The Truth About New Years

On the eve of each new year, millions of eyes from all over the world find themselves transfixed before their television screens-gazing at a sparkling sphere in Times Square, New York. Created by the Waterford Crystal Company, this ball is an amazing 6 feet in diameter and weighs a whopping 1200 pounds. It is covered with 672 crystal triangles, precisely cut on both sides to reflect as much light as possible during its wondrous show. Inside the illuminated orb, there are an incredible 9,576 L.E.D lights that are capable of creating 16 million colors. The grand display is of such intricacy that it is controlled by a computer in order to produce one of the single greatest light shows of the year. From a flickering flame, to the waving red, white, and blue of the American flag, the multiple thousands of lights can be controlled to form any image the programmers might imagine. As millions of people look on, a virtual kaleidoscope of eye dazzling imagery radiates out of the glittering globe.

At 11:59 p.m. the ball begins its descent as untold numbers of voices unite to count down the final seconds of the year. Then, at exactly 12 midnight, the resplendent ball is released and its fall signals shouts of joy, toasts of cheer, well wishes, warm embraces, and even passionate kisses that sweep across the land from east to west. Literally billions of people celebrate New Year's Day. On the average New Year's Eve, there are more parties than on any other day of the entire year. Millions of celebrants shout out "Happy new year!" in dozens of dialects as they shake hands, clink glasses and take another drink. Shockingly, in the United States alone, over 18 million gallons of alcohol is consumed on New Year's Eve. It is estimated that eight percent of those who drink will vomit that night. Far worse, over a million people will be arrested for drunk driving during this time. Tens of thousands will become overly intoxicated. There is quite a raucous on this night. Some light off fire crackers or fireworks. Others ignorantly shoot guns off into the air, and 1.6 million celebrants are involved in fist fights. As many as 6.8 million suffer some kind of injury, and 60,000 individuals will spend the night in jail. Thousands suffer property damage, and what is far worse-some are even killed as a result of celebrations on this night.

Why Celebrate This Day? In the context of what actually occurs on this holiday, why do we celebrate New Year's Day? Where did this observance come from? Why do our new years begin during wintertime? Is this truly the beginning of the year? Is there any religious significance associated with this day, or is it simply an excuse to party? The truth is that we have been deceived into the observance of New Year's Day. As the apostle John explains: The great dragon was cast out, that old serpent, called the Devil, and Satan, which deceiveth the whole world: he was cast out into the earth, and his angels were cast out with him (Revelation 12:9). This is a truth that few take to heart. The devil has deceived the entire world. The deception has been so effective that few would ever believe that it has occurred. Even professing Christians have been deceived to some extent. However, if you are discerning, the evidence is everywhere. In our world today, we often think that evil is good. We believe that the way to peace is found in war. We protect criminals instead of their victims. We treat animals with more respect than we do human embryos. We reject God in our society and think we are doing the public a service. We celebrate holidays that honor sex, death, and paganism and by doing so we openly reject God's authority in our lives. This is evident in the simple fact that we celebrate the new year in the dead of winter, at midnight, when God tells us that the beginning of the year is to take place in the Spring (Exo. 12:1-2).

The Start of a Day The festivities of New Year's Day hit their highest point at exactly 12:00 midnight in the middle of winter. This is indicative of a common belief that each new day begins at midnight. When considering the details of this common practice, one needs to ask a defining question. Why would anyone choose to start a new day in the middle of the night? Just when did this practice begin? Although we do not know exactly when mankind began using midnight to begin his day, we do have clues to its origin. First, we must first realize that Almighty God is known as the Ancient of days (Dan. 7:9, 13, 22). He is the Eternal-determining the end from the beginning (Isa. 46:10). He is the author of time and only He has the authority to determine when a day, or year, begins and ends. Furthermore, His way makes perfect sense. It is not confusion (1 Cor. 14:33). Therefore, a day does not start in the middle of the night! The day comes to its logical close when the sun sets. As the light fades on the horizon, this marks the end of one day and the beginning of another. For this reason Moses recorded that: God called the light Day, and the darkness he called Night. And the evening and the morning were the first day (Genesis 1:5). God has set the time of the day to both end and begin when the sun has gone down. This fact makes our declaration of the day and year an affront to God's authority. It is the arrogance of man that makes Him think that he has the right to determine what time the day ends when God has already declared it. We have disregarded His designated time of sunset to mark the day's transition, and have instead chosen the middle of the night to mark this changeover.

