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#Post#: 45--------------------------------------------------
Birthdays Article
DIR By: Mentor
Date: December 1, 2012, 8:42 pm
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Birthday Celebrations
Birthday cakes. Lighted candles. Singing “Happy Birthday.”
Receiving gifts. In almost every culture and nation on Earth,
virtually nothing is as universally celebrated as birthdays. But
is birthday-keeping biblical? Does God agree with this practice?
As sure as death and taxes, all human beings are born on a
particular day. Everyone has a birth date. Since God wants
people to celebrate life abundantly (John 10:10), could this
include celebrating birthdays? Is birthday-keeping innocent
fun—or does God hate it? Does it even matter?
If you bought a new computer, you would expect it to come with
an instruction manual. Without a manual, you would have to learn
how to use it through trial and error—and possibly delete
necessary files and software in the process. The instruction
manual saves users many headaches.
Believe it or not, you also came with an instruction manual—the
Bible! God’s expressed will and purpose is written throughout
its pages. Every word of Scripture is God’s message to you—who
you are, what you are, why He created you, and how He expects
you to conduct your life. Everything you need to know about the
true purpose of life is written in God’s Word (John 17:17; Matt.
4:4; II Tim. 3:16-17).
When you read the Bible, God is talking to you! He shows you how
to live a happy, fulfilling, abundant life. Pick up your
“instruction manual” and examine what God says about birthdays.
rcg.org
#Post#: 46--------------------------------------------------
Re: Birthdays Article
DIR By: Mentor
Date: December 1, 2012, 8:43 pm
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Birthdays in the Bible
Birthday celebrations are mentioned in the Bible on three
separate occasions and, in each case, something terrible
occurred. These three accounts bear brief examination.
The first account is in Genesis. Pharaoh, the Egyptian king,
celebrated his birthday by executing his chief baker (Gen.
40:1-23). God gave Joseph special understanding of a dream by
Pharaoh’s butler and baker, that the baker would lose his life
three days after Joseph interpreted the dream. Joseph understood
that Pharaoh would use this occasion—his own birthday party—to
put his baker to death. As the dream had foretold, the baker was
hung at the party.
In the second account, the New Testament figure Herod the
tetrarch reluctantly ordered the beheading of John the Baptist
(Matt. 14:3-11). Notice verse six: “But when Herod’s birthday
was kept…” During the dancing and merry-making at his birthday
party, Herod got carried away and eventually made a promise that
he did not want to keep. As a result, a great servant of God
lost his life.
The final account is found in the book of Job. The Bible says
that Job’s seven sons “went and feasted in their houses, every
one his day; and sent and called for their three sisters to eat
and to drink with them” (Job 1:4). These parties were obviously
not centered around any kind of celebration related to God, or
Job would not have worried that his children may have sinned
during these celebration feasts. He was not exactly sure what
was going on in their minds, but the very celebration of their
birthdays triggered great concern in him (1:5). Apparently,
during the birthday party of Job’s oldest son, God allowed Satan
to kill all 10 of Job’s children through what appears to be a
tornado (vs. 6-13, 18-19).
Further proof that these birthday celebrations displeased God is
found in Job 3. Take time to read the entire chapter carefully.
Job spends much time cursing every aspect of the day of his
birth. The loss of all of his children, due to a birthday
celebration, stunned and sobered him. His words make plain that
there is nothing good about the day of a man’s birth. He openly
cursed the day he was born. This will be shown to have greater
meaning later in this article.
Some who are familiar with these accounts attempt to explain
them away by saying that there is no statement contained within
them that directly prohibits birthday celebrations. They also
ignore Job’s comments described in the previous paragraph. It is
true that the above scriptures do not contain a direct
condemnation of birthdays starting with the phrase “Thou shalt
not…” or something similar. But consider for a moment the
central lesson of each of these accounts. They represent the
only three birthday parties described in the entire Bible.
Absolute disaster occurred on each occasion! If God felt
birthday celebrations were something positive and good, why
wouldn’t He have recorded one other account where something
either good or positive happened? Yet, there is no such account.
rcg.org
#Post#: 47--------------------------------------------------
Re: Birthdays Article
DIR By: Mentor
Date: December 1, 2012, 8:45 pm
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What About the Birthdays of Well-known Bible Figures?
