in the front and which appears to another, as in “face to face.” Nimrod was a mighty hunter facing the Lord. The word before literally means "that which turns." It has a wide variety of usages. It can be translated “facing,” “before,” “in front of,” or “against.”
“Against” is the correct translation here, according to the context. He was a mighty hunter against the Lord. He was a mighty hunter before the Lord in the sense of fighting against Him. You do not turn your back on your enemy. You face him, and he faces you.
Nimrod was against God; he was facing the Lord in battle, in antagonism rather than in submission. That is shown in the context by his conquests. The beginning of his kingdom was Babel. There is more here than meets the eye. He conquered Babel. He conquered Erech, Accad, and Calneh in the land of Shinar. He was bringing what were probably city-states under his control and forming them into one nation. Nowhere did God give the right to dominion over other men by conquering them, and that was what Nimrod did.
The Sperling Translation renders this phrase, "He began to be a despot." He was a despot against God; and he deceived, manipulated, and controlled those he brought under his dominion. Satan and his demons, through Nimrod, conspired against God to bring mankind into one government against God.
God does not destroy things that are good. He does not intervene unless something is evil. This was something evil against God and against God's purpose. That is why He stepped in and confused the languages, because this was something directly against God's purpose, against the timeline that God had worked out in His own mind.
There we have the first example in the Bible of people under the sway of Satan. They were under the sway because they were his children spiritually and because they were antagonistic to God's purpose. They were not submissive to it or obedient to God.
Here we have mankind's first attempt to bring all of mankind under one government. From the very beginning in the book of beginnings, Genesis, God shows that bringing governments together under man is not a part of His purpose. It is antagonistic to God.
The word "before" could very well be translated "against," meaning "in opposition to." Nimrod was against God; he was standing before God—and not in a friendly way!
After the Flood, human society apart from God began when Nimrod, a grandson of Ham, organized the first secular government in the city of Babel (Genesis 10:8-10) and expanded it to Nineveh and other cities (Micah 5:5-6). He instituted a system whereby one or a few at the top profit from the labor of the majority under them. Soon there were many cities, each ruled by a self-willed king. Not content with one city, ambitious rulers, seeking greater wealth and power, armed a portion of their manpower and by aggression subjugated adjoining cities. Thus nations were born and then empires.
This grasping, enslaving principle of government, intertwined with economic manipulation, has dominated the world ever since. Whatever form human governments take, they display the same Babylonian style of rule. Governments have risen and fallen, but their basic principles have remained—competition and strife based on greed and pride (Psalm 10:2-11).
Regardless of form, human government is based on exploitation of people and resources, power, aggression, and deception. The entire system began and continues with the idea of cramming people together into cities. As a world order built on strife and competition, each of the four phases of human civilization—political, economic, religious, and social—has tried to dominate the others. In ancient Rome, politicians ruled over religion, business, and society. After AD 554, the Roman Catholic church dominated the others. In America, where self-rule is enshrined in the Constitution, big business and avaricious politicians have constantly struggled for dominance. Communism, as with all forms of socialism, induces the laboring class to support a suppressive government for the benefit of the elite.
Regardless of the particular form of administration, the civilization that now holds the entire world under its sway is the same Babylonian system initially established by Nimrod. Babylon means “confusion.” Competition and strife have produced confusion throughout the world (James 3:16), but “God is not the author of confusion” (I Corinthians 14:33). Therefore, this world's system of government is not God's.
The name Nimrod means "rebellion" or "let us revolt." At the heart of a rebel or revolutionary—one who seeks to change the present order through his own means—is the desire to rule. Satan, the original rebel, was not merely displeased with God—he wanted to replace Him. A rebel is known for asserting his position, his displeasure, his ideas, and ultimately his own authority. He seeks preeminence. His trail is littered with division and destruction rather than peace and stability. Rather than allowing God to govern in His own creation—physical or spiritual—and direct events according to what He knows will be best, the rebel takes matters into his own hands with an unshakable faith in his own efforts and abilities.
