I've always been a bit of a film buff. In my childhood days, I remember watching great films like E.T. and Apollo 13 on my tiny television in absolute awe. Classic films like these always managed to lift my spirits even in the worst of times. As the world around me was constantly going through dark times, I knew I could depend on inspirational films to restore my faith in humanity. Yet as the years have passed and I've grown older, I've discovered that as the world has grown darker, so have the films that are being produced in it.
What was once an industry of powerful, uplifting films has become something of a severe buzz kill. In fact, in the past few years I've noticed four box-office hits in particular that attest to the world's loss of faith in humanity. For those of you who haven't seen Avatar, The Dark Knight Rises, The Hunger Games, and The Avengers, here are some of the many reasons why these four films are a testament to our broken faith in humanity.
Avatar
This science-fiction phenomenon was a visually breathtaking film when it came out in 2009, yet so many people overlooked its allusions to modern imperialism. The film takes places on another world where humans are reaping the resources of a foreign, untapped planet called Pandora. Because the humans have so severely depleted Earth's natural resources, they must retreat to outside planets to access things they need most, such as natural minerals. Sound familiar? Director and producer James Cameron confirmed suspicions that the film was a criticism of the United States' role in the Iraq war and use of warfare to resolve conflict, saying, "We know what it feels like to launch the missiles. We don't know what it feels like for them to land on our home soil, not in America."
The Dark Knight Rises
When I was growing up, Batman shows and movies were usually campy, funny, and entertaining. Yet Christopher Nolan's adaptation of Batman Begins in 2005 changed the very identity of the famed hero. All of the sudden, we saw a self-conflicted "dark knight" who was battling men who had absolutely no conscience or moral fiber.
Previous Batman villains we'd seen were more humanistic, self-conflicted, and sad, but figures like Heath Ledger's Joker and Tom Hardy's Bane completely emphasized just how dark the world around them has really grown. In the final chapter of the Batman trilogy – The Dark Knight Rises – we see a man who has literally had everything taken from him: he has lost the love of his life, the world despises him, and he might be forced to die in order to restore order and humanity to Gotham. It's most certainly a darker variance from previous Batmans, and I can't help but think that harsh modern times have something to do with that.
The Hunger Games
Suzanne Collins said the idea for her famous trilogy actually came from channel hopping on her sofa. Collins was flipping through the channels one afternoon when she realized just how juxtaposed the channels on her television really were: on one network she would see chronicles of New York housewives, but on another she would see violent footage of the Iraq War. Collins' Hunger Games brilliantly testifies to just how obsessed the world has become with accessing the "reality" of the world they live in. The film itself takes everything a step forward from the book and becomes all the more dark. In the box-office hit, we see a young, brave girl who is thrown into a ring and must battle 23 others in a fight-to-the-death match – all the while the world is watching her on television. The Hunger Games is an allusion to just how disillusioned the world's concerns have become. Why should we care about watching what celebrities do in their everyday lives? Shouldn't it matter more that there are starving people on the streets? Obviously not.
The Avengers
Can you imagine a scenario where things in the world have gotten so bad that it takes six superheroes to fight off the present evil? Growing up, I saw films where one brave man or woman could usually get the job done. Now we're seeing films where people must desperately turn to every superhero known to mankind in order to save themselves from the wrath of evil. I suspect that if things hadn't gotten as bad as they were now, people would be better able to believe that one man or woman could make a difference, but as we've all grown to learn, one man or woman standing in the face of evil can easily be pushed aside.
These are just four of the many films out there that attest to how dark the world around us has become. Take a look at some of the modern classics hitting the big screen today and don't be surprised when you discover just how dark they really are.
Barbara Jolie is a full time freelance writer and blogger. She is passionate about lifelong learning and online education. When Barbara is not blogging about all things education, she enjoys spending time with her calico cat, Moses, and her pet parakeet. If you have questions email her at barbara.jolie876@gmail.com.
At this point it
can be lost on no one, whether of a religious or secular bent, that the end of
the world is at least a possibility in our own lifetimes. Of course, “the end”
is perpetually “nigh” for a certain breed of doomsaying prophet, and they’ve
been consistently wrong up until now...or we wouldn’t be here to worry about it
today!
But the more
powerful science has made man (who retains his flawed nature...just read any
version of the Faust legend for a pretty incisive look at the trade-off we’ve
made), and the more it’s enabled him to see the universe as it is, the more
aware we become of what a fragile miracle life on this Earth is. Here are just
a handful of the ways it could go down:
1.
Thermonuclear war
This is the one
that defined the era from 1945 (when the U.S. first “demonstrated” the bomb) or
at least 1949 (when the rival Soviets, thanks to Julius and Ethel Rosenberg,
showed off theirs) to the ostensible end of the Cold War in 1991. For fifty
years, the world lived under the constant shadow of atomic holocaust. Thank God
we survived. Yet is our complacency, since the bipolar conflict gave way to
chaos, really warranted? Nuclear weapons did not go away, and the U.S. and
other countries remain locked in the logic of endless competitive new weapon
development. Who even knows what they’re up to now, in our own country or
abroad? Someday, surely, all these technological wonders of murder will be
used.
2.
