Disclaimer: Truth is powerful and it sets free, but with truth, also comes responsibility. Once we know the truth about something, we are held in greater account to that truth then when our eyes were darkened. As was said, truth is freeing, but it is also cutting. The Word of God pierces through to the marrow of our bones and the marrow of intent, The process of deliverance does not always feel good right away, but at its end is true freedom. We have to be willing to press through the discomfort of conviction, and face truth with a humble heart, which greatly desires to love the Father above all else. 

Ephesians 6:14
"Stand therefore, having fastened on the belt of truth, and having put on the breastplate of righteousness,..."

Before we get into the truth about the history of where our modern day valentines celebration comes from, let us examine scriptural love. We see various types of love presented in the Word, and when pursued biblically, all these forms of love are from Elohim. We have the romantic love between a man and his wife of being echad "one" with each other, in a set apart covenant established by the Father. This love, was established and ordained at Creation for the man and his wife to reflect the oneness of Elohim and to do His perfect will on the earth. 
Deuteronomy 6:4 “Hear, O Israel! The Lord is our God, the Lord is one!  

The scripture also represents love among the brethren or brotherly love, that some translations reference as "charity". One of the greatest commandments of the Torah is to love our neighbor as ourself. "Ahav" is an active form of love that is based on the action of love and not merely a feeling. "Chesed" seems the highest form of love. It is the type of love that Yah loves with and can not be confined by sentimentalities. It is covenential, steadfast, unfailing, strong, loyal, filled with unmerited kindness and compassions, and is hard to sum up with human words. 
In scripture, we see many examples and forms of love ranging from chastisement and judgement, to the highest form of mercy, grace, and compassion. 

As children of Yah, our love is shown to the Father through our obedience to His Word, our firmness of faith, our acts of set apart living, our sincere love for our neighbor and for the poor, widow, and orphan, our submission, and our willing and teachable hands and spirit. As women, we are called to love our "head" or "covering" whether that be a father figure or our husband, by engaging in biblical submission and obedience, reverence and respect, and assisting him in whatever vision and goals the Most High has put in that mans life. As children, we are to give weight to the righteous things our parents teach us and to show them honor and respect in accordance with righteousness. Love in the kingdom is truly filled with a depth that worldly sentiments could never even touch. 

Often times, in our pursuit to draw near to the Father and to learn to love Him in the way He desires, we have to put aside things of this world that at one point we thought we "loved". There seems to be a principality associated with certain traditions and the sentimentality they bring. People will often manifest great anger and distain at even the mention of letting go of these elemental things even though they may be grieving and displeasing to the Most High. 