Rebellion and revolution are not just about change, but change with an eye toward establishing a replacement leadership. Indeed, Nimrod was the leader of a revolt against God, not militarily, but culturally and spiritually through the Babylonian system that has its roots in him. The Bible says that rebellion, and all it implies, "is as the sin of witchcraft" (I Samuel 15:23). It also warns "not [to] associate with those given to change" (Proverbs 24:21), implying a change in leadership, and especially in circumstances that God has ordained, for "an evil man seeks only rebellion; therefore a cruel messenger will be sent against him" (Proverbs 17:11).
The fact that Nimrod was a "mighty hunter" against God (Genesis 10:9) could have two different meanings. On the one hand, some scholars postulate that Nimrod's skill in dealing with wild animals led to various peoples flocking to his banner. His promise of protection and security from harm persuaded the residents of the land to submit to him:
Nimrod, like other great kings of Mesopotamian lands, was a mighty hunter, possibly the mightiest and the prototype of them all, since to his name had attached itself the proverb: "Like Nimrod a mighty hunter before Yahweh" (Genesis 10:9). In the primitive days of Mesopotamia, as also in Palestine, wild animals were so numerous that they became a menace to life and property (Exodus 23:29; Leviticus 26:22); therefore the king as benefactor and protector of his people hunted these wild beasts. (International Standard Bible Encyclopedia)
A second possibility is that Nimrod did not hunt animals at all, but that his prey was other human beings. Genesis 10:9 makes no mention of animals, but instead deals with Nimrod's character and moral base—something about his character was very contrary to God! He may have been one of the nephilim, one of the cultural giants who were "men of renown" or "men of name," signifying reputation (Genesis 6:4). Unwilling to brook any opposition, the "mighty hunter" would have hunted the other leaders of his time who were influential or mighty.
A common element connects these two possibilities: Nimrod's narcissism. Whether he gained a following through promising protection and security or he aggressively hunted the competition, what is revealed is his striving to be on top. Sadly, most people went along with it. People like to be associated with success, with popular movements, with momentum. Nothing attracts people like the appearance of greatness and accomplishment.
Nimrod certainly accomplished a great deal, as he has the founding of at least eight cities to his credit (Genesis 10:10-12). Indeed, one of them, Babel, was the site of the infamous tower of the same name. The project began as a means to protect against calamity—specifically an act of God. Genesis 11:4 records that the people of Shinar built a tower to "make a name" for themselves. Their solution to the threat of being scattered was to band together in a grand project that would ensure their viability. This, too, was likely done under the premise of providing protection—from another flood, if nothing else. The construction was not done to honor or glorify God, but for their own indulgence.
Name here means "an appellation, as a mark or memorial of individuality; by implication honor, authority, character." It contains the idea of a "definite and conspicuous position." They were not concerned about their standing with God, but only about their legacy! God's response to those who sought a name for themselves was the very thing they were trying to protect against: scattering (Genesis 11:8-9). God's scattering at Babel was so thorough that it exists to this day! "For who can make straight what He has made crooked?" (Ecclesiastes 7:13).
Nimrod's tale is one of arrogance and blindness. He did not use his leadership abilities and aptitudes constructively but for self-exaltation and the pursuit of preeminence. His competitiveness may have gained him subjects but always at the expense of someone else. He was not afraid to step on others as he fought his way to the top. His central thought was not what God was doing but what he was doing. He foolishly promised protection to those who would throw their lot in with him—something only God can guarantee! His "salvation through association," though it sounded nice, was deceptive and could only disappoint.
After the waters of the Flood receded, and Noah's sons began having children of their own, mankind began rebuilding and re-establishing itself on the planet. Although God had promised never again to destroy the worldwith a flood, after a few generations the people—not knowing God and thus not trusting Him—were still inclined to look to their own resources for protection and stability. Many gathered around strong men like Nimrod (meaning "rebellion" or "let us revolt"), hoping that having the right leadership—the leadership that they deemed was right—would shield them from further woe.
The people of one of Nimrod's cities, Babel, began a project conceived out of a desire to preserve themselves rather than to glorify the Divine. With the Flood undoubtedly still on their minds, their first consideration was not their standing before God. Instead, they wanted to create a monument to stand the test of time—something that would help them to endure as a people and bestow a noteworthy reputation upon them. Their natural—carnal—inclination was to try to defend against an act of God rather than to make peace with Him.
