(The following post is the featured article of the Watching & Praying Dec 2024 Newsletter. Because of the urgency of the message, this article is being released ahead of the entire newsletter.)

Any serious student of the Bible knows that the most widely celebrated holidays have their roots in paganism. The celebration of Christmas is no exception. The sad truth is that this most widely celebrated day of gift giving is practiced by professing Christians and pagans alike. This fact should stimulate Christians to look at Christmas with a suspicious eye rather than claim the day as a celebration to Jesus Christ. To their credit, many professing Christian denominations have gradually moved away from the holidays of this world. Nevertheless, there is a darker wide-reaching spirit surrounding the Christmas season that must be avoided to truly abstain from the paganism in Christmas. 

Consider that Christmas decorations are displayed at retail establishments earlier and earlier as the years go by. It is not unusual to see Christmas related decor as early as September. This is not a result of the supposed joy and glee associated with this holiday. It is a coordinated effort of the merchants of this world to get you in the spending mood better known as the Christmas spirit (or the spirit of covetousness). 

Read Rev. 18:1-3. Keep in mind that this Babylon is a woman. A woman in prophecy typically means a church. This is about a church that is the home of devils, foul spirits, and a cage for unclean and hateful birds. Many do not understand these prophecies because they refuse to study the symbols as they are used in the Bible. Notice that this woman (church) is the habitation (home) of devils. This church is a dwelling place for demons. Notice she is a hold for every foul spirit. The Greek word translated as spirit is the same word used for the word ghost in Holy Ghost and spirit in Holy Spirit. In this case, it is distinguished by the adjective foul. This Greek word means impure and was more often translated as unclean. 

The word hold was translated from a Greek word that means a guarding. This word was translated as prison more often than anything else. It could read that this woman is a prison for unclean spirits. The phrase unclean spirit does not exclusively mean demon (see Rev. 16:13-14). The unclean spirits in the cited verses are said to be the spirits of devils. This is talking about the power of demons that works on men. This woman is keeping in the power of demons. 

Babylon is also a cage to every unclean and hateful bird. The word cage is the same Greek word translated as hold. Remember this means a guarding most commonly translated as a prison. She is a prison to unclean and hateful birds, but what does this mean? When you study birds/fowls in prophecies and parables, you will see that it has at least three interpretations. They are: 1) literal, 2) symbolizing evil spirits, and 3) symbolizing a human leader or nation. Here are some (but not all) verses to consider:

• Mark. 4:4,15
• Matt. 13:31-32
• Jer. 12:7-9
• Ezek. 39:1-5
• Isa. 46:9-11
• Rev. 19:17-21

Rev. 19:17-21 is a clear example of a literal interpretation whereas Isa. 46:9-11 shows a bird as a human. The most sound interpretation is that a cage of every unclean and hateful bird represents evil spirits if you compare it to the examples above. This shows that this woman/church is the home of demons and she keeps demons and demonic power in her. This is God emphasizing the wickedness of this entity by repeating it in three ways. It shows that this woman is a willful participant in the work of devils against mankind.

Rev. 18:3 shows that all nations participate in this woman’s fornication. Fornication, adultery, and whoredom in prophecy represent committing idolatry (covenanting with false gods) and making covenants with heathen nations. See Ezek. 23 for an understanding of this. Reread Rev. 18:2-3. Here we see a demonic woman/church who is covenanting with kings and nations. She has wine of the wrath of her fornication. The word wrath was translated from a Greek word that means passion. This is not about anger. This woman is passionate about her fornication. She shares it with nations and kings. Sadly, many preach that these passages are about something to come rather than being something that is actively happening in our time. This is why many professing Christians cannot identify this woman and what her fornication is. 

What Does This Have To Do with Christmas?

Rev. 17:3-5 shows that this woman is the mother of harlots and abominations of the earth. Her name is Babylon the Great. She is the same woman in Rev. 18. Remember what whoredoms, fornication, and adultery mean in prophecy. This church is the mother of harlots, churches that engage in whoredoms. These verses are about a great mother church who gave birth to other churches and widely accepted abominations. This woman’s daughters engage in similar activity as their mother, the promotion of christianized paganism. 

Rev. 18:3 says, “the merchants of the earth are waxed rich through the abundance of her delicacies.” The merchants have gotten rich because of the power (abundance) of her straining to get wealth (delicacies). Please look these words up in Greek. Keep in mind that this woman/church has daughters doing the same thing!

This woman/church has covenanted with false gods, kings, and nations. She has used her labor to acquire wealth. The merchants of the earth have gotten wealth through her efforts to acquire. Now pause and think about mainstream Christianity. This woman has strained to acquire land, paintings, statues, “religious” artifacts, and illustrious buildings making the merchants rich. This woman has christianized every major pagan ritual and day of worship. In order to celebrate these days, she has strained to purchase the ornaments of her worship. The merchants of the earth wax rich by providing the ornaments of this system of worship. This includes the wreaths, the trees, the lights, the costumes, the figurines, and all the gifts purchased by this woman and her harlot daughters.  