Environmental collapse
Here is an issue
that has been absurdly clouded by our left/right paradigm, the ridiculous
“enemy of my enemy is my friend” logic that divides us so neatly into two
parties. You’re not supposed to be a conservative and care about the
environment. Well, it doesn’t take an etymological genius to see that
“conservation” and “conservative” share a root. Personally, I’m an agnostic
leaning toward believer in global warming. But to me that’s almost a moot
point; we’ll certainly find out the truth if we just hold on.
The larger
question is: even if this particular catastrophe is a false alarm, will there
ever be any externality created by the behaviors of every-man-for-himself
capitalism that will kill us if we don’t regulate it? If so, and the global
warming debate is the dress rehearsal, I don’t want to see the show. We need to
take the idea of “freedom” more seriously by soberly considering its limits.
The tragedy of the commons is a real problem, and there must be some middle
ground between Big Brother and anarchy.
3.
Supervolcano / Meteor strike / Solar event
I have refrained
in this post from postulating a Biblical apocalypse per se because I
don’t pretend to be qualified to assess such a possibility. But it is possible
to imagine a TEOTWAWKI scenario without invoking religious paradigms, that
involves no direct human cause and is unpreventable. If the supervolcano under
Yellowstone were to erupt, or a giant meteor were to appear and no Bruce Willis
to stop it, or a solar flare lashed out and fatally irradiated our planet, it
would mean that, whatever your beliefs, for all practical purposes, God had
ended us. And it’s not only possible, it’s inevitable, especially now that the
dream of human spaceflight is being mothballed: the sun will eventually (though
we’re talking about billions of years here) engulf the planet, and there’s
nothing we can do about it.
Rather than
letting this fact, or the equally incontrovertible small-scale equivalent of
our own certain death, cause us despair, we should allow it to throw into
relief the tremendous preciousness of our lives, and live them as if they were
fleeting, for they are.
Since the economic crisis began in late 2007, many Americans have suffered foreclosure. By October 2011 the foreclosure rate had climbed to 33%; greater than the 31% reported during the Great Depression.
For many, homelessness was brought on by job loss, but there are an ever-growing number of renters who have found themselves out on the street when the landlord lost the home to foreclosure. Others struggling to get by have found themselves the victims of escalating rent prices and for others; homelessness arrived when the social services they received was cut off as cities themselves experienced economic insolvency.
For every foreclosure, there is a heartfelt story to be told.
Not in My Back Yard!
Tent cities are a reflection of America’s insolvency and may be an indicator of what we can expect should we join the ranks of the unemployed. The US Department of Housing and Development reports that on any given night, 650,000 people experience homelessness.
Cities across America have chosen hard-line abandonment over compassion for the homeless. The plight of the homeless is difficult to unearth, as it is not being reported on to the extent it deserves. Yet, even though mainstream media seems to have swept their struggles into a dark corner of obscurity, there remains a voice being broadcasted daily through You Tube by ordinary citizens who care enough to report on their areas homeless.
Churches are not the only ones being punished for their good deeds. A couple in Houston, Texas who for over one year had been feeding the homeless each and every night was ordered to stop. The reason? They did not have a “permit” to do so; http://abclocal.go.com/ktrk/story?section=news/local&id=7898553
Where Have All The Homeless Gone?
The plight of the homeless in Lakewood, New Jersey was documented in this You Tube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xsYDvvgMevI where Pastor Steve Brigham discusses the tent city (in this case huts) he set up for the homeless that was ordered torn down. Pastor Brigham points to a woman who was employed in the garment district in New York City earning over $100,000 a year. She lost her job in the garment industry when operations were outsourced to China. Pastor Brigham states the 60 people about to be displaced were not likely to find warm shelter and hot meals to sustain life over the long winter.
In Huntington, Virginia a tent city that was erected on vacant land was bulldozed after the homeless were warned to vacate or face arrest. On film, police officers patrol the ground in search of the homeless who will then be arrested for vagrancy should they be caught. Mayor David Felinton was paraphrased as having said, “The city has done what it could.” http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MdZHraXFgKY
Tent Cities Are Disappearing all Across America
Although tent cities are disappearing, homelessness is growing as more and more lose their jobs or fall victim to eroding social services they had been receiving. Cities in financial trouble themselves are unable to answer the increased need to help the homeless with food and shelter, but neither are they willing to allow people to help themselves by allowing them to pitch tents, nor do they appear to welcome humanitarian efforts.
A report on one of the largest tent cities located in Sacramento, California reflects 1,500 homeless were living there with a reported 50 new arrivals each day who wished to avoid living on the streets. Like so many sites set up for the homeless, Sacramento bulldozed it in 2009. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tGxKdDinkKk&NR=1
Even a tropical paradise is not immune. In Hawaii, the ranks of the homeless tops the national average as the problem continues to increase, but like city’s elsewhere, the displaced are told that it is illegal to sleep in parks http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nGZE9PWPKts
In 2007, after a tent city located underneath pedestrian bridges by Cleveland Browns Stadium had been in existence for 15 months, Cleveland officials answered the need of the homeless by ordering them to vacate or face arrest. Officials had no advice for alternative housing. http://www.wkyc.com/print.aspx?storyid=69752
Visit Survival Diva Blog http://www.survivaldiva.com/ for more information on rural living, gardening, home canning, food storage, and tips on combating skyrocketing food prices.
***The following is a guest post for The Final Hour by Barbara Fix*** People expect to turn on faucets, showers, washing machines, and garden hoses for their water needs. Better re-think that during a time of grid failure unless you have a well and a manual hand pump to draw the water to the surface where it will do you some good!