In their hostility, it probably did not occur to them to come into alignment and favor with the One who has the power to scatter. Instead, they made contingency plans. Rather than being chastened by the Flood and turning to God, mankind became suspicious of Him—He was not behaving as they thought He should!—and sought to develop a structure to keep the consequences of sin (like scattering) at bay.
Nimrod was the grandson of Ham, yet only three generations after God's destruction of all but eight human beings, God was not part of humanity's calculations. Did the people really believe that God had sent the Flood? Or did they conclude that it was just a natural catastrophe—out of God's control and thus one that they needed to guard against in the future? Though the stories of the Flood undoubtedly played into their thinking, the Bible gives no indication that they received any positive instruction from them. Neither God nor His governance of earth was in their thoughts (Psalm 10:4).
Strong's Concordance shows that name in Genesis 11:4 means "an appellation, as a mark or memorial of individuality; by implication honor, authority, character." It contains the idea of a "definite and conspicuous position." Rather than submitting to God, they sought to elevate themselves. They were sure that they could find a way to advance beyond God-ordained consequences. The ironic outcome is that the identical consequence of sin they were trying so hard to avoid was what God ordained should befall them:
So the LORD scattered them abroad from there over the face of all the earth, and they ceased building the city. Therefore its name is called Babel, because there the LORD confused the language of all the earth; and from there the LORD scattered them abroad over the face of all the earth. (Genesis 11:8-9)
At the Tower of Babel, the peoples' greatest fear came to pass because they left God out of their thoughts. However, it did not have to be that way. It would not have been difficult to inquire about moral and spiritual conditions before the Flood to ascertain why God acted as He did. It does not take much to understand sin and its consequences.
For the people of Babel and the children of Israel, idolatry in some form led them away from God. If they only had wholeheartedly sought God, peace could have been made between Him and them. Instead, they trusted in structures—the Tower of Babel and the Temple in Jerusalem (Jeremiah 7:1-15). In both cases, what they trusted in was destroyed, either by neglect or violence.
The structure was not the problem, for God Himself commissioned the building of the Temple, and after it was destroyed, He commanded that it be rebuilt. The problem was that the structure occupied more of their minds than God did. The same decision is before us: to trust in a structure for safety or to seek the sovereign God of heaven and earth.
This is the legacy of Nimrod (which means "let us revolt"): a place he called Babilu, called by the Hebrews "Babel." It was a place of revolution. It was the administrative center of his revolution against God, and thus we can see why some interpreters translate that word "before" in Genesis 10:9 as "against." Even though "before" is literally correct, Nimrod was standing before the Lord as an enemy. God's scattering of the builders reveals Nimrod's, and therefore Babylon's, attitude toward God.
From this point Babylon became a worldwide political, military, economic, and religious system bearing the same basic attitudes as its founder. It can be a nation or a system, but its core characteristic that is against the Lord. Babylon became the Bible's code word for what its New Testament writers call "the world." As they used the Greek term cosmos, it is an organized worldwide system opposed to God. Just as surely as Nimrod was opposed to God, Babylon is an organized worldwide system opposed to God. It is a culture that is anti-Christ, anti-God, and it is everywhere!
This is what the context shows in Genesis 11. The people scattered from the Tigris and Euphrates valleys, taking much of the antagonistic-to-God culture with them, and each language group adapted it to some degree to their ethnic traditions. Undoubtedly, each group altered it somewhat, but secular evidence reveals a common strain connecting all civilizations worldwide to the Tigris-Euphrates region. It is the womb of man's civilization.
It took centuries for the people to migrate to and to settle in their new lands, but occur it did. And so the pattern of worldly government after the Flood was established in Genesis 10 and Genesis 11. God even foreshadows in Genesis 6 that it would rise again: "There were giants [Nephilim] on the earth in those days, and also afterward." Nimrod was the greatest of those Nephilim.
Even though this spread worldwide, not everybody migrated. Some people remained in Babylon, and through the centuries, they became the Babylonian nation. The Chaldeans dominated them. Babylon was the name of their capital city. Hammurabi was one of their great early kings, but later, Nebuchadnezzar became Babylon's greatest king. He was given the dream of a great image, and Daniel informed him that he, Nebuchadnezzar, represented the head of gold (Daniel 2:38).
