[The text below represents an edited transcript of this Tomorrow’s World program.]

Tomorrow’s World Predicts…

Our world is becoming more unstable and dangerous, and many concerned people are beginning to ask themselves serious questions. Is a war on the horizon? Are we heading for a financial meltdown? Are we entering a time of hyper-inflation? What about the supply chain? And will I be able to feed my family?

War, civil unrest, financial meltdowns, inflation, empty grocery shelves, and widespread drought affecting food supplies have always been possibilities somewhere in the world at some time, but when have all of these problems been a serious concern at the same time in our Western nations?

Each year at this time, we here at Tomorrow’s World, give you trends to look for in the coming year and beyond. On last year’s program titled 2021 in Bible Prophecy, I gave one prediction. How accurate was it? I’ll answer that question with a review of this past year, before giving you three predictions for 2022 and beyond—straight from the pages of your Bible.

A Year in Review—Or Two

Welcome to Tomorrow’s World, where we give you advance news from the pages of the Bible. And along with the bad news in today’s world, we look forward to the greatest good news of all—the sure hope of the return of Jesus Christ to straighten out the mess we’ve created.

At the beginning of last year, I reviewed the predictions and trends that Mr. Wallace Smith and I gave for 2019 and 2020; showing that every one of our predictions was right on target, including Mr. Wallace Smith’s warning of disease epidemics. And, by the way, that program was recorded several months prior to COVID being on anyone’s radar. After reviewing the previous two years, I gave one prediction for 2021.

Today we reviewed predictions and trends proclaimed by Tomorrow’s World the last two years. Then I said I would give you a single trend to watch in 2021 and the immediate years following. We cannot know the exact timing, but the trend is certain: There will be disaster upon disaster for America and the British descended peoples.

Notice how the prophet Ezekiel describes what is ahead for the Anglosphere:

Destruction comes; they will seek peace, but there shall be none. Disaster will come upon disaster, and rumor will be upon rumor. Then they will seek a vision from a prophet; but the law will perish from the priest, and counsel from the elders. “The king will mourn, The prince will be clothed with desolation, and the hands of the common people will tremble. I will do to them according to their way, and according to what they deserve I will judge them; then they shall know that I am the LORD!” (Ezekiel 7:25–27).

The prediction of disaster upon disaster was not something I dreamed up, but as shown in this clip, it comes from the biblical book of Ezekiel—chapter 7 and verse 26. Disasters of one sort or another happen from time to time, but this passage predicts one major disaster stacked upon another. It’s predicting extraordinary times. Did we see this in 2021?

I cannot remember a year in my lifetime where more catastrophic events were piled one upon another, but don’t take my word for it. So much happened in 2021 that I only have time to briefly mention these extraordinary events, so let’s get started with a quick “year in review.” It didn’t take long for disaster number 1—January 6.

#1: The storming of U.S. Capitol Building

Need I say more? But two weeks later disaster, disaster #2 struck. January 20, the day he took office, President Biden cancelled the Keystone XL pipeline, which would have brought crude oil from Canada to refineries on the Gulf Coast. This was only the first shot in what has turned out to be a war on fossil fuels that has left both America and its Canadian ally in the cold—pun intended—as seen from this October 14, 2021 story out of New York:

  “Winter heating bills set to jump as inflation hits home”

Get ready to pay sharply higher bills for heating this winter, along with seemingly everything else.

With prices surging worldwide for heating oil, natural gas and other fuels, the U.S. government said Wednesday it expects households to see their heating bills jump as much as 54% compared to last winter (Associated Press, October 13, 2021).

Gasoline prices have also skyrocketed, and ironically, while waging war on American and Canadian producers, the President has begged OPEC to ramp up supplies. Now if this sounds political, it’s not intended to be—it’s just the facts. America had recently become energy independent, but the war on gas, oil, and coal has ended that independence.

