The voice of LIBERTY BAPTIST CHURCH

So when was Jesus born? I think there are clues in the Gospel of Luke 1:5-17. There we read about a priest named Zacharias who was visited by an angel while performing his tasks inside the temple.

There was in the days of Herod, the king of Judaea, a certain priest named Zacharias, of the course of Abia: and his wife was of the daughters of Aaron, and her name was Elisabeth. And they were both righteous before God, walking in all the commandments and ordinances of the Lord blameless. And they had no child, because that Elisabeth was barren, and they both were now well stricken in years. And it came to pass, that while he executed the priest’s office before God in the order of his course, According to the custom of the priest’s office, his lot was to burn incense when he went into the temple of the Lord. Luke 1:5-9

He was promised that he and his wife would have a child in their old age. That child was John the Baptist.

But the angel said unto him, Fear not, Zacharias: for thy prayer is heard; and thy wife Elisabeth shall bear thee a son, and thou shalt call his name John. And thou shalt have joy and gladness; and many shall rejoice at his birth. For he shall be great in the sight of the Lord, and shall drink neither wine nor strong drink; and he shall be filled with the Holy Ghost, even from his mother’s womb. And many of the children of Israel shall he turn to the Lord their God. And he shall go before him in the spirit and power of Elias, 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.  Luke 1:13-17

Luke tells us that Zacharias was of “the course of Abia” (Abijah). In 1 Chronicles 24:10, Abijah’s course was the eighth course. Josephus, the Jewish historian, writes that each course was one week long with priests rotating so that each would serve twice during the year. His “tour of duty” would end in late May or early June. Luke tells us that he returned home immediately after and Elizabeth, his wife, conceived:

And it came to pass, that, as soon as the days of his ministration were accomplished, he departed to his own house. And after those days his wife Elisabeth conceived, and hid herself five months…  Luke 1:23-24

That would put John’s birth right around, if not on the day of, Passover!

We read in Luke’s account that Gabriel announced to Mary that she would conceive the Messiah (Christ Gr.)

And in the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent from God unto a city of Galilee, named Nazareth, To a virgin espoused to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David; and the virgin’s name was Mary. And the angel came in unto her, and said, Hail, thou that art highly favoured, the Lord is with thee: blessed art thou among women. And when she saw him, she was troubled at his saying, and cast in her mind what manner of salutation this should be. And the angel said unto her, Fear not, Mary: for thou hast found favour with God. And, behold, thou shalt conceive in thy womb, and bring forth a son, and shalt call his name JESUS. He shall be great, and shall be called the Son of the Highest: and the Lord God shall give unto him the throne of his father David: And he shall reign over the house of Jacob for ever; and of his kingdom there shall be no end. Then said Mary unto the angel, How shall this be, seeing I know not a man? And the angel answered and said unto her, The Holy Ghost shall come upon thee, and the power of the Highest shall overshadow thee: therefore also that holy thing which shall be born of thee shall be called the Son of God. And, behold, thy cousin Elisabeth, she hath also conceived a son in her old age: and this is the sixth month with her, who was called barren.  Luke 1:26-36

Luke then tells us that when Mary conceived that Elizabeth was in her sixth month!

That would have made Mary’s conception In late December about, if not on the day of, December 25^th! And Jesus’ birth in September around, if not on the day of, the Jewish Feast of Tabernacles!

December 25^th, as noted previously, was the Roman feast of Sol Invictus (the unconquered sun). Linking Jesus to the Sun is supported by several passages of Scripture such as Malachi 4:2:

But unto you that fear my name shall the Sun of righteousness arise with healing in his wings…

It appears to me that John the Baptist was born on Passover. Jesus was conceived on December 25th, and He was born in September on Sukkot, the Feast of Tabernacles!

Please note that the celebration of Christmas is likened to the coming of Jesus Christ (Advent) not necessarily His birth!

MERRY CHRISTMAS!

