'Yes, Virginia, Satan, er, Santa is an obvious counterfeit'

"Point is, there's not a single fictional character whose reputation is greater or spread more widely. Quite simply, Santa Claus is a legendary figure, and I couldn't imagine a better role model for all the kids around the world"--Top Ten Most Influential Fictional Characters In History

"Someone asked me, 'Where's Santy Claus in the Bible?' " relays Richard Jordan. "Well, look at Zechariah 2:6. It reads, 'Ho, ho, come forth, and flee from the land of the north, saith the Lord: for I have spread you abroad as the four winds of the heaven, saith the Lord.'

"This is God calling Israel back to Jerusalem (for Jesus Christ's return to set up His kingdom), and when He does, He says, 'Ho, ho.' He's excited about regathering Israel and putting them back into their land."

Santa (anagram for Satan) Claus is a false Christ who matches the true Christ in many of his features. In fact, his image is like that of Jesus Christ at the Second Coming.

"In what specific ways does Santa counterfeit the Lord Jesus Christ?" says David Reid. "Santa visits every house in the world on the same night. In order to do that, you have to essentially be omnipresent. Speaking about God, Psalm 139 says, [7] Whither shall I go from thy spirit? or whither shall I flee from thy presence?[8] If I ascend up into heaven, thou art there: if I make my bed in hell, behold, thou art there.

"Santa sees you when you're sleeping, he knows when you're awake, he knows if you've been bad or good. He's essentially omniscient. He knows all those things. Proverbs 15:3 says about the Lord: [3] The eyes of the LORD are in every place, beholding the evil and the good.

"What does Santa do? He gives gifts. What does Matthew 7:11 say about what God does? [11] If ye then, being evil, know how to give good gifts unto your children, how much more shall your Father which is in heaven give good things to them that ask him?

"Santa has little children come unto him. What happened in Matthew 19? Jesus Christ says, 'Suffer the little children to come unto me.'

"Santa is a jolly old--he's always described as old. You know why he's always described as an old elf? Because God is the ancient of days. The Lord was before Abraham and thus He was old.

*****

"In Revelation 1:14, talking about the Lord Jesus Christ, it says, 'His head and his hairs were white like wool.' So what kind of hair does this guy have?" asks Jordan.

"Verse 15 says, 'And his feet like unto fine brass, as if they burned in a furnace.' So when this guy comes to your house, what does he come down? The chimney. Did you ever look up the word 'chimney' in the dictionary? It means 'a furnace of fire.'

"Come with me to Isaiah 63:2. This is talking about the Lord Jesus Christ coming. It says, 'Wherefore art thou red in thine apparel.' What color clothes does he wear?

"Look at what Deuteronomy 33:26 says about the Lord Jesus Christ when He comes back to establish His kingdom.

"And, by the way, if you notice verse 24, it says, 'And of Asher he said, Let Asher be blessed with children; let him be acceptable to his brethren.' Asher is the name of the boy Leah had back in Genesis when she said, 'Happy am I, for the daughters will call me blessed.' Asher means 'happy.'

"So when the happy God comes to accomplish His purpose, verse 26 says, 'There is none like the God of Jeshurun, who rideth upon the heaven in thy help, and in his excellency on the sky.'

"You know how He comes back? He's riding in the sky. 

"In Matthew 7:7, when Jesus Christ's speaking to the 'little flock' in Israel, talking about when He comes to say 'Ho, ho, ho' to the nation Israel—when He comes with that white hair and red garment, riding in the heavens to establish His kingdom—He says to that kingdom group of saints, 'Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you.'

"You take your kids down to the mall and what do you tell them  to tell this other guy in a red suit and white hair? You say, 'Tell him what you want.' Because whatever you want, he'll give it to you.

"In Genesis 18, the question's asked, 'Is anything impossible with God?' Whatever you want, this dude will get you.

"In Matthew 28, Jesus said, 'All power in heaven and earth is given to me.' This other guy over here, we say, 'Well, he knows everything. He knows when you're sleeping, he knows when you're awake, he knows when you're bad, he knows when you're good. He's making a list and checking it twice.'

"Revelation 20:12 says men are going to stand before God and the books are going to be opened, and they're going to be judged out of the things written in the books. God's got a list.

"Gets kind of spooky, doesn't it? Think somebody's trying to counterfeit something along the way here?"

*****

Reid continues, "What is Santa's profession? He makes toys, right? Santa is in his woodworking shop making wooden toys. Do you know any famous carpenters? I know one. It's not a coincidence that Santa makes wooden toys, don't kid yourself.

"Where does Santa live? Why is he at the North Pole and not the South Pole? The reason why is in Isaiah 14, where there's a description of what is said to Satan when he's cast into hell and mocked by people. Verses 12-13: [12] How art thou fallen from heaven, O Lucifer, son of the morning! how art thou cut down to the ground, which didst weaken the nations!