Some would say the war on fossil fuels is a blessing rather than a disaster. And truly, the subject is controversial—but not for people on low or fixed incomes shivering in their homes or having to choose between food, and fuel to fill their gas tanks for work. So forget the politics. For millions, the war on fossil fuels is an unmitigated disaster. So 2021 disaster #2 is:

#2: The consequences of the war on fossil fuels

The mob taking over the Capitol on January 6 and the war on fossil fuels were only the beginning. It didn’t take long for another major disaster to strike. February 11–20 brought disaster #3:

#3: The historic winter storms that slammed Texas and the Central Plains states

A series of storms struck one after another and brought life to a standstill, disrupting the flow of important goods to the rest of the country. Temperatures dropped in Texas as low as 6 degrees F (-14 C), and the accompanying catastrophic ice storms brought down trees and power lines. Ice and freezing temperatures also halted electricity producing wind turbines, thus shutting down the power grid over a large swath of the state.

The National Weather Service reported on the magnitude of the storms:

This was one of the most impactful winter events in recent history that brought multiday road closures, power outages, loss of heat, broken pipes, and other societal impacts for the region. While the damage is still being assessed, this will likely go down as the first billion dollar disaster of 2021 globally, and potentially the most costly weather disaster for the state of Texas in history, surpassing even Hurricane Harvey from 2017 (“Valentine’s Week Winter Outbreak 2021: Snow, Ice, & Record Cold,” National Weather Service, Weather.gov).

Crisis After Crisis—Where Is It All Leading?

The crisis at America’s southern border began early in the year and it grew with each passing month. Hundreds of thousands of migrants from Central and South America, from Africa, Asia, and the Middle East crossed into the United States illegally through Mexico. Many were bussed and flown to distant cities during the early morning hours in an attempt to hide the scope of the problem. And with this flood of humanity have also come drugs, gang members, and, almost certainly, terrorists. It will take time before we know the full impact of an open border, but there WILL be consequences, so 2021 disaster number 4 is:

#4: The crisis at America’s southern border

Disaster number five was both unexpected and disheartening. New vaccines held out hope that humanity would be freed from the grip of the COVID-19 virus, but then came the Delta variant, and America and most of the rest of the world saw their hope dashed. COVID in 2021 turned out to be worse than 2020. Note this headline from MSN on October 7, 2021:

“Number of U.S. Covid deaths in 2021 surpasses death toll of 2020” (MSN.com, July 10, 2021).

And this, with the better part of three months left in the year! So disaster #5 was:

#5: The Delta variant and continuing COVID-19 pandemic

Cyberattacks are more common and more costly than most people realize. There was the May 7 ransomware attack on the Houston based Colonial pipeline that stopped the flow of fuel to the Southeastern and Mid-Atlantic states. And even after it began flowing again, it took days for it to reach its destinations. It was reported that the company paid out five million dollars to resolve the problem, though a portion was recovered, according to reports. Before the month of May ended, JBS, the world’s largest meat packing plant, was hit with a similar attack, shutting down plants in North America and Australia. JBS reportedly paid 11 million dollars to avoid a long shutdown, and this does not include lost revenue and wages and a host of other expenses. These two events are only the more public examples of a very real ongoing cyberwar, and this is why our sixth disaster is:

#6: The ongoing silent cyberwar

This war is real, costing city, state, and federal governments; television stations; credit reporting agencies; banks; nuclear plants; and thousands of public and privately owned companies; as well as individuals, far more than any natural disaster.

These attacks go on daily and unless they affect you personally, they mostly go unnoticed—deliberately so, as no company wants the negative publicity associated with a successful attack. Some attacks steal trade secrets or personal information. Other attacks extort millions in cryptocurrency. But ominously, countries silently probe their enemy’s military and infrastructure in preparation for a shooting war.

My friends, 2021 saw even greater catastrophes! There is not nearly enough time in this program to remind you of all the challenges we faced in 2021. Nor do we have time to cover all the news in advance from the pages of the Bible. Will Jesus return soon to straighten out the mess? He gave signs to indicate when His return was near

Increasing Tribulation, As Jesus Christ Predicted

But before going further, let’s quickly review the first six that I’ve mentioned:

#1: The storming of the Capitol on January 6

#2: The consequences of the war on fossil fuels

#3: The disastrous storms that hit Texas and the Southern Plains

#4: The crisis at America’s southern border

#5: The Delta variant and continuing COVID-19 pandemic

#6: The ongoing silent cyberwar

But, by many accounts, the greatest calamity of 2021 was the manner in which the United States pulled out of Afghanistan. This was a humiliating disaster of monumental proportions. America’s friends are re-evaluating their trust in the waning superpower, and America’s enemies are licking their lips. Note this op-ed published in The Hill on August 30, under the headline:

  “In Afghanistan, we’ve opened the gates of hell.”

