WHAT IS CHRISTMAS?
Original document in Norwegian 1991
Written by cand mag. and pastor John Kjetil Lode,
NORWAY 2003
INTRODUCTION
What you are about to read may challenge you, yes, even shock you. My
purpose with bringing this information is not to lead anybody into a unhealthy
fanatism or condemnation, but to give you knowledge about things that you have
a right to know about – even if few dare to give you this information.
This article is a result of friends asking me to write down these
informations that I had shared after quite coincidentally finding it in my
church history studies.
First time I had my suspicions was already as a new believer reading
from the prophet Jeremia chap. 10 (see later) and then later in comics from
Chick Publications USA, which publishes biblical tracts and teaching brought
through Jack Chick, famous protestant writer from
Also treat subjects that are not directly linked to christmas itself,
but that the author finds both fascinating and useful to learn for better
understanding the source of false religion.
If you wish to continuosly live in a world of unconsciousness where you
may not need to confront matters, and if you do not dare to see the demonic
nature of certain human traditions exposed in the light of the Bible, God’s
Word, then I will recommend you to put away this article the sooner the better.
Choose right, and God bless you!
NORWEGIAN CHRISTMAS
The people that live in
The Christmas season was also connected to rites of fertility. The
Christmas bread for instance is an inheritage from these traditions. The same
is true concerning Christmas beer, Christmas pig, Christmas cakes and animal
figures made by dry straw. The list could be made much longer mentioning one
custom after another - appearantly
innocent in themselves – but nevertheless showing how little change took place
when the Christmas celebration was ‘christened’. These traditions comes from a
distant past, long before the so called christening of
Most Norwegians, included myself, have many nice memories and
experiences from our childhood that has made us looking forward to Christmas
with great expectations. Our whole society, through kindergardens and schools,
magazines and television, is focusing on making a cozy atmosphere and longing
for Christmas. Even though most people realize that as years passes by they
have less and less joy from the season, they still do all they can to be happy
and please the kids.
They tell them about Santa Clause (Julenissen
in Norwegian) and his rein deers coming from the north pole, being so kind and
bringing gifts to all good children at Christmas eve. Then someone will dress
up like the Santa Clause, and the adults try to convince that this is really
Santa himself coming for a visit.
Most kids also learn barely that Christmas is the birthday of Jesus, and
that there was a story with a certain virgin Mary and a Joseph travelling to
When the children after some years learn that this Santa-thing is just a
fairy tail, it is likely that some of them also would treat also the rest of
the story about baby Jesus and the “Christmas-gospel” in a similar way.
If you study your Bible thoroughly you will notice that this whole
picture of Christmas night is falling apart. The wise men (the Bible do not
tell us how many they were …) did not arrive in
Very important in these traditions is the Christmas tree, which is
decorated with the finest glitter in silver and gold colors, and people use to
walk around it while singing Christmas songs. And above all this: Under the
tree there shall be put gifts.
Obviously, such positive and happy surroundings and massive influence
from all institutions in society makes all kind of people – believers and
non-believers alike – friends of Christmas even from a very young age. This is
a huge brain wash going on! Many people not following Christ still become quite
religious in this season, and they may even sing a traditional hymn or two and
read from the so-called ‘Christmas Gospel’ in the middle of the food orgy and
the gift – hysteria.
Very few people even consider that there may be something wrong about
this celebration, and very few know it’s historical roots. Even though quite a
few people has blasted the commercialism mixed into it all, there are few who
know well the religious background of Christmas celebration. You should know that
this tradition do not have it’s roots in
THE FIRST
Because of the human race’s terrible falling into the most horrendous
sins of perversity, including women having erotic encouters with spiritual
powers, God had to terminate all people through bringing a world wide flood,
except for 8 persons: Noah and his closest family were saved (Genesis chap.
6-10). The ark of Noah stranded in the
The Bible tells us about a man calles Nimrod – a great hunter before the
Lord (Genesis 10:9). His name means in Hebrew ‘rebell’. It is written that he
was the first man who had great dominion on earth. He was the son of
We can’t find many more details about this in the Bible itself, but we
must realize that there exists other ancient manuscripts and writings telling
us about this people’s religious life.
All nations brought elements from this false antichrist religion first
established in
THE RELIGION OF BABEL
Much of the following information is from the
book ”The two Babylons”, by Alexander Hislop, published in
I can not guarantee that I explain this matter
historically correct in all details, but I still want to try to draw a picture
that may provide a certain understanding of the issue we discuss.
THE RELIGION OF
Nimrod is a legendary personality that was
important for many generations after his death. According to stories he married
his own mother, Semiramis. She was called the most beautiful and most evil
woman who has ever lived. She also was the most important witch in history.
