In the eleventh month of 1997, I had a series of dreams, which I did some research on. The following information is the result. I pray that you would pray for YHWH's truth to be revealed to you, for it is the truth that will set you free. Please do not be as the Farushiym [Pharisees] and Tsadukiym [Sadducees], making mans traditions of greater importance than YHWH’s commands. YHWH is zealous for us and He does not want to share us with anyone, nor His praise to go to another.

Over a hundred years before Yahusha` HaMashiyach was born ( about 5 BCE), the Romans were continually conquering other peoples and spreading their kingdom further in all directions. The Romans had many gods and adopted many more from the people they conquered. They also brought back slaves from those lands. Those slaves were allowed the freedom to continue their religious practices. In many cases the gods remained the same and the name was simply changed to a Roman name.

When the Romans attacked Persia, they brought back with them, a foreign god named Mithras. The Persians believed Mithras was the only son of the god of heaven named Ahura-Mazda. He was the god of light, represented by the sun. His followers were soldiers in a great cosmic war of light against darkness, of good against evil. It was a militant faith that attracted the Roman soldiers stationed on distant frontiers.

Mithras mediated between his father and his followers, protecting them and encouraging them in their life struggles of lies, uncleanness and evil. After death, it is said, that all men must appear before Mithras on his judgement seat. The unclean souls would be handed over to the prince of darkness, while the pure would be received into the full radiance of heaven by his father.

The Mithraic priesthood had a high priest or pontiff, with a following of celibates and virgins serving him. The daily sacrifice was offered at his altar and worshippers partook of the consecrated bread and wine. A flame was kept continually burning in his temple. In the temple was a statue of a bull with a young man (Mithras) on his back, slitting the bull’s throat. The blood of sacrificed bulls was to cleanse them of their sins. The seventh day of the week was holy to him.

Every year, from the summer solstice until the winter solstice, the days become shorter and shorter. The winter solstice was traditionally held on December 25th. After that, the days become longer again, until the summer solstice, at which point the cycle repeats itself every year. December 25th was honored as Mithras birthday, the god of light, the unconquered sun. This day he won his annual victory over the forces of darkness and the days would become longer.

The Roman emperor Aurelian, the emperor before Constantine, saw the moral and political chaos as partly coming from religious disunity. There were so many slaves of conquered nations, that the foreigner actually outnumbered the native Romans, especially in Rome. Aurelian sought to unite old faiths and new, into a monotheistic ( one god ) worship of the sun-god Mithras. This effort was completed by Emperor Constantine.

Before Constantine became emperor of Rome, the Romans had been worshipping Mithras for about 400+ yrs. Constantine wanted the support of the growing numbers of Christians. Before a major battle on the 10^th month, 26^th day, 312, he said that he received a vision of a flaming cross. He had it placed on the banners. The “Christians” looked on it as a symbol of “Christ”. The followers of Mithras were already familiar with the symbol as one of their own. With the support of the Christians, Constantine won the battle.

Constantine claimed to have become a “Christian” in 304 CE, while still allowing the liberty of pagan worship. He seldom participated in Christian worship and most scholars believe the conversion was purely political. In fact, he did not accept Christian baptism until he was dying in 337. In 325, Constantine called a council of the church leaders to put an end to the bitter fighting between them. He presided over the council. It was at this council that Easter was named and determined to be celebrated on a set date in spring. Easter, like Christmas, was a pagan holiday. The name comes from the fertility goddess Ishtar, Isis, Astarte or Asherah, depending on what culture the person was from. This merging of pagan and Christian seems to be a common trend during Constantine’s reign.

Early “Church” history placed Yahusha`’s birth in the months of April or May. Later the “Church” in the East adopted 1^st month, 6^th day for the date of the Nativity. But in Rome, they merged it with Mithras birthday of 12^th month, 25^th day, the date of the winter solstice. The Eastern “Church” clung to the 1-6 date for a time and accused the Western “Church” of sun worship ( Mithras). But, by the end of the fourth century, the East gave in and accepted the 12-25 dating.

