PAGANISM IN THE CHURCH   If one of the disciples were to walk into a modern church service today, what do you think his reaction would be? Do you think it would appear the same to him as it did in the first century? Would he be impressed by the size of the building, the pews, orchestra, or the many different programs offered for the week in the church bulletin?What about the clergy in the pulpit, delivering the weakly sermon. Would that seem familiar to him? Would he be impressed by the church members dressed up in their Sunday best, or the "greeters" at the door? Would the sight of the collection plate being passed from person to person bring back fond memories? Would he be surprised at the day of the week they were worshiping on? Would he embrace the Institution it has become? If you’ve studied first century believers then you know how foreign much of traditional Christianity would be to them. The question then needs to be asked, why does the church do what it does? How did we arrive where we are today, when we started out with the model Y’shua (Jesus) gave to the disciples? Contrary to popular belief the disciples did not start a new religion, they were and they remained Jewish, yet they believed in Y'shua as the promised Messiah. In the beginning, believers in Y'shua were called The Way, and were considered to be a sect within Judaism. The first century believers identified with, and practiced, Biblical Judaism. We know from the Scriptures (Bible) as well as history books that believers faced tremendous persecution, often unto death. As people converted to the true faith, they knew they might have to lay down their life for that same faith. Belief in Messiah wasn’t something they did on a whim, but only after truly being convicted and repenting. Most early believers took the commandment to love your neighbor as yourself and to forgive your enemies, seriously. As Romans converted to The Way, they separated themselves from their fellow countrymen even more by following the pacifists’ example set by fellow believers. Pacifism was not an option in first and second century Rome, as most young men were required to serve in the army. Believers, who refused to serve, fight, and kill in the Roman army faced a sentence of death. The Romans worshiped many different gods. They had household gods, local gods, gods of the weather, seasons, etc. Augustus was decreed by the Senate to be the son of the gods. To refuse to worship him, or any other emperor, branded you as an atheist. Rome didn’t care if its citizens worshiped Y'shua or Yahweh (God), as long as they would worship the other gods as well. Believer’s refusal to worship any god other than Yahweh branded them as pagans, as well as atheist; they were executed in large numbers for their beliefs. The people of Yahweh were driven underground to the catacombs under Rome to meet and worship, and many times live. Oddly enough, it was this persecution that helped the faith remain pure from the influences of its pagan neighbors. By persecuting the believers, local authorities hoped to squelch this sect of Judaism, however, it had the opposite effect, particularly in Rome. Instead of separating the believers, it bound them together, relying on each other increased their love for one another. The Romans thought they could completely destroy The Way by executing its members, and by doing it in such a heinous way that other people would be discouraged from converting. With no new converts, the sect would simply die out. Their plan, however, backfired. As the Roman citizens watched the believers face torture and death with peace and love, many were amazed. As they watched believers face atrocities with courage and conviction, never renouncing their Savior even though it would have saved their lives, the Romans were convicted. Eusbus of Caesarea, a 4th century church historian, wrote this about the character of the believers under the Emperor Maximinas.                                                                      "Everyone submitted to all his wishes except Christians, who laughed at death and snapped their fingers at his vile tyranny. The Christian men endured fire, sword, crucifixion, wild beast, drowning, hacking off of limbs, branding, stabbing and gouging out of eyes, mutilation of their whole bodies and also starvation, chains and being forced to work down in the mines" This devotion to a single god was new to them. For every believer that was tortured and killed, more converted. The Romans soon realized they weren’t wiping out this group of radicals; they were helping to increase their numbers! As converts to The Way increased, Rome began to experience more and more upheaval of it’s own. Something had to be done to restore order to the Roman Empire. Caesar Galerius, who ruled one fourth of the Roman Empire, granted believers the right to hold assemblies in 311 A.D., urging tolerance for this growing religion. It would only take another 68 years for Christianity to be proclaimed the official religion of Rome by Emperor Thedosius. It is interesting to note that early believers clung to the roots of their belief for the most