Together with her first husband, Cush (father of Nimrod), and later on together
with Nimrod himself, she constructed a religion to rule the whole world. They
established astrology, magic and witchcraft. They even laid the foundation for
the teaching about reincarnation. They organized a priesthood that apparently
was living in celibacy, and the confessional was also one of their inventions.
That was a perfect tool to have control over the people’s minds and lives. Even
small children were sacrified to Nimrod and Semiramis, who were self-proclaimed
gods. Most occult symbols today, including different kinds of crosses, can be
traced way back to their days.
As the nations were scattered around, this false religion also spread.
Of course, names and details concerning the Babylonian gods and myths were
differing (the languages had been confused!), but they have a common source.
Semiramis became known under names as Asjera, Astaroth, Isjtar, Artemis, Diana,
Venus, Queen of Heaven, Mother of God etc.
You can find these concepts of gods also in religions in
THE CHRISTMAS TREE AND THE
GIFTS
Traditions say that Nimrod was killed by Shem, one of the sons of Noah,
because Nimrod was so evil. His body was cut into small pieces and sent around
in the area to scare people from following this false religion. It is further
claimed that in the same night as Nimrod died, there grew a palm tree in his
home from a dry root (“The plain truth about Christmas”, published by the
worldwide 
was
not really dead, but that he had everlasting life. This was illustrated through
the palm tree that grew up. The palm tree is a so called evergreen tree that
does not loose it’s leafs in the autumn.
Let me quote from the book Babylon Mystery Religion by Woodrow: “The
Christmas tree as we know it today, has only been known for a few centuries,
even though the idea of holy trees is very old. An old Babylonian tail says
that an evergreen tree grew out from a dead root. The old root symbolized the
dead Nimrod, the new evergreen tree symbolized that Nimrod had come back to
life again in Tammuz! Among the druids the oak was sacred, among the Egyptians
it was the palm tree, and in
When Nimrod’s birthday came – the 25th of December – there
were suddenly in a supernatural way gifts under the tree. They were gifts to
the family to cheer them up, and to help them rejoice on his birthday.
After that Nimrod was killed, his wife
Semiramis proclaimed that he was a god – the sun god. He was later on
called Ba’al (the name of the main idol worshipped by the heathens in the old
testament).
Semiramis became pregnant again without having a husband. She then
claimed that the spirit of Nimrod had returned to her through reincarnation,
and that he now was to be born one more time.
This was a false kind of virgin birth. When the baby had been born, he
was immediately proclaimed to be Ba’al
– the sun god, and he was named Tammuz
(see Ezekiel chap. 8 v. 14).
It soon became a wide spread tradition to celebrate the birthday of the
sun god Ba’al on the 25th of December. One would use trees – probably palms – later
on bushes, branches and similar objects to celebrate this event, and people
decorated the trees with round shining balls to remind them of the sun. As you
can see, we are here touching the root of those traditions that today has been
‘christened’ and are being expressed in our Christmas celebration. In the
ancient Babylonian religion the ‘tree of life’ was an important occult symbol.
The theosophy Rudolf Steiner claims that when Adam was expelled from the garden
of Eden, he was able to smuggle out 3 seeds from the original Tree of Life. His
son Set later was allowed to enter again the garden of Eden by the angel
guarding it, and Set thus became an ‘enlightened soul’. He saw that the tree of
life and the tree of knowledge about good and evil and grown into one another.
The seeds from the tree were planted in a secret place, and Rudolf Steiner put
a strong spiritual emphasis on this new tree. He claimed that the rod of Moses
and the cross of Jesus both came from this tree. Of course this is just
rubbish. The occult founder of the antroposophy, on whose philosophy are being
built certain private schools (Waldorff schools), clearly saw the parallell in
the modern Christmas tree, which can only be tracked back to
WHAT DO THE BIBLE SAY ABOUT
THIS CUSTOM?
Let’s go to Jeremiah chapter 10, verses 1-5a. I presume that the Jews
knew these customs, so there is no reason for God to speak in details about
them. It is quite clarifying to read the King James Version of the Bible
concerning this passage, as it is based on the unfalsified jewish hebrew
Masoretic text:
“HEAR ye the word which the
LORD speaketh unto you, O house of
2 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. 3 For the
customs of the people are vain: for one cutteth at tree out of the forest,
the work of the hands of the workman, with the axe. 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 …
The Hebrew word here translated palm tree is in Hebrew tomer.
This word can also refer to an artificial palm tree, or a palm tree used
for decoration purposes. (Gesenius Hebrew Lexicon). The word palm tree was used also in very old
Norwegian translations of the Bible, whereas in modern translations it is
commonly written in this passage something totally different, like for example:
The idols are like scare crows in a
cucumber field. My point becomes much clearer when we use the original text
on which is based the King James Version. Because the palm tree was used in
egyptian idolatry celebrating the birht day of the Sun god on the 25. of
December!
