INTRODUCTION
We live in a system that runs on
lies, propaganda, deceit, the politics of expediency, and half-truths.
The reality of the creation may be accepted, but the reality of
a Creator God is scoffed at by too many. Myths may be more sophisticated,
but they are still misleading to those who value truth. All of
us need to more diligently seek for truth, if we value it.
In John 8:31 we read:
To slot into a religious system,
which requires outward acceptance of doctrine and loyalty to a
hierarchy, is simple. Such systems, political and religious, value
the status quo more than truth, and for adherents the pay-off
may be recognition or, for many, simply comfort in numbers.
We may have all often lacked deep
personal commitment to living by every word of God (Lk 4:4) and
confidence in God's personal calling (2Thess 1:11-12), instead
hoping to vicariously achieve through a church group what appeals
to basic human needs. A group structure has human benefits but
it cannot replace the Truth of God, who calls us into a personal
Divine relationship which requires zealous commitment to the Will
of God and spiritual growth as described in the Scriptures (Rom
12:1). Yet how wonderful this all is in the context of a community
of believers (1Pet 2:5,9-10).
MESSIANIC EXPECTATIONS
Included in the group who knew were
Mary and Joseph, Elisabeth and Zacharias, the parents of John
the Baptist, the shepherds who had been out watching their flocks
at the time of the birth, the Magi from Persia, Simeon a just
man, and an elderly inspired widow Anna (Luke 2:25,36).
THE COURSE OF ABIJAH
The eighth course of
which Zacharias was a part actually served in the tenth week,
allowing two extra weeks for both Unleavened Bread and Pentecost.
This brings it to the week of the year that begins approximately
Sivan 15 and ends Sivan 22, depending on when the Sabbath fell
in the lunar month.
The twenty-fifth of the month Kislev
(which corresponds to our November-December) is the beginning
of Hanukkah, the Festival of Lights, a fitting date for the conception
of the Messiah, "the Light of the world".
Given a perfect 40-week pregnancy,
John the Baptist would have been born at Passover season. Interestingly,
the Jewish ritual of Passover involved the setting of a place
for Elijah and the opening of the door to welcome him. Jesus
Christ, in Matthew 11:15, said John the Baptist was the Elijah
who was to come, which was also the message to Zachariah in Luke
1:17.
IN WHAT YEAR DID ALL THIS OCCUR?
One system of counting of time in
the Greco-Roman world reckoned the years from the establishment
of the city of Rome (753 B.C.). Years were designated a.u.c.
(ab urbe condita, Latin for "from the foundation of
the city").
Shepherds would not normally have
been tending their sheep in fields at night in December, due to
the cold of winter. The myth of a Christmas Day birth is just
that, a pagan myth. For instance, tomorrow night's forecast [mid-December]
for Bethlehem, obtained via the Internet, is 3 degrees, not the
weather to be sitting out on a hillside looking after sheep!
Herod was an extremely cunning ruler:
Since Herod's reign was bloodstained,
the murder of these children would not have attracted much attention
outside the immediate vicinity. Such an atrocity was not uncommon
for Herod, of whom Augustus Caesar said, with a play on words,
that it was better to be Herod's sow (Gk. hus) than
his son (Gk. huios).
Based upon the calculations of the
Magi, Herod arbitrarily included all male children under
two years of age in order to make sure that the one born King
of the Jews (v. 2) would be included. As he had removed all
former threats to his reign by the sword, so he tried to do with
the Christ.
This illustrates the fact that Herod
felt that the threat of a rival King, who could have been
born as early as 7 B.C. and as late as 5 B.C., existed in 5 B.C.
CONCLUSION
Many people believe Jesus Christ
was born on December 25, probably 1997 years ago. This is because
orthodox Christianity promulgates that lie. The religious establishment's
linking with the business world of religious myths, pageants,
manger scenes, carols, santas, trees and baubles makes casualties
of the truth and true religion.
John 8:31
Jesus said to those Jews who believed Him, "If you
abide in My word, you are My disciples indeed. You shall know
the truth, and the truth shall make you free."
The Jews imagined that, as Abraham's
descendants, they were already free. However, where sin, error
and lies are in control, sin enslaves. Christ's offer is freedom
from such bondage, to a life that not only assumes it is pleasing
God, but which in fact does please the Father. We all should
seek truth, live truth, and not be conformed to the systems of
this world (1Jn 2:15-17) which politicise, deceive, condone error
and make people slaves. Yet such systems have an almost universal
appeal to mankind. God is not real to people; relatives, friends
and associates seem to be the only important reality.
