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Church of God-eim    PO Box 3332 . Modesto, CA 95353    www.cog-eim.org

Christmas or God's Holy Days
Which should you observe?

Most people understand that Christmas is pagan in origin. Five minutes in an encyclopedia will turn up statements such as this: "One of the most well-known festivals of ancient Rome was the Saturnalia, a winter festival celebrated from December 17-24. Because it was a time of wild merry-making and domestic celebrations, businesses, schools, and law courts were closed so that the public could feast, dance, gamble, and generally enjoy itself to the fullest. December 25, the birthday of Mithra, the Iranian god of light and the contract and the day devoted to the invisible sun, as well as the day after the Saturnalia,was adopted by the church as Christmas, the nativity of Christ, to counteract the effects of these festivals." THE NEW ENCYCLOPEDIA BRITANNICA 15th edition volume 7 page 202

While most celebrants are familiar with the true origin of Christmas, the typical response to such facts is "so what?" Before answering this response, let's look at the background of another holiday, Easter, which was known as Eshtar before its "Christianization." While the facts about Easter's origins may offend those who consider themselves Christians, the story has a familiar ring.

"As at Christmas, so also at Easter, popular customs reflect many ancient pagan survivals – in this instance, connected with spring fertility rites, such as the symbols of the Easter egg and the Easter hare or rabbit." THE NEW ENCYCLOPEDIA BRITANNICA 15th edition volume 4 page 605

This labeling of a pagan celebration with a Christian sounding name was not accidental. The organization that became known as the progenitor of Western Christianity purposefully added these and other pagan celebrations to what became known as Christianity, thus enhancing the organization’s prestige, finances, numbers, and power.

Now back to the question "so what?" It should be enough for a professing Christian that the God of the Bible is emphatic about not learning pagan ways: "Thus saith the Lord, Learn not the way of the heathen, …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 axe. They deck it with silver and gold..."

In this passage God says the customs of the people are vain. Vain simply means of no value, and they teach humans nothing about the true God, but, instead, lead them into false religious practices. In fact, a fundamental reason for the prohibition against participating in these non-biblical celebrations is that they obscure God's master plan for the salvation of all mankind as revealed in the Holy Bible. By observing the commanded festivals of God outlined in the book of Leviticus chapter 23, mankind can understand how humans will be made one with God in the coming Kingdom of God to this earth.

The annual festivals outlined in Leviticus 23 are purposely set during the two harvest seasons in Israel – the spring to early summer harvest and the greater fall harvest. Each annual festival of Leviticus 23 pictures one step in God's master plan of salvation. The chapter of Leviticus 23 starts with a brief statement concerning the weekly seventh day Sabbath {request our free booklet, GOD'S HOLY SABBATH). It then proceeds to describe each of God’s annual feasts. God does not say these are Jewish or Israelite feasts, He proclaims, "THESE ARE THE FEASTS OF THE LORD" (Leviticus 23:4 and 37), and are "STATUTES FOREVER" (Leviticus 23:20, 31, and 41). These annual festivals or feasts start with the Passover in the spring and end with the Last Great Day in the fall.

Briefly stated these annual festivals teach us the following lessons:

• Passover: This is the first annual festival held in the spring at the beginning of the early harvest. It pictures the deliverance from sin by the blood of the Passover Lamb in the Old Testament (Exodus 12) and the blood of Christ in the New Testament. Both the symbolism of the Old Testament and fulfillment of the symbolism in Christ teach the theme of release from the bondage of sin and the starting of a new life.
   
• Feast of Unleavened Bread: This second annual festival mentioned in Leviticus 23:6-8 starts with a High Sabbath and ends seven days later with a second annual High Sabbath. The predominant feature of this Festival was that the ancient Israelites had to put leavening out of their homes. During these seven days, eating leavening, which is symbolic of sin, was prohibited. In the New Testament, these seven days picture a Christian putting sin out of his life – striving to live a sinless life. Keeping these days by putting leavening out of our lives should be the desire of all who have kept the Passover memorial to Christ:
  
  1 Corinthians 5:7-8: 7 Purge out therefore the old leaven, that ye may be a new lump, as ye are unleavened. For even Christ our passover is sacrificed for us: 8 Therefore let us keep the feast, not with old leaven, neither with the leaven of malice and wickedness; but with the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth. KJV
   
• Feast of Weeks or Pentecost: During the Days of Unleavened Bread the Israelite priests were commanded to conduct a ceremony called the "waive sheaf offering". This was an offering to God of the first of the firstfruits of the early Spring harvest. Christ fulfilled the symbolism in this ceremony the morning after his resurrection when He presented Himself to God the Father, before He would fellowship with His disciples (John 20). Christ was the first of the firstfruits of the early harvest season (1st Corinthians 15:20, Romans 8:29). This ceremony of the waive sheaf offering commenced the counting of the fifty days to Pentecost known as the Feast of Weeks in the Old Testament. In the Old Testament, this annual feast day marked the end of the early harvest when the fruits of the harvest were brought before the Lord, and in the New Testament it was fulfilled in the coming of the Holy Spirit to begin the spirit-begotten church, the early spiritual harvest of mankind (Acts chapter 3).
   
• Feast of Trumpets: The fall harvest season starts with what could be called the most astounding day mankind will ever experience. It is called the Feast of Trumpets, and began with powerful trumpet blasts. The trumpet blasts foreshadow the coming terrible Day of the Lord and the return of Jesus Christ as the conquering King of Kings. It teaches of the day Christ will return to earth to end the rule of man; and it is the day Christ will harvest his resurrected saints from all corners of the earth (Leviticus 23:23-25, 1 Thessalonians 4:16-17, Revelation 8:6).
   
• Day Of Atonement: This is the second fall festival and is a day of afflicting the soul or fasting (Leviticus 23:28). This festival depicts the time when the present evil ruler of this world, Satan the Devil, is banished from the earth for 1000 years. This must happen if mankind is ever to live at one with God (Revelation 12:9 and 20:1-3).
   
• Feast of Ingathering or Tabernacles: The return of Christ as king, the resurrection of the saints, and the banishing of Satan set the stage for the 1000 year millennial reign of Christ on the earth. During this period, all who are alive or who are born during this time will have the opportunity for repentance through the King Jesus Christ, accepting him as their savior. This festival lasts for seven days, and pictures the gathering in of all nations to Christ (Leviticus 23:33-43, Exodus23:16, Zechariah 14:16, Revelation 20:6).
   
• Last Great Day: But what about all those billions who lived and died and never heard the name Jesus Christ or never truly repented of their sins, accepting Christ as their savior? The last annual Sabbath of the Holy year pictures the huge ending of the fall harvest – the opportunity for all who have not truly known Christ to be resurrected to life, to learn about the true God, and to receive eternal life. This final annual Sabbath depicts a great white throne judgment period when all will have the opportunity to understand what is written in the books that make up the Bible. They, small and great, will have the opportunity to have their names written in the Book of Life (Revelation 20:11-15). For it is the will of God that none should perish! (1Timothy2:4)

Having read this far, you may have a number of questions concerning God's great master plan to open the way to eternal life to every human being. A good way to start finding answers to your questions is to download our free Bible Study offered on this website that covers the subject of the Passover. Click here and start down the path to the true understanding of God’s true Christian celebrations.