Nehushtan:

1
NehushtanA Thing of Brass

• Numbers 214-9
• 2 Kings 181-4

2
The Bronze SerpentNumbers 214-9

• Sin of complaining
• Many killed by fiery snakes
• God had mercy on Israel
• Bronze serpent on a pole
• Faith to look and be healed

3
Nehushtan 2 Kings 181-4

• Superstitious reverence
• Object of idolatrous worship
• Israel burned incense to it
• Destroyed by King Hezekiah
• Only a thing of brass

4
Jesus on the CrossJohn 314-15

• Must be lifted up
• Believers will not perish John 1232-33
• Have eternal life

5
Veneration of the Cross

• It must have very soon become in the eyes of the
  faithful a sacred symbol of the Passion,
  consequently a sign of protection and defence
  (St. Paulinus of Nola, Catholic Encycl.)
• Only a piece of wood! 1 Peter 224

6
The Birth of JesusLuke 21-20

• Coming of Son of God Luke 130-35 211
• False worship of His birth John 423-24
• Men have turned it into another Nehushtan!

7
The Christian and Christmas

• Is the religious observance of Christs birth
  authorized (approved) by God?
• What is the history of this religious holiday?
• What is the Christian to do at this time of year?
• What are we teaching our children?

8
Christmas God or Man?

• Bible affirms virgin birth of Jesus
• Announced by angel
• To Joseph, Matt. 123 (Isa. 714)
• To Mary, Lk. 131-35
• Accomplished, Lk. 21-7
• The Word became flesh, Jno. 114 Phil.
  27-8

9
Christmas God or Man?

• Bible gives no date (Matt. 21 Lk. 21)
• Days of Herod the Great (374 BC)
• Days of Caesar Augustus (27 BC14 AD)
• Shepherds in fields, Luke 28
• Summer months
• Winter Cold wet, SS 211
• Not born in December

10
Christmas God or Man?

• Speculation on date of birth
• Clement of Alexandria Nov 18, 3 BC / May 20
• Hippolytus Jan 2, Mar 25 or Apr 2, finally, Dec
  25
• Others Jan 6 Mar 28 Apr 18 or 19 every month
  has been proposed

11
Christmas God or Man?

• But the exact time of his birth is unknown
  there is no way to ascertain it. By different
  learned men it has been fixed at each month in
  the year. Nor is it of consequence to know the
  time if it were, God would have preserved the
  record of it. Matters of moment are clearly
  revealed those which he regards as of no
  importance are concealed
• (Albert Barnes, Commentary on Luke 28)

Deuteronomy 2929
12
Christmas God or Man?

• Speculation on date of birth
• No sufficient data, however, exists for the
  determination of the month or day of the event.
  (The New Schaff-Herzog Encyclopedia of Religious
  Knowledge, Reprint 1977, III47)

Jesus Christ was not born on Christmas Day!
13
Christmas God or Man?

• No Bible authority for celebration of birth
• Historical record does not authorize it (Num.
  218-9 2 Kgs. 184)
• Baptism of Jesus? Walking on water?...
• Silence is not consent
• Religious observance based on human authority,
  Matt. 2123 Col. 317 220-23 (2 Tim.
  316-17 2 Jno. 9 Gal. 18-9)

14
History of Christmas

• Mass of Christ (1038 AD)
• Designed to counter pagan festivals
• Roman Saturnalia (Dec 17-24)
• Honored Saturn, a pagan god of harvests
• Marked by gluttony licentiousness
• Roman feast of Mithra (Dec 25)
• Sun god god of light wisdom
• One of the great religions of Roman Empire

15
History of Christmas

• There is no evidence of the existence of a Feast
  of the Nativity before the 4th century.
  (Encyclopedia of Religion and Ethics, III601)
• There is no historical evidence that our Lords
  birthday was celebrated during the apostolic or
  early post-apostolic times.
  (The Schaff-Herzog Encyclopedia,
  III47)

16
Selecting December 25

• Declaration of Liberius, Bishop of Rome, in 354
  AD
• There can be little doubt that the Church was
  anxious to distract the attention of Christians
  from the old heathen feast days by celebrating
  Christian festivals on the same days.
  (Encyclopedia of Religion Ethics, III607)

17
Selecting December 25

• Liberius, Bishop of Rome (354 AD)
• The indications are, that the Church in this way
  grasped the opportunity to turn the people away
  from a purely pagan observance of the winter
  solstice to a day of adoration of Christ the
  Lord. (Colliers Encyclopedia)

18
ChristmasThe Mass of Christ

• Human in its origin, arbitrary and irrelevant in
  its time, and Pagan in its ceremonies, it clearly
  has no claims whatever upon the true Christian.
• W. K. Pendleton
  Millennial Harbinger, 1848, p. 22

19
Christmas What about Christians?

• Cannot take part in religious error 2
  Jno. 9-11 (1 Cor. 1018-22)
• Observing OT days as religiously binding was
  (is) wrong, Gal. 48-11
• What about 4th century additions?! (Matt.
  157-9)
• Dont join in with religious error
  2 Cor. 614
• Teach, Matt. 513-16 (11-12)

20
Christmas What about Christians?

• Can Christmas holiday be observed
  non-religiously?
• Circumcision could be, Acts 161-3
• Vows of purity could be, Acts 2120-26
• Meat that had been sacrificed to idols could be
  eaten without defilement, 1 Cor. 84-8
  Rom. 141-3

21
Christmas What about Christians?

• Things that violate Gods word do not
  belong in Romans 14
• Religious observance of birth
• Things that do not violate Gods word
• Season of goodwill, gifts, seasonal
  traditions Rom. 145, 23

22
Christmas

• Mass of Christs birth Human origin, Lev.
  101-2
• Seasonal holiday of joy (Romans 14)
• Do not turn the truth about the birth of Jesus
  into Nehushtan (a thing of brass)!