All roads lead to Rome, or so it seems. The road to mapping out our modern day holidays seems to go even further back than Rome or Greece. Yes, Rome loved its festivals, but where did this false deity worship gain its speed? I suppose, it can be argued that this goes as far back as the garden, when Eve took the word of the serpent over the Word of God, thus putting another face on the Most High and diverting her worship to the lust of the eyes and the lust of her flesh and the pride of her heart. We know that in the days before the flood that false gods were worshipped and that evil was over the face of the whole earth. However, we see this rise of organized effort come about when Nimrod enters the scene. Nimrod, who goes by different names in different cultures and Semiramis, who also has gone by many names in different cultures and time periods, such as Ishtar or the "queen of heaven".  In Babylonian history and myth, and in Egyptian history and myth, we see a myriad of customs, "gods", sacrifices, and festivals, all to appease their deities for reasons for wealth, power, growth, harvest, and fertility. These customs inevitably found their way to Greece and to Rome where they were given names and where a few extra lewd customs were added to the mix. 
To get to our modern day holiday of valentines celebrated here in the west, we must first rewind back to Rome and the festival of Lupercalia. Lupercalia was celebrated every year during the time that is our current day mid-February. The time of the winter solstice had passed, and the earth was soon to begin it's time of waking. The days getting longer, and being that pagans revolve much of their worship around the sun, Lupercalia was about the waking fertility of the sun and the 'gods' associated with it. The 'god' being worshipped was Lupercus, otherwise known as Faunus, Cupid, or Tammuz/Nimrod(Baal), or Pan "the winged 'god'" or the hunter 'god'. Lupercus was said to protect the fertility of the harvest, increased fertility in women, and packs of wild animals. In other cultures, he was known to cause spells to come over people to create an obsessive "love" to another person. During this Lupercalia festival,  an animal was sacrificed and the men would take the hides of this animal and whip the women (the original 50 shades of gray perhaps?), as it was said to increase the fertility in the women in the year ahead. Thanks but no thanks. In order to appease the god and goddess of this festival, the people would engage in orgies and lascivious sexual acts. It was a time of sorcery, sacrifice, and sexual immortality, all to appease their false deities and the desires of their wicked flesh. 
So, how did a festival such as this make its way into our lives? As with many of our traditional holidays, the church of Rome, otherwise known as the Catholic church, in their efforts to dominate regions, "christianized" many pagan festivals and un-holy days as to take more peoples and regions for the "church". The day was altered and tweaked over time, and the festival name replaced with the name of a "saint" and a story behind that "saint". 
Fast forward to the modern western world. Big business is the west prettied up this day even more and began to market it as a way to make money, and money they made. Today, Americas spend roughly between 18 and 20 billon dollars on valentines day alone. I don't know about you, but I could think of a few better ways to steward that money in the world we live in today.
We have deemed this the day of love and men everywhere are cornered into spending their money on overpriced flowers and candy. 
Suicide hotlines in the US receive twice as many calls on Valentine's Day, with people struggling with their relationship status. The day puts a tremendous amount of undo pressure on both men and women a like and there seems to be a correlation with the timing of valentines day and the yearly rise of suicide rates.  This is also a time when much witchcraft is practiced, and 'love' spells are sent forth to unsuspecting people. 
The holiday we celebrate today may be a spin off of the original festival of lupercalia, but no doubt that the principality behind it is still very much in play. It is easy to say that our intentions are good or that we do not see valentines this way, and so it is innocent to us. However, must ask ourselves, why do I need this? Why can I not let this go? Why am I getting defensive in the face of truth? Yahweh has commanded us not to associate ourselves in anyway with customs that originate with the way pagans worshipped their false deities. And so the real question remains, what or who do I love most? We do not get to decide what is holy and what is profane, only God can do that. We can attempt to justify the motive of our hearts, but God is a God who sees into the inner spaces of the heart and knows its secret motives. There are over 300 days a year when you can honor, love, and show affection to your spouse. You can create your own traditions within your marriage where you carve out special time to show your love for one another or to give something special to your beloved that have nothing to do with pagan festivals or the worship of false deities. 
Every single day we have to make a choice, and I pray that we will all aim to proclaim... As for me and my house, we will serve YHWH!"
You can not spray perfume on a corpse to make death any easier, and you can't pretty up or "christianize" pagan worship and call it good. God makes the rules and He alone is worthy of our worship, affection, and praise.
​We will spend so much effort holding onto the worthless elements of this world and yet strain in rejecting the feasts and festivals of the Creator. Let's just take a moment to rest on that and meditate today on true love as defined by our Creator. 
                                                                              John 3:16-21
16 “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life. 17 For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him. 18 Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only Son of God. 19 And this is the judgment: the light has come into the world, and people loved the darkness rather than the light because their works were evil. 20 For everyone who does wicked things hates the light and does not come to the light, lest his works should be exposed. 21 But whoever does what is true comes to the light, so that it may be clearly seen that his works have been carried out in God.”​

