The Melchizedek Chronicles - Twelve Days of Christmas - What do they mean in terms of Biblical symbolism?

The Twelve Days of Christmas

John Denver and Muppets 12 Days of Christmas

On the 1st day of Christmas my true love sent to me...

A Partridge in a Pear Tree

The partridge in a pear tree is Jesus Christ, the Son of God. In the song, Christ is symbolically presented as a mother partridge that feigns injury to decoy predators from her helpless nestlings, much in memory of the expression of Christ's sadness over the fate of Jerusalem: "Jerusalem! Jerusalem! How often would I have sheltered you under my wings, as a hen does her chicks, but you would not have it so . . . ." (Luke 13:34)

On the 2nd day of Christmas my true love sent to me...

Two Turtle Doves

The Old and New Testaments, which together bear witness to God's self-revelation in history and the creation of a people to tell the Story of God to the world.

On the 3rd day of Christmas my true love sent to me...

Three French Hens

The Three Theological Virtues:  1) Faith, 2) Hope, and 3) Love (1 Corinthians 13:13)

On the 4th day of Christmas my true love sent to me...

Four Calling Birds *

The Four Gospels: 1) Matthew, 2) Mark, 3) Luke, and 4) John, which proclaim the Good News of God's reconciliation of the world to Himself in Jesus Christ.

[* This is the 1909 American version.  Earlier English versions have "colley birds" or blackbirds.  There are other versions as well.]

On the 5th day of Christmas my true love sent to me...

Five Gold Rings

The first Five Books of the Old Testament, known as the Torah or the Pentateuch:  1) Genesis, 2) Exodus, 3) Leviticus, 4) Numbers, and 5) Deuteronomy, which gives the history of humanity's sinful failure and God's response of grace in the creation of a people to be a light to the world.

On the 6th day of Christmas my true love sent to me...

Six Geese A-laying

The six days of creation that confesses God as Creator and Sustainer of the world (Genesis 1).

On the 7th day of Christmas my true love sent to me...

Seven Swans A-swimming

The seven gifts of the Holy Spirit: 1) prophecy, 2) ministry, 3) teaching, 4) exhortation, 5) giving, 6) leading, and 7) compassion (Romans 12:6-8; cf. 1 Corinthians 12:8-11)

On the 8th day of Christmas my true love sent to me...

Eight Maids A-milking

The eight Beatitudes: 1) Blessed are the poor in spirit, 2) those who mourn, 3) the meek, 4) those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, 5) the merciful, 6) the pure in heart, 7) the peacemakers, 8) those who are persecuted for righteousness' sake. (Matthew 5:3-10)

On the 9th day of Christmas my true love sent to me...

Nine Ladies Dancing

The nine Fruit of the Holy Spirit: 1) love, 2) joy, 3) peace, 4) patience, 5) kindness, 6) generosity, 7) faithfulness, 8) gentleness, and 9) self-control.  (Galatians 5:22)

On the 10th day of Christmas my true love sent to me...

Ten Lords A-leaping

The ten commandments: 1) You shall have no other gods before me; 2) Do not make an idol; 3) Do not take God's name in vain; 4) Remember the Sabbath Day; 5) Honor your father and mother; 6) Do not murder; 7) Do not commit adultery; 8) Do not steal; 9) Do not bear false witness; 10) Do not covet. (Exodus 20:1-17)

On the 11th day of Christmas my true love sent to me...

Eleven Pipers Piping

The eleven Faithful Apostles: 1) Simon Peter, 2) Andrew, 3) James, 4) John, 5) Philip, 6) Bartholomew, 7) Matthew, 8) Thomas, 9) James bar Alphaeus, 10) Simon the Zealot, 11) Judas bar James. (Luke 6:14-16). The list does not include the twelfth disciple, Judas Iscariot who betrayed Jesus to the religious leaders and the Romans.

On the 12th day of Christmas my true love sent to me...

Twelve Drummers Drumming 

The Twelve points of doctrine in the Apostles' Creed: 1) I believe in God, the Father almighty, creator of heaven and earth. 2) I believe in Jesus Christ, his only Son, our Lord. 3) He was conceived by the power of the Holy Spirit and born of the virgin Mary. 4) He suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, died, and was buried. He descended into hell [the grave]. 5) On the third day he rose again. He ascended into heaven, and is seated at the right hand of the Father. 6) He will come again to judge the living and the dead. 7) I believe in the Holy Spirit, 8) the holy catholic Church, 9) the communion of saints, 10) the forgiveness of sins, 11) the resurrection of the body, 12) and life everlasting.

Epiphany, January 6

By the Naznet Fellowship

Here are the 12 days, starting on December 26, and the historical feasts on each day.

