Birth of Christ

When was Jesus Christ born?

Around December 25th, much of the world stops to celebrate this day as the birth of Jesus Christ. "Peace on earth," "good will toward men" can be heard on every street corner and in every shopping center. Christians will put on Christmas dramas depicting the hardship of Mary and Joseph as they find no room at the inn and give birth to the Messiah in a manger. December 25th is known as " Christmas" in order to celebrate a mass in honor of Christ. Indeed, if you ask the random person on the street about what December 25th means, they will tell you that it is the birth of Jesus Christ.

While much of the world celebrates the birth of Jesus Christ on December 25th,  you must ask yourself, " Was Christ truly born on this day?" Does the bible give us any indication as to when Christ was born and does it hold any significance? Does it really matter what day we celebrate Jesus' birthday on so long as we do? The answer to this is a resounding, "YES!" It is important that we pinpoint His birth so that we do not be deceived into false worship. The study of this topic will be explored in detail and will fascinate the astute student. 

Let us be mindful of the fact that everything in the Scriptures carries significance, including the correct time of Jesus' birth. It is of extreme importance that we find out what the Bible says concerning this and that we adhere to its word. Refusing to abide by the plain Word of Scripture will lead us down the path of deception that will blind us to the truth and cause us to accept and promote a false god to the masses. We strive to discover and adhere to truth and we pray that you will find truth, verified by the Word of God, within the pages of this study guide. May God bless you as you study to find the truth about:

THE TRUE BIRTH OF JESUS CHRIST!

We start our study in the book of Luke where the father of John the Baptist, Zacharias, is discussed. Consider the following passages:

" 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. And they were both righteous before the Lord God, walking in all the commandments and ordinances of the Lord blameless. But they had no child, because Elizabeth was barren, and they were both well advanced in years. So it was that while he was serving as priest before God in the order of his division, according to the custom of the priesthood, his lot fell to burn incense when he went into the temple of the Lord." Luke 1:5-9

Notice how both Zacharias and Elizabeth were both faithful in their service to God. Although Elizabeth was barren and unable to conceive, God blessed them and created a way for them to overcome this and bear a son. This is worthy for us to note because it encourages us to be faithful to God and He will reward us even when things seem impossible.

The key phrase to note in the passage is, " So it was, that while he was serving as priest before God in the order of his division..." Some versus use the word " course " in place of "division" but they have the same meaning. They may be used interchangeably throughout this study but note that they refer to the same thing. Keep in mind this phrase as it will serve as a key to understanding how to determine Christ's true birth date. Continuing with the Scriptures:

"So it was, as soon as the days of his service were completed, that he departed to his own house. Now after those days his wife Elizabeth conceived; and she hid herself five months, saying, "Thus the Lord has dealt with me, in the days when He looked on me, to take away my reproach among people." Luke 1:23-25

Zacharias completed his days of service as priest before God in the temple and returned to his wife, where they proceeded to conceive their child. Again it is important to note that Zacharias was part of the priesthood who took turns, or shifts, in service to the Lord as priests in the temple. This is another clue that emphasizes the order of service which is used to determine the time of the birth of Christ.

The 24 Divisions of the Temple Priesthood

Where did these "divisions" or "courses" of the priesthood come from? According to the Scriptures King David was instructed by God to divide the sons of Aaron into twenty-four groups. Note the following versus:

"Then David gave his son Solomon the plans for the vestibule, its houses, its treasuries, its upper chambers, its inner chambers, and the place of the mercy seat; and the plans for all that he had by the Spirit, of the courts of the house of the LORD, of all the chambers all around, of the treasuries of the house of God, and of the treasuries for the dedicated things; also for the division of the priests and the Levites, for all the work of the service of the house of the LORD, and for all the articles of service in the house of the LORD." 1 Chronicles 28:11-13

"Now these are the divisions of the sons of Aaron. The sons of Aaron were Nadab, Abihu, Eleazar, and Ithamar. Nadab and Abihu died before their father, and had no children; therefore Eleazar, and Ithamar ministered as priests. 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. There were more leaders found of the sons of Eleazar than of the sons of Ithama, and thus they were divided. Among the sons of Eleazar where sixteen heads of their fathers' houses, and eight heads of their fathers' houses among the sons of Ithamar." 1 Chronicles 24:1-4

Eleazar had sixteen sons who were heads of their house and Ithamar had eight, which equals to 24 priests. According to the preceding verse David divided each group according to the schedule of their service. Each was given an assigned time to serve in the temple so that the house of the Lord and its services would always be maintained without interruption.

