Christmas and Easter
Thus saith the LORD, Learn not the way of the heathen, and be not dismayed at the signs of heaven; for the heathen are dismayed at them. 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 with gold; they fasten it with nails and with hammers, that it move not. Jeremiah 10:2-4
The Sabbath
Your new moons and your appointed feasts my soul hateth: they are a trouble unto me; I am weary to bear them. Isaiah 1:14
Have you ever wondered how Christmas and Easter got so commercialized with Santa Claus, Christmas trees, the Easter Bunny and so on? It seems the real meaning of these holidays and their purpose has been forgotten by the non-church going crowd.
Every once in awhile you will see a sign on Christmas that says "Jesus is the reason for the season" trying to remind the heathen what Christmas is really all about.
Unfortunately, the unknowing ones with the Christmas tree, Santa Claus, the ham dinner and all the rest of the festivities are following the pagan traditions that Christmas was originally built upon.
There is not one word in the New Testament, or anywhere in the Bible, telling us to observe Christmas or Easter.
The Christians of the first century, under the inspired teachings of the Apostles, never observed these Holidays. The so called "early church fathers" of the first three centuries make no mention of them. There is no Scripture or command for their observance, but the word of God is not silent concerning these unbiblical holidays.
In Jeremiah’s day. God’s people were following the customs of the heathen who cut down trees, shaped the wood into idols, decorated them with silver and gold ornaments as the verse above shows.
If you read the verses before Isaiah 1:14 you will see the Israelites are just going though the motions and living as hypocrites with their celebrations which were worthless to God. They were no longer serving God the way He wanted to be worshiped, they were going their own way and doing their own thing.
Hear, O heavens, and give ear, O earth; for Jehovah hath spoken: I have nourished and brought up children, and they have rebelled against me. The ox knoweth his owner, and the ass his master's crib; but Israel doth not know, my people doth not consider.
Ah sinful nation, a people laden with iniquity, a seed of evil-doers, children that deal corruptly ! they have forsaken Jehovah, they have despised the Holy One of Israel, they are estranged and gone backward. Isaiah 1:2-4
God is talking about the nation of Judah and the people who are being wicked and rebellious, not obeying God in the way they were living their lives.
In Isaiah 1:14 notice God says, Your new moons and your appointed feasts my soul hateth:
In Leviticus 23:2 God reveals His Holy days
Speak unto the children of Israel, and say unto them, The set feasts of Jehovah, which ye shall proclaim to be holy convocations, even these are my set feasts.
Lev 23:3 Six days shall work be done: but on the seventh day is a sabbath of solemn rest, a holy convocation; ye shall do no manner of work: it is a sabbath unto Jehovah in all your dwellings.
The Passover and the Feast of Unleavened Bread
Lev 23:4 These are the set feasts of Jehovah, even holy convocations, which ye shall proclaim in their appointed season.
Lev 23:5 In the first month, on the fourteenth day of the month at even, is Jehovah's passover.
Lev 23:6 And on the fifteenth day of the same month is the feast of unleavened bread unto Jehovah: seven days ye shall eat unleavened bread.
Lev 23:7 In the first day ye shall have a holy convocation: ye shall do no servile work.
Lev 23:8 But ye shall offer an offering made by fire unto Jehovah seven days: in the seventh day is a holy convocation; ye shall do no servile work.
The Feast of Firstfruits
Lev 23:9 And Jehovah spake unto Moses, saying,
Lev 23:10 Speak unto the children of Israel, and say unto them, When ye are come into the land which I give unto you, and shall reap the harvest thereof, then ye shall bring the sheaf of the first-fruits of your harvest unto the priest:
Lev 23:11 and he shall wave the sheaf before Jehovah, to be accepted for you: on the morrow after the sabbath the priest shall wave it.
Lev 23:12 And in the day when ye wave the sheaf, ye shall offer a he-lamb without blemish a year old for a burnt-offering unto Jehovah.
Lev 23:13 And the meal-offering thereof shall be two tenth parts of an ephah of fine flour mingled with oil, an offering made by fire unto Jehovah for a sweet savor; and the drink-offering thereof shall be of wine, the fourth part of a hin.