The article went on to say, with a reference to Winston Churchill after Neville Chamberlain’s appeasement of Adolf Hitler:

President Joe Biden’s debacle will have no such savior; the Islamic jihad isn’t that kind of war. Instead of getting us out of Afghanistan, and bringing peace in our time, he’s opened the gates of hell. In one disastrous and grossly ill-conceived strategic move, Biden has armed and empowered the Taliban and elated every Muslim fanatic from Morocco to Mindanao. Not since 9/11 have events so galvanized our enemies — U.S. forces abandoning the field; the Afghan military laying down arms; and the Taliban reestablishing their Islamic Emirate (The Hill, August 30, 2021).

So disaster #7 is:

#7: The humiliating manner in which America left Afghanistan 

For the sake of time, let me mention a few others with only brief comments.

#8: The breakdown in the supply chain

This one is so noticeable that little else needs to be said, but who would have thought of this a year ago.

#9: Inflation

This too is huge, but again, no need to say much. We all see it on a daily basis and those on low or fixed incomes feel it the most. Then there’s #10:

#10: Worker shortages

Governments have borrowed to pay people not to work. How incongruous to see “Help wanted signs” everywhere, yet panhandlers and homeless encampments popping up all over. While unemployment stats are low, it’s reported that five million American workers have dropped out of the workforce. And this worker shortage is compounded by #11.

No matter where you stand on the subject, one thing is for certain—policemen, pilots, truck drivers, healthcare workers, and critical workers from many industries chose to quit their jobs rather than take the jabs. Many of those who put their lives on the line and were hailed as heroes during the height of the pandemic were cast aside. So that’s why #11 is:

#11: Vaccine mandates

Here is one more problem which only got worse in 2021:

#12: Nations divided against themselves regarding masks, vaccines, immigration, climate change, and so much more

Civil society is breaking down, and no matter which side one may be on regarding these issues, citizens of America, Canada, Australia, South Africa, France, the Netherlands, Germany, just to name some, have lost confidence in their governments and their citizens are becoming restless. 

Tomorrow’s World prediction for 2021 was “disaster upon disaster.” Can anyone deny that 2021 was a disaster for America? And I don’t have time to go into the droughts, bush fires, floods, and a mice plague in Australia, nor the fuel shortages in the United Kingdom, nor the record breaking drought and deteriorating state of affairs in South Africa, nor the worst oil spill in Israel’s history.

Prophecies Fulfilled in 2022

There are many more, such as the extreme drought over most of the western United States and Canada. The town of Lytton, British Columbia, located about 100 miles north of the U.S. border, recorded an astonishing 121.3 degrees F (49.6 C), and that was before it was wiped off the map by a wildfire.

So, what can we look forward to in 2022 and beyond according to Bible prophecy? None of us here at Tomorrow’s World are prophets. We simply read the Bible and draw your attention to what it says. The problem is that we cannot know exactly WHEN some events will take place, but we can know the big picture. So what should we expect for 2022 and the years that follow?

Jesus took His disciples out to the Mount of Olives where they asked:

Tell us, when will these things be? And what will be the sign of Your coming, and of the end of the age? (Matthew 24:3).

It’s clear from many prophecies that a better age, a new world, is coming. That better world will be the result of the second coming of Jesus Christ—an event that will shock the world. That will not happen in 2022 or even for a few years later, but it will happen. In fact, you had better hope it will happen, because if it doesn’t, we’ll literally annihilate ourselves—so said Jesus. Here it is in Matthew 24:21–22:

For then there will be great tribulation, such as has not been since the beginning of the world until this time, no, nor ever shall be. And unless those days were shortened, no flesh would be saved; but for the elect’s sake those days will be shortened (Matthew 24:21–22).

Some scoff at the idea that Christ must return to save mankind from destruction, or even that He will return at all. They have what the Apostle Peter spoke of as a kind of historical uniformitarianism. Here’s what he predicted for our time, as found in his second letter, chapter 3, and verses 3–4:

… knowing this first: that scoffers will come in the last days, walking according to their own lusts, and saying, “Where is the promise of His coming? For since the fathers fell asleep, all things continue as they were from the beginning of creation” (2 Peter 3:3–4).

