Over the past 4 months I have been studying the Feasts of the Lord as listed in Levitucs 23. I just finished this study, closing it out with the Feast of Tabernacles.
I want to share with you something I learned during this study. It is something that I had never heard before. Did you know that many Biblical scholars believe that our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ was born on the first day of the Feast of Tabernacles? Let me give you an example. How many of you have heard of Matthew Henry? He lived in England from 1622 to 1714. He was a minister and most well known for his commentary or exposition of the Bible…the Matthew Henry Commentary.
Listen to what he said…
“It is supposed by many that our blessed Savior was born much about the time of this holiday; then He left his mansions of light above to tabernacle among us (John 1:14), and he dwelt in booths. And the worship of God under the New Testament is prophesied of under the notion of keeping the Feast of Tabernacles (Zechariah 14:16).”
Until studying these feasts I was of the understanding that the birth of our Savior was never specified in the Word of God. Now all of a sudden I am finding more and more sources which through Scripture indicate that Christ was born on the first day of the Feast of Tabernacles.
Where would we begin to see if they are right? Remember when the Apostle Paul preached to the Bereans they didn’t just blindly believe what he told them…they searched the Scriptures daily to see if what he said was true. What did they find? They found what he preached to them regarding Christ was true.
We will begin searching the scriptures in Luke’s account of the birth of Christ.
Luke 1:5-23
5 There was in the days of Herod, the king of Judaea, a certain priest named Zacharias, of the course of Abia: and his wife was of the daughters of Aaron, and her name was Elisabeth.
6 And they were both righteous before God, walking in all the commandments and ordinances of the Lord blameless.
7 And they had no child, because that Elisabeth was barren, and they both were now well stricken in years.
8 And it came to pass, that while he executed the priest’s office before God in the order of his course,
9 According to the custom of the priest’s office, his lot was to burn incense when he went into the temple of the Lord.
10 And the whole multitude of the people were praying without at the time of incense.
11 And there appeared unto him an angel of the Lord standing on the right side of the altar of incense.
12 And when Zacharias saw him, he was troubled, and fear fell upon him.
13 But the angel said unto him, Fear not, Zacharias: for thy prayer is heard; and thy wife Elisabeth shall bear thee a son, and thou shalt call his name John.
14 And thou shalt have joy and gladness; and many shall rejoice at his birth.
15 For he shall be great in the sight of the Lord, and shall drink neither wine nor strong drink; and he shall be filled with the Holy Ghost, even from his mother’s womb.
16 And many of the children of Israel shall he turn to the Lord their God.
17 And he shall go before him in the spirit and power of Elias, to turn the hearts of the fathers to the children, and the disobedient to the wisdom of the just; to make ready a people prepared for the Lord.
18 And Zacharias said unto the angel, Whereby shall I know this? for I an old man, and my wife well stricken in years.
19 And the angel answering said unto him, I am Gabriel, that stand in the presence of God; and am sent to speak unto thee, and to shew thee these glad tidings.
20 And, behold, thou shalt be dumb, and not able to speak, until the day that these things shall be performed, because thou believest not my words, which shall be fulfilled in their season.
21 And the people waited for Zacharias, and marveled that he tarried so long in the temple.
22 And when he came out, he could not speak unto them: and they perceived that he had seen a vision in the temple: for he beckoned unto them, and remained speechless.
23 And it came to pass, that, as soon as the days of his ministration were accomplished, he departed to his own house.
The first thing we have to realize is “in the days of Herod, the king of Judaea,” was between 40 BC and 3BC. He was established as king in Judaea by the Romans in 40BC and he reigned for 37 years.
Second we see that Zacharias was a priest of the course of Abia…what does that mean? We have to back to King David in I Chronicles 23 and 24. In these chapters, David divided the priests according to their offices in their service. Different priests had different jobs to do. Each one was “scheduled” to do his Temple service for one week, from Sabbath to Sabbath. In 1 Chronicles 24:7-18 we see the divisions. In verse 10 we see that the eighth course was the course of Abijah. Abijah is the same as Abia in our text in Luke 1:5. So from this we see that Zacharias was a descendant of Abijah and his course was the eighth course.
