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The following is copied from Roy Reinhold's (The Bible Codes) document, "The Exact Date of Yeshua's Birth". It has been edited for content. I've intentionally left out the code matrices due to the controversy over the Bible Codes, but in no way does it detract from the evidence showing Yeshua Ha' Mashiach was NOT born on December 25th. Even the most earnest Bible student, with a little working knowledge of Jewish history, calendar & feast days, would question the entire December 25th scenario, since it doesn't fit with either one. Even if one couldn't surmise another date, one would be convinced Yeshua's birth and the secularly traditional "Christmas" dates are NOT one and the same. Although Roy's work is not the first such offering against a Dec. 25th birth of Christ over the centuries since, it provides a greater footing in today's understanding WHY Dec. 25th CANNOT be "Christmas".
If you seriously want to further investigate the evidence, visit Roy's website and the authors mentioned below.
In any event or date, may the peace of the Prince of Peace be upon you...TC
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A few days before
The following multi-part article complements the 2-part article on this website called, The Pagan Aspects of Christmas. In that article, there is evidence from the calculated possible birth date of John the baptist (Yochanan the Immerser), that he was born around Passover in the spring of the year. Since John the baptist was 6 months older than Yeshua (Jesus), that would place the birth of Yeshua in the fall of the year around Yom Kippur (the Day of Atonement), plus or minus 3 weeks. Using the Bible code, the test was to see if Yeshua was born in the fall of the year around the time of the fall feasts of
This multi-part article will present multiple Bible code matrices and other scholarship to show that with a fair degree of certainty, we can specify the exact day the angel Gabriel visited Miriam (Mary) and announced that she would bear a child conceived by the Ruach HaKodesh (Holy Spirit), the exact day Mary conceived the child, the exact day of the birth of Yeshua, and the exact day Mary and Joseph took the child to the Temple on the 8th day to dedicate the firstborn with the necessary sacrifice and perform the Brit Milah (circumcision). The matrices shown are all different views of the same overall matrix. In other words, the overall matrix has everything in it related to the conception and birth of Yeshua.
In beginning the process, I was predisposed to believe that the Bible code would show Yeshua's birth on a feast day. The fall feast days of Israel are as follows.
Rosh Hashanah (Yom Teruah, or Feast of Trumpets), occurs on 1 Tishri in the jewish calendar.
Yom Kippur (Day of Atonement), occurs on 10 Tishri in the jewish calendar.
Succot (Feast of Tabernacles), starts on 15 Tishri and runs for 7 days, where the 15th and 21st are annual Sabbath days.
Why was I predisposed to believe it would fall on a feast day of Israel? In the gospel of Luke, it states the following:
Luke 2:1-7
Now it came about in those days that a decree went out from Caesar Augustus, that a census be taken of all the inhabited earth. This was the first census taken while Quirinius was governor of Syria. And all were proceeding to register for the census, everyone to his own city. And Joseph also went up from Galilee, from the city of Nazareth, to Judea, to the city of David, which is called Bethlehem (actually, Beit Lechem), because he was of the house and family of David; in order to register along with Mary, who was engaged to him, and who was with child. And it came about that while they were there, the days were completed for her to give birth. And she gave birth to her first-born son; and she wrapped Him in cloths, and laid Him in a manger (feeding trough), because there was no room for them in the inn.
What I wanted you to see are 3 clues necessary to sort out this process of looking for exact date of Yeshua's birth. One, they left Nazareth and went to Bethlehem to register for the census, because both Mary and Joseph were descended from king David along different family lines. The birth took place in Bethlehem. Secondly, the days were completed for her to give birth, which tells us that the child was born at the correct gestation time. The Encyclopedia Brittanica shows that the average human gestation period for a female child is 266-267 days, and 270-271 days for a male child. That will come into play in pre-calculating the expected day of conception when Mary became pregnant. Thirdly, it states that there was no room at the inn (motel for you modern folks).