With the twenty-four head priests and their divisions established, lots were cast to determine the order in which each group would serve in the temple. Consider the following passage:

"Now the first lot fell to Jehoiarib, the second to Jedaiah, the third to Harim, the fourth to Seorim, the fifth to Malchijah, the sixth to Mijamin, the seventh to Hakkoz, the eighth Abijah, the ninth to Jeshua, the tenth to Shecaniah, the eleventh to Eliashib, the twelfth to Jakim, the thirteenth to Huppah, the fourteenth to Jeshebeab, the fifteenth to Bilgah, the sixteenth to Immer, the seventeenth to Hezir, the eighteenth to Happizzez, the nineteenth to Pethahiah, the twentieth to Jehezekel, the twenty-first to Jachin, the twenty-second to Gamul, the twenty-third to Delaiah, the twenty-fourth to Maaziah. This  was the schedule of their service for coming into the house of the LORD according to their ordinance by the hand of Aaron their father, as the LORD God of Israel had commanded him." 

1 Chronicles 24:7-19

The order again is:

1. 1. Jehoiarib 2. Jedaiah 3. Harim

4. Seroim 5. Malchijah 6. Mijamin

7. Hakkoz     8. Abijah     9. Jeshua 

10. Shecaniah   11. Eliashib   12. Jakim

13. Huppah   14. Jeshebeab   15. Bilgah

    16. Immer     17. Hezir   18. Happizzez

     19. Pethahiah     20. Jehezekel     21. Jachin

22. Gamul     23. Delaiah     24. Maaziah

This was the specific order in which the division of priests were to come into the service of the Lord in His temple under Aaron their father as the Lord had commanded them to.

When did their service begin and when did it end?

"All those chosen as gatekeepers were two hundred and twelve. They were recorded by their genealogy, in their villages. David and Samuel the seer had appointed them to their trusted office. So they and their children were in charge of the gates of the house of the LORD, the house of the tabernacle, by assignment. The gatekeepers were assigned to the four directions: the east, west, north, and south. And their brethren in their villages had to come with them from time to time for seven days." 1 Chronicles 9:25

"So the Levites and all Judah did according to all that Jehoiada the priest commanded. And each man took his men who were to be on duty on the Sabbath, with those who were going off duty on the Sabbath; for Jehoiada the priest had not dismissed the divisions." 2 Chronicles 23:8

From these verses it is plan to see that the service of the priest began on the Sabbath and ended on the following Sabbath. Each division served for one week. Think of it as a military combat unit being deployed into the field for a year to replace the field unit that had already served their year of duty. This was done continually except for three occasions in the year: 1.) Feast of Unleavened Bread, 2.) Pentecost, and 3.) Feast of Tabernacles. The reason for this was because all men of Israel were required to travel to Jerusalem to gather for the Feasts of the Lord and all the priests were needed in order to accommodate the crowds.

It is now important that we understand the yearly cycle of Service in the temple. The Jewish calender begins in the spring, during the month of Nissan, so the first "division" of priests, the family of Jehoiarib, would serve for the first seven days. The second week would then be served by the division of Jedaiah. The third week would be the Feast of Unleavened Bread, which would then necessitate all priests from all divisions to serve. The schedule would then resume with the third division of priests, the family of Harim. According to this plan, when the 24th division was completed, the cycle would then repeat itself. Following this schedule would cover 51 weeks (357 days) enough to cover the lunar Jewish calendar (approximately 354 days.) Over the course of a year, each division of priests would serve in the Temple twice on their schedule time (2 weeks), an additional 3 times during the Festivals of God (3 weeks) for a total of 5 weeks of service by each division throughout the year.

John the Baptist is Conceived

We focus our attention once again on the father of John the Baptist, Zacharias.

"So it was, as soon as the days of his service were completed, that he departed to his own house. Now after those days his wife Elizabeth conceived; and she hid herself five months, saying, " Thus the Lord has dealt with me, in the days when He looked on me, to take away my reproach among people."" Luke 1:23-25

Zacharias completes his service and returns home and his wife conceives a child and she hides herself for five months. What division did Zacharias serve on and how do we know what week he served? Remember that the Jewish calendar begins in the spring with the month of Nissan (March-April). Counting from this beginning, and recollecting the order of the divisions, the schedule of the priest's courses would result with Zacharias serving during the 10th week of the year. According to Scripture, Zacharias was a member of the division of Abijah:

"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." Luke 1:5

The division of Abijah was scheduled to be the 8th course in the calendar of service considering that the Feast of Unleavened bread (3rd week of year) and the Pentecost (9th week of year) occurred before the scheduled course of Abijah this would place Zacharias' administration in the Temple at the beginning of the second Sabbath of the third month, Sivan (May-June).

