As far as Christmas goes there is a lot of evidence proving that Jesus Christ really did exist. I did read some books that set out to prove that Jesus Christ was a made up story, but all the arguments of that book were so weak and wishy washy, the authors of those books leaving out so many Historical Facts that did not suit them.
In the Bible we read a very interesting verse that Jesus spoke:-- “But pray ye that your flight be not in the winter, neither on the Sabbath day:” Matthew 24:20.
See winter was not a fit time to travel in that part of the world, a lot of mountain passes being blocked by deep snow during winter. Now Christmas is mid-winter in the Northern Hemisphere. Not one half reasonable Caesar would have ordered people to go to the place of their birth in the middle of winter in order to enrol for taxation, but the Bible in Luke 2:1-3 says:-- “And it came to pass in those days, that there went out a decree from Caesar Augustus, that all the world should be taxed [enrolled for taxation]. 2(And this taxing was first made when Cyrenius was governor of Syria.) 3And all went to be taxed, every one into his own city [where he was born].”
That recorded taxation time was the time that Jesus Christ was born. It was certainly not December 25th, the middle of winter when travel was near impossible, a time when Middle Eastern shepherds will never allow their sheep out during the night-time. But from Bible prophecies such as Daniel 9:24-27, Daniel 11:20, we clearly do know Jesus was born at the very time of this taxation. Except this was not mid winter.
That time was not 1 AD or 1 BC a date worked out by a Catholic Monk many centuries later. Jesus Christ was born sometime before March 4 BC, most scholars thinking about 6 months before that March 4 BC date. See Herod the Great, the King Herod who tried to kill baby Jesus, died just before an eclipse according to the first Century Jewish Historian named Josephus, whose writing we have published today.
Astronomers can work out when all these ancient eclipses happened with an error of just plus or minus fifteen minutes to the acutual time when they happened. That is very accurate dating of these ancient eclipses. So we know fairly accurately when Herod the Great died, King Herod being a historical figure who once had a liaison with Cleopatra, the very last Ptolemy Pharaoh of Ancient Egypt. It is recorded in all comprehensive History books & Encyclopaedias covering that era. And as Jesus Christ had to be born before the death of Herod, so was born sometime before March 4 BC, and not born on December 25, which was the date many Pagan Gods such as Tammuz, Serapis, Mithra, etc, were said to be born by their pagan worshippers.
We are actually given a date in the Bible that allows us to work out the year [but not exact day of the year] when Jesus Christ was Born, this being the date that Jesus was Baptised:-- “Now in the fifteenth year of the reign of Tiberius Caesar, Pontius Pilate being governor of Judaea, and Herod being tetrarch of Galilee, and his brother Philip tetrarch of Ituraea and of the region of Trachonitis, and Lysanias the tetrarch of Abilene… 23And Jesus himself was about thirty years of age, being (as was supposed) the son of Joseph…” Luke 3:1, 23.
Luke 3:1 gave us a precise year, the 15th year of the reign of Tiberius Caesar, a precise year given for the baptism of Jesus. But Caesar Augustus died in August 14 AD. Tiberius started to reign jointly with Augustus 2 years before Augustus died according to most good Encyclopaedias, that is the 15th year of Tiberius Caesar works out to 27AD, the year Jesus was baptised [immersed under water, as an adult]. So Jesus was “about thirty year old” in 27AD. There is no year zero when crossing from BC to AD, so Jesus was born in five BC, if we take say 30 years and 11 months as being “about 30 years old” as the Bible, Luke 3:23, informs us.
So in conclusion we find that Jesus Christ was certainly not born on the 25th December, and was actually born about five BC [certainly before March, 4 BC].
So do I like anything about Christmas? I do like the Christmas Carols, especially those talking of the Birth of Jesus Christ, but not very much else, certainly not the commercialism and the pagan Symbolism, most of the Christmas festival coming directly out of Paganism, having nothing to do with the Birth of Jesus Christ.
For example “Santa” is a deliberate anagram of the name “Satan.” Santa wears a red suit, a colour most people associate with Satan though that color is not associated with Satan anywhere in the Bible.
Many Children grow up believing in Santa, then find out that Santa is not real, so have their faith shattered. When later they are asked to believe that God is real, these kids end up thining that God is a made up story, just like Santa was a made up story, so they grow up ending up not believing in anything, except perhaps in beer.
We all know that the Mythical Santa lives in the North Pole and keeps his eye on all the Children. Egypt’s, Great Pyramid of Cheops, the biggest Pyramid in the Old World, had its main passage aligned with the North Pole Star 4000 years ago. At that time the North Pole Star was “Alpha Drakonos,” the EYE OF THE DRAGON, the dragon said to watch to see if people were bad or good. In the Bible, Isaiah chapter 14 Lucifer dwells at the North Pole, the eye of the dragon. That is why “Santa” anagram of “Satan” is said to watch whether the Children are good or evil.
And of course ancient Christmas Trees were also condemned by the Bible, Jeremiah 10:3-5 saying:-- “For the customs of the people are vain: for one cuts a tree out of the forest, the work of the hands of the workman, with the axe. 4They deck it with silver and with gold [as in Christmas decorations]; they fasten it with nails and with hammers, that it move not. 5They are upright as the palm tree, but speak not: they must needs be borne, because they cannot go. Be not afraid of them; for they cannot do evil, neither also is it in them to do good.”
Several years ago we purchased a nice Peugeot 505 Turbo Deisel car for my wife, for only $1500. The guy was selling his Peugeot so that he could afford to have a good Christmas with his family, as prices of the cattle he farmed were way down at that time. I do not think Christmas should cost a lot, certainly not cost your car.
Merry Christmas, and Happy New year to all Land Rover enthusiasts on this forum.
