Yahweh's Holy Days vs. Man's Religious Holidays The information furnished here is from historical sources
generally friendly and supportive of the holiday under discussion. Much of it
comes from church records and histories such as encyclopedias. In order to understand them, we need, first, to
take a look at the Biblically ordained Holy Days which most people today know
little or nothing about. The reason for this, is that whereas the New
Testament is actually a continuation of the Old Testament, Christians have
historically taught and believed that the Old is "done away," and
is of no value under the New Covenant - that anything of the Jews, or
"Jewish," is of no value to us in our New Covenant spiritual walk,
except maybe as history, prophecy, and inspiration. But the New Testament is NOT complete in and of
itself. It will not stand alone without the Old. You cannot understand the
New Testament without a working knowledge of the Old. I cannot emphasize this
strongly enough. Are you one who believes that there is salvation only in the
New Testament? Then note the two following Scriptures, two of many: John 5:39 (Yahshua speaking) Search the
Scriptures, for in them ye think ye have eternal life, and they are they that
testify of me. 2 Tim. 3:16 (Paul speaking) All Scripture is given
by inspiration of Yahweh, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for
correction, and for instruction in righteousness. In both these instances, it is the Old Testament
Scriptures that are being spoken of. The New Testament had not yet been
written. The New complements the Old, not replaces it. Briefly, here are the Festivals of Yahweh, as
found in the Book of Leviticus, Chapter 23 (notice it is Yahweh [KJV
"the LORD] speaking to Moses, saying "these are MY Feasts."
They are NOT Feasts of the Jews): The weekly Sabbath, the 7th day of the week, verse
3. Passover, 14th of first month, Abib (in the
Spring). This is the preparation day for the Feast of Unleavened Bread that
follows on the 15th through the 21st, verses 5-6. Feast of Weeks (Pentecost), 50 days after
Firstfruits Day during Passover week (verses 15-21). Feast of Trumpets, First day of 7th month, Tishri
(in the Autumn) (verses 24-25). Day of Atonement, 10th day of 7th month, a fast
day (verses 27-32). Feast of Tabernacles, 15th through 21st of 7th
month (verses 33-35). Last Great Day, 22nd of 7th month, verse 36. These are the Festivals that Yahshua observed
during His lifetime here on earth. He said He had set us an example that we
should follow Him. The Apostle Peter said the same thing in 1 Peter 2:21. His
apostles and converts observed these days for the rest of their lives. But today most Christians have never heard of
them. Their pastors say, "They are not for us today." On the other
hand, authority for observing the holidays which we see the churches
observing today cannot be found in the Bible. Why is this? Man has followed tradition of his own
imagination. Traditions that date back to the earliest beginnings shortly
after the flood. Yahweh does nothing in vain. His Holy Days have
meaning and purpose. They are to teach us His plan of Salvation, by our
physically acting them out each year. Briefly, here is the meaning. The weekly Sabbath reminds us of the
Creation, Exodus 20:8-11. The unscientific idea of evolution would not be so
rampant today if we as a nation kept this commandment. Passover commemorates Yahshua's death as our Passover
sacrifice. He died so we don't have to (1 Cor. 5:7). Seven-Day Feast of Unleavened Bread pictures
our repenting of past sins and getting rid of false doctrines, and beginning
our walk with the Savior (1 Cor. 5:8). Pentecost, or Feast of Weeks commemorates the giving
of the Law at Mt. Sinai (Exodus 20), and the coming of the Comforter,
the Holy Spirit, so we can KEEP the Law with a spiritual intent (Acts 2 and
Jeremiah 31:31-33). Feast of Trumpets looks forward to the time
when Yahshua will return "at the last trump," "with the sound
of a trumpet," to set up His Kingdom here on earth. See the following
verses: Matthew 24:31, 1 Corinthians 15:52, and 1 Thessalonians. 4:16, Rev.