Remember that 3 times a year (Passover, Pentecost, Feast of Tabernacles) all Jewish males were required to go to Jerusalem to observe these feasts. No doubt they would take their wives and children with them. During these 3 Feasts of the Lord there would be (according to Josephus the Jewish historian) around 2.5 million Jews in Jerusalem and the surrounding areas.
During these Feast times all the priests were required to serve in the service of the temple no matter when their course was. With this in mind we will look to see when the 8th course would be served. We begin with the first course. The priests of Course 1 would serve the first week of the new year on the Jewish religious calendar...from Nisan 1 through Nisan 8. Course 2 would serve Nisan 8 through Nisan 15. If you remember Nisan 14 was the Passover with the Feast of Unleavened bread and Feast of First Fruits following. For the third week of the year all the priests would serve. Course 3 would serve Nisan 22 to Nisan 29. Course 4 would serve from Nisan 29 to Iyar 6. Course 5 would serve from Iyar 6 to Iyar 13. Course 6 would serve Iyar 13 to Iyar 20. Course 7 would serve from Iyar 20 through Iyar 27. Finally we reach Course 8, the course of Abijah. Course 8 would serve Iyar 27 through Sivan 5. That would be May 19 to May 26. My dates may be off somewhat because back then I believe their calendar was composed of 12 months of 30 days each. The calendar I used to determine this has several months with 29 days. Others have gone back to old calendars and shown that the eighth course as served by Zacharias in Luke chapter 1 would have taken place from Sivan 12 to Sivan 18. Sivan is the third month of the Jewish year on their religious calendar. Back we go to Luke 1:10-23.
Luke 1:10-23
10 And the whole multitude of the people were praying without at the time of incense.
11 And there appeared unto him an angel of the Lord standing on the right side of the altar of incense.
12 And when Zacharias saw him, he was troubled, and fear fell upon him.
13 But the angel said unto him, Fear not, Zacharias: for thy prayer is heard; and thy wife Elisabeth shall bear thee a son, and thou shalt call his name John.
14 And thou shalt have joy and gladness; and many shall rejoice at his birth.
15 For he shall be great in the sight of the Lord, and shall drink neither wine nor strong drink; and he shall be filled with the Holy Ghost, even from his mother’s womb.
16 And many of the children of Israel shall he turn to the Lord their God.
17 And he shall go before him in the spirit and power of Elias, to turn the hearts of the fathers to the children, and the disobedient to the wisdom of the just; to make ready a people prepared for the Lord.
18 And Zacharias said unto the angel, Whereby shall I know this? for I an old man, and my wife well stricken in years.
19 And the angel answering said unto him, I am Gabriel, that stand in the presence of God; and am sent to speak unto thee, and to shew thee these glad tidings.
20 And, behold, thou shalt be dumb, and not able to speak, until the day that these things shall be performed, because thou believest not my words, which shall be fulfilled in their season.
21 And the people waited for Zacharias, and marveled that he tarried so long in the temple.
22 And when he came out, he could not speak unto them: and they perceived that he had seen a vision in the temple: for he beckoned unto them, and remained speechless.
23 And it came to pass, that, as soon as the days of his ministration were accomplished, he departed to his own house.
In verse 23 we see that Zacharias ended his course and went home. This would have been on the Sivan 18 or roughly June 8 according to our calendar. In verse 24 we see that after those days Elisabeth, his wife, conceived and she hid herself for 5 months. For the sake of argument we will say that Elisabeth conceived on Sivan 20. The normal gestation period for we humans is 40 weeks or 280 days. Counting from Sivan 20 and add 280 days and you arrive at Nisan 5 as being the approximate date of the birth of John the Baptist. Remember, my calendar is different than the one used back then. Scholars have placed the birth of John the Baptist on or around Nisan 14, the Passover.
