A secular radio talk-show host in Seattle stirred listeners Sunday by posing the question: Are recent disasters in the news a sign that God is unhappy and sending mankind a message? He was unnerved by the weekend's major headlines a killer earthquake in Iran, California mudslides and mad cow disease in Washington state.
The audience response was predictable for spiritually-dark Seattle everyone had a quirky theory, and it was obvious no one had opened a Bible. A man named Lightfoot said the great spirit is trying to wake up man in order to restore peace and tranquility to mother earth. The host made a poke at Christians, wondering why if Jesus is the model of peace, love and non-aggression are His followers always so angry? That's a good question. Messiah said the world would know His disciples by their love. But the host was wrong to imply that the Savior is non-confrontational. Yes, the Lord is kind and merciful, but in the gospels we see His righteous anger burn hot against the corrupt priests and those who bought and sold in the Temple. God expects our best offering, yet the money changers were selling sick and blemished animals for sacrifices. Yeshua overturned their tables and later told the scribes and Pharisees they were hypocrites, fools and blind guides. In other words, not a politically-correct response. Yeshua says in Luke 12:51, "Do you suppose that I came to give peace on earth? I tell you, not at all, but rather division." We can see this picture in Luke 3:17 the Lord will gather the wheat (righteous) into His barn, but the chaff (wicked) He will burn with unquenchable fire.
I give the host credit for asking an honest question about God to a largely secular audience. The call-in listeners were aware, too, that something unusual is happening. I wonder how the talk-show chatter will heat up as we draw closer to Yeshua's return. Luke 21:25-26 says the coming of the Son of Man will be preceded by signs in the sun, moon and stars, and distress among nations. Men's hearts will fail from fear. The listeners Sunday werent panicking, but the climate changes and natural disasters at least had them talking.
Church doctrine is rife with error. A glaring example is the common teaching that Jesus felt abandoned by the Father during the crucifixion. Pastors quote the Lord in Matthew 27:46 "My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me?" to suggest that the Father hid His face as the Son shouldered the sin of the world.
But is that really the message Jesus is conveying? No. Because Christianity has abandoned its Jewish roots, it misses what the Jewish Messiah is saying to His Jewish audience. By quoting the opening verse of Psalm 22, Jesus is communicating to the stiff-necked religious leaders that He is the prophetic fulfillment of that Messianic text. In Jewish tradition, a rabbi can call attention to a passage in the Tanach simply by quoting the opening verse. The Pharisees, having memorized the psalms, should have understood that verses 16-18 were playing out before their eyes: "They pierced My hands and My feet; I can count all My bones. They look and stare at Me. They divide My garments among them, and for My clothing they cast lots."
The Lord never felt cut off by the Father at the cross. In fact, we see the oneness of the Godhead operate in perfect harmony as the Son talks intimately with the Father, "Forgive them, for they do not know what they do," and also, "Father, into Your hands I commit My spirit." In anticipation of the crucifixion, He says in John 17:5, "And now, O Father, glorify Me together with Yourself, with the glory which I had with You before the world was."
Creation would not have survived a rift in the Godhead during the crucifixion. Colossians 1:16-17 says Christ created all things in heaven and on earth, and in Him all things consist. Had Jesus been rejected by the Father and stripped of deity, even briefly, creation as we know it would have ceased. Matthew 12:25 says a house divided cannot stand. Although the Son prayerfully asks the Father to remove this cup (Mark 14:36), He nevertheless yields, "Not what I will, but what You will." I sense no abandonment in that expression and love and submission.
Pastors are also in error when they teach that Jesus became sin literally on the cross. If that were true, the Son would have been viewed by the Father as a blemished sacrifice and rejected, thus invalidating His blood atonement for mankind. In the Old Testament sacrificial system, the sinner laid hands on the animal to transfer the liability of guilt and punishment. At no time did the innocent subject become sin or sinful. We must also examine 2 Corinthians 5:21 carefully "For He made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him." The word "be" is in italics, meaning it is not in the original Greek. Bible scholars agree that the phrase "to be sin" would be better rendered "bearing the penalty for our sins."
Some take this false doctrine to the extreme, claiming that Yeshua not only became sinful, but went to hell and had to be born again. That is utter nonsense. The Lord told the repentant thief on the cross he would join Him that day in paradise. He was referring to Sheol Paradise or Abraham's Bosom, the underworld holding area where Old Testament saints rested and waited for Messiah. When Yeshua ascended to heaven 40 days after His resurrection He took them with Him (Ephesians 4:8). Some argue that 1 Peter 3:19 describes Yeshua descending to hell "He went and preached to the spirits in prison." Not true. The Lord was announcing from Sheol Paradise His victory over sin and death. It would have been heard by the captives in Sheol Torment, an area inhabited by the unsaved and separated from Sheol Paradise by an abyss. Paradise is now in heaven (2 Corinthians 12:2-4).