But everything is not continuing the same. Our world is becoming more dangerous with every passing year. The prophet Ezekiel also noted this same attitude among skeptics who foolishly claim prophecy has failed. Chapter 12, in verses 27–28:

Son of man, look, the house of Israel is saying, “The vision that he sees is for many days from now, and he prophesies of times far off.” Therefore say to them, “Thus says the Lord GOD: ‘None of My words will be postponed any more, but the word which I speak will be done,’ says the Lord GOD.”

We must be humble enough to recognize that we do not know the month or year when the prophecies of Jacob’s trouble (as Jeremiah refers to it) fully set in, but we are clearly close to that time. If the last two years are any indication, time is running out for the British-descended and American peoples to change before it is too late. So here’s trend #1 to watch for in 2022 and beyond:

Trend #1: When you think it cannot get any worse, it will! 

Yes there will be ups and downs. There will be periods that look good, but the overall picture is clear—continual disasters upon the British-descended and American peoples due to our sins. Therefore trend number 2 for 2022 and the years that follow:

Trend #2: Disaster upon disaster will continue

That prediction comes from Ezekiel 7 and verse 26, which we read at the beginning of this program: “Disaster will come upon disaster….” But notice there is a second pronouncement in that verse—“… and rumor will come upon rumor.” So our last trend to watch is the continuation of something that sadly already exists:

Trend #3: Rumor upon rumor will grow worse

Has there ever been a greater time filled with conspiracy theories and rumors than today—all fueled by social media and the Internet? Expect rumors, conspiracy theories, and fake news from every conceivable source to continue.

But the good news is that when things truly cannot get any worse, our Creator will step in to save us from our insanity. He will then set up a world-ruling kingdom that will bring peace and prosperity to ALL the world. War and disease will come to an end and people will learn to get along with one another. That’s the message of Tomorrow’s World.

Thank you for watching! To find out what trends to watch for in 2022, order your free copy of Fourteen Signs Announcing Christ’s Return by clicking the link in the description. Remember to subscribe to our channel so you can continue to learn the truth as given in the Bible. See you next time.

[The text below represents an edited transcript of this Tomorrow’s World program.]

Warm Traditions—But Where Did They Come From?

So many find so much joy in the sights and sounds of December—especially, the arrival of Christmas. Along with green and red decorations, signs and posters featuring a certain jolly, red-robed gentleman, and music you just can not get out of your head, comes the perennial question: Is Christmas a pagan holiday?

Most don’t even care about the answer, but for those who take biblical faith seriously, it is a serious question—and a question in need of an answer. And we will answer that question here on Tomorrow’s World, straight from the pages of your Bible, right now.

Childhood Memories Not Enough

Greetings, and welcome to Tomorrow’s World where we help you make sense of your world through the pages of the Bible! Today we’re going to tackle a question that seems to arise every December: “Is Christmas a pagan holiday?”

We’ll be examining the question honestly and openly, with a desire to orient our hearts and minds according to the advice of Jesus Christ as He taught us in Matthew 6 and verse 33 to 

“seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness.”

And the question is important. How we choose to honor the Father and His Son matters. As we will see in the inspired words of Scripture, our practices have a profound effect on our relationship with God and on the character we are forming for His use and purposes.

For literally hundreds of thousands of people who consider themselves sincere Christians, the Christmas season is among the most sacred.

It is a time for calling to mind the birth of Jesus Christ, the promised Savior of the world. Many attend religious services in December, devoted to remembering popular narratives of the birth of Jesus, whose birth is ostensibly celebrated on Christmas Day itself.

And many of us have many pleasant memories associated with the Christmas season. In fact, celebrated as it is all over the world, it would be impossible for me to cover in a program such as this one ALL the many customs that individuals across the globe use to make the season special. So, permit me to focus a bit on those customs I, as an American, am more familiar with.

Our cities and even individual homes are often decorated with special reminders of the season—such as nativity scenes, branches or wreaths of holly, and Christmas trees decorated with tinsel of silver and gold. Many will have bought or personally crafted presents for their friends and family members, who will sometimes travel long distances to reunite for a few evenings, enjoy Christmas dinner together, and exchange presents and pleasantries. And many will seek to sneak a kiss from someone while catching them standing under mistletoe.

Of course, some children will be told the night before that their presents are being brought to them from the North Pole by Santa Claus, or “St. Nick,” as the adults wink to each other with a knowing eye.

