In the West, where Muslims are granted all sorts of concessions — beginning with the gift of migrating from the Third to the First World — Christmas is increasingly being stifled, lest it offend them. Meanwhile, in the Muslim world, the Christmas season sees only an uptick of the persecution of Christian “infidels” = non Muslims. Christmas is under attack in the West, not only because of Muslims, but because of homegrown Western elements who despise the Christian holiday and everything it represents = faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. Matthew 10:22; Mark 13:13, Luke 21:17 [4]
 
Muslims are being used as pawns and pretext to their own hatred of Christians. That, by the way, is the case with everything Western people are told they must suppress — beginning with their religion — in the name of “inclusivity.” In the end, this exercise in self-suppression is not about accommodating minority groups but rather sabotaging Western civilization, its beliefs and traditions – faith, family and country.

** Islam & Jesus 8 min video here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wWT5zqPdTPY
 
[1] San Bernardino CA https://www.breitbart.com/local/2016/12/01/san-bernardino-terrorist-attack-likely-targeted-party-christmas/
[2] Nigeria: https://www.christianpost.com/news/christmas-day-massacre-boko-haram-kills-16-people-children-kidnaps-villagers-burns-homes.html
[3] Philippines https://www.jihadwatch.org/2015/12/philippines-muslims-murder-seven-christian-farmers-in-christmas-eve-raids
[4] Hate Jesus & hate followers https://www.biblehub.com/matthew/10-22.htm
  
*Excerpted and adapted full original report from Raymond Ibrahim, author of Defenders of the West: The Christian Heroes Who Stood Against Islam and Sword and Scimitar is a Shillman Fellow at the David Horowitz Freedom Center here https://stream.org/the-islamic-war-on-christmas/

John 4:23; Luke 2:15-16; Hebrews 1:3
 
12-24-21, * -- World over smug, overreaching governments think they’re punishing the masses by confining them to home not permitting church attendance on Christmas. However, for most humanity who cherish and worship the Lord at His birth - we'll just celebrate at home!
 
Biden’s dire prediction for a coming dark winter - he said: “Americans unvaccinated against the Corona virus are looking at a winter of severe illness and death.”  However, scientific data shows that 99% of those contracting the Covid virus survive and in Scotland and England official data shows that in six months twice as many people have died due to the Covid-19 vaccines than those people who died in fifteen months of Covid. [1] So his scare tactic holds no truth and our Christmas enjoyment will go on.

“We worship God in the spirit and rejoice in Christ Jesus and have no confidence in the flesh.” Philippians 3:3
 
At midnight tonight, comes the celebration of the most beautiful Night on Earth.  It’s Christmas 2021 and Christ is King! Millions will be singing: “O Come Let us adore Him” ... ‘O Holy Night’ ... “Fall on Your Knees, O hear the angel voices” in their temporary “churches” for the past two years - at ‘HOME”! Merry Christmas everyone!  

Beautiful Christmas music: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8TdgLS99Nsc
 
[1] England & Scotland report here
 *Excerpted & adapted full original message from  Canada Free Press here 

​USA Christmas 2021: 'Smash-and-Grab' Christmas?
12-14-21, The videos are shocking: Gangs of criminals swarming into high-end stores like Nordstrom and Louis Vitton and brazenly walking out with thousands of dollars in jewelry, handbags, and luxury goods. It’s all caught on videotape, and often under the watching eyes of store security.

Even more shocking? The person behind that crime could be — you.

Many Americans have been horrified by the surge of “smash and grab” robberies, blaming it on lax laws or local prosecutors who have announced they’re not pressing charges in shoplifting cases. 

Organized crime gangs are behind the rash of ‘smash-and-grab’ robberies of luxury stores in California and Illinois. Ben Dugan, president of the Coalition of Law Enforcement and Retail, said the gangs are recruiting people for between $500 and $1,000 to steal specific merchandise from stores and then sell it online.
​
When COVID-19 sent a generation of older Americans home from the mall to shop on their laptops, the criminals were ready to take advantage of their lack of online savvy. However, according to law enforcement experts at the USA-IT summit, illicit trade on the web has become so sophisticated, even experienced online shoppers could be buying stolen or counterfeit Christmas gifts this year and not even know it.

** Importance of Christmas **
Jesus taught love, forgiveness and the world became less violent as women became equal and Christians outlawed slavery Luke 6:27-35
***
​​
Specific Ways the World Changed After Christ - more here

12-23-21, CanadaFreePress [excerpt] --Rodney Stark argues in The Victory of Reason, “We explore a series of developments in which reason won the day, giving unique shape to Western culture and institutions. The most important of these victories occurred within Christianity. While the other world religions emphasized mystery and intuition, Christianity alone embraced reason and logic as the primary guide to religious truth. The success of the West, including the rise of science, rested entirely on religious foundations, and the people who brought it about were devout Christians.” [..]

