By Maria Merola אריאל
https://www.paypal.com/paypalme/DPIMinistries
© Copyright Double Portion Inheritance, September 2002
I first began researching the birth of our Messiah in 2002, and have spent many years since that time compiling what I’ve learned into many articles, blogs, and ebooks.
Most people don’t really want to know when the Messiah of Yisra’el was born, because this means they will have to give up celebrating Christmas. These same people will often recoil whenever I suggest that our Messiah’s birth took place on a biblical feast.
Many of them dismissively say things like “The Bible does not tell us when the Messiah was born.” They are hoping this will get them off the hook, and they can plead ignorance about Christmas.
What follows is the response that I give when people assume the Bible does not tell us when our Messiah was born. The first thing I direct them to is the first chapter of Luke’s gospel.
The Courses of the Temple Priests
Many of them dismissively say things like “The Bible does not tell us when the Messiah was born.” They are hoping this will get them off the hook, and they can plead ignorance about Christmas.
What follows is the response that I give when people assume the Bible does not tell us when our Messiah was born. The first thing I direct them to is the first chapter of Luke’s gospel.
The Courses of the Temple Priests
In the first chapter of Luke’s gospel, we see that John the Baptist’s father Zecharyahuw (Zechariah), the priest was visited by the angel Gabriel, and he announced that Zechariah and his barren wife (Elizabeth/Elisheba) were going to conceive a son.
Luke’s gospel tells us that Zechariah was of the division of “Abijah” or in Hebrew “Abiyahuw.”
This is a big clue, because in 1st Chronicles 24, we learn that King David set up a schedule for the priesthood in the Temple. Each priest served two weeks out of the year (and extra days during the feasts), and then they went back home after their Temple duty was finished.
Knowing that Zechariah was of the division of Abijah or Abiyahuw, tells us exactly what “course” he was serving, and what time of year it was. The courses would cycle around each year in the spring at the biblical New Year in the month “Abib,” two weeks before Passover (see Exodus 12:2 & 13:4).
Zechariah’s course was the eighth course in the year, and since each course was two weeks, this would have been the sixteenth week in the year. From this, we can deduce that he was serving in the Hebrew month called “Sivan,” around the Feast of Weeks or (Shavuot/Pentecost).
Zechariah’s course was the eighth course in the year, and since each course was two weeks, this would have been the sixteenth week in the year. From this, we can deduce that he was serving in the Hebrew month called “Sivan,” around the Feast of Weeks or (Shavuot/Pentecost).
Assuming that Zechariah was in a hurry to get home to his wife Elizabeth to impregnate her (which, of course he was, since he would not have been able to speak until the child was born), we have to conclude that Elizabeth conceived sometime after Zechariah’s Temple duty was over. This was the 3rd Sabbath of the 3rd month of Sivan. For a more detailed and historical explanation of the Priestly Courses, I highly recommend downloading and studying this PDF file from the ministry of TorahCalendar.com.
http://torahcalendar.com/PDF/24PriestlyCourses.pdf
John’s Birth During the Season of Passover
Counting forward 271 days from when Zechariah returned home from Temple duty, we can deduce that John was born around the season of Passover. To be exact, John was born 14 days before Passover on the 1st of Abib (Nisan). We know that John the Baptist came “In the spirit and power of Eliyahuw/Elijah” (Matthew 11:14), so it is fitting that he would be born around Passover.
John was referred to by our Messiah as “The Elijah who was to come” in Matthew 11:12-14. In Matthew 17:12-13, Yahuwshuwa told his disciples that John was “The Elijah who had already come.”
http://torahcalendar.com/PDF/24PriestlyCourses.pdf
John’s Birth During the Season of Passover
Counting forward 271 days from when Zechariah returned home from Temple duty, we can deduce that John was born around the season of Passover. To be exact, John was born 14 days before Passover on the 1st of Abib (Nisan). We know that John the Baptist came “In the spirit and power of Eliyahuw/Elijah” (Matthew 11:14), so it is fitting that he would be born around Passover.
John was referred to by our Messiah as “The Elijah who was to come” in Matthew 11:12-14. In Matthew 17:12-13, Yahuwshuwa told his disciples that John was “The Elijah who had already come.”
The Jewish people already understood that before the Messiah could come to earth to set up The Tabernacle of David, the Spirit of Eliyahuw (Elijah) must come first, and restore all things.
This is why at every Passover Seder, the “Elijah Cup” is part of the ceremony. It reminds us that before the Messiah can come,
“Eliyahuw/Elijah” must come first (Malachi 4:5-6).
*Note: Why do we use 271 days for the gestation?
There is ample scientific data showing that a male gestation is generally 10 days shorter than the gestation of a female, which can take up to 281 days.
The article goes on to explain:
“Pregnant women are routinely assigned a delivery date of about 280 days after the onset of their last menstrual period (LMP). Only 4% of women deliver at 280 days and 70% deliver within 10 days of their estimated due date, even when the date is estimated by ultrasound (Mongelli et al., 1996).”
But the most compelling evidence for why the #271 is used for our Messiah’s gestation in the womb, is because the Hebrew word for pregnancy (herayon) has the numerical value of 271!
Even Rashi wrote in the Jewish Talmud that an average gestation is 9 cycles of 30 days, equaling 270 days, and the baby comes on the 271st day!