In the morning, the children enjoy tearing into their presents to see what “Santa” brought them, and some families will head to religious services to hear a message related to the birth of Jesus—especially those who are concerned that commercialism is crowding out what they believe to be the real meaning of Christmas: The message that God sent His Son into the world on Christmas Day, born of the Virgin Mary to be the Savior of mankind.

There’s more that I could say, but hopefully this captures the popular spirit of the Christmas season. Yes, it is a stressful time for many. Sometimes family gatherings are a source of anxiety, and buying gifts for one another can seem a burdensome obligation—especially when the credit card bill begins to reveal the damage of our attempts at merrymaking.

However, I want to acknowledge that many joyous memories tend to be associated with Christmas and the Christmas season. I, myself, as a child and young man participated in these things. I remember the joys of receiving gifts and buying gifts for others. I don’t know if you can see it very well, but these old, blurry pictures are of me as a small child, enjoying his brand new Christmas presents.

You know, I remember seeing once, as a teenager, a small statue depicting Santa kneeling at the cradle of what was, ostensibly, the “Baby Jesus.” And I was moved—I felt at the time that it was a nice way of trying to point out what I thought was the more important aspect of the Christmas season. I’ve even played the part of Joseph once in a Christmas choral performance.

In other words, I’ve been there; I’ve done that.

I mention these things at the beginning of our discussion to highlight a crucial fact. As we tackle our question today—“Is Christmas a pagan holiday?”—we must keep in mind: None of this is relevant.

We may have years’ worth of positive memories associated with Christmas. We may love the music, the atmosphere, the traditions, and the focus on Jesus and the message of His birth.

Yet literally none of that is relevant to the question “Is Christmas a pagan holiday?”

After all, many religions have their joyous festivals, their times of family gathering, their fondly remembered songs, and traditions that warm the hearts of their adherents.

If we are going to address this question head on, we have to be willing to distance ourselves from our emotional responses and our happy memories and seek to answer the question from the perspective of facts, sound mindedness, and God’s revealed truth.

Actually, that is the easy part, as we’ll see. But what we do with that truth—that’s the hard part. Following Jesus Christ isn’t for cowards.

Seeking the Truth About Christmas—And Finding It

We want to understand the truth, and we want to seek that truth with an open mind—because truth is important.

John 4 relates a famous account of Jesus’ discussion with a Samaritan woman. She spoke to Him of the Samaritans’ traditions concerning worshiping the God of the Bible, which differed in many ways from the ways actually discussed in the Bible—even though their traditions were sincerely believed. In a sense, they worshipped God in spirit, meaning that their heart was in it, but they didn’t worship Him in truth, meaning that their sincere acts were based on falsehoods and half-truths. What did Jesus say? Did He say to her, “Well, that’s OK. As long as your intent is good, your worship is acceptable before God”?

No, He didn’t.

We read His response in John 4, beginning in verse 23:

“But the hour is coming, and now is, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth; for the Father is seeking such to worship Him. God is Spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth” (John 4:23–24).

That’s our goal today—to enable ourselves to understand how to worship God not just in spirit and intent, but in truth. Truth matters.

So, let’s look at the question with honest eyes: Is Christmas a pagan holiday?

If we’re answering this question based on the origins of the day, then the answer is very clearly “yes.” Because the origins of Christmas as a holiday—its timing, its traditions, its ancient practices—are very clearly pagan.

Now, what does it mean to be “pagan”? After all, the word is thrown about a bit carelessly these days—in fact, there is a growing movement of “neo-paganism” today, which we have covered in detail in Tomorrow’s World magazine—the very same magazine you will get a free subscription to when you request today’s free resource, Is Christmas Christian?

Let’s make sure we’re clear, then. As Merriam-Webster defines it, “pagan” means: “of, relating to, or having the characteristics of pagans”—which, we are told, are “follower[s] of a polytheistic religion (as in ancient Rome).”

Essentially paganism represents religions and cultic practices that have their origins outside of the religions traditionally associated with the patriarch Abraham: Christianity, Judaism, and Islam.

And if that is the definition of “pagan,” there is no doubt that the Christmas holiday and most of its traditions originated in pagan customs and worship traditions, many of which pre-date Christianity by centuries or even millennia.

