Which ones are the better choice?
Answer:
There are huge differences between Christmas and Easter and the Holy Days God commanded His people to observe. Christmas and Easter are man-made festivals without biblical authorization. God's festivals mentioned in Leviticus 23 are biblically sanctioned and were commanded forever. God's Holy Days teach us how to live godly lives and give us hope by explaining His plan of salvation. Christmas and Easter customs and celebrations mask these important truths.
As an example, the Days of Unleavened Bread, commanded by God (Leviticus 23:6) and observed by the early Christians (1 Corinthians 5:6-8), teach us to put sin (represented during this weeklong festival by leavened items such as bread and cake) out of our lives. This festival teaches us that we must struggle to overcome sin with the help of God's Spirit and live righteously. Easter celebrations ignore this important instruction.
The contrast between the biblically authorized Feast of Tabernacles and Christmas is similar. The former inspires us with hope in Christ's future 1,000-year reign on earth in the Kingdom of God, while the latter celebrates His birth with traditions, ornaments and customs He would not approve, on a day He could not have been born. (The BibleThe books (Greek, "biblia" ) that are acknowledged as canonical (authoritative) by the early Christian Church. It includes both the books of the ancient Hebrew prophets and those of the apostolic witnesses to Jesus Christ. shows His birth was nowhere near Dec. 25.)
Easter and Christmas not only lack biblical authorization, but they entered traditional Christianity through men who deliberately replaced God's commanded festivals with their own. Trying to justify the change, both of these pagan (pre-Christian) festivals were dressed up with supposed Christian meanings—one to celebrate Christ's resurrection, the other His birth.
As wonderful as Christ's birth and resurrection are, the BibleThe books (Greek, "biblia" ) that are acknowledged as canonical (authoritative) by the early Christian Church. It includes both the books of the ancient Hebrew prophets and those of the apostolic witnesses to Jesus Christ. does not tell us to celebrate these things (and especially not with the pagan customs associated with them). Instead, it tells us to annually commemorate His death (Luke 22:19; 1 Corinthians 11:24-25) and to seek the Kingdom of God (Matthew 6:33). God commands us to observe His Holy Days (Leviticus 23), which help us do these things. Using rabbits and Easter eggs to remember Christ's resurrection or decorating evergreen trees to remember His birth comes not from the BibleThe books (Greek, "biblia" ) that are acknowledged as canonical (authoritative) by the early Christian Church. It includes both the books of the ancient Hebrew prophets and those of the apostolic witnesses to Jesus Christ., but from ancient paganism.
Given the history and meanings of Easter and Christmas, it is quite understandable why so many people today think of Christianity as only a celebration of what Christ has done for us instead of the honorable quest to live godly lives in anticipation of His return to establish the Kingdom of God.
If you want more of the facts about Christmas and Easter, request our free booklet Holidays or Holy Days: Does It Matter Which Days We Observe? Additional information about God's annual Holy Days is presented in our free booklet God's Holy Day Plan: The Promise of Hope for All Mankind.
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