Let’s imagine you are a beginner in the faith. Up until few days ago you believed in reincarnation, elfs, Harry Potter and smoking pot. But something happened to you and here you are wanting to make things right with God, trying to figure out where to start.
And it so happens that this very important cataclysmic event took place in your life only few days before Christmas. Yay! Right on time as if it were! Or maybe not?
Just how important is Christmas for someone who is seeking to know the Creator and wants to see a spiritual change in his or her life? Your entire being is telling you it’s time to turn away from the old ways and to choose a new way. You begin to read the Gospel of John and “accidentally” find out that Jesus spoke of Himself being the Way, the Truth and the Life. Not only that but thanks to your very knowledgeable friend who has been following threefold.life, you learn that in the beginning the followers of Rabbi Yeshua weren’t called “Christians” and the Jewish sect they belonged to was simply called “The Way”.
You get confused. You want to do what’s right when it comes to Christmas now that you’ve decided to turn your life around by God’s grace.
You’re frantically looking for the “Christmas For Beginners” manual that doesn’t exist.
Relax. You don’t need to do anything special when it comes to Christmas. It’s not a holiday prescribed in Scripture. It’s something people do as a way to keep our traditions and some maybe in an attempt to be spiritual. Our spiritual leaders, pastors and theologians alike, have been going with the flow for far too long and no one dares to ask the inconvenient question about Christmas.
[From a cultural standpoint I’m a huge supporter of Christmas. Militant atheists and Muslims would abolish Christmas in a heartbeat if they had the political power to do so. Thankfully they don’t. In a free society of we need something to change about what Christmas means or doesn’t mean to us, this is entirely up to individuals and church bodies to discuss, not some crazed militants telling us what to do with a gun pointed to our heads.]
Back to our story.
First of all, dear beginner, the most important thing that could happen between you and God has already happened. You responded to the prompting of the Spirit in your heart, you drew the line and you chose a new path. You desire to know Him, to follow Him and to grow in Him. This is what counts the most. This is what it’s all about when it comes to making the Lord smile as he sees at yet anther soul given to seek Him and to serve Him.
You responded to the Spirit’s work in your heart and mind and you shifted lanes. You once were lost but now you’re found. No, not perfect. Just found. And placed onto some very different, new tracks, moving in a new direction. You are now a new creation in Jesus (Yeshua).
But what is a beginner to do with Christmas?
Here are some ideas however you need to determine what you need to do depending on your circumstances.
Family first
The first thing you will need to keep in mind is that Christmas is supposed to be a very family oriented celebration. In God’s economy family comes first. So in light of this, what is it that your family does for Christmas? If it isn’t anything outrageously wrong and against God’s Truth as revealed in Scripture, go ahead and be with your family and enjoy your time with them. Distancing yourself from them in the name of becoming more righteous probably won’t go over very well. The greatest manifestation of God in our lives is the love, grace, patience and joy in our lives. Go ahead and be loving, graceful, patient and joyful with your family. They will probably notice the change and will want to know what’s going on with you. You can then tell them and they will probably listen. No need to blast Christmas as being ungodly. They won’t hear that. But they will listen to you about the new love and peace that you sense now in your entire being. There, you heard the most important part of the Manual.
Shepherds in the winter? I don’t think so.
Jesus (Yeshua) was probably not born in December. How do we know that? Because the Gospel writers tell us there were shepherds who witnessed some amazing things.
Now there were in the same country shepherds living out in the fields,” wrote one Gospel writer, “keeping watch over their flock by night” (Luke 2:8).
The Interpreter’s Dictionary of the Bible says that, “broadly speaking, weather phenomena and climatic conditions as pictured in the Bible correspond with conditions as observed today” (R.B.Y. Scott, Vol. 3, Abingdon Press, Nashville, 1962, p. 625). There are no shepherds in Israel in December, not today – not ever. That’s one argument against a possible December date for the birth of Jesus (Yeshua).
One commentary admits that, “as these shepherds had not yet brought home their flocks, it is a presumptive argument that October had not yet commenced, and that, consequently, our Lord was not born on the 25th of December, when no flocks were out in the fields; nor could He have been born later than September, as the flocks were still in the fields by night. On this very ground the nativity in December should be given up. The feeding of the flocks by night in the fields is a chronological fact, which casts considerable light upon this disputed point” (Adam Clarke’s Commentary, Abingdon Press, Nashville, note on Luke 2:8).
Censuses don’t take place in December
I doubt censuses take place in December even in our days. But they certainly wouldn’t have taken place in the winter at the time Jesus was born. “And it came to pass in those days that a decree went out from Caesar Augustus that all the world should be registered… So all went to be registered, everyone to his own city. Joseph also went up from Galilee, out of the city of Nazareth, into Judea, to the city of David, which is called Bethlehem…, to be registered with Miriam, his betrothed wife, who was with child. So it was, that while they were there, the days were completed for her to be delivered. And she brought forth her firstborn Son…” (Luke 2:1-7).
Generally a census would take place after the harvest season, around September or October, when it would not seriously affect the economy, the weather was good and the roads were still dry enough to allow easy travel. That’s yet one more strike against a possible December date.
No early Christianity witness
In the first 200 years of Christian history, no mention is made of the calendar date of Yeshua’s birth. Not until the year 336 do we find the first mention of a celebration of His birth.
Why this omission? In the case of the Church fathers, the reason is that, during the three centuries after Messiah’s life on earth, the event considered most worthy of commemoration was the date of His death. In comparison, the date of His birth was considered insignificant. As the Encyclopedia Americana explains,
“Christmas… was, according to many authorities, not celebrated in the first centuries of the Christian church, as the Christian usage in general was to celebrate the death of remarkable persons rather than their birth…” (1944 edition, “Christmas”).
Speculation on the proper date began in the 3rd and 4th centuries, when the idea of fixing Messiah’s birthday started. Quite a controversy arose among Church leaders. Some were opposed to such a celebration. Origen (185-254) strongly recommended against such an innovation. “In the Scriptures, no one is recorded to have kept a feast or held a great banquet on his birthday. It is only sinners who make great rejoicings over the day in which they were born into this world” (Catholic Encyclopedia, 1908 edition, Vol. 3, p. 724, “Natal Day”).
