The Christmas connection, part three

Previously: The Christmas connection, part two
The first post in the Babylon connection series

Ephraim's punishment is now over. He was scattered among the Gentiles like seed, until he had his fill of living like a Gentile. For the past 2000 years God has been calling the Gentiles to Himself through Jesus Christ our Lord. You know, all who come to the Lord by the grace of Jesus Christ, even though they might begin as Gentiles, once they attach themselves to the God of Israel, God does not consider them Gentiles any longer. He considers them His chosen, Israel. So we have had a change of status, people. We began as Gentiles and pagans, and are now sons of the living God. So let us not refer to ourselves as Gentiles any longer.

Now that we belong to God, what do we do about the Babylon connection to Christmas? This is what I am seeing from the word of God:

"Go forth from Babylon! Flee from the Chaldeans!
With a voice of singing, Declare, proclaim this,
Utter it to the end of the earth; Say, “The LORD has redeemed His servant Jacob!”" Isaiah 48.20

“Up, Zion! Escape, you who dwell with the daughter of Babylon.” Zechariah 2.7

"Do not be unequally yoked together with unbelievers. For what fellowship has righteousness with lawlessness? And what communion has light with darkness? And what accord has Christ with Belial? Or what part has a believer with an unbeliever? And what agreement has the temple of God with idols? For you are the temple of the living God. As God has said:
     "I will dwell in them And walk among them.
     I will be their God, And they shall be My people.”
Therefore
     "Come out from among them And be separate, says the Lord.
     Do not touch what is unclean, And I will receive you.”
     "I will be a Father to you, And you shall be My sons and daughters,
     Says the LORD Almighty.” 2 Corinthians 6:14-18

"And I heard another voice from heaven saying, “Come out of her [Babylon], my people, lest you share in her sins, and lest you receive of her plagues. For her sins have reached to heaven, and God has remembered her iniquities.”" Revelation 18.4-5

Jesus told us it would be like the days of Lot before His return. Lot was a righteous man living in the midst of a city which practiced the sins the ancient world learned from Babylon. The time came for God to judge the city, but before He did, He called His righteous out of the city so that the righteous would not be condemned with the wicked. And now God is calling His righteous out of Babylon again. Will we listen, and leave? Will we, like Abraham, leave our fathers' household and our fathers' city behind, that of our Gentile heritage, and go to the place the Lord will show us, and so prove to be Abraham's children indeed?

With the Lord's help, we can. This year, before the next Christmas season rolls around, I hope to blog occasionally about leaving behind pagan traditions and the all- important sticky question of what to do about family and friends who do not share our views. Stay tuned!