Each of the other portions of that image represented powerful kingdoms that, in terms of time, would follow Babylon in dominating the Western world through the centuries: Medo-Persia, Greece, and Rome. They did not dominate the entire world—perhaps they could have—but there is no doubt they dominated the part of the world that the Bible is concerned with, the one that the Israelitish descendants of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob live in.
But because the head represented Babylon—and the head directs the entire body—the image in Daniel 2 also shows the continuation of the same general Babylonish system right to its end, represented by the feet and the toes. In other words, that image shows that the pattern established under Nimrod continues right down to today.
The people were uniting themselves in disagreement against God, led by the arch-criminal and mastermind of this project, Nimrod. This time, instead of wiping them out in death as He had done through the Flood, God permitted them to live, but He segregated them by confusing their means of communication. In the end, they are separated from one another. All their glorious plans of building a great city and tower had to be abandoned because they could not communicate with each other.
Another tragic resulted from what happened in Genesis 11. All of these people who were scattered over the face of the earth were also separated from the holy line—a family through which God almost exclusively worked, that began with Shem. Actually, the line began after the death of Abel with Seth, the son of Adam, and came down through Enoch to Noah and from Noah to Shem. From Shem the descent finally produced Abraham. After Babel, the scattered people were, in fact, not only separated from that holy line, but also from God's Word, which this family preserved and passed down. This was another tragic result of their sin!
Each of the other portions of this image represent powerful kingdoms that, in terms of time, would follow Babylon in dominating the Western world through the centuries: Medo-Persia, Greece, and Rome. They did not dominate the entire world—perhaps they could have—but there is no doubt they dominated the part of the world that the Bible is concerned with, the one that the Israelitish descendents of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob lived in.
But because the head represents Babylon—and the head directs the entire body—the image in Daniel 2 also shows the continuation of the same general Babylonish system right to the end of the kingdom represented by the feet and the toes. In other words, that image shows that the pattern established under Nimrod continues right on down until today.
Chapter 13 begins with a very colorful, almost overpowering, vision showing an overview of the political system that Satan works through.
There is just enough given here to connect this with the Daniel 2 and 7. What arises in Revelation 13 actually has its beginnings long before Jesus Christ, all the way back to Nimrod, showing a definite time progression. This is the system that rears its head at the end time, but the vision is given so that we will understand that this is the system that Satan has always worked through.
The heart, ubiquitous symbol of Valentine's Day, is actually a symbol for Nimrod. The Romans acquired the heart symbol from the Babylonians, who spoke the Chaldean tongue. In this language, the word for "heart" was balor bel. Due to its similarity in sound to "Baal," it became an emblem for Nimrod.
If we got Christmas from the Roman Catholics, and they got it from paganism, where did the pagans get it? Where, when, and what was its real origin?
It is a chief custom of the corrupt system denounced all through Bible prophecies and teachings under the name of Babylon. And it started and originated in the original Babylon of ancient Nimrod! Yes, it stems from roots whose beginning was shortly this side of the Flood!
Nimrod, grandson of Ham, son of Noah, was the real founder of the Babylonish system that has gripped the world ever since—the system of organized competition—of man-ruled governments and empires, based upon the competitive and profit-making economic system. Nimrod built the Tower of Babel, the original Babylon, ancient Nineveh, many other cities. He organized the world's first kingdom. The name Nimrod, in Hebrew, is derived from "Marad," meaning "he rebelled."
From many ancient writings, considerable is learned of this man, who started the great organized worldly apostasy from God that has dominated this world until now. Nimrod was so evil, it is said he married his own mother, whose name was Semiramis. After Nimrod's untimely death, his so-called mother-wife, Semiramis, propagated the evil doctrine of the survival of Nimrod as a spirit being. She claimed a full-grown evergreen tree sprang overnight from a dead tree stump, which symbolized the springing forth unto new life of the dead Nimrod. On each anniversary of his birth, she claimed, Nimrod would visit the evergreen tree and leave gifts upon it. December 25th was the birthday of Nimrod. This is the real origin of the Christmas tree.