The order of the schedule would be as follows:

First Month (Nissan-Abib/March-April)

1. 1st Week: Division of Jehoiarib (1st division)

2. 2nd Week: Division of Jedaiah (2nd division)

3. 3rd Week: Feast of Unleavened Bread (All divisions serve at same time)

4. 4th Week: Division of Harim (3rd division)

Second Month (Zif-Lyyar/April-May)

1. 5th Week: Division of Seforim (4th division)

2. 6th Week: Division of Malchijah (5th division)

3. 7th Week: Division of Mijamin (6th division)

4. 8th Week: Division of Hakkoz (7th division)

Third Month (Sivan/May-June)

1. 9th Week: Pentecost (All divisions serve at same time)

2. 10th Week: Division of Abijah (8th division) (Zacharias' division)

3. 11th Week: Division of Jeshua (9th division)

4. 12th week: Division of Shecaniah (10th division)

Zacharias would have completed his term of service on the third Sabbath of the month of Sivan and according to Scripture, he returned home and soon conceived his son, John the Baptist. Thus it is logical to conclude that John the Baptist was conceived shortly after the third Sabbath of the month of Sivan.

The Miraculous Conception of Jesus Christ

It is important that we understand the timeline of Zacharias and the conception of John the Baptist. According to the book of Luke, Jesus was conceived; by the Holy Spirit during the sixth month of Elizabeth's pregnancy:

"Now after those days his wife Elizabeth conceived; and she hid herself five months, saying, "Thus the Lord has dealt with me, in the days when He looked on me, to take away my reproach among people. 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 1:24-27

Please note that the "sixth month" referred to here is not the sixth month of the year (Elul) but the sixth month of Elizabeth's pregnancy. This can be verified through the following verse:

"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. For with God nothing will be impossible." Luke 1:36-37

Mary went to visit Elizabeth shortly after the announcement, by the angel, that she was to conceive of the Holy Spirit. Mary stayed with Elizabeth for the last three months of her pregnancy, until the time that John was born.

"And Mary remained with her for about three months, and returned to her house." Luke 1:56

Since Jesus was conceived six months after John the Baptist and John was born three months earlier, we simply need to count six months later in the Hebrew calendar to arrive at the likely date for the birth of Jesus Christ. Counting  from the 15th day of the first month (Abib) until the 15th day of the 7th month (Tishri) is six months. What is the significance of this particular date?

"Then the LORD spoke to Moses, saying, "Speak to the children of Israel, saying: 'The fifteenth day of this seventh month shall be the Feast of Tabernacles for seven days to the LORD." Leviticus 23:33-34

The 15th day of Tishri begins the third and last Festival of the year to which all men of Israel were to come and gather for Temple services! The Feast of Tabernacles!

What was the significance of the Feast of Tabernacles?

"Also on the fifteenth day of the seventh month, when you have gathered in the fruit of the land, you shall keep the feast of the LORD for seven days; on the first day there shall be a sabbath-rest, and on the eight day a sabbath rest. And you shall take for yourselves on the first day the fruit of beautiful trees, the boughs of leafy trees, and willows of the brook; and you shall rejoice before the LORD your God for seven days. You shall keep it as a feast to the LORD for seven days in the year. It shall be a statute forever in your generations. You shall celebrate it in the seventh month. You shall dwell in booths for seven days. All who are native Israelites shall dwell in booths, that your generations may know that I made the children of Israel dwell in booths when I brought them out of the land of Egypt: I am the LORD your God'" Leviticus 23:39-43

The Israelites were to dwell in booths (also called tabernacles) during this time as a memorial of the time when God brought them out of the land of Egypt and dwell among them:

"And let them make Me a sanctuary, that I may dwell among them." Exodus 25:8

This is significant and this is evident even in the name in which the Child was t be called:

"Therefore the Lord Himself will give you a sign: Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a Son, and shall call His name Immanuel." Isaiah 7:14

The name "Immanuel" means "God with us."