All Human Life Became Sacred In the ancient world - like Rome, babies were regularly left outside to die, slaves were wickedly mistreated and entertainment regularly killed people, etc. Christians did more than just condemn child abandonment. They frequently took such human castaways into their homes and adopted them.

Sex Became Sanctified In ancient pagan Rome's popular culture of promiscuity;  slavery allowed any man who owned slaves to sexually abuse them, including children. Christianity espoused that sex was a gift of God. So powerful was the Christian doctrine and practice of marriage that Edward Gibbon says, “The dignity of marriage was restored by the Christians. Christianity brought this dignity and honor to marriage.” ​

Women Became Equal 
Jesus’ interaction with women:
1. He performed His first miracle at their urging. John 2:3
2. He defended them in front of Jewish leaders. John 8:11
3. He showed them His love weeping over Mary & Martha’s grief. John 11:35
4. After His resurrection He appeared to them first. John 20:16

After Christianity came to Rome, women’s status began to change. By comparison, currently hundreds of millions of women still lack basic rights in Muslim countries. Writes Schmidt: “One scholar of ancient Rome has aptly said that “the conversion of the Roman world to Christianity brought a great change in woman’s status.”

“The birth of Jesus was the turning point in the history of woman.”

Modern Feminism, Sufragism and equal rights were drawn from John Locke’s books, who was perhaps the most Christian of philosophers, regularly making arguments from Biblical sources. [1] 

Slavery was Abolished: Ancient world was rife with slavery. But it was not until Christianity gained a foothold that a serious strategy was developed to combat it. But Christians were always noted as opposing slavery since Christ brought freedom to all mankind. Christians bought and freed slaves while Christian Roman emperors began to change the law against slavery. In fact, the earliest Americans colonist Puritans were completely opposed to slavery, who were imported from England into the Colonies.  -- Alvin J. Schmidt, “How Christianity Changed the World”

[1] ​Locke’s Political Philosophy
​https://plato.stanford.edu/entries/locke-political/

 Israel: Covid Christmas in Jerusalem 
12-23-21, NYTimes — There's only a few shopping days left until Christmas, but in the Christian Quarter of Jerusalem’s Old City, most of the shops were shuttered. The govt Covid virus mandates have spoiled another Christmas in the Holy Land as Israel’s strict border controls have largely barred foreign tourists from entry, but the traditional Jerusalem Santa is managing to bring some local cheer. [..]

“Therefore, the Lord himself will give you a sign.  Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel. There shall come forth a shoot from the stump of Jesse, and a branch from his roots shall bear fruit. For to us a child is born, to us a son is given; and the government shall be upon his shoulder, and his name shall be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting  Father, Prince of Peace.

He was despised and rejected by men; a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief; and as one from whom men hide their faces he was despised, and we esteemed him not. Surely he has borne our griefs and carried our sorrows; yet we esteemed him stricken, smitten by God, and afflicted.  But he was pierced for our transgressions; he was crushed for our iniquities;  upon him was the chastisement that brought us peace,  and with his wounds we are healed.

​All we like sheep have gone astray;  we have turned—every one—to his own way;  and the LORD has laid on him the iniquity of us all.  He was oppressed, and he was afflicted, yet he opened not his mouth; like a lamb that is led to the slaughter, and like a sheep that before its shearers is silent, so he opened not his mouth.” Isaiah 7:14, 11:1, 9:6, 53.3-7

“And Mary gave birth to her firstborn son and wrapped him in swaddling clothes and laid him in a manger, because there was no place for them in the inn.

When the angels went away from them into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, “Let us go over to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has made known to us.”

And they went with haste and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby lying in a manger.  And when they saw it, they made known the saying that had been told them concerning this child.  ... And the shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all they had heard and seen, as it had been told them.” Luke 2:7, 15-20

“For God so loved  the world,  that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.” John 3:16

“When the fullness of time had come, God sent forth his Son, born  of woman, born under the law.To redeem them that were under the law, that we might receive the adoption of sons. 6And because ye are sons, God hath sent forth the Spirit of his Son into your hearts, crying, Abba, Father. 7Wherefore thou art no more a servant, but a son; and if a son, then an heir of God through Christ." Galatians 4:4-7

​Indeed, God is identified by this name to the patriarchs:

    May El Shaddai bless you, make you fertile and numerous, so that you become an assembly of peoples. (Genesis 28:3)

    And Hashem said to him, “I am El Shaddai. Be fertile and increase; A nation, yea an assembly of nations, Shall descend from you. Kings shall issue from your loins. (Genesis 35:11)

    The God of your father who helps you, And Shaddai who blesses you With blessings of heaven above, Blessings of the deep that couches below, Blessings of the breast and womb. (Genesis 49:25)

Adonai (אדוני): Literally, ‘my master/lord’, or, more accurately, ‘my masters/lords.’ The singular forms, adon and adoni (“my lord”), are used in the Hebrew Bible as royal titles. As Adonai became the most common reverent substitute for the Tetragrammaton, it too became considered un-erasable due to its holiness. As such, most prayer books avoid spelling out the word Adonai, and instead write two yods (יְיָ) in its place.