By the second century, Mithras worship had spread through western Asia and Europe. Chapels to him were found as far north as Hadrians Wall in Scotland (Hadrian was a Roman leader fighting the Celts and the wall was built as a line of defense). “Christian” Fathers were shocked to find so many parallels between their own religion and Mithraism. The Germanic and Celtic people added even more to the merger of Christmas. The evergreens were honored at their winter solstice festivals as a symbol of eternal life. The Druids added the mistletoe that was believed to have magical properties. Evergreen holly was worshipped as a promise of the suns return.

It is interesting to note that what I uncovered is not new. During the 1500's there was a religious movement called the Reformation. This movement gave birth to Protestantism. These “Christians” were protesting many things that the “Church” did, that were not scriptural. The cry was, "Only the Bible". These “Christians” saw that Christmas was a pagan celebration . During the 1600's Christmas was outlawed in England and the English colonies in America. It was only later when other European immigrants came to the Colonies, that Christmas resurfaced.

First, I would like to address the similarities in the worship of Mithras and that of Yahusha`. On any front, Satan is not original. He typically copies what YHWH has set in place, perverting the truth. Second, there might be a logical explanation for those similarities. When the Jews were taken captive, it was first by the Babylonians. In the book of Daniel, we see some of the history. Through various circumstances Daniel and his three friends are elevated to positions of prominence, Daniel being placed as chief of the wise men (Daniel 2:48). These wise men are also the religious leaders called Magi.

The Babylonians are taken over by the Medes and soon after the Persians. Daniel 9:1," In the first year of Darius son of Xerxes ( a Mede by descent), who was made ruler over the Babylonian kingdom-…" , Daniel is still on the scene. Daniel 10:1," In the third year of Cyrus king of Persia, a revelation was given to Daniel ( who was called Belteshazzar)." The Persians are now in charge and Daniel is still there. It is around this time in history that this worship of Mithras, in this form began. A modern term for Mithras worship is Zorastorism. Zorastor was a Magi, a wise man or prophet. He is the one who led the Persians out of a polytheistic culture to one of monotheism. This is purely speculation on my part, but I wonder if Daniel, as chief Magi and a practicing Jew, might have influenced this man Zoraster, also a Magi, in all the practices he instituted. Just a thought. Whether or not there is a connection, it is still a perversion of the truth.

Wayyikra [Leviticus] 18:1-5, "YHWH said to mosheh, 'speak to yisrael and say to them, "i am YHWH. you must not do as they do in mitsrayim [egypt], where you used to live, and you must not do as they do in the land of kenaan, where i am bringing you. do not follow their practices. you must obey my laws and be careful to follow my decrees. i am YHWH. keep my decrees and laws, for the man who obeys them will live by them. i am YHWH." ' "

Shemoth [Exodus] 23:24, " 'do not bow down before their elohiym or worship them or follow their practices. you must demolish them and break their sacred stones to pieces.' "

BeMidbar [Numbers] 33:55,56, " 'but if you do not drive out the inhabitants of the land, those you allow to remain will become barbs in your eyes and thorns in your sides. they will give you trouble in the land where you will live. and then i will do to you what i plan to do to them.' "

YHWH is very clear on this matter: do not adopt the ways of the pagan nations.

I feel that all the evidence of the origins of Christmas is very clear, it is a pagan holiday whose names have been changed to appease everyone but YHWH. I would rather offend men by seeming to be extreme, than offend YHWH and His son, Yahusha` HaMashiyach, by practicing a foreign religion or having the names of the baaliym [baals] on my lips.

Romans 14:5-8,12, " 'one man considers one day more sacred than another; another man considers every day alike. each one should be fully convinced in his own mind. he who regards one day as special, does so to YHWH. he who eats meat, eats to YHWH, for he gives thanks to YHWH; and he who abstains, does so to YHWH and gives thanks to YHWH. for none of us lives to himself alone and none of us dies to himself alone. if we live, we live to YHWH; and if we die, we die to YHWH. so, whether we live or die, we belong to YHWH. [Verse 12], so then, each of us will give an account of himself to YHWH.' "

I ask you, please pray and seek YHWH’s direction in this matter. Our desire should be to please and honor YHWH, not men and their traditions, no matter how noble they make the deception seem. We should be as EliYahu [Elijah] calling for those who would listen, "If YHWH is the elohiym, then follow after Him."