"So all this was done that it might be fulfilled, which was spoken, by the Lord though the prophet, saying: "Behold, the virgin shall be with child, and bear a Son, and they shall call His name Immanuel," which is translated, "God with us." Matthew 1:22-23

The Son of God had come to dwell with us. He came to TABERNACLE on the earth with His people. Consider this in conjunction with the following verse:

"And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth" John 1:14

The Word "dwelt" in Hebrew is translated succah and the Hebrew name for Feast of Tabernacles is Sukkot, a festival of rejoicing and celebration:

"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. For there is born to you this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord. And this will be the sign for you: You will find a Babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger. And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying: "Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, goodwill towards men!" Luke 2:10-14

Certainly there was rejoicing and great joy among the throne of Heaven at the birth of the Messiah!

John the Baptist and His Birth

The Scriptures have established that John the Baptist was conceived shortly after the third Sabbath of the month of Sivan. If you project forward from that time and take into consideration that the average term of pregnancy is 10 lunar months (or 40 weeks) we arrive at the month of Nissan (A Hebrew calendar is Provided at the end of the booklet.) It is likely that John the Baptist was born in the middle of the month which to note is the fact that even today, Jews who celebrate Passover Seder meal will set out a special cup of juice in anticipation of Elijah's arrival that week. This is based on the prophecy found in Malachi:

"Behold, I will send you Elijah the prophet before the coming of the great and dreadful day of the LORD." Malachi 4:5

Jesus went on and identified John the Baptist as the "Elijah" that the Jews were expecting:

" And His disciples asked Him, saying, " Why then do the scribes say that Elijah must come first?" Jesus answered and said to them, "Indeed, Elijah is coming first and will restore all things. But I say to you that Elijah has come already, and they did not know him but did to him whatever they wished. Likewise the Son of Man is also about to suffer at their hands." Then the disciples understood that He spoke to them of John the Baptist." Matthew 17:10-13

Prior to Jesus declaring John to be the "Elijah" Prophesied in Malachi, the angel that appeared before Zacharias in the temple also verified that John would be the "Elijah" that was prophesied:

"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. And you will have joy and gladness, and many will rejoice at his birth . 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. And he will turn many of the children of Israel to the Lord their God. 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." Luke 1:13-17

Thus the Feast of Unleavened Bread begins on the 15th day of the 1st month, Nissan and this is likely the date for the birth of John the Baptist, the anticipated "Elijah."

"Now Elizabeth's full time came for her to be delivered, and she brought forth a son." Luke 1:57

Using the Information about John's conception late in the third month, Sivan, and projecting forward six months, we arrive late in the ninth month of Kislev (Nov/Dec) for the time frame of the CONCEPTION (not birth) of Jesus Christ.

It is interesting to note that the first day of the Jewish festival of Hanukkah, the Festival of Lights, is celebrated on the 25th day of Keslev. Jesus, in turn, is often referred to as the "Light of the world." Note the following verses:

"Then Jesus spoke to them again saying, "I am the light of the world. He who follows Me shall not walk in darkness, but have the light of life." John 8:12

"As long as I am in the world, I am the light of the world." John 9:5

"I have come as a light into the world, that whoever believes in Me should not abide in darkness." John 12:46

Hanukkah is called the Feast of Dedication:

"Now it was the Feast of Dedication in Jerusalem, and it was winter." John 10:22

Hanukkah is an eight day festival which commemorates the relighting of the menorah in the rededication Temple, which was notable because it stayed lit miraculously for eight days even though there was only one day's supply of oil available. How is all this significant? Jesus is the Light of the world and conceived on the day that commemorated the miraculous light during the Feast of Dedication, in which Christ was dedicated to this world for its salvation. Is this Coincidence? It is highly unlikely, it's more like providence.

No Room In the Inn

Why was there no room at the inn? Bethlehem was only about five miles from Jerusalem and all the men of Israel had come to attend the Feast of Tabernacles as required by the law of Moses. A decree had also gone out from Cesar Augustus for a census to be taken so all people were to be registered. Joseph went to Bethlehem to be registered with Mary, his betrothed wife. It is conceivable that every room for miles around Jerusalem would have already been taken by other travelers, because of the Feast and census so Mary and Joseph could only find shelter in a lowly stable. Consider the following verse:

"And it came to pass in those days that a decree went out from Cesar Augustus that all the world should be registered.This census first took place while Quirinius was governing Syria. So all went to be registered, everyone to his own city. 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 from the house and lineage of David, to be registered with Mary, his betrothed wife, who was with child. So it was that while they were there, the days were completed for her to be delivered. 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. Luke 2:1-7

 It is interesting to note that the Feast of Tabernacles is an eight day festival. Consider the following verse:

