Did you know Santa Claus dates back to Old Babylon? Did you know the prophet Jeremiah speaks of the cutting of trees and decorating them with gold and silver? Or, did you know the title "Christmas" was originally a Roman state church "Mass" to celebrate and pray to a dead "saint?"

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3. The Truth About Christmas
By Dr. Stephen Phinney
Did you know Santa Claus dates back to Old Babylon? Did you know the prophet Jeremiah
speaks of the cutting of trees and decorating them with gold and silver? Or, did you know the
title "Christmas" was originally a Roman state church "Mass" to celebrate and pray to a dead
"saint?" One of my favorites is the "Yule Log" - which originally, and still does in many cultures,
represents the "mother of god - queen of heaven."
There is an old phrase that goes like this: "When you're in Rome, do as the Romans do." This
cute little cliché is more true than we might realize. If Rome is indeed the Babylon of the end-
times and the Madonna (also known as the mother of God) is always lifted up as the "queen of
heaven," it would behoove us to examine the reality of God's warning to His people about idol
worship and Roman paganism. Don't get me wrong. I enjoy Christmas as much as the next
fellow, but I refuse to connect this holiday to any Christian history. Even its title is intended to
support the Roman pagan event - Christ-mass.
Originally, it was the Roman state church that adopted a local pagan belief, made it "holy," and
then required the people to attend "mass" in order to celebrate this "mother of god" - the Christ-
mass tree. Tree, you say? In its beginning, Christ-mass had nothing to do with the birth of
Jesus. But it all had to do with an idol evergreen tree being cut from the forest and placed at the
front of the church, to help ward off evil spirits of this pagan "holy day" (Eze. 6:13).
"For the customs of the peoples are delusion; because it is wood cut from the forest, the
work of the hands of a craftsman with a cutting tool. They decorate it with silver and with
gold; they fasten it with nails and with hammers so that it will not totter. Like a scarecrow
in a cucumber field are they, and they cannot speak; they must be carried, because they
cannot walk! Do not fear them, for they can do no harm, nor can they do any good"
(Jeremiah 10:3-5, NASB).
The Christmas tree is so common to us that we have forgotten the reason we display it in our
homes, churches, and communities. As you read, the historical roots of this tree are traced back
long before Christians turned this figure of idolatry into something Christ Jesus Himself would
supposedly promote. The Jeremiah reference to the Christmas tree was, and still is, an iconic
worship symbol for the Babylonians. Then, the Egyptians took ownership, followed by the
Romans who sanctioned it as an official "church" icon. It spread throughout Europe and found
its resting place in the United States of America. I am like many Christians today - this tree is
nothing other than a fun tool of tradition, much like a birthday cake. Attempts to sign the name of
Jesus to this object would be nothing less than idolatry.
The actual origin of the tree is associated with the mother of Adonis, the sun god. History books
tell us this mother would change into a tree once a year, to remind the Babylonians of the birth
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4. of her son, the "man of the branch." It is from this historical record that we find the base of the
beliefs of placing the "Yule Log" in the fire on "Christ-mass eve," stating: "The seed of the
woman," "Indigene," or "born of the fire," must enter the fire on "Mother-night," in order that he
may be born the next day, out of it as the "Branch of God," or "the tree that brings gifts to all
men." Why a Log? Because the "child of the fire" was an incarnation of the great god Nimrod,
cut off from his power and glory, stripped of all its branches, and cut down to the ground. But
wait, there's more. The great serpent, their symbol of restored life (Asclepius), twists itself
around the dead trunk. Behold, the next day a sprout of a palm tree appears - the Egyptian
symbol of new life. Later, the iconic leader of Pergamum coined it as the global symbol of
healing - our medical symbol. It needs to be noted that the original "Yule Log" was delineated as
the dead stock of Nimrod, deified as the sun god, but cut down by his enemies (God).
Therefore, the origin of the "Christ-mass tree" is Nimrod's resurrection, or the second coming of
the Great Babylon. It's hard to believe all that is sitting in our living rooms each year, isn't it?
Have you ever kissed someone under that ever so popular piece of green stuff, called
mistletoe? I certainly have! Even though the Druids (forefathers to the modern Masons and
Satanists) globalized the superstition, the original belief has its roots dangling from the branches
of old Babylon. In Babylon, mistletoe represented their "Messiah" - the "man of the branch."