The Beginning of the Year God tells us when to start and end a day, but what about the year? Does He give us instructions for this? The answer is yes! On the fourth day of creation, before ever making a man, God set the sun and moon in their specific locations "for signs and seasons, days and years" (Gen. 1:14). The word "seasons" is "moed" in the Hebrew and means:

...an appointment, that is, a fixed time or season; specifically a festival; conventionally a year; by implication, an assembly (Strong's Exhaustive Concordance of the Bible, H4150).
Later we see that Abraham also kept God's laws and statutes. Those statutes included the holy days (Gen. 26:5). As God had instructed him, Abraham taught these to his children (Deut. 6:6-7). However, those children became enslaved in Egypt and wore the yoke of bondage for centuries. Under strict Egyptian rule, the Israelites lost many of the teachings of the patriarchs. He had to reeducate His people regarding His way. This instruction included the Commandments and the holy Days. God began by showing Israel when to keep the Passover in the Canaanite calendar they were already familiar with:

The LORD spake unto Moses and Aaron in the land of Egypt, saying, This month shall be unto you the beginning of months: it shall be the first month of the year to you (Exodus 12:1-2). God did not leave the beginning of the year to chance. It was one of the first things He revealed to the Israelites. He stated that the first month of the year was the month they knew as Abib. This means that the first day of Abib is the first day of the year. It is also important to realize that God absolutely does not enjoin celebrating the first day of the year. There is no special status given it. Its only significance is in the fact that it marks the beginning of the new year. In fact, there is no record of Israel celebrating this day at any time in their history, and its observance is not to be found in the Bible. This in itself is a testimony to the fact that God never intended us to celebrate the new year at all! Second, the month of Abib has always fallen within the months of March to mid April. This indicates that, according to God, the new year begins in the spring when life is renewing and the beauty of creation flourishes. Plants and animals are springing forth in the rejuvenation of their existence. The earth blossoms with colorful flowers and green grass shapes the hills and plains. In contrast, the new year that this world has designated takes place in the dead of winter-in the midst of rain and snow storms. This is direct opposition to God's intent and instruction. Different Strokes-of the Clock-for Different Folks The New Year celebrations are not God's creation. They are the creation of men, and mankind cannot even agree on the time of its observance. There is confusion in both the way and the times it is observed.

As Theodor H.Gaster writes:
There is scarcely a people, ancient or modern, savage or civilized, which has not observed or does not observe it in one form or another. Yet no other festival has been celebrated on so many different dates or in so many seemingly different ways (New Year: Its History Customs, and Superstitions, foreword XI). Origins of Celebrating New Year's Day In light of these varying traditions, one may ask, where did this observance come from? What is its meaning? Did the practice of celebrating the new year come from the Bible? Are there any examples of God's people keeping it, and does God have an opinion on the subject? When uncovering the roots of this holiday's origin, we find that the celebration of New Year's Day is the oldest of all secular holidays. The first historical records show it being observed in ancient Babylon about 4000 years ago. Mr.

Earl Count explains in his book 4000 Years of Christmas:
Mesopotamia is the very ancient mother of civilization. Christmas began there, over four thousand years ago, as the festival which renewed the world for another year. The "twelve days" of Christmas; the bright fires and probably the Yule log; the giving of presents; the carnivals with their floats, their merry makings and clownings, the mummers who sing and play from house to house; the feastings; the church processions with their lights and song-all these and more began there centuries before Christ was born. And they celebrated the arrival of a New Year (pp. 24-25). Celebrating the new year was a pagan custom associated with ancient sun-worship that was observed well over 2000 years before the birth of Jesus. These new year festivities in Babylon eventually found their way to Greece, and from there they migrated to Rome where the celebration was called the Saturnalia. The holiday was observed as a time of reveling, drinking bouts, and orgies. Finally, these drunken celebrations led to human sacrifice. How then did such a terrible and brutal celebration come to be celebrated by the professing Christian church?