I would have guessed that the day of birth of Yeshua was on one of the feast days, because there was no room at the inn. Bethlehem is only 3-5 miles south of Jerusalem, and during the fall feast days, jewish people from all over the world would arrive ahead of time and overflow into the surrounding towns. According to the scriptures, all Israel was only required to appear before the Lord at the Temple 3 times a year (Passover, Shavuot or Pentecost, and the Feast of Tabernacles). However, because they didn't have airplanes, trains, and cars then, jewish people from other countries would arrive early and be there for Rosh Hashanah through Succot (a 3 week period). Therefore, it would have been difficult to find a room at the inn anytime during the fall feast days.
Specifically, John 1:14 led me to believe that the birth of Yeshua was probably on the 15th of Tishri, the first day of the Feast of Tabernacles; where it says, "And the Word became flesh and tabernacled among us." I believed that I would most likely find 15 Tishri going into this process, but that IS NOT the day of birth of Yeshua.
I should mention that if we were only looking for one date (the actual birth date of Yeshua), it would be very difficult to try and prove one date in a matrix, even with day-month-year. However, since we know from the scriptures that we have 3 dates that all have to be shown and are related in a tight way, it is more conclusive. We know there is a date for the day Yeshua was born. From that date, we must see a date of conception exactly 270-271 days prior to the birth date. Finally, the scriptures say that the Brit Milah (dedication and circumcision) took place on the 8th day following the birth. Since we have at least 3 specific dates that are inter-related, if all show up, then we have much more certainty that we have found the exact dates for all of them.
Part 2 will show the birth date of Yeshua matrix and discussion. Part 3 will show the day the angel announced to Mary that she would conceive the child, and the day she conceived the child. Part 4 will show the Brit Milah (dedication of the first-born and circumcision at the Temple). Finally, part 5 will show other sholarship by Dr. Ernest Martin on his calculations of the birth date of Yeshua based on the signs in the sky. All agree and paint a composite picture where we can state with a fair degree of certainty that we now know that Yeshua (Jesus) was born in the fall of the year, in September, in 3 BC. And we can state the exact day for each event.
Part 2
Our matrix shows is that Yeshua (Jesus) was born on Rosh Hashanah (head of the year), which is also called Yom Teruah (day of blowing) and in English the Feast of Trumpets. It's also Rosh Khodesh which means the head of the month. Rosh Hashanah occurs on the 1st of Tishri every year in the jewish calendar, and is in the fall of the year. The matrix shows that the birth occurred in the jewish year 3759, which is the fall of 3 BC. In 3 BC, the 1st of Tishri occurred on
The matrix shows that Joseph (Yosef) and Mary (Miriam or Miryam) were in
All the details from the gospels are present and there is probably much more in this matrix than I have shown, since it didn't take me too long to develop it as is. Have we proven that Yeshua was born exactly on
hey=5, resh=200, yud=10, vav=6, nun=50; or total=5+200+10+6+50=271
OK, let's move onto the next section showing the date of the announcement to Mary by the angel and the subsequent conception by the Holy Spirit (Ruach HaKodesh). I think you'll be happy to know that it agrees with out calculation above.& Yeshua's Conception,
part 3
by Roy A. Reinhold
by Roy A. Reinhold February 1, 2001
The events at the Temple on the 8th day following the birth of Yeshua in a succah (stable) in Bethlehem, are an important aspect to show with a high degree of certainty that the Bible code shows the correct dating for all mentioned events. We have shown that the angel visited Mary and announced that she would conceive and bear a child by the power of the Holy Spirit. This event occurred on 22 Kislev 3758 (December 10/11, 4 BC). I show the 10th and 11th, because the day ran from evening to evening rather than from midnight to midnight as we reckon time with the Gregorian calendar.
Next, Mary was a virgin, and conceived by the power of the Ruach HaKodesh (Holy Spirit). The conception took place at the very beginning of Kislev 25, the first day of Hanukkah, the festival of lights. In the matrix this is shown by multiple occurrences of erev 1 or evening 1. That conception took place on December 13, 4 BC in the evening, which is exactly what we pre-calculated based on the 270-271 average human gestation for a male child.