Mistletoe was considered a divine branch. In fact, a branch that came from "heaven," birthed
through dirt, sprang forth to rule the earth, and brought "reconciliation and world peace unto all
men." Where did the idea of kissing under the mistletoe come from? Kissing is a
cultural/relational seal - "sealed with a kiss." Kissing in the early Bible years was just as
significant as a "wax seal" upon a document of a king, such as the marital kiss. Kissing under
the mistletoe was the pagans' outward act of agreement that the "Messiah" would come to grant
the world peace and reconciliation. Who is this "Messiah" the Babylonians keep referring to? I
will give you a hint - it is not Jesus.
What about our "Christ-mass turkey?" The turkey is the American beast of choice, having
replaced the European goose, as well as, the original Babylonian boar's head. Many countries
still follow the practice of using the boar's head - the "divine" symbol of the blood sacrifice for the
sins of the Babylonians. The "head on the platter" was a practice used all the way back through
the dark ages of early Europe. The act of beheading John the Baptist, and delivering his head to
the king on a silver platter, was 100% pagan and rooted in old Babylon.
Now, let's look at the traditional beliefs (lies) associated with the actual day of celebration.
December 25th was not the day Christ was born. There is not one word in the Bible about the
precise day of His birth, nor the time of the year when He was born. What is recorded though,
implies at what time His birth took place. It could not have been on the 25th of December. At the
time the angel announced His birth to the shepherds of Bethlehem, they were "feeding their
flocks by night" in the open fields. I don't know if you have done much reading or visiting during
the winter months in the Middle East, but the cold of the night is so piercing, that the flocks of
the night would have been frozen ice sculptures. Plus, it was not the custom for the shepherds
of Judea to watch their flocks in the open fields later than about the end of October. Another
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5. inaccuracy is that at the birth of Christ, every man, woman, and child was to go to be taxed at
the city where each was birthed. This meant some had to journey many miles to fulfill their civic
duty. But, the middle of the winter was not fitting for such politics - especially for women with
child and/or children to travel with in the cold. Christ Himself talked about how extreme the
winters could be during the winter:
"But pray that your flight will not be in the winter, or on a Sabbath" (Matthew 24:20,
NASB).
The date of our Savior's birth is most likely consistent with all of the other "firsts" in Jesus' life or
in the whole of the Bible. When we look at the dates of tax gathering, winter conditions, and the
Jewish dating system, Jesus was most likely born April 1. The first day of April is the first day of
the first month. In observing God's historical relevance for causing things to happen on the first
day of April, such as: the completion of the Tabernacle and the raising of the veil, it is fairly safe
to say it was April first. Another interesting factor is that no one really knows or can account for
the origin of "April Fools' Day." In the earliest of Christian days, due to the contempt directed at
Jesus and those who remembered His true birthday, many came to believe the suggestion that
the early "anti-Christ" worked to develop "Fools' Day."
Klassen's calendar research shows us that Jesus began His public ministry at age 30 in A.D.
26, which is exactly 4,000 years after Adam was created. Also, by using the Jewish calendar,
April 1 in 3975 B.C. was a Friday, the sixth day - man's creation. There is NO scholar, I am
aware of, who would dare to proclaim the confirmed day of our Savior's birth, nor would any say
the early Christian church has ever had the festival of Christmas as a part of their traditions. In
fact, in the fourth century, the early church stood against this pagan festival started by this "new"
state church of Rome - the Essenes (New Testament replacements of the Pharisees, which
later became the official Roman church). How, then, did this "Romish" church fix on December
the 25th and how did they get away with using Christ's name to announce it?
Long before the fourth century, and even longer before Jesus' death on the cross, a festival was
celebrated among the "haters of God" (heathens). At this precise time of the year, in honor of
the birth of the son of the Babylonian queen of heaven, history reveals that the "Romish" church
revived this satanic festival. It was to suppress the massive multiplication of the Christian
church, in the third and fourth centuries. It was a clever way of drawing true indwelt Christians to
the Roman state church, which claimed to be the only Christian church. Church history also
shows that this state church swapped out the names of the "sons," in order to attract more
converts. It needs to be noted that this state church has had the tendency, since the early part
of the third century, to adopt paganism, swap out names, and represent their pagan festivals
under the "Christian banner." Godly men and women through the ages have tried to stop this
movement. In spite of their glorious efforts, God has allowed the apostasy to continue. With
defeat written on their faces, but hearts filled with endurance, these Christians set out to
separate true believers from this Roman, state-driven, pagan movement. Thus, the era of
Reformation began.