Over the years, I have heard conflicting reports over what to expect with regards to water delivery in a grid-down situation. Just this week I got the answer from a plant manager (who will remain unnamed for job security reasons). Keep in mind that each water district is set up differently, and should you be concerned over your areas water supply, it is worth investigating.
Now back to my source: this manager works for a water plant that serves millions of urbanites in a heavily populated, metropolitan area. When I asked him what steps they had taken for back up in a grid-down situation, the manager's answer was less than reassuring. This particular plant has battery and diesel back up for 3 days. No more. Should diesel fuel be unavailable when their supply runs out, the plant will be shackled with regards to getting water to their customers.
When asked if the area's populace should expect sewage backup to enter their homes, the manager offered a mixed bag of possibilities. Sewage is, in some cases, gravity-fed. However, for those whose homes sit higher than gravity feed will allow for safe drainage, expected sewage back up --most probably to bathtubs.
If you have abundant water storage, and plan to pour stored water to a tub for bathing or a sink to wash dishes, you should have an alternate plan in place for a situation when water is unable to drain properly. Toilet use, even when there is sufficient water to dump a gallon of water into them to get them to "flush" should not be assumed in a workable preparedness plan.
Those on a septic tank can thank their lucky stars! Septics will continue to provide drainage as long as you are not dependant upon a sub pump for below-grade levels of your home.
Those fortunate enough to have a well can expect to have a reliable water source, but that is only for those who have planned ahead and have installed a manual hand pump to draw the water when electric water pumps ceases to function. Generators will supply needed power, but can be relied upon only as long as fuel reserves are available. An alternate solution is solar panel or wind generator power, or a combination of both. Solar generators are another option for those who live in sunny climates.
Plan Ahead
If your preparedness plan has not taken into consideration drinking, bathing, laundry, gardening and household cleaning needs, it is time to put it at the top of the to-do list! You should always store a one-month 28-gallon supply of water for each member of your family or group. Store more if you can, as 28 gallons per person is the absolute bare minimum and does not allow for bathing. Additionally, this recommendation assumes that you are near a source of water: a lake, stream, or river where water can be collected and purified through a quality water purifier such as a Berkey or a Katadyn--get plenty of replacement filters.
If a water source is not nearby, consider a waterbed. Although this is only a short-term solution, it will get you past the beginning of a crisis and from there, you may be forced to relocate to a location with a reliable water source. Look into water containment systems, where water run-off from a roof can be collected.
To store water safely, add 1/8 of a teaspoon of bleach for each gallon of water. You can also purify water with Ion or iodine as well, but use caution with iodine as some people can be adversely effected when ingesting iodine. Water storage should be changed every 6 months. But if it's past its optimal shelf life, it is still drinkable. Simply pour the water from one container to another to re-oxygenate it for better taste.
The following list is what you will want to keep on hand for sustainability. On a budget? Each item can be found under the navigation link section of my blog site, including free Do-It-Yourself instructions: http://www.survivaldiva.com/index.html
Here's what you will need:
Store at least 28 gallons of water for each person in water containers or 2 -liter pop bottles (milk cartons leak)
Tough Stuff tub/small animal trough for bathing. A solar shower is another option--these alternatives assume abundant water.
Manual Washing machine—can be a Do-It-Yourself project or purchased
Clothes Line & Pins for laundry
Quality water filter such as a Berkey or Katadyn--always get extra filters
Liquid laundry detergent and dish soap--stock up! Dollar Stores are a good source & easy on the pocket-book (use biodegradable for reuse in gardens)
Portable toilet or an outhouse if your area allows them
Conclusion
Recently, the US and locations abroad have experienced extreme drought and flooding. That alone should have kicked us all in gear to provide the single most important item of any preparedness plan—water! Don’t put off providing for water for drinking, cooking and clean up.
Visit Survival Diva Blog http://www.survivaldiva.com/ for more information on rural living, gardening, home canning, food storage, and tips on combating skyrocketing food prices.
Survival Diva, Barbara’s preparedness book is available August 1, 2011 http://www.survivaldiva.com/ Download for just $3.95
There has been a great debate regarding Joel Osteen and homosexuality in Christian circles for many years now. In interview after interview it has seemed that he was just extremely hesitant to come out and say that homosexuality is a sin. Well, now that has changed. In a new appearance on the Piers Morgan show, Joel Osteen very clearly comes out and says that homosexuality is a sin. In fact, as you watch the interview you almost get the sense that he was fully prepared for that question.
Do does Joel Osteen believe that homosexuality is a sin?
Yes.
That debate is now settled.
However, if you watch this new interview you also get the sense that Joel Osteen is almost apologizing for having to take this point of view. As Piers Morgan continues to press him on this point, it is obvious that Joel Osteen is very uncomfortable and that he would much rather be talking about something else.
The following is footage of the conversation about homosexuality that Piers Morgan had with Joel Osteen. It is really fascinating to watch....
However, it is important to note that Joel Osteen calls homosexuals "good people" during the interview.
So what is wrong with that?
Well, the Scriptures tell us that none of us are good.
Romans 3:23 tells us that "all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God."
The truth is that we are all sinners and we all need a Savior.
But we should applaud Joel Osteen for at least being willing to take a stronger stand on homosexuality and for finally being willing to clearly say that it is sin.
We all need to stand up for what the Word of God says. It is only going to become more difficult in the months and years ahead.