If Yah caused the word “heryaon” (pregnancy) to have the numerical value of 271, it would appear that there is a prophetic reason for this. Additionally, I found the Hebrew words “conceived womb” (hara beten) having the same numerical value of 271!
I believe the extra 10 days for a female gestation is because the female anatomy is more complex, and these extra ten days could prophetically be pointing to “The Ten Days of Awe” (between Trumpets & Atonement). The extra ten days could also be pointing to “The Parable of the Ten Virgins” as well. There is a consistent theme throughout Scripture with the number ten prophetically reminding us of the Ten Lost Tribes of Yisra’el who were divorced by Yah in Jeremiah 3:8.
Luke 1:36 tells us that Elizabeth was in her sixth month of pregnancy when Gabriel appeared to Miriyam (Mary) and told her that she was going to conceive the Messiah. This is how we know that our Messiah was 6 months younger than his cousin Yahuwchanon (John).
If we count 180 days (6 months) forward from the 1st of Abib in 3 B.C., it lands on the Feast of Trumpets. Scripture does not tell us if our Messiah was born right on time (after 270 days), or if the pregnancy lasted for two more weeks, at 285 days. It is highly unlikely that Miriyam gave birth two weeks late, since first-time mothers (and especially those who are virgins before giving birth), statistically give birth early.
But even if Miriyam went into labor two weeks, late (causing him to be born on Sukkot), all the other corroborating witnesses from scripture show that our Messiah on the Feast of Trumpets.
A Yom Kippur Circumcision
For starters, it is prophetically fitting that his circumcision took place on the Day of Atonement/Yom Kippur, since during a circumcision, the blood of the child is sprinkled!
A Messianic prophecy foretold about how the Messiah would sprinkle his blood for the nations:
Yeshayahuw (Isaiah) 52:15 So shall he sprinkle many nations; the kings shall shut their mouths at him: for that which had not been told them shall they see; and that which they had not heard shall they consider.
The blood of our Messiah was “sprinkled” in the Temple when he was circumcised, and this was a foreshadowing of him later on fulfilling the pattern of the Yom Kippur sacrificial goat:
Yahuwchanon (John) 1:29 “…… Behold the Lamb of Elohiym, which takes away the sin of the world.”
A Yom Kippur Circumcision
For starters, it is prophetically fitting that his circumcision took place on the Day of Atonement/Yom Kippur, since during a circumcision, the blood of the child is sprinkled!
A Messianic prophecy foretold about how the Messiah would sprinkle his blood for the nations:
Yeshayahuw (Isaiah) 52:15 So shall he sprinkle many nations; the kings shall shut their mouths at him: for that which had not been told them shall they see; and that which they had not heard shall they consider.
The blood of our Messiah was “sprinkled” in the Temple when he was circumcised, and this was a foreshadowing of him later on fulfilling the pattern of the Yom Kippur sacrificial goat:
Yahuwchanon (John) 1:29 “…… Behold the Lamb of Elohiym, which takes away the sin of the world.”
This means that they will come “face-to-face” with their Messiah, and the “veil” (symbolic of the foreskin of their hearts) will be removed!
2nd Corinthians 3:13 And not as Mosheh (Moses), which put a veil over his face, that the children of Yisrael could not stedfastly look to the end of that which is abolished.
*Note: that which is “abolished,” is our that our heart of stone has been removed. Under Messiah’s Renewed Covenant, the Mosaic Law (Towrah) is now deposited into our circumcised hearts, rather than delivered to us in stone tablets. The Towrah (Mosaic Law) given in stone was meant to remind us that our hearts were made of stone. Paul was not saying that the Mosaic Law is abolished.
*Note: that which is “abolished,” is our that our heart of stone has been removed. Under Messiah’s Renewed Covenant, the Mosaic Law (Towrah) is now deposited into our circumcised hearts, rather than delivered to us in stone tablets. The Towrah (Mosaic Law) given in stone was meant to remind us that our hearts were made of stone. Paul was not saying that the Mosaic Law is abolished.
Yechezqel (Ezekiel) 11:19 And I will give them one heart, and I will put a new spirit within you; and I will take the stony heart out of their flesh, and will give them an heart of flesh:
Yechezqel (Ezekiel) 36:26 A new heart also will I give you, and a new spirit will I put within you: and I will take away the stony heart out of your flesh, and I will give you an heart of flesh.
Ibriym (Hebrews) 10:20 By a new and living way, which he has consecrated for us, through the veil, that is to say, his flesh.
Yahuwshuwa was born on the first day of the 7th month of Ethaniym (Tishri) at sundown (just before it became the 2nd day of Tishri), therefore the 8-day count to his circumcision began on Tishri 2, taking us to Yom Kippur on Tishri 10!
The Arrival of the Wise Men to Visit the King
This is a short article borrowed from “Nativity in the Stars” by Andrew Gabriel Roth, which addresses the time-frame of the arrival of the wise men, aka magi at the time of Messiah’s birth.
In Matthew and in Luke, the shift in language goes from calling Yahuwshuwa an “infant” to calling him a “child” or a “boy.”
This is true in both Greek and in Aramaic. The most significant place that “child” or “boy” appears rather than “infant” is in Matthew 2:11 & 13:
“And they entered the house and they saw the boy with Maryam, his mother, and they fell (and) worshipped him, and they opened their treasures and offered to him gifts (of) gold and myrrh and incense…the messenger of Master.”