Luke 1:26-27
26 And in the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent from God unto a city of Galilee, named Nazareth.
27 To a virgin espoused to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David; and the virgin’s name was Mary.
In the sixth month of Elisabeth’s pregnancy, Mary was visited by the angel Gabriel. Elisabeth’s 6th month of pregnancy would have been Kislev (the ninth month of the Jewish religious calendar). Mary stayed with Elisabeth until just prior to the birth of John the Baptist. Mary returned home 3 months pregnant. At some point during Kislev the Holy Ghost overshadowed Mary and she conceived the Lord Jesus Christ while being a virgin.
Scholars believe it is possible that Mary conceived on Kislev 25 which was the first day of the Hanukkah festival. For the Jews, Hanukkah is the festival of light. Is it possible that Jesus Christ “the Light of the world” was conceived on the festival of lights? Possible indeed!
Beginning with dates around Kislev 25 and counting 280 days (40 weeks), the approximate number of days for human gestation to take place, Jesus Christ would have been born approximately on the first day of the Feast of Tabernacles, which is Tishri 15 (October 1) in the year 4BC.
Shortly prior to the Feast of Tabernacles, Caesar Augustus decreed that all the world should be taxed. We see that in Luke 2:1-5. It is my understanding that it was common place for a registration to be ordered by the Roman government at a time when they knew a majority of people would be travelling to one area. The question is…was this the only reason Joseph and Mary went to Bethlehem? Remember that every Jewish male was required to go to Jerusalem for Passover, Pentecost, and the Feast of Tabernacles. Six months after John the Baptist was born (Approx. 14 Nisan) would put the time Joseph and Mary travelled to Bethlehem around Tishri 15, the first day of the Feast of Tabernacles. Keep in mind that there would be around 2.5 million Jews in Jerusalem and the surrounding areas. Keep in mind that Bethlehem is only 5 miles away from Jerusalem. Keep in mind that during the Feast of Tabernacles the cities and towns would be filled with Sukkahs, or tabernacles…temporary dwelling places.
With 2.5 million Jews in Jerusalem and surrounding areas during the Feast of Tabernacles, there is no wonder why Joseph and Mary found no room in the inn. In Luke 2:6 we see that Mary’s days were accomplished and she gave birth to our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. In neither account of the birth of Christ do we see that Christ was born in a stable, a cave, or a grotto. All that is said in Luke 2:6 is that after He was born, He was laid in a manger.
The word “manger” is translated from the Greek word “phatne.” This word is found 4 times in the Bible. Three times it is translated “manger” which means crib. One time is it translated “stall.” I suppose that is where they get the idea of Christ being born in a stable.
Something else to note is found in Genesis 33:17…
Genesis 33:17 And Jacob journeyed to Succoth, and built him an house, and made booths for his cattle: therefore the name of the place is called Succoth.
Remember that the Sukkots or tabernacles or tents or temporary dwelling places built on the Feast of Tabernacles were booths. Jacob built booths for his cattle. That is another reason some believe Christ was born in a stable.
Though the earthly parents of our Lord and Savior were poor, I don’t believe they were unsanitary. Would a person give birth to their child in an unsanitary booth where cattle, sheep and goats are kept?
I believe Christ was born in a Sukkah on the Feast of Sukkot…the Feast of Tabernacles. He was wrapped in swaddling clothes and laid in a crib. Often times the Jews would only eat their meals in the booths rather than living in them for 7 days.
Christ was born on the 1st day of the Feast of Tabernacles which lasts 7 days. Then on the 8th day it was customary for boys to be circumcised which Christ was…on the eighth day or the Last Great Day which is symbolic of new beginnings. He fulfilled the Abrahamic covenant by being circumcised on the 8th day and began the new covenant.
Also, in Luke 2:8-15 we see there were shepherds abiding in the fields keeping watch over their flocks by night. The latest time of year that shepherds would be out in the fields at night with their flocks would be late October. During November and December the nights would be too cold for them to stay out in the fields.