During this time eight specific dates during six different months were proposed by various groups. December 25, although one of the last dates to be proposed, was the one finally accepted by the leadership of the Western church.
A summary of the debate on the dates of Messiah’s birth appears in The Oxford Dictionary of the Christian Church: “Though speculation as to the time of year of Messiah’s birth dates from the early 3rd century, Clement of Alexandria suggesting the 20th of May, the celebration of the anniversary does not appear to have been general till the later 4th century. The earliest mention of the observance on Dec. 25th is in the Philocalian Calendar, representing Roman practice of the year 336. This date was probably chosen to oppose the feast of the Natalis Solis Invicti [nativity of the unconquerable sun] by the celebration of the birth of the ‘Sun of Righteousness’ and its observance in the West, seems to have spread from Rome” (1983 edition, Oxford University Press, New York, 1983, p. 280, “Christmas”).
Around 200, when Clement of Alexandria mentioned the speculations about Messiah’s birthday, he said nothing about a celebration on that day. He casually reported the various ideas extant at that time: “And there are those who have determined not only the year of our Lord’s birth, but also the day…, the 25th day of Pachon… Furthermore, others say that He was born on the 24th or 25th of Pharmuthi” (“The Stromata, or Miscellanies,” The Ante-Nicene Fathers, Vol. 2, Eerdmans, Grand Rapids, 1986, p. 333).
In Rome December 25 was made popular by Pope Liberius in 354 and became the rule in the West in 435 when the first “Christ mass” was officiated by Pope Sixtus III. This coincided with the date of a celebration by the Romans to their primary god, the Sun, and to Mithras, a popular Persian sun god supposedly born on the same day. The Roman Catholic writer Mario Righetti candidly admits that, “to facilitate the acceptance of the faith by the pagan masses, the Church of Rome found it convenient to institute the 25th of December as the feast of the birth of Messiah to divert them from the pagan feast, celebrated on the same day in honor of the ‘Invincible Sun’ Mithras, the conqueror of darkness” (Manual of Liturgical History, 1955, Vol. 2, p. 67).Protestant historian Henry Chadwick sums up the controversy: “Moreover, early in the fourth century there begins in the West (where first and by whom is not known) the celebration of December 25th, the birthday of the Sun-god at the winter solstice, as the date for the nativity of Messiah. How easy it was for Christianity and solar religion to become entangled at the popular level is strikingly illustrated by a mid-fifth century sermon of Pope Leo the Great, rebuking his over-cautious flock for paying reverence to the Sun on the steps of St. Peter’s before turning their back on it to worship inside the westward-facing basilica” (The Early Church, Penguin Books, London, 1967, p. 126).
The Encyclopedia Americana makes this clear: “In the fifth century, the Western Church ordered it [Messiah’s birth] to be observed forever on the day of the old Roman feast of the birth of Sol [the sun god], as no certain knowledge of the day of Messiah’s birth existed” (1944 edition, “Christmas”).
The year of Yeshua’s birth
Yeshua was born while Herod the Great was still living (Matthew 2:1). Wise men appeared in Jerusalem asking about “one who has been born king of the Jews?” Of course, this upset Herod, who had been given the title “King of the Jews” by the Roman Senate. Herod talked to the wise men secretly and found out from them the exact time the star had appeared (Matthew 2:7). The wise men then journeyed to Bethlehem and found Yeshua, Miriam, and Joseph in a house (Matthew 2:11) and they bowed down and worshiped Yeshua.
When the wise men did not return to give Herod a report, “Herod realized that he had been outwitted by the wise men. He was furious, and he gave orders to kill all the boys in Bethlehem and its vicinity who were two years old and under, in accordance with the time he had learned from the wise men” (Matthew 2:16).
This tells us that Yeshua may have been born two years before the appearance of the wise men and the death of Herod. Herod died the spring of 4 B.C.E. (according to the Jewish historian, Josephus).
So when was Yeshua born after all? Nothing is absolutely certain, because we are dealing with implications and assumptions, but a good guess from the Scriptures and history leans towards the end of September.
So, there young beginner of the life-long journey with the Messiah! What matters is not so much on what date do we celebrate the birth of Jesus (Yeshua). What counts the most is the birth of the new creation in our hearts, souls and minds.
When Christian Leaders Speak Out For Liberty – This Is How It Sounds!
/in General, OpinionOn August 28t, 1963 the historic March on Washington occurred and Martin Luther King, Jr. gave his historic “I Have a Dream” speech. Fifty-seven years later many of us are wondering just what kind of a dream is guiding the people we see looting and burning down buildings in America? These are controversial subjects but they need to be addressed nevertheless. Many in the Christian world cringe when they have to take a public stand for or against something controversial. This is exactly what political correctness is leveraging against Liberty-loving people everywhere in America and the free world.
Why have leaders been afraid of controversies? It’s because they strive to maintain a polished public image in order to successfully use that image in the public square for the purposes of advancing their goals in ministry, business or politics. This strategy has worked well for many leaders in civilized societies. However, civility is quickly getting lost, and uncivilized tactics are threatening the social order in America and the countries of the free world. Terrorist organizations like BLM, Antifa, and the Muslim Brotherhood proxy CAIR, are waging an all-out warfare against Liberty and they mean business. They won’t flinch if they have to set entire cities ablaze, murder innocent people, and bring economic misery to millions more. The only reason such malicious actors are winning is not because they are so strong or so many. It’s because the silent Christian majority has chosen to remain passive and uninvolved in defending Liberty at the local, state or national level.
When different ideas and views of the world clash in a free society governed by a Constitution, how do such clashes get resolved?
First and foremost through freedom of speech.
The leaders representing different ideas must have the freedom to articulate their ideas. It is then up to the people (voters) to choose what worldview, values and program they will align themselves with, and support financially and at the ballot box. None of this exists in totalitarian societies where one party regime persecutes all and any opponents for as long as they can. A free society relies on its social order based on Liberty and on the common sense and values of the people to make such judgement calls.
The post below is just that – the right of one of the many Christian leaders in America today to voice his concerns over existing issues, and to outline some of the solutions they believe in.