God takes sin very seriously. It is not something that He just "brushes under the rug".
For much more on sin and judgment, we encourage you to check out an article that we have published on another website entitled "What Does The Bible Say About Judgment?"
So why should we care about what God has to say?
Well, because heaven and hell are very real. If you don't believe this, you might want to consider the testimony of some people that have been to those places....
Have you ever thought about why people celebrate a holiday called Christmas? After all, the word "Christmas" is nowhere to be found in the Bible. There is absolutely no mention of December 25th in the Bible. In fact, we know that Jesus was not even born during the winter since the shepherds were still out with their flocks at night when He was born. So where did this holiday come from? Do you know the history of Christmas? The first Christians did not celebrate "Christmas". In fact, "Christmas" did not become an official Christian holiday until the 4th century. But December 25th was celebrated as a major holiday for centuries upon centuries long before Jesus was ever born. It was a very dark occult festival that celebrated the birthday of the "sun god" in all his various forms. Unfortunately, most Christians have never learned about the pagan origins of Christmas. Most Christians seem to believe that the history of Christmas began when Jesus was born. But that is not the truth. As you will read below, God established an entirely different holiday (that you can find in the Bible) for the birthday of Jesus. But instead, the Roman Catholic religion latched on to the birthday of the sun god and married it to the birth of Christ. This birthday of the sun god can be traced all the way back to ancient Babylon. In fact, most of our "modern Christian traditions" can be traced all the way back to ancient Babylon. But most Christians don't care. Most Christians are going to believe what they want to believe no matter what you tell them.
If you are curious about the real history of Christmas, read on, but be warned - it may "spoil" the Christmas holiday for you forever.
But at least you will know the truth.
In his classic work, "The Two Babylons", author Alexander Hislop explained that the Christian holiday of "Christmas" did not exist until hundreds of years after the time of Jesus....
"Indeed, it is admitted by the most learned and candid writers of all parties that the day of our Lord's birth cannot be determined, and that within the Christian Church NO SUCH FESTIVAL AS CHRISTMAS WAS EVER HEARD OF TILL THE THIRD CENTURY, and that not till the FOURTH CENTURY was far advanced did it gain much observance. How, then, did the Romish church fix on December 25th as Christmas-day? Why, thus: Long before the fourth century, and LONG BEFORE THE CHRISTIAN ERA ITSELF, A FESTIVAL WAS CELEBRATED AMONG THE HEATHEN, AT THAT PRECISE TIME OF THE YEAR, IN HONOR OF THE BIRTH OF THE SON OF THE BABYLONIAN QUEEN OF HEAVEN; and it may fairly be presumed that, IN ORDER TO CONCILIATE THE HEATHEN, AND TO SWELL THE NUMBER OF THE NOMINAL ADHERENTS TO CHRISTIANITY, THE SAME FESTIVAL WAS ADOPTED BY THE ROMAN CHURCH, giving it the name of Christ. This tendency on the part of Christians to MEET PAGANISM HALF-WAY was very early developed" (The Two Babylons, p. 92-93).
In fact, Hislop tells us that the world "Yule" can be traced all the way back to ancient Babylon. It turns out that the theme of a child being born to the Queen of Heaven was very prevalent throughout the ancient pagan world....
"That Christmas was originally a Pagan festival is beyond all doubt. The time of the year, and the ceremonies, with which it is still celebrated, prove its origin. In Egypt, the son of Isis, the Egyptian title for the queen of heaven, was born at this very time, 'about the time of the winter solstice.' The very name by which Christmas is popularly known among us -- Yule-day -- proves at once its pagan and Babylonian origin. 'Yule' is the Chaldee name for an 'infant' or 'little child'; and as the 25th of December was called by our Pagan Anglo-Saxon ancestors, 'Yule-day,' or the 'Child's-day,' and the night that preceded it, 'Mother-night,' long before they came in contact with Christianity, that sufficiently proves its real character. Far and wide, in the realms of Paganism, was this birthday observed." (Hislop, p. 93-94).
All of the ancient pagan religions can be traced back to ancient Babylon. The "gods" and "goddesses" came to be worshiped under dozens of different names, but when you start analyzing them closely you quickly realize that they all can be traced back to the same origin. This includes the winter solstice holiday that celebrated the birth (or "rebirth") of the sun god. All the way back in ancient Babylon, pagans celebrated a festival involving a heroic supernatural figure that visits an evergreen tree and leaves gifts on December 25th long before Jesus was ever born. From its early Babylonian roots, the celebration of the birth or "rebirth" of the sun god on December 25th came to be celebrated under various names all over the ancient world. You see, the winter solstice occurs a few days before December 25th each year. The winter solstice is the day of the year when daylight is the shortest. In ancient times, December 25th was the day each year when the day started to become noticeably longer. Thus it was fitting for the early pagans to designate December 25th as the date of the birth or the "rebirth" of the sun.
The truth is that thousands of years before there was a "Santa Claus", there was another supernatural figure who would supposedly visit a tree and leave gifts every December 25th.
His name was Nimrod.
According to ancient Babylonian tradition, Semiramis (who eventually became known as the goddess Astarte/Asherah/Ashtoreth/Isis/Ishtar/Easter in other pagan religions) claimed that after the untimely death of her son/husband Nimrod (yes she was married to her own son), a full grown evergreen tree sprang up overnight from a dead tree stump. Semiramis claimed that Nimrod would visit that evergreen tree and leave gifts each year on the anniversary of his birth, which just happened to be on December 25th.