part. It was not until the Roman government accepted them, that the most damaging changes occurred. As the Way became more accepted, more converts were added, bringing their Greek mind set with them . Most new converts didn’t understand the Jewish phrases and references, nor did they try to learn them. They simply took the words on the page and made them fit their preconceived ideas. Terms that were easily understood by one culture were lost on another. The Roman’s theological debates did what 300 years of persecution could not. Slowly and stealthily, all the man-made traditions and holidays and made-up holy days of pagan religions, inched its way into the true faith. In mans attempt to accommodate the flesh, he once again fell in line with the plan of Satan, to corrupt the children of Yahweh and believers of Y’shua. With their gradual acceptance by the government, and the ideas and beliefs of the new converts, believers soon abandoned their pacifist stand. Their influence was then felt in the Roman military, as well as the Roman government. The stage was set for Emperor Constantine. Constantine was a devoted sun worshiped, but did not want to anger any of the gods; he was therefore, open to believers worshiping Y’shua. We can see evidence of Constantine’s esteem for his sun god all over modern Christianity, but to really understand it’s impact we need to take a look at the roots of sun worship. You can find the basis for sun worship in almost all ancient civilizations, the names are changed, and there are slight variations of the story, but most of the details remain the same. In Egypt, the names were Isis and Osiris, in Rome, Venus and Adonis and in Greece, Aphrodite and Adonis. Whatever name you use for these ancient, mythical gods, and whatever city or country you place them in, they are still merely branches of the original story. When you trace these legends far enough back, you inevitably arrive at the same original source. To trace the beginnings of sun worship, we need to start with the great-grandson of Noah, Nimrod. "And Cush begot Nimrod; he began to be a mighty one on the earth. He was a mighty hunter before Yahweh: wherefore it is said, "Even as Nimrod the mighty hunter before Yahweh". And the beginning of his kingdom was Babel (Babylon)." Genesis 10:8-10 Nimrod was the king of Babylon. History tells us his wife was Semiramis, also called Ishtar. Many historians claim Semiramis/Ishtar was also Nimrods mother, the same Semiramis that married Cush, Nimrods father. Upon the death of Cush, Nimrod took his mother Semiramis to be his wife. Nimrod and Semiramis ruled with an iron fist, showing no mercy to those who opposed them. It is hard to believe that a King and Queen known for their evil practices and abominations before Yahweh, could also have the love of their people, but they did. The citizens of Nimrod’s kingdom started to look upon him as half man and half god, therefore worthy of worship. Nimrod had turned his back upon Yahweh; he began encouraging his followers to worship him instead. Nimrod was eventually killed for his detestable practices, and his body cut into pieces and sent to the various outer edges of his kingdom. The people mourned the loss of their man-god. Nimrod’s death placed Semiramis position as queen in jeopardy, a precarious place she did not enjoy. In order to firmly establish her role as queen, and elevate her position, she told the mourners of Nimrod that upon his death, Nimrod had become fully a god. She claimed that he now lived in the sun, and was the sun, shining his warmth, love and protection, on the earth. From now on he would be called Baal (Lord). As his wife, Semiramis proclaimed herself as Queen of the Heavens; as such she was now to be called Ishtar. Upon her death, she claimed she would dwell in the heavens as the moon, thus assuring everyone that ether she, or Nimrod, would always be watching over them. Furthermore, she claimed she had miraculously conceived Nimrod/Baal’s child, during the first full moon after the spring equinox. As the long days of summer past, and the days gradually grew shorter, it was believed that the sun, Nimrod/Baal, was dying. December 21st was the shortest day of the year; by December 25th a slight increase in the daylight could be noticed. In the pagan mind, the sun was reborn on December 25th. It was on this day, the birthday of the sun, that many historians claim Semiramis gave birth to Nimrod’s son, Tammuz. The winter solstice (birthday of the sun) became a huge festival in the area. Feast were held, and it was generally considered a day of immense celebration. Tammuz was worshiped as the son of the sun, and therefore he was a god. His cruelty was as great as his parents, carrying on the tradition of child sacrifices. To honor his father he began offering human sacrifices on a piece of wood in the shape of the first letter of his own name, the letter Tau. This is believed to be the origin of crucifixion. Tammuz was eventually killed by a wild boar near the time of the spring equinox. His mother declared forty days of mourning for her son, to be completed just prior to the full moon