YaHuWaH appeared to Yahuwseph (Joseph) in a dream and said to him, Matthew 2:13:
“Arise, take the boy and his mother and flee to Mitzrayim (Egypt) and there remain until I tell you. For Herodus is going to seek the boy as to destroy him.”
So, by the time the Magi see Yahuwshuwa, he is called a boy, or talia in Aramaic. The Hebrew equivalent to this is zakhar, but the question is: “What is the one time in Scripture when it is appropriate to call an infant by the name boy (talia/zakhar) instead?”
Genesis 17:10 (NJB):
“This is my covenant which you must keep between myself and you, and your descendants after you: every one of your males (zakhar/רָכָז) must be circumcised. You must circumcise the flesh of your foreskin, and that will be the sign of the covenant between myself and you. As soon as he is eight days old, every one of your males (zakhar/רָכָז ) generation after generation, must be circumcised, including slaves born within the household or bought from a foreigner not of your descent.”
Therefore, the only time that an infant is a male or a boy, is at circumcision!
The Greek version of the NT also seems to support the Jewish understanding. The same Greek word paidon (παιδίον) can refer either to an infant (Luke 1:59, John 16:21) or to a toddler.
In Greek, Luke 1:59 calls Yahuwshuwa this literally when he is an 8-day old infant, so the Magi’s arrival to see the “child” is actually pointing to an 8-day old infant in the Greek!
The text is also very clear that the Magi left very soon after visiting the family, and the family also left for Egypt immediately thereafter.
This means the Magi must have seen Yahuwshuwa just AFTER his circumcision on the 8th day of his life; which is, in turn, sometime during Jupiter’s “pause” over Bethlehem (September 19-26). Eight days before September 19-26 would put Yahuwshuwa’s birth sometime between September 11th and 18th, in the years 5-3 BCE.
This debunks the Roman Catholic Church’s theory that the wise men came 18 months late to visit the child in Bethlehem and thus calling it “The Feast of the Epiphany” on January 6th.
Six Reasons Why Messiah Could Not Have Been Born on Sukkot
There are several other reasons why our Messiah could NOT have been born on the Feast of Tabernacles, and I will list them below.
Reason #1 The first, and most obvious reason is because Luke 2:3 tells us plainly, that “all” (meaning the Yisraelites) “Went to his own city to be taxed.”
Luqas (Luke) 2:
1 And it came to pass in those days, that there went out a decree from Caesar Augustus that all the world should be taxed.
2 (And this taxing was first made when Cyrenius was governor of Syria.)
3 And all went to be taxed, every one into his own city.
4 And Yahuwseph (Joseph) also went up from Galilee, out of the city of Nazareth, into Judaea, unto the city of David, which is called Bethlehem; (because he was of the house and lineage of David:)
5 To be taxed with Miriyam (Mary) his espoused wife, being great with child.
6 And so it was, that, while they were there, the days were accomplished that she should be delivered.
7 And she brought forth her firstborn son, and wrapped him in swaddling clothes, and laid him in a manger; because there was no room for them in the inn.
*Note: Did you catch this? They were in Bethlehem, not in Jerusalem during the birth of our Messiah. Bethlehem is 6 miles away from Jerusalem, which is a 2-3 hour journey on a donkey. And why would Joseph be seeking a room at the Inn? If this was during Sukkot, he would have been in Jerusalem building a sukkah for them to dwell in. This means that they were not keeping the Feast of Tabernacles yet for two more weeks. Additionally, they laid the child in a manger---not in a sukkah.
What is a manger? The Greek Lexicon tells us what it is:
#G5336. phatne fat'-nay from pateomai (to eat); a crib (for fodder):--manager, stall.
The English Dictionary defines this word manger as “a long open box or trough for horses or cattle to eat from.”
As a matter of fact, this same word is used in Luke 13:15 when our Messiah confronts the Pharisees about how they would save the life of their animal on the Sabbath:
Luqas (Luke) 13:15 The Master then answered him, and said, You hypocrite, do not each one of you on the Sabbath loose his ox or his donkey from the stall [manger], and lead him away to watering?
You see, his parents placed him in an animal stall, not in a sukkah that is used for the Feast of Tabernacles!
In Acts 18:3, we read that the Apostle Shaul (Paul) was a tent-maker. The general consensus would agree that Paul made prayer shawls (portable prayer tents), not large tents used by shepherds. The Greek word for “tentmaker,” is as follows in the Greek Lexicon:
Luke 2:7 says that the newborn Messiah was “Laid in a manger,” which is an animal stall or crib, feeding trough. If he was born in a sukkah as pictured above, the Greek word used in Luke 2:7 would have said he was “Laid in a skene,” or a tabernacle.
Of course, (two weeks later), he would have dwelt in a sukkah with his parents, and there is no argument there. He definitely fulfilled the Feast of Tabernacles as a two-week old infant, and he was indeed “The WORD that became flesh and dwelt among us! (John 1:14).
Luke 2:7 says that the newborn Messiah was “Laid in a manger,” which is an animal stall or crib, feeding trough. If he was born in a sukkah as pictured above, the Greek word used in Luke 2:7 would have said he was “Laid in a skene,” or a tabernacle.
