Submitted by Terence Blackett

“And there appeared in Heaven a great wonder; a woman clothed with the sun, and the moon under her feet, and upon her head a crown of [12] stars: And she being with child cried, travailing in birth, and pained to be delivered. And there appeared another wonder in heaven; and behold a great red dragon, having [7] heads and [10] horns, and [7] crowns upon his heads. And his tail drew a third part of the stars of heaven, and did cast them to the earth: and the dragon stood before the woman which was ready to be delivered, for to devour her child as soon as it was born. And she brought forth a man child, who was to rule all nations with a rod of iron: and her child was caught up unto God, and to His throne. And the woman fled into the wilderness, where she had a place prepared of God, that they should feed her there a thousand two hundred and three score days.” –  (Revelation 12:1-6KJV)

No book ever written holds such beautiful allegorical and symbolic language, meaning and truth as does THE BIBLE! Type meets antitype; prophets validate Apostles; line is given over to precept; seals are followed by trumpets; vials portend approaching destruction and what was in the Beginning emerges in the End.

The sole purpose of The Bible is to reveal the person of Jesus The Christ. He was in the Beginning and He is definitely going to be there at the End. We can disagree over the how, why, when, where and all the other age-old questions – one thing is SURE*, Jesus is either who He is or we can disregard Him at our own peril.

It is accepted consensus that any discourse on the birth of Jesus can run folks into a meaningless argumentative quest which is often drenched in the dew of historical debate, conjecture and polarization. What has been established is that He was born, lived for [33] and a half years, died, rose again and is carrying on His priestly work in Heaven on behalf of mankind.

However, the tragedy of the birth of Jesus according the prophecy cited at the beginning remains frothed with reminders that few take time to examine. Sadly, space does not allow us to exegete those symbols of the prophecy – but will see how a different slant on the idea of Christmas (the time celebrated as the birth of Jesus) is mired false ideology, misinformation and religious idolatry.

For one, they were few at the genesis of Jesus’ birth who had been diligently looking for His arrival based on the prophecies of Moses and Isaiah or that actually knew that He had entered the world. The story tells us of lowly shepherds who had heard (from a chorus of angels) while watching their flocks by night. What is equally remarkable is that [3] pagan Persian star-gazers (magi from the East – wise men) who were students of the writing of the prophets (made known through Daniel the PM of Babylon) were able with almost pin-point accuracy to determine the time and place of this Great King’s birth, the One who was to be the Deliverer of all mankind.

But the story (though beautiful in its symmetry) holds a sinister historical dialectic which is difficult to ignore as people get caught up in the mad scramble to buy trees, presents, food & beverage.

As was cited in the Scripture from Revelation 12 – the dragon wanted to devour this Child right at its inception. As John the revelator is looking back through the prophetic historical lens of time – though incarcerated on the Isle of Patmos [40] odds years in the future after the ascension of Christ to heaven is given this prophecy which holds powerful truths which even the religious world glosses over due in part to ignorance or sheer wilful blind-sidedness.

When Jesus was born in Bethlehem in the province of Judah, King Herod’s seat of power was suddenly threatened as these wise men came in search of this new monarch, asking – “Where is He born King of the Jews?” This infuriated Herod. History paints a malversational picture of this beast of a man – paranoid and plagued by possible insurrection from within his own household. Herod’s rule reveals a catalogue of state-sponsored and personal terror attacks inflicted on countless members of his own immediate and extended family. Herod had his favourite wife, Mariamne, publicly murdered, as well as her mother, Alexandra. He murdered Hyrcanus, Mariamne’s grandfather who was responsible for saving his life and he eventually had his own sons, (Alexander, Aristobulus, and Antipater) executed to clear the way for complete self-rule. This was the result of the monarchical oligopoly of state power in hands of the elite. The divine rights of kings!

The news of Jesus’ birth resulted in a state decree for all babies up to 2 years to be murdered in a systematic campaign of extermination against Herodian rule. What is mind-boggling according to historical sources is that possibly 2,000 to 14,000 babies were viciously murdered and nothing was done about it. Clearly, nothing is new under the sun given that in our day, infanticide is given legitimacy through the rule of law which says that a woman’s right to abortion is a fundamental human right and must be protected. So every year around the world, 46 million babies are slaughtered based on state decree and laws. Even baby Jesus was not exempt from the tyranny of political assassination policy.