20:6 with 5:10. Day of Atonement pictures
the Saints becoming at-one with Yahweh, and the marriage of the Lamb to His
Bride, who has made herself ready (Rev. 19). We are to fast on this day. Feast of Tabernacles pictures the 1,000-year
reign of Yahshua the Messiah and His resurrected Saints here on the earth,
that 7th 1,000 year period or "day." Man has been given 6,000
years, which are just about up, to go his own way, in defiance of Yahweh and
His laws. Last Great Day takes us to the end of the 1,000 year
period, when the general resurrection is to occur, Rev. 20:5, when those who
were not in the first resurrection will come up to be judged by Yahshua and
the Saints. Read all of Rev. 20, along with Mat. 24:30-31 and Mat. 25:31 to
end of the chapter. This completes the plan of salvation, from the time the
Firstfruits repent, until the Latter harvest is completed. This includes
everyone who has ever lived. Those who repent and are baptized will be saved,
while those who refuse to repent and obey, will end up in the lake of fire,
where they will be destroyed. Now, with that knowledge, let us look at the
holidays observed by most Christians today. We will begin in the Spring: Easter. This name comes from the Anglo-Saxon goddess of
the Dawn, and called Astarte in the New Revised Standard Version of
Scripture, and Ashtaroth or Ashtoreth in the King James Version, as in 1 Sam.
31:10, 1 Kings 11:5, 33 and 2 Kings 23:13, a goddess of the Sidonians. She is referred to as the "Queen of
Heaven" in Jeremiah 7:18 and 44:16, 17, 19, and 25. Also, in Ezekiel 8,
we find women "weeping for Tammuz" (vs. 14). Tammuz was a son of
Ishtar or Easter or Astarte or Ashtaroth, or whatever name you prefer to call
her. This son had been killed (according to the legend), and they mourned for
him annually (similar to Lent of today). Then at Easter, he was re-born (like a counterfeit
resurrection), after which there was great gladness among the pagans. He was
thought to have been the sun-god, whom we see the Israelites worshipping in a
sunrise service, Eze. 8:15-16, with their backs toward the Temple of Yahweh,
looking toward the east as the sun rose, and worshipped the sun. The Israelites had taken up this abominable form
of worship, and Yahweh was furious with them (vss. 17-18). Easter has come down to us as a substitute for the
proper and commanded Passover and Feast of Unleavened Bread. Its sexual
symbols of fertility, eggs and rabbits, show the original licentious nature
of this holiday. It has nothing to do with True Religion. It is commonly believed that Easter celebrates the
Resurrection of our Savior, but, on closer examination, we find that Yahshua
was NOT resurrected on Sunday morning, but rather, late on Sabbath afternoon,
the evening before. As we have seen, it actually celebrates the resurrection
of Tammuz, the son of Ishtar. Tradition has it that Easter was originally on
March 25, and was the date she became pregnant with Tammuz. Then 9 months
later, on December 25, she gave birth to him and he was known as the Sun God.
Hallowe'en, or "hallowed evening," is the evening
before "All saints day." Now a children's holiday, Hallowe'en was
originally a Celtic festival for the dead, celebrated on the last day of the
Celtic year, Oct. 31. Elements of that festival were incorporated into
the Christian holiday of All Hallows Eve, the night preceding All Saints'
(Hallows) Day. Until recent times in some parts of Europe, it was believed
that on this night witches and warlocks flew abroad; and huge bonfires were
built to ward off these evil spirits. (From Lexicon Universal Encyclopedia,
vol. 10). "Trick or treat" derives from the
ancient's putting out "treats" to appease these evil spirits so
they would not harm them. It is a form of bribery, in which we teach our
children, "Give me a treat, and I won't trick (or harm) you." Is
this really what we want to teach our children? Christmas/New Years. This festival, as is the
case of all these we are examining in this article, comes directly from
paganism, and came into the Roman Church as an attempt to appease the pagans
to accept the new Christianity. The new converts did not want to give up
their time-honored festivals to their gods, so the Church allowed them to
keep them, giving them Christian-sounding names (exception being Easter, the
name of a pagan goddess). For about two thousand years before Messiah,
festivals centered around the winter solstice, when the sun reaches its
southern-most point and then begins its trek back north, bringing warmth and
new life to the inhabitants of the northern climes. The following are excerpts from The Life Book of
Christmas, Vol. 2, the Pageantry of Christmas, 1963, article, "Turning
Pagan Rites to the Praise of God." "Until 350 A.D., when Pope Julius I
proclaimed Dec. 25 as the date of the nativity, almost every month in the
year had, at one time or another, been named by reputable scholars as the
likely date of Christ's birth." "Christians, for whom Christ was the new
beginning and the new light of the world, celebrated his birth in a seasonal
tradition which crosscut a number of cultures. During the winter solstice,
ancient Mesopotamians performed rites to aid their god Marduk .." At
that season the Greek Zeus began anew his battle against Kronos and the
Titans. The followers of Mithras, a Persian sun-god whose cult was brought to
Rome by returning Legionaires and became the chief rival of Christianity, celebrated
Dec. 25 as Dies Solis Invicti Nati (Birthday of the Unconquered Sun). The
Romans themselves had long celebrated the solstice season as the Saturnalia,
honoring Saturn, the god of agriculture. During Saturnalia, normal life
turned upside down...Lord of Misrule...lavish banquets...exchange of
gifts." "Christians began absorbing these old customs
and infusing them with Christian meaning in order to help spread the faith.