There is a day coming, that some of us may live to see. Waiting at the shores of tribulation for the sea before us to part. Standing at the edge of battle clutching our shield of faith. Walking through a wilderness of uncharted territory nourished by manna from the Fathers hand. As we go down the path that we are each destined to walk, we can know that the feet of God’s people have marched there before, and He has not abandoned them. The story of His victories when all seemed lost stay with us. It is said that what has been will be and there is nothing new under the sun. And so, as we walk into a time unknown, we can hold onto the promises of the One who is faithful and true. And with our lamps filled with oil, we can look and see the steps of those who have gone before us.
This history begins when Alexander the Great, son of Philip of Macedonia, marched from Macedonia and attacked Darius, king of Persia and Media. Alexander enlarged the Greek Empire by defeating Darius and seizing his throne. 5-7 When Alexander had been emperor for twelve years, he fell ill. After his death, the generals took control, 9 and each had himself crowned king of his own territory. The descendants of these kings ruled for many generations and brought a great deal of misery on the world.
10 The wicked ruler Antiochus Epiphanes, son of King Antiochus the Third of Syria, was a descendant of one of Alexander's generals.
11 At that time there appeared in the land of Israel a group of traitorous Israelites who had no regard for the Law. They said,Let's come to terms with the Gentiles, for our refusal to associate with them has brought us nothing but trouble. 
After the conquest of Egypt, Antiochus marched with a great army against the land of Israel and the city of Jerusalem. 21 In his arrogance, he entered the Temple to defile and steal from it 
Israels Temple became as empty as a wilderness; her festivals were turned into days of mourning, her Sabbath joy into shame.
 The king also sent messengers with a decree to Jerusalem and all the towns of Judea, ordering the people to follow customs that were foreign to the country. He commanded them to treat  Gods Sabbaths and festivals as ordinary days. 46 They were even ordered to defile the Temple and the holy things in it.[e] 47 They were commanded to build pagan altars, temples, and shrines, and to sacrifice pigs and other unclean animals there. 
48All this, so that they would forget the Law which the Lord had given through Moses and would disobey all its commands. 50 The penalty for disobeying the king's decree was death.
14 In their grief, the grandson of Simeon, Mattathias and his sons tore their clothes, put on sackcloth, and continued in deep mourning.
The king's officials said to Mattathias,
You are a respected leader in this town, and you have the support of your sons and relatives. If you do what we have asked and encourage others also, you and your sons will be honored with the title of
Friends of the King, and you will be rewarded with silver and gold and many gifts.
 But Mattathias answered in a loud voice,
My children, my relatives, and I will continue to keep the covenant that God made with our ancestors. 21 With God's help we will never abandon his Law or disobey his commands. 22 We will not obey the king's decree, and we will not change our way of worship in the least.
At the time of his death, Mattathias called on his son, Judas Maccabeus to be commander and to lead God’s people in battle against the enemy. 67 Call everyone who obeys God's Law to rally around you; then avenge the wrongs done to your people.
It is not difficult, Judas answered,
for a small group to overpower a large one. It makes no difference to the Lord whether we are rescued by many people or by just a few. 19 Victory in battle does not depend on who has the largest army; it is the Lord's power that determines the outcome. 
And Indeed, Elohim led His people to victory over the enemies.
Judas and his brothers said,
Now that our enemies have been defeated, let's go to Jerusalem to purify the Temple and rededicate it.  Then Judas, his brothers, and the entire community of Israel decreed that the rededication of the altar should be celebrated with a festival of joy and gladness at the same time each year, beginning on the twenty-fifth of the month of Kislev and lasting for eight days.

Feast of Dedication is a looking back at a great victory of God for the remnant of His people. We also see His mercy in the midst of judgement on a rebellious people who had joined themselves to the gentile customs. We see a remnant of God’s people rise up and die for the cause of righteousness with an extreme and honorable faith that superseded human fears and frailties.
In this hour we face, Whatever may come, it is in Him and Him alone that we have the victory. May we hold fast to the commands of our Father and stand on the testimony of the Messiah who has come. May our temples always to dedicated and purified to the service of The Most High and May the oil and light of the menorah burn within us continually.May Elohim be good to you and keep the covenant he made with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, his faithful servants. 3 May he fill each of you with the desire to worship him and to do his will eagerly with all your heart and soul. 4 May he enable you to understand his Law and his commands. May he give you peace, 5 answer your prayers, forgive your sins, and never abandon you in times of trouble. ​