Herod in a blind, narcissistic fury saw these powerful wise men bearing gifts fit only for a king. These men were bearing gifts which had spiritual symbolism to the life of the Redeemer King. It was not a birthday celebration as some would have us believe. Origen, an early Catholic writer, admitted that “In the Scriptures, no one is recorded to have kept a feast or held a great banquet on his birthday. It is only sinners (like Pharaoh and Herod) who make great rejoicings over the day in which they were born into this world” – hence the origins of Christmas are masked in folklore, myths, superstition, mysticism and pagan ideology.

Celebrating Christmas is so far removed from true Christianity that many refuse to admit or even choose to break with this pagan tradition. On the religious right are those who argue that we have taken Christ out of X’mas. The question is: “Was He ever in it?” On the left of the debate, are those who believe in the secularization of the holiday season and see it as a time for feasting, revelry and merriment with some hoping to outlaw any religious connotations. Whatever our position is – one thing is clear, to practice a tradition without having true knowledge of it is no different to sheep being willingly led to slaughter.

Some of us accept that the epistemological roots of Christmas is to be found in Roman Catholic theology and by 529 A.D., after Constantine had made Christianity the official state religion of the Roman Empire – his successor Emperor Justinian subsequently made Christmas a civic holiday. The celebration of Christmas reached its peak – some would argue its worst moments – in the medieval period when it became “a time for conspicuous consumption and unequalled revelry.”

In the Roman Catholic Encyclopedia, 1911 edition, under the heading of “Christmas” says that: “Christmas was not among the earliest festivals of the Church…the first evidence of the feast is from Egypt… Pagan customs centering around the January calends gravitated to Christmas.”

The prophet Jeremiah warns in chapter 10 – that “Idolatry Brings Destruction”. The prophet warns – “Do not act like the other nations, who try to read their future in the stars. Do not be afraid of their predictions, even though other nations are terrified by them. Their ways are futile and foolish. They cut down a tree, and a craftsman carves an idol. They decorate it with gold and silver and then fasten it securely with hammer and nails so it won’t fall over. Their gods are like helpless scarecrows in a cucumber field! They cannot speak, and they need to be carried because they cannot walk. Do not be afraid of such gods, for they can neither harm you nor do you any good.” LORD, there is no one like you! For you are great, and your name is full of power. Who would not fear you, O King of nations? That title belongs to you alone! Among all the wise people of the earth and in all the kingdoms of the world, there is no one like you. People who worship idols are stupid and foolish. The things they worship are made of wood! They bring beaten sheets of silver from Tarshish and gold from Uphaz, and they give these materials to skilful craftsmen who make their idols. Then they dress these gods in royal blue and purple robes made by expert tailors. But the LORD is the only true God. He is the living God and the everlasting King! The whole earth trembles at his anger. The nations cannot stand up to his wrath. Say this to those who worship other gods: “Your so-called gods, who did not make the heavens and earth, will vanish from the earth and from under the heavens.”* But God made the earth by his power, and he preserves it by his wisdom. With his own understanding he stretched out the heavens. When he speaks in the thunder, the heavens roar with rain. He causes the clouds to rise over the earth. He sends the lightning with the rain and releases the wind from his storehouses. The whole human race is foolish and has no knowledge! The craftsmen are disgraced by the idols they make, for their carefully shaped works are a fraud. These idols have no breath or power. Idols are worthless; they are ridiculous lies! On the day of reckoning they will all be destroyed.” (1 – 15 NLT)

In conclusion, for those looking for a message in Christmas – “there’s NONE!” On the day of reckoning, none of these emblems will have any meaning. What is at stake is NOT* whether Jesus was born and is worthy of a birthday celebration (for He never celebrated anything but the Father’s Love). What is crucial is how Jesus lived! The price He had to pay for being anti-RELIGIOUS, anti-POLITIQUE, anti-ESTABLISHMENT but above all, anti-EVIL. That price was paid in His ignominious betrayal, condemnation and eventual murder at the hands of His own kindred sanctioned by the laws and decrees of the state government. Thankfully, what transcends all those vivid, lurid, dastardly experiences was and is the power of His Resurrection. This can be the only focus – and it’s high time for us to awake out of sleep!