We know that there was no extra month of Adar II in the jewish year 3758, because 1 Tishri started the next year and it occurred on September 11 in 3 BC. If there had been an extra month, then 1 Tishri would have been in early October for 3 BC. This is important for showing that the conception took place on the first evening of Hanukkah. The same sequence was repeated in the jewish calendar a couple of years ago. In 1999, Rosh Hashanah occurred on September 11, 1999 (1 Tishri 5760). Any jewish calendar you look at will show that going back 270-271 days takes you to December 13, 1998, which was evening 1 of Hanukkah on Kislev 25. You don't need to look at ancient events, but just compare the jewish calendar in 1998 and 1999 and the dates were exactly the same in the civil calendar as in 4 BC and 3 BC.
Is there a Bible scripture that would lead us to believe that we have the date correct for the conception? Perhaps there is an allusion to a prophecy in Haggai 2:18-19
Do consider from this day onward, from the twenty-fourth day of the ninth month (24 Kislev), from the day when the temple of the Lord was founded, consider: Is the seed yet in the barn? Even including the vine, the fig tree, the pomegranate, and the olive tree, it has not borne fruit. Yet from this day on I will bless you.
Sometimes we wonder why the scriptures were so specific in citing day and month for an event. The prophet spoke, "Is the seed yet in the barn?" Perhaps this is an allusion to a future event when the true vine, the root of the olive tree, the heavenly fig tree, would be conceived as a human being. The seed in the barn can be an allusion to pregnancy. As the 24th of Kislev was ending and the 25th of Kislev beginning, Mary conceived by the power of the Holy Spirit. The seed was in the barn, and a blessing for the world was here from that day onwards.
Let's summarize all that we have:
1. Announcement to Mary--took place on 22 Kislev 3758, which was December 10/11, 4 BC.
2. Mary Conceived the Child by the Holy Spirit--took place on the end of 24 Kislev, beginning of 25 Kislev in the evening, in the year 3758, which was December 13, 4 BC. This was the beginning of Hanukkah.
3. Birth of Yeshua in Bethlehem--took place on 1 Tishri in 3759 (Rosh Hashanah), which was September 11, 3 BC.
4. Brit Milah at the Temple--took place on 8 Tishri in 3759, which was September 18, 3 BC.
Is there additional scholarship to support the above scenario? A friend wrote to me as I was working on the above Bible code matrixes and suggested the work by Dr. Ernest L. Martin. I ordered his book, and in the last section of this multi-part article will relate what Dr. Martin shows in his book related to signs in the sky and the real date of death of king Herod. Needless to say, Dr. Martin's work agrees 100% with the scenario above.
Other Scholarship Proving the Exact
Date of Birth of Yeshua (Jesus)
part 5
by Roy A. Reinhold February 1, 2001
Dr. Ernest L. Martin wrote a book called, The Star of Bethlehem: The Star that Astonished the World, and I became aware of this book as I was working on the Yeshua birth matrixes. His scholarship has withstood peer review and at least one aspect of the book is now in the latest edition of The Handbook of Biblical Chronology. We'll cover that shortly, but first his website is http://www.askelm.com and you can order his book directly by calling 1-503-292-4352. His e-mail address is: askoffice@askelm.com
Dr. Ernest L. Martin shows in his book, that the signs in the sky shown in Revelation 12:1-3, occurred on only one day in 3 BC, and they occurred exactly on September 11, 3 BC between 6:15 pm and 7:49 pm. What are these celestial signs?
Revelation 12:1-3 And a great sign appeared in heaven, a woman clothed with the sun, and the moon under her feet, and on her head a crown of 12 stars; and she was with child, and she cried out, being in labor and in pain to give birth. And another sign appeared in heaven; and behold, a great red dragon having seven heds and 10 horns, and on his heads were seven diadems.
Because the earth is rotating, there is apparent motion of the sun and moon, while the stars stay somewhat fixed in relation to the earth. The sun was mid-body along the ecliptic in Virgo the Virgin on September 11, 3 BC, and the moon was under her feet exactly from 6:15 to 7:49 pm on September 11, 3 BC. According to Dr. Martin, this great sign in the sky only occured on that one day in 3 BC.
While Dr. Martin's date for the birth of Yeshua (Jesus) agrees exactly with what is in the Bible code, can we infer that the birth of Yeshua took place exactly between 6:15 to 7:49 pm on September 11, 3 BC? I believe that we can accept the time of birth as being 7 pm plus or minus an hour based on the exact sign in the sky.