Abba, Father, Almighty Elohim, I praise You for Your mercies are anew every morning and your compassions are unfailing. I praise You with my breath, I praise You with my tears, I praise You with my voice, and I praise You with my life. You, Father, are seated on Your throne, high above all powers, nations, kings, kingdoms, and peoples. You are Holy, Almighty Yah, and Your Name is Holy; You alone are worthy of praise. Forgive me Father for any sin that I have committed against You. Forgive me for sins known and unknown, seen and unseen. Forgive me for any sins of ignorance against Your Word and show me and empower me to walk in victory over these things. Forgive me for any ear that I have leant to the world and in doing so, sinned against Your Word. Search me Father, convict me of my sins, and refine me, that I might come out as pure gold. Show me by Your Spirit in Your Word how to love You by walking in obedience to Your Way. Empower me by Your Holy set apart Spirit to walk in the paths everlasting and to be a vessel of honor, being perfected unto the day of Yeshua Messiah/Jesus Christ. Through the blood of Messiah Yeshua/Jesus Christ of Nazareth, I come to the alter of the most Holy place, and I lift up my prayer to You as incense from the alter to Your almighty throne. I praise You for the perfect sacrifice of Yeshua/Jesus, that has allowed me to confidently come before Your throne of grace and to lay my supplications at Your alter. 
I lift up ______ to You Father, and I ask You humbly for the strength to love ______ with a pure love that can only come from Your Spirit in me. I pray for the strength to forgive and give grace to _______ in the way that You have so undeservedly shown me grace and mercy. I ask Father, for the ability and the strength to display godly character around _______ that He might grow in His seeking of You in seeing my actions and in hearing my words. I ask that You would give me the strength it takes to produce the fruit of a gentle and quiet spirit, and to walk actively in all the fruits of Your set apart Spirit. In the mighty authority of Yeshua/ Jesus the Messiah, I break all agreements with any generational curses over my life, and I submit myself to the will the Almighty Elohim. I cancel every agreement that I have made with this world and with the things of darkness in regards to my womanhood. I cancel every assignment of the enemy against me, my family, and my walk with the Creator. I pray Father, that You would deliver me from any lying, oppressive, and influencing spirit of darkness over me, and close any doors that may have been opened. I now take up the full armor of Elohim and the power of His might, with all authority over the lies of the enemy. I pray these things in accordance with the perfect will of Elohim. 
I pray Almighty Father, that You would draw _______ in accordance with Your perfect will and I pray that ______ name would be written in the lamb's book of life. I ask that you would wash _____ and make him clean. I pray that ______ would be convicted of any sin he is walking in and empowered to cease from evil, learn to do good, seek justice, and extend his hand to defend the oppressed. I pray in the mighty authority of Yeshua/Jesus the Messiah, that ________ would hear Your voice and follow You, my King, Savior, and Shield. I pray that _____ would not harden his heart to the truth, but rather, that he would walk in it. I ask Father, that You would show ______ how to live as a new creation in You and that he would have a hunger to know You and to walk in accordance with Your Word. Almighty King, I pray that ______ would run his race with discipline and that he would be open to correction from You. I pray that you would heal ______ and strengthen his hands for battle and his fingers for war, that in the evil day, _______ would be able to stand against every fiery dart of the evil one. In the mighty authority of Yeshua/Jesus the Messiah, and in accordance with the will of Yah, I cancel every assignment of the enemy against ________ , and against his life, against his walk, and against his future. I pray by the blood and authority of Yeshua/Jesus the Messiah, that every chain that binds ______ would be broken, that he might walk in freedom and deliverance and shalom in accordance with the will of Elohim. 
I thank you Father for Your patience and Your faithfulness. Give me the strength today, to love as You have loved, and 
above all things, may Your will be done on earth as it is in the heavens. Not my will Father, but thine will be done.
I pray all these things in the mighty authority of the King of Kings, Yeshua/Jesus the Messiah. 
amen. 

​philia ministries - 2020

The Most High is our protector and defender and He charges His angels to watch over us and defend us with a ready sword. When the inevitable day comes and we do meet our end let us be as steadfast as all of those devoted brothers and sisters who came before us who were persecuted and executed for the Gospel and the truth. Let us with the same fervor share and confess the Gospel just as Yeshua’s disciples did as they were persecuted daily and eventually died because of their faith. Will we be as brave and bold as they were? We must be because that is our calling and our responsibility as followers of Yeshua/Jesus. This world will continue denying the return of the King and it will continue spiraling into chaos and destruction because men follow their own evil desires and lusts. What then can we do you may ask against such hatred? For one we should live according to the Word that was given to us by our Heavenly Father and in all circumstances show upright and pure love even in the midst of chaos. We have a responsibility to God and to our fellow man. We defend and care for the helpless and the vulnerable with humility and with faith in the Most High, because without His strength and guidance we will not get very far in this battle that is fought on several fronts. This battle upon us is physical, mental and spiritual.

We share and live out the Gospel of Yeshua Messiah/Jesus Christ and pray continuously that others will accept Him in this hour as the world becomes more perilous. Know that things are now in motion that cannot be undone. We are united as one on Messiah through the promise and truth of His Word. The houses of Israel and Judah united under one banner. That is what the enemy fears. He fears the return of Yeshua as King and setting up His righteous Kingdom here on earth as it is already established in heaven. The enemy knows his time is short and that is why situations are ramping up.

Sons and daughters of Yeshua Messiah, I bid you rise and be counted on this day as true and upright. Let us do the will of our Heavenly Father and remain strong in Him and endure in His love in world that rejects Him. Pray for hope and peace that others may turn from their wickedness and repent before it is too late.

Do not fear the things that are conspiring against us because we serve a King who is mightier than any who walks this earth. We serve the one true living God of Israel who was, who is and who will forever be the Great I AM.