Freedom of speech is being lost fast in American today. Christian and conservative leaders are being de-platformed from social media giants. Not here. Threefold.Life will always be a platform for Liberty, no matter how small and insignificant this tiny website is when compared to the influence tech giants have on the Internet. We happen to believe in a book that teaches us that even if you are a shepherd boy who only has five stones in your hand, you still have a shot at whatever giant is threatening the peace and the life of your people. If millions of small websites did the right thing and didn’t flinch when it comes to standing up for what is right, allowing our leaders to have their voice heard, things might look very differently today. Conservatives like Laura Loomer who recently won her primary in President Trump’s own backyard, are the proof that the power of many on the Internet is real, even if the social media giants ban you completely like they have banned Laura.
For more of my thoughts on how important Liberty is to the Lord, click here.
Recently the Rev. Samuel Rivers, member of the Board of Threefold Christian Alliance and long time friend shared some of his thoughts on the current situation in the United States, using a popular social media platform. The below is an edited version.
It’s refreshing to hear a Christian leader who is also a Conservative, to take a clear and bold stand against the terrorist, satanic ideology of Communism and its many modern iterations.
George
2020 – The Most Crucial Election In Our Lifetime!
by the Rev. Samuel Rivers
My plea to Christians, please know the policies of the candidates running for public office! We are supposed to get our political principles from the word of God.
If the Democrats gain power, it indeed will be a disaster for Christianity, the economy, and a political catastrophe for the U.S.A. Their policies will physically destroy our economy, the marketplace, and physically destroy schools, the courts, and churches.
As we look back at the way the Bolsheviks took power in Russia in 1917, it becomes pretty clear they used extremism as their main tool of persuasion. The Democrats are using those same measures to persuade the American people during this election cycle. It’s safe to say the Democrats are embracing the tactics of the Marxists in order to create chaos in America. The Bolsheviks secretly did all that they could to aggravate the differences between different groups. We see the Democratic Party using their same playbook today.
The Bolsheviks wanted to abolish the police, army, and the bureaucracy in addition to nationalizing the land and all banks. The Democrats want to defund the police, their support for our military is weak, and they don’t believe in nationalism! Basically, the Democratic Party, along with Joe Biden and Kamala Harris, are promoting an extremist vision.
The Bolsheviks of 1917 Russia convinced the people that they wanted peace, land, and bread for them, painting beautiful pictures of the future. All on a façade of unity, they used sympathy and promised wealth, happiness, centralized food production, and a better life. They used lies to persuade and convince people that they were the authentic Voice of the People. Little did the people know that they were the living embodiment of the Dictatorship, Marxism, Socialism, and Communism!
The Bolsheviks persuaded a fanatical and devoted minority, and this passionate and dedicated minority proved sufficient. Capturing power was not difficult as they used tactics of psychological warfare combined with the class warfare narrative of the Communist ideology. They caused class rivalry, through the ballot box and street fighting. Similarly, the Democratic Party embodies class warfare; today’s Democrats are Bolsheviks and a danger to our Republic.
The Bolsheviks’ Communist agenda was cocooned in layers of dishonesty and lost touch with reality: they promoted and embraced nonsense, rather than God and proven policies. Truth disappeared from even the intellectuals. The people were unable to distinguish the truth from ideological fiction. Following the playbook of the Bolsheviks, the Democrats are using fear, hatred, cynicism, and criminality to create a socialist society, known as Democrat Socialism. The Democrats are trying to bribe the public by promising them free things to gain political power to pass their socialist agenda, which will lead to misery, higher taxes, big government, the absence of the markets, innovation, and free enterprise.
Furthermore, the DNC and the Biden campaign are not being truthful about Joe Biden’s diminished mental capacity. This man does not have the capability to be President. They’re trying to deceive the public so that they can deliver the first woman of color President. You can look and listen to Joe Biden and tell he’s not all there! If Joe Biden is barely leaving his house and not answering reporters’ questions, how can he lead the free world?
We may very well be one vote away, where we will have to contend and fight for our liberties, our right to bear arms, freedom of speech, our right to assemble and worship, and our unalienable right!
Samuel Rivers has PhD in Theology from Smith Christian University. He is the Founder and President of Voice of the Lord Ministries, and a Board Member of Threefold Christian Alliance. In 2017 he traveled to Bulgaria where he spoke аbout Faith and Liberty to political and church leaders. Samuel Rivers represented South Carolina’s District 15 in the SC House of Representatives between 2012-2018. He is running again for office in the 2020 elections. Campaign website: http://samuelriversjr.com/
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.
The Challenge Before Us
/in ExhortationsAfter the Roman Emperor Constantine made Christianity the official religion of the Roman Empire in the beginning of the 4th century, this is what happened:
“The Church precisely copied the organizational pattern of the Roman Empire, assuring it control and stability.” – Kenneth Sacks, professor of history and classics at Brown University in Providence, Rhode Island.
How does this have anything to do with what Yeshua and his apostles taught?
It doesn’t.
Do most ordinary (file-and-rank) preachers understand this today?
Most of them don’t. They are mostly busy with doing well what they were told by their tradition. Their desire to be found faithful to God is often misplaced as they equate faithfulness to God with following their respective traditional way of church service.
It’s not easy to change the way people think and live. No matter what great truth one thinks they have, most people don’t like changes because most people don’t like problems and turmoil. Life is a great challenge already so why add to our workload right? That’s how most people think.
Do high-level theologians, influential ministers and denominational leaders know how much Romanism and paganism have corrupted Christianity? Not necessarily but some do. However their careers are too dependent on being successful in the false religious system and this conflict of interest prevents them from exposing the status quo.
Some of them know or at least suspect that today’s Christianity has seriously deviated in substance and in form from what it was meant to be, but don’t know what to do about it. In fact it’s probably safe to say that Christianity as we know it today has become practically a strange new religion using the language of the Torah, the Gospels & the Epistles, but has nothing to do with the essence of what Moses and Yeshua taught.
This is not to say we just throw away everything Christian and return to Judaism. Rabbinic Judaism has also deviated in many ways from the Torah so now for us to relearn the ways of old we need to return to sources and practices that predate any of the modern religious paradigms.
May the Lord raise those who will have the courage and the competence to expose the fallacies we have been fed for too long! May his reformers arise in this nation and call us back to the source of God’s Truth, the Teaching of Moses and Yeshua, not the distortions of fanatical religionists!
May hunger for His Truth prevail so we can return to Him and rediscover life in and through Him!