that would mark the anniversary of his ‘immaculate conception’. The people were comforted by the belief that Tammuz now dwelt with his father, in the sun. It’s hard to believe that such close descendants of Noah could have accepted so many lies after having heard the accounts of the flood, but Satin is the master of all lies. He had successful diverted worship of Yahweh, to worship of himself; after all, all forms of pagan worship are actually Satin worship. Just as the worshipers of Nimrod/Baal were lead astray from the true faith, so have many believers in Messiah been lead astray. As you will recall, Constantine was a devoted sun-worshiped. Many people believe that Constantine himself became a believer, but most credible sources call his conversion questionable. Whether he converted or not does not alter the fact that most of our traditions can be traced to him, and his original belief in sun worship. Christian or not, he still had to deal with the problem of the 4th century believers. Eusbus stated that Emperor Constantine realized that a stable religion, or church, would help to stabilize Rome. He realized his empire needed to be united in order to survive. So he set himself up as the protector of the church. Church and State would be knitted together, thus uniting the people. A united people were easier to rule. An added bonus that occurred by uniting the competing religions, was that it provided economical stability for a time. One of the first things Constantine did was to formally legalize Christianity in January of 313 A.D. The edict stated, "Christians were to be tolerated and supported by state where conflict was not apparent." In order for conflict not to be apparent, Constantine had to eliminate it. Believers in Y’shua worshiped and kept the Biblical Sabbath, sundown Friday to sundown Saturday, the 7th day of the week. Sun worshipers worshiped on the 1st day of the week. It was their custom to gather before sunrise around a tall man-made pillar. Pillars were considered a symbol of fertility, and as the first rays of the sun touched the top of the pillar, worshipers would strike gongs and ring bells to welcome the light of their god. The day was spent as a heathen festival. The North British Review, Vol. 18, calls Sunday "the wild solar holiday of all Pagan times." Constantine simple combined the two. To believers, he reasoned Messiah arose at sunrise (even though the Scriptures clearly state that when the stone was rolled away he was not there), therefore, by making the 1st day the "Lord’s Day"; they were honoring the risen Lord. By calling the 1st day Dies Solis (day of the sun), the sun worshiping pagans were not offended ether. It had taken him 3000 years, but Satan finally accomplished one of his goals. He had convinced many of Yahweh’s children to abandon Yahweh’s holy day, a day set apart by the creator of the universe. Christians quickly embraced this new Lord’s Day, and all the pagan elements of Sun-day, sunrise services, steeples, and bells. In 321 A.D. Constantine made Sun-day an official day of rest, the breaking of it was punishable by death. As you can see, these pagan practices have survived. Today you can see crosses on almost every church and they hang around the neck of believers and non-believers alike. Christians say it is the symbol of our risen Savior, but in reality it was the instrument of his death and originally a symbol for sun worship. (See history of the cross) Remember Tammuz? He had people crucified on a cross because the letter Tau was the first letter of his name. This same cross was used as a symbol of devotion and fertility by sun worshipers. Pagan worshipers would use their finger to cross themselves when they prayed to Tammuz. It eventually made it’s way into almost every ancient culture. Nineveh had three versions of it 2000 years before Messiah, one shaped like our letter T. Crosses can be traced to the Druids, Hindus, Egyptians and Phoenicians, just to name a few. The cross was a symbol of pagan worship! The only way it was used to identify early believers was to place a cross on their grave to identify them as having been crucified. Crucifixion could be, and was done, on many different types of crosses. Sometimes a tree was used, or a simple stake, or it could be as elaborate as the Greek cross, an X inside of a circle. How did something so cruel and pagan become an object of adoration to so many believers? After his conversion, Constantine claimed that just prior to his men going into battle one day, he saw the image of a cross in the sky. He said he heard the voice of Yahweh telling him to place this symbol on the helmets and shields of his solders before battle and they would be successful. Constantine was able to take another pagan practice and impose it upon Christianity. To those people who love the image of the cross let me ask you this, if Messiah had been hanged would you wear a noose around your neck? What about a knife? Messiah and his sacrifice is what saves us, not the instrument of his death. As more people converted to Christianity more disputes developed between them and pagans. Although it was true