The American Wisdom Series

Presents
Pamphlet 1189

What time of year was Jesus really born in the flesh?

This verse holds the major key to determining the birth date of Jesus Christ.

Do you know what it is?

May I  pose the question,
"If you don't understand the Old Testament, how are you to understand the New Testament?"

Well, there is something of great importance in this verse
and that is that Zacharias was a priest, a Levitical Priest,
and he was performing the priestly duties assigned to the "Course of Abia".

It is this course of Abia that will give us the key
to the date of the conception and hence the birth of Jesus.

Again, there is a reason we are given this information,
and I want to add that it HAS BEEN HERE ALL ALONG,
every Christmas season, year after year, right here in Luke 1:5.

And who has questioned it and learned what it is?
(Having said that, we are going to hold off studying about the significance of the "course of Abia" until we get to the 23rd verse.)

The order of his course is Abia (I Chron. 24:10), and here is what his duties were:

So Zacharias is faithfully executing the priest's duties of the course of Abia.

This is important to show the accuracy of the events that occur.

It can be an awesome experience for a flesh man (or woman) to encounter a supernatural, spirit being.

Now, this is extremely important.

When were the days of Zacharias' ministration accomplished, i.e. over with?
This is referring to that "course of Abia" in verse 5.
You will find listed in I Chron. 24 that there were 24 priestly courses of ministration
of which the course of Abia is the 8th.
(8 in Biblical numerics means "new beginnings".)
These courses were changed every week,
beginning each with a Sabbath,
and performed twice each year and all together at the three great feasts.
They commenced on the 22nd day of Tisri (our September).

Now, we just read in verse 23 that Zacharias departed for home
after his ministration had been accomplished, i.e. completed.

His course of Abijah would have ended at sunset on Friday (they all ended on a Friday) June 19th.
However, it was now a Sabbath day (Sivan 19)
and so he would not have been able to travel,
so he couldn't leave Jerusalem until Sunday, the 20th.

So Zacharias, the aged man,
left for his home which was in "the hill country" (see verse 39).
It would have taken him a few days to get home, as the next verse shows.

"After those days", which would have been on June 23-24,
Elizabeth conceived, and went into seclusion for 5 months.

It was a reproach not to be able to bear a child. (Gen. 30:23)

It is now December 24th - 25th, sixth months after the conception of John the Baptist.

It is now the 1st of Tebeth, our 25th of December,
and the angel Gabriel is dutifully,
and I'm sure very delightedly,
carrying out his directive from the Father to bring the good news to the Virgin Mary,
who was chosen before the foundation of this earth age,
that she would be the vessel, the mother,
who would be blessed among women to bring forth the Perfect Child, the Son of God.

 Just in case we miss the "fact" that this is six months from the conception of John the Baptist,
which we documented was June 23-24,
Gabriel will declare it AGAIN in verse 36.

Sometimes we have to be told more than once before we "pick up" on that which we are supposed to know,
and besides, repeating a fact gives emphasis to its importance.

Also, remember that although today our calendar date changes at 12:00 midnight,
back then the days were reckoned from sunset to sunset,
so that when you see June 23-24 it is the same day from June 23rd sunset to June 24th sunset.

The same applies to Dec. 24-25.

Sometimes people are confused as to whether the Bible says Mary and Joseph
were "married" or "engaged" at this point.
There is never a need to be confused, only a need to do our homework.
The Greek word for "espoused" is mnesteuo and means "betroth".
Look it up for yourself. The Strong's number is Greek 3423.

 Mary indeed was blessed, not only among women, but among all of mankind.
Imagine the honor of being the one chosen to bring forth the Son of God.

Of course, "wise men" know that her honor doesn't make her a goddess to be worshipped,
which is why the "wise men" kneeled down and worshipped only the Christ Child.

And when this Child is fully grown,
He will instruct us all to pray only to the Father, "which art in heaven".

And the great thing about the gift of freewill that our Father gave to each of us,
is we can chose to follow what Christ says or follow what some church or religion says.

 Mary wasn't displaying any doubt or disbelief here at the presence of Gabriel.
She was just trying to figure out in her mind what was going on, i.e. what this all meant.