Daniel Prinsloo

After months of intense pressure that was created by various factors all over the world we start to see a pattern emerge. People from all walks of life show themselves for who they truly are at heart, they cannot hide from it. When life is comfortable it can be easy to fake a lifestyle or even beliefs, because it’s convenient, but as soon as an environment of pressure arrives and the heat gets turned up a person cannot hide or fake who he or she truly is at heart. People with good intentions who always sought to live according to God’s will, shall be motivated even more and show a humble and pure nature, that is who they are as new creations in Yeshua Messiah/Jesus Christ, whereas on the other side people with ill intentions and wanting to do evil deeds have been given a chance to openly do so without repercussions. Look at your world today and know that believers in this stressful environment cannot fake or hide from their true identity. This is the time when you truly learn and see who your true friends are and who are true and pure in their faith walk. 

A person’s faith walk is the most important choice that will ever be made and it leads a person to make the right choices in future regarding relationships, friendships, marriage, work, and to live by the Word of God, the Bible. Good people will truly use this time to do even more good, while those in the world will be forced to join sides for either good or evil. All of us are experiencing daily tests and temptations and the “truth” provided by the world can seem blurry at the best of times. What shall we do then you may ask.

Let the world run its course as the next event will already be close at hand created by those in power who feel nothing for others and only seek to exploit tragedy and turmoil. So do what God expects from you and live an upright and humble life sharing that which is good and giving praise to Him every day. Be thankful for His blessings knowing that however chaotic it is out there, He is watching over and protecting His people. Share the Gospel of Yeshua/Jesus with all and pray for others to repent and realize the urgency of the times we are living in.

Remember during times of great strife and pressure a person cannot hide or fake who they truly are at heart. We will all learn and see who those are who truly live for God and who choose to endure, as opposed to those who will find comfort in the world and choose to rather abandon the faith because the pressure was too much or live a lukewarm faith.

I share this with love and ask that you pray for discernment regarding all things. Only God can provide the answers and ask His Holy Spirit to guide you in truth regarding anything that a person shares. Pray for our Heavenly Father’s will to be done and for His truth to shine brightly in a dark world. 

I pray Shalom to you and your house in the name of Yeshua Messiah/Jesus Christ of Nazareth, Amen!
-          Daniel Prinsloo

Do not fear or let your hearts be troubled during this time.

The Most High is our protector and defender and He charges His angels to watch over us and defend us with a ready sword. When the inevitable day comes and we do meet our end then let us be as steadfast as all of those devoted brothers and sisters who came before us who were persecuted and executed for the Gospel and the truth. Let us with the same fervor share and confess the Gospel just as Yeshua’s disciples did as they were persecuted daily and eventually died because of their faith. Will we be as brave and bold as they were? We must be because that is our calling and our responsibility as followers of Yeshua/Jesus.

This world will continue denying the return of the King and it will continue spiraling into chaos and destruction because men follow their own evil desires and lusts. What then can we do you may ask against such hatred? For one we should live according to the Word that was given to us by our Heavenly Father and in all circumstances show upright and pure love even in the midst of chaos. We have a responsibility to God and to our fellow man. We defend and care for the helpless and the vulnerable with humility and with faith in the Most High, because without His strength and guidance we will not get very far in this battle that is fought on several fronts. This battle upon us is physical, mental and spiritual.

We share and live out the Gospel of Yeshua Messiah/Jesus Christ and pray continuously that others will accept Him in this hour as the world becomes more perilous. Know that things are now in motion that cannot be undone. We are united as one on Messiah through the promises and the truth of His Word. The houses of Israel and Judah united under one banner. That is what the enemy fears. He fears the return of Yeshua as King and the setting up of His righteous Kingdom here on earth as it is already established in heaven. The enemy knows his time is short and that is why situations are ramping up exponentially.

Sons and daughters of Yeshua Messiah, I bid you rise and be counted for on this day as true and upright believers that God may love thee. Let us do the will of our Heavenly Father and remain strong in Him and endure in His love in a world that rejects Him. Pray for hope and peace that others may turn from their wickedness and repent before it is too late. Fight for and defend that which you love just as God fights and defends us as His children because He loves us.

Do not fear the things that are conspiring against us because we serve a King who is mightier than any who walks this earth. We serve the one true living God of Israel who was, who is and who will forever be the Great I AM.