Of course, (two weeks later), he would have dwelt in a sukkah with his parents, and there is no argument there. He definitely fulfilled the Feast of Tabernacles as a two-week old infant, and he was indeed “The WORD that became flesh and dwelt among us! (John 1:14).
As a matter of fact, the Greek word for “dwelt,” in John 1:14 is “skenoo,” which literally means “To dwell in a tent!”
This is the reason why many Messianic Jews assume that he was born on Sukkot, due to the meaning of this word “dwelt,” in John 1:14. And there is no argument on this point.
This is the reason why many Messianic Jews assume that he was born on Sukkot, due to the meaning of this word “dwelt,” in John 1:14. And there is no argument on this point.
He did indeed dwell among us as a two-week old newborn. It is obvious that all three fall feasts were the season of his nativity, just as all three spring feasts were the season of his death, burial, and resurrection.
The Birthplace of Messiah
Further evidence is provided in this article, that sheds new light on where our Messiah was born.
He was born specifically in a place called “The Tower Flock,” in Bethlehem:
Micah 4:8 And you, O tower of the flock, the stronghold of the daughter of Tziyown (Zion), unto you shall it come, even the first dominion; the kingdom shall come to the daughter of Yerushalayim (Jerusalem).
Seven hundred years before the birth of Messiah, the prophet Micah foretold the birthplace of the Messiah. The Tower of the Flock, (Migdal Edar in Hebrew), was first mentioned in Genesis 35:21, in connection with the death of Jacob’s wife, Rachel. In ancient times, it was also a military watchtower, to view the valley near what was later called Bethlehem.
From David and Solomon’s day, until the time of Yahuwshuwa’s birth, it became the functioning tower of the flock. It was there where the sacrificial lambs were prepared, and the priests examined, cleaned, and wrapped (in swaddling clothes) the newborn lambs. These lambs were designated for sacrifice, for the sins of the people, at the Temple in Jerusalem.
The Levitical shepherds knew the prophetic promise of the coming Messiah, and the importance of Migdal Edar. They knew the lambs must be without spot or blemish, and it was their job to deliver and watch over them.
In Luke 2:11-12, the malak (angel) of YaHuWaH said to the shepherds, “For unto you is born this day in the city of David, a Saviour which is Messiah, the Master. And this shall be a sign unto you; Ye shall find the Babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger.”
The priestly shepherds knew exactly where to go. And so the shepherds came with haste, and found the “Lamb of Elohiym” (John 1:29), who was without spot or blemish, wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger.----Alfred Edersheim, The Life and Times of Jesus the Messiah, Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Company: Grand Rapids, Michigan, 1971 (3rd ed./1973), Book II, Chapter VI, pp.186-187.
Another website gives even more details about his birthplace in Bethlehem:
Bethlehem is the royal City of David, so named because David took the fort and watchtower of the Jebusites on what was known as Mount Zion in Bethlehem and dwelt in it (1st Chronicles 11:7). Migdal Edar, Shepherd’s Field, or the Tower of the Flock, is the traditional place where the royal flocks were therefore raised and cared for.
In ancient times, the watchtower was used by the shepherds for protection from their enemies and wild beasts. In this sheltered building (which was once the royal compound of David, shepherd priests would bring in the ewes which were about to bring forth their lambs).
These special lambs became part of the unique temple flock, used for the continual burnt offerings made at the temple, and represented the price paid for Israel’s redemption from sin. The Jewish Mishna confirms that animals raised near the tower were indeed used for temple sacrifices. Migdal Edar lay close to the Temple, in the land of Jerusalem, in the hamlet of Bethlehem....
One of the priest’s duties was to verify that the lambs were in conformity with The Law, and worthy to be used in such a setting: they had to be without blemish, with no bones having been broken during birth or thereafter, and without any defect. It was also their job to swaddle the newborn lambs in linen when they came forth — to clothe them in white.
The shepherds who kept them were men who were specifically trained for this royal, priestly task. Being themselves under special Rabbinical rules of cleanliness and holiness, they would strictly maintain a ceremonially clean stable for a birthing place. This conflicts with many of our modern hymns and other traditions regarding the manger scene, filled with chickens, cows, goats, etc.
In reality, it is very unlikely any other animals would have been found there. The Tower of the Flock was used for birthing ewes, and the surrounding fields were where the shepherds grazed their flocks. These shepherds customarily kept their flocks outdoors twenty-four hours a day every day of the year, and only brought the ewes in to deliver their lambs where their worthiness as sacrifices for Israel could be verified according to the law.
I believe it was to this place that Joseph took Mary when they discovered the inn was full. It was in this special stable at Migdal Edar of Bethlehem — the Tower of the Flock — that Messiah was born. Why would they have gone there?
Could any Israelite simply seek shelter at a royal and traditionally sacred compound? Joseph’s ancestral lineage is found in Matthew 1:6–16. Mary’s is normally understood to be represented in the last half of Luke 3. What do their genealogies indicate? That both were descendants of King David. Staying in the royal compound of Migdal Edar was probably not a hospitality offered to everyone in Israel, but for Mary and Joseph, it was their right.
Many have dramatized the nativity to show them going from door to door, only to finally encounter one grumpy old inn keeper not completely indifferent to the couple’s pregnancy or plight, heartlessly pointing them around back to stay with the various animals there.