Some 2000 years ago there was an
air of expectancy in the Middle East. Jewish culture, guided
by an understanding of messianic interpretations of Scriptures,
expected the fulfillment of prophecies regarding a Messiah. The
various sects - Pharisees, Sadducees, Essenes and the Qumaran
group - all had opinions as to the detail and its timing. Throughout
Persia, Babylon and Egypt, wherever Israel had been held captive
or lived in exile, this knowledge existed.
Alfred Edersheim in his The Life
and Times of Jesus the Messiah gives references to ancient
Jewish and historic sources speaking of an anticipated Messiah
(Bk. 2, ch 5). Other ancient sources are The Sibyline Oracles
(3.286-294,652-656), 1Enoch (71:14-17), The Testament
of Levi and The Testament of Judah (16:1-5 and
24:1-6 respectively), The Psalms of Solomon (18:1-9).
The historians Josephus, Tacitus, and Suetonius and the poet Virgil
attest to a universal expectation of a redeemer about that time,
but apart from a handful of godly people, the vast majority of
religiosity missed the occasion of the birth of Jesus the Christ
or Messiah.
We can check the facts regarding
the timing of the birth of both John the Baptist and of Jesus
Christ by comparing the information in the book of Luke, Chapter
1, with a little cross-referencing to 1 and 2 Chronicles:
Luke 1:5
There was in the days
of Herod, the king of Judea, a certain priest named Zacharias,
of the division of Abijah. His wife was of the daughters of Aaron,
and her name was Elizabeth. 6 And they were both righteous before
God, walking in all the commandments and ordinances of the Lord
blameless. 7 But they had no child, because Elizabeth was barren,
and they were both well advanced in years. 8 So it was, that
while he was serving as priest before God in the order of his
division, 9 according to the custom of the priesthood, his lot
fell to burn incense when he went into the temple of the Lord.
Here we have information regarding
the father of John the Baptist, who was part of the Levitical
priesthood. From the First book of Chronicles, we can also learn
when the course of Abijah served during the biblical year:
1 Chr 24:3
Then David with Zadok of the sons of Eleazar, and Ahimelech of
the sons of Ithamar, divided them according to the schedule of
their service. 4 There were more leaders found of the sons of
Eleazar than of the sons of Ithamar, and thus they were divided.
Among the sons of Eleazar were sixteen heads of their fathers'
houses, and eight heads of their fathers' houses among the sons
of Ithamar.
This shows that there were 24
divisions of the priesthood that served each year.
1 Chr 24:5
Thus they were divided by lot, one group as another, for there
were officials of the sanctuary and officials of the house of
God, from the sons of Eleazar and from the sons of Ithamar.
Each division served a week that
began on a Sabbath and ended on a Sabbath (1 Chr 9:25; 2 Chr 23:8).
John the Baptist's father served in the eighth division
for seven days. Each priestly division served five weeks in total,
separately twice, and all were together for the three busy weeks
of Unleavened Bread, the Feast of Weeks and the Feast of Tabernacles
(1 Chr 9:1-26; 2 Chr 23:1-8).
10 the seventh to Hakkoz, the eighth
to Abijah
Luke 1:10
And the whole multitude of the people was praying outside at
the hour of incense. 11 Then an angel of the Lord appeared to
him, standing on the right side of the altar of incense. 12 And
when Zacharias saw him, he was troubled, and fear fell upon him.
13 But the angel said to him, "Do not be afraid, Zacharias,
for your prayer is heard; and your wife Elizabeth will bear you
a son, and you shall call his name John. 14 And you will have
joy and gladness, and many will rejoice at his birth. 15 For
he will be great in the sight of the Lord, and shall drink neither
wine nor strong drink. He will also be filled with the Holy Spirit,
even from his mother's womb. 16 And he will turn many of the
children of Israel to the Lord their God. 17 He will also go
before Him in the spirit and power of Elijah, 'to turn the hearts
of the fathers to the children,' and the disobedient to the wisdom
of the just, to make ready a people prepared for the Lord."
Note the reference to Elijah.
This will come up again later.
Luke 1:18
And Zacharias said to the angel, "How shall I know this?
For I am an old man, and my wife is well advanced in years."
19 And the angel answered and said to him, "I am Gabriel
(one of the Elohim), who stands in the presence of God, and was
sent to speak to you and bring you these glad tidings. 20 But
behold, you will be mute and not able to speak until the day these
things take place, because you did not believe my words which
will be fulfilled in their own time." 21 And the people
waited for Zacharias, and marveled that he lingered so long in
the temple. 22 But when he came out, he could not speak to them;
and they perceived that he had seen a vision in the temple, for
he beckoned to them and remained speechless. 23 And so it was,
as soon as the days of his service were completed, that he departed
to his own house.
