SCRIPTURE FOR TODAY
"And there were shepherds living out in the fields nearby, keeping watch over their flocks at night. An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified. But the angel said to them, "Do not be afraid. I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you, he is Christ the Lord. This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in clothes and lying in a manger." Suddenly a great company of the heavenly hosts appeared with the angel praising God and saying,
"Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace to men on whom his favor rests." Luke 2:8-14 (N.I.V.)
It is a well known 'fact' that Shepherd's did not stay out in the fields during the winter months at night and they were not the ones who brought all the gifts. The "Magi" or wise men who traveled from the east were the ones who presented Jesus,Joseph and Mary with the gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh. And these men did not come on the night Jesus was born but months after, not sure how many months but it took them that long to travel on foot to Bethlehem after they saw the star and followed it. And there were probably way more that just three of them, wise men, most likely a large caravan, carrying all the expensive gifts for our Lord. After that, Mary and Joseph were warned by the angel to leave Bethlehem and travel to Egypt to escape the "slaughter of the innocence" when King Herod had all the baby boys killed that were 2 years old or younger.
It is also interesting to me that even after that there is no mention of a birthday celebration for Jesus or for any Jew according to the bible. However there was mention of birthday celebrations for pagans in the bible. Even in the four Gospel accounts there is no mention of any birthday celebration for Jesus or His disciples. Jews, did not celebrate birthdays.
The birthday celebration we recognize as the birth of our Lord is in fact the pagan celebration of the return of the sun, the winter solstice, when the days start to get longer. When the Roman emperor Constantine declared Christianity the official religion of the Roman Empire 350 years after the death, burial and resurrection of our Lord Jesus he indoctrinated these customs into Christianity to unite all the people, Believers in Christ and all the non-believers, Pagans. Thus, we have false doctrine infused into Christianity and upheld by the church leaders of that day. Down through the ages, these pagan practices, including Easter and Halloween have been celebrated by the masses up to this very day.
Personally, I believe it's wrong to celebrate things that are not sanctified by God, and clearly Christmas is not a Christian teaching according to Jesus or He would have instructed His followers to celebrate it... But, I too have compromised my faith to "fit in" so to speak, with the rest of world that do these practices, "commands of men as doctrine."
Not to point fingers at any one in particular but the Catholic religion is chiefly responsible for most of these false teachings we as Christians adhere to in the present time. For more accurate information on this subject Google Michael Rood, a very learned scholar who has a TV program on Christian TV called the "Rood Awakening" a very good program that explains the Jewish customs and practices of Jesus' day and how Christianity was hijacked by the enemy early on just as Jesus said it would be in the 24th chapter of the Gospel of Matthew.
PRAYER FOR TODAY
Father God, thank you for your mercy and grace on us and Your unconditional, unfailing love You have for us. Thank You for forgiving all our sins and for the gift of 'righteousness' we have in Christ Jesus our Lord and Savior. Help us to understand the truth about things we maybe are unaware of and even if we know these things forgive us for trying to be "politically correct" to fit in with mainstream society. Help us to worship You in spirit and in truth according to Your Word and not the word of man. Open our eyes to the truth that we may be set free from false doctrine and teachings and wrong beliefs...Thank You for being my God and Savior and for forgiving all my sin. In the name of Yeshua, Jesus, our Lord and King, make it so.....
"And there were shepherds living out in the fields nearby, keeping watch over their flocks at night. An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified. But the angel said to them, "Do not be afraid. I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you, he is Christ the Lord. This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in clothes and lying in a manger." Suddenly a great company of the heavenly hosts appeared with the angel praising God and saying,
"Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace to men on whom his favor rests." Luke 2:8-14 (N.I.V.)
It is a well known 'fact' that Shepherd's did not stay out in the fields during the winter months at night and they were not the ones who brought all the gifts. The "Magi" or wise men who traveled from the east were the ones who presented Jesus,Joseph and Mary with the gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh. And these men did not come on the night Jesus was born but months after, not sure how many months but it took them that long to travel on foot to Bethlehem after they saw the star and followed it. And there were probably way more that just three of them, wise men, most likely a large caravan, carrying all the expensive gifts for our Lord. After that, Mary and Joseph were warned by the angel to leave Bethlehem and travel to Egypt to escape the "slaughter of the innocence" when King Herod had all the baby boys killed that were 2 years old or younger.
It is also interesting to me that even after that there is no mention of a birthday celebration for Jesus or for any Jew according to the bible. However there was mention of birthday celebrations for pagans in the bible. Even in the four Gospel accounts there is no mention of any birthday celebration for Jesus or His disciples. Jews, did not celebrate birthdays.
The birthday celebration we recognize as the birth of our Lord is in fact the pagan celebration of the return of the sun, the winter solstice, when the days start to get longer. When the Roman emperor Constantine declared Christianity the official religion of the Roman Empire 350 years after the death, burial and resurrection of our Lord Jesus he indoctrinated these customs into Christianity to unite all the people, Believers in Christ and all the non-believers, Pagans. Thus, we have false doctrine infused into Christianity and upheld by the church leaders of that day. Down through the ages, these pagan practices, including Easter and Halloween have been celebrated by the masses up to this very day.
Personally, I believe it's wrong to celebrate things that are not sanctified by God, and clearly Christmas is not a Christian teaching according to Jesus or He would have instructed His followers to celebrate it... But, I too have compromised my faith to "fit in" so to speak, with the rest of world that do these practices, "commands of men as doctrine."
Not to point fingers at any one in particular but the Catholic religion is chiefly responsible for most of these false teachings we as Christians adhere to in the present time. For more accurate information on this subject Google Michael Rood, a very learned scholar who has a TV program on Christian TV called the "Rood Awakening" a very good program that explains the Jewish customs and practices of Jesus' day and how Christianity was hijacked by the enemy early on just as Jesus said it would be in the 24th chapter of the Gospel of Matthew.
PRAYER FOR TODAY
Father God, thank you for your mercy and grace on us and Your unconditional, unfailing love You have for us. Thank You for forgiving all our sins and for the gift of 'righteousness' we have in Christ Jesus our Lord and Savior. Help us to understand the truth about things we maybe are unaware of and even if we know these things forgive us for trying to be "politically correct" to fit in with mainstream society. Help us to worship You in spirit and in truth according to Your Word and not the word of man. Open our eyes to the truth that we may be set free from false doctrine and teachings and wrong beliefs...Thank You for being my God and Savior and for forgiving all my sin. In the name of Yeshua, Jesus, our Lord and King, make it so.....