A close reading of Luke 2 shows no justification for this narrative. It simply says: “And she brought forth her firstborn son, and wrapped him in swaddling clothes, and laid him in a manger; because there was no room for them in the inn.”
Even more evidence to support this theory comes from the annunciation made by an angel, who shortly thereafter announced the birth to shepherds nearby. The angel only told the shepherds that they would find the babe wrapped in “swaddling cloths and lying in a manger.”
I find it interesting that there was no need for the angel to give the shepherds further directions to the birthplace, especially when there could have been dozens of managers within a mile of wherever they were tending sheep. Why was that simple description enough?
Because these men were the shepherd priests, who raised sacrificial lambs for the Temple! When the angelic announcement came, they knew exactly which manger, for it could only mean THEIR manger at the tower of the flock!
They immediately said, “Let us now go even unto Bethlehem, and see this thing which is come to pass, which the Lord hath made known unto us.” (Luke 2:15).
How did they know it was in nearby Bethlehem? Why not a manger in Jerusalem, or one of possibly dozens even closer, or along the way there?
How did they find Him with such “haste” (vs 16)? You cannot explain the meaning or direction of the sign they were given, or their response, unless you have the right manger and the right shepherds!
Migdal Edar, the Tower of the Flock at Bethlehem, is the perfect place for Messiah to have been born. More than likely, He was born in the very birthplace where tens of thousands of lambs, which had been sacrificed on the temple altar to prefigure Him, were also born.
Those shepherds who witnessed his birth were performing a priesthood duty, adding their priestly witness that He was indeed worthy of becoming the Great and Last Sacrifice, a spotless and perfect Lamb.
Finally, if you are still looking for further scriptural evidence, consider these seldom-read verses from the fourth chapter of Micah:
Micah 4:8 And you, O tower of the flock, the stronghold of the daughter of Tziyown (Zion), unto you shall it come, even the first dominion; the kingdom shall come to the daughter of Yerushalayim (Jerusalem).
Micah 4:9 Now why do you cry out aloud? is there no king in you? is your counsellor perished? for pangs have taken you as a woman in travail.
Micah 4:10 Be in pain, and labour to bring forth, O daughter of Tziyown (Zion), like a woman in travail: for now shall you go forth out of the city, and you shall dwell in the field, and you shall go even to Babylon; there shall you be delivered.
A king, and a kingdom, coming to the tower of the flock in Bethlehem in conjunction with a woman giving birth?
Accompanied by a second “deliverance” by flight to Babylon? (Egypt/Babylon is where the family fled shortly after Messiah’s birth to escape Herod).
To me, this prophecy could not be clearer. It is my witness that Messiah was indeed a worthy sacrifice, perfect and without blemish. From the day of His birth, He fulfilled the Law. Although thousands of lambs came before Him, Messiah was the Great and Last Sacrifice to be made for Israel. One of the signs the angel told the shepherds they could use to recognize Him was that he would be laid in a phatnē, or manger.
Today, that word would be more commonly translated as “feeding trough”. . . . . .
Reason #2 If the birth of Messiah had taken place on Sukkot, Joseph would’ve had to appear at the Temple 6 miles away in Jerusalem with a sacrifice. It is not logical to think that he would have left Miriyam alone while she was going into labor in Bethlehem. Joseph had to be there to help deliver the child in order to legally adopt him as his own.
Additionally, Joseph would have become ritually unclean, and unfit to present an offering at the Temple for Sukkot after helping his wife deliver a child. Leviticus 12:2 tells us that when a woman gives birth to a male child, she is ritually unclean for seven days.
However, by Yom Kippur, she would have completed her initial seven-days of uncleanness (followed by 33 more days of purification according to Leviticus 12:4). This means that she would’ve been able to attend the circumcision at the Temple, although she had to remain in “The Court of the Women.”
It is not logical to think that Joseph took the child to the Temple to be circumcised without his mother present. The journey on a donkey was 2-3 hours each way, and the child would have needed to be nursed every 2-3 hours.
Reason #3 Miriyam’s seven days of uncleanness, (following the birth of a male child) would have meant she would have had to stay in a separate Sukkah from Joseph, if the birth had taken place on Sukkot (Leviticus 12:2).
However, the record of the gospel says that they both stayed in the same animal stall (manger) with the child, because there was no room at the Inn. And since Joseph would have to appear at the Temple to offer a sacrifice on Sukkot, he would have been rendered “unclean,” and therefore unfit to offer a sacrifice!
Reason #4 The malakiym (angels) told the shepherds to go to Bethlehem to see the child. If it had been on the Feast of Tabernacles, the angels would have told the shepherds to go to Jerusalem to present an offering!
All Yisraelite males are required to make pilgrimage to Jerusalem and to appear in the Temple three times per year for Passover, the Feast of Weeks (Shavuot/Pentecost) & The Feast of Tabernacles (Sukkot). See Exodus 23:17 & Deuteronomy 16:16.
Reason #5 The other problem with a Sukkot birth, is that it means he only fulfilled 4 out of 7 feasts at his first coming, leaving 3 feasts unfulfilled. With a Yom Teruw’ah birth, it means he fulfilled all seven feasts at his first coming and he will fulfill all seven of them again at his second coming.
Reason #5 The other problem with a Sukkot birth, is that it means he only fulfilled 4 out of 7 feasts at his first coming, leaving 3 feasts unfulfilled. With a Yom Teruw’ah birth, it means he fulfilled all seven feasts at his first coming and he will fulfill all seven of them again at his second coming.
