Would you celebrate the birth of Christ differently if you knew the exact date and place of His birth?
God was very specific with instructions, laws, and dates in the Old Testament. God even told us through the prophet Micah where exactly Jesus will be born. (Micah 4:8) "And you, O tower of the flock, the stronghold of the daughter of Zion, to you shall it come, even the former dominion shall come, the kingdom of the daughter of Jerusalem".
If God was very specific about everything else, do you not think it is odd that the date of the birth of a Saviour that will save humanity from the death penalty of sin, is not mentioned in the Old Testament prophecies?
But what if it is, and we were led to look in the wrong place? (Not led astray by God, of course).
The birth of Jesus Christ is one of the most significant events in human history, but the exact date of His birth has been covered in mystery for centuries. The common belief is that we will never know the precise day of His birth due to discrepancies in our calendars and historical records. Throughout history, scholars have pointed out that the calendars we use today are off by two or three years, making it nearly impossible to pinpoint an exact date. However, despite these uncertainties, the Roman Catholic Church (RCC) decided to celebrate Jesus' birth on December 25th.
But does this date hold any true significance, or were we blindfolded by early church decisions that have misled us ever since?
What are we really worshipping on 25 December?
December 25th is now widely recognized as Christmas, the day of Jesus' birth. Yet, when we consider the biblical and historical context, this date seems suspiciously disconnected from main events in Jesus' life, particularly His death and resurrection. Jesus' crucifixion took place during Passover, which follows the Hebrew calendar and varies each year, whereas December 25th follows the Gregorian calendar.
If the Hebrew calendar is so important in the events surrounding Jesus' death, then why would it not be equally important in determining His birthdate?
It is important to acknowledge that God designates dates to specific Holy Days in Scripture. These are feasts and festivals that must be observed throughout generations. These include Passover, the Feast of Tabernacles, and the Day of Atonement, and others. Each of them must be celebrated on a specific date in the Hebrew Calendar.
This date is not a specific day of the week, but a calendar date. However, December 25th is not on the list. Therefore, many Christians are questioning the validity of celebrating Christmas altogether. For some, the absence of biblical evidence supporting December 25th as the birthdate of Christ has led to the decision to abandon the celebration of Christmas, choosing instead to honour the biblical Holy Days that God ordained.
We do know that the birth of Christ was not on any of these Holy Days.
But apart from these Holy Days, could there be another day approved by God for celebrating the birth of Christ?
When we search deeper into the Bible, the true date of Jesus' birth is hidden in plain sight, just waiting to be discovered. By examining the Word of God carefully and doing the math according to biblical evidence and external historical resources, we uncover a mind-blowing fact: the birth of Christ is not only hinted at but can be determined with a high degree of certainty.
Not only Jesus' date of birth, but the exact place of birth. And it is still a holy place today!
