True Christian should choose not to celebrate Christmas.

First of all, Please let me know if you think this article is misleading so that I would eliminate this article from the web page. In this article, I will explain why I recommend Christians to abolish custom to celebrate Christmas.

For example, if a man who was born in January, and you gave him a birthday card in August; could you be impolite? Would you be critisized by that? Probably it would end up with your apology when you found yourself making a mistake. But, listen. It may not be a serious mistake. Indeed, the normal mature persons would not seriously care if you do not remember his/her birthday and if you give him/her a birthday gift on a wrong day. On the other hand, it is true that a mature person would not give birthday gifts on wrong day if the correct date is informed, right?

I heard some people like private practice doctors or dentists saying that it is crucially important to remember the birthdays of the persons dealing with, although it sounded highly political. I am not saying all of the private practice people think that way. But I know some of them do. They are so nervous about somebody else's birthday, believing that it is suicidal if you do not care of them. You have to realize that you do not cerebrate the birthday of Christ just like that. There is no punishment if you forget celebrating Jesus' birthday. The Bible never told you to celebrate Jesus' birthday. Furthermore, it is not crucially important at all to pretend sincerity for benefit. If you really love Jesus, it is more important for you to dedicate one day out of week to spend with Him rather than spend one night out of 365 days for Christmas.

In the Bible, there is record of Jesus Christ. According to the New Testament, the Roman Empire enforced the Palestinian Jewish people to come to their originated individual towns so that the Roman government could count the heads for taxation. Jesus' mother, Mary, was pregnant at that time. When Joseph and Mary reached Bethlehem from Nazareth, the inns were full and they stayed in a manger where Jesus Christ was born. In our society, the day that Jesus was born was determined to be December 25th, and the culture of Christmas has been prevalent along with the history of Western Christian churches. It is felt that people who do not celebrate this imaginary Jesus' birth day are not Christians.

However, I recommend you think twice about it. Read over the descriptions in the New Testament and evaluate if the event occurred at this particular time, according to the climate which is expected on December 25th. As you may know, you may have snow during the winter in Israel and Palestine. Mount Hermon in the northern Palestine may have snow on the top. If this relatively low altitude mountain was covered with snow, what would you feel down on the plains? The climate in such condition is by no means "a little bit cool," but, it should be very cold. It is hard to believe a baby wrapped in shabby blankets in a well ventilated manger would quietly tolerate exhibition to the Three Wise Men from the East and shepherds night time in the winter. Moreover, you have to realize that these shepherds stayed outside in the field and meadows to watch the star. Can you imagine how they could stay outside at the end of December and the sheep not be kept in a barn? You may also ask if a pregnant woman could travel on the back of a donkey or camel for more than a 100 kilometer distance from Nazareth to Bethlehem in such cold climate? You would believe that the climate should have been milder than that, or you may ask yourself if the Roman Empire was stupid enough to choose to execute such head counting business in the middle of winter. The Roman soldiers also were human beings, and they should have felt that the end of December was not a good time to do the job. If you have so many questions like these coming one after another, your judgment and insight is pretty good.

Now, please read your Bible. Luke 3:23 says Jesus was 30 years of age when he started his public work. Thereafter, he worked for 3 and a half years, teaching Gospel and Law until finally crucified Read Daniel 9:27 which mentions the prophecy of 3 and 1/2 years. In other words, Jesus was 33 years and 6 months old when he was crucified. When Jesus died, it was at the end of the Pass-over. This followed upon the 15th day of the month of Nisan, according to the Jewish calendar. The 15th day of Nisan is still observed as the Pass-over (Easter in Christian tradition is thought to be derived from the Pass-over). Jesus was put on the cross one day before the Pass-over (the 14th day) and died on the following day just like as a lamb was slayed for a sacrificed Pass-over feast, according to the Bible (John ~9:31, Luke 23:53 and 54, 1 Corinthian 5:7). Then, you should count back by 33 years and 6 months from the day Jesus died, and you will find the day Jesus was born. You should find that 33 years and 6 months before the 15th day of Nisan turning out the 15th day of the month of Tishri. The 15th day of the month is the Festival of Sukkot (Leviticus 23:34). This is not coincidence. You should take this fact serious.