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6. It is without question that the origins of Christ-mass are of pagan traditions. The time of the year
for this celebration has its roots in Egypt, with the son of Isis (the Egyptian title for the queen of
heaven, the "mother of god"). The popular name by which Christmas has been associated is
"Yule Day," which is the Chaldean name for an "infant" or "little child." Later, the name was
attached to a "Yule Log," which was thrown into the fire on "Mother-night" (the night that
preceded "Infant Day"), in order to bring the mother's spirit back from the dead and to protect
them on this "most evil day." The Roman church found these pre-Christ traditions quite fitting for
their "mother of god - Mary" and "infant son - Jesus." With a little "hand is quicker than the eye,"
the swap was successfully made. Honestly, I think we should give this celebration back to the
Egyptians; at least they were honest. Their festival had been commonly known as an
astronomical character, referring simply to the completion of the sun's yearly course and the
commencement of a new cycle. Their event merely commemorated the figurative birth-day of
the sun starting a new year. I think I like that better than trying to shove "baby Jesus" into a
pagan holiday; what about you?
Have you ever heard of Lord Moon? If you're not up-to-date in Arabian and New Age history,
you probably have not. The Serbians of Arabia regarded the moon, not the sun, as their visible
perfect symbol of their favorite idol. What was their favorite day of the year to do this? On the
24th of December each year, the Arabians would hold up the birthday of their lord - the moon. It
needs to be noted that this same group regarded the Sun (Gad) as a female divinity and the
Moon (Meni) as a male (Isaiah 65:11). What does all that mean? Simply put, the "mother of
god" had her day in the sun on our Christmas Eve and Lord Moon was the original Christmas
child being celebrated.
The fun little tradition of setting food out for Santa also started with this same group. Due to their
guilt and sins, they would set out Nur-Cakes (cupcakes) or Birth-Cakes (feast of the number),
and a drink offering, to satisfy the "mother of god." This tradition dates way back before the
prophet Isaiah:
"But ye are they that forsake the LORD that forget my holy mountain, that prepare a table
for that troop, and that furnish the drink offering unto that number" (Isaiah 65:11, KJV).
How about that funny, overstuffed man we all call Santa Claus? I know we are accustomed to
hearing the American story, but there is much more. The original "Saint Nicholas" (Nikolaos of
Myra, or modern-day Turkey), was a strict, Greek Eastern Orthodox Christian. He was made a
"saint" shortly after his death (in AD 343) by the leader of the Roman state church. He was
declared a "saint" to be prayed unto, to be shown acts of kindness and giving, and to assist in
their "Christ-mass" conversions. Nicholas had the reputation for secret gift giving, such as
putting coins in the shoes of those who left them out for him (our modern-day stockings). After
the Roman church popularized his habits of giving, the new "Saint Nicholas" became the central
figure and example in the church as the "reason for the season." It was the Roman state church,
in the Netherlands, which began using the name "Sinterklass" to describe the church's high
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7. priest role in the 25 days of Mass, before the day of the Mass of Christ - "Christ-mass." The
Roman church takes the credit for the invention of Christmas. But, the truth being said; our old
ancestors, the Babylonians, get the full credit.
Santa Claus (the Roman Father of the Christ-mass or Father Christmas) was the figure of the
high church. This included the use of a red robe (Cardinal's robe), a white beard (second
coming of Christ), "pagan spirit beings" called elves (altar boys), and was loaded with
indulgences. But, the real story behind this red robed man is far more pagan.
The drunken December pagan festival of Bacchus was originally celebrated in Babylon. It was a
custom lasting five days. The master of the house would serve his slaves and one of the slaves
would become the "ruler on top of the house." The "ruler" would clothe himself in a purple
garment, like a king. This "purple robed" servant was called "Zoganes," the "man of sport and
wantonness (debauchery)," and would answer only to "Lord of Misrule." In the dark ages, this
figure was known for revealing the Christ-mass. This "Lord of Misrule" evolved slowly into our
modern-day Santa Claus.