El Roi: In the Book of Genesis (16:13), Hagar uses this name for the God who spoke to her through his angel. In Hebrew, her phrase El Roi (אֵל רֳאִי), literally, “God of Seeing Me”.

Shalom: Based on the fact that Gideon names an altar “Adonai Shalom” (Judges 6:24), the Talmud (Shabbat, 10b) states that the word shalom (which means peace, hello and goodbye, derived from the root meaning ‘whole’) is one of the names of God.

Philippians 2:5–11; Isaiah 52:13-15
 
December 20, 2009, [Excerpt*] -- I read an article written by a leader in the Episcopalian diocese of Los Angeles, who recently appointed a lesbian woman as its leader. And this representative of Episcopalianism wrote this.
 
“There are few causes to which I am more passionately committed than that of Santa Claus. Santa Claus deserves not just any place in the church, but the highest place of honor, where he should be. [..]  Santa Claus indeed deserves the exalted and enthroned place in the church for he is God the Son, God the Father and God the Holy Spirit. I’ve seen him in the toy store. I even saw him in his car on the freeway the other day. And when I saw him with his crazy beard and his baggy suit, I saw more than the seasonal merchant of cheap plastic toys, I saw no less than the triune God.” [sic]
 
Huh? I mean, have you ever heard anything more convoluted than that? [..]
​

Enough foolish talk about 'Santa.'

Philippians 2:5 is the theology of Christmas. My intention today is to be straightforward and just tell the real story of the birth of Christ and have you make no mistake about its genuine significance.

Christ Jesus, Who, although He existed as the form of God, took the form of a servant. He took  the form of a slave and became in the likeness of men. Being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross. [..]
 
God highly exalted Him and bestowed on Him the name, which is above every name, so that at the name of Jesus, every knee will bow, of those who are in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and that every tongue will confess that Jesus Christ is Lord to the glory of God the Father.” Philippians 2:10-12 [more]

Jesus Christ = IS CHRISTMAS

Just So Far Forty of 110 have been rescued from Tornado Attack on Kentucky Candle Company
12-12-21, TheSun -- Kentucky Emergency Management Director, Michael Dossett reports:."This tornado event may surpass the 1974 super outbreak as one of the most deadly in Kentucky's history." 

Like blocks of toys thrown from the sky, nearly 80,000 shipping containers are stacked in various configurations in Savannah Harbor – 50% more than usual. Steel crates wait for ships to take them to their final destination, or trucks to take them to warehouses that are themselves stuffed onto rafters...
The claimed reason?
Covid virus mandates and lack of workers

9-27-21, LiveFeeds.com -- Dozens of container ships stuck outside of ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach, California because of shortage of trucks and drivers in the USA to collect goods.
The boats carry everything from clothing, furniture to electronics. Experts point out that delays are a global problem and consumers could suffer delays in their deliveries for the Christmas celebrations.

Abandoned seafarers described the ships turned into a "prison" and a "slave ship". Legally they simply aren't allowed off the vessel. In some instances reports of unpaid workers contemplating suicide. Some of them literally face starvation, and in these instances sometimes attract the help of local charities. Currently, there are efforts underway among a handful of large nations - namely China, Indonesia and the Philippines - whose ships make up the bulk of international sea freight traffic, to establish an 'abandonment fund' to help with emergency assistance for stranded crew. However, it could encourage companies to continue shrugging off responsibility, as is still continually happening according to the report. ​

Psalms 72:11 May all kings fall down before him, all nations serve him!
 
Isaiah 9:6  For to us a child is born, to us a son is given; and the government shall be upon his shoulder, and his name shall be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting  Father, Prince of Peace.
 
Isaiah 53:3-7  He was despised and rejected by men; a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief; and as one from whom men hide their faces he was despised, and we esteemed him not. Surely he has borne our griefs and carried our sorrows; yet we esteemed him stricken, smitten by God, and afflicted.  But he was pierced for our transgressions; he was crushed for our iniquities;  upon him was the chastisement that brought us peace,  and with his wounds we are healed. All we like sheep have gone astray;  we have turned—every one—to his own way;  and the LORD has laid on him the iniquity of us all.  He was oppressed, and he was afflicted, yet he opened not his mouth; like a lamb that is led to the slaughter, and like a sheep that before its shearers is silent, so he opened not his mouth.
 