This is the true origin of the Christmas tree.
On Bibletools.org, Mike Ford describes this ancient pagan tradition about Nimrod this way....
After Nimrod's death (c. 2167 BC), Semiramis promoted the belief that he was a god. She claimed that she saw a full-grown evergreen tree spring out of the roots of a dead tree stump, symbolizing the springing forth of new life for Nimrod. On the anniversary of his birth, she said, Nimrod would visit the evergreen tree and leave gifts under it.
On that same site, John Plunkett describes the ancient pagan myth regarding December 25th in this manner....
From many ancient writings, considerable is learned of this man, who started the great organized worldly apostasy from God that has dominated this world until now. Nimrod was so evil, it is said he married his own mother, whose name was Semiramis. After Nimrod's untimely death, his so-called mother-wife, Semiramis, propagated the evil doctrine of the survival of Nimrod as a spirit being. She claimed a full-grown evergreen tree sprang overnight from a dead tree stump, which symbolized the springing forth unto new life of the dead Nimrod. On each anniversary of his birth, she claimed, Nimrod would visit the evergreen tree and leave gifts upon it. December 25th was the birthday of Nimrod. This is the real origin of the Christmas tree.
From this original fable peddled by Semiramis (the "Queen of Heaven") came the tradition for pagans to go out to the holy "groves" and leave gifts for Nimrod (who later came to be worshipped as "Baal") at an evergreen tree.
Does that sound like a "Christian" holiday to you?
In "The Two Babylons", on page 93 Hislop bemoans the fact that the early Roman Catholics adopted this holiday as a way to attract pagan "converts"....
"Long before the fourth century, and long before the Christian era itself, a festival was celebrated among the heathen, at that precise time of the year, in honor of the birth of the son of the Babylonian queen of heaven. It may fairly be presumed that, in order to conciliate the heathen, and to swell the number of the nominal adherents of Christianity, the Roman Church, giving it only the name of Christ adopted the same festival. This tendency on the part of Christians to meet Paganism halfway was very early developed; and we find Tertullian, even in his day, about the year 230, bitterly lamenting the inconsistency of the disciples of Christ in this respect, and contrasting it with the strict fidelity of the Pagans to their own superstition."
But even though Christianity adopted this pagan holiday and renamed it, that doesn't mean that the pagans stopped celebrating it.
The truth is that the pagan holiday of "Yule" has been celebrated by the pagans of northern Europe from late December through early January for ages. Yule logs were traditionally lit throughout northern Europe to honor the pagan god Thor. The festival would continue until the Yule log burned out - which could take up to twelve days. This is where we get the so-called "12 days of Christmas".
In fact, Wiccans, neo-pagans and even many witches still celebrate Yule to this day. Many of them think it is incredibly funny when Christians use the pagan word Yule. Yule is one of the most important holidays for them. The following excerpt was taken from a website on witchcraft:
Birthday of the Twins:
Kemetic (ancient Egyptian) holy day. Birthday of the Twins, Heru Sa Aset and Bast, children of Aset [Isis]. Origin of Yule and Christmas. On Winter Solstice Asar [Osiris] dies. Aset [Isis] with the magick help of Nebt Het [Nephthys] creates a Djed Pillar [artificial penis] for Her husband and impregnates Herself. For three full days (December 22-24) Asar lies dead and the Twins grow in Aset’s belly. On this day (December 25th) the Twins are born, the reincarnation or resurrection of Their Father. The green tree is a symbol of the green-skinned Asar, God of fertility and vegetation. The colored lights are symbols of Aset, Goddess of magick and divine light. Red, green, and white are the traditional candle colors of Bast (this was Her birthday alone for several thousand years of early Kemetic history), later being adapted to red for Aset (the color of the Mother’s menstrual flow), green for Asar (the color of vegetation), and white for the Twins (the color of pure light).
So where did the word "Christmas" come from?
Well, the truth is that the word "Christmas" is not actually found anywhere in the entire Bible.
In fact, the word "Christmas" was not even invented until about a thousand years after Jesus left this earth.
The Catholic Encyclopedia even admits this....
"The word for Christmas in late Old English is Cristes Maesse, the Mass of Christ, first found in 1038."
But Jesus was not even born on December 25th.
The reality is that it would have simply been far too cold for shepherds to be out with their sheep at night in Israel on December 25th.
The vast majority of Christian scholars now acknowledge this.
So when was Jesus actually born?
Well, using the clues given to us in the Scriptures and by following the chronology given in the gospel of Luke, we can determine that Jesus was very likely born during the Feast of Tabernacles. In fact, it seems most likely that He was born on the very first day of the Feast of Tabernacles.
Now why in the world would God have His people do that?
Well, it was a "prophetic picture story" of what would happen in the future.
In the gospel of Luke there are clues that we can use to calculate the approximate time that Jesus was born.
Starting with calculating the time of the year when John the Baptist's father served in the Temple, we can come up with a Scriptural timeline that ends in the birth of Christ. The following video will break down all of the specific details for you....
Now, it must be noted that it cannot be proven with 100 percent certainty using the Scriptures that Jesus was born on the first day of the Feast of Tabernacles, but that seems to be the most logical conclusion when you consider all of the facts.