Take heart dear brothers and sisters! I share this in love. I ask that you measure all words written and spoken with the Word of God and test all things according to His truth. I humbly ask that if you are in agreement please say Amen.
​
Daniel Prinsloo

Things to Study, Test, and Consider-
1. The Roman New Year also originally corresponded with the vernal equinox. The early Roman calendar consisted of 10 months and 304 days, with each new year beginning at the vernal equinox. According to tradition, the calendar was created by Romulus, the founder of Rome, in the eighth century B.C. However, over the centuries, the calendar fell out of sync with the sun, and in 46 B.C. the emperor Julius Caesar decided to solve the problem by consulting with the most prominent astronomers and mathematicians of his time. He introduced the Julian calendar, a solar-based calendar which closely resembles the more modern Gregorian calendar that most countries around the world use today.
'New Year's Day, also simply called New Year or New Year's, is observed on January 1, the first day of the year on the modern Gregorian calendar as well as the Julian calendar.In pre-Christian Rome under the Julian calendar, the day was dedicated to Janus, god of gateways and beginnings, for whom January is also named. As a date in the Gregorian calendar of Christendom, New Year's Day liturgically marked the Feast of the Naming and Circumcision of Jesus, which is still observed as such in the Anglican Church and Lutheran Church.[2][3] The Roman Catholic Church celebrates on this day the Solemnity of Mary, Mother of God.'
-Wikipedia
2. ​Romans would celebrate January 1st by offering sacrifices to Janus in the hope of gaining good fortune for the New Year, decorating their homes with laurel branches and attending raucous parties. This day was seen as setting the stage for the next twelve months, and it was common for friends and neighbors to make a positive start to the year by exchanging well wishes and gifts of figs and honey with one another.
'The ancient Babylonians are said to have been the first people to make New Year’s resolutions, some 4,000 years ago. They were also the first to hold recorded celebrations in honor of the new year—though for them the year began not in January but in mid-March, when the crops were planted. During a massive 12-day religious festival known as Akitu, the Babylonians crowned a new king or reaffirmed their loyalty to the reigning king. They also made promises to the gods to pay their debts and return any objects they had borrowed. These promises could be considered the forerunners of our New Year’s resolutions. If the Babylonians kept to their word, their (pagan) gods would bestow favor on them for the coming year. If not, they would fall out of the gods’ favor—a place no one wanted to be.'
- History Channel
3. Though early Christians rebelled against this festival, the Roman Catholic church decided to christianize January 1 by declaring it the "Feast of the Circumcision", considered to be the eighth day of Christ's life counting from December 25th and following the Jewish tradition of circumcision eight days after birth on which the child is formally given his or her name. However, most of us are aware that Dec. 25th was not Christ's birthday but rather the birthday of many false gods through the course of time. His birth and circumcision, most scholars conclude, was most likely occurred in the fall time. Feast of the circumcision is still observed by a few groups today, but at large the Catholic church gave up on it gaining ground in the 60s. 
Encyclopaedia Britannica: “By the Roman republican calendar, the year began on March 1; after 153 BC the official date was January 1, and this was confirmed by the Julian calendar (46 BC)…In early medieval times most of Christian Europe regarded March 25 (Annunciation Day) as the beginning of the year, though for Anglo-Saxon England New Year’s Day was Dec. 25.”
4. New Year's is one of the oldest and most universal of all pagan rituals. The custom of celebrating it has remained essentially unchanged for 4,000 years.
"There is scarcely a people, ancient or modern, savage or civilized," writes Theodor H. Gaster, in his definitive book "New Year", "which has not observed it ... in one form or another. Yet no other festival has been celebrated on so many different dates or in so many seemingly different ways." 
In ancient Babylon, New Year's festivals were closely bound to the pagan feast that over time has morphed into the modern day Christmas festival. 
"Mesopotamia," writes Earl W. Count, "is the very ancient Mother of Civilization. Christmas began there, over 4000 years ago, as the festival which renewed the world for another year. The 'twelve days' of Christmas; the bright fires and probably the Yule log; the giving of presents; the carnivals with their floats, their merrymakings and clownings, the mummers who sing and play from house to house; the feastings; the church processions with their lights and song -- all these and more began there centuries before Christ was born. And they celebrated THE ARRIVAL OF A NEW YEAR!" ("4000 Years of Christmas", pp. 20-21.)