Baptizing the New Year The integration of New Year's Day celebrations into the professing Christian community occurred during the time of Emperor Constantine. In 300 A.D., this pagan ruler declared Christianity as the official religion of the state. However, his new found conviction was a far cry from the faith delivered to the apostles. Upon the emperor's edict, vast numbers of pagans came into the church and they brought their pagan customs with them. Mr. Count writes of this influx while exposing the origin of celebrations during the month of December stating: There were many immigrants into the ranks of the Christians by this time. But the Church fathers discovered to their alarm that they were also facing an invasion of pagan customs. The habit of Saturnalia was too strong to be left behind. At first the church forbade it, but in vain. When a river meets a boulder that will not be moved, the river flows around it. If the Saturnalia would not be forbidden, let it be tamed...

The Church finally succeeded in taking the merriment, the greenery, the lights, and the gifts from Saturn and giving them to the babe of Bethlehem... The pagan Romans became Christians-but the Saturnalia remained! (pp. 36-38.) Rather than resist the influence of the vast number of pagans, the Catholic fathers compromised! The apostate church tried to baptize the Saturnalia. They changed the symbolism of its rituals and put Christ's name on it. Despite these efforts, it is important to realize that the celebrations stemming from the Saturnalia remained pagan and are abhorred by God (Deut. 12:30, Jer. 10:2).

The New Year's Babe - A Pagan God One such custom the pagans brought into the church was the babe of new year's day. In its earliest use, the Greeks celebrated the worship of a god known as Dionysus-the god of wine. As a symbolic part of their celebration, they would parade a baby in a basket. This represented the rebirth of their god, and the fertility of crops. The symbol of a baby for the new year was common in pagan practice, and the Catholic church disallowed it for centuries. Eventually these religious leaders gave in to the pressure, allowing infants to be used during celebrations that took place during this time of year, but with one adjustment. The new year babe was transformed into the Babe of Bethlehem-a symbol of Christ. The New Year's babe is no less then a symbol of Dionysus, a Greek god of wine! It was in his honor that the Greeks held the festival of the wine-press in January. It is no wonder that New Year's Eve parties have become an excuse to drink. More than any other holiday, New Year's Day holds the record for the most alcohol consumed on any one day! As sophisticated as we might think our society is in our modern age, we are still worshiping the god of alcohol! Our attitude is no different than that of the ancient primitive religions in which they indulge in boisterous festivities on New Year's Eve, let their inhibitions run wild, and then try to "turn over a new leaf" the very next day. Father Time - A Pagan God Another symbol of the New Year's Day is known as Father Time. This white haired man carrying a scythe is a prominent figure at this time of year. He is playfully displayed with an hourglass or a clock and symbolizes the passing of life and time from one year to the next. In reality, this quaint character is actually another Greek god known as Cronos. It is from his name that we get the word "chronograph," relating to the measurement of time. Cronos was considered to be the god who cut men down-bringing death to individuals. In Rome, he was known as Saturn, the king of the Titans who were a race of gods who were said to have created the universe. His mythological tale states that Cronos fled the wrath of Zeus, moved to Rome, changed his name to Saturn, and invented the holiday called the Saturnalia in which the Romans feasted and exchanged gifts. His story is a common theme of Greek mythology. Another pagan god that plays a role in our modern age is the Roman god, Janus. The first month of the year, January, has been derived, from this Greek god. He was known as the god of gates, doors, endings and new beginnings. It is from Janus that we get the term janitor-a keeper of doors. As the online encyclopedia, Wikipedia, states:

He (Janus) was also known as the figure representing time because he could see into the past with one face and into the future with the other. Hence, Janus was worshipped at the beginnings of the harvest and planting times, as well as marriages, births and other beginnings. He was representative of the middle ground between barbarity and civilization, rural country and urban cities, and youth and adulthood (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Janus_(mythology). Janus was thought to be the one who presided over everything that is seemingly double edged in life. He represented the transition between that which was primitive and the advancement of civilization. As the god of beginnings and endings, Janus was invoked at the start of each day. In the perspective of this history, it is obvious how this false god eventually came to play a role in our designation of the new year.