Lev 23:14 And ye shall eat neither bread, nor parched grain, nor fresh ears, until this selfsame day, until ye have brought the oblation of your God: it is a statute for ever throughout your generations in all your dwellings.
The Feast of Weeks
Lev 23:15 And ye shall count unto you from the morrow after the sabbath, from the day that ye brought the sheaf of the wave-offering; seven sabbaths shall there be complete:
Lev 23:16 even unto the morrow after the seventh sabbath shall ye number fifty days; and ye shall offer a new meal-offering unto Jehovah.
Lev 23:17 Ye shall bring out of your habitations two wave-loaves of two tenth parts of an ephah: they shall be of fine flour, they shall be baken with leaven, for first-fruits unto Jehovah.
Lev 23:18 And ye shall present with the bread seven lambs without blemish a year old, and one young bullock, and two rams: they shall be a burnt-offering unto Jehovah, with their meal-offering, and their drink-offerings, even an offering made by fire, of a sweet savor unto Jehovah.
Lev 23:19 And ye shall offer one he-goat for a sin-offering, and two he-lambs a year old for a sacrifice of peace-offerings.
Lev 23:20 And the priest shall wave them with the bread of the first-fruits for a wave-offering before Jehovah, with the two lambs: they shall be holy to Jehovah for the priest.
Lev 23:21 And ye shall make proclamation on the selfsame day; there shall be a holy convocation unto you; ye shall do no servile work: it is a statute for ever in all your dwellings throughout your generations.
Lev 23:22 And when ye reap the harvest of your land, thou shalt not wholly reap the corners of thy field, neither shalt thou gather the gleaning of thy harvest: thou shalt leave them for the poor, and for the soujourner: I am Jehovah your God.
The Feast of Trumpets
Lev 23:23 And Jehovah spake unto Moses, saying,
Lev 23:24 Speak unto the children of Israel, saying, In the seventh month, on the first day of the month, shall be a solemn rest unto you, a memorial of blowing of trumpets, a holy convocation.
Lev 23:25 Ye shall do no servile work; and ye shall offer an offering made by fire unto Jehovah.
The Day of Atonement
Lev 23:26 And Jehovah spake unto Moses, saying,
Lev 23:27 Howbeit on the tenth day of this seventh month is the day of atonement: it shall be a holy convocation unto you, and ye shall afflict your souls; and ye shall offer an offering made by fire unto Jehovah.
Lev 23:28 And ye shall do no manner of work in that same day; for it is a day of atonement, to make atonement for you before Jehovah your God.
Lev 23:29 For whatsoever soul it be that shall not be afflicted in that same day; he shall be cut off from his people.
Lev 23:30 And whatsoever soul it be that doeth any manner of work in that same day, that soul will I destroy from among his people.
Lev 23:31 Ye shall do no manner of work: it is a statute for ever throughout your generations in all your dwellings.
Lev 23:32 It shall be unto you a sabbath of solemn rest, and ye shall afflict your souls: in the ninth day of the month at even, from even unto even, shall ye keep your sabbath.
The Feast of Booths
Lev 23:33 And Jehovah spake unto Moses, saying,
Lev 23:34 Speak unto the children of Israel, saying, On the fifteenth day of this seventh month is the feast of tabernacles for seven days unto Jehovah.
Lev 23:35 On the first day shall be a holy convocation: ye shall do no servile work.
Lev 23:36 Seven days ye shall offer an offering made by fire unto Jehovah: on the eighth day shall be a holy convocation unto you; and ye shall offer an offering made by fire unto Jehovah: it is a solemn assembly; ye shall do no servile work.
Lev 23:37 These are the set feasts of Jehovah, which ye shall proclaim to be holy convocations, to offer an offering made by fire unto Jehovah, a burnt-offering, and a meal-offering, a sacrifice, and drink-offerings, each on its own day;
Lev 23:38 besides the sabbaths of Jehovah, and besides your gifts, and besides all your vows, and besides all your freewill-offerings, which ye give unto Jehovah.