that Christianity had taken on many of the traits of paganism, there was still one main outward difference, holidays. Remember that believers in Y’shua as the Messiah started out as a sect within Judaism; as such they celebrated the Feast of Yahweh. Meanwhile, two of the biggest pagan holidays in Rome and in fact much of the pagan world, were the winter solstice, known as Saturnalia in Rome, and the spring equinox, known as the feast of Ishtar or Easter. Christmas is without a doubt the favorite holiday of most believers. It was my all time favorite day. It is also one of the two so-called religious holidays that crosses the barriers of faith, with just as many non-Christians celebrating it. Americans decorate their homes with trees, candles, and lights. They spend hundreds if not thousands of dollars on presents, trimmings, parties and special Christmas meals. Many churches hold elaborate programs and productions to tell the lost about the birth of Jesus on that first Christmas long ago. Someone once told me she was trying to "put Christ back into Christmas". She was speechless as I gently told her that Christ had never been in Christmas to begin with! Do you know the reason believers celebrate Christmas today? If you said Constantine you were right. Remember, December 25th was considered to be the birthday of the sun and of the son of the sun, Tammuz. Saturnalia was Rome’s version of the winter solstice, but its roots were, and are, straight from the Nimrod/Baal worship of old. Semiramis/Ishtar taught her son, Tammuz, to take an offering (gift) for his father, Nimrod, into the forest on his birthday, December 25th, and tie it to a tree. When the people saw Tammuz and his mother doing this, they also began to place offerings on and around trees. As the celebration of the birthday of the sun grew, people began to cut down trees and bring them into their homes, believing the tree was an emblem of Nimrod. Cutting branches from the tree and placing them throughout their homes was another custom to help them feel closer to their god on his birthday. Placing gifts on and around the tree was a way to think him for being reborn in the sun so that he might shine upon the earth, thus allowing them to live another year. When Tammuz was killed, Semiramis told the people that he had gone to his father, the sun, and there they would be together always. She told them they could light a candle and that would bring the glory of father and son into their homes. As these customs spread throughout the world they changed slightly and developed other names. The Saturnalia festival in Rome, by the time of the 4th century, was little more than a drunken love fest. The decorated tree, candles, wreathes and gifts were still there, but so were an abundance of other detestable practices. This made it easy for Constantine, and the newly formed hierarchy of the Roman Church, to "clean up this pagan festival". The pagan citizens of Rome were not about to give up their beloved holiday, so it was re-packaged to make it more acceptable to the believers. Since December 25th was the birthday of the sun, why not make it the birthday of the Son, the son of Yahweh, that is. It didn’t matter to them that Y’shua was born in the fall, they would simply give him another birthday, and one everyone was use to celebrating. In the 5th century the Roman Church officially ordered that Y’shua’s birthday be forever celebrated on the 25th day of December. But is this OK? Can you make clean what is unclean?  Job 14:4 says:Who can bring what is pure from the impure? No one! It would seem from the Scriptures that if something begins as unclean (pagan) it will stay that way. Today almost every home has a decorated tree in it for Christmas. Did Yahweh have anything to say about this? In Jeremiah 10:1-4 we find this. Hear the word, which Yahweh speaks to you, O house of Israel.Thus says Yahweh : "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 people are futile;For one cuts a tree from the forest, the work of the hands of the workman, with an ax. They decorate it with silver and gold; They fasten it with nails and hammers so it will not topple. Do not learn the ways of the gentiles (pagans)! The gentiles were bringing trees into their homes and decorating them. We know from history that pagans did this to honor (worship) the sun god. Yahweh does not want us to imitate the pagans and their traditions or their forms of worship. No matter how much we love our traditions, we need to think about what Yahweh wants us to do. The next holiday for Constantine to tackle was Easter, the spring equinox. This spring festival has been celebrated since shortly after the death of Nimrod/Baal. Semiramis claimed to have been impregnated miraculously by the rays of her husband, the sun god. Every year a festival was held in their honor. It became the custom to eat small round cakes with the initial of Tammuz on it. After her death the cakes were offered up as an offering to her, the Queen of Heaven. The children gather wood, the fathers light the fire, and the women knead the dough and make cakes of bread to the Queen of Heaven. Jeremiah 