You see, as noted earlier, God always does the "big things" on his high holy days. If Jesus was born on the first day of the Feast of Tabernacles (which is a High Sabbath), then He would have been circumcised on the 8th day of the Feast of Tabernacles (which is also a High Sabbath).
In addition, it would better explain why there was no room for Mary and Joseph to stay anywhere. Bethlehem is only about 5 miles from Jerusalem, so the entire area around Jerusalem would have been absolutely packed with visitors who had come in for the festival.
But perhaps the biggest clue is the festival itself. You see, during the Feast of Tabernacles, God had His people live in humble temporary shelters which perfectly foreshadowed how His Son would come into the world some day.
In essence, God had His people go up to Jerusalem (which is about five miles from Bethlehem) every year, at the exact time when His Son would be born and He had them live in humble temporary shelters ("manger scenes" if you will) in order to foreshadow the circumstances of the birth of the Messiah.
For even more videos that show why there is incredibly strong evidence that Jesus was born during the Feast of Tabernacles, please see the following article: Jesus Was Born During The Feast Of Tabernacles.
So why are Christians still not celebrating the Feast of Tabernacles today?
Why are Christians celebrating "Christmas" instead?
Well, in the centuries following Jesus, there was a tremendous amount of anti-Semitism throughout the Roman Empire. Jews came to be deeply hated, and anything associated with the Jews was looked down upon.
Christian converts in areas of the Roman Empire outside of Israel started to find it very convenient to forget about anything that looked like "Jewish tradition" and many of them would even openly celebrate the pagan holidays that everyone else was celebrating just to "fit in".
By the time the Roman Empire legalized Christianity in the 4th century, most of the other religions in the empire were celebrating the birth of their gods on December 25th.
Leading up to December 25th in ancient Rome, a festival known as Saturnalia was one of the biggest celebrations of the year. Saturnalia was a festival during which the Romans commemorated the dedication of the temple of their god Saturn. This holiday began on the 17th of December and it would last for an entire week until the 23rd of December.
Saturnalia was typically characterized by gift-giving, feasting, singing and lots and lots of debauchery. The priests of Saturn would carry wreaths of evergreen boughs in procession throughout the pagan Roman temples.
Later on, the Romans also started holding a festival on December 25th called Dies Natalis Solis Invicti, which means "the birthday of the unconquered sun." Basically it was a way for the empire to consolidate all of the December 25th "sun god" birthdays throughout the empire into one holiday.
In the year 350 A.D., Pope Julius I declared that the birth of Jesus would be celebrated on December 25th from then on. There appears to be little doubt that Pope Julius was trying to make it as painless as possible for pagan Romans to convert to Catholicism.
However, the new holiday did not really take off with Christians at first. The widespread celebration of December 25th by Christians did not really get going until 378. It was apparently then dropped in 381 and then resurrected in 400.
But the truth is that December 25th was celebrated as the birthday of scores of pagan gods long before it was ever associated with Jesus.
As we discussed earlier, the celebration of December 25th goes all the way back to Nimrod (who eventually came to be worshipped as Baal).
Baal worship spread throughout the known world and provided the basis for all other pagan religions. The following are just some of the pagan gods that had "birthdays" on December 25th....
Mithras
Horus
Attis
Dionysus the son of Zeus
Tammuz
Hercules
Osiris
Perseus
Helios
Bacchus
Apollo
Jupiter
Sol Invictus - (The "Unconquered Sun")
When the Roman Catholics decided to make December 25th a "Christian holiday" in the fourth century, they simply "adopted" a pagan holiday and kept most of the same pagan traditions.
By adopting pagan holidays, the Catholic authorities hoped to make it easier for pagans to turn into "Christians". The following is a quote from the 2000 Encyclopedia Britannica, Volume 11; page 390....
"During the later periods of Roman history, sun worship gained in importance and ultimately led to what has been called a 'solar monotheism.' Nearly all the gods of the period were possessed of Solar qualities, and both Christ and Mithra acquired the traits of solar deities. The feast of Sol and Victus (open unconquered Sun) on December 25th was celebrated with great joy, and eventually this date was taken over by the Christians as Christmas, the birthday of Christ."
For example, the ancient Babylonian "Christmas tree" became known as a symbol of fertility throughout the ancient world. The pole, balls, and tinsel (phallus, testes, semen) represented various aspects of male fertility, while wreaths were always fashioned in a circle to represent female fertility.
In "The Two Babylons", Hislop describes some of the ancient traditions surrounding the Christmas tree on page 97....
"The Christmas tree, now so common among us, was equally common in Pagan Rome and Pagan Egypt. In Egypt that tree was the palm-tree; in Rome it was the fir; the palm tree denoting the Pagan messiah, as Baal-Tamar, the fir referring to him as Baal-Berith. The mother of Adonis, the sun-god and great mediatorial divinity, was mystically said to have been changed into a tree, and when in that state to have brought forth her divine son. If the mother was a tree, the son must have been recognized as the 'Man the branch.' And this entirely accounts for the putting of the Yule Log into the fire on Christmas Eve, and the appearance of the Christmas tree the next morning."
That sure puts a different spin on Christmas traditions, now doesn't it?
Most Christians don't even realize that God warned us about such things in the Bible.
In Jeremiah 10:1-4, God warns us against putting up these decorated trees like the pagans were doing....
