Christmas did not begin with the birth of Jesus Christ. Christmas is not a refined form of ancient winter festivals, as critics of modern Christmas observance point out. Christmas is older than recorded history itself. The first Christmas took place before anything on earth was ever created -- and every person who ever lived or will live on earth was there to celebrate it together as spiritual beings.
Christmas is the remembrance of our experience there. It is the acknowlegement of what transpired during an event scriptural scholars have come to call the Grand Council. Here is what happened "before the world was":
Christmas did not begin with the birth of Jesus Christ. Christmas is not a refined form of ancient winter festivals, as critics of modern Christmas observance point out.
Christmas is older than recorded history itself. The first Christmas took place before anything on earth was ever created -- and every person who ever lived or will live on earth was there to celebrate it together as spiritual beings.
Christmas is the remembrance of our experience there. It is the acknowlegement of what transpired during an event scriptural scholars have come to call the Grand Council. Here is what happened "before the world was":
The merits of each argument did not divide the gathered beings evenly. And it was not a happy debate. Lucifer, according to the scripture, was able to convince a large number of souls to go against the will of the Father:
"And there was a war in heaven: Michael and his angels fought against the dragon; and the dragon fought and his angels, and prevailed not; neither was their place found any more in heaven." More than one third chose Lucifer's side -- and those were cast out and not given the opportunity to come to this life.
This scene was made known to the Old Testament Prophet Isaiah. "How art thou fallen from heaven, O Lucifer, son of the morning!...For thou has said in thine heart, "I will ascend into heaven, I will exalt my thone above the stars of God...I will be like the most High. Yet thou shalt be brought down to hell."
In the middle of this pre-mortal drama, Jesus Christ "...who verily was foreordained before the foundation of the world", was chosen and ordained of God for a special purpose: to become the Savior of the world. He was the Only Begotten of the Father, in possession of the God-like traits necessary to redeem man from sin that would forever remove them from the presence of eternal life with God.
It was only after this war in heaven-- after the one third of the hosts of heaven who sided with Satan were cast out-- that those who remained in support of God's plan could celebrate victory. But it was Jesus Christ's role in the great plan that made it all worthy of celebration-- "the morning stars sang together, and all the sons of God shouted for joy".
That was the very first celebration of Christmas.