Mistletoe is associated with Roman fertility rituals and Frigga, the Norse goddess of love and lust. The timing of Christmas corresponds not to Jesus’ birth—which was likely in the fall—but to the observance of the pagan Roman Saturnalia and sun worship. That is S-U-N. As the Encyclopedia Britannica notes:

In the 3rd century, the Roman Empire, which at the time had not adopted Christianity, celebrated the rebirth of the Unconquered Sun (Sol Invictus) on December 25th. This holiday not only marked the return of longer days after the winter solstice but also followed the popular Roman festival called the Saturnalia (during which people feasted and exchanged gifts). It was also the birthday of the Indo-European deity Mithra, a god of light and loyalty whose cult was at the time growing popular among Roman soldiers (“Why Is Christmas in December?” Britannica.com).

The Christmas tree, too, is a tradition with an ancient pagan precedent. In fact, we can see that precedent condemned in Scripture. Look at Jeremiah 10 and read it with your favorite Christmas tree tradition in mind:

“Thus says the LORD: ‘Do not learn the way of the Gentiles; Do not be dismayed at the signs of heaven, For the Gentiles are dismayed at them. For the customs of the peoples are futile; for one cuts a tree from the forest, the work of the hands of the workman, with the ax. They decorate it with silver and gold; they fasten it with nails and hammers so that it will not topple. They are upright, like a palm tree, and they cannot speak; they must be carried, because they cannot go by themselves. Do not be afraid of them, for they cannot do evil, nor can they do any good’” (Jeremiah 10:1–5).

The list of these ancient, pagan origins to various Christmas practices is long and clear. In fact, many popular, conservative authorities in modern Christianity readily admit that the pagan origin of many of the most common and honored Christmas traditions is a fact of history. Any historical resource of repute will confirm that fact.

For instance, consider this brief summary from the widely respected “Christian” resource Eerdmans’ Handbook to the History of Christianity:

The Christian church took over many pagan ideas and images. From sun-worship, for example, came the celebration of Christ’s birth on the twenty-fifth of December, the birthday of the Sun. Saturnalia, the Roman winter festival of 17–21 of December, provided the merriment, gift-giving and candles typical of later Christmas holidays…. Some pagan customs which were later Christianized, for example the use of candles, incense and garlands, were at first avoided by the church because they symbolized paganism (1977, pp. 131–132).

And in his famous work A Classical Dictionary, scholar John Lemprière summarized some of the ancient, pre-Christian practices of the pagan holiday Saturnalia:

The celebration was remarkable for the liberty which universally prevailed. The slaves were permitted to ridicule their masters… It was usual for friends to make presents one to another, all animosity ceased, no criminals were executed, schools were shut, war was never declared, but all was mirth, riot, and debauchery.

If we are honest, surely we will admit that all of this sounds very familiar.

Christmas and its traditions and customs are deeply rooted in pagan origins. In that sense, yes, Christmas is a pagan holiday.

But still, is it really? Many argue that pagan activities, celebrations, traditions, and symbols have—in a sense—been “baptized” by Christianity. The holly branches and its red berries once had pagan meanings, true, but maybe now they can be used to symbolize Christ’s crown of thorns and the red blood He shed for our sins.

Perhaps the real answer is that Christmas was a pagan holiday, but it is no longer. People can certainly be baptized and have their lives transformed. Can pagan worship practices?

Worshiping God HIS Way

Sinners can repent and change. Can’t ancient pagan practices or traditions be sort of “baptized” and kept? After all, those who keep Christmas don’t believe they are worshiping the sun god or Saturn or Mithras or Baal or Frigga or any of those pagan gods. They are often trying to sincerely worship God and Jesus as they understand Them. Do the pagan origins of Christmas really matter?

The answer is a simple one: If we desire to worship God and Jesus Christ in a manner that is pleasing to them, not just pleasing to us, then yes—they matter very much.

Again, the issue is not one of opinion or feelings. It is a matter of truth. And if we want to know the truth about how God the Father and Jesus Christ think about these things, then we must go to the Bible They have given us to help us learn to think like them. And when we do go to the Scriptures, the answer is absolutely clear.

For instance, speaking of pagan peoples and pagan traditions and customs, God commanded ancient Israel very clearly in Deuteronomy 12:30:

“[D]o not inquire after their gods, saying, ‘How did these nations serve their gods? I also will do likewise.’ You shall not worship the LORD your God in that way…” (Deuteronomy 12:30–31).