Hear what the LORD says to you, O house of Israel. This is what the LORD says: "Do not learn the ways of the nations or be terrified by signs in the sky, though the nations are terrified by them. For the customs of the peoples are worthless; they cut a tree out of the forest, and a craftsman shapes it with his chisel. They adorn it with silver and gold; they fasten it with hammer and nails so it will not totter."
But we love our "Christmas trees" don't we?
In the Scriptures, God solemnly warns us not to adopt the practices of those who worship other gods. Deuteronomy 12:29-31 state the following....
The LORD your God will cut off before you the nations you are about to invade and dispossess. But when you have driven them out and settled in their land, and after they have been destroyed before you, be careful not to be ensnared by inquiring about their gods, saying, “How do these nations serve their gods? We will do the same.” You must not worship the LORD your God in their way, because in worshiping their gods, they do all kinds of detestable things the LORD hates. They even burn their sons and daughters in the fire as sacrifices to their gods.
The Puritans understood this. It comes as a surprise to most Americans to learn that the Puritans once banned Christmas trees in many areas of the United States because they were considered so pagan.
According to ancient Babylonian tradition, the springtime fertility festival of Ishtar (Easter) was a time when the "Queen of Heaven" was believed to become impregnated. Nine months later the sun god would be "born" or "reborn".
To the ancient Babylonians, these holiday trees came to be worshipped as the "Queen of Heaven", and gifts were brought to the "groves" of trees that had been grown in her honor and placed beneath them as offerings.
The Babylonians also used wreaths to represent the nativity of the sun, since they were objects that depicted the "womb" of the Earth mother.
Early Christians completely rejected these traditions. In the 3rd century, Tertullian wrote the following about these pagan celebrations....
"On your day of gladness, we [Christians] neither cover our doorposts with wreaths, nor intrude upon the day with lamps. At the call of public festivity, you consider it a proper thing to decorate your house like some new brothel. We are accused of a lower sacrilege because we do not celebrate along with you the holidays ..."
The truth is that the celebration of December 25th and most of the accompanying traditions have always been pagan.
But many Christians will protest and say that it is okay for them to celebrate December 25th because to them it is all about Jesus.
That was the same excuse that Aaron used when he and most of the rest of the people of Israel worshipped the golden calf while Moses was up on the mountain getting the Law of God. Aaron actually said that the worship of the golden calf was being done to the Lord as we read in Exodus 32:5....
When Aaron saw this, he built an altar in front of the calf and announced, "Tomorrow there will be a festival to the LORD."
But we know how that turned out.
God was not pleased.
At all.
In fact, He was furious.
In the same way, God is not pleased when we celebrate pagan holidays and keep traditions that have been pagan for thousands of years.
For even more on the pagan origins of Christmas, check out the following YouTube video....
Now, for something that will totally blow your mind....
Earlier we discussed how the celebration of Christmas goes back to an ancient Babylonian ruler named Nimrod.
So exactly who was Nimrod?
Genesis 10:8-12 tells us the following....
Cush was the father of Nimrod, who became a mighty warrior on the earth. He was a mighty hunter before the LORD; that is why it is said, “Like Nimrod, a mighty hunter before the LORD.” The first centers of his kingdom were Babylon, Uruk, Akkad and Kalneh, in Shinar. From that land he went to Assyria, where he built Nineveh, Rehoboth Ir, Calah and Resen, which is between Nineveh and Calah—which is the great city.
Nimrod was basically the first great "world ruler" after the Flood. According to legend, he married his mother (Semiramis) and after Nimrod's death Semiramis had a child named Tammuz which was supposedly Nimrod "reborn".
This story is the original source of the art all over the ancient world that depicts the "goddess" holding the holy child. For example, the whole mythology of Isis giving birth to Horus after the death of Osiris is a good example of this.
In fact, Osiris is a good example of a "god" that can be traced back to Nimrod. In Genesis it tells us that Nimrod was the first great ruler of Assyria, which many scholars believe was originally pronounced "Osiria".
The truth is that virtually all of the male deities of the ancient world can be traced back to Nimrod or his son Tammuz. In his wonderful article entitled "The Giza Discovery", author Peter Goodgame explains that the Greek god "Apollo" can also be traced back to Nimrod....
"And just who is this Greek god Apollyon who makes his strange appearance in the book of Revelation? Charles Penglase is an Australian professor who specializes in ancient Greek and Near Eastern religion and mythology. In his book, Greek Myths and Mesopotamia: Parallels and Influence in the Homeric Hymns and Hesiod, Penglase carefully and methodically demonstrates that the Greek myths and legends of Apollo were simply Greek retellings of the Babylonian myths involving the rise to power of the god Marduk, which were themselves based on earlier legends of the Sumerian hunter/hero known as Ninurta. Furthermore, according to David Rohl, the original name for Ninurta was in fact Nimurda, whose historical identity can be traced back to King Enmerkar of Uruk, the very same figure who is known in the Bible as Nimrod."
From Nimrod and his "son" sprang virtually all of the "gods" of the ancient world - Baal, Apollo, Osiris, Mithras, Adonis, Dionysus, Hercules, Perseus, Helios, Bacchus and Jupiter.
But there "gods" were not just worshipped in ancient times.
The truth is that secret societies throughout the world worship them today.
In fact, as Tom Horn documented very thoroughly in his excellent book entitled "Apollyon Rising 2012", many of these secret societies are obsessed with the belief that Apollo/Horus will return one day to head up a New World Order.
Not only that, but the Scriptures seem to tie in Nimrod/Apollo with the Antichrist.