Many church fathers considered the method dangerous. Gregory the Great wrote,
in 597, that they should not try to put down pagan customs 'upon the sudden,'
but adapt them 'to the praise of God.'" In the North at Christmas season, missionaries
found the pagan adherents of the gods Woden and Thor (ed: Our Wednesday and
Thursday are named after these two "gods.") battling the winter's
evil darkness with huge bon fires. In central Europe, they found the belief
that at the death of the old sun, witches and fiery demons came to earth to
destroy the fertility of the new year, and could be dissuaded (bribed) by
presents. In Britain, they found Druids paying tribute to the victory of
evergreens over winter's darkness. The missionaries, heeding Gregory the Great's
advice, made no effort to "cut off" the "evil customs."
As a result, many of them survive as cherished Christmas traditions of today. Valentine's Day. Excerpts from Lexicon Universal
Encyclopedia: The association of love and courtship with St. Valentine's
Day may have arisen from the coincidence of the date with the Roman festival
of Lupercalia. This is a very, very brief, cursory treatment of
these man-made festivals, but it is plain to see that all of them have their
roots in paganism, and have nothing to do with True Religion, the Bible, Yahweh,
or Yahshua our Savior. In fact, just the exact opposite is true. Man has
appropriated to himself who or what he worships, and how he chooses to
worship him or her or it. But notice what the Creator has to say about such
practices (remember, the churches are attempting to worship the Biblical
Deity, but they want to use customs from their ancient traditions to do it). (Deut. 12:30) take care that you are not snared
into imitating them, after they have been destroyed before you: do not
inquire concerning their gods, saying, "How did these nations worship
their gods? I also want to do the same." (NRSV) (Deut. 4:2) You must neither add anything to what
I command you nor take away anything from it, but keep the commandments of
Yahweh your El with which I am charging you. (Jer
10:1-6 KJV) "Hear ye the word
which Yahweh speaketh unto you, O house of Israel: {2} Thus saith
Yahweh, Learn not the way of the heathen, and be not dismayed at the signs of
heaven; for the heathen are dismayed at them. {3} For the customs of
the people are vain: for one cutteth a tree out of the forest,
the work of the hands of the workman, with the ax. {4} They deck it
with silver and with gold; they fasten it with nails and with hammers, that
it move not. {5} They are upright as the palm tree, but speak
not: they must needs be borne, because they cannot go. Be not afraid of them;
for they cannot do evil, neither also is it in them to do good. {6}
Forasmuch as there is none like unto thee, O YAHWEH; thou art great,
and thy name is great in might." (Rev 22:19) if anyone takes away from the words of
the book of this prophecy, Yah will take away that person's share in the tree
of life and in the holy city, which are described in this book. So we see that Yahweh's days have meaning that is
beneficial to us, and necessary for our salvation, whereas our traditional
days do not. Let's be faithful to the Scriptures, and obey our
Creator in this matter. Our life depends on it! |