Through her scheming and designing, Semiramis became the Babylonian "Queen of Heaven," and Nimrod, under various names, became the "divine son of heaven." Through the generations, in this idolatrous worship, Nimrod became the false Messiah, son of Baal the Sun-god. In this false Babylonishsystem, the "Mother and Child" (Semiramis and Nimrod reborn), became chief objects of worship. This worship of "Mother and Child" spread over the world. The names varied in different countries and languages. In Egypt, it was Isis and Osiris. In Asia, Cybele and Deoius. In pagan Rome, Fortuna and Jupiterpuer. Even in Greece, China, Japan, Tibet is to be found the counterpart of the Madonna, long before the birth of Christ!
Thus, during the fourth and fifth centuries, when the pagans of the Roman world were "accepting" the new popular "Christianity" by hundreds of thousands, carrying their old pagan customs and beliefs along with them, merely cloaking them with Christian-sounding names, the Madonna and "Mother and Child" idea also became popularized, especially at Christmas time. Every Christmas season you will hear sung and chanted dozens of times the hymn "Silent Night, Holy Night," with its familiar "Mother and Child" theme. We, who have been born in such a Babylonish world, reared and steeped in these things all our lives, have been taught to revere these things as holy and sacred. We never questioned to see where they came from—whether they came from the Bible or from pagan idolatry!
We are shocked to learn the truth—some, unfortunately, take offense at the plain truth! But God commands His faithful ministers, "Cry aloud, spare not, lift up thy voice like a trumpet, and show my people their transgression" (Isaiah 58:1). Shocking as these facts are, they are the plain facts of history and the Bible!
The real origin of Christmas goes back to the ancient Babylon. It is bound up in the organized apostasy with which Satan has gripped a deceived world these many centuries! In Egypt, it was always believed that the son of Isis (Egyptian name for "Queen of Heaven") was born December 25th. Paganism celebrated this famous birthday over most of the known world for centuries before the birth of Christ.
December 25th is not the birthday of Jesus the true Christ! The apostles and early true Church never celebrated Christ's birthday at any time. There is no command or instruction to celebrate it in the Bible—rather, the celebrating of birthdays is a pagan, not a Christian custom, believe it or not!
Thus the ancient idolatrous "Chaldean Mysteries," founded by this wife of Nimrod, have been handed down through the pagan religions under new Christian-sounding names.
Nimrod means "let us revolt." In the context of Genesis 10, there is absolutely no mention of animals that he supposedly hunted. The context has to do with the description of character, moral spirituality, and culture. Nimrod was a mighty man, a mighty hunter in terms of men. He was like the Nephilim (see Genesis 6:4). He was a giant of a moral and spiritual nature.
What was Nimrod doing when he was hunting? Nimrod hunted other Nephilim and eliminated them. He got rid of the competition and established a despotic and autocratic system of government. He did that before the Lord. In other words, he did what he did right in front of God. God was aware of what he was doing. The revolt was not hidden.
If a person is standing before another, he can stand before him as a friend, as neutral, or as an enemy. There is already an indication of how Nimrod stood before the Lord, because he is named "he who revolts." He is standing before the Lord as an enemy. He is against God, as chapter 11 shows.
Nimrod founded a city, and he named it Babilu. Not Babel. He called it Babilu, which means "Gate of God." "Babel" is what the Hebrews called it, and thus when Moses, a Hebrew, wrote Genesis, he called it "Babel." Babel is the Hebrew name. It sounds somewhat similar to Babilu, but Babel means "confusion.”
Notice the word “before” in "He was a might hunter before the LORD." The word literally means "face"—that which is in the front and which appears to another, as in “face to face.” Nimrod was a mighty hunter facing the Lord. The word before literally means "that which turns." It has a wide variety of usages. It can be translated “facing,” “before,” “in front of,” or “against.”
The word "before" could very well be translated "against," meaning "in opposition to." Nimrod was against God; he was standing before God—and not in a friendly way!
After the Flood, human society apart from God began when Nimrod, a grandson of Ham, organized the first secular government in the city of Babel (Genesis 10:8-10) and expanded it to Nineveh and other cities (Micah 5:5-6). He instituted a system whereby one or a few at the top profit from the labor of the majority under them. Soon there were many cities, each ruled by a self-willed king. Not content with one city, ambitious rulers, seeking greater wealth and power, armed a portion of their manpower and by aggression subjugated adjoining cities. Thus nations were born and then empires.