What about the death of Herod as it relates to all this? After all, many scholars have said that king Herod died in 4 BC or 5 BC? Dr. Ernest L. Martin in his book, laboriously goes through each possibility for the death of king Herod and with a number of other scholars, proves that Herod died a couple of weeks after the total lunar eclipse of January 10, 1 BC. He pinpoints the date of death of Herod to about January 29, 1 BC plus or minus a couple of days.
Flavius Josephus wrote many details surrounding the death and burial of king Herod in his Jewish Antiquities. He writes that king Herod died shortly after a lunar eclipse. The lunar eclipses for that period of time in Israel were:
7 BC -- no lunar eclipse
6 BC -- no lunar eclipse
5 BC -- total lunar eclipse on March 23, time between eclipse and Passover was 29 days
5 BC -- total lunar eclipse on September 15, time between eclipse and Passover was 7 months
4 BC -- partial lunar eclipse on March 13, time between eclipse and Passover was 29 days
3 BC -- no lunar eclipse
2 BC -- no lunar eclipse
1 BC -- total lunar eclipse on January 10, time between eclipse and Passover was 12.5 weeks.
Dr. Martin and a number of other scholars have shown that given the details by Josephus and other historians of that time, that king Herod had to have died almost 3 weeks after the lunar eclipse. Then there were preparations for a royal burial and a 30-day period for the procession and burial. After that was over, the new king, Archelaus took care of many royal duties before Passover. Given all this, the two springtime lunar eclipses in 5 and 4 BC could not possibly be the lunar eclipse preceding king Herod's death. You'll have to read Dr. Martin's book to get all the details and other supporting information.
The point is that scholarship by Dr. Martin and others proves that what the Bible code shows in relation to the birth of Yeshua (Jesus) is both reasonable and expected.
Click here for a short Flash movie that Dr. Martin had developed to show what the Star of Bethlehem actually looked like in the skies in 3BC and 2 BC. You'll need either the Flash player from Macromedia which you can download here for Flash Player 6 for all types of computers and browsers, or you can play the Flash movie in RealPlayer. This is really worth seeing visually!!
What does this all mean? It means that Christmas is entirely pagan and is the continuation of the religious practices of ancient Babylon. Yeshua (Jesus) was born on September 11, 3 BC and was earlier conceived on December 13, 4 BC. There is nothing about Yeshua related to Christmas except man-made customs. Saturnalia was the celebration of the winter solstice from ancient Babylon and Semiramis gave birth to Tammuz on December 25. The Roman and Greek world worshipped the sun in a religion called Mithraism, and December 25 was the Nativity of the Sun (Sol the sun god). Tammuz was supposedly the rebirth of Nimrod who is also known as Baal. The yule log is from ancient Babylon symbolizing the stump for Nimrod or Baal. The green tree decorated with silver and gold and nailed down so that it would not totter was celebrated by ancient Israel as they apostasized (Jeremiah 10:3-4), and there are a number of references in the Old Testament to a green tree as an idol. It is the same Christmas tree customs which people use today for Christmas. The round sparkly balls represent the sun. The popes in about 350 AD deliberately renamed the birth of Sol the sun-god on December 25 as a christian custom. That is recorded in the Roman writings of that time. All of these Christmas customs were done by the pagans before the day was renamed as a Christian holiday. Isn't it interesting that there were ancient presentations of the woman and child thousands of years before Yeshua was born? These madonna and child representations were Semiramis and Tammuz from ancient Babylon.
A good book is Babylon Mystery Religion, by Ralph Woodrow, available at many christian bookstores.
So many christians wonder when reading the Revelation, what Mystery Babylon could be in our modern time. It is partly the modern church, which has a mixture of the true teachings from the Bible, plus the most sacred christian days being the old pagan Baal customs. All of these old pagan customs are part of the celebration of the rebirth of the sun on December 25. None of this is from God our Father. The Puritans in America forbade the celebration of Christmas because they knew and taught what has been presented here, that Christmas has nothing to do with Christ or the conception or birth of Yeshua. Actually the end-times Mystery Babylon is a religious Babylon, an economic Babylon, and a political Babylon. The religious Babylon is only part of Mystery Babylon.