One can with confidence state that some modern Bible versions are far
out on the cucumber fields with their translations and choises of sources.
Do you now begin to see the connections? Notice that God commands His
people to not follow these pagan customs (verse 2)! It is evident that God did
not like
THE SIN OF MIXTURE
If you study the book of Jeremiah in the Old Testament, you will
discover that it is in fact a confrontation with the Baal worship among the
people of
There were also made many statues and pictures of Semiramis carrying her
son Tammuz in her arms. Because they were representing the sun gods, they were
made with a sun (halo) above their head. This tradition has been carried on in
todays Christian religious arts.
In Deuteronomy 12,19-32 God warns His people against being conformed to
the heathen peoples way of serving their gods. God commanded them that they
should not worship Him in the same manner as the pagans did to their gods,
because that is an abonimation to the LORD. Further He said that they should
only observer what the LORD had commanded them, without adding or taking
something away. There exist a catholic theology that claims to “christen” pagan
customs, and thus conquer them. This was done to christmas many years ago by
the “church”. People then felt that these traditions were sanctified, and that
this was the Christian religion’s victory over the pagan beliefs. Many christian
people do not see anything wrong in christmas traditions, because they believe
that since it has now become christianized, we may honor God by celebrating
christmas. But the Bible is very clear on this point: It is not possible to
sanctify what is an abonimation to the Lord.
Let us again see what God speaks about this matter: "Take heed to
thyself that thou be not snared by following them, after that they be destroyed
from before thee; and that thou inquire not after their gods, saying, How did
these nations serve their gods? even so will I do likewise. 31 Thous shalt not
do so unto the LORD thy God: for every abonimation to the LORD, which he
hateth, have they done unto their gods … 32 What thing soever I command you,
observe to do it: thou shalt not add thereto, nor diminish from it.” (Deuteronomy
12,30-23). Further we can read in Deuteronomy 18,9: ”When thou art come into
the land which the LORD thy God giveth thee, thou shalt not learn to do after
the abonimations of those nations.”
A christian brother once suggested that to christen christmas would
almost be the same as to christen or sanctify the Koran and then use it in our
services and meetings
IDOLS ARE BEING INTEGRATED IN
THE CHURCH
When digging in History you will find that the worship of the goddess
Isis has been furthered by the catholics through the so called Madonna cult.
When the
In older Norwegian encyclopedias you can search under the name of
Christmas was celebrated as the birthday of Jesus for the first time in
As the sun is “turning southwards again” in this season in the northern
countries, these days had been concecrated to celebrate the death and rebirth
of the sun. Read all of chapter 8 in the book of Jeremiah, concerning the
worship of Tammuz and the sun in the very
In
As earlier mentioned, the birthday of Sol on 25. of December suddenly
became the birthday of Jesus through lies and deceptions. And the devil is the
father of lies, according to Jesus.
The gifts, the candles, the merry feeling and the parties were kept as
they were before;
When it is referred to the ”church” beginning to celebrate christmas as
the birthday of Jesus, it is crucially important to know that it is talked
about the roman catholic church, which has NEVER been a true christian Church, if we let God and the definitons in
His Word decide, along with historical facts.
It is indeed interesting to read that true christians like the
valdensians, opposed the whole religious system, included the mediator position
of the priesthood, the liturgies, the church building architecture, the
catholic sacrifice in the mass (the holy communion a la Vatican) and ALL holy
days that had no direct link to the Bible (2000 years with Christ, p.316).
This probably also includes the christmas celebrations!
I just read that the Puritans banned all the pagan christmas traditions
when they were in political power in
Understanding that the roman catholic church has never been a true
christian Church, we have no longer any
reasons to further her traditions.
WHAT SHOULD A CHRISTIAN DO?
Our society has been infiltrated by the babylonian religious system. It
is now time to wake up and realize that it is not acceptable to let oneself be
conformed to this present world.(Romans 12,2).
We need to be radical followers of Jesus! A natural (and divine)
reaction to this information for a believer, is to make up his mind about how
to react to this new information. If you choose to not celebrate christmas
anymore, I believe that you have made a choice in line with the Word of God.
You may nevertheless experience that quite hostile powers may show up among
your friends and relatives. You may face great controversies, even among fine
christian brothers! Then it is timely to ask the question: What is so terribly
wrong with NOT celebrating christmas? Where is all respect and tolerance that
people are talking so nicely about? Keep yourself and your children unspotted
by the world! May God bless you! AMEN