What did God command the Jews to do during the Feast of Tabernacles? Leviticus 23:40 …and ye shall rejoice before the LORD your God seven days. The Feast of Tabernacles was a time of great rejoicing…the sins of Israel had been atoned for just 5 days before on the Day of Atonement.
Luke 2:9-11
9 And, lo, the angel of the Lord came upon them, and the glory of the Lord shone round about them; and they were sore afraid.
10 And the angel said unto them, Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people.
11 For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, which is Christ the Lord.
What greater rejoicing could take place on the Feast of Tabernacles than to know that the Messiah who would take away the sins of His people was born? …the One who would make the Atonement that would last forever.
Only the shepherds made it to the manger in the Sukkah where Joseph, Mary and our Lord stayed that night. According to Matthew 2:1-11, we see the Magi or wise men from the East coming to worship the Lord. They did not arrive there on the day of the birth of Christ. They arrived some time later. Notice in Matthew 2:11…
Matthew 2:11 And when they were come into the house, they saw the young child with Mary his mother, and fell down, and worshipped him: and when they had opened their treasures, they presented unto him gifts; gold, and frankincense, and myrrh.
The booths have all been taken down and now Joseph, Mary and our Lord are living in a house. It is believed that Christ was about 12 to 15 months old when the Wise men came. This would put it in the Fall or Autumn of the following year.
Remember how the Wise men did not go back to Herod after seeing Christ. They returned to their homes by taking another route. Herod was angry and ordered that all Jewish babies under the age of 2 be killed. He wanted to make sure he killed the Messiah.
Joseph and Mary fled to Egypt to escape the wrath of Herod and when Herod died that same fall (3BC), then they returned, but went to Nazareth rather than Bethlehem because Bethlehem was too close to Jerusalem where Herod’s son Archelaus reigned in his stead.
One last thing to consider…
Isaiah 7:14 Therefore the Lord himself shall give you a sign; Behold, a virgin shall conceive, and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel.
Matthew 1:21-23
21 And she shall bring forth a son, and thou shalt call his name Jesus for he shall save his people from their sins.
22 Now all this was done, that it might be fulfilled which was spoken of the Lord by the prophet, saying,
23 Behold a virgin shall be with child, and shall bring forth a son, and they shall call his name Emmanuel, which being interpreted is God with us.
God with us…
John 1:14 And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth.
The word “dwelt” is translated from the Greek word “skenoo” which means…
1) to fix one's tabernacle, have one's tabernacle, abide (or live) in a tabernacle (or tent), tabernacle
2) to dwell
On the Feast of Tabernacles, Christ was given a (temporary dwelling place…earthly tabernacle) body…
Hebrews 10:5 Wherefore when he cometh into the world, he saith, Sacrifice and offering thou wouldest not, but a body hast thou prepared for me:
One of the themes of the Feast of Tabernacles is that Christ will dwell with His people. We saw that it is on the Feast of Tabernacles that Christ will establish His millennial kingdom. At that time He will dwell with us on earth.
I believe that His first coming began on the Feast of Tabernacles in 4 BC. I believe shortly after His second coming on some future Day of Atonement, He will establish His earthly millennial reign soon thereafter on the Feast of Tabernacles and He will dwell with us.
Think about this…It was God’s plan for all Jewish males (and families) to be in Jerusalem for the birth of Christ (Feast of Tabernacles), the death of Christ (Passover) and for the pouring out of the Holy Spirit (Pentecost).
Based on what I have seen in the Scriptures, as well as all the research I have done concerning Christ’s mass that takes place on December 25th, I believe that Christ was indeed born on the Feast of Tabernacles. As the head of my home it is my responsibility to teach my children the truth of the Word of God. As for our family we will celebrate the birth of Christ on Monday, October 1st this year which is Tishri 15 on the Jewish calendar…the first day of the Feast of Tabernacles.
This is my understanding based on the word of God. Whether you choose to observe December 25th or Tishri 15 (October 1) as the true birth of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, remember Romans 14:1-10…Let every man be fully persuaded in his own mind.
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