Only a true spiritual awakening can ensure the future of America and the free world. If we fail in this, the barbaric forces unleashed on us will continue to grow stronger until they divide us and conquer us completely!
Christmas For Beginners
/in TeachingLet’s imagine you are a beginner in the faith. Up until few days ago you believed in reincarnation, elfs, Harry Potter and smoking pot. But something happened to you and here you are wanting to make things right with God, trying to figure out where to start.
And it so happens that this very important cataclysmic event took place in your life only few days before Christmas. Yay! Right on time as if it were! Or maybe not?
Just how important is Christmas for someone who is seeking to know the Creator and wants to see a spiritual change in his or her life? Your entire being is telling you it’s time to turn away from the old ways and to choose a new way. You begin to read the Gospel of John and “accidentally” find out that Jesus spoke of Himself being the Way, the Truth and the Life. Not only that but thanks to your very knowledgeable friend who has been following threefold.life, you learn that in the beginning the followers of Rabbi Yeshua weren’t called “Christians” and the Jewish sect they belonged to was simply called “The Way”.
You get confused. You want to do what’s right when it comes to Christmas now that you’ve decided to turn your life around by God’s grace.
You’re frantically looking for the “Christmas For Beginners” manual that doesn’t exist.
Relax. You don’t need to do anything special when it comes to Christmas. It’s not a holiday prescribed in Scripture. It’s something people do as a way to keep our traditions and some maybe in an attempt to be spiritual. Our spiritual leaders, pastors and theologians alike, have been going with the flow for far too long and no one dares to ask the inconvenient question about Christmas.
[From a cultural standpoint I’m a huge supporter of Christmas. Militant atheists and Muslims would abolish Christmas in a heartbeat if they had the political power to do so. Thankfully they don’t. In a free society of we need something to change about what Christmas means or doesn’t mean to us, this is entirely up to individuals and church bodies to discuss, not some crazed militants telling us what to do with a gun pointed to our heads.]
Back to our story.
First of all, dear beginner, the most important thing that could happen between you and God has already happened. You responded to the prompting of the Spirit in your heart, you drew the line and you chose a new path. You desire to know Him, to follow Him and to grow in Him. This is what counts the most. This is what it’s all about when it comes to making the Lord smile as he sees at yet anther soul given to seek Him and to serve Him.
You responded to the Spirit’s work in your heart and mind and you shifted lanes. You once were lost but now you’re found. No, not perfect. Just found. And placed onto some very different, new tracks, moving in a new direction. You are now a new creation in Jesus (Yeshua).
But what is a beginner to do with Christmas?
Here are some ideas however you need to determine what you need to do depending on your circumstances.
Family first
The first thing you will need to keep in mind is that Christmas is supposed to be a very family oriented celebration. In God’s economy family comes first. So in light of this, what is it that your family does for Christmas? If it isn’t anything outrageously wrong and against God’s Truth as revealed in Scripture, go ahead and be with your family and enjoy your time with them. Distancing yourself from them in the name of becoming more righteous probably won’t go over very well. The greatest manifestation of God in our lives is the love, grace, patience and joy in our lives. Go ahead and be loving, graceful, patient and joyful with your family. They will probably notice the change and will want to know what’s going on with you. You can then tell them and they will probably listen. No need to blast Christmas as being ungodly. They won’t hear that. But they will listen to you about the new love and peace that you sense now in your entire being. There, you heard the most important part of the Manual.
Shepherds in the winter? I don’t think so.
Jesus (Yeshua) was probably not born in December. How do we know that? Because the Gospel writers tell us there were shepherds who witnessed some amazing things.
Now there were in the same country shepherds living out in the fields,” wrote one Gospel writer, “keeping watch over their flock by night” (Luke 2:8).
The Interpreter’s Dictionary of the Bible says that, “broadly speaking, weather phenomena and climatic conditions as pictured in the Bible correspond with conditions as observed today” (R.B.Y. Scott, Vol. 3, Abingdon Press, Nashville, 1962, p. 625). There are no shepherds in Israel in December, not today – not ever. That’s one argument against a possible December date for the birth of Jesus (Yeshua).
One commentary admits that, “as these shepherds had not yet brought home their flocks, it is a presumptive argument that October had not yet commenced, and that, consequently, our Lord was not born on the 25th of December, when no flocks were out in the fields; nor could He have been born later than September, as the flocks were still in the fields by night. On this very ground the nativity in December should be given up. The feeding of the flocks by night in the fields is a chronological fact, which casts considerable light upon this disputed point” (Adam Clarke’s Commentary, Abingdon Press, Nashville, note on Luke 2:8).
Censuses don’t take place in December
I doubt censuses take place in December even in our days. But they certainly wouldn’t have taken place in the winter at the time Jesus was born. “And it came to pass in those days that a decree went out from Caesar Augustus that all the world should be registered… So all went to be registered, everyone to his own city. Joseph also went up from Galilee, out of the city of Nazareth, into Judea, to the city of David, which is called Bethlehem…, to be registered with Miriam, his betrothed wife, who was with child. So it was, that while they were there, the days were completed for her to be delivered. And she brought forth her firstborn Son…” (Luke 2:1-7).
Generally a census would take place after the harvest season, around September or October, when it would not seriously affect the economy, the weather was good and the roads were still dry enough to allow easy travel. That’s yet one more strike against a possible December date.
No early Christianity witness
In the first 200 years of Christian history, no mention is made of the calendar date of Yeshua’s birth. Not until the year 336 do we find the first mention of a celebration of His birth.
Why this omission? In the case of the Church fathers, the reason is that, during the three centuries after Messiah’s life on earth, the event considered most worthy of commemoration was the date of His death. In comparison, the date of His birth was considered insignificant. As the Encyclopedia Americana explains,
“Christmas… was, according to many authorities, not celebrated in the first centuries of the Christian church, as the Christian usage in general was to celebrate the death of remarkable persons rather than their birth…” (1944 edition, “Christmas”).
Speculation on the proper date began in the 3rd and 4th centuries, when the idea of fixing Messiah’s birthday started. Quite a controversy arose among Church leaders. Some were opposed to such a celebration. Origen (185-254) strongly recommended against such an innovation. “In the Scriptures, no one is recorded to have kept a feast or held a great banquet on his birthday. It is only sinners who make great rejoicings over the day in which they were born into this world” (Catholic Encyclopedia, 1908 edition, Vol. 3, p. 724, “Natal Day”).