7:18  The women added, "When we burned incense to the Queen of Heaven and poured out drink offerings to her, did not our husbands know that we were making cakes like her image and pouring out drink offerings to her?" Jeremiah 44:19 As a child Tammuz had a fascination for rabbits, because of this the people believed that rabbits were sacred. For obvious reasons, the rabbit came to be associated with fertility; therefore they were considered to bring good luck. To pass a rabbit in the spring was to be assured of a fruitful year. Since eggs held new life they were also a symbol of good fortune. Ancient people would hunt for small, brightly colored birds eggs, and keep them as good luck charms, the more colorful the egg, the greater the blessing. After the death of Tammuz his mother demanded that the people mourn him for a period of 40 days. It soon became the habit for people to mourn for 40 days every year. We read about this in Ezekiel 8:12-18. He said to me, "Son of man, have you seen what the elders of the house of Israel are doing in the darkness, each at the shrine of his own idol? They say, ‘Yahweh does not see us: Yahweh has forsaken the land.’" Again, He said, "You will see them doing things that are even more detestable." Then he brought me to the entrance to the north gate of the house of Yahweh, and I saw women sitting there, mourning for Tammuz. He said to me, "Do you see this, son of man? You will see things that are even more detestable than this. He then brought me into the inner court of the house of Yahweh and there at the entrance to the temple, between the portico and the alter, were about twenty-five men. With their backs toward the temple of Yahweh and  their faces toward the east, they were bowing down to the sun in the east. Many denominations still practice this annual event. Sadly, they long to worship and honor their Risen Savior, and are doing what their misguided clergy has told them is the correct way. Since Tammuz had been killed by an animal, (wild boar), his mother decreed that no meat could be eaten for those 40 days of mourning. Every year, on the Sun-day following the first full moon after the spring equinox, a festival was held. Since a boar had killed Tammuz, the people ate roasted pig on this day, to break the fast of no meat. After her death, people believed that as the moon goddess, Semiramis now dwelt in the heavens. They believed every year she conceived again, giving re-birth to the sun, and her son, every December 25th. Because of this and all the new life born in the spring, spring was associated with fertility. The people would wait for the first signs of the rising sun to appear over the trees, and in latter years the top of the pillar, and then they would indulge in all sorts of sinful acts. Scriptures tell us Y’shua, the Messiah, was crucified during Passover. Easter and Passover can be three weeks apart. This fact did not bother Constantine, or his Church leaders. It was for the good of the country that the two religions be combined, so they simply imposed Messiah’s death, and resurrection, on the long established Easter celebration. Easter’s cakes became hot crossed buns, and 40 days of weeping for Tammuz became Lent. Constantine had once again re-packaged a detestable holiday, and passed it off on unsuspecting Christians. I would hope that most believers know the origins of the next pagan holiday I am going to mention, and have already abandoned it. Halloween, or All Hallowed’s Ev’n, started as a festival devoted to demonic worship by the Druids. It was a day of evil, with the climax being child sacrifice. As usual the Church tried to clean up this day, by making the following day All Saints Day. Today many Churches have changed it to the Autumn Festival, and advertise it as an alternative to Halloween. Let me just say this. Any holiday that has the distinction of being the most holy day of the year to witches and Satanist, has no part in the lives of a professing believer. Pleas stop trying to sanitize evil: you can never make it clean. With the two dual religions combined into one, the new church quickly moved to establish it supremacy. The church took it upon them selves, to force everyone to convert to their form of Christianity. New Jewish converts had to break all ties with their Jewish roots. In the year 370 the council of Laodicea proclaimed Sabbath keepers to be Judaizers. Jewish people and followers of The Way, were forced to forsake the teachings of Yahweh and Y’shua, and embrace Christianity, or be executed. It took less than 100 hundred years of Greek mind set and culture to turn believers into the very people that had tortured and executed them for 300 years. As the Church of Rome forced other cultures to convert to Christianity they absorbed many more of these pagan origins. They believed that by imposing Y’shua on these customs they could transform them into something holy. As they took the Scriptures out of the original language and translated it into Latin, a language only few could read, they insulated themselves against any challenges or criticisms. If you couldn’t read what the Word said you