This would have been after the
third Sabbath of (the third month) Sivan, the earliest possible
date being Sivan 15 and the latest Sivan 29, again
depending on when the Sabbath fell.
Luke 1:24
Now after those days his wife Elizabeth conceived; and she hid
herself five months, saying, 25 "Thus the Lord has dealt
with me, in the days when He looked on me, to take away my reproach
among people." 26 Now in the sixth month the angel Gabriel
was sent by God to a city of Galilee named Nazareth, 27 to a
virgin betrothed to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house
of David. The virgin's name was Mary. 28 And having come in,
the angel said to her, "Rejoice, highly favored one, the
Lord is with you; blessed are you among women!" 29 But when
she saw him, she was troubled at his saying, and considered what
manner of greeting this was. 30 Then the angel said to her, "Do
not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God. 31 And
behold, you will conceive in your womb and bring forth a Son,
and shall call His name JESUS. 32 He will be great, and will
be called the Son of the Highest; and the Lord God will give Him
the throne of His father David. 33 And He will reign over the
house of Jacob forever, and of His kingdom there will be no end."
34 Then Mary said to the angel, "How can this be, since
I do not know a man?" 35 And the angel answered and said
to her, "The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power
of the Highest will overshadow you; therefore, also, that Holy
One who is to be born will be called the Son of God. 36 Now indeed,
Elizabeth your relative has also conceived a son in her old age;
and this is now the sixth month for her who was called barren.
This would fix the conception
of Jesus after the third Sabbath of (the ninth month) Kislev,
the earliest possible date being Kislev 15, the latest Kislev
29.
A 40-week pregnancy for Mary brings
the birth of Jesus Christ to the Feast of Tabernacles. This is
alluded to in John 1:14:
John 1:14
And the Word became flesh and dwelt
[skenoo, meaning to
tent or tabernacle] among us,
and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of
the Father, full of grace and truth.
This also logically explains why
it was impossible to find vacant accommodation in Bethlehem, as
there was both a government-decreed census being held as well
as the Feast of Tabernacles, about 7 miles away in Jerusalem.
There were many scriptural prophecies.
At one time the rabbis applied 456 scriptures to the Messiah
and his salvation.
Daniel's 70 weeks prophecy was
one of the most extensive, giving us a basis for calculating the
year in which to expect the Messiah:
Dan 9:24
"Seventy weeks are determined For your people and for your
holy city, To finish the transgression, To make an end of sins,
To make reconciliation for iniquity, To bring in everlasting righteousness,
To seal up vision and prophecy, And to anoint the Most Holy. 25
Know therefore and understand, That from the going forth of
the command To restore and build Jerusalem Until Messiah the
Prince, There shall be seven weeks and sixty-two weeks; The street
shall be built again, and the wall, Even in troublesome times.
26 And after the sixty-two weeks Messiah shall be cut off, but
not for Himself; And the people of the prince who is to come Shall
destroy the city and the sanctuary. The end of it shall be with
a flood, And till the end of the war desolations are determined.
27 Then he shall confirm a covenant with many for one week; But
in the middle of the week He shall bring an end to sacrifice and
offering. And on the wing of abominations shall be one who makes
desolate, Even until the consummation, which is determined, Is
poured out on the desolate."
From the time of the decree to restore
and build Jerusalem until the coming of the Messiah would be 7
weeks (49 years) plus 62 weeks (434 years), yielding 69 weeks,
or 483 years, that is, until the Messiah should be cut off. The
70 weeks (490 years) are thus incomplete by 7 days (7 years).
This prophecy created the expectation and speculation within
Judaism over about 40 years that the coming of the Messiah was
imminent sometime around 15 B.C. to 25 A.D.
Calculating from 445 B.C. to A.D.
30 yields 475 years, rather than the 483 years required. However,
the ancient calendar was based upon lunar years of 360 days.
When the two calendars are adjusted, an extra 7 years will have
to be added to the 475, bringing us up to the 69th week, with
an extra year between B.C. and AD (475+7+1=483).
There were many variations then,
and still are today, which only demonstrates that there were obviously
many errors.
In A.D. 525, in Rome, Dionysius Exiguus,
a Scythian monk, began developing an alternate method of reckoning
time at the request of Bishop John I. Assuming the birth of
Christ was December 25, 753 a.u.c. (without any scriptural
validity, but based rather on existing pagan practices), Dionysius
started his calendar with January 1, 754 a.u.c., and reckoned
years anno Domini (Lat: in the year of the Lord
), or A.D. Thus, 754 a.u.c. became A.D. 1 of the Christian era.
