Today, as I was breathing the fresh air and admiring the brilliantly-colored leaves on the trees, I meditated on the reminder of the changing seasons. It seems like such nice weather, such a wonderful time of year, but I quickly remembered what it really means. We're soon approaching the death season, when all is cold and gloomy, when wild animals either die, hibernate, or try their best to survive the harsh conditions by huddling for warmth and eating what they can find. My spirit groaned within. I do not look forward to naked trees, dead grass, overcast skies, shorter daylight hours, and greatly decreased warmth from the day star. I cheer myself by focusing on the positive aspects, like winter clothes, clear night skies, hot chocolate, vegetable venison stew, the availability of vitamin D spray, possible beauty of snow, clearer views through the woods, cardinals and blue jays, and the fact that evergreen trees are still green.
The seasons symbolize the life and death cycle of TIME, things of TEMPORARY existence, things subject to DEATH. This earth requires DEATH to continue the cycle. If plants, animals, and man did not die, in a cycle, the earth would die all at once, for everything would become too populated, and the earth could not sustain it.
The spring is the season of birth, summer the season of mature life, fall the season of degeneration, and winter the season of death or sleep.
The day star, the Sun, is the focal point of life on this earth. Without it, all life on earth would die. So it is that the Sun--a created thing, just as the earth--is worshiped by the earth's inhabitants. Shortly after the day with the shortest duration of light from the day star, known as the winter solstice, the majority of the earth's inhabitants celebrate a great festival in honor of the "birth" of the sun. The apostate church in Rome adopted this celebration and gave it the name "Christmas" so that apostate followers of Jesus Christ could honor him on this day, along with many of the same traditions kept by sun worshipers. One of the traditions includes decorating an evergreen tree and offering gifts (sacrifices) underneath and even singing praises of adoration to the tree ("O Christmas tree, O Christmas tree, I think you are so lovely!" And on it goes).
Since spring is the season of rebirth, the season of great fertility, the worship of the goddess Easter (or in other languages--Ashtoreth, Isis, Eostre, Ishtar, Diana, etc.) is celebrated in honor of the resurrection of life. The apostate church in Rome also adopted this celebration, though keeping the goddess' name, and many who call themselves Christians also honor this day as Jesus Christ's resurrection. Some of the traditions still kept are hiding eggs and honoring bunny rabbits (both of which are symbols of fertility), as well as having a sunrise service on Easter Sunday.
The God of Israel commanded us not to worship him with the days and traditions with which heathens worship their gods:
When the Jehovah God shall cut off the nations from before thee, whither thou goest to possess them, and thou succeedest them, and dwellest in their land; Take heed to thyself that thou be not snared by following them, after that they be destroyed from before thee; and that thou inquire not after their gods, saying, How did these nations serve their gods? even so will I do likewise. Thou shalt not do so unto Jehovah thy God: for every abomination to Jehovah, which he hateth, have they done unto their gods; for even their sons and their daughters they have burnt in the fire to their gods.
What thing soever I command you, observe to do it: thou shalt not add thereto, nor diminish from it (Deut. 12:29-32).
Things like Easter sunrise services and Christmas trees are condemned in the scriptures. Read Jer. 10:2-8; Eze. chapter 8, esp. vs. 16.
When Paul spoke to the Galatians, whom were gentiles who were accustomed to keeping these false feasts, and soon after turning to the truth, they turned back to their heathen festivals, he said to them:
Howbeit then, when ye knew not God, ye did service unto them which by nature are no gods. But now, after that ye have known God, or rather are known of God, how turn ye again to the weak and beggarly elements, whereunto ye desire again to be in bondage? Ye observe days, and months, and times, and years. I am afraid of you, lest I have bestowed upon you labour in vain (Gal. 4:8-10).
I do not wish to worship the created things, nor make up my own gods over all the different things, nor do I want to worship the true God in the same manner the heathens worship their false gods. I do not like the life and death cycle on this earth. I do not want to worship the sun that I know will continue, year after year, to seemingly wane in life and then revive again. I look forward to the day when there will be no need of the sun nor the moon, and there will be no night. In that day, God the Father and Jesus Christ the Firstborn of God--will be the light (see Rev. 22:5). That light will never fail, never dim. Jesus is the Creator of the Sun, which he created in the name of God the Father. Jesus is the true Day Star, the everliving one (Rev. 22:16; 2 Pet. 1:19).
We should keep faith in eternal life and the eternal light of God and not take part in celebrating this temporary life and death cycle that the earth revolving around the sun gives us.
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