Each Christmas season, in the U.S. alone, hundreds of billions of dollars are transferred from the people to the merchants of the earth. Holiday retail sales in 2023 is estimated to be $955 billion. This number is a reflection of those who actively participate in the Christmas ritual and those who are just looking for a sale. The reality is that professing Christians, pagans, and atheists give in to this spirit of covetousness every year. 

The spirit behind Christmas is the spirit of covetousness, the inordinate desire to acquire something. The churches of this world promote this spirit in many ways, including the promotion of decorations, displays, gift exchanges, and special church services. Through these things and many others, the churches of this world cause their members to buy from the merchants of the earth and to commit adultery against God. Because of the widespread acceptance of Christmas, many are exposed to endless sales, deals, and ad campaigns of the season. Even those who refuse to celebrate this christianized pagan holiday directly get swept up in the idea of acquiring luxuries at discounted prices, thus drinking of the wine of the mother of harlots. 

Remember, these deals are only around because of the holiday. They are linked. Don’t be dishonest with yourself about their connection. Don’t let covetousness blind you from seeing that going after these “deals” is a form of participation. This is not to say you should not shop during the holiday season; however, you should scrutinize why you are planning to make your purchase. Determine whether or not it is the spirit of covetousness impacting your decision-making process.

The Spirit of Covetousness 

Covetousness is a very dangerous thing to engage in. This is why there are countless warnings against it in your Bible. God has commanded us not to covet what others have (Ex. 20:17). Cain coveted the acceptance of God that Abel received (Gen. 4:3-7). Cain coveted the acceptance that Abel received more than doing what was right. God tried to show Cain how to rule over sin. God tried to show Cain how to be accepted by Him. Cain chose to covet acceptance rather than do what was acceptable. He chose to let sin rule over him and become a murderer. Covetous led to jealousy, jealousy led to anger, and anger led to murder. 

Read Eph. 5:1-5. Many of the things mentioned by Paul come out of covetousness. It is the coveting of praise, coveting of women, and coveting of many other things that leads to fornication, foolish talking & jesting, and even murder. Think of how crime increases during the Christmas season. Is it because of a desire to honor Jesus Christ? Or is it because of a desire for material wealth? 

Read this parable Jesus gave about covetousness in Luke 12:13-21. God prefers that we are rich towards Him. Your life does not consist of the abundance of the things you possess. Babylon and merchants who have gotten rich from her demonic promotion of idolatry want you to be rich towards the world. In reality, many of us are transferring what little wealth we have for the image of wealth. Many who engage with the spirit of Christmas go into debt for worthless trinkets, gadgets, electronics, etc. They let covetousness (the desire to fit in, the desire to look wealthy, the desire for affection, etc.) cause them to part with the wealth God allowed them to acquire. The ramifications can be months (sometimes years) of debt and stress. Families are destroyed, houses lost, cars lost, etc. over mounting debts. Obviously, this doesn’t happen to everyone who celebrates Christmas; however, participation has long-term ramifications that we do not see. When properly analyzed, we see that many trade wealth and time for immediate self-gratification and future sorrow. Christians should not risk their relationship with God the Father and Jesus Christ for material wealth. 

How to Put Up a Resistance 

Again, it is Babylon and merchants who push this idolatry, lust for material goods, the spirit of covetousness. This is an agenda sourced from devils who want the world worshipping anything but the true living God. To safeguard your heart from covetousness, you must deeply study what the word of God says about it. You must commit the word of God to your memory. You must practice what the word of God says about covetousness and seeking riches. Below are some verses to help you resist the covetous spirit that dominates this season. 

Remember that God knows what you need (Luke 12:29-30). Do not set your affection on or worry about what you do not need. Read this warning from the apostle James in James 4:1-5. Are you striving for things so that you may consume it upon your lusts? Do you have a spirit that lusts to envy? Do you covet the friendship of the world? Are you trying to live like the people of this world to gain their friendship or respect? 

John the apostle recorded a dire warning he heard from a voice in heaven (see Rev. 18:4-5). DO NOT join yourself to this spirit of covetousness promoted through Babylon! DO NOT become an enemy of God! Come out of her! Drink not of the wine of her passion for spiritual fornication (idolatry). It is Babylon who has loved mammon and amassed wealth (land, buildings, statues, jewels, artifacts, paintings, etc.) to her own destruction. She has promoted holidays that are an abomination to God. She has worked with the merchants of this world to promote the instruments of this demonic worship system. You, oh Christian, must come out of her system and resist re-entry. 

During this holiday season, resist the urge to buy what you do not need. Do not give in to the worship of mammon and the spirit of covetousness. Financially, you will be better off. And more importantly, you will be better off spiritually. 

“But rather seek ye the kingdom of God; and all these things shall be added unto you.32 Fear not, little flock; for it is your Father’s good pleasure to give you the kingdom. 33 Sell that ye have, and give alms; provide yourselves bags which wax not old, a treasure in the heavens that  faileth not, where no thief approacheth, neither moth corrupteth. 34 For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.” (Luke 12:31-34)

December 2024