This is crucial: Notice, the Bible doesn’t just say, “Don’t worship idols” or “Don’t worship foreign gods.” It says: “You shall not worship the LORD your God in that way.” God makes it plain that He does not want His followers to worship Him in pagan ways. It doesn’t make a difference if we say we’re not worshiping Mithras or Saturn or the sun or whomever—God says plainly to us “do not worship me using pagan traditions.”

We saw a very similar command earlier when we read Jeremiah 10, in which God said clearly, “Do not learn the way of the Gentiles….” And here by “Gentiles,” God means those pagans outside the nation of Israel.

The commands in the Bible simply leave no room at all to conclude that God accepts worship using pagan customs—even if it is directed at Him.

Still, that’s the Old Testament, and some might argue that Jesus came to change all of that.

Yet, once again, if we go to His actual teachings—recorded for all time in our own Bibles—we find that this is not how He thinks at all about these things.

In fact, Jesus addresses this very scenario with His disciples and the Jewish leaders of His day. In Mark chapter 7, Jesus challenges the unbiblical traditions of the first-century Pharisees. They claimed to serve God with those traditions, but Jesus told them that their pious traditions actually violated God’s commands and were to be condemned. We can read His response in Mark 7, beginning in verse 6:

“He answered and said to them, ‘Well did Isaiah prophesy of you hypocrites, as it is written: “This people honors Me with their lips, but their heart is far from Me. And in vain they worship Me, teaching as doctrines the commandments of men.” For LAYING ASIDE THE COMMANDMENT OF GOD, you HOLD THE TRADITION OF MEN… All too well you REJECT THE COMMANDMENT OF GOD, that you may KEEP YOUR TRADITION’” (Mark 7:6–9).

To observe Christmas, you would have to lay aside the commandment of God, who says plainly He does not want to be worshipped using heathen customs, so that you could hold on to your tradition. You would have to reject that commandment of God to keep that tradition. And Jesus Christ, the Son of God and the very founder of Christianity condemns doing that in no uncertain terms.

I can’t speak for you, but the idea of Jesus Christ, the Son of God, calling me a hypocrite sends chills down my spine. Almost 2,000 years ago, Jesus condemned those who would dare to call Him “Lord” while ignoring His commands, asking,

“Why do you call Me ‘Lord, Lord,’ and do not do the things which I say?” (Luke 6:46).

The evidence is clear:

• Christmas is a pagan holiday.
• God does not want to be worshiped using pagan traditions.
• And Jesus Christ condemns as hypocrites those who ignore God’s commands to keep other traditions.

So, with our original question answered, the next question is clear: What do we do now?

A Difficult Choice—Choosing Christ Over Christmas

We have only a brief time left on today’s program, but let me take a moment to say that—for those whose hearts are willing to follow God wherever He and His word lead us, following His lead and obeying His commands never leads us to a worse place. Only a better place.

For instance, I know of thousands of individuals, all over the world, who have left Christmas behind and have embraced, instead, the Holy Days actually revealed in the Bible—designed by God and recorded in His word as days set apart by Him for worship, praise, and instruction.

Those individuals—the members and attendees of the Living Church of God, who sponsor the Tomorrow’s World program—would say to you as plainly as I can now from here in this studio: As Christians and followers of Jesus Christ, they would not trade observing the biblical Holy Days for keeping Christmas for all the money in the world.

Moving past Christmas does not have to mean giving up joy and meaning and warmth and fellowship. Quite the opposite. When one turns away from deceptively attractive traditions and customs that fundamentally contradict the Bible to follow Jesus Christ—the real Jesus Christ—we have the opportunity to discover exactly what Jesus meant when He spoke to the woman by the well, almost 2,000 years ago, and spoke of worshiping God not only in spirit, but in spirit and in truth.

Thank you for watching our program, and we hope that it was helpful. All of us here at Tomorrow’s World produce these videos; people in front of the camera, behind the camera, in the control room, the fellow standing right next to me holding a light. We all work hard to help you understand your world through the pages of the Bible. If you like these videos, please click on the subscribe button as well as the little bell to be notified whenever we make more, and if you want today’s offer, just go down to the description and you’ll find the link.