Surely the Bible records the birth dates of its most important
figures. Does God not want those who serve Him to recognize
these most important birthdays? Let’s search for the birth dates
of some of God’s greatest servants.
Abraham is referred to three times in the Bible as God’s
“friend” (II Chron. 20:7; Isa. 41:8; Jms. 2:23). He is also
called “the father of us all” (Rom. 4:16). Many verses
demonstrate that he will play a very important role when the
kingdom of God is established on Earth at Christ’s Second
Coming. However, the Bible does not record the birth date of
this truly great servant of God.
Moses was referred to as the meekest man on the face of the
earth (Num. 12:3). Many verses describe this Bible figure and
virtually everyone is familiar with him. The Bible does not tell
us when he was born either.
The famous King David is called “a man after My [God’s] own
heart” (Acts 13:21-22). Much of the Bible describes the life of
this man. God used him to record a great many of the Psalms.
When the kingdom of God is established on Earth, prophecy
records that he will rule the tribes of Israel (Ezek. 34:23-31),
called there the house of Israel. Surely the Bible records the
date that this towering figure was born. It does not!
There is not one verse of Scripture describing anyone
celebrating the births of these righteous men. In fact, the
Bible is silent on the exact dates of the births of all God’s
faithful servants—Jacob, Sarah, Noah, Abel, Samuel, Job, Esther,
Isaiah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel, Peter, Paul, James (Christ’s
brother), and the rest of the apostles. Even the birth date of
Jesus Christ goes unrecorded in the Bible!
rcg.org
#Post#: 48--------------------------------------------------
Re: Birthdays Article
DIR By: Mentor
Date: December 1, 2012, 8:52 pm
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The Christmas “Birthday Party”
But what about Christmas? It is in the Bible, isn’t it? Doesn’t
it celebrate Christ’s birth? Didn’t the wise men bring presents
to baby Jesus because it was His birthday?
Study any reputable encyclopedia or visit a well-stocked public
library and you will discover that Christmas was celebrated by
immoral, pagan idol worshippers—people who many times sacrificed
their children to pagan gods—2,000 years before Christ was born!
December 25th originally marked the time of the winter solstice.
These idol worshippers held pagan festivals to celebrate the
“rebirth” of the sun when the days began to lengthen.
Let’s briefly examine the subject of the “wise men” who gave
gifts to Christ. The scripture that describes this is in Matthew
2:1, 11: “Now when Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea in the
days of Herod the king, behold, there came wise men from the
east to Jerusalem, saying, Where is He that is born King of the
Jews?… And when they were come into the house, they saw the
young child with Mary his mother, and fell down, and worshipped
him: and when they had opened their treasures, they presented
unto Him gifts; gold, and frankincense, and myrrh.”
It is commonly supposed that these were birthday presents for
“baby Jesus.” But is this what the Bible actually says?
Absolutely not! Also, they arrived well after His “birthday.”
Notice that it refers to Christ as a “young child” rather than a
baby. This is one more reason that the gifts brought to Him
could not have been “birthday presents.”
A long-standing, ancient custom of the East was to present gifts
when one came into the presence of a king. These men understood
that they were in the presence of the “King of the Jews.” The
Bible has many examples of people sending gifts to kings or
presenting them upon arrival into the king’s presence. This
custom is common today when ambassadors or others come into the
presence of a world leader.
Finally, notice what the Adam Clarke Commentary, volume 5, page
46, states about what really happened on this occasion: “Verse
11. They presented unto him gifts. The people of the east never
approach the presence of kings and great personages, without a
present in their hands. This custom is often noticed in the Old
Testament, and still prevails in the east, and in some of the
newly discovered South Seas Islands.” Gifts were customarily
presented to kings. The real intent behind this example should
now be clear.
God does not even record the exact day His Son was born. And
nowhere in the Bible can you find examples of Christ’s disciples
or the New Testament Church celebrating His birthday. However,
God does tell us the exact month and day when His Son died (Ex.
12; Lev. 23:4-5; Num. 9:1-5; Matt. 26:1-2; John 18:28; I Cor.
5:7). He expects all true Christians to observe that day
annually, in the same month, on the same date (I Cor. 5:7-8).