The New Catholic Encyclopedia states:  “According to the hypothesis … accepted by most scholars today, the birth of Christ was assigned the date of the winter solstice (December 25 in the Julian [Roman] Calendar, January 6 in the Egyptian), because on this day, as the sun began to return to northern skies, the pagan devotees of Mithra celebrated dies natalis Solis Invicti (birthday of the invincible sun)” (1967, Vol. 3, p. 656).
That is how it began. The celebration of New Year's began in ancient Babylonia in Mesopotamia. It was a pagan custom of ancient sun-worship 2000 years before the birth of Jesus.
It is to be noted that to this day various peoples will celebrate AKITU FESTIVAL (New Years) by re-enacting the ancient pagan festival known today as "New Years" by wearing costumes and participating in the ancient rituals. 
5. Much of the symbolism associated with New Year’s celebrations today has very definite pagan origins. Kissing at the moment of transition to the next year is rooted in pagan sexual practice and superstition. 
6. The name of the month January is derived from the two-faced Roman god with the Latin name of Janus. The ancient Romans had adopted him as their god of time, doorways, new beginnings, coinage, war and peace. The reason he has two faces is because one face looks back into the past, and the other face forward to the future. This is essentially what happens on New Year’s Eve when you countdown to midnight which is the ending of one year, and the beginning of a brand new year filled with new hopes and dreams. A time to put an end to the past year which is now old, and began fresh with a new year.
​7. Helena Blavatsky (an occultist) had said, “His (Janus) temples were built with four equal sides, with a door and three windows on each side. Mythologists explain it as an emblem of the four seasons of the year, and three months in each season, and in all of the twelve months of the year. During the mysteries of Initiation, however, he became the Day-Sun and the NightSun. Hence he is often represented with the number 300 in one hand, and in the other 65, or the number of days of the Solar year.”
8.    Theodor H. Gaster writes concerning the familiar "New Year's babe":
 "Actually the New Year babe is FAR OLDER than he looks. In ancient Greece, it was customary at the great festival of Dionysus to parade a babe cradled in a winnowing basket. This was taken to symbolize the annual (or periodic) rebirth of that god as the spirit of fertility!" (New Year.) Who was this Dionysus? None other than Bacchus -- the god of wine! In his honor the Greeks held a festival called the "Festival of the Wine-Press" at the time which corresponds to our months of January-February! Today more alcoholic beverages are consumed during the "holiday season" than at any other time of the year! New Year's Eve is noted for its licentious, wild, and wanton partying.
9. Jeremiah 10:2-3: “Learn not the way of the heathen…for the customs of the people are vain.”
10. Revelation 18:4 "And I heard another voice from heaven saying, “Come out of her, my people, lest you share in her sins, and lest you receive of her plagues."
11. Romans 12:2 "And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God."
12. Exodus 12:1-2 Now the LORD spoke to Moses and Aaron in the land of Egypt, saying, “This month [speaking of Abib or Nisan] shall be unto you the beginning of months; it shall be the first month of the year to you."
13. This Pope Gregory, aside from his other faults, was an anti-Semite of the first order. It is an interesting place for this article to be found, but in the U.S. News and World Report, there was an article they ran back in December of 1996 that explains some things about Pope Gregory that I, for one, had never heard.First let me read this sentence: "As Christianity spread, pagan holidays were either incorporated into the Christian calendar or abandoned all together." I read that because I think they are cutting them way too much slack. "Abandoned altogether"? I think they are being very generous. I suspect there were very few pagan holidays that were "abandoned altogether." But according to this article, on New Year's Day, 1577, Pope Gregory decreed that all Roman Jews, under pain of death, must listen attentively to the compulsory Catholic conversion sermon given in Roman synagogues after Friday night services. On New Year's Day, 1578, Gregory signed into law a tax, forcing Jews to pay for support of a house of conversion convert Jews Christianity. On New Year's, 1581, Gregory ordered his troops to confiscate all sacred literature from the Roman Jewish community. Thousands of Jews were murdered in the campaign.
14. Leviticus 18:3 "You shall not do as they do in the land of Egypt, where you once lived, nor shall you do as they do in the land of Canaan, where I am bringing you; do not conform to their customs."