"For seven days you shall offer an offering made by fire to the LORD. On the eighth day you shall have a holy convocation, and you shall offer an offering made by fire to the LORD. It is a sacred assembly, and you shall do no customary work on it. 'These are the feasts of the LORD which you shall proclaim to be holy convocations, to offer an offering, a sacrifice made by fire to the LORD, a burnt offering and a grain offering , a sacrifice and a drink offerings, everything on its day - besides the Sabbath of the LORD, besides your gifts, besides all your vows, and besides all your free will offerings which you give to the LORD.' Also on the fifteenth day of the seventh month, when you have gathered in the fruit of the land, you shall keep the feast of the LORD for seven days; on the first day there shall be a sabbath-rest, and on the eighth day a sabbath-rest." Leviticus 23:36-39

Why is understanding that the Feast of Tabernacles an eight day festival significant? It is important because it gives us another piece of evidence that proves that Jesus Christ the true and long-awaited Messiah. Upon the eighth day after the birth of a son, the Hebrew people would dedicate their infant son to God by performing circumcision on them. We established earlier that Jesus Christ was born at the time of the Feast of Tabernacles and the custom would dictate that Christ be circumcised on the eighth day after His birth. Did this occur?

"And when eight days were completed for the circumcision of the Child, His name was called Jesus, the name given by the angel before He was Conceived in the womb." Luke 2:21

The infant Jesus was circumcised on the eighth and final day of the Feast of Tabernacles, a Sabbath day. It is simply amazing to see the correlation between God's Feast Days and His birth.This is why it is so important for us to recognize the Feast Days of God and understand their meaning and purpose.

Tabernacles Has a Future Fulfillment As Well

It must be also noted that Tabernacles was also a Feast of the Ingathering of the Harvest. Note the following verses:

"and the Feast of Harvest, the firstfruits of your labors which you have sown in the field; and the Feast of Ingathering at the end of the year, when you have gathered in the fruit of your labors from the field." Exodus 23:16

"and you shall observe the Feast of Weeks, of the firstfruits of wheat harvest, and the Feast of Ingathering at the year's end." Exodus 34:22

Considering that Jesus' first coming occurred on the fifteenth day of Tishri, the first day of Tabernacles, then it is logical to conclude that the harvest of the earth, the ingathering of the second coming of Jesus Christ will also occur at the same time The only thing we cannot conclude is the year and the hour in which this is to occur.

Conclusion

Based upon the Scriptural evidence of the 24 divisions of the priests, there order of service, Zacharias' conclusion of service, the time of John's conception, the corresponding interaction of Mary and Elizabeth during Elizbeth's six month of pregnancy, and simple mathematics we can conclude that Jesus Christ was born on the 15th day of Tishri on the first day of the Feast of Tabernacles which corresponds to September/ October in our present day calendar! Recounting that Tabernacles means "dwell with us", God certainly fulfilled this by coming to this earth in form of man to dwell among us. He fulfilled the circumcision requirement at the end of the Feast of Tabernacles eight days later.

Conception and birth timeline:

Jewish Month Today's Months John the Baptist's Timeline Jesus Christ's Timeline

1. Nissan/Abib March-April John is born on 15th day of Nissan 4th Month

2. Zif/Lyyar April-May 5th Month

3. Sivan May-June Conception after 3rd Sabbath 6th Month

4. Tammuz June-July 1st Month after conception 7th Month

5. Ab/Av July-August 2nd Month after conception 8th Month

6. Elul August-September 3rd Month 9th Month

7. Tishri September- October 4th Month Jesus is born on 15th day of Tishri

8. Cheshvan October/ November 5th Month

9. Kislev November/ December 6th Month Conception on 25th day of Kislev

10. Cheshvan December/ January 7th Month 1st Month after conception

11. Shevat January/ February 8th Month 2nd Month after conception

12. Adar February/ March 9th Month 3rd Month

Do not forget to factor in the average length of pregnancy is 10 lunar months (40 weeks)

Now you know the Biblical truth about Christ's birth. It is not our intention to condemn Christmas celebration or halt the sharing of gifts and spending time with family. As a matter of fact, the Bible encourages us to spend time with our loved ones. What this study does is point out that Christ's birth was indeed prophesied using the appointed Feasts as the guideposts necessary to identify His arrival. It points out that it is necessary for us to understand the purposes of the Feast days and how applicable they are today. It is imperative that we do not misidentify the true birth of Christ and assign it to an incorrect date. Failure to understand this will cause us to misinterpret other important dates and festivals which will lead us to accepting and worshiping a false god. Now that you know the truth, will you choose to abide by it?