buttercup
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- Apr 9, 2010
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As many of you already know, most scholars do not believe that Jesus was born on December 25th. Why that date was chosen to celebrate the birth of Christ is a topic for another time, it's not what this thread is about.
While the Bible doesn't give a specific date for Jesus' birth, the scriptures do give us a number of clues. However, even with those clues, there are still different ideas on when Jesus was actually born. Some people believe He was born during Sukkot (the Feast of Tabernacles.) But there is another view, that Jesus was born during the Feast of Trumpets, which is the first day of the Hebrew month of Tishrei. This is the view that I believe is true.
Interestingly, some researchers have determined the exact day and year that Jesus was born — not simply based on the scriptural clues, but also on the specific celestial alignment which is mentioned in Revelation 12:1-5.
There is a very small window of time (80 minutes) when all the celestial signs described in Revelation 12 were present, and that time was September 11, 3 BC. Dr. Michael Heiser talks about it in this video, for anyone who wants to take a look. Also, here is an article on this topic that goes into it in more depth.
That date, on that specific year, was Tishri 1 of the Jewish calendar, the beginning of the Feast of Trumpets. Which makes sense, trumpets announcing the birth of Christ. It also makes sense for other reasons, as Dr. Heiser mentions at the end of this video. (Click the image below if you want to watch it.)

So, if Jesus was born on September 11, 3 BC, when was Jesus conceived? Well, let's go back 9 months. Someone who was born on September 11 would have been conceived in late December.
Some students of the bible believe that another clue regarding when Jesus came into this world is found in Haggai 2:18-19. I added the bold.
The 24th day of the ninth month is the 24th of Kislev. On our calendar, that date would be late December, although the exact date changes every year on our calendar. Hanukkah starts on the 25th of Kislev, which again changes every year on our calendar, but often falls around Christmas time.
There are different interpretations of that Haggai passage, but we know that sometimes a scripture can have more than one meaning. Often, a scripture will speak about a physical event, while at the same time prophesying a future event, or a spiritual truth.
In this particular case, we don't have to agree, but many believers believe that the Haggai passage is a prophetic verse about Jesus coming into this world, not His birth, but His conception. It makes sense, since the Messiah is called the foundation or "chief cornerstone" and the Haggai verse speaks about the laying of the foundation.
It also makes sense that Jesus was conceived in late December, during Hanukkah, because Hanukkah is also called the Festival of Lights, and the Messiah is the Light of the World.
I don't know about you, but for me this makes me want to celebrate Hanukkah, because if Jesus, the Light of the World, was indeed conceived at that time, to me that is even more special than the day Jesus was born. After all, life begins at conception, not birth.
Ok, this post turned out to be longer than I thought it would. But I found it very interesting, when you look at all the symbolism, prophetic scriptures about both the conception and birth of Christ, and how one can actually pinpoint the exact day, based on all the clues we were given. What are your thoughts on this?
While the Bible doesn't give a specific date for Jesus' birth, the scriptures do give us a number of clues. However, even with those clues, there are still different ideas on when Jesus was actually born. Some people believe He was born during Sukkot (the Feast of Tabernacles.) But there is another view, that Jesus was born during the Feast of Trumpets, which is the first day of the Hebrew month of Tishrei. This is the view that I believe is true.
Interestingly, some researchers have determined the exact day and year that Jesus was born — not simply based on the scriptural clues, but also on the specific celestial alignment which is mentioned in Revelation 12:1-5.
There is a very small window of time (80 minutes) when all the celestial signs described in Revelation 12 were present, and that time was September 11, 3 BC. Dr. Michael Heiser talks about it in this video, for anyone who wants to take a look. Also, here is an article on this topic that goes into it in more depth.
That date, on that specific year, was Tishri 1 of the Jewish calendar, the beginning of the Feast of Trumpets. Which makes sense, trumpets announcing the birth of Christ. It also makes sense for other reasons, as Dr. Heiser mentions at the end of this video. (Click the image below if you want to watch it.)

So, if Jesus was born on September 11, 3 BC, when was Jesus conceived? Well, let's go back 9 months. Someone who was born on September 11 would have been conceived in late December.
Some students of the bible believe that another clue regarding when Jesus came into this world is found in Haggai 2:18-19. I added the bold.
‘Consider now from this day forward, from the twenty-fourth day of the ninth month, from the day that the foundation of the Lord’s temple was laid—consider it: Is the seed still in the barn? As yet the vine, the fig tree, the pomegranate, and the olive tree have not yielded fruit. But from this day I will bless you.’ ”
The 24th day of the ninth month is the 24th of Kislev. On our calendar, that date would be late December, although the exact date changes every year on our calendar. Hanukkah starts on the 25th of Kislev, which again changes every year on our calendar, but often falls around Christmas time.
There are different interpretations of that Haggai passage, but we know that sometimes a scripture can have more than one meaning. Often, a scripture will speak about a physical event, while at the same time prophesying a future event, or a spiritual truth.
In this particular case, we don't have to agree, but many believers believe that the Haggai passage is a prophetic verse about Jesus coming into this world, not His birth, but His conception. It makes sense, since the Messiah is called the foundation or "chief cornerstone" and the Haggai verse speaks about the laying of the foundation.
It also makes sense that Jesus was conceived in late December, during Hanukkah, because Hanukkah is also called the Festival of Lights, and the Messiah is the Light of the World.
I don't know about you, but for me this makes me want to celebrate Hanukkah, because if Jesus, the Light of the World, was indeed conceived at that time, to me that is even more special than the day Jesus was born. After all, life begins at conception, not birth.

Ok, this post turned out to be longer than I thought it would. But I found it very interesting, when you look at all the symbolism, prophetic scriptures about both the conception and birth of Christ, and how one can actually pinpoint the exact day, based on all the clues we were given. What are your thoughts on this?
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