There are many passages in the Old Testament which seem to refer to the Antichrist as "the Assyrian". In fact, in Micah 5:5-6, it not only mentions "the Assyrian" but it even calls Assyria "the land of Nimrod"....
And this man shall be the peace, when the Assyrian shall come into our land: and when he shall tread in our palaces, then shall we raise against him seven shepherds, and eight principal men. And they shall waste the land of Assyria with the sword, and the land of Nimrod in the entrances thereof: thus shall he deliver us from the Assyrian, when he cometh into our land, and when he treadeth within our borders.
In the book of Revelation, there is a reference to "Apollyon" which is a modified version of "Apollo". In Revelation 9:11, it says the following....
They had as king over them the angel of the Abyss, whose name in Hebrew is Abaddon and in Greek is Apollyon (that is, Destroyer).
But isn't the Antichrist supposed to be someone new?
Not necessarily.
The book of Revelation says that the inhabitants of the earth will be amazed that the person who will be known as the Antichrist has returned. Revelation 17:8-14 tells us the following....
The beast, which you saw, once was, now is not, and yet will come up out of the Abyss and go to its destruction. The inhabitants of the earth whose names have not been written in the book of life from the creation of the world will be astonished when they see the beast, because it once was, now is not, and yet will come.
“This calls for a mind with wisdom. The seven heads are seven hills on which the woman sits. They are also seven kings. Five have fallen, one is, the other has not yet come; but when he does come, he must remain for only a little while. The beast who once was, and now is not, is an eighth king. He belongs to the seven and is going to his destruction.
“The ten horns you saw are ten kings who have not yet received a kingdom, but who for one hour will receive authority as kings along with the beast. They have one purpose and will give their power and authority to the beast. They will wage war against the Lamb, but the Lamb will triumph over them because he is Lord of lords and King of kings—and with him will be his called, chosen and faithful followers.”
Many Bible scholars are now talking about "the return of the Antichrist" instead of "the coming of the Antichrist". Many believe that the Antichrist will be tied to Nimrod is some profound way.
So exactly what will that mean?
Nobody knows for sure.
But if the coming Antichrist is going to represent "the return of Nimrod" in some fashion, and if Nimrod's birthday is December 25th, then those celebrating Christmas may actually be celebrating the birthday of the Antichrist!
Just think about that for a moment.
Someday millions of people around the globe may be celebrating "Christmas celebrations" led by the ultimate false Christ - the Antichrist himself.
Do you really want to be celebrating the birthday of Nimrod/Apollo/Osiris?
Do you really think that it is appropriate for Christians to be indulging in deeply pagan practices? Just because we have slapped the name of "Jesus" on them does that make them okay?
It is time for Christians to wake up and to learn the real history of Christmas.
No Christian should be celebrating this pagan holiday.
Before you had an excuse because nobody has ever taught you these things.
As Christians in North America sit on their sofas getting fat and happy watching Dancing With The Stars and Brett Favre, Christians on the other side of the world are being sentenced to death. This week alone, we have learned that a Christian pastor in Iran and a Christian woman in Pakistan have been sentenced to death in two separate court cases. So what were their crimes? They "insulted" Islam by refusing to back down from preaching the gospel of Jesus Christ.
Now keep in mind that it is not just some renegade Muslims that are persecuting these Christians. These Christians were sentenced to death by the legal systems of those nations. Today there are a growing number of countries around the world where if you preach the gospel of Jesus Christ there is a really good chance that you will be killed.
In Iran, Pastor Youcef Nadarkhani has been convicted of "thought crimes" and he is now scheduled to be hung for the crime of apostasy. Please pray for him and his family.
In Pakistan, a 37-year-old mother of two named Asia Bibi has been was convicted of committing "blasphemy" and has been sentenced to death. According to Asia News, Bibi was the one that was actually abused and attacked.....
Some of the women workers had reportedly been pressuring Bibi to renounce her Christian faith and accept Islam. During one discussion, Bibi responded by speaking of how Jesus had died on the cross for the sins of humanity and asking the Muslim women what Muhammad had done for them.
The Muslim women took offence and began beating Bibi. Afterwards she was locked in a room. According to Release International, a mob reportedly formed and “violently abused” her and her children.
Unfortunately, it was not the violent Muslims that were charged. Instead, Bibi had to face trial and now her children are going to be deprived of a mother.
Yes, this kind of thing is really happening in our world today.
And persecution of Christians is going to get a whole lot worse.
But what else should we expect?
The Scriptures tell us that great persecution is coming in the last days.
The Juan Williams firing by NPR over remarks that he made on The O'Reilly Factor has gotten a ton of attention on the mainstream news since it happened. So what does the Juan Williams firing mean? Well, certainly Juan Williams had the right to say what he did. And certainly NPR had the right to fire Juan Williams for what he said. Also, there is little doubt that it is time to completely pull all federal funding from NPR. But the real significance of the Juan Williams firing is that it shows just how tightly controlled the mainstream media really is. Over the past several years, reporter after reporter across the nation has been fired for getting just slightly off the politically-correct script that they are all supposed to follow. In American today, those reporting the news are not allowed to think for themselves. They must tell us what they are told to say.
In the video posted below, Juan Williams responds to his firing by NPR....
Sadly, the vast majority of what we see, hear and read today is controlled by just a handful of monolithic media corporations. For much more on this phenomenon, we urge you to read the following article....
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