wouldn’t know what was true and what was a lie. We are fortunate to have the Scriptures in our own language. We no longer have to take someone else’s word about what is written but can read them for ourselves. I would like to do that now. We know from the Scriptures that what we commonly call The Last Supper was in reality a Passover meal. Passover was celebrated every year as a remembrance of the Exodus, and how Yahweh’s angel of death had passed over those that had the blood on their doorpost. It was thereafter, a yearly event. A memorial, or time of remembrance, for their ancestors having been passed over for death, because they were under the blood. Y’shua and his disciples, being observant Jews, celebrated the Passover as commanded. In Luke 27:14-20 we read the following. When the hour had come, He sat down, and the twelve apostles with Him. Then He said to them, "With fervent desire I have desired to eat this Passover with you before I suffer; for I say unto you, I will no longereat of it until it is fulfilled in the kingdom of God." Then He took the cup, and gave thanks, and said, "Take this and divide it among yourselves; for I say to you, I will not drink the fruit of the vine until the kingdom of God comes."And He took bread, gave thanks and broke it, and gave it to them, saying, "This is My body which is given for you; do this in remembrance of Me" Likewise He also took the cup after supper, saying, "This cup is the Covenant in My blood, which is shed for you. The first thing to notice is that the Passover could not be celebrated whenever you wanted. It was a yearly feast held in remembrance and was celebrated on the set day, at the set time. When the hour had come, He sat down. This shows that Y’shua waited until the appropriate time. Then we read that He gave thanks for the bread and gave it to the disciples saying, "This is My body which is given for you; do this in remembrance of Me." Then they finished their meal. It says he took the cup after supper. The bread and wine were not something separate from the rest of the meal. Let’s think about this for a moment. He was observing Passover, a meal eaten in remembrance of the angel of death passing over them because of the blood of the Lamb on their doorpost. He is giving His disciples bread and wine, traditional Passover foods, and telling them it is to represent his body and blood, the very same blood that will allow us to be passed over from the second death. Then he tells us to do this in remembrance of him. Do what? Drink wine and eat bread? Or could He have been telling them that now the Passover would be done in remembrance of Him? We read in Exodus 12:13 "The blood will be a sign for you on the house where you are; and when I see the blood, I will pass over you."  Compare this with Acts 20:28. "Be shepherds of the church of God, which he bought with his own blood." And Romans 5:9, "Since we have now been justified by his blood, how munch more shall we be saved from God’s wrath through him!"  It was being under the blood of a lamb that saved the Israelites the first time and it is being under the blood of The Lamb of Yahweh that saves us now. This time He provided the sacrifice. In Matthew 26:28 Y’shua says, "This is my blood of the covenant which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins." When we celebrate Passover we are remembering our Savior and the blood covenant we are now under. If he was in fact telling the disciples to keep the Passover in remembrance of Him, then when should it be kept? Every Sunday morning or Friday night, once a month, whenever 2 or more of us are gathered in His name? Whenever we feel like it? Or should it be done once a year, at the time, and in the manner, that Yahweh commanded? What if the Israelites had chosen to pick their own day or time for the first Passover? Communion, The Lord’s Supper, and The Holy Eucharist, are names the church has given the ritual that they have substituted for Passover. A meal consumed in remembrance has been diminished to juice and a cracker. How did this happen? Sun worshipers meet in their temples for the Mass of Death, or Black Mass, as it later came to be called. There would be a flat table at one end of the room with long benches on ether side of a central aisle. The priest, dressed in black, would offer sacrifices to the sun. Then he would take a thin flat circular shaped cracker and hold it up. At that time part of the sun god was suppose to enter into the cracker or host. Worshipers would then consume the host, followed by wine or sometimes the blood of their sacrifice. When the Roman Church outlawed Yahweh’s Feast, calling them the Feast of the Jews, it took parts of Y’shua’s Passover meal and combined it with parts of the Black Mass. The bread became a small round disk shaped cracker that they claimed was transformed into the actual body of the Messiah and the wine was his blood. Once consumed Y’shua dwelt within us. Combined, they became a bloodless sacrifice for our sins. In Vol. 3 of Prescott’s Mexico, we read the following. "The idea of eating the flesh of deity was most popular among the people of Mexico and