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December, 2024, 2024 (Vol.58-No.12) |
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About a year ago Pastor Scott gave a very interesting message, which proved by the Scriptures that Jesus was not born in December. The mother of John the Baptist was a cousin of Mary, the mother of Jesus. Through the study of these two births, Pastor Scott came to some conclusions which bring us face to face with the truth about Christmas. Most of you already know that Jesus was not born on December 25th. But there was a time when the clergy was always trying to “put Christ back into Christmas.” And in a way that was okay, but the birth of our Savior should be celebrated every day of the year, not just following dead traditions, but from the heart. I have learned so much from Pastor Scott, and I give her all the credit for teaching me HOW to read the Bible. For years I read these verses, not letting the meaning sink in. Pay close attention to this verse: “There was in the days of Herod, the king of Judaea, a certain priest named Zacharias, of the course of Abijah: and his wife was of the daughters of Aaron, and her name was Elizabeth” (Luke 1:5). The fact that he was of the division of Abijah gives us a clue as to when Zacharias was in the temple and away from home. And knowing when he returned home gives us a clue as to the birth of John. The birth of Jesus and John are closely connected in history. Now from here we go to 1st Chronicles 24:1-10. When the laws were given by God to Moses, there were not only ten laws on two tablets, but during the forty-year journey from Egypt God gave Moses a law or rule for every conceivable need or behavior. The laws involved education, taxation, inheritance, real estate, loans, appointment of judges, and laws about marriage, children, how your animals should be treated, etc. It is all in Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, and Chronicles; and many chapters are devoted to the worship in the temple, which is what we will be looking at. Moses had a brother named Aaron. He became the first priest. He had four sons. Two died and two were left as priests, Eleazar and Ithamar. In time, more sons were born and the priestly line grew. 1st Chronicles 24:10 tells that the division of Abijah fell to number 8 as they drew lots: “So it was, while he (Zacharias) was serving as priest before God in the order of his division (which was Abijah), according to the custom of the priesthood, his lot fell to burn incense when he went into the temple of the Lord” (Luke 1:8-9). His service would have been from Sabbath to Sabbath, twice a year, except for feast days, when all the priests would need to serve, because of the multitude of people that came at these times. And it was when Zacharias was in the temple serving that an angel appeared with a message from God. His wife, Elizabeth would bear a son and this son would be “great in the sight of the Lord” (Luke 1:15). This child would, of course, be John the Baptist. He would be the one to announce the coming of the Messiah, the Savior. “So it was as soon as the days of his service were completed, he departed to his own house. Now after those days his wife Elizabeth conceived and she hid herself five months” (Luke 1:23-24). “Now in the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent by God to a city of Galilee named Nazareth, to a virgin betrothed to a man whose name was Joseph of the house of David. The virgin’s name was Mary” (Luke 1:26-27). So by these verses it is clear that John was six months older than Jesus, because it was six months later that the angel appeared to Mary (Luke 1:26) and she conceived by the Holy Spirit. The angel also told Mary: “Now indeed, Elizabeth your relative has also conceived a son in her old age; and this is the sixth month for her who was called barren. For with God nothing will be impossible” (Luke 1:36-37). When Mary heard about the blessing upon Elizabeth, she went there for a visit, and when she “. . . entered the house of Zacharias and greeted Elizabeth and it happened, when Elizabeth heard the greeting of Mary, that the babe leaped in her womb, and Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit” (Luke 1:40-41). So the word of the angel to Zacharias was fulfilled, for he had said “He (John) will also be filled with the Holy Spirit, even from his mother’s WOMB” (Luke 1:15). No one but God knows exact days and hours of any happening. But since Zacharias’ service was done in late April or early May, his wife probably became pregnant in June or July. It was in December or January when Mary visited her relative Elisabeth, who was then in her sixth month. John was born three months later. Its nine months from that time that Jesus was born. Simple math (adding six months to the date of John’s birth) shows that Jesus was born in September. The origin of Christmas being celebrated on December 25 goes back to the time of Constantine the Great, about 200 years after the death and resurrection of Christ. It was his mother, Helen, who brought the worship of relics and idols into the church. Before this the early church was more interested in the second coming of Christ than they were in His birth. All of the apostles wrote about his return, not his birth. But in a couple of hundred years things changed. Constantine converted to the Christian faith. He never stood his ground but he allowed the Christians to join the Babylonian mystery religions. This is partly how the “Christmas story” got started. Jesus could not have been born in winter. Shepherds are not in the field watching sheep during the cold winter when there is no grass for the sheep to feed on (See Luke 2:8). It is during September when the shepherds heard the message of the angels. The wise men did not come to see the baby Jesus in a manger. They came months later when Jesus is spoken of as a young child, and he was in a house, not a manger. It is true that He was BORN in a manger. But the wise men did not come to see Jesus there. “And when they (the wise men) had come into the house, they saw the young child with Mary His mother, and fell down and worshipped Him” (Matthew 2:9-11). Nowhere in the Bible does it speak of three wise men. Just because three different kinds of gifts were brought, it does not prove that three men brought them. It just says “MEN”- plural. And the wise men could not have travelled alone, just three men and three camels. This was a dangerous trip from a far country. They must have had a huge caravan of camels and mules laden with blankets, food, tents, and other provisions. They would have also had many servants with them. These are examples of how the Bible is read, as if it was a fairy tale. I like history and these facts of the birth of Christ were of interest to me. However, knowing that Jesus was not born on December 25th will not change anything, and it shouldn’t. It’s a happy time of year. Everyone seems to have more peace and joy, and a spirit of giving. I wish this attitude would last throughout the year. And one day it will, when Jesus comes, not as a babe, but as a conquering King. Then He will set up His Kingdom on earth for a thousand years. Then Peace will reign because only Jesus Christ can set all things right. Merry Christmas to you all. Margaret Originally published December 2014 | December, 2024 Wingspread | November, 2024 Wingspread | October, 2024 Wingspread | September, 2024 Wingspread | August, 2024 Wingspread | July, 2024 Wingspread | June, 2024 Wingspread | May, 2024 Wingspread | March, 2024 Wingspread | April, 2024 Wingspread | February, 2024 Wingspread | January, 2024 Wingpread | | Year 2019 Wingspreads | August, 2016 Wingspread | 2016 Wingspreads | 2014 Wingspreads | 2013 Wingspreads | 2012 Wingspreads | 2011 Wingspreads | 2010 Wingspreads | 2009 Wingspreads | 2008 Wingspreads | 2007 Wingspreads | 2006 Wingspreads | 2005 Wingspreads | 2004 Wingspreads | 2003 Wingspreads | 2002 Wingspreads | 2001 Wingspreads | August, 2001 Wingspread | November, 2001 Wingspread | December, 2001 Wingspread | 2000 Wingspreads | 1999 Wingspreads | 2015 Wingspreads | Year 2017 Wingspreads | 2018 Wingspreads | Year 2020 Wingspreads | Year 2021 Wingspreads | Year 2022 Wingspreads | Year 2023 Wingspreads | Year 2024 Wingspreads | Year 2025 Wingspreads | | Return Home | Current Wingspread | Wingspread Archives | Contact Us | |
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