I know, the first excuse usually given is, well we can do good on that day. Yes, you can do good on any day of the year. Why is it that you have to give gifts and put up a green tree in your house on December 25? Is it because everyone else does it? Secondly, pastors will say that they preach the gospel on that day and some get saved. Yes, that does occur, but isn't it the preaching of the Word of God and not the trappings of the pagan holiday that saves people. That too can occur any day of the year.
The fact is that believers need to repent that they perpetuated these pagan days and called them meaningful. You can make fun of ancient Israel when they adopted the customs of the pagans and were later expelled from the land for their faithlessness, but aren't we doing the same things? Please reconsider celebrating pagan holidays and calling them christian. - Roy Reinhold________________________________________
Another take on Christmas origins:
HANUKKAH In Relation To Christmas
by Robert H. Kreger
One thing that is disgraceful and very sad, is the ignorance of Biblical knowledge on the part of born-again believers. This ignorance is nothing new. Ever since the Garden of Eden the majority of believers have ignored the learning and understanding of the Word of God. And because of it, the majority of believers in every generation of human history have suffered, been unhappy, and have missed out on many great blessings from God. Hosea 4:6; "My people (believers) are destroyed from a lack of knowledge." This refers to spiritual information. Knowledge from the Word of God. Then in Hosea 4:14 it says, ".......a people without understanding will come to ruin!"
You may ask, "What does all this have to do with a message concerning Hanukkah?" The answer is this. Over the years, since I have been a teacher of the Word of God, I have heard some ridiculous and idiotic ideas about Christmas, and the celebration of it on the part of Christians. The only reason why many Christians are against Christmas trees, and Christmas lights, and the exchanging of Christmas gifts, is because they are ignorant of truth. They lack Biblical and historical knowledge. And because of their lack of knowledge they are critical of things that they ought not to be critical of.
I can't emphasize enough, the importance of knowing what the Bible teaches. And I'm not talking about a surface knowledge, like so many Christians have. I am talking about an in-depth knowledge that only comes from a life that has self-discipline which causes you to come to Bible class every time it is available. The self-discipline that causes you to listen to Bible lessons on audio cassettes when there are no Bible classes at the church. The self-discipline of learning and growing in the knowledge of the Word every day. That is the only way any Christian can grow spiritually, and the only way any Christian can please God, and the only way any Christian can have true happiness in life and can truly understand God's plan and God's purpose in all things.
Christians who are critical about everything do not have the "peace that passes all understanding." (Philippians 4:7). They do not have the "flexibility and patience" that Paul talks about in Romans chapter fourteen. With all that in mind, let's proceed with the lesson about Hanukkah in relation to Christmas.
Over the years I have heard much criticism and condemnation from fundamentalist Christians concerning the celebration of Christmas. They would say such things as: "December 25th was chosen to celebrate the birth of Jesus because of a compromise with pagan religions who also had a special holiday on December 25th." Some say, "December 25th was chosen to celebrate the birth of Jesus because there were many Jewish Christians in the first century, and the Jews celebrated Hanukkah at the same time." Some say; "The Christmas tree and Santa Claus are of the devil." Here are the facts: In the 4th and 5th century AD Christ's Mass was instituted by the Roman Catholic Church. This is where we get the name "Christmas." In the 8th century an evergreen tree began to be used as a Christmas tree by Christians. The evergreen tree was used to represent the tree of life because it is always green.
BACKGROUND
In 323 BC Alexander the Great died. Not only had he conquered most of the known world in twelve years, but he spread Greek culture, religion, and language everywhere he went. This Greek philosophy of life was known as Hellenism.
With the death of Alexander, his kingdom was divided among four of his generals. These four kingdoms are known in history as the Hellenistic Monarchies.
One of these four generals controlled a large area north of Israel known as Syria, and established the Seleucid Dynasty. A second general ruled over the Egyptian empire to the south of Israel and established the Ptolemy Dynasty.
For about one hundred years the little province of Israel was under the dominion of Egypt, but eventually, through power struggles and political changes she fell under the control of Syria. A state of war existed between Syria and Egypt that would last for decades. Trapped in the middle, the little Jewish nation existed in a state of uncertainty. At times she did not know to which empire she belonged, and, therefore, she did not know to whom she was to render allegiance and pay taxes.