Central America long before they ever heard of Christ; and when Spanish missionaries first landed in those countries, ‘their surprise was heightened, when they witnessed a religious rite which reminded them of communion . . . an image made of flour...and after consecration by priests, was distributed among the people who ate it . . . declaring it was the flesh of deity.’" The Church of Rome borrowed these practices from the pagans. Over time they have tried to "clean them up". Few people today believe they are actually eating Messiah’s body or drinking his blood. They understand that the juice and cracker they are consuming is merely a symbolic representation of Messiah’s sacrifice. But, they are ignoring Yahweh’s Passover Meal, a meal that is now a memorial meal in remembrance of Y’shua’s sacrificial death. You cannot substitute that which Yahweh ordained for that which man ordained. I think it is important to point out that ours is not the first generation to notice the pagan connection to most ‘religious holidays’. By looking at history we see that the church has tried to purge paganism from their traditions many times. During the Reformation of the 16th century many voiced their opposition to the church’s pagan holy days. David Calderwood, a Scottish minister, had the following to say. "Nay, let us utter the truth, December-Christmas is just an imitation of the December-Saturnalia of the ethnic Romans, and so used as if Bacchus and not Messiah, were the god of Christians." John Knox had this to say. "That God’s word damns your ceremonies it is evident, for the plain and straight commandment of God is, ‘Not that thing which appears good in thy eyes, shall thou do to the Lord thy God but what the Lord thy God has commanded thee, that do thou; add nothing to it; diminish nothing from it. Now unless that ye are able to prove that God has commanded your ceremonies, this, His former commandment, will damn both you and them." In the 1546 Register of Ministers in Geneva, there is a list of things that would hinder the Reformation. One of those problems was people "who observe Romish festivals or fast." It goes on to say that they should, "only be reprimanded, unless they remain obstinately rebellious.’ The 1550 ban on Church Holidays (including Christmas and Easter), has been credited to Calvin. He stated: "I know how difficult it is to persuade the world that God disapproves of all modes of worship not expressly sanctioned by His Word." In America the Puritans followed their counterparts in England and outlawed Christmas and Easter as pagan holy days. If caught observing theses holidays first timers would be fined. Samuel Miller, a Puritan professor at Princeton, wrote this in 1896. "The Scriptures were the only infallible rule of faith and practice, and that no rite or ceremony ought to have a place in the public worship of God, which is not warranted in Scriptures. Not only does the celebration of non-biblical holidays lack a scriptural foundation, but the Scriptures positively discount it." In 1871 Spurgeon said the following. " We have no superstitious regard for times and seasons. Certainly we do not believe in the present ecclesiastical arrangement called Christmas: first because we do not believe in the mass at all, but abhor it, whether it be said or sung in Latin or in English: and secondly, because we find no Scriptural warrant whatever for observing any day as the birthday of the Savior; and consequently, its observance is a superstition, because not of divine authority." Satan has been trying to turn people away from the one true God since Adam and Eve. The fact that Christmas and Easter are so firmly entrenched in today’s Christianity show just how little we’ve learned and how easily we are lead astray. We have patterned our church structure from pagan worship. We set up our sanctuaries after sun worshipers holy places. We’ve attached bells and towers and crosses to our buildings, all with historical links to pagan worship. We’ve traded His Holy Passover for Easter. We’ve changed His Sabbath from Saturday to Sunday. What else have we borrowed? From the Scriptures we know that the Torah was read in the Synagogue every Sabbath. First century believers partook of this custom. They also gathered together in homes were everyone was to participate. We went from the model of everyone contributing to sitting and listening to a sermon. Christians gather together every Sun-day to listen to what one man believes the Scriptures say. There is no interaction, you are to listen to his opinion and learn. No matter how wonderful a pastor is it is not the same as reading and discussing the Scriptures for yourself. Today’s custom comes from Greek orators. They would stand behind their version of a pulpit and give their personal interpretation of specific secular books content. There was a Greek orator by the name of Clement, who turned from paganism to Christianity. He brought this custom with him. The last man-made tradition I am going to mention, though certainly not the last one we have, is ‘passing the plate’. I’m always amazed that people who are quick to say that the