Yes, we live in this world and the Gregorian year of 2020 is upon us. However, we are not of this world. So, while we acknowledge it's a new year and we function by the modern calendar, we choose not to participate in the rituals or festivities of the day. Just like Daniel and his brothers subject to the land of Babylon, we function by the way of our current captivity. However, under no circumstances do we bow to their idols, or eat of their abominations, or break any of God's laws for the sake of our flesh. If the furnace of fire should soon come, we stand with confidence that there will be another in the fire with us ... our King who conquers our enemies. We believe the return of our the Lion of Judah is soon and swift and may we be seeking Him when He comes for us.  Choose this day.... 

Written by Daniel Prinsloo
There are similarities between what happened at Babel and what we see taking place all over the world and sadly within the body of Messiah also.
Genesis 11:1 “Now the entire earth had the same language with the same vocabulary.”
Genesis 11:4 “Then they said, “Come! Let’s build ourselves a city, with a tower whose top reaches into heaven. So let’s make a name for ourselves, or else we will be scattered over the face of the whole land.”
Genesis 11:9 “This is why it is named Babel, because Adonai confused the languages of the entire world there, and from there Adonai scattered them over the face of the entire world.”
As we grow in knowledge it is as if we’ve been united by a new “language” of knowledge, the internet. We seek within it all of the answers to explain our existence and to explain God and His Word therefor opening a doorway for pride to enter into our lives. 
We become so distracted and confused as we share information that it is “scattering” us, each in his own direction as every person is seeking his own way in the sea of information and gaining knowledge for prideful pursuits. Brothers and Sisters argue over trivial matters that only add to the confusion. That is what the adversary wants, to sow confusion and in such a way create division and discord. 
This is extremely evident within the Messianic and Torah communities. What is supposed to unite us is becoming a divider because we have allowed our focus to be removed from He who brought us together, Yeshua/Jesus.
All the while we as believers are missing the mark that Torah is pointing to and that is to walk in the humility and love of Yeshua/Jesus and upholding His Word and His instructions out of love, not pride. All of Torah was given by God for His children and for us to walk in love and obedience to Him and to always point to His holiness. To walk in Torah is to deny self and to glorify God. Without the love of God within us our knowledge means nothing. We are nothing before His splendor, magnitude and sovereignty.
1 Corinthians 13:1-3 “If I speak with the tongues of men and of angels but have not love, I have become a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal. If I have the gift of prophecy and know all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have all faith so as to remove mountains but have not love, I am nothing. If I give away all that I own and if I hand over my body so I might boast but have not love, I gain nothing.”
We become the very thing we were disillusioned by, institutionalized religion and following a set of man made instructions, customs and traditions instead of being focused on walking in the Way of Yeshua and following His Torah. Believers get caught up in trying to know and understand something in a “new” or an “inspired” way more than the next person as the entrapment of self-knowledge becomes attractive and everyone is seeking for a “divine revelation” from the Holy Spirit when all the answers are given plainly and clearly in God’s Word. Pursuits to obtain “spiritual gifts” that aren’t aligned with the Bible leads to deception. The enemy wants this as he knows his time is short and the hour is very late in an ever darkening world.  
The author of Hebrews describes it best in what we should pursue, Hebrews 12:14-17 “Therefore, strengthen the hands that are weak and the knees that are feeble! And make straight paths for your feet, so that what is lame will not be pulled out of joint but rather be healed. Pursue shalom with everyone, and the holiness without which no one will see the Lord. See to it that no one falls short of the grace of God; and see to it that no bitter root springs up and causes trouble, and by it many be defiled. Also see to it that there is no immoral or godless person—like Esau, who sold his birthright for one meal. For you know that later, when he wanted to inherit the blessing, he was rejected. He found no chance for repentance, though he begged for it with tears.”
Return to the truth and the heart of God’s Word. It’s all about glorifying Him and His Word is a blessing that yields no burdens. In the pursuit of knowledge and being united under one “language” we are becoming “scattered” and disillusioned. We are getting to a point where our pride is creating a world where nobody understands one other and we should be asking ourselves why this is happening. 
Have we allowed our pride to become more important than God’s Word and what Yeshua/Jesus came to proclaim? Have we become loveless in the pursuit of “wisdom”? Have we become as the people of Babel in trying to “reach the heavens” with our limited knowledge and understanding chasing after the next “divine revelation”, obtaining a new “spiritual gift” or understanding Torah in a “new” way. 
We all have the responsibility to study and seek truth, but we have to do so with humility and not in any way glorifying ourselves. All teaching and sharing of Scripture should be done with focus on glorifying God in love, truth and in humility. When you stand before God, you cannot say, "But I was told by others to do thus or follow that." Or that, "Virtue was not convenient at the time." This will not be acceptable. Remember that you have a responsibility that only you have in your faith walk. It doesn’t matter what we or others think is right, what matters is what God determined to be right from the very beginning of His glorious creation.
Regard the words of acclaimed Christian authors regarding pride:
§ “Pride will always be the longest distance between two people.”
§ “For pride is spiritual cancer: it eats up the very possibility of love, or contentment, or even common sense.”
§ “Pride must die in you, or nothing of heaven can live in you.” 
§ “Pride is concerned with who is right. Humility is concerned with what is right.”
Think on these things and ask to be lead in prayer as we live humbly in service to our King, Yeshua HaMasiach/Jesus Christ.
1 John 2:3-6 “Now we know that we have come to know Him by this—if we keep His commandments. The one who says, “I have come to know Him,” and does not keep His commandments is a liar, and the truth is not in him. But whoever keeps His word, in him the love of God is truly made perfect. We know that we are in Him by this-- whoever claims to abide in Him must walk just as He walked.”
Shalom to everyone!
Daniel