As a result of these geographical and political problems, two Jewish political parties arose. One party, more conservative, favored Egyptian rule over them because Egypt was less Hellenistic and gave them religious freedom. The other party, more liberal, favored Syrian rule with its Hellenistic culture. This liberal party of the Jews did not realize that Hellenistic culture would have a negative impact on religious life and the worship of God. Many of these Hellenistic Jews even changed their Hebrew names to Greek names, instituted the Greek athletic games and even began to dress according to Greek fashion.
Into this atmosphere there arose a Syrian leader by the name of Antiochus Epiphanes. He would rule Syria from 175 BC to 164 BC.
In 168 BC Antiochus had a successful military campain against Egypt and took control of Palestine. He then proceeded to move down toward Egypt to place it under his control. This would expand his empire greatly.
But history records that on his way to Egypt he met a courier from the Roman Senate. The courier told him that Rome opposed Syria's conquest of Egypt, and that he must cancel his attack against Egypt or face war with Rome. Antiochus became very frustrated and very upset because he was on the verge of a victory that would greatly expand his empire, but he didn't want a war with Rome. Therefore, he turned his army around and headed for home. On the way home, Antiochus stopped in Jerusalem. He had a pig killed on the Brazen Altar in the Temple, and then Antiochus committed the ultimate offense, he had his soldiers carry a statue of Zeus Olympius, the chief Syrian god, into the Holy of Holies in the Jewish Temple. He then demanded that the people bow down and worship his god. Many Jews would not give allegiance to a heathen god, and history records that as many as 80,000 Jews were slain.
Jesus warned the Jews that this type of event will be repeated just before He returns. He said in Matthew 24:15; "When you, therefore, shall see the abomination of desolation, spoken of by Daniel the prophet, stand in the holy place, (the time of the end is close)." History will repeat itself. About three and half years before the second coming of Jesus Christ, the antichrist will place a statue of himself in the rebuilt Jewish Temple and demand to be worshiped. This is still future.
Antiochus did not plan on the Jews resisting him. But in the little village of Modin, about fifteen miles northwest of Jerusalem, a priest by the name of Mattathias and his five sons rebelled. Under the leadership of his oldest son, Judah, a guerrilla-style war was launched against Antiochus Epiphanes and the Syrian army. Its purpose was to force the Syrians out of Palestine, resist Hellenism, and restore the worship of the true God. After three years of war, the Jews drove the Syrian army out of Palestine. For the victorious Jews, the first order of business was the Temple at Jerusalem. Both the altar and the Holy of holies had been desecrated. A pig had been slain on the altar, and the image of a heathen god had been placed in the Temple. This desecration had occurred on the 25th day of the Hebrew month of KISLEV (December). And exactly three years later, to the day, the altar and Temple were cleansed.
It was this defeat of a pagan army, the cleansing of the altar and Temple and the rededication of that Temple to the true God which gave rise to the Jewish holiday of Hanukkah. The Hebrew word Hanukkah literally means, "dedication."
There are at least two major sources outside of the Bible that gives us information concerning Hanukkah, its origin and significance. These sources are the books of first and second Maccabees, and the book "Antiquities of the Jews" by Flavious Josephus. Hanukkah occurred in 165 BC, and first and second Macabees were written in the second century BC shortly after the events occurred. 
The first person who spoke of lights as an integral part of Hanukkah was Josephus, and he wrote nearly two hundred years after the events had occurred. Josephus refers to Hanukkah as the "Feast of Lights," one candle (the servant candle SHAMMAS) with four candles on each side of it.
From our historical information we know that Hanukkah lights became an important part of the festival sometime shortly after the life of Christ, and continued after the destruction of the Temple in 70 AD. Therefore, the question is, "Why were the lights added?"
First of all we should note that Hanukkah is specifically mentioned in John 10:22; "And it was at Jerusalem the feast of the dedication and it was winter." Jesus placed enough value on Hanukkah to be in attendance on its observance at the Temple shortly before His death.
