Birthday of A King

[8thdaypriest]

Since Sakkot is coming up very soon, I thought it might be good to discuss the high probability that Jesus was born at Sakkot (Feast of Tabernacles).

 

Ron probably has more knowledge of this than I do. 

 

Christ came to "tabernacle" with us.  How appropriate that He should come at Tabernacles.

 

King David divided the priesthood into 24 courses.  Each man came  up to the Temple during the two weeks when His course (clan) was to serve.

 

Zecharia - father of John the Baptist - was of the clan of Abijah, and would have come up during the middle two weeks of summer (June aprox).

 

So John meets the angel, is rendered dumb, goes back home and knows his wife, and she is with child - aprox last week of June.

 

Elizabeth is 6 months along when the angel appears to Mary, and she accepts the assignment.

 

Which would mean that Mary became "with child" approximately at winter solstice.

 

Which would mean that Jesus was born 40 weeks later in the Fall. 

 

Joseph and Mary traveled to Bethlehem for the census, but the Romans weren't stupid. 

They commanded the census to occur at the time when the Jews were traveling anyway. 

 

Bethlehem was 5 miles from Jerusalem. 

It was full of pilgrims heading up for the Feast of Tabernacles.

 

As I understand it, there is good historical evidence that lambs for sacrifice at the Temple were raised just outside of Bethlehem, by a branch of the priests.

Into this setting, THE Lamb of God was born. 

 

If we don't travel to a camp-meeting type gathering for Sakkot, we decorate our patio which has three sides.

We eat at least one meal there every day during Sakkot.

I hang a tapestry - nativity - (sans wisemen).

I put a small Sukka (nativity cresh) on the dining room table with tiny fuzzy sheep, and a shepherd and son.

We sing hymns celebrating the birth of our Savior.

 

Now the things we do are not necessarily approved Hebrew tradition, but they have meaning for us.

 

Blessings,

Rachel Cory

Prophecy Viewpoint

 

 

 

[JoeMo]

I have pondered the possibility of Christ being born in late summer/early autumn.  I never tied it to Sakkot; but it is in the right timeline, assuming the year being used in Luke 1:26 starts with Tishri.

 ^"In the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent from God to a city of Galilee named Nazareth, ²⁷ to a virgin betrothed to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David; and the virgin’s name was Mary."

 

Sometime in the next 3 - 4 months, when Mary was pregnant with Jesus prior to John the Baptisit's birth, Mary visited Elizabeth; who was 6 months' pregnant when Gabriel visited Mary (Luke 1:36 - 42).  That would place the visit sometime between October and January; which would place Jesus' birth sometime between late July and October.

 

Makes sense.  If Jesus was born outdoors in the middle of December, He could have frozen to death.  Winter in Israel can be cold.