If Christmas is pagan, should Christians be involved?

Should Christians get involved in supporting or celebrating Christmas? Have you ever heard that argument? Why in the world would Christians want to get involved in something that was really a “pagan holiday,” that we the Church co-opted? So for those critics, I have three points.
Number one: Do you give your kids birthday gifts? You celebrate your kids birthdays, why not celebrate the birth of the Savior? If we’re not going to do it now, when would you decide to do it? That would be a question.
Secondly, in 1st Corinthians 9:22, Paul says, “I became all things to all men, that by all means I may win some.” I can’t think of a time, and I doubt that you could think of a time in the year when there is more focus on the birth of Jesus Christ. Once a year, the world is confronted with the reality of His coming. And I think that’s great!
The third point is in Matthew 16:18,where Jesus said, “On this rock, I will build my church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.” The idea is not that we are holding out against the world. The idea is that we are assaulting a world and they cannot overwhelm us. They cannot withstand the assault of the Church. The very fact that you and I are here, 2000 years after the coming of the Lord Jesus Christ, is evidence of that. The world has done everything it can to squash the message, destroy the Word, and intimidate believers. Yet, all around the world today there are those who are singing praise, spreading the Word and sharing the gospel of Jesus Christ. So, if we co-opt or take over Christmas, that’s what we’re supposed to do. We’re supposed to seize the gates of the enemy. This is why we’re here and why this season is so important.

Gene Cunningham - July 26, 2022

Three Questions

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As always, it is crucial to get the contextual setting. Jesus “departed from the temple” (Matt. 24:1). But this follows His most terrible message to Israel in Matthew 23, in which He announces eight “woes” to the nation for their rejection of Him. He concludes this message with the warning, “You shall see Me no more till you say, ‘Blessed is He who comes in the name of the LORD!’” (Matt. 23:39). Jesus never entered the Temple again. This departure was a fulfillment of the vision of Ezekiel (Ezek. 10:18–19), where he saw the “glory of the LORD” depart from the temple. The disciples’ comment on the buildings of the Temple (Matt. 24:1) results in Jesus’ prophecy of its ultimate destruction. This, in turn, causes the disciples to ask three questions. These questions are vital to all that follows. Jesus’ response is a prophetic overview of future history. Jesus’ Prophecy of the Temple, Matthew 24:1–2 Although this prophecy certainly anticipates the destruction of Jerusalem in 70 A. D. (dealt with in Luke 21:20–24), we know that not “every stone” of the Temple was thrown down at this time. The very existence of the western or “wailing” wall is proof of this. Jesus had in mind the total destruction that would precede His Second Coming (Rev. 16:17–21). The Questions of the Disciples, Matthew 24:3 The three questions are related, yet they address separate issues: 1. “When will these things be?” This question has to do with time. The question is answered in the Tribulation portion of the message (Matt. 24:9–28). 2. “What will be the sign of your coming?” This specifically relates to the Second Coming of Christ (Matt. 24:29–31). This does not refer to the Rapture, which is at this time part of the unrevealed “mystery” of the Church Age (Eph. 3:1–10). 3. The final question has to do with “the end of the age,” which I take to mean the “Age of Israel” since the disciples did not yet know about the Church Age. We now know that the Age of Israel has been interrupted by the Church Age (an intercalation). The final seven years of the Age of Israel is the Tribulation period, also known as Daniel’s 70th week (Dan. 9:24–27), which is divided into two portions of “1,260 days,” or “42 months,” or “three and a half years” (see Dan. 12:7; Rev. 12:6, 14; 13:5).