[13] For thou hast said in thine heart, I will ascend into heaven, I will exalt my throne above the stars of God: I will sit also upon the mount of the congregation, in the sides of the north:

"The universe has to come to a point where it can't go farther north, almost like the earth has a northernmost point and that's where Santa supposedly lives. He lives in the North Pole just as God sits in the sides of the north. 

*****

"Santa is known as 'Father Christmas.' Jesus Christ is specially called the 'everlasting Father,' isn't He? You can see it in Isaiah 9:6: [6] For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counseller, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace.

"What is Santa's other name? Kris Kringle. What does the word 'Kris' mean? It's an abbreviation of Christopher, a name that means 'bearing Christ inside.' It's a derivation of Christ. In other words, Santa, by his very name, is a false Christ!

*****

"Santa Claus is a counterfeit of the Lord Jesus Christ specifically with regard to the Second Coming. Everyone knows the tune, 'Santa Claus is coming to town.' The issue with Santa Claus is his coming! You look forward to it, you wait, you set out cookies so the fat man can steal one. You're anticipating he's going to be there, just as the world waits for the return of Jesus Christ, doesn't it? 'Behold, I come quickly.'

"Santa's always pictured with white hair and a beard. Did Christ have a beard? He apparently did, according to Isaiah 50:6. [6] I gave my back to the smiters, and my cheeks to them that plucked off the hair: I hid not my face from shame and spitting.

"Revelation tells you something about what Christ's going to look like when He returns. His head and His hairs were white like wool. Isn't that what Santa Claus looks like? See, he masquerades as what the Lord Jesus Christ is going to be at the Second Coming.

"What does Santa wear? He dresses in red and white. What does Jesus Christ wear, according to Revelation 19, which describes the Second Coming?

"Verses 13-14 :[13] And he was clothed with a vesture dipped in blood: and his name is called The Word of God. [14] And the armies which were in heaven followed him upon white horses, clothed in fine linen, white and clean.

"Guess what color it will be--it's going to white and red. It's going to be blood-stained. You would think about Santa differently if you thought that what he was wearing was a blood-stained garment.

"You know what Santa does? He comes surreptitiously, suddenly, unannounced in the middle of the night. You know good and well who that is. I Thessalonians 5:2: [2] For yourselves know perfectly that the day of the Lord so cometh as a thief in the night.

"In Revelation 3:3 is Jesus Christ speaking: 'I will come on thee as a thief, and thou shalt not know what hour I will come upon thee.'

"Revelation 16:15: [15] Behold, I come as a thief. Blessed is he that watcheth, and keepeth his garments, lest he walk naked, and they see his shame.

"But there's more. Santa makes a list, doesn't he? What I would suggest to you is that in Revelation 20 the Lord Jesus Christ has a list as well. Because the Lord keeps both the books of the works that men have performed and what does He also keep? The Book of Life.

"Santa checks his list twice. If you read Revelation 20, it seems to me that what happens is before anyone is cast into 'the lake of fire,' just to be safe, the Book of Life is opened and it's confirmed that their name is not in there.

"By the way, does God know who's saved and lost? Of course He does, but He sort of double-checks. He confirms that they're not in the Book of Life before they're cast into the lake of fire. That's Santa checking his list.

*****

"Is Santa designed to be a counterfeit of the Lord Jesus Christ at the Second Coming? This is Satan's deception: Just as it is childish and foolish to believe in Santa when you're grownup, it's childish and foolish to believe in the Second Coming. Doesn't even II Peter say, 'Where is the promise of his coming?'

"You've been told you should teach your children this deliberate lie, that there's this Santa Claus character, and then what happens is someone at school or otherwise tells the kid that it's fake. So they learn that the whole Santa thing is a joke; it's not real, it's just a game children play.

"I believe it's a way to teach people not to believe in the Second Coming. What Satan wants to do is condition people to outgrow their faith in Christ and outgrow their faith in His return.

"The world gets excited when Santa's coming because Santa's bringing toys: 'Isn't this going to be great, we're all going to have a jolly Christmas.' What actually happens at the Second Coming?

"Revelation 6: [15] And the kings of the earth, and the great men, and the rich men, and the chief captains, and the mighty men, and every bondman, and every free man, hid themselves in the dens and in the rocks of the mountains;

[16] And said to the mountains and rocks, Fall on us, and hide us from the face of him that sitteth on the throne, and from the wrath of the Lamb:

"There's men who are crying out that they want rocks to fall on them because they're looking up into heaven--they see the sign of the Son of man coming in heaven and think, 'I'd rather be crushed by a large rock because otherwise He's going to come get me.'

"They're not looking for toys; they're in abject fear. Verse 17: [17] For the great day of his wrath is come; and who shall be able to stand?

"Of course, among the lost, the answer is no one." 

(new article tomorrow)