During this time eight specific dates during six different months were proposed by various groups. December 25, although one of the last dates to be proposed, was the one finally accepted by the leadership of the Western church.
A summary of the debate on the dates of Messiah’s birth appears in The Oxford Dictionary of the Christian Church: “Though speculation as to the time of year of Messiah’s birth dates from the early 3rd century, Clement of Alexandria suggesting the 20th of May, the celebration of the anniversary does not appear to have been general till the later 4th century. The earliest mention of the observance on Dec. 25th is in the Philocalian Calendar, representing Roman practice of the year 336. This date was probably chosen to oppose the feast of the Natalis Solis Invicti [nativity of the unconquerable sun] by the celebration of the birth of the ‘Sun of Righteousness’ and its observance in the West, seems to have spread from Rome” (1983 edition, Oxford University Press, New York, 1983, p. 280, “Christmas”).
Around 200, when Clement of Alexandria mentioned the speculations about Messiah’s birthday, he said nothing about a celebration on that day. He casually reported the various ideas extant at that time: “And there are those who have determined not only the year of our Lord’s birth, but also the day…, the 25th day of Pachon… Furthermore, others say that He was born on the 24th or 25th of Pharmuthi” (“The Stromata, or Miscellanies,” The Ante-Nicene Fathers, Vol. 2, Eerdmans, Grand Rapids, 1986, p. 333).
In Rome December 25 was made popular by Pope Liberius in 354 and became the rule in the West in 435 when the first “Christ mass” was officiated by Pope Sixtus III. This coincided with the date of a celebration by the Romans to their primary god, the Sun, and to Mithras, a popular Persian sun god supposedly born on the same day. The Roman Catholic writer Mario Righetti candidly admits that, “to facilitate the acceptance of the faith by the pagan masses, the Church of Rome found it convenient to institute the 25th of December as the feast of the birth of Messiah to divert them from the pagan feast, celebrated on the same day in honor of the ‘Invincible Sun’ Mithras, the conqueror of darkness” (Manual of Liturgical History, 1955, Vol. 2, p. 67).Protestant historian Henry Chadwick sums up the controversy: “Moreover, early in the fourth century there begins in the West (where first and by whom is not known) the celebration of December 25th, the birthday of the Sun-god at the winter solstice, as the date for the nativity of Messiah. How easy it was for Christianity and solar religion to become entangled at the popular level is strikingly illustrated by a mid-fifth century sermon of Pope Leo the Great, rebuking his over-cautious flock for paying reverence to the Sun on the steps of St. Peter’s before turning their back on it to worship inside the westward-facing basilica” (The Early Church, Penguin Books, London, 1967, p. 126).
The Encyclopedia Americana makes this clear: “In the fifth century, the Western Church ordered it [Messiah’s birth] to be observed forever on the day of the old Roman feast of the birth of Sol [the sun god], as no certain knowledge of the day of Messiah’s birth existed” (1944 edition, “Christmas”).
The year of Yeshua’s birth
Yeshua was born while Herod the Great was still living (Matthew 2:1). Wise men appeared in Jerusalem asking about “one who has been born king of the Jews?” Of course, this upset Herod, who had been given the title “King of the Jews” by the Roman Senate. Herod talked to the wise men secretly and found out from them the exact time the star had appeared (Matthew 2:7). The wise men then journeyed to Bethlehem and found Yeshua, Miriam, and Joseph in a house (Matthew 2:11) and they bowed down and worshiped Yeshua.
When the wise men did not return to give Herod a report, “Herod realized that he had been outwitted by the wise men. He was furious, and he gave orders to kill all the boys in Bethlehem and its vicinity who were two years old and under, in accordance with the time he had learned from the wise men” (Matthew 2:16).
This tells us that Yeshua may have been born two years before the appearance of the wise men and the death of Herod. Herod died the spring of 4 B.C.E. (according to the Jewish historian, Josephus).
So when was Yeshua born after all? Nothing is absolutely certain, because we are dealing with implications and assumptions, but a good guess from the Scriptures and history leans towards the end of September.
So, there young beginner of the life-long journey with the Messiah! What matters is not so much on what date do we celebrate the birth of Jesus (Yeshua). What counts the most is the birth of the new creation in our hearts, souls and minds.
Is America lost because Truth has been lost?
/in Exhortations, Prophetic, TeachingLet’s take a look at something the prophet Isaiah said and then we’ll look at something the apostle Paul said.
The Prophet Yeshayahu, aka Isaiah, lived and spoke the word of the Lord during a very tumultuous time in the history of Israel and Judah. Syria attacked Israel and Judah four different times during his lifetime. It was ups and downs with godly kings following ungodly ones.
The way Israel related to God’s Truth reflected directly on how things turned out with them as a nation.
In one of the dark moments of Israel’s history at that time, when all seemed lost, Isaiah identified something very significant: “Truth is lacking and he who turns away from evil is considered mad…”
What an incredible prophetic statement! Seems to be so relevant to the way things look today in America. The notion of “Truth” is frowned upon in the public square. People who choose to live humble and chaste lives are considered “nuts”.
Now let’s get some perspective here. To speak about “truth” in the 7th century BC is something remarkable. Folks, that’s 200+ years before what historians call the classical Socratic period! If you read Socrates and you read what the Hebrew prophets wrote about two hundred of years before him (not to mention Moses over 1,000 years earlier) you can only then begin to understand the supremacy of the Torah and the Prophets.
Looking at it from today’s perspective Western Civilization is rooted much more on Moses than any Greek philosophical tradition. Greek literary thought pales when compared to what Moses and the Prophets brought forth spiritually, intellectually and ethically.
Most people today have never taken the time to understand just what kind of light were the Torah and the Jewish people to mankind – for centuries. The world would truly be a lost, dark, paganistic hell on earth without the light of the Torah. Mel Gibson provided an artistic glimpse into the world of idolatry and paganism in his movie Apocalypto. This clip gives you an idea of what I’m trying to convey here.
But now the prophet is speaking not just of the Torah. He is speaking of The Truth, the very synthesis of God’s revealed knowledge – something worth living or dying for!
