“And 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)
“Observe the month of Abib, and keep the Passover unto the Lord your God: for in the month of Abib the Lord your God brought you forth out of Egypt by night” (Deuteronomy 16:1)
Christmas has come and gone, “All Praises to the Most High”. However, there is still one more hurdle to jump through for us holiday non-observers. According to the Gregorian calendar, the most used calendar in world, the new year begins January 1st. People are excited to say good riddance to 2020, and who can blame them? It has indeed been a challenging year for all who inhabit the earth. The world would normally be preparing for New Year’s Day parades, parties and other large gatherings, but not this year. Even still, people tend to reflect over the past year, while contemplating, with bated breath, the new year in view. The problem is that the biblical new year does not begin on January 1st, but in the spring. Furthermore, like most other holiday traditions, there is always more than meets the eye, like the worshipping of other gods (idolatry).
“And in all things that I have said unto you be circumspect: and make no mention of the name of other gods, neither let it be heard out of your mouth” (Exodus 23:13)
“For all the gods of the nations are idols: but the Lord made the heavens” (Psalms 96:5)
“God is not the author of confusion…” (1 Corinthians 14:33)
History of New Year’s Day Festivals
According to Encyclopedia Britannica: The earliest known record of a New Year festival dates from about 2000 BCE in Mesopotamia, where in Babylonia the new year (Akitu) began with the new moon after the spring equinox (mid-March); and in Assyria with the new moon nearest the autumn equinox (mid-September). For the Egyptians, Phoenicians, and Persians the year began with the autumn equinox (September 21), and for the early Greeks it began with the winter solstice (December 21). On the Roman republican calendar the year began on March 1, but after 153 BCE the official date was January 1, which was continued in the Julian calendar of 46 BCE”. William the Conqueror decreed that the year begin on January 1, but England later joined the rest of Christendom and adopted March 25th. The Gregorian calendar, adopted in 1582 by the Roman Catholic Church, restored January 1 as New Year’s Day.
“You shall have no other gods before me. You shalt not make unto you any graven image, or any likeness of any thing that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth. You shalt not bow down yourself to them, nor serve them: for I the Lord your God am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children unto the third and fourth generation of them that hate me; And shewing mercy unto thousands of them that love me, and keep my commandments” (Exodus 20:3-6)
“And he shall speak great words against the most High, and shall wear out the saints of the most High, and think to change times and laws” (Daniel 7:25)
Janus, the Two-Faced Roman god of the New Year
The Encyclopedia Britannica indicates that, “Many of the customs of New Year festivals commemorate the passing of time with both regret and anticipation. The baby as a symbol of the new year dates to the ancient Greeks; with an old man representing the year that has passed. The Romans derived the name January from their god Janus, who had two faces; one looking backward and the other forward. The practice of making resolutions to rid oneself of bad habits and to adopt better ones dates to ancient times. Some scholars regard Janus as the god of all beginnings and believe that his association with doorways is derivative. He was invoked as the first of any gods in regular liturgies”. When participating in new year’s festivities, and making resolutions, you give homage to the two-faced god of new beginnings.
“And Moses said unto the people, Remember this day, in which you came out from Egypt, out of the house of bondage; for by strength of hand the Lord brought you out from this place: there shall no leavened bread be eaten. This day came you out in the month Abib”. (Exodus 13:3-4)
The True New Year According to the Bible
The biblical new year began with the month Abib, the month that Israel came out of Egypt. Exodus 12: 2-3,6 says, “In the tenth day of this month they shall take to them every man a lamb, according to the house of their fathers, a lamb for a house. And you shall keep it up until the fourteenth day of the same month: and the whole assembly of the congregation of Israel shall kill it in the evening”. This is the observance of the Passover. The Bible Dictionary defines Abib as “an ear of corn, the month of newly-ripened grain”. It is clear the Almighty’s new year is not in the dead of winter but in the newness of spring. Isn’t it like Satan to do the exact opposite of what the Most High says to do?
“For you have said in your heart, I will ascend into heaven, I will exalt my throne above the stars of God: I will sit also upon the mount of the congregation, in the sides of the north: I will ascend above the heights of the clouds: I will be like the most High” (Isaiah 14: 12-14)
Satan is the god of This World
Many knowingly and proudly profess to worship other gods, while the vast majority may be doing so ignorantly. Unfortunately, Satan could care less whether your allegiance is voluntary or in ignorance. This is because when you go against the Almighty, you by default, are playing for team Satan. “The earth has been given into the hand of the wicked” (Job 9:24), and “Satan is the god of this world” (2 Corinthians 4:4). So, it is not surprising that the earth is engulfed in idolatry and paganism. From the names of the so-called planets, the names of the days of the months, to the months themselves, the earth is giving homage to its god. The Almighty hates all customs and traditions of men that worship the created over their Creator. Whether it be the worshiping of the sun, moon, stars, nature, beasts and other man-made idols; it provokes him to anger.
“And go not after other gods to serve them, and to worship them, and provoke me not to anger with the works of your hands; and I will do you no hurt. Yet you have not hearkened unto me, says the Lord; that you might provoke me to anger with the works of your hands to your own hurt” (Jeremiah 25: 6-7)
Thus says the Lord, Learn not the way of the heathen, and be not dismayed at the signs of heaven; for the heathen are dismayed at them. For the customs of the people are vain…” (Jeremiah 10:2-3)
“For the division of the nations of the whole earth he set a ruler over every people; but Israel is the Lord’s portion” (Ecclesiasticus 17:17)
Pagan Worship at Its Core
“Happy New Year” is what I will hear from Christians now until the end of January. My family, friends, and co-workers mean well, but it is almost as nauseating as hearing “Merry Christmas” or “Happy Holidays”. This is because Christmas is not Christ’s birthday and January 1st is not the New Year. The customs of the people are vain, and that is not an overstatement. New Year’s, Christmas, Easter, Valentine’s Day, etc. all are pagan at their core and it’s obvious. Sadly, people will not turn from their pagan traditions even if God abhors their behavior. Many observe these customs without question, simply because it is all they know. In their eyes, it can’t be wrong if hundreds of millions of people are participating. However, wide is the gate and broad is the way that leads to destruction, and many will find it (Matthew 7:13).
“And if it seem evil unto you to serve the LORD, choose you this day whom you will serve; whether the gods which your fathers served that were on the other side of the flood, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land you dwell: but as for me and my house, we will serve the LORD.” (Joshua 24:15)
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