Zechariah 9:9  Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion!   Shout aloud, O daughter of Jerusalem!    Behold, your king is coming to you; righteous and having salvation is he,  humble and mounted on a donkey, on a colt, the foal of a donkey.
 
Isaiah 7:14 Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign.  Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel.
 
Isaiah 11:1 
There shall come forth a shoot from the stump of Jesse, and a branch from his roots shall bear fruit.
 
Jeremiah 23:5  Behold, the days are coming, declares the LORD, when I will raise up for David a righteous Branch, and he shall reign as king and deal wisely, and shall execute justice and righteousness in the land.
 
Micah 5:2  But you, O Bethlehem Ephrathah, who are too little to be among the clans of Judah, from you shall come forth for me one who is to be ruler in Israel,    whose coming forth is from of old, from ancient days.
 
Matthew 1:23
Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and they shall call His name Immanuel”  (which means, God with us).
 
Luke 2:7
And she gave birth to her firstborn son and wrapped Him in swaddling cloths and laid Him in a manger, because there was no place for them in the inn.
 
The Visit of the Shepherds
Luke 2:15-20 When the angels went away from them into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, “Let us go over to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has made known to us.” And they went with haste and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby lying in a manger.  And when they saw it, they made known the saying that had been told them concerning this child.  And all who heard it wondered at what the shepherds told them. But Mary treasured up all these things, pondering them in her heart.  And the shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all they had heard and seen, as it had been told them.

Luke 1:39-45 In those days Mary arose and went with haste into the hill country, to a town in Judah, and she entered the house of Zechariah and greeted Elizabeth.  And when Elizabeth heard the greeting of Mary, the baby leaped in her womb. And Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit, and she exclaimed with a loud cry,  “Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb!  And why is this granted to me that the mother of my Lord should come to me? For behold, when the sound of your greeting came to my ears, the baby in my womb leaped for joy.  And blessed is she who believed that there would be  a fulfillment of what was spoken to her from the Lord.”
 
Luke 1:46-55 And Mary said, “My  soul  magnifies the Lord,  and my spirit rejoices in  God my Savior,  for he has looked on the humble estate of his servant.  For behold, from now on all generations will call me blessed;  for  he who is mighty has done great things for me, and holy is his name.  And his mercy is for those who fear him from generation to generation.  He has shown strength with his arm; he has scattered the proud in the thoughts of their hearts;  he has brought down the mighty from their thrones and exalted those of humble estate;  he has filled  the hungry with good things,   and the rich  he has sent away empty.  He has  helped  his servant Israel, in remembrance of his mercy,  as he spoke to our fathers, to Abraham and to his offspring forever.”
 
John 1:9-14  The true light, which gives light to everyone, was coming into the world.  He was in the world, and the world was made through him, yet the world did not know him.  He came to his own, and his own people did not receive him. But to all who did receive him,  who believed in his name,  he gave the right  to become  children of God, who were born,  not of blood  nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, but of God.  And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of  grace and  truth.
 
John 3:16  For God so loved  the world,  that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.
 
Galatians 4:4 But when the fullness of time had come, God sent forth his Son, born  of woman, born under the law.
 
The Visit of the Wise Men
Matthew 2:1-12 Now after Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of Herod the king, behold, wise men from  the east came to Jerusalem, 2 saying, “Where is he who has been born  king of the Jews? For we saw his star when it rose and have come to worship him.” When Herod the king heard this, he was troubled, and all Jerusalem with him; and assembling all the chief priests and scribes of the people, he inquired of them where the Christ was to be born. They told him, “In Bethlehem of Judea, for so it is written by the prophet:  “‘And you, O Bethlehem, in the land of Judah, are by no means least among the rulers of Judah; for from you shall come a ruler who will shepherd my people Israel.’”  Then Herod summoned the wise men secretly and ascertained from them what time the star had appeared. And he sent them to Bethlehem, saying, “Go and search diligently for the child, and when you have found him, bring me word, that I too may come and worship him.” After listening to the king, they went on their way. And behold, the star that they had seen when it rose went before them until it came to rest over the place where the child was. When they saw the star, they rejoiced exceedingly with great joy.  And going into the house they saw the child with Mary his mother, and they fell down and worshiped him. Then, opening their treasures, they offered him gifts, gold and  frankincense and myrrh. And being warned  in a dream not to return to Herod, they departed to their own country by another way.