No Other Gods In light of the origins of this observance, what must the Almighty God think of our modern celebration of New Year's Day? We can begin to understand the answer to this question when we consider the words of Christ when He was tempted of the devil. At that time, Jesus said something of enormous importance that bears directly on this question of celebrating New Year's Day. When asked to turn stones to bread: He answered and said, It is written, Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God (Matthew 4:4). When Jesus spoke these words, there had not been any New Testament books produced. He was talking about the Old Covenant writings, and actually quoted Deuteronomy 8:3. In that context, what are some of the words from the mouth of God in the Old Covenant? Certainly, Jesus would expect us to understand the first and great commandment that we are to have no other god's before the true and Almighty God. Moses records these words that came from the very mouth of God, saying:

And God spake all these words, saying, I am the LORD thy God, which have brought thee out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage. Thou shalt have no other gods before me (Exodus 20:1-3). If we only had these two sentences in the entire Bible, we could know, for an absolute certainty, what we should do regarding this holiday. There are many false gods involved with the observance of New Year's Day! There is Janus, Dionysus, and Chronos-all three are false and wicked gods. This first commandment alone should tell us that God is appalled at the observance of the new year! Thus, no true Christian should be involved in any way, shape, or form with this celebration. The Example of Israel In the New Testament, the apostle Paul writes something of enormous importance. He explains that what happened to the ancient Israelites was not so much about them, but it was recorded for us who would live at the end of the age. As Paul writes:

Now all these things happened unto them for ensamples: and they are written for our admonition, upon whom the ends of the world are come (I Corinthians 10:11). What happened to the ancient Israelites that we should learn from? In regards to the subject at hand, the lesson actually began as they were about to enter the Promised Land. At that time, God warned the people not to worship Him in the way that the previous inhabitants worshiped their gods. God warns them and by doing so He reminds us to: Take heed to thyself that thou be not snared by following them, after that they be destroyed from before thee; and that thou enquire not after their gods, saying, How did these nations serve their gods? even so will I do likewise. Thou shalt not do so unto the Eternal thy God: for every abomination to the Eternal, which he hateth, have they done unto their gods... (Deuteronomy 12:30-31).

In these verses, God makes it clear. He does not accept worship or celebration using pagan symbols. He does not accept practices that are directed toward other gods, no matter how innocent or fun we might think they are. Therefore, He told Israel that He did not want them to observe the feasts and practices of those who inhabited the land before them. He did not want them to adopt rituals, symbols, or themes from those who worshipped false gods. However, in time, ancient Israel found these seductive practices irresistible. Eventually, both Israel and Judah rejected God's commands and they adopted the worship of Baal with all its trappings. While the ancient Israelites did not worship Baal by keeping the later instituted Saturnalia, they did have their own distinct approach to the winter solstice. As Jeremiah would later explain, they were dismayed by the signs of the heavens. They saw that the sun would wane during the fall and the days grew shorter as winter approached. Realizing that the sun was the source of all their food, they feared this. They would cut down a tree, make an idol and pray for the sun to return-just as the heathens had previously done (Jer. 10:1-5). This practice has been passed down through time unto our modern Christmas tree worship as we deck the evergreen, hold hands, and sing songs of praise before a motionless idol. Israel came to worship the host of heaven, meaning that they worshiped the sun, moon and stars. Because they thought the sun was made of fire, they burned their children in fire to honor this life giving star. Even though God's prophets repeatedly warned them, Israel would not heed. As a result God had to punish them. God caused Assyria to take the vast majority of Israel into captivity and they were lost to history. Later Judah sinned in these same ways and they were taken captive by Babylon. After the prophecies of Christ being born and dying for mankind were fulfilled, in 70 A.D., their temple was destroyed and the remaining Jews were also scattered.

What about Us? The Great God punished ancient Israel for their sins. They would not listen, but what about us today? Will we listen? Israel honored false gods, drank alcohol to excess, and had their orgies. They did the same kinds of things that we are doing during our New Year's Day celebrations. Even if you are one of the few who do not drink, or commit unholy fornication, simply acknowledging the observance of New Year's Day is condoning the practice of pagans and is therefore a sin unto God! In that context, there is something that we absolutely must remember. It is this-God does not change (Mal. 3:6). Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever (Heb 13:8). His virtue and character have never changed and the statutes, judgments and commandments given to ancient Israel are binding upon Christians today! His appointed time to begin the new year has not been moved to January 1st. The time each day begins and ends has never been the middle of the night! Upon realizing this irrefutable truth, consider the God given example of ancient Israel. If He chose to punish them for such sins, would He not punish us too? We have attempted to cloak this holiday's true origins by changing its meaning and symbols to be seemingly harmless and even holy. But God instructs us to never do such things and therefore many are practicing ancient forms of idolatry putting other gods before the true God. The observance of New Year's Day is keeping days other than God has commanded. It is an abomination to Him, and it should also be to us!