(Read our booklets The True Origin of Christmas, The True Origin
of Easter, How Often Should the Lord’s Supper Be Taken? and
Christ’s Resurrection Was NOT on Sunday to learn more about
these pagan holidays and why the Bible states we are to remember
Christ’s death instead of His birth.)
Think for a moment! Every year, millions of professing
Christians celebrate the supposed birthday of Jesus Christ. Yet
they do not properly observe the day that Christ died, which God
clearly identifies and records in great detail in His Word. He
commands His followers to observe this memorial annually. Jesus
warned about such misguided professing Christians, saying, “This
people honors 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. For laying aside the commandment of
God, you hold the tradition of men” (Mark 7:6-8). Each year,
during the Christmas and Easter seasons, Jesus’ warning is
proven right!
rcg.org
#Post#: 50--------------------------------------------------
Re: Birthdays Article
DIR By: Mentor
Date: December 2, 2012, 12:22 pm
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How God Views Your Birthday
We have now established that the Bible records negative examples
of birthday celebrations, while it is silent on celebrating, or
even identifying, the birthdays of all of God’s faithful
servants—including Christ.
But what does the Bible specifically say about your day of
birth?
Most people think that the day of one’s birth is special.
Celebrating it certainly does seem and feel like the right thing
to do. Yet, Solomon was inspired to write, “A good name is
better than precious ointment; and the day of death than the day
of one’s birth” (Ecc. 7:1).
Like Job, Jeremiah also cursed the day of his own birth: “Cursed
be the day wherein I was born: let not the day wherein my mother
bare me be blessed…Wherefore came I forth out of the womb to see
labor and sorrow, that my days should be consumed with shame?”
(Jer. 20:14, 18).
If the day of our death is better than the day of our birth, and
some of God’s greatest servants said that their birth date was
far from being a special day, then how special can this day be?
According to Scripture, it is not a time to express joy, sing
and expect gifts, simply because one is born into the world on a
specific date.
rcg.org
#Post#: 51--------------------------------------------------
Re: Birthdays Article
DIR By: Mentor
Date: December 2, 2012, 12:23 pm
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The Day of a Man’s Death
We have just read that the Bible explains the day of a man’s
death is better than the day of his birth. This is a stunning
statement. Most people do not think of death as particularly
wonderful. When it happens to a family member or close friend,
it is usually a day of terrible sadness and emotion. No matter
how or when death comes, no one celebrates the event. The Bible
describes death as an enemy and a defeat. Consider some of the
following verses describing death. Keep in mind that the Bible
still says this day is better than the day of birth.
Solomon also wrote, “As he came forth of his mother’s womb,
naked shall he return to go as he came, and shall take nothing
of his labor, which he may carry away in his hand. And this also
is a sore evil, that in all points as he came, so shall he go:
and what profit has he that has labored for the wind?” (Ecc.
5:15-16). Does this sound like a day to look forward to? The
Bible still states that the day this verse describes is better
than the day of one’s birth.
The apostle Paul was inspired to write, “For the wages of sin
[that you earn by breaking God’s laws] is death” (Rom. 6:23).
Death is the penalty for sin. It is not pictured in the Bible as
a day of triumph or, as so many like to picture, “as a friend
one meets at the end of life’s highway.” Paul also wrote, “For
all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God” (Rom. 3:23)
and “…it is appointed unto men once to die” (Heb. 9:27). Sin
leads to death. John was inspired to write the definition of
sin: “Whosoever commits sin transgresses also the law: for sin
is the transgression of the law” (I John 3:4). The penalty—the
wages—of sin is death. This is not an event to look forward to.
But there is hope!
Jesus Christ is returning to this Earth to rule—to put all
things, including His enemies, under His feet. This includes the
enemy called death. Notice: “Then comes the end, when He shall
have delivered up the kingdom to God, even the Father; when He
shall have put down all rule and all authority and power. For He
must reign, till He has put all enemies under His feet. The last
enemy that shall be destroyed is death…So when this corruptible
has put on incorruption, and this mortal shall have put on
immortality, then shall be brought to pass the saying that is
written, Death is swallowed up in victory. O death, where is
your sting? O grave, where is your victory? The sting of death
is sin; and the strength of sin is the law. But thanks be to
God, which gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ”
(I Cor. 15:24-26, 54-56).