This is just like Jacob, who worked two periods of seven years for each of his brides (Rachel & Leah). Our Messiah (like Jacob) already fulfilled seven feasts for the Gentiles (typified as Leah), and he will also fulfill the seven feasts for Rachel (who typifies the House of Judah). In other words, two periods of seven feasts for Both Houses of Yisra’el!
To learn more about how our Messiah fulfilled all seven feasts at his first coming, see the blog entitled: “What is the Testimony of Yahuwshuwa?”
Reason #6 In Luke 4, Yahuwshuwa began his ministry after his 40-day fast, when he went into the Synagogue and read the Isaiah 61 scroll. This was on Yom Kippur, because as the High Priest (Melchizedek) he declared “The Acceptable Year of YaHuWaH.” Only the High Priest could declare those words on Yom Kippur!
In Numbers 10:8-10, the sons of Aaron (the High Priests) were the ones charged with making declarations with the blowing of silver trumpets. Our Messiah was well within his authority as the heavenly High Priest, Melchizedek to make such declarations.
This means that he had to have been 30 years old when made this declaration in the Synagogue! In Numbers chapter 4:3 we are told that the office of the priest requires that a man is at least thirty years of age.
And since he was “Beginning to be about 30 years old” at his baptism 40 days earlier, (Luke 3:23); Therefore, we must conclude that he turned 30 on Yom Teruw’ah, just in time for him to declare “The acceptable year” on Yom Kippur as a 30-year old High Priest!
If he had been born on Sukkot, his 30th birthday would’ve still been five days away, and therefore, he did not qualify to “Preach the acceptable year!”
*Note: Some people would argue that our Messiah could not have acted as a High Priest while here on earth, because of this verse in Hebrews 8:4.
Ibriym (Hebrews) 8:4 For if he were on earth, he should not be a priest, seeing that there are priests that offer gifts according to the Towrah (law).
The above verse is not telling us that our Messiah failed to serve on earth as a High Priest. Reading the entire book of Hebrews in context, is the key to understanding this verse. This verse is telling us that our Messiah did not qualify to be an earthly priest from the Sons of Aaron, because he was from the Tribe of Judah, not from the Tribe of Levi.
However, in the previous chapter (Hebrews chapter 7), our Messiah is described as being an eternal priest after the order of Melchizedek:
Ibriym (Hebrews) 7:3 Without father, without mother, without descent, having neither beginning of days, nor end of life; but made like unto the Son of Elohiym; abides a priest continually.
Elohiym is “omnipresent,” meaning in all places at once. His role as Melchizedek in heaven, did not cease just because he was here on earth. This is why he said “My kingdom is not of his world,” (John 18:36). Hebrews 8:4 is merely telling us that he was not acting in the capacity of an earthly priest from the Sons of Aaron. Hebrews 7:14 tells us that our Master is a priest who “Sprang out of Judah!”
As a matter of important fact, the Hebrew word for “seven” (as defined in the Hebrew Lexicon) is as follows:
#7651 sheba` sheh'-bah or (masculine) shibrah {shib-aw'}; from 7650; a primitive cardinal number; seven (as the sacred full one); also (adverbially) seven times; by implication, a week; by extension, an indefinite number:--(+ by) seven(-fold),-s, (-teen, -teenth), -th, times). Compare 7658.
#7650 shaba` shaw-bah' a primitive root; propr. to be complete, but used only as a denominative from 7651; to seven oneself, i.e. swear (as if by repeating a declaration seven times):--adjure, charge (by an oath, with an oath), feed to the full (by mistake for 7646), take an oath, straitly, (cause to, make to) swear.
As you can see by the above definitions, the number “seven” comes from a Hebrew root word that means “To take an oath, to swear, to seven oneself; to complete.”
The only one who was able to complete the oath as the Kinsman Redeemer & High Priest (Psalm 110:4), is the same one who was sworn into his office by YaHuWaH:
Ibriym (Hebrews) 7:21 For those [Aaronic High] priests were made without an oath; but this [Melchizedek] with an oath by him that said unto him, YHWH sware and will not repent, You are a priest for ever after the order of Melchizedek.
Therefore, it is prophetically fitting that our Messiah would be born at the SEVENTH NEW MOON (Ethaniym/Tishri), and that he would COMPLETE ALL SEVEN FEASTS at his first coming; followed by another round of SEVEN FEASTS at his second coming!
Isn’t this exactly what Jacob did for his two brides, Leah & Rachel? Did he not fulfill two periods of seven years for them? Does it not stand to reason that our Messiah would follow the same pattern by fulfilling two annual cycles of seven feasts for BOTH HOUSES OF YISRA’EL?
If he is the only one who could “complete the oath,” his first and second coming had to be prophetically marked by the number “seven!” This explains why the High Priest in the Temple was commanded on Yom Kippur to make atonement for both Houses of Yisra’el by sprinkling blood seven times.
In Leviticus 16:14-19, the High Priest had to dip his finger in the blood of a bull (for the gentiles), and the blood of the Yom Kippur sacrificial goat (for Yisra’el), and taking the mixed blood, he would sprinkle the blood on the four corners of the altar (symbolic of the four corners of the earth). He did this seven times, because there are seven continents in the earth that must be atoned for!