According to the Jewish calendar, the first month of the year is Tishri; the first day of the month of Tishri is known as Rosh Hashanah Rosh Hashana is the Jewish new year. Ten days after the Rosh Hashanah, the Great Day of Atonement (Yom Kippur) will come. On that day, the priest would go to the most holy place in sanctuary to cleanse people's sins. This is the way that people in Israel had a new year. The theme of Rosh Hashanah is "The King is Coming". The 15th day of the month of Tishri is the celebration of Sukkot, in which the people built shabby huts outside of the house and had dinner and stayed the night there. It is explained that the meaning of this celebration is to commemorate the past experience when the Israelites were freed from Egypt and stayed in shabby tents until they came to the Land of Canaan.

You may find in the Old Testament in the Book of Zechariah 14:-16-19

and you may wonder saying "why we deserve punishment just because we do not pay respect to the Jewish shabby booths celebration? It is unfair, isn't it?". Indeed. You can legitimately complain in front of God if the celebration of Sukkot (the feast of booths) is nothing but a empty romantic commemoration of the good antique days! (I hope you soon realize that is not the case.)

However, if Jesus Christ was born on the Sukkot, you should cerebrate (not celebrate) what it means. First of all, the place where Jesus was born, a manger, is literally "Sukkot (a shabby booth)". Although Jesus Christ was the King of Kings and the Lord of Lords, he was born in a shabby hut instead of a beautiful palace. This means that Jesus shared the tough experience of the Jews in the past. Moreover, his birth was the perfect fulfillment of the prophecy of the Prophet Micah (You may read the book of Micha, Chapter 5).

Now, read the Book of Luke 2:21. Eight days after the birth of Messiah, Jesus was circumcised according with the Commandments. It is extremely important for you to know what happened eight days after the first day of Sukkot. Lo and behold, that is "Sim chat Torah" (pronounce {sim-ha-torah} = "The celebration of the law"). This is the day to celebrate and thank God for the law which was bestowed upon the Jewish people, as the law gave them blessings and life. Some Christians have an extremely negative impression against the law in contrast to the Gospel. However, there is no such negative view to the law in traditional Jewish people. Rather, they thank the law and say "we could have been dry bones in the desert without law from God" or "the law gave us life and hope for the future." It is important to remember for Christians that Jesus Christ was circumcised on the day of "Sim chat Torah", simply because it meant that Jesus and the Law became one. In other words, the law was incarnated to be the Gospel. This fact correlates to the statement by Jesus in Matthew 5:17. Did you know what Jesus said on the day of Sim chat Torah; "If any one thirst, let him come to me and drink. He who believes in me, as the scripture has said,'Out of his heart shall flow rivers of living water'", John 7:37. Therefore, Jesus is our Law and Gospel.

Knowing the presence of such tremendous Biblical connotations, it is more likely that Jesus was born on the day of Sukkot, instead of December 25th. On what Biblical basis you could cling on December 25 as Jesus' birthday? Did you know who determined that December 25th as the birthday of Jesus? - King Constantinus of the Roman Empire. He was known to have been a good emperor to certain Christian churches because he acknowledged Christianity as a national religion in the Roman Empire; however, at the same time, he applied Jesus' birthday to the day of sun worshipping. He was nothing but a Pagan who simply tried to utilize the power of Christianity for political reasons. This means that generations of Christians have celebrate the wrong birthday of Jesus for 1,700 years because of his political convenience. If you could have a hard time if you don't remember the birthday of your spouse, why not the mistaken birthday of the Lord Jesus could embarrass Christians? Christians cannot continue this mistake anymore.

Incidentally, it is worth remembering that this same man, Constantinus, also changed the most holy day of the week, i.e. the seventh day of the week, to the first day of the week, which is Sunday. Therefore, Christians have been mislead by Constantinus to believe the wrong birthday of Jesus Christ and the wrong holy day for the past 1,700 years.

>>CONCLUSION<<

The Book of Zechariah stated that those kings and people who do not come to Jerusalem to celebrate Sukkot (the feast of booths) do not have rain over the head. Now, I hope you understand after reading this humble article, that Jesus was born on the day of Sukkot instead of December 25, and people who do not happily celebrate this day, do not have the rain of the Holy Spirit. I hope many Christian acknowledge the centuries-long mistake and apologize to God so that they may receive the rain of Holy Spirit. And more imortant fact is, you will not be punished if you do not have an expensive party on the day. Just remember him.

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