However, this is impossible,
as subsequent research has determined 750 a.u.c. to be the year
of Herod's death (on or before the Passover in 4 B.C.), which
could not have occurred before the birth of Jesus. According
to Luke 2:1-5, Christ was born about the time of a census ordered
sometime between 7 and 4 B.C. by Quirinius, who was twice governor
of Syria:
Luke 2:1
And it came to pass in those days that a decree went out from
Caesar Augustus that all the world should be registered. This
census first took place while Quirinius was governing Syria.
Quirinius was governor of Syria twice:
from 7 B.C. to 1 B.C, when this census was taken, then again in
A.D. 6-10, when in Judea he supervised another, this time taxing
the Jews.
Luke 2:3
So all went to be registered, everyone to his own city. 4 Joseph
also went up from Galilee, out of the city of Nazareth, into Judea,
to the city of David, which is called Bethlehem, because he was
of the house and lineage of David, 5 to be registered with Mary,
his betrothed wife, who was with child.
This fulfilled the prophecy of Micah
5:2:
Mic 5:2
"But you, Bethlehem Ephrathah [The ancient name for Bethlehem
and also the name of the district], Though you are little
among the thousands of Judah, Yet out of you shall come forth
to Me The One to be Ruler in Israel, Whose goings forth are from
of old [or from days of eternity], From everlasting."
Both names indicate the fertility
of the area, Bethlehem meaning "House of Bread". Note
the symbolism when considering the words of Christ:
John 6:32
Then Jesus said to them, "Most assuredly, I say to you,
Moses did not give you the bread from heaven, but My Father gives
you the true bread from heaven. 33 For the bread of God is He
who comes down from heaven and gives life to the world."
THE CHRISTMAS DAY FABLE
Luke 2:6
So it was, that while they were there, the days were completed
for her to be delivered. 7 And she brought forth her firstborn
Son, and wrapped Him in swaddling cloths, and laid Him in a manger,
because there was no room for them in the inn. 8 Now there were
in the same country shepherds living out in the fields, keeping
watch over their flock by night.
Luke 2:9
And behold, an angel of the Lord stood before them, and the glory
of the Lord shone around them, and they were greatly afraid. 10
Then the angel said to them, "Do not be afraid, for behold,
I bring you good tidings of great joy which will be to all people.
11 For there is born to you this day in the city of David a Savior,
who is Christ the Lord. 12 And this will be the sign to you:
You will find a Babe wrapped in swaddling cloths, lying in a manger."
13 And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly
host praising God and saying: 14 Glory to God in the highest,
And on earth peace, goodwill toward men [A better rendering
of the text is: toward men of good will!" 15 So
it was, when the angels had gone away from them into heaven, that
the shepherds said to one another, "Let us now go to Bethlehem
and see this thing that has come to pass, which the Lord has made
known to us." 16 And they came with haste and found Mary
and Joseph, and the Babe lying in a manger. 17 Now when they
had seen Him, they made widely known the saying which was told
them concerning this Child. 18 And all those who heard it marveled
at those things which were told them by the shepherds. 19 But
Mary kept all these things and pondered them in her heart. 20
Then the shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for
all the things that they had heard and seen, as it was told them.
HEROD AND THE CHILDREN
Mat 2:1
Now after Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of
Herod the king, behold, wise men from the East came to Jerusalem,
2 saying, "Where is He who has been born King of the
Jews? For we have seen His star in the East and have come
to worship Him." 3 When Herod the king heard this, he was
troubled, and all Jerusalem with him. 4 And when he had gathered
all the chief priests and scribes of the people together,
he inquired of them where the Christ was to be born. 5 So they
said to him, "In Bethlehem of Judea, for thus it is written
by the prophet: 6 'But you, Bethlehem, in the land of Judah,
Are not the least among the rulers of Judah; For out of you shall
come a Ruler Who will shepherd My people Israel.'" 7 Then
Herod, when he had secretly called the wise men, determined from
them what time the star appeared.
Mat 2:8
And he sent them to Bethlehem and said, "Go and search carefully
for the young Child, and when you have found Him, bring back word
to me, that I may come and worship Him also." 9 When they
heard the king, they departed; and behold, the star which they
had seen in the East went before them, till it came and stood
over where the young Child was. 10 When they saw the star, they
rejoiced with exceedingly great joy.