Worshiping God in Vain Few people would ever believe it, but the Bible says that it is possible to worship God in vain. How can we worship Him in vain? That answer is that we do so when we profess to worship the true God but mix our worship with the traditions and doctrines of men. Christ explained this principle when speaking of the Pharisees. He said: Well hath Esaias prophesied of you hypocrites, as it is written, This people honoureth me with their lips, but their heart is far from me. Howbeit in vain do they worship me, teaching for doctrines the commandments of men (Mark 7:6-7). People honor God with their lips. They call themselves Christian. They say His name over and over in prayers, praise and song. They profess to accept Jesus, but do not do as He has instructed. Today, it has become fashionable to think that all we have to do is believe on Jesus and no real changes need to be made in our lives. Many people act as if God has somehow modified His views and standards, changed and that while He may have condemned these practices years ago, He no longer really cares what we do as long as we have love in our heart. People have been led to believe that they can "get saved" by simply mouthing words, and that the way they live, and the holidays they keep, can remain same. However, God does not accept those who give Him lip service and not do what He says. He does not accept us observing pagan religious holidays that were created by men and labeling them as Christian. He does not accept celebrations that were once offered to false gods. Today, millions of people believe that they are worshiping Christ, but they are doing so in vain! They are keeping the traditions and commandments of men. The Saturnalia and its modern day Christmas and New Year's Day are the traditions of men! Those who observe these things are doing so against God's will and nothing good will come of it. In fact, the opposite will occur. Their practices will bring painful rebuke from the God they claim to worship.

Is Your Salvation at Stake? Upon being informed of these truths, many readers would agree that there are false god's associated with the observance of New Year's Day. They would agree that God set the new year to occur in the spring. They might even agree that the Bible tells us to start the day at sunset. However, most would continue to believe that celebrating New Year's Day is relatively insignificant and will not affect our salvation. Is it possible that such practices can keep a person from obtaining the Kingdom of God? Jesus emphatically says-yes! Notice His words:

Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven (Matthew 7:21). Christ clearly states that we will not make it into the Kingdom of God unless we do the will of His Father. What is the will of the Father in heaven? Does He care about which days we celebrate, or not? There is a vital truth that we must understand. God cares about everything. He created every single molecule that exists in the entire universe. He knows the purpose for the unique design of all things and how each part of His creation is to work together in harmony. As the Creator, the Almighty has the correct opinion about everything, and His opinion is found in His manual for mankind-the Bible. We must follow what is written in that book, not the traditions of men, or we will lose out! There is not one single part of New Year's Day celebrations that conforms to the Word of God. The truth is contrary to its observance and the Scriptures actually condemn pagan holidays such as New Year's Day! Tragically, people have been misled. They have been seduced by the glitter, champagne, loud party favors and carnal temptations of this day. But if these people do not repent, they will miss out on the greatest opportunity any man or woman could ever hope to have. For this reason, Jesus prophesies of His triumphant return to earth and He warns those who profess belief in Him, but do not keep His words, saying:

Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works? And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity (Matthew 7:22-23). Jesus is speaking of MANY, not a few who claimed to believe on Him. They called Him Lord and did works in His name. Yet, they are told to depart because He never knew them. They are not His people-why? It is because they were actually workers of iniquity! But-what exactly is iniquity? The original Greek word means lawlessness. Thus, they were without His law. They claimed to worship Him, but not according to His commands. Christ says this is grounds for losing our chance at the resurrection. This fact faces you with a vital question. Should you continue to celebrate New Year's Day?

God's Holy Days and His Plan Coming out of the Spiritual Babylon in which we live is not an impossible task. It only takes the will to put our foot down and not allow our selves to participate in this spiritual fornication. Choosing to stop our observance of the Saturnalia does not mean that we cannot celebrate enjoyable and fun times with our family and friends. Just the opposite is true. God has created days for us to enjoy and celebrate with great zeal. These are not holidays, but are actually holy Days set aside by God for sacred use. They have enormous meaning and they give those who keep them amazing understanding of God's plan for mankind. They are also days that are fun, rewarding, and meaningful without hangovers, violence, over indulgence and over spending that leads to debt.

Art Braidic and Terry Moore Eternal Church of God

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