And finally, in Luke 20:40-44, the Pharisees questioned our Messiah about being “David’s son.”
His reply blew them away, for he plainly admitted to being the same Melchizedek in whom King David wrote about in Psalm 110:4: “YHWH has sworn, and will not repent, Thou art a priest for ever after the order of Melchizedek.”
Therefore, our Messiah acted in the role of Melchizedek, (a heavenly High Priest) during his earthly ministry. However, he was not acting in the role of an earthly High Priest from the Sons of Aaron.
Overwhelming Evidence for a Feast of Trumpets Birth
At the beginning of my research back in 2002, the first thing I did was read this book by Dr. Ernest L. Martin “The Star that Astonished the World.”
Dr. Martin painstakingly goes into much detail pinpointing the exact day, year, and hour our Messiah was born, based on the constellations. I highly recommend that you read his book.
The entire book can be downloaded free at the link below:
From the research of Dr. Martin, (and many other proofs that I discovered on my own), we can be certain that the Messiah of Yisra’el named “Yahuwshuwa” was born on September 11th in 3 B.C. on “Yom Teruw’ah,” aka “The Feast of Trumpets.” Here is another website that I recommend as added witness for his birth falling on this particular date:
This constellation was visible over Bethlehem on that famous night, as it was prophesied about in Revelation 12:
1 And there appeared a great wonder in heaven; a woman clothed with the sun, and the moon under her feet, and upon her head a crown of twelve stars:
2 And she being with child cried, travailing in birth, and pained to be delivered.
5 And she brought forth a man-child, who was to rule all nations with a rod of iron: and her child was caught up unto Elohiym, and to his throne.
On September 11th in 3 B.C., just before sundown, this planetary alignment was taking place, as a “one-time-event” in history. On this date, and never before this date, nor ever again afterwards, has this same configuration of the planets and stars been seen.
The Hebrew word for “virgin” is “bethuwlah,” which is what this constellation is named after. The pagans renamed these constellations after pagan deities, and they assimilated this “virgin” to their false mother goddess, Gaia, the planetary mother. However, its origin has always pointed to only one “mother” which is Jerusalem “The mother of us all” (Galatians 4:26).
The planet Jupiter was also seen inside this constellation, which is called Malkiy-Tzedeq (King of Righteousness) translated in English as Melchizedek. The pagans renamed this planet after the pagan deity from Greece (Zeus) or Jupiter (Roman).
Does the Math Add Up for a Yom Kippur Circumcision?
According to the testimony of Ernest L. Martin, the birth of Messiah took place at sundown on the Feast of Trumpets around 6-7 p.m. The Towrah tells us that on the ninth day of the seventh month of Tishri, the Day of Atonement (Yom Kippur) is to begin at evening:
I also want to recommend this PDF document as another witness to the birth of Messiah on the Feast of Trumpets:
Download the PDF file below at this link:
Here are some final things to consider. Our Messiah’s birth on the Feast of Trumpets is fitting, because it is nick-named “The Day that No Man Knows!”
The reason why this feast is properly called “The Day that No Man Knows,” is because it is the only feast that is determined by the sighting of the first crescent moon by at least two credible witnesses. Sometimes, the moon is hidden behind cloud coverage, and cannot be sighted, therefore, it is quite unpredictable to determine ahead of time when the first sliver of the moon will appear. To learn more about this feast, see the blog entitled: Yom Teruah: “The Day That No Man Knows!”
This is why the Jewish people refer to Yom Teruw’ah as “Rosh ha’Shanah,” the head of the year. It’s because it’s the birthday of humanity, when mankind was first created. In Exodus 12:2 & 13:4, (when YaHuWaH delivered Yisra’el out of Egypt), he established a spiritual New Year for us to remember his delivering us out of slavery. The New Year of our seven annual feasts would begin in the spring, fourteen days before Passover. Thus, there are two New Years:
1.) The first day of the seventh month of Ethaniym/Tishri (1st Kings 8:2), which is our physical birth as the human race.
2.) The second New Year is in the first month, of Abib/Nisan, when our spiritual birth was established as the nation of Yisra’el, when we were brought out of slavery to sin.
As the pagan myth goes, the sun supposedly dies every year on December 21st. Since the Tower of Babel, the heathens have believed they must sacrifice infants on the altar to Moloch, so the sun will be revived, and come back to life again on December 25th. This pagan myth was transferred onto the gospel story of our Messiah’s birth in order to justify continuing in the Roman celebration of Saturnalia. Emperor Constantine in the 4th Century officially made these changes in the Roman Empire, syncretizing the birth of the true Messiah with “The rebirth of the Sun,” or “Sol Invictus” (The Unconquerable Sun).
Does the Math Add Up for a Yom Kippur Circumcision?
According to the testimony of Ernest L. Martin, the birth of Messiah took place at sundown on the Feast of Trumpets around 6-7 p.m. The Towrah tells us that on the ninth day of the seventh month of Tishri, the Day of Atonement (Yom Kippur) is to begin at evening:
Wayyiqra (Leviticus) 23:32 It shall be unto you a Sabbath of rest, and you shall afflict your souls: in the ninth day of the month at evening, from evening unto evening, shall you celebrate your Sabbath.