When we transition from simply revering Scripture to a place of accepting Scripture as a vessel for God’s Truth, it can be said that we have become “believers”.
A few days ago I was given a research by the American Bible Society that has to do specifically with Minneapolis. The bad news is that 70% of adults in Minneapolis are “disengaged” (67%) or “neutral” (3%). Only 10% have a “friendly” relationship with the Bible, 14% are engaged and 5% are “centered”. Centered would be people for whom it is a priority to live out the values and truths they discover in Scripture. The good news is that this 70 % do want to know more about the Bible. [Or at least this is what they told the pollsters].
These stats are probably not much different on a national scale even though I’m sure they vary from city to city and from state to state.
Given the low percentage of people who apply the Truth of Scripture as a guiding and deciding factor in their lives, is it any wonder America is in moral and spiritual trouble?
I will resist and expose the advancement of Islam, Neo-Marxism and whatever other false ideologies, philosophies, and religions try to creep in. But that’s only one side of the coin. Until the majority of Americans turns away from their “disengaged and neutral” attitude towards God’s Truth to one of reverence and engagement, only resisting the false will not get the job done. We will fall as a nation within a generation. The main reason won’t be that these spiritual, cultural and political enemies have been so powerful, it will be because the people of this nation would have chosen not to acknowledge the Creator and His Truth.
It’s a known fact that the more devoted the Jews become to the Torah, the more conservative, pro-Israel and pro-Liberty centric they become. When the Jews abandon their heritage and the Torah they become liberal and succumb to the same self-destructive mindsets as the American Left.
The same is true for Christians. The more liberal a denomination becomes, the more accepting of various perversions the people become, the more anti-Israel and pro-socialism they become.
Here’s a New Testament verse from the apostle Paul’s epistle to his spiritual son apostle Timothy (mistakenly considered a “pastor” and the epistles referred to as “the pastoral letters” of Paul. Timothy was the overseer of a huge metropolitan-wide network of family-based communities in Ephesus, not the “pastor” of a “local church” the way we think of it today.)
The word church here is the word “ekklesia” which for hundreds of years was used in a specific civic scenario – to describe the governing council of the polis, the city. When Yeshua (aka Jesus) spoke about “the church”, he taught that this “church”, this ekklesia that he was going to be a Head of, will be like the governing council in the city. Those who were one with him would walk in love towards each other and would win the trust of the city by virtue of their honorable and godly lives.
Having forsaken the true teachings of the Messiah whom we call “Christ”, the Western world invented a new religion, Christianity. It is time to get back to the roots and the essence of the Truth of Scripture: the teachings of Moses, the prophets, Yeshua, and his apostles.
This is where I see the only hope for America’s spiritual and civilizational renewal and victory over the false “gods”, religions, and ideologies of the world.
George @reformist
The Four Conditions For Human Flourishing And National Prosperity
/in Media, Missions, Patreon, TeachingPaul Larsen* is a former portfolio manager and business/economic development consultant. The principles he shares so clearly and masterfully here, in “The Four Conditions For Human Flourishing And National Prosperity”, are based on his deep experience and work in Africa and Eastern Europe.
This material will provide solid, well researched “package” every true Kingdom influencer needs!
Paul Larsen’s current full time focus is to “Build leaders worth following that lead organizations everyone wants to work with” as a Senior leadership culture consultant with global consulting firm GiANT Worldwide. You email him at (paul.larsen.pa@gmail.com) or you can reach him on LinkedIn at: https://www.linkedin.com/in/paul-larsen-giant/
The roots of the question-asking culture
/in TeachingThe ability to ask the right questions is considered a sign of great wisdom and maturity in life, in business and in leadership in many cultures today. But it seems that the Jewish culture, already from antiquity was a question-asking culture.
Our Messiah grew up asking the rabbis questions at an early age. As a result the rabbis were asking him questions, too. Was this unusual? Not really.
Let’s find out more.
In rabbinical literature there is much written about the relationship between a talmidim (disciple) and his rabbi.
According to Brad Young, Professor of Biblical Literature in Judeo-Christian Studies at the Graduate Department of ORU, one of the world’s leading experts on the history of the rabbinate, the only way a talmidim was to approach his rabbi was by asking questions. Even when a talmidim had to come to gain some great knowledge, he wouldn’t come to his rabbi boasting about it or arguing. He was to show what he had learned by way of asking questions. This same ethos we see beautifully described in the Gospel record of Lukas.
But first let’s take a look at the educational process of the Jews in those days.
For Jews living in Jesus’ day, there were three separate educational venues.
Bet Sefer
The first was called Bet Sefer. At the ages of six through twelve, Jewish children began their formal education. Both boys and girls attended synagogue school and learned to read and write. The textbook was the Torah and the goal was not just to read but to memorize the sacred text.
Bet Midrash
For the best of the best, the next educational opportunity was called Bet Midrash. Boys who were deemed worthy to continue their educational pursuits went on to study (and memorize) the entire Tanach, as well as learning the family trade. Very few were selected for this pursuit.
The Mishnah says that the time that some began to attend the bet midrash which was a rabbi’s “school” or “study group” was about 15. Adults of all ages could come to listen in on the sessions (including women) when they had spare time, and there were quite a few who studied but never became teachers – they were still called “disciples” even at advanced ages. There were just a few who were dedicated enough to spend years of time in training to become rabbinic teachers themselves.
Even though marriage was strongly encouraged, some young men were so earnest in their studies that they would put it off until later so that they could study full time. Gamaliel II (the grandson of Paul’s teacher) already had disciples when he finally got married.
Bet Talmud
Of those who finished Bet Midrash, again only the best of the best were able to pursue the final educational leg, which was called Bet Talmud. This was the longest in duration; it went from the age of 15 to 30. To participate, he must be invited by a Rabbi and, if selected, he would begin a process of grooming that would lead to the potential of becoming a Rabbi at age 30. Those who were chosen were referred to as talmidim. They would literally follow in the dust of their rabbi – desiring to emulate him in all of his mannerisms. They would eat the same food in exactly the same way as their rabbi. They would go to sleep and awake the same way as their rabbi and, more importantly, they would learn to study Torah and understand God the exact same way as their rabbi.