Pastor Ty

Well it’s that time of year again. To some it’s the “most wonderful time of the year.” To others it’s “let the fighting begin!” To some, ”It’s Merry Christmas not Happy Holidays!” Then there are my atheist friends who wish me “Happy Saturnalia Day!” Some believers go “all out” for Christmas and others who tell us Christmas is a pagan holiday, Christmas trees are condemned as heathen by Jeremiah and Jesus wasn’t born on December 25^th!

I think most Christians are aware that there are many traditions in Christmas that have developed over the years that aren’t Biblical (although not necessarily anti-Bible!). Decorating ones house in the winter goes way back even among non-believers. Winter can be very depressing time especially before electricity. They would use evergreens and Poinsettias because, well, what else was growing that time of year? Some Christians did refuse to observe Christmas like the Puritans. They were a sect within the Church of England (Anglican/Episcopal) that wanted to purify the church of Romanism. They felt that Christmas was a Catholic holiday.

There is no observance of the birth of Christ by Christians in Scripture. Jews and early Christians didn’t commemorate birthdays. While the observation of holidays is left entirely up to the individual. That would include one’s church meeting on Sunday or Saturday or “keeping” the Sabbath!

One man esteemeth one day above another: another esteemeth every day alike. Let every man be fully persuaded in his own mind.  Romans 14:5

Was Jesus born on December 25^th? Well, I don’t really know, the Bible doesn’t give us His birthday. However, it is very unlikely that December 25^th was the day of His birth. Why?

And there were in the same country shepherds abiding in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night. Luke 2:8

Shepherds in Israel would corral their flocks no later than the end of October! So where did the date come from? The theory is that it came from Constantine the Roman emperor who married the church and state in 331 AD, effectively creating what we now know as the Roman Catholic Church. In 336 it was decreed that Jesus’ birth would be celebrated on December 25^th. There were several things going on during that time of year: First the Festival of Saturnalia from December 17-23^rd. then there was Sol Invictus (Unconquered Sun) celebrated on the Winter Solstice, the shortest day of the year. As the time of daylight begin increasing the sun is said to “return to life”.  Then there was also the Jewish Festival of Lights or Hanukkah. So, it is believed that that date was selected to correspond to the other events.

However, there may be more to that date! In 221 AD, Sextus Julius Africanus a Christian from Jerusalem (160 AD – 240 AD) wrote Chronographiai, a history of the world in five volumes. Unfortunately, the work only exists today in fragments and extensive quotations by Eusebius and others. He calculated the period between Creation and Jesus as 5500 years. He had Jesus birth on December 25^th! That was before Constantine was even born. 

When, then, was Jesus born? Some have tried to date his birth based on astronomical history by dating the star that the Magi saw. The fatal flaw to this is that the Magi did not come to Jesus on his birth night! We read in Matthew 2:11:

And when they were come into the house, they saw the young child with Mary his mother, and fell down, and worshipped him: and when they had opened their treasures, they presented unto him gifts; gold, and frankincense, and myrrh.

Notice, Jesus is in a house and he is a young child not a baby and He could have been as old as 2, as Herod tried to kill all the male children up to two years old. It is Herod’s slaughter of the children that caused Joseph to take Jesus to Egypt;

And when they were departed, behold, the angel of the Lord appeareth to Joseph in a dream, saying, Arise, and take the young child and his mother, and flee into Egypt, and be thou there until I bring thee word: for Herod will seek the young child to destroy him. When he arose, he took the young child and his mother by night, and departed into Egypt: And was there until the death of Herod: that it might be fulfilled which was spoken of the Lord by the prophet, saying, Out of Egypt have I called my son. Matthew 2:13-15

Being there until the death of Herod who died on April 4^th, 4 B.C. So, Jesus would have to have been be born before then. But I believe the Bible gives us some fascinating clues to determine the approximate day of His birth!

TO BE CONTINUED