Yeshua's Light

For two thousand years the date of Yeshua's birth has been unknown and up until this century it was assumed that this date was to remain unknown. Our church fathers set the date on December twenty-fifth but their reasons for doing so are lost, contrary to the charges leveled by some. All we can discern from church documents is that the date was chosen because of "scriptural and other reasons" and nothing more.

Why flirt with such a question? Because some in the Messianic community state that Yeshua's birth date is indeed knowable and they give a strong proof to when He was born. What follows is that proof, but each believer must take this proof back to the L-rd for confirmation and guidance on what to do in their own lives.

The Argument for the change of date:

Jews read the Torah far differently than we do. When they see a word out of place they ask why was that written and the answers they give are often fascinating and insightful. So when Jewish believers came to see Yeshua in the Word of HaShem, they too looked for extra words in the text, only this time they were looking at the Brith HaDoshah (New Covenant) and not the Torah (Law, first five books of the Bible). This example, the proof, can be found in Lk.1.5 and so our journey begins:

"In the days of Herod, king of Judea, there was a priest named Zechariah, of the division of Abi'jah . . . "

Notice the division of Zechariah's priesthood, Abi'jah. This is the fact Christians have missed for two thousand years, but it's a very important fact to locating the birth date of Yeshua. It's important because it tells us when Zechariah served in Temple. In Chronicles 24.1-3 we are told that David separated the priests into divisions for their appointed times to service. If you read down further to passage 10 in that same chapter you'll see that Abi'jah (Zechariah's section) fell in the eighth lot of twenty-four lots (Chr.24.18) for their appointed time in ministering in the Temple, we are told, 1Chr.19:

"These had as their appointed duty in their service to come into the house of the L-rd according to the procedure established for them by Aaron their father, as the L-rd G-d of Israel commanded them."

So now we know when Zechariah was to serve that year, but for how long must He serve? 1Chr.9.25:

" . . . and their kinsmen who were in their villages were obligated to come in their village were obligated to come in every seven days, from time to time, to be with these . . ."

Their kinsmen are the house of Aaron, the priest. They had a seven day duty before they were released. But when did this duty start? 2Chr.23.8:

"They each brought his men, who were to go off duty on the Sabbath, with those who were to come on duty on the Sabbath . . ."

So they served seven days, from one Sabbath to the next Sabbath each by their division, Zechariah's was the eighth out of twenty-four.

But there is one more missing detail, they also had three special times of year. Deut.16.16:

"Three times a year all your males shall appear before the L-rd G-d at the place He shall choose . . ."

Zechariah was not in the Temple during one of these special times because in Luke we are told:

" . . .he was serving as a priest of G-d when his division was on duty, according to the custom of the priesthood, it fell to him by lot to enter the Temple of the Lord and burn incense."

For the three major holidays all the priests must serve the L-rd and not just one division. It was only during the regular periods which each division of the priesthood was to serve. Therefore if Zechariah's division was on duty it had to be in the regular time and not during the High Holy days.

Other things you need to know is that the liturgical year for the Jewish people began in the spring with the first of Nisan (called Abib in Torah) with Passover. Another detail that you might not know is that two of the three times that all must be present and serve occured in the first ten weeks of the year, Chag HaMatzh(Or the Feast of Unleavened Bread and Passover) and Shavout(Pentecost) so the time Zechariah served that year was in the tenth week after Pesach or at Sivan 19-25. It's easier to see if you have a Hebrew Calendar.

Now we are told Zechariah saw the angel that told him he was to have a son. He doubted the angel, so he was struck dumb. Zechariah was told he will not talk again until the prophecy was fulfilled. Then he returned home after his service, Lk.1.11-23.

Then we are told Elizabeth conceived. How do we know she conceived as soon as Zechariah returned?

1. Things work out too neatly. A coincidence is only a coincidence if it is possible. Things from this point on start lining up in the most impossible ways. Read on and you'll see how.

2. Zachariah had an incentive not to waste time (to get his speech returned).

3. Luke tells us about every other delay and even when he was in the Temple, so why leave this detail out if there was a delay.

So Elizabeth conceives and assuming she has a normal pregnancy she would deliver John on Pesach. Interesting? On Pesach we open the door for Elijah and pour him a special cup of wine.

But for Yeshua's birth we need to go back to the sixth month of Elizabeth's pregnancy:

"In the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent for G-d to a city of Galilee named Nazareth, to a virgin betrothed to a man named Joseph, of the house of David; and the virgin's name was Mary." Lk.1.26.

Now we need to move to Elizabeth's sixth month and this would have begun during the week of Chanukah. Therefore Mary conceived Yeshua during "little Succoth" (or "the Festival of Lights), when the light came back into the Temple, or the day "a great Miracle happened there".

So now we have to go ahead forty weeks again and we end up in the Holiest month of the year. If Yeshua was to term, He would have been born on Succoth or the Feast of Tabernacles. The major theme of Succoth is joy and the shepherd are out this time of year, though it can be chilly at times (it's around October to early November).

John's Gospel might also have eluded to this:

"and the Word became flesh and dwelt among us . . . " Jn.1.14.

The word dwelt is the usual translation of this word but a closer one is tabernacled. It's not used for obvious reasons except that John used it. Another "coincidence"?

Therefore Yeshua was born sometime towards the middle of Tishrie, either during the Days of Awe or during the Feast of Tabernacles. He was born in the Sabbath Month; the month with the highest number of Sabbaths.

Chanukah is called the Festival of Lights because on that day the light came back into the Temple, it is a fitting name. But the true Festival of Lights of antiquity occurred at Succoth, when giant oil lamps where set a blaze outside the Temple, see Succoth. It was said that when those lamps burned it would seem, in city, as if it were day and this light could be seen for miles around Jerusalem. Perhaps it was seen by the Holy family that night. Also during the festival, water was carried from the pool of Siloam to the Temple and it was poured on the altar. This was a reminder of the water Moshe(Moses) brought forth from the rock but it was also a sign of hope in the coming of the Moshiach(Messiah). And during this month He did.

But there is another clue hidden in the Haftarah, in the book of Zechariah:

"Then every one that survives of all the nations that have come against Jerusalem shall go up year after year to worship the king, the L-rd of hosts and keep the Feast of Booths(Succoth)" Zech.14.16.

This foretells the time after Yeshua returns. When He does, one of the first things He'll do is to require the gentile nations to keep Succoth. Why? Perhaps it's His birthday and everyone knows that a king is usually given His rule on His birthday. This is why the birthday of leaders were celebrated in the first place. Another coincidence?

Can two seemly unimportant passages in Luke lead us to know what we thought impossible? We can't tell you what to believe here but for us at least, there are too many coincidences and things do come together too neatly at least for us. After all, If Yeshua died on a holy day, rose on a holy day, and if the Ruach HaKadosh(Holy Spirit) came on a holy day, is it so far fetch that Yeshua was conceived and born on holy days as well? This is the argument coming forth from the Messianic community and we find no fault in it. Please let us know what you think. Just stop by Yeshua's Light Forum or drop us an e-mail. Thanks.