So this life is a physical, temporary existence. Once it is
gone, it is gone forever. Considering this, what is so “happy”
about a “birthday” into an ungodly, carnal-minded world, only to
die and never see life again? Why celebrate being born into a
world that is cut off from God’s divine guidance—a world of
misery, confusion, poverty, ignorance, famine and disease—that
could erupt into violence at any time?
God can and will give you eternal life. He wants you to have it.
He wants you to live life to the fullest and experience the way
of life that produces real peace, joy, abundance and security.
But life has to be lived His way, according to His rules.
Paul wrote, “For since by man [Adam] came death, by Man [Jesus
Christ] came also the resurrection of the dead. For as in Adam
all die, even so in Christ shall all be made alive…The first man
Adam was made a living soul; the last Adam was made a quickening
[living] spirit…The first man is of the earth, earthy: the
second Man is the Lord from heaven. As is the earthy, such are
they also that are earthy: and as is the heavenly, such are they
also that are heavenly. And as we have borne the image of the
earthy, we shall also bear the image of the heavenly” (I Cor.
15:21-22, 45, 47-49).
When compared to the awesome future God has in store for
us—becoming spirit beings who will never taste death and will
not be limited to the physical laws of this material universe
(read all of I Corinthians 15)—celebrating one’s physical
birthday seems foolish.
rcg.org
#Post#: 52--------------------------------------------------
Re: Birthdays Article
DIR By: Mentor
Date: December 2, 2012, 12:23 pm
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Origin of Birthdays
Then where did birthday celebrations come from? The astonishing
answer is from the pagan practice of astrology! Thousands of
years ago, when men looked up into the night sky and charted the
stars, they invented calendars and calculated the birth dates,
to the very hour, of kings, rulers and their successors. These
ancient pagan astrologers meticulously examined horoscopes and
birthday omens because they believed that the fate of the rich
and powerful might affect an entire society. Even to this day,
men have been putting their trust in horoscopes instead of God.
In ancient Egypt, the pharaohs ordered businesses to close on
their birthdays and gave enormous feasts for hundreds of
servants. In ancient Greece, wealthy males joined birthday clubs
composed exclusively of men who shared their birth date. Once a
month, the club celebrated with a feast. When a member died, he
left money to help pay for future parties. In Persia, noblemen
observed their birthdays by barbecuing an ox, a camel and a
donkey and serving hundreds of small cakes to the celebrants.
In ancient Rome, the emperor gave huge parties in honor of his
own birthday, which included parades, circuses, and gladiatorial
combat. The celebration of days was so important to the average
Roman citizen that the Roman calendar designated a majority of
days for some form of celebration—including many birthdays of
gods and famous men.
The Roman calendar, with its emphasis on continual celebration,
has had great influence on modern society. Consider the
following quote about the origin of the Roman calendar:
“Our [Roman] calendar is not Christian in origin. It descends
directly from the Egyptians, who originated the 12 month year,
365 day system. A pagan Egyptian scientist, Sosigenes, suggested
this plan to the pagan Emperor Julius Caesar, who directed that
it go into effect throughout the Roman Empire in 45 B.C. As
adopted it indicated its pagan origin by the names of the months
—called after Janus, Maia, Juno, etc. The days were not named
but numbered on a complicated system involving Ides, Nones, and
Calends. It was not until 321 A.D. that the seven-day week
feature was added, when the Emperor Constantine (supposedly)
adopted Christianity. Oddly enough for his weekdays he chose
pagan names which are still used” (Journal of Calendar Reform,
Sept. 1953, p. 128).
Modern birthday parties and celebrations by children take their
form mainly from Germany, where the birthday child received
gifts, chose a menu, and received a candle-ringed butter or jam
cake. The book The Lore of Birthdays, by Ralph and Adelin
Linton, gives a brief look at the history of birthday
celebrations: “The Greeks believed that everyone had a
protective spirit or daemon who attended his birth and watched
over him in life. This spirit had a mystic relation with the god
on whose birthday the individual was born.”
The book continues: “The Romans also subscribed to this idea…
This notion was carried down in human belief and is reflected in
the guardian angel, the fairy godmother and the patron saint…
The custom of lighted candles on the cakes started with the
Greeks…honey cakes round as the moon and lit with tapers were
placed on the temple altars of [the god Artemis]…Birthday
candles, in folk belief, are endowed with special magic for
granting wishes…Lighted tapers and sacrificial fires have had a
special mystic significance ever since man first set up altars
to his gods. The birthday candles are thus an honor and tribute
to the birthday child and bring good fortune.”