This grasping, enslaving principle of government, intertwined with economic manipulation, has dominated the world ever since. Whatever form human governments take, they display the same Babylonian style of rule. Governments have risen and fallen, but their basic principles have remained—competition and strife based on greed and pride (Psalm 10:2-11).
Regardless of form, human government is based on exploitation of people and resources, power, aggression, and deception. The entire system began and continues with the idea of cramming people together into cities. As a world order built on strife and competition, each of the four phases of human civilization—political, economic, religious, and social—has tried to dominate the others. In ancient Rome, politicians ruled over religion, business, and society. After AD 554, the Roman Catholic church dominated the others. In America, where self-rule is enshrined in the Constitution, big business and avaricious politicians have constantly struggled for dominance. Communism, as with all forms of socialism, induces the laboring class to support a suppressive government for the benefit of the elite.
Regardless of the particular form of administration, the civilization that now holds the entire world under its sway is the same Babylonian system initially established by Nimrod. Babylon means “confusion.” Competition and strife have produced confusion throughout the world (James 3:16), but “God is not the author of confusion” (I Corinthians 14:33). Therefore, this world's system of government is not God's.
The name Nimrod means "rebellion" or "let us revolt." At the heart of a rebel or revolutionary—one who seeks to change the present order through his own means—is the desire to rule. Satan, the original rebel, was not merely displeased with God—he wanted to replace Him. A rebel is known for asserting his position, his displeasure, his ideas, and ultimately his own authority. He seeks preeminence. His trail is littered with division and destruction rather than peace and stability. Rather than allowing God to govern in His own creation—physical or spiritual—and direct events according to what He knows will be best, the rebel takes matters into his own hands with an unshakable faith in his own efforts and abilities.
Rebellion and revolution are not just about change, but change with an eye toward establishing a replacement leadership. Indeed, Nimrod was the leader of a revolt against God, not militarily, but culturally and spiritually through the Babylonian system that has its roots in him. The Bible says that rebellion, and all it implies, "is as the sin of witchcraft" (I Samuel 15:23). It also warns "not [to] associate with those given to change" (Proverbs 24:21), implying a change in leadership, and especially in circumstances that God has ordained, for "an evil man seeks only rebellion; therefore a cruel messenger will be sent against him" (Proverbs 17:11).
The fact that Nimrod was a "mighty hunter" against God (Genesis 10:9) could have two different meanings. On the one hand, some scholars postulate that Nimrod's skill in dealing with wild animals led to various peoples flocking to his banner. His promise of protection and security from harm persuaded the residents of the land to submit to him:
Nimrod, like other great kings of Mesopotamian lands, was a mighty hunter, possibly the mightiest and the prototype of them all, since to his name had attached itself the proverb: "Like Nimrod a mighty hunter before Yahweh" (Genesis 10:9). In the primitive days of Mesopotamia, as also in Palestine, wild animals were so numerous that they became a menace to life and property (Exodus 23:29; Leviticus 26:22); therefore the king as benefactor and protector of his people hunted these wild beasts. (International Standard Bible Encyclopedia)
A second possibility is that Nimrod did not hunt animals at all, but that his prey was other human beings. Genesis 10:9 makes no mention of animals, but instead deals with Nimrod's character and moral base—something about his character was very contrary to God! He may have been one of the nephilim, one of the cultural giants who were "men of renown" or "men of name," signifying reputation (Genesis 6:4). Unwilling to brook any opposition, the "mighty hunter" would have hunted the other leaders of his time who were influential or mighty.
A common element connects these two possibilities: Nimrod's narcissism. Whether he gained a following through promising protection and security or he aggressively hunted the competition, what is revealed is his striving to be on top. Sadly, most people went along with it. People like to be associated with success, with popular movements, with momentum. Nothing attracts people like the appearance of greatness and accomplishment.
Nimrod certainly accomplished a great deal, as he has the founding of at least eight cities to his credit (Genesis 10:10-12). Indeed, one of them, Babel, was the site of the infamous tower of the same name. The project began as a means to protect against calamity—specifically an act of God. Genesis 11:4 records that the people of Shinar built a tower to "make a name" for themselves. Their solution to the threat of being scattered was to band together in a grand project that would ensure their viability. This, too, was likely done under the premise of providing protection—from another flood, if nothing else. The construction was not done to honor or glorify God, but for their own indulgence.