It appears that Jesus Himself followed this model. At twelve we know that He attended His first Passover in Jerusalem and He began His formal ministry at 30. The Bible is silent as far as His mentors, but we do know that He selected His disciples and, just like those young fifteen year olds when invited to Bet Talmud, they left everything to follow after this Rabbi from Galilee. No doubt they walked in His dust, wanting to be just like their Rabbi!
How does our “church” culture measure up against the rabbinical ethos that existed back in the days when our Messiah dwelled amongst his people?
Can you find any similarities at all between their culture of respect and discipleship and the spirit of today’s youth? Do families today think it important to emphasize the study of Scripture? Do disciples today grow in an attitude of respect for their rabbi? Do we even foster a culture of asking questions, are we the inquiring minds whom God might consider worthy to reveal His mysteries to?
Seems like the culture of asking questions has deep Hebraic roots. Many believes today are rethinking their Christianity in light of these reformative truths and the consequence we are suffering due to neglecting them.
Seeking the essence, not the eccentric
/in ExhortationsI offer the following exhortation as per the Lord’s leading.
My pursuits of the authenticity of the faith have led me to some very controversial places. However, they might sound controversial only to those who don’t share the same pursuit and only because of the degree to which our “Christianity” has drifted from the teachings of Messiah, his apostles and the early believers.
Sadly, the pursuit for authenticity can also be responsible for creating sectarian extremes. For example, some have exploited the movement to return to our Hebraic roots and have created an industry out of it.
Let’s pursue the ESSENCE of the Teachings of Moses and the Lord’s Messiah, not the eccentricities of the outward cultural attributes. Truth cannot be contained by doctrine alone but it cannot do without doctrine either. We must learn before we can know. Any attempt to know without first humbling ourselves and learning, will lead us into the ditch of useless abstracts. Any attempt to only learn without pursuing the essence of what we supposedly learn, will only feed our intellectual pride.
Let’s adopt the heart of reverence for the Lord and the Torah our Jewish brothers have had since antiquity, not vain religious superstitions, be they of Christian or Jewish nature.
Why so many so satisfied with silliness and shallow regurgitation of the formulaic?
Why so difficult for so many not to fall into predictable patterns of religiosity?
The heart in the human body is healthy when it beats rhythmically and in balance with the entire body. The brain is at its best when it’s not bigger than the cranium.
Why try to fake a bigger heart for God? Why not simply learn to walk and seek Him in humble gratitude and appreciation of His Goodness to us?
Why try to pursue knowledge for the sake of knowledge, which only makes our heads bigger, which in turn causes clouded judgement?
With the heart we approach the Lord and with the heart we seek to know Him and to know his ways. We can handle only so much for today. Each day He has more. Patience is the proof of our sanity and humility. Pride is indeed a form of unhealthiness of the mind, as well as the heart and the will.
To join the deeper conversation, consider joining our Patreon community at https://www.patreon.com/threefoldlife
Tondo, Philippines Update With Emilie
/in Ministry Updates, MissionsCheck it out this audio segment!
Or, if you are okay with poor audio but you like video better, you can watch this talk on video here:
Evangelicals and The Unfortunate Lack of Intellectual Engagement in Society
/in Exhortations, Opinionby Erik Lindamood for Threefold Christian Alliance
In many aspects of evangelical “Christianity” (lowercase c is intentional) it’s as if a certain definition of “blind faith” has dominated mindsets to the detriment of societal engagement. The scriptures and the patriarchs, in particular, gave us an excellent blueprint for Geo-political-economic matters, however, in the pursuit of being a people of faith we have neglected being a people of action.
This intellectual disengagement was particularly visible with the election of Donald Trump. Despite the fact that it was a very positive thing that a vast majority of evangelicals got behind this candidate. The vast majority of the support and the praise for Donald Trump from the evangelical community was void of any form of intellectualism. Spend some time in the comment section of online news articles and you will see the evangelical community defending Trump with bible verses and “holier than thou” statements. For decades, evangelicals have appeared to be afraid of intellectualism or cognitive reasoning, as they see it as an enemy of their faith. Fortunately, Trump’s political agenda and his council members are not afraid and do have the strategies, insight and business acumen to follow through with the task in front of him.
I have studied the roots of this disengagement and I believe that it has been strongly influenced by some of the biggest revivals the West has seen. A lot of the revivalists in various centuries were convinced that we could give up our business, scientific and political aspirations “to follow Jesus” … performing miracles, signs and wonders within the four walls of the “church” seem to take precedence to the very simple fact that more than 90% of the church is not called to be “full-time ministers” within the four walls of the building we call “church”… (other things to be unpacked here, but I will refrain…) they miss the simple fact that signs and wonders were meant to be practiced in the marketplace, in science, and in the political arena to draw men and women to the Kingdom… through time it seems like this disengagement of society and disengagement of intellectual pursuits has done the very opposite, and push the world away from the Kingdom…
I remember, about 20 years ago, like it was yesterday, a preacher saying to young men and women “don’t worry if you don’t get your high school diploma, what matters is it is that you preach the gospel!” This was definitely not the interpretation Jesus wanted with His parable of talents!
When revival meets reform, we have societal impact. Take for example Calvin that introduced banking to the middle class. We still see the effects of that revival turned reform today. Calvin was not afraid to embrace intellectualism as a much-needed tool to develop his craft of modern banking. Can we, as Kingdom minded believers, do better than that today? I HOPE SO!
Kingdom minded believers need to learn how to articulate the reasons why the various societal ills are not conducive to a viable civilization, without saying “it’s not American…” We also need the __ (fill in the blank with the word that you are comfortable with… I have a few in mind…) to defend our convictions at the right time, at the right place, in the right manner. Freedom is not given to the intellectually deprived, but on the contrary to those that can articulate why we have this freedom and what it is used for! Imagine Patrick Henry saying “Give Me Freedom…uh…because its American”
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.
Testimony: the Prayer Center in Sofia, Bulgaria
/in Ministry Updates, Missions, TestimoniesDear friends of our ministry from around the world! Some of you have been to Bulgaria and have visited our ministry’s base there, some of you haven’t.
I saw this building first in a vision on New Years’s Eve in 1994. The Government had just shut down our church in June ’94. By December, from around 1000 members going through our services on Sunday and throughout the week, there were less than 400 of us probably left.