December 26: St. Stephen (First Martyr)
December 27: St. John the Evangelist
December 28: Holy Innocents
December 29: St. Thomas Becket
December 30: St. Egwin of Evesham (or 6th day in the Octave of Christmas)
December 31: St. Sylvester I
January 1: The Circumcision of Our Lord (Octave Day of Christmas)
January 2: Holy Name of Jesus
January 3: Sts. Zosimus and Athanasius (or Octave Day of St. John)
January 4: St. Aquilinus (or Octave Day of the Holy Innocents)
January 5: Vigil of the Epiphany (and St.Telesphorus)
January 6: Epiphany.

The Melchizedek Chronicles - Glory to God - The Savior is Born!

The Savior is Born!

The Melchizedek Chronicles - Will You Find What You Need This New Year – the Path to Salvation? Try Prayer, it got us this far.

Repentance and Redemption - Lost but not yet found

A Letter to Jesus – a report on the status of Earth

It has been many years since you sent me here to make sense of what is happening on Earth.  I’m sorry to report that the only cents being made in America is what goes into the deep pockets of the super-rich.

The people, well they are still a train wreck.  They were given a Free Will to choose between Good or Evil, Light or Dark.  So, what do they do?

Many became seduced by the empty promises of the Dark Side and willingly embraced the Seven Deadly Sins over the Seven Cardinal Virtues.  Not only are their lives like a train wreck, they are also the victim of their own delusions, subject to the temptations of the Shadow Dwellers, and filled with fear, or a denial of fear.

Still, we know they are the Creations of Our Creator, so no matter how nasty they get, we are still honor-bound to accept your ironclad proclamation of Forgiveness – and Redemption.  Yet they act like a bunch of losers, frustrated, angry, bitter, hateful, self-obsessed and probably possessed.

You do get the sorry state of affairs.

Humans have simply stopped their spiritual evolving, and enlightenment, and are now backsliding into the Abyss.  I would say it is time the Creator put his foot down, but I doubt someone who is all everything would have much need for a foot.

Thought I might review a particular incident as an example.  Take the Twelve Days of Christmas honoring the birth of the Baby Jesus.  They run from Christmas Day, December 25^th, until January 5^th, the day before the Epiphany, which is January 6^th.

Here are the feasts and honorees during the Twelve Days of Christmas.

December 25: Birth of Jesus

December 26: Feast for St. Stephen (First Martyr)
December 27: Feast for St. John the Evangelist
December 28: Feast for the Holy Innocents
December 29: St. Thomas Becket
December 30: St. Egwin of Evesham (or 6th day in the Octave of Christmas)
December 31: St. Sylvester I
January 1: The Circumcision of Our Lord (Octave Day of Christmas)
January 2: Holy Name of Jesus
January 3: Sts. Zosimus and Athanasius (or Octave Day of St. John)
January 4: St. Aquilinus (or Octave Day of the Holy Innocents)
January 5: Vigil of the Epiphany (and St.Telesphorus)[January 6: Epiphany]

Of course, most of people do not know or remember the Twelve Days, let alone the Epiphany when the Wise Men, Magi, princes, princesses and other long-distance travelers arrived at the stable to honor the new Messiah.  A magnificent Star of Bethlehem illuminated the Earth drawing kings, priests, rulers and shepherds to the Baby in the Manger.

After Christmas Day, the birth or Nativity of Jesus, the 2^nd Day of Christmas celebrates St. Stephen, the first Martyr for Jesus. The 3^rd Day honors St. John the Evangelist, the only Apostle not martyred and author of the Gospel, Revelations, and other works.  The Holy Innocents, honored on the 4^th Day were the victims of King Herod’s murder of baby males in Bethlehem.  Those are the four major feasts and celebrations of the Birth of the Child Jesus and fulfillment of ancient prophecies.

Could you imagine Herod’s action?  How arrogant for any human to believe their Will is all-powerful like the Will of Our Creator.  They have no concept of the power of the Creator’s “Perfect Love” for all of Creation.

It is so easy to get caught up in the frenzied, frantic, freaky, fear-filled minds of the people.  Their collective will, is like a giant vacuum hose sucking everything in sight down into an endless Back Hole.

Okay, enough of the frayed edges of humanity where wounds are laid open and never heal.

We need help to get through to them.  Before we can help them, we must get their attention and shatter the glass wall surrounding their lives, the same glass wall that blocks them from seeing good.

They have forgotten how to pray, the need for prayer, and how it can only be achieved through their attainment of the insights of the Holy Spirit.  It did not used to be like this.  There was a time nearly 1,600 years ago when all knew how to pray, a few hundred years after the death of Jesus.

Over the years it seemed to lose favor and before long it was lost in the past, the prayers and feasts honoring the Baby Jesus being replaced by Santa, Reindeer, presents, so many and so expensive, self-indulgence, and nary a thought of the wonder of the Jesus Child, the miracles of the Creator, the path to the Kingdom from the Holy Spirit, or the fulfillment of the ancient prophecies.

Poof – it was all gone, buried in an avalanche of credit card debt, one-upping the neighbors, honoring the false gods of commerce, and ignoring their relationship to Father Creator and his beloved Son.  Greed, Power and Control, the magic triangle of the Dark Side.