Jesus said concerning Himself, in John 8:12; ".....I am the light of the world; he who follows me will not walk in darkness, but he will have the light of life." Then He said in John 9:5 that "as long as I am in the world, I am the light of the world." And in John 11:9 He said, "......are there not twelve hours in a day? If any man walk in the day, he does not stumble, because he sees the light of this world." And again in John 12:35; "Then Jesus said to them, for a little while the light is with you. Walk while you have the light, lest darkness come upon you." Each of these references to Jesus as the light of the world in John chapters 8, 9, 11, and 12 surround chapter 10 where the "feast of dedication" (Hanukkah) is being observed. In each of these references when Jesus refers to Himself as the light of the world, He is in the Temple.
The next question is, "Why did the early Christians set December 25th as the day to commemorate the birth of the Son of God?" December 25th is not the actual date for the birth of Jesus Christ. Shepherds in Israel would not have been out in the fields tending their flocks at night in December. Therefore, why did they choose this date? December 25th was the date that Antiochus Epiphanes chose to desecrate the Temple and establish the worship of his god, Zeus Olympius, because it was already an existing heathen holiday. It is also the date that the Jews cleansed and rededicated the Temple three years later. Light had defeated darkness; the true God had defeated the heathen god, Zeus Olympius.
The purpose of Israel's Temple was that deity should dwell within and that Israel would know the glory of God was present with them. And the purpose of the body of Jesus Christ was that deity should dwell within and that through it divine glory was manifested. John 1:18, "No one has ever seen God, except the uniquely born Son, who is at the Father's side (the place of intimacy), he has made him known." In other words, the glory of the invisible God could be seen in the visible Son. Hebrews 1:3 describes the Lord Jesus this way; "The Son is the radiance of God's glory and the exact representation of his being, sustaining all things by his powerful word......" In other words, Jesus was an outshining of God's glory and an exact representation of His nature. The glory of God shone out of the Temple and the glory of God shone out of the flesh of Jesus Christ.
So close was the relationship between the Temple on Mount Moriah, in which God dwelt, and the body of Jesus, in which deity dwelt, that when He was pressed for a sign to authenticate His life and teaching to the Jewish leadership, Jesus said in John 2:19, ".....destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up." And this commentary is added in John 2:21, "But He spoke of the temple of His body."
The Temple had housed the glory of God, and the body of Christ housed the glory of God. That is why, in a description of the new Jerusalem, the apostle John wrote in Revelation 21:22, "And I saw no temple in it; for the Lord God Almighty and the Lamb are the temple of it."
Now when the church, long after the actual record of the date of the birth of Christ had been lost, chose the date to commemorate the time when deity dwelt within a human body, they decided to use the Temple, where deity had also dwelt. The 25th of KISLEV (December) which was an already established date commemorating the cleansing and rededication of the Temple as a dwelling place of God.
The church did not choose December 25th because it was an ancient heathen holiday, but because of the Jewish feast of Hanukkah that occurred on that date, and the added emphasis that Jesus gave to it. This date eloquently testified to the fact that at the birth of Jesus, deity was dwelling in a human body (temple) and shining out to give light in the midst of darkness. The great Hebrew-Christian scholar, Alfred Edersheim, whose writings on this period of time are still classic, said, "The date of the feast of Dedication (Hanukkah), the 25th of KISLEV, seems to have been adopted by the ancient church as that of the birth of our blessed Lord, Christmas, the dedication of the true temple which was the body of Jesus Christ." In the simplest terms, the early church chose December 25th to remind the world that God came down to dwell in human flesh, and from out of that flesh He gave light and life to all those who would put their trust in Him.
The exact date for Christmas is not relevant. What is relevant is that you believe that Jesus Christ came into the world, born of a virgin, lived a perfect life, died on the cross bearing all the sins of the world, rose from the dead three days later, and ascended back to heaven from where He came. (You believe God, YHWH, and the record He has given of His Son, Yeshua the Messiah.)
Christmas is a time that is set aside to remember when God became man and dwelt among us. I dare say that many would forget if we didn't have this holiday. Again we see God making it easy for the human race to believe and be saved. No one will have any excuse when they stand before God in judgment.
Copyright 1999 by Robert H. Kreger. All rights reserved. Anyone is allowed to reproduce this material and distribute it, but it may not be sold under any circumstances whatsoever without the author's written consent.
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