The tradition of the lighting of the Christ-mass eve candles is also rooted in old Babylon. The
candles were used to do honor to the memory of Nimrod, the first king of Babylon. It was once
the most distinguishing act of Babylonian worship, to have lit wax candles on their altars. The
candles were also to remind the pagans that the second coming of Nimrod will occur and that
his wife will unify all religious thought. Speaking of women, you might be wondering what the
original Babylonian celebration was titled - they called it "Lady-day." Now we know it was the
Roman state church that moved this celebration to December 25th, but the original date was
March 25th. It was an alleged commemoration of the miraculous conception of the "man of the
branch" from the virgin womb of the "queen of heaven," the Madonna of Babylon. On that day,
the angel was sent to announce to her the distinguished honor that was to be given to her, as
the mother of the "Messiah." She was to appear on a goose (Mother Goose), with harp in hand,
to announce the coming of her son, who will rule the earth.
First of all, Nimrod's wife won't be coming in on a goose, but rather on a red dragon. Secondly,
her "Messiah" son is NOT Jesus Christ, but is none other than the Antichrist himself. The most
interesting fact to me is that before our blessed Savior was even born of a virgin birth, grew into
the Tree of Life, died on that tree, then resurrected, (and soon to be returning in an authentic
"second coming"); Satan replicated the truth, through his little whore, in the old town of Babylon.
No superficial church historian can convince me of the "symbolic insignificance" of the intimate
relationship between Lady-day (Babylon), Christ-mass (Rome), and the Antichrist (Christ
replica). Satan is not a lazy leader sitting on his hands, like most "Christians," waiting for the
end-times to unfold. He is in the end-times and he knows it.
In conclusion: Should we burn that Christmas tree in our living rooms or stop kissing under the
mistletoe hanging from our doorways? Well - that's between you and God. As for me and my
household: We will continue to enjoy the pretty lights draped on our "family tree," which hold the
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8. cherished moments through hanging ornaments. And we will continue sipping on our hot cocoa,
as we give thanks to Jesus Christ for coming into this world to save us from the tower of
Babylon.
Dear reader;
Here is one thing you can hold me in account. I will never deny the undeniable truth that Lady-
day, Christ-mass, and the Antichrist are purely Babylonian; nor will I attempt to do "historical
revisionism" with the pagan traditions of "Holy day."
About The Author:
Dr. Phinney is the Founder and Ministry Host of the Institute Of Ministry (IOM America) and
founder to the Exchanged Life Global Initiative, as well as the International Fellowship of
Exchanged Life (IFEL). Stephen is also the co-founder of the Men Mapping Outreach
Ministries, a ministry dedicated to equipping men to be protectors of women, children,
community, and nation.
Stephen has authored multiple books/teaching series on spiritual growth (click here) and has
published over 280 online articles/booklets assisting others in obtaining a Transformational
Biblical Worldview. Even though he does NOT put much stock in these degrees, he holds a
Bachelors degree in Psychology, Masters in Counseling Psychology, and a Doctorate in
Ministry. He also holds the status of Doctor of Philosophy Candidate at Oxford Graduate
School.
OBJECTIVE:
Phinney’s primary objective is to equip individuals for the purpose of building up the Body of
Christ and assist in empowering men, women, children, and family units to have a generational
impact on the communities they serve. This is accomplished by providing training, mentorship,
and counseling by making use of the believer's identity in Christ.
About IOM America:
Our Purpose
IOM America is a tax-deductible 501c(3) nonprofit dedicated to helping members of the body of
Christ to experience, mature in, and communicate effectively the message of identification with
Christ in His death, burial, resurrection, and ascension in their various spheres of influence. Our
ministry comes by way of a 3-Fold Vision: Biblical Worldview, Discipleship & Training and the
Exchanged Life Global Initiative. All three fold into the International Fellowship of Exchanged
Life E-Community (IFEL).
Fold 1: Worldview Development
It is our confession that worldview is birthed through personal identity! This is why it is critical
for our workers to first understand who they are in Christ before they can lead another in such a
discovery. With this in mind, we aim to gently message the identification truths of co-death,
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9. burial, resurrection, and ascension into all aspects of ministry communication. It is our
experience that if any ministry or its workers focus on worldview issues before experimentally
understanding the power of the Cross, these workers could actually lead the Church away from
the Truth that will set them free.
Fold 2: Discipleship and Training
Our primary objective is to equip individuals for the purpose of building up the Body of Christ
and to assist in empowering men, women, children, and families to have a greater impact on the
communities they serve. This is accomplished by providing Christ-centered, Bible-based
guidance and training that focuses on issues pertaining to the indwelt Christian's identity in
Christ.
We press forward to show individuals their freedom from enslaving mental, emotional, and
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Whether you have already attended training, or would like to begin your training, we welcome
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The ministry of IOM has adopted the proposal of the Exchanged Life Global Initiative, which has
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