Revelation 1:5 describes Yeshua as the "firstborn from the dead," but does not mean He was born again. According to Bible commentator David Stern, He is the firstborn (or foremost, chief) of those raised from the dead. In other words, He is the first to demonstrate power over the grave.
Today is the 62nd anniversary of the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor, but Parade magazine chose to remember a less-publicized atrocity on American waters the rejection of the SS St. Louis and its 937 Jewish passengers. The refugee ship was denied entry by the U.S. government in June 1939 as it sailed off the southeastern coastline of Florida. It was forced to return to Europe, where about a third of the passengers died in the Holocaust.
The Parade cover story is about the detective work of Sarah Ogilvie and Scott Miller to find survivors of the doomed ship; they have learned the fates of 935 of the 937. The article, written by Lyric Wallwork Winik, says the team found the Jews in the unlikeliest places. One passenger was drafted into the U.S. Army at the start of the Korean War, taken prisoner by the Chinese and was the first American POW exchanged in 1953. They even found a family that was related to singer Billy Joel.
At least 460 passengers eventually found their way to America, but to some the rejection by our government remains a bitter memory. "Nearly all the survivors have been relatively successful here," says Ruth Mandel in the article, "but there's a blank spot in their hearts, a sense of being double-crossed." Herbert Karliner, whose parents and two sisters died at Auschwitz, says, "We couldn't understand why a big country like the U.S. wouldn't let in 937 people." In recent years, Christian and government leaders in the United States and Canada have met with survivors to express remorse for their silence more than 60 years ago. Some healing has occurred, but a group of American Christians believing that God still requires repentance from our nation says it isn't enough. It hopes to persuade Congress to release an official apology to the St. Louis Jews.
Addendum Liesl Loeb, a surviving passenger, wrote me that she is pleased the Parade article put the St. Louis saga, in a sense, on America's doorstep. "The St. Louis episode directly links the U.S. to the Holocaust," she added. "No wonder the Statue of Liberty turned its head in shame."
Webster's definition of idol: 1: a representation or symbol of a deity used as an object of worship; broadly: a false god. 2b: pretender, impostor. 3: a form or appearance visible but without substance.
Our neighborhood is besieged every December by animated reindeer, inflatable Disney figures, and Santa Claus riding shotgun on a city fire truck. I don't know whether to laugh or cry or both. Several years ago my wife and I, as Christians, stopped celebrating Christmas, a decision criticized by some family members. It was if we had committed the unpardonable sin: how could we deny our children the spoils of such a sacred event? What were were thinking?
Turns out we were thinking like a lot of early Americans, who knew that Christmas was rooted in paganism and an affront to Jesus Christ:
• Massachusetts Puritans in 1659 made the observation of Christmas a criminal offense. Gov. William Bradford of Plymouth penalized anyone participating in Christmas frivolity, which he termed "pagan mockery." Oliver Cromwell preached against the heathen traditions of Christmas carols, decorated trees and any joyful expression that desecrated "that sacred event."
• Rev. Increase Mather of Boston wrote in 1687: "The generality of Christmas-keepers observe that festival after such a manner as is highly dishonorable to the name of Christ."
• George Washington won the Battle of Trenton after crossing the Delaware River on Christmas night and surprising the Hessian troops, who were recovering from their holiday revelry. The victory was a turning point in the Revolutionary War.
• Christmas gradually gained acceptance with the arrival of large numbers of Irish and northern European immigrants. The first church to introduce a Christmas tree seems to have been in 1851 by Pastor Henry Schwan of Cleveland. Parishioners objected to the pagan symbol and some even threatened him with harm. But opposition ceased when the minister convinced his flock that the tree was a Christian rite.
• In 1885, the New York Daily News reported that Presbyterian, Baptist and Methodist churches were closed Dec. 25. "They do not accept the day as a holy one," the article read, "but the Episcopalian, Catholic, and German churches were all open. Inside they were decked with evergreens."
• Two of the most debated subjects in churches prior to the Civil War were slavery and the celebration of Christmas. Conservative ministers rejected both.
History tells us Christmas is a hoax. It honors a counterfeit savior. Christ was born during the fall biblical feasts, not the winter solstice. I've heard well-meaning believers say things like, "It may be pagan, but we need to redeem the time for Christ. Besides, God knows my heart." They are correct God does know their heart, and it in not in union with His. The Lord cannot tolerate idolatry. Look how the ancient Israelites provoked His anger by worshipping the golden calf, calling it a feast unto the Lord (Exodus 32:5). Only an impassioned plea by Moses kept God from annihilating the people called by His name. Centuries later, God still views spiritual adultery with contempt because it keeps man separated from Himself. The Lord does not look from heaven and wink at our Nativity scenes and decorated trees.
Below are examples of the harlotry of Christmas:
• The annual celebration of a person's birth is a pagan tradition from ancient Babylon. Yeshua (Jesus) wants us to remember His death and resurrection, not His birth. I find it interesting that Ultra-Orthodox Jews place more significance on the day of conception than birth. With a September birthday, it is possible that Yeshua was conceived during Hanukkah, also known as the Jewish Feast of Dedication or Festival of Lights. Yeshua is the Light of the world (John 1:7) and He observed the Feast of Dedication as recorded in John 10:22.