Saying “happy birthday” to friends and loved ones was society’s
superstitious way of protecting them from evil spirits. Birthday
thumps, bumps, pinches, etc., were said to bring luck and send
away evil spirits. Party snappers, horns and other noisemakers
were also intended to scare off bad-luck spirits.
It should now be clear that birthdays are not only unbiblical,
they are pagan!
rcg.org
#Post#: 53--------------------------------------------------
Re: Birthdays Article
DIR By: Mentor
Date: December 2, 2012, 12:24 pm
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God’s Sacred Calendar
It is important to note that God has His own calendar. Much
could be said about this subject. This brief explanation is
vital. Typically, the number of days in God’s year is not the
same from year to year. They are based upon the moon—not manmade
calculations that include leap years.
God’s calendar includes seven extra 30-day months in each
19-year cycle. This calendar rule, alone, ensures that birth
dates would vary widely from year to year throughout one’s
lifetime. It is as though the sacred calendar was designed by
God to make birthday celebrations impossible to observe, while
the Roman calendar was specifically designed to make celebrating
birthdays more convenient.
The date of February 29, which only occurs once every four
years, creates a special problem for all those with this birth
date. However, only one person in every 1,461 is affected by
this “leap year” problem. The irregularities of God’s sacred
calendar, with its extra 30-day month, occurring seven times in
a 19-year time cycle, would affect one person in every eight!
rcg.org
#Post#: 54--------------------------------------------------
Re: Birthdays Article
DIR By: Mentor
Date: December 2, 2012, 12:24 pm
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Why It Matters to God
Why does God care whether or not you celebrate birthdays? After
all, it is a chance for you to give presents to someone and make
him or her feel good. What could be wrong with this?
Here is what God commands: “Learn not the way of the heathen,
and be not dismayed at the signs of heaven, for the heathen are
dismayed by them. For the customs of the people are vain” (Jer.
10:2, 3).
After God freed Israel from slavery, He clearly instructed them,
“After the doings of the land of Egypt, wherein you dwelt, shall
you not do: and after the doings of the land of Canaan, where I
bring you, shall you not do: neither shall you walk in their
ordinances” (Lev. 18:3). God commanded that they not defile
themselves with the practices and customs of the surrounding
nations (vs. 24-29). “Therefore shall you keep My ordinance,
that you commit not any one of these abominable customs, which
were committed before you, and that you defile not yourselves
therein: I am the LORD your God” (vs. 30).
This is an emphatic command from God. He does not want His
servants dabbling in the customs of this world.
But what about those who reach age 80, 90 or 100 years
old—should we ignore altogether the many years of life
experiences they have gained? No. In our current society, where
senior citizens are routinely ignored and considered to be a
burden, it is certainly permissible to acknowledge someone who
has reached a considerable number of years. Someone who has
lived through two world wars, the Great Depression, the Atomic
Age, the creation of the modern nation of Israel, the Cold War,
men walking on the moon, the Cuban Missile Crisis, the Kennedy
assassination, civil rights marches, race riots, the rise and
collapse of the Berlin wall, and the worldwide growth of the
Internet, has reached an age where special honor should
naturally be conferred upon them.
Proverbs 16:31 states, “The hoary [white or gray] head is a
crown of glory, if it be found in the way of righteousness.”
People who have lived to great age, sometimes reflected by pure
white hair, often have great wisdom and experience to share with
younger generations. Simple acknowledgment that they have
reached age 70, 80, 90 or 100 shows them honor and appreciation.
It is not wrong to acknowledge that one has reached a milestone
in a long life.
What we have described above is far different than celebrating
birthdays with all of the usual pagan traditions! Celebrating
the day of one’s birth, as though it were a special occasion, is
wrong. It violates God’s command. It keeps people selfishly
focused on their temporary, physical lives, when God’s purpose
is to give mankind eternal life in His Family. True Christians
should be focused on how their lives are preparing them for
rulership on this Earth at the Return of Jesus Christ.
Realize that God hates all pagan customs and traditions—birthday
celebrations are not an exception!
rcg.org
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