Lev 23:39 Howbeit on the fifteenth day of the seventh month, when ye have gathered in the fruits of the land, ye shall keep the feast of Jehovah seven days: on the first day shall be a solemn rest, and on the eighth day shall be a solemn rest.
Lev 23:40 And ye shall take you on the first day the fruit of goodly trees, branches of palm-trees, and boughs of thick trees, and willows of the brook; and ye shall rejoice before Jehovah your God seven days.
Lev 23:41 And ye shall keep it a feast unto Jehovah seven days in the year: it is a statute for ever throughout your generations; ye shall keep it in the seventh month.
Lev 23:42 Ye shall dwell in booths seven days; all that are home-born in Israel shall dwell in booths;
Lev 23:43 that your generations may know that I made the children of Israel to dwell in booths, when I brought them out of the land of Egypt: I am Jehovah your God.
Lev 23:44 And Moses declared unto the children of Israel the set feasts of Jehovah.
It is well known that Christmas has pagan origins, the encyclopedia Britannica states:
"Christmas (i.e., the Mass of Christ). Christmas was not among the earliest festivals of the church . . . ." It was not instituted by Christ or the apostles, or by Bible authority — it was picked up afterward from paganism.
The Encyclopedia Americana says:
"CHRISTMAS. It was, according to many authorities, not celebrated in the first centuries of the Christian church, as the Christian usage in general was to celebrate the death of remarkable persons rather than their birth . . ." (The "Communion" which is instituted by New Testament Bible authority, is a memorial of the DEATH of Christ.) ". . . a feast was established in memory of Christ's birth in the fourth century by the Roman Catholic Church.
In the fifth century the Church ordered it to be celebrated forever on the day of the old Roman feast of the birth of Sol, as no certain knowledge of the day of Christ's birth existed."
Notice the word "Mass" in religious usage means a "death sacrifice." Saying, "Merry Christmas", is literally saying "Merry death of Christ!" Furthermore, when Santa laughs boisterously and says, "Ho ho ho, Merry Christmas", he is mocking and laughing at the suffering and bleeding Saviour, who died for our sins ! Then we go on to eat Christmas dinner complete with a freshly baked ham !
Charles Spurgeon who is known as the "Prince of Preachers" wrote:
We have no superstitious regard for times and seasons. Certainly we do not believe in the present ecclesiastical arrangement called Christmas: first, because we do not believe in the mass at all, but abhor it, whether it be said or sung in Latin or in English; and, secondly, because we find no Scriptural warrant whatever for observing any day as the birthday of the Savior; and, consequently, its observance is a superstition, because not of divine authority.
-- Charles Spurgeon, Sermon on Dec. 24, 1871.
There is no question why God would reject this unbiblical celebration as God cannot abide with this mixing of iniquity and substitution of His holy and appointed times.
Jesus specifically mentioned that Christians were to observe the Passover as He did in Luke 22:14-20.
And when the hour was come, he sat down, and the apostles with him. And he said unto them, With desire I have desired to eat this passover with you before I suffer:
for I say unto you, I shall not eat it, until it be fulfilled in the kingdom of God.
And he received a cup, and when he had given thanks, he said, Take this, and divide it among yourselves:
for I say unto you, I shall not drink from henceforth of the fruit of the vine, until the kingdom of God shall come.
And he took bread, and when he had given thanks, he brake it, and gave to them, saying, This is my body which is given for you: this do in remembrance of me.
In 325 A.D. Constantine summoned the First Council of Nicaea which, among other things, established the unbiblical celebration of Easter to replace the Jewish Passover.
According to Eusebius' Life of Constantine, Book III chapter 18, the Roman emperor Constantine declared:
Let us then have nothing in common with the detestable Jewish crowd; for we have received from our Saviour a different way.
It seems that Constantine forgot that Jesus and His apostles were Jews and that Christ is the King of the Jews !
You see; All of God's feast days are Holy Rehearsals. Jesus fulfilled the spring feasts down to every last detail and Jesus is coming back to fulfill the Fall feasts in the exact same manner.