The Truth Series
What Did He Actually Command?
Many of the most beloved religious traditions have no biblical origin. They come from ancient Babylon, Rome, and the worship of Nimrod. This page traces those roots — gently, clearly, and with scripture.
"You shall not add to the Word which I command you, nor take from it, so that you guard the commands of Yahuah your Elohim which I am commanding you."— Deḇarim (Deuteronomy) 4:2
The Root
Who Was Nimrod?
To understand where pagan traditions come from, you have to start at the beginning — with a man named Nimrod.
"And Kush brought forth Nimrod, he began to be a mighty one on the earth. He was a mighty hunter before Yahuah... And the beginning of his reign was Baḇel, and Ereḵ, and Akkad, and Kalnĕh, in the land of Shin'ar."— Bereshith (Genesis) 10:8-10
Nimrod built the first empire — Babel, Erech, Akkad, and Nineveh. Ancient historical sources connect Nimrod to the origin of false worship systems. After his death, his wife Semiramis declared him a god — the sun god. Their son Tammuz was said to be a miraculous rebirth — a counterfeit of the true Messiah.
This Babylonian trinity — father (Nimrod/sun god), mother (Semiramis/queen of heaven), and son (Tammuz) — became the template for many later pagan religions. The same story was retold under different names across Egypt, Greece, Rome, and eventually woven into what became mainstream religion.
The Bible even mentions the mourning of Tammuz as an abomination practiced in the temple: "And He brought me to the door of the north gate of the House of Yahuah, and I looked and saw women sitting there, weeping for Tammuz." — Yeḥezqĕl (Ezekiel) 8:14, HS.
Pagan Holiday
Christmas — December 25th
December 25th was the Roman festival "Dies Natalis Solis Invicti" — the birthday of the Unconquered Sun. This date aligns with the winter solstice, when the sun appears to be "reborn" after its shortest day. Nimrod was worshipped as the sun god. The celebration of his "rebirth" on December 25th predates the birth of the Messiah by centuries.
The evergreen tree was a pagan symbol of eternal life for the sun god — it stays green even in winter, representing the sun's immortality. The Bible addresses this practice directly:
"Do not learn the way of the nations... For the customs of the peoples are vanity. For one cuts a tree from the forest, work of the hands of a craftsman with a cutting tool. They adorn it with silver and gold, they fasten it with nails and hammers so that it does not topple."— Yirmeyahu (Jeremiah) 10:2-4
Based on scriptural clues in Luke 1 and the priestly cycles of Zechariah, the Messiah's actual birth aligns with the Feast of Sukkot (Tabernacles) in the fall — not December 25th.
What the Bible Commands Instead
The biblical feasts — Pesaḥ (Passover), Shavuot (Weeks), Sukkot (Tabernacles) — are the appointed times Yahuah commanded His people to observe. These are found in Wayyiqra (Leviticus) 23 and are called "the appointed times of Yahuah." They point directly to the Messiah's life, death, and return.
Pagan Holiday
Easter — The Fertility Festival
Easter is named after Ishtar (also known as Ashtoreth, Astarte, or Eostre) — the Babylonian goddess of fertility and the dawn. The spring fertility festival celebrated her with eggs and rabbits — both ancient symbols of fertility, not resurrection.
The Bible explicitly names the worship of Ashtoreth as an abomination: "And Shelomoh went after Ashtoreth the goddess of the Tsidonians..." — Melaḵim Aleph (1 Kings) 11:5, HS. This was one of the sins that led to the division of the kingdom.
The actual resurrection of the Messiah is tied to Passover (Pesaḥ) and the Feast of First Fruits — both commanded biblical feasts that the Messiah fulfilled precisely.
"For even Messiah our Passover was slaughtered for us."— 1 Qorintiyim (1 Corinthians) 5:7
What the Bible Commands Instead
Pesaḥ (Passover) is the commanded feast that commemorates the Messiah's sacrifice. The Feast of First Fruits, which falls three days after Passover, is when He rose. These are the true appointed times — not a spring fertility festival renamed for a Babylonian goddess.
Tradition of Man
Sunday Worship — A Roman Decision
The biblical Sabbath is the seventh day — what we call Saturday. This was established at creation (Bereshith/Genesis 2:2-3) and commanded in the Ten Commandments:
"Remember the Sabbath day, to set it apart. Six days you labour and shall do all your work, but the seventh day is a Sabbath of Yahuah your Elohim."— Shemoth (Exodus) 20:8-10
Sunday worship was instituted by Roman Emperor Constantine in 321 CE — a political decision, not a scriptural one. Constantine was a sun worshipper. Sunday was "Sun's Day" — the day dedicated to the sun god. He merged Roman sun worship with the growing Christian movement to unify his empire.
The early assembly kept the seventh-day Sabbath. There is no scripture that transfers the Sabbath to Sunday. The switch was made by men, not by Yahuah.
What the Bible Commands Instead
The seventh-day Sabbath (Friday sundown to Saturday sundown) is the commanded day of rest. It is a sign between Yahuah and His people: "And I also gave them My Sabbaths, to be a sign between them and Me, to know that I am Yahuah who sets them apart." — Yeḥezqĕl (Ezekiel) 20:12, HS.
Pagan Holiday
Halloween — The Night of the Dead
Halloween is rooted in the ancient Celtic festival Samhain (pronounced "Sah-win") — a night when the boundary between the living and the dead was believed to dissolve. Druids performed rituals, wore costumes to confuse wandering spirits, and left offerings of food to appease them.
These practices are the direct origin of modern Halloween customs:
- Costumes — worn to disguise oneself from spirits
- Trick-or-treat — offerings left to appease the dead
- Jack-o-lanterns — carved to ward off evil spirits
- Bonfires — Druid ritual fires to guide the dead
"There shall not be found among you anyone who makes his son or his daughter pass through the fire, or one who practises divination, or a user of magic, or one who interprets omens or a sorcerer, or one who conjures spells, or a medium, or a spiritist, or one who calls up the dead."— Deḇarim (Deuteronomy) 18:10-11
What the Bible Commands Instead
The biblical feast of Sukkot (Tabernacles) falls in the fall season — a joyful, commanded celebration of Yahuah's provision and the coming Kingdom. It is a time of light, community, and gratitude — the opposite of what Halloween represents.
Modern Celebrations vs. Scripture
What the World Celebrates vs. What the Bible Commands
This is not about condemning anyone. It's about presenting the historical and scriptural record side by side — and letting you decide.
Modern / Common View
Celebration of the birth of Jesus Christ. Family, gifts, trees, and lights.
Historical Origin
Roman festival "Dies Natalis Solis Invicti" — birthday of the Unconquered Sun. The evergreen tree was a pagan symbol of the sun god's immortality.
What Scripture Says
The Warning
"Do not learn the way of the nations... For one cuts a tree from the forest... They adorn it with silver and gold." — Yirmeyahu (Jeremiah) 10:2-4, HS
What Is Commanded Instead
Feast of Sukkot (Tabernacles) — Wayyiqra (Leviticus) 23:33-43. The Messiah's birth aligns with this fall feast, not December 25.
This is not about condemnation. Most people who celebrate these traditions do so out of love, family, and community — not knowing their origins. The goal here is simply to present what the record shows, and let you decide what to do with it.
"And in vain do they worship Me, teaching as teachings the commands of men."— Mattithyahu (Matthew) 15:9