Only this triangle tilts upside down, forcing everything down to the single point at the bottom.  Now they tragically find themselves spiraling toward the Black Hole to the Abyss, the gateway to the Void of the Anti-Matter.

Thanks to your Father’s never-ending benevolence and unwillingness to give up on his Creations, they still have a shot at repentance, and redemption.  In other words, there is still hope St. Peter might find their name on the list at the Golden Gate to the Kingdom of Heaven.

They must wake up before it is too late, and time is getting short.

First people must seek out solitude and peace, surrounded by silence if at all possible.  You must learn to meditate.  Purge your mind of all worldly distractions, and your spirit of all those other-worldly distractions.  It may not be easy at first because humans constantly overload their sensory perceptions.

Everything is too much, too many, too loud, too inferior, too cheap, too impersonal, too stupid or just plain nonsense.  Our sensory nerves are not just frayed, they are fried.  We are addicted to downloading way more than our touch, scent, sight, hearing or taste can absorb and process.

Get off the bandwagon following the lead of everyone else and be brave, be courageous, be smart, and be aware of yourself by being different.  Think, think of choices and consequences, but think for yourself with the many God-given gifts you have received.

Free yourself from the shackles of slavery in far many more ways than you can imagine, by reaching the state of peace devoid of the distractions of life.

When you reach the place of peace and solitude, ask for help from Jesus to activate the Holy Spirit within you, long dormant while waiting to be called by you for help.

In your lifetime you have drifted farther and farther away from Jesus, who is the pathway to Our Creator.  The Dark Side has been harvesting more and more weak and fear-laden souls of late.

Rule number one in Creation.  It is foolhardy to attempt to usurp control over any of the Creator’s Creations.  Whatever actions you take to accumulate power and possessions that are not yours in the first place to possess, is an affront to the Creator.

You can kiss off any hope for seeing the Kingdom by embracing the empty promises of the Void where in time contaminated souls are transformed into anti-matter for eternity and beyond.  You might call that Hell.

At present there are a considerable number of contaminated and lost souls walking the Earth who collectively represent a roadblock to salvation in the Kingdom of Heaven for all others.  Do not be surprised if substantial numbers of them are taken from the Earth to clear a path for those of faith, or those who will seek and find faith.

Not all seeds planted will grow in the Earth.  Some must die away so that others will thrive.  It is your choice.  You have much bigger concerns than school, work, or retirement.  Just getting by is not going to be good enough.

Meditate, ask Jesus to help awaken the Holy Spirit in you, fill yourself with the wonders of the Holy Spirit, find the pathway to Jesus and the Father, become aware of the Perfect Love of the Creator – then go out and live the will of Father Creator - knowing you have found redemption and salvation, through the Son.

Yours in Hope,

Just another traveler On the Road to Kingdom Come.
    

Happy Holidays from the Coltons Point Times to all our friends around the world!

America

OUR HOLIDAY GREETING FOR YOU

Carol of the Bells - Lindsey Stirling

For all of the world we offer hope for world peace and wish you happy holidays for (Christian) Christmas, (African) Kwanzaa, (Hispanic) Las Posadad-Noche Buena-Navidad, (Jewish) Hanukkah-Rosh Hashanah, (Persian) Yalda, (Islamic) Eid al-Adha-Muharram, (Buddhist) Rohatsu, (Hindu) Sankranti, (Celtic) Winter Solstice and (Chinese) New Year.

France

Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays

Feliz Navidad y Felices Fiestas

Mexico

Joyeux Noël et joyeuses fêtes

Syria

Buon Natale e Buone Feste

Russia

Frohe Weihnachten und frohe Feiertage

Vrolijke Kerstmis en Gelukkige Vakantie

Jerusalem

Καλα Χριστουγεννα και καλες διακοπες

Feliz Natal e Boas Festas

England UK

И Рождеством Христовым праздники

メリークリスマス休暇で幸せ

India

聖誕快樂，節日快樂

China

A Christmas Celebration

This is Rockefeller Center in NYC - the America we want you to remember.

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From the Coltons Point Times -- have a great, safe and loving holidays....

Please join us in praying for peace, praying for love, and praying for the safety of all God's creations.

Happy Xmas – John Lennon

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Mr. Henry's musings on life - Happy Holidays from Mr. Henry

My human companion wanted me to be more like the humans for Christmas.

Why do I bother to listen to him?

So here is my wish for all of you.

  May you always find

joy, peace, love and honor

in all you do in life.  

Acknowledge the Perfect Love of our Creator in creating us,

and follow the path of his Son Jesus back to the garden.

Amen and Happy Holidays...

Christmas Videos you might have missed along with those forgotten - Remember the Children

For King and Country – Little Drummer Boy

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What Child is This - Lindsey Stirling

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Alabama - Angels Among Us

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An Appalachian Christmas Tour - Beautiful Star of Bethlehem

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Yo-Yo Ma, Alison Krauss - The Wexford Carol

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