No one thought we would have to go through this as a church for FIVE YEARS!
But on New Year’s Eve of 1994, we had gathered for an all-church meeting. I asked everyone to pray & ask the Lord for whatever people had faith for. I remember the Spirit of God moving amongst us at that time. All of a sudden I had a very clear vision of a building that looked very stately. It had a basement where I could see as if through an X-Ray, people on their knees praying.
On the upper floors, I could see people behind desks, working behind computers and going from one room to another. It almost looked like a newsroom of some kind. I knew it had to do with media.
This vision made a deep impact on me for I realize that from this place prayers will be offered for the nations of the world and also information will be handled and that the two were connected.
Our church went through deep persecution which lasted for five years. In the meantime, Bulgaria went through even greater post-Communist era breakdown as a society and as an economy. 4 years of the 5 were under very corrupt socialist government made up of the former Communists and their cronies in the media. Bulgaria’s currency collapsed in 1997 and we experienced up to 300% inflation.
By 1999, the economy was wiped out. Real estate was super low. Banks weren’t lending. Our national bank (and currency) came under the supervision of a Currency Board from the World Bank. The new Bulgarian government which came to power in 1997 after the Socialists had devastated the country, began to seek closer ties with Western Europe, the US, the EU, and NATO.
In 1995 there were threats made on our lives as a family and we had moved to the US for a year. We came back to Bulgaria in 1996 only to run into more persecution by the Government, confiscations of private property, humiliating police harassment and so on.
In the summer of 1998, God opened the door and I had a supernaturally arranged meeting with the President of Bulgaria at that time, Mr. Petar Stoyanov.
We spoke for about 20 minutes at a fancy restaurant in Sofia where I had visited at the invitation of an American Christian businessman. The President happened to visit the same restaurant that night. When I saw him coming in with his wife and then young daughter, I walked over to their table, he welcomed me and we had a 20-minutee conversion. He asked me not to give up on what I’m doing. he said he had been following me in the media and knows that the media propaganda was all lies meant to stop me. His words still ring in my ears to this day:
“Pastor Bakalov, would you help me keep the young people to remain in Bulgaria?”
I told him basically “Sir, it’s what we want. However, please help us so we can help you!”
Two weeks later the largest national newspaper called me and asked me for an interview. They said they’ll give me two pages and I can edit the final version, i.e. they guaranteed they won’t manipulate the interview. And so it was.
A week later the second largest newspaper did the exact same thing. Within 3 weeks I had given interviews in two of the largest newspapers, which had been two of the main media to write hatchet jobs against me and our church. These interviews paved the way for our church to be restored back as a legitimate body.
I have HUNDREDS of newspaper articles from the Bulgarian media in my archives for the period between 1993 -1998. Almost all of them, with few notable exceptions, have been lies and propaganda meant to destroy me and the church.
In September of 1998, the Government office handling religious affairs (Paul Gazelka, you met with the Director and prayed for him in 2005 when you were in Bulgaria), had called me and without any conditions offered the legal status of our church to be restored. They told me I can choose which of the mainstream denominations I want our church to be part of now. We had been without a legal status as a church since 1994.
I decided we should probably get the legal status through a denomination whose leader I had known since the time I first became a Christian. (That’s another story but…little did we know that this man had been an agent and an informant for the Communist State Security since the 1980’s. This was revealed not until 2012.)
Finally, in February 1999 we broke through 5 years of systemic persecution by the corrupt Bulgarian Government! We emerged onto the national scene with a national conference where thousands of people came from all over Bulgaria. God moved apostle John Eckhardt from Chicago to encourage us at that time. We met him in Minnesota in 1996 when prophet John Isleib was still helping pastor a new church plant headed by his sister Mary-Alice.
Our church was on the upswing again and it marked a new day in our development as a body. It seems also as if at the same time Bulgaria itself came into a new season of its post-Communist history.
In the spring of 1999, I got a call from a real estate agent I knew at the time. She was talking about this building downtown. I went to see it. When I stepped into the basement, the Holy Spirit came all over me. Something was stirring up.
I began to realize this is the place God had shown to me in a vision in 1994.
The church had no cash reserves of any kind. The economy is was wiped out after 2 years of hyperinflation. We had just survived 5 years as a persecuted church and had dwindled down to not more than 250-300 people, if that.
The average monthly salary in Bulgaria at the time was probably still around $250-$300 – if that!
However, excited about the possibility of this being what God showed me, I shared the news with the church, we prayed and we dove in. We had to raise $20,000 within 2 weeks to be able to sign the deal. Which we did. People gave literally the shirts off their backs. Not a single $ from any Western church.
I hope this helps you understand why this place is so special to me. SACRIFICE is spelled all over it. One of the MANY sacrifices our church family has had to make through the years.
We signed the contract and the fight was “on”!
It took us 3 years to raise the cash needed to pay off this property. It ended up costing us around $225,000 but more has been invested in it through the years. Only I think around $15,000 came in from overseas donors. To me, this is a miracle building which God gave us for miracles to be released through it.
There is a great battle over the calling God has on our ministry to be a house of prayer for all nations. Much prayer has been offered in this place through the years. But we’re far from what God has called us to be.
The religious spirit has managed to cloud many believers’ vision of Prayer, Intercession and Spiritual Warfare as a ministry we are all called to.
I sense that a new day is coming.
I invite all of you to rally in the Spirit in agreement and to declare with one voice, together with the believers from our spiritual family in Sofia, that God will restore this house of prayer and it will be once again a house of prayer for all nations.
It will be also the apostolic base and center it was meant to be, as our church in Sofia takes its place in the spirit and believers come into the fullness of what God has called each and everyone to be.
Thank you all for letting me share a little bit of our journey that has to do with Bulgaria and the past. However, I feel as if though all this has been just part of the laying of a deep foundation.
I feel as if though the best is yet the come and I am very pleased I can share all this and ask you to please join us in agreement for God’s will to be done and for His Kingdom purpose to be brought forth in 2017 and beyond!
Semper Reformanda!
The following are some shots from the special Father’s Day service in Sofia, at which service we honored fathers from a Biblical standpoint. Young people from Breakthrough Christian Center, as well as pastor Rumen from Gabrovo and other guests, were able to take part in this occasion. You can also see a picture of the Prayer Center from a drone.