Celebrating the new year and the Bible
I am surprised by those Christians who believe in God and yet celebrate the welcome of the new year lavishly. The very fact of getting drunk on this day goes beyond biblical standards, and the arrival of the new year shows that the Savior did not come in the passing year.
Jesus promised to come again and take the saved to heaven for 1,000 years, to then return together to earth and carry out the final judgment on fallen souls and angels. Would you like to leave this world and no longer participate in the life of a planet defiled by sin? Wouldn't it be better to live in heaven and then on a renewed Earth instead of the currently tainted one?
Already Paul wrote that it is better to die and be with Christ. Philippians 1.21-24 "For to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain. But if I live in the flesh, this is the fruit of my labour: yet what I shall choose I wot not. For I am in a strait betwixt two, having a desire to depart, and to be with Christ; which is far better: Nevertheless to abide in the flesh is more needful for you."
When Jesus returns, the earth will be shrouded in darkness for 1,000 years, and evil will be destroyed forever. Goodness and love will remain. So as you greet the new year pompously, rejoice that God is further delaying his coming and evil is reigning on earth.
Revelation 20.1-5 "And I saw an angel come down from heaven, having the key of the bottomless pit and a great chain in his hand. And he laid hold on the dragon, that old serpent, which is the Devil, and Satan, and bound him a thousand years, And cast him into the bottomless pit, and shut him up, and set a seal upon him, that he should deceive the nations no more, till the thousand years should be fulfilled: and after that he must be loosed a little season. And I saw thrones, and they sat upon them, and judgment was given unto them: and I saw the souls of them that were beheaded for the witness of Jesus, and for the word of God, and which had not worshipped the beast, neither his image, neither had received his mark upon their foreheads, or in their hands; and they lived and reigned with Christ a thousand years. But the rest of the dead lived not again until the thousand years were finished. This is the first resurrection."
Only two arguments come to mind that one can rejoice at the arrival of the new year. The first is that since the world still exists more souls will be saved, which does not mean all of them, because as we read souls are not immortal and those who have rejected God will not be saved. The second is that perhaps we will miss a time of unimaginable tribulation and suffering such as the world has not yet seen, a period that is supposed to last just before the coming of the Lord. According to the Jewish calendar, the earth is about 5,800 years old, according to other biblical calculations about 6,000 years old, with very little left until the new millennium.
To those who scoff at the Lord's coming again, I will quote the text:
2 Peter 3.4-10 "nd saying, Where is the promise of his coming? for since the fathers fell asleep, all things continue as they were from the beginning of the creation. For this they willingly are ignorant of, that by the word of God the heavens were of old, and the earth standing out of the water and in the water: Whereby the world that then was, being overflowed with water, perished: But the heavens and the earth, which are now, by the same word are kept in store, reserved unto fire against the day of judgment and perdition of ungodly men. But, beloved, be not ignorant of this one thing, that one day is with the Lord as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day. he Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance. But the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night; in the which the heavens shall pass away with a great noise, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat, the earth also and the works that are therein shall be burned up."
The origins of celebrating the new year
The origin of the celebration of the new year has nothing to do with the Bible, and in fact comes from pagans. The origin goes back to Roman times, on which day the Romans worshipped the god Janus. Also noteworthy is the night from 999 to 1000, during which people panicked about the end of the world, and when this did not happen the population began to party and the day was hailed as New Year's Eve in honor of Pope Sylvester I and II. Sylvester I because he supposedly imprisoned Leviathan in 317 and Sylvester II because he didn't release him on the day he was supposed to be released to destroy heaven and earth. Unfortunately, many Christians are not even interested in where the holidays they celebrate come from.
The holiday of the new year (in October - according to the Jewish calendar) in Israel is called Rosh HaShanah and commemorates the creation of the world and reminds us of the final judgment. It has nothing to do with drinking and partying. Jews on these days confess their sins to God, show repentance, pray and do no daily chores. How different is such a holiday from the one commonly known to us?
Finally, let me clarify that the fact that a Christian should not rejoice at the arrival of the new year, consider death as something better than life and look forward to the Savior's coming again, does not mean that he should grieve and suffer for life. None of these things. Let us enjoy life, let us rejoice that God created us, is constantly with us, takes care of us, and that we can come to Him at any time. God doesn't have the joy of mortification, self-flagellation and of us walking around sad. He wants our happiness, joy and love. In the article I pointed out that the boisterous celebration of the new year is contrary to the Bible and I associate it with a world rejoicing that Jesus has not yet returned to earth, but this does not mean that the day should be celebrated as a day of sadness, it is simply neutral, although the thought of rejoicing that the Savior has not come fills us with sadness.
Finally, let me clarify that the fact that a Christian should not rejoice at the arrival of the new year, consider death as something better than life and look forward to the Savior's coming again, does not mean that he should grieve and suffer for life. None of these things. Let us enjoy life, let us rejoice that God created us, is constantly with us, takes care of us, and that we can come to Him at any time. God doesn't have the joy of mortification, self-flagellation and of us walking around sad. He wants our happiness, joy and love. In the article I pointed out that the boisterous celebration of the new year is contrary to the Bible, and I associate it with a world rejoicing that Jesus has not yet returned to earth. This does not mean that the day should be celebrated as a day of sadness, it is simply neutral, just another day in the year, although the thought of rejoicing that the Savior has not come is sad.