Herod's inquiry concerning the time
of the appearance of the star indicates that the Magi had not
seen the star from the time they left their homes in the East.
Herod's original inquiry masks his scheme to locate and execute
the infant claimant to the throne. Verses 9, 10 suggest that
the Magi saw the star again only upon their departure from Jerusalem.
It led them unfailingly to Bethlehem. The account would seem
to indicate that the star was a supernatural, and not an
astronomical phenomenon.
Mat 2:11
And when they had come into the house, they saw the young Child
with Mary His mother, and fell down and worshiped Him. And when
they had opened their treasures, they presented gifts to Him:
gold, frankincense, and myrrh.
The young Child [Gk. Paidion],
and not the Babe [Gk. brephos], as in Luke 2:16,
had been moved from the manger, indicating that several months,
or probably more than a year, had passed before the Magi's visit.
In addition, three is the
number of the gifts - gold, frankincense and myrrh - not
the number of the Magi.
The gold is generally recognised
as being symbolic of Christ's kingship, a gift for a king. It
was also symbolic of purity, of refinement and purging.
Frankincense
was sprinkled on the Bread of the Presence in the temple. This
fragrance was added to the bread to be offered to God, symbolic
also of Christ, the Bread from Heaven, the Bread of Life, who
was an acceptable offering to the Father for us all.
Myrrh
was used in the preparation of brides. This is symbolic of Christ's
role in preparing the Church, His Bride, for the wedding Feast.
Mat 2:12
Then, being divinely warned in a dream that they should not return
to Herod, they departed for their own country another way. 13
Now when they had departed, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared
to Joseph in a dream, saying, "Arise, take the young Child
and His mother, flee to Egypt, and stay there until I bring you
word; for Herod will seek the young Child to destroy Him."
14 When he arose, he took the young Child and His mother by night
and departed for Egypt,
Joseph and Mary and Jesus fled
to Egypt prior to the slaughter of children in Bethlehem, which
was obviously before the death of Herod
Mat 2:15
and was there until the death of Herod, that it might be fulfilled
which was spoken by the Lord through the prophet, saying, "Out
of Egypt I called My Son" (Hosea 11:1). 16 Then Herod,
when he saw that he was deceived by the wise men, was exceedingly
angry; and he sent forth and put to death all the male children
who were in Bethlehem and in all its districts, from two years
old and under, according to the time which he had determined from
the wise men. 17 Then was fulfilled what was spoken by Jeremiah
the prophet, saying: 18 "A voice was heard in Ramah, Lamentation,
weeping, and great mourning, Rachel weeping for her children,
Refusing to be comforted, Because they are no more."
Herod, the king mentioned, is Herod
the Great, who was born in 74 B.C. and who died between March
29 and April 11, 4 B.C. Politically astute, disliked, a Jew of
Idumean (Edomite) descent, his powerful friends, Mark Anthony
and Octavius, advised the Roman Senate to give him the title "King
of the Jews". He had ten wives and was a ruthless leader
with obvious paranoia. In 19 B.C. he began the reconstruction
of the Jerusalem temple.
The loathsome physical decay of his
latter years was accompanied by mental disorder. In his last
ten years, his speech was rambling and violent. In 7 B.C. he
had two of his sons strangled publicly. In March 4 B.C. he attempted
suicide six days before his own agonising death. With tumors
on his feet, extreme difficulty in breathing, with convulsions
and stench of breath, his body putrefying and fly-blown, he ordered
the death of his plotting son Antipater. Five days later, after
overseeing his son's execution, he died.
Mat 2:19
But when Herod was dead, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared
in a dream to Joseph in Egypt, 20 saying, "Arise, take the
young Child and His mother, and go to the land of Israel, for
those who sought the young Child's life are dead."
Mary, Joseph and the young Jesus
definitely could not have returned to Egypt before March 4 B.C.,
having fled to Egypt sometime earlier during 5 B.C. to avoid the
massacre. It would seem that Jesus was 12 to 18 months old while
the family was in Egypt.
Together with the fact that Quirinius'
governorship of Syria began from 7 B.C., the evidence indicates
that the birth of Jesus was probably in 6 B.C. This seems to
me to be the best conclusion. The Feast of Tabernacles in 6 B.C.
began on Tishri 15, or September 25, 6 B.C.
This study for information regarding
the birth of Jesus the Christ was not undertaken so that
we can celebrate Christ's birthday, but rather so that we can
in place our confidence in Scripture to understand the truth and
so abandon the fables this world chooses to believe.
John 8:32
"And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make
you free."