Gabriel is still speaking to the Virgin Mary about the Son she shall bring forth.

And He will sit on that throne of David when He returns at the 7th Trump
and reign for ever and ever.
Do you know who sits on that throne right now?
God told Jeremiah there would always be a man (no gender implied)
upon it [the throne of Israel] until He whose rightfully it is comes!

Queen Elizabeth, a direct descendant of King David, now resides upon the throne.
Her family tree is a matter of public record, so check out her genealogy.
(If you would like more information on this, write to us and request the booklet,
"The Abrahamic Covenant", by E. Raymond Capt.)

WAIT a minute! Hold everything right there!
Mary has a question for Gabriel, and it is a really good one, not a "dumb" question at all.
(Zacharias asked a truely "dumb" question, one which defines what a "dumb" question really is.
It is not one you ask "because" you are dumb, it is one you ask that "causes" you to become "dumb".)

Here's the question:

Mary was no fool.
She knew how Adam "knew" his wife and how babies are conceived
(even without attending sex education classes in school).

Gabriel responds with the most incredible answer anyone could ever imagine.

"And don't think this is an impossibility,
Mary, because guess what?
Your old cousin Elizabeth who is past her child bearing years
is pregnant because of divine intervention also.
In fact, she's now entering her third trimester."

So you see, Mary (and everyone else in the whole world who reads this),
nothing is impossible for Him.

Amazing, isn't it?
Here we have two seemingly impossible conceptions,
one by a woman too old to bear children,
and one by a woman perhaps too young,
but nevertheless a virgin, one without a man.

And so it would come to pass that John, who would be called "the Baptist",
would be born in the spring and Yashua,
the Savior of the World, Emmanuel,
the Messiah, the Anointed One,
would be born that fall, six months later,
on the 1st Day of the Feast of Tabernacles, the 29th of September.

He would be hers and His firstborn
and He would be wrapped in swaddling clothes and laid in a manger,
and all the angels of heaven would worship Him (Heb 1:6).

And that is how and when the Miracle of the Begettal and the Birth of our Lord,
the beginning of God Tabernacling with men, happened.
Yes, "it happened on this wise".

What then? Should we as Christians celebrate Christmas?

If you do some research into the early apostolic church era,
you will find this celebration was what September the 29th was all about.
BUT the "mystery of iniquity" which was "already working"
even at the time of the apostle Paul (2 Thes. 2:7) quickly obscured
and enshrouded this day and also the great day of the Lord's begetting on 1st Tebeth, December 25th.

There are a lot of people who know that there are valid arguments
and reasons why Christ could not have been born in late December.

We're not going to go into detail concerning them,
but they are numerous and include the fact that the shepherds
would not have been "abiding" in the open fields in late December,
not just because of the weather,
but because there wouldn't have been any pasturage for the sheep anyway.

And then there's the Roman authorities who wouldn't, and didn't,
impose census taking and taxation at the most inclement and inconvenient season of the year, etc.

You can also discover beyond doubt that December the 25th
was a pagan festival long before the time of the our Lord.

It is often said, however, that "A little knowledge is a dangerous thing",
and it certainly can be.
Many sincere, albeit ill-informed Christians have allowed this discovery
to rob them and their children of some of our rich Christian heritage.

Don't let it happen to you!

And so it would come to pass that John, who would be called "the Baptist",
would be born in the spring and Yashua,
the Savior of the World, Emmanuel, the Messiah, the Anointed One,
would be born that fall, six months later,
on the 1st Day of the Feast of Tabernacles, the 29th of September.

He would be hers and His firstborn and He would be wrapped in swaddling clothes
and laid in a manger, and all the angels of heaven would worship Him (Heb 1:6).

And that is how and when the Miracle of the Begettal and the Birth of our Lord,
the beginning of God Tabernacling with men, happened.

Yes, "it happened on this wise".

The "American Wisdom Series"

is

Published by:

Rhine Publishing Co.
E-mail address - americanwisdomseries@verizon.net

If you would like to have your essay published
as part of the American Wisdom Series
submit your manuscript to Rhine Publishing Co
at the address above for consideration, or e-mail us
at the address shown on our home page.

Click Here to Return to "The American Wisdom Series" home page.