Name here means "an appellation, as a mark or memorial of individuality; by implication honor, authority, character." It contains the idea of a "definite and conspicuous position." They were not concerned about their standing with God, but only about their legacy! God's response to those who sought a name for themselves was the very thing they were trying to protect against: scattering (Genesis 11:8-9). God's scattering at Babel was so thorough that it exists to this day! "For who can make straight what He has made crooked?" (Ecclesiastes 7:13).
Nimrod's tale is one of arrogance and blindness. He did not use his leadership abilities and aptitudes constructively but for self-exaltation and the pursuit of preeminence. His competitiveness may have gained him subjects but always at the expense of someone else. He was not afraid to step on others as he fought his way to the top. His central thought was not what God was doing but what he was doing. He foolishly promised protection to those who would throw their lot in with him—something only God can guarantee! His "salvation through association," though it sounded nice, was deceptive and could only disappoint.
After the waters of the Flood receded, and Noah's sons began having children of their own, mankind began rebuilding and re-establishing itself on the planet. Although God had promised never again to destroy the worldwith a flood, after a few generations the people—not knowing God and thus not trusting Him—were still inclined to look to their own resources for protection and stability. Many gathered around strong men like Nimrod (meaning "rebellion" or "let us revolt"), hoping that having the right leadership—the leadership that they deemed was right—would shield them from further woe.
The people of one of Nimrod's cities, Babel, began a project conceived out of a desire to preserve themselves rather than to glorify the Divine. With the Flood undoubtedly still on their minds, their first consideration was not their standing before God. Instead, they wanted to create a monument to stand the test of time—something that would help them to endure as a people and bestow a noteworthy reputation upon them. Their natural—carnal—inclination was to try to defend against an act of God rather than to make peace with Him.
In their hostility, it probably did not occur to them to come into alignment and favor with the One who has the power to scatter. Instead, they made contingency plans. Rather than being chastened by the Flood and turning to God, mankind became suspicious of Him—He was not behaving as they thought He should!—and sought to develop a structure to keep the consequences of sin (like scattering) at bay.
Nimrod was the grandson of Ham, yet only three generations after God's destruction of all but eight human beings, God was not part of humanity's calculations. Did the people really believe that God had sent the Flood? Or did they conclude that it was just a natural catastrophe—out of God's control and thus one that they needed to guard against in the future? Though the stories of the Flood undoubtedly played into their thinking, the Bible gives no indication that they received any positive instruction from them. Neither God nor His governance of earth was in their thoughts (Psalm 10:4).
Strong's Concordance shows that name in Genesis 11:4 means "an appellation, as a mark or memorial of individuality; by implication honor, authority, character." It contains the idea of a "definite and conspicuous position." Rather than submitting to God, they sought to elevate themselves. They were sure that they could find a way to advance beyond God-ordained consequences. The ironic outcome is that the identical consequence of sin they were trying so hard to avoid was what God ordained should befall them:
So the LORD scattered them abroad from there over the face of all the earth, and they ceased building the city. Therefore its name is called Babel, because there the LORD confused the language of all the earth; and from there the LORD scattered them abroad over the face of all the earth. (Genesis 11:8-9)
At the Tower of Babel, the peoples' greatest fear came to pass because they left God out of their thoughts. However, it did not have to be that way. It would not have been difficult to inquire about moral and spiritual conditions before the Flood to ascertain why God acted as He did. It does not take much to understand sin and its consequences.
For the people of Babel and the children of Israel, idolatry in some form led them away from God. If they only had wholeheartedly sought God, peace could have been made between Him and them. Instead, they trusted in structures—the Tower of Babel and the Temple in Jerusalem (Jeremiah 7:1-15). In both cases, what they trusted in was destroyed, either by neglect or violence.
The structure was not the problem, for God Himself commissioned the building of the Temple, and after it was destroyed, He commanded that it be rebuilt. The problem was that the structure occupied more of their minds than God did. The same decision is before us: to trust in a structure for safety or to seek the sovereign God of heaven and earth.