Old Testament no longer applies have no problem with this Old Testament commandment. Today’s 10% tithe is used for rent, mortgages, utilities, salaries, mission trips, youth trips, children and teen programs, performances, and the list could go on and on. What did Yahweh say this tithe was for? I encourage you to search all the scriptures that have to do with tithing. It will not take long to learn that we are to tithe so that there may be bread in His house. The tithe is to feed the hungry. There is nothing wrong with giving money to an assembly so they have a modest place to gather. But to build bigger and fancier buildings with expensive stained glass window, plush carpeting, etc. is wrong. Almost all of us know someone who is struggling to put food on the table. It is our responsibility to care for our household and extended family. Why contribute for a fancy building when Grandma and Grandpa are struggling to eat! We are told to provide for our family in need so they will not be a burden on the assemblies. Then the assemblies will be free to help those that have no one else to help them. If your neighbors are hungry then feed them! Our Creator has been so kind to us. He has given us chance after chance. But we know from the book of Revelation that there will come a day of judgment. At that time we will each stand alone in front of Him. You will be responsible for what you know. We have all been guilty of unwittingly falling into the trap Satan has set for us. We all have to decide, is it the same old same old, or am I hungry enough for the truth. Do I want to search for the truth and let the lies my ancestors inherited go? Am I to be found faithful? Please consider these verses. So do not pray for this people nor offer any plea of petition for them;Do not plead with me, for I will not listen to you. Do you not see what they are doing in the towns of Judah and in the streets of Jerusalem? The children gather wood, the fathers light the fire, and the women knead the dough and make cakes of bread for the Queen of Heaven. They pour out drink offerings to other gods to provoke me to anger. But am I the one they are provoking?" Declare Yahweh. "Are they not rather harming themselves, to their own shame? Therefore this is what the Sovereign Lord says: My anger and my wrath will be poured out on this place, on man and beast, on the trees of the field and on the fruit of the ground, and it will burn and not be quenched." Jeremiah 7:16-20 Do not be yoked together with unbelievers. For what do righteousness and wickedness have in common? Or what fellowship can light have with darkness? What harmony is there between Messiah and Belial? What does a believer have in common with an unbeliever? What agreement is there between the temple of Yahweh and idols? For we are the temple of the living God. As Yahweh has said: "I will live with them and walk among them, and I will be their God, and they will be my people." "Therefore come out from Them and be separate.," says Yahweh. 2 Corinthians 614-17 Formerly, when you did not know Yahweh, you were slaves to those who by nature are not gods. But now that you know Yahweh-or rather are known by Yahweh-how is it that you are turning back to those weak and miserable principles? Do you wish to be enslaved by them all over again? You are observing special days and months and seasons and years. (Pagan holy days) Galatians 4:8-10 They worship me in vain; their teachings are but rules taught by men.You have let go of the commands of Yahweh and are holding on to the traditions of men. Mark 7:7-8 You must not worship Yahweh your God in their way. Deuteronomy 12:4 If Yahweh said to separate ourselves from these practices and not to worship Him the way pagans worshiped their fake gods then do it! I once heard someone say they didn’t believe there was anything wrong with Christmas because when they looked at their tree they thought about Y’shua. Let me ask you this; is adultery wrong? Is it any less wrong if you think about your spouse the entire time? No! Adultery is adultery, and it is adultery whether it’s against your spouse or against Yahweh. Yahweh loves you, He wants to be first with you.   Many people upon learning of the pagan roots of Christian tradition have left the Church. They have instead tried to learn how the first century believers worshiped and have tried to emulate it, often successfully. However, leaving the pagan system of church and having it leave you are often two different things. Without realizing it, many are soon trying to emulate the very thing they have left. Many small groups of believers have started out as the first century believers did, but all to soon paganism starts to raise its head. They feel the need to pattern their services after the Church’s service. They may hire a leader, name themselves, incorporate themselves and so on, turning it into an institution, not a body of Believers. I encourage you to read the Scriptures for yourself and pray that He will reveal the truth to you. With a good concordance and a desire to have Scripture interpret Scripture you will be on your way to the true way of the Messiah.