Christmas, no matter its origins, is the most important commercial season of the year.

Without the centuries-old tradition of exchanging of gifts, the national economy would be dealt a terrible blow—thousands of businesses would be bankrupt.

 You will be astonished to discover the REAL TRUTH about this most important of all nominal Christian holidays.

www.garnertedarmstrong.org/Tis_the_Seaso...

The Lord was with Jehoshaphat because he followed the earlier ways of his father by not seeking Baal.  Instead, he sought the God of his father, and unlike Israel, he followed God’s commandments.     – 2Chron. 17:3-4, Common English Bible (CEB)

PAUL:  What matters is keeping God’s commandments.    – 1Cor. 7:19, CEB

PAUL:  God made the nations so they would seek him, perhaps even reach out to him and find him. In fact, God isn’t far away from any of us.    – Acts 17:27, CEB

DAVID:  If you seek Him, He will let you find Him; but if you forsake Him, He will reject you forever.     – 1Chron. 28:9, NASB

Elijah:  “This is what the Lord, the God of your ancestor David, says: Because you haven’t walked in the ways of your father Jehoshaphat or the ways of Judah’s King Asa,  but have walked in the ways of Israel’s kings and have encouraged Judah and Jerusalem’s citizens to be unfaithful [to play the harlot, NKJV]…”      - 2Chron. 21:12-13, CEB

MYSTERY, BABYLON THE GREAT,
THE MOTHER OF HARLOTS…      - Rev. 17:5, NKJV

And the woman whom you saw is that great city which reigns over the kings of the earth.               - Rev. 17:18, NKJV

The seven heads are seven hills on which the woman sits.    – Rev. 17:9, NIV

Come, I will show you the judgment of the great harlot….     – Rev. 17:1, NKJV

Meanwhile, a certain Jew named Apollos arrived in Ephesus. He was a native of Alexandria and was well-educated and effective in his use of the scriptures.  He had been instructed in the way of the Lord and spoke as one stirred up by the Spirit … When Priscilla and Aquila heard him, they received him into their circle of friends and explained to him God’s way more accurately.     - Acts 18:24-26, Common English Bible (CEB)

I will use them to test Israel. I will see if Israel will keep the way of the Lord to walk in it like their fathers did, or not.   – Judges 2:22, New Life Version (NLV)

Yet they would not listen to their judges, but they played the harlot with other gods, and bowed down to them. They turned quickly from the way in which their fathers walked, in obeying the commandments of the Lord (1Cor. 7:19/1Jn 2:3-4); they did not do so.     – Judges 2:17, NKJV

Some people had closed their minds, though. They refused to believe and publicly slandered the Way. As a result, Paul left them, took the disciples with him, and continued his daily interactions in Tyrannus’ lecture hall.      – Acts 19:9, CEB

PAUL:  I do admit this to you, that I am a follower of the Way, which they call a faction. Accordingly, I worship the God of our ancestors and believe everything set out in the Law and written in the Prophets.     – Acts 24:14, CEB

so I encourage you to follow my example.  This is why I’ve sent Timothy to you; he’s my loved and trusted child in the Lord; he’ll remind you about my way of life in Christ Jesus. He’ll teach the same way as I teach everywhere in every church.     – 1Cor. 4:16-17, CEB