This is the legacy of Nimrod (which means "let us revolt"): a place he called Babilu, called by the Hebrews "Babel." It was a place of revolution. It was the administrative center of his revolution against God, and thus we can see why some interpreters translate that word "before" in Genesis 10:9 as "against." Even though "before" is literally correct, Nimrod was standing before the Lord as an enemy. God's scattering of the builders reveals Nimrod's, and therefore Babylon's, attitude toward God.
From this point Babylon became a worldwide political, military, economic, and religious system bearing the same basic attitudes as its founder. It can be a nation or a system, but its core characteristic that is against the Lord. Babylon became the Bible's code word for what its New Testament writers call "the world." As they used the Greek term cosmos, it is an organized worldwide system opposed to God. Just as surely as Nimrod was opposed to God, Babylon is an organized worldwide system opposed to God. It is a culture that is anti-Christ, anti-God, and it is everywhere!
This is what the context shows in Genesis 11. The people scattered from the Tigris and Euphrates valleys, taking much of the antagonistic-to-God culture with them, and each language group adapted it to some degree to their ethnic traditions. Undoubtedly, each group altered it somewhat, but secular evidence reveals a common strain connecting all civilizations worldwide to the Tigris-Euphrates region. It is the womb of man's civilization.
It took centuries for the people to migrate to and to settle in their new lands, but occur it did. And so the pattern of worldly government after the Flood was established in Genesis 10 and Genesis 11. God even foreshadows in Genesis 6 that it would rise again: "There were giants [Nephilim] on the earth in those days, and also afterward." Nimrod was the greatest of those Nephilim.
Even though this spread worldwide, not everybody migrated. Some people remained in Babylon, and through the centuries, they became the Babylonian nation. The Chaldeans dominated them. Babylon was the name of their capital city. Hammurabi was one of their great early kings, but later, Nebuchadnezzar became Babylon's greatest king. He was given the dream of a great image, and Daniel informed him that he, Nebuchadnezzar, represented the head of gold (Daniel 2:38).
Each of the other portions of that image represented powerful kingdoms that, in terms of time, would follow Babylon in dominating the Western world through the centuries: Medo-Persia, Greece, and Rome. They did not dominate the entire world—perhaps they could have—but there is no doubt they dominated the part of the world that the Bible is concerned with, the one that the Israelitish descendants of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob live in.
But because the head represented Babylon—and the head directs the entire body—the image in Daniel 2 also shows the continuation of the same general Babylonish system right to its end, represented by the feet and the toes. In other words, that image shows that the pattern established under Nimrod continues right down to today.
The people were uniting themselves in disagreement against God, led by the arch-criminal and mastermind of this project, Nimrod. This time, instead of wiping them out in death as He had done through the Flood, God permitted them to live, but He segregated them by confusing their means of communication. In the end, they are separated from one another. All their glorious plans of building a great city and tower had to be abandoned because they could not communicate with each other.
Another tragic resulted from what happened in Genesis 11. All of these people who were scattered over the face of the earth were also separated from the holy line—a family through which God almost exclusively worked, that began with Shem. Actually, the line began after the death of Abel with Seth, the son of Adam, and came down through Enoch to Noah and from Noah to Shem. From Shem the descent finally produced Abraham. After Babel, the scattered people were, in fact, not only separated from that holy line, but also from God's Word, which this family preserved and passed down. This was another tragic result of their sin!
Each of the other portions of this image represent powerful kingdoms that, in terms of time, would follow Babylon in dominating the Western world through the centuries: Medo-Persia, Greece, and Rome. They did not dominate the entire world—perhaps they could have—but there is no doubt they dominated the part of the world that the Bible is concerned with, the one that the Israelitish descendents of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob lived in.
But because the head represents Babylon—and the head directs the entire body—the image in Daniel 2 also shows the continuation of the same general Babylonish system right to the end of the kingdom represented by the feet and the toes. In other words, that image shows that the pattern established under Nimrod continues right on down until today.
Chapter 13 begins with a very colorful, almost overpowering, vision showing an overview of the political system that Satan works through.
There is just enough given here to connect this with the Daniel 2 and 7. What arises in Revelation 13 actually has its beginnings long before Jesus Christ, all the way back to Nimrod, showing a definite time progression. This is the system that rears its head at the end time, but the vision is given so that we will understand that this is the system that Satan has always worked through.
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