Some Christians observe Hanukkah as an alternative to Christmas, but not all the traditions of this Jewish holiday are grounded in truth. The miracle of Hanukkah a one-day supply of ritual oil burning for eight days in the rededicated Jerusalem temple is a Talmudic legend. It is not recorded in the books of the Maccabees, the family that led a Jewish revolt and defeated the occupying Seleucid monarchy. Historians believe the first Hanukkah was observed for eight days because it was a belated celebration of Sukkot, or Feast of Tabernacles. War prevented the Maccabees from observing Sukkot properly in the fall month of Tishri. Once victory was secure on the 25th of Kislev they were free to celebrate Sukkot, an eight-day feast that God commanded the Israelites to observe (Lev. 23:34). Solomon's dedication of the first temple (1 Kings 8:2, 66) and the Maccabees' temple rededication both were associated with Sukkot. Hanukkah, a minor holiday in Judaism, was elevated by secular Jews in America as an alternative to Christmas. Alan Mittleman, a Jewish professor of religion at Muhlenberg College in Allentown, Pa., says Hanukkah became child-centered and grew into a "lavish orgy of gift giving. Far from feeling cheated, Jewish children could feel pampered. They got gifts for eight nights; their Christian friends only got presents for one day."
• Christmas derives from Old English "Cristes Maesse," or "Christ's Mass." In the Roman Catholic Mass ritual, Messiah is sacrificed over and over again and a believer cannot be cleansed of sin unless he partakes of this "unbloody sacrifice" repeatedly. This practice makes of mockery of the declaration in Hebrews 9:28 "Christ was offered once to bear the sins of many."
• Christmas Eve was called "Modranect" or "Modranecht" by Germanic pagans and apparently means "Mother's Night," an obvious reference to the mother goddess who bore the counterfeit savior. Almost all the sun deities were born Dec. 25. In Babylonian mythology, the evergreen tree represents the rebirth of Nimrod as Tammuz, the sun god who miraculously was conceived by Nimrod's widow Semiramis. She believed her son was the branch of salvation, and referred to herself as the mother of God and queen of heaven. Worshippers mourned the death of Tammuz, who was slain by a wild pig, by abstaining from worldly pleasures for 40 days each day representing a year of his life. In Ezekiel 8:14, God shows the prophet a great abomination on the temple grounds in Jerusalem as Jewish women weep for Tammuz.
• In the fourth century, Roman emperor Constantine, who united his empire by blending sun worship and Christianity, designated Dec. 25 as the birthdate of Christ. He appeased the pagans by allowing them to retain their heathen rituals and gods but under different names. The Egyptian mother goddess and child, Isis and Horus, became the Virgin Mary and Christ child. Christmas replaced the festival of Saturnalia, which honored the harvest god Saturn during the winter solstice. But who could tell the difference? During Saturnalia, Romans exchanged gifts and decked their halls with evergreens. One of false gods that ensnared the ancient Israelites was linked to Saturn.
• The Christmas tree dates back to ancient Canaan, Egypt and Babylon. In the Middle Ages, the Germans believed evergreen trees were a life force since they remained green throughout winter. Greenery was an important theme in pagan celebrations that honored the tree spirit or spirit of fertility. The description in Jeremiah 10:3-4 of tree worship certainly brings to mind the modern Christmas tree: "They decorate it with silver and gold; they fasten it with nails and hammers so that it will not topple." The Israelites were instructed by God in Exodus 34:13 to "destroy their altars, break their sacred pillars, and cut down their wooden images."
• Mistletoe was a Celtic symbol of regeneration and eternal life. Holly berries were considered sacred to the sun god, and the burning of the Yule log can be traced back to pagan European cultures that celebrated the winter solstice. The word "Yule" is derived from the Anglo-Saxon word "hweol," meaning "wheel" a symbol of the sun.
The Bible warns us not to take idols into our hearts and homes. Deuteronomy 12:30 is clear "Take heed to yourself that you are not ensnared to follow them, after they are destroyed from before you, and that you do not inquire after their gods." Christmas venerates the sun, not the Son. If we claim to have a committed relationship with the Lord and are betrothed to Him, we should want to please our Bridegroom. Yeshua expects His bride to be faithful, just as He is faithful to us.
Addendum Item of interest from the Religion News Service: Heather Botting, a pagan chaplain at the University of Victoria, British Columbia, will lead students in a winter solstice celebration Dec. 22 through a series of Yule rituals, including cauldrons, knives, wine, dance, cakes, holly and ivy. Botting, also a Wiccan priestess, regards Yule as a celebration of God as "the winter-born king," an event that symbolizes the rebirth of the life-sustaining spirit. "There are real parallels between the pagan and Christian traditions," she says in the article. "In both paganism and Christianity, the winter solstice would be the celebration of the birth of light, of divine light, of regeneration."