We should then be able to count eight days following his birth until his circumcision just before Yom Kippur. So let us count:
Messiah born at sundown 1st of Tishri just before the 2nd of Tishri:
2nd of Tishri sundown: day #1
3rd of Tishri sundown: day #2
4th of Tishri sundown: day #3
5th of Tishri sundown: day #4
6th of Tishri sundown: day #5
7th of Tishri sundown: day #6
8th of Tishri sundown: day #7
9th of Tishri sundown: day #8 Messiah circumcised.
9th of Tishri @ sundown becomes the 10th of Tishri, Yom Kippur begins (Leviticus 23:32).
9th of Tishri @ sundown becomes the 10th of Tishri, Yom Kippur begins (Leviticus 23:32).
I also want to recommend this PDF document as another witness to the birth of Messiah on the Feast of Trumpets:
Download the PDF file below at this link:
http://torahcalendar.com/PDF/BirthOfMessiah.pdf
The Day that No Man Knows!
The Day that No Man Knows!
The reason why this feast is properly called “The Day that No Man Knows,” is because it is the only feast that is determined by the sighting of the first crescent moon by at least two credible witnesses. Sometimes, the moon is hidden behind cloud coverage, and cannot be sighted, therefore, it is quite unpredictable to determine ahead of time when the first sliver of the moon will appear. To learn more about this feast, see the blog entitled: Yom Teruah: “The Day That No Man Knows!”
It is also important to understand that Yom Teruw’ah spans two days, because the first day was spent watching for the new moon. On the second day, the new moon was sanctified by the Sanhedrin, and then began the celebration of the Feast of Trumpets.
During child-birth, “No man knows” when the head of the baby will “crown” or become visible from the birth canal. So, it is with the sighting of the first crescent moon, and this is why it is fitting that our Messiah was born on “The Day that No Man Knows!”
Similarly, “No Man Knows” the day, nor the hour when the bride of Messiah will be “born” into immortality, and when he will catch her away to meet him in the heavenly chuppah! (1st Thessalonians 4:17; 1st Corinthians 15:51-52).
The Feast of Trumpets is when all the Kings of Judah were “birthed” into their new office, and coronated (crowned) as kings. This procedure was followed consistently in the time of Solomon, Jeremiah, and Ezra. The Day of Trumpets was also acknowledged as the time for counting the years of their kingly rule.
Indeed, it was customary that the final ceremony in the coronation of kings was the blowing of trumpets.
*For King Solomon, “Blow ye the trumpet, and say, ‘God save king Solomon’” (1st Kings 1:34).
*For King Yahuw (Jehu), “And [they] blew with trumpets, saying, ‘Jehu is king’” (2nd Kings 9:13).
*At the enthronement of Yahuwash (Jehoash), “The people of the land rejoiced, and blew with trumpets” (2nd Kings 11:11).
Interestingly, the word “rosh” in “Rosh ha’Shanah” means “head,” for the Jewish people call the Feast of Trumpets “The Head of the Year” on the Civil Calendar.
It is the time of year when all the “heads,” (kings) were “crowned,” just as our Messiah was coming through the birth canal, and his head (rosh) crowned!
An example of this is found in the account where King Saul was being initiated into his office as king:
1st Shemu’EL (Samuel)10:24 And Samuel said to all the people, See you him whom YHWH has chosen, that there is none like him among all the people? And all the people shouted [rua], and said, Long Live the king!
The word “shouted” in the above verse is the root word for “Teruah” in Yom Teruah, hence it is a “day of shouting.” The root word “rua” literally means “To split the ears, to shout, to blow an alarm, to make a joyful noise.”
See this article confirming the concept of childbirth and the shofar:
In Hebrew, “shafir” has a very different and surprising meaning, “amniotic sac,” the fluid-filled sac that contains, nourishes, and protects a fetus in the womb. The sac is the fetus’ home during gestation. The amniotic sac grows with the fetus over its incubation period, feeding and protecting the fetus that will celebrate its birthday upon emerging from its mother’s womb, upon its entry into the world.
So what does this biological meaning of “shafir” have to do with the ritual of blowing the shofar? How can two such extremely different meanings from the same Hebrew root possibly be connected? One connection between shafir and shofar is the fact that “Rosh Hashanah” is not only the Jewish New Year, but it also celebrates the birthday of the world, announced by the primal sounds of the shofar itself.
For as we can see in the liturgy, following the three sets of shofar calls during the Musaf Amidah, the final section of the morning prayers, we chant the words “Hayom Harat Olam,” today is the birthday of the world.
But this birth, the birthing of the world, happens through the sound that the shofar makes. Throughout the entire year, we say in our morning prayers, “Baruch she’amar v’haya ha’olam, Blessed is the One who spoke and the world was created!”
Perhaps Elohiym’s voice at that moment sounded like the shofar; Divine speech is the holy sound after all. Shortly after creating the world, Elohiym breathed life into the first human being, Adam, for Elohiym is the Giver of life.
As it says in Genesis 2:7, “Elohiym blew into his nostrils (nishmat chayim), the breath of life, and man became a living being.”
The ba’al tekiah, shofar blower, breathes into the shofar the many blasts, sounding tekiah, shevarim, truah, and of course all of these build up to tekiah gedola, that great final breath that pushes the air out, that brings new life into the world. Without air, the shofar would not sound. Without air, life would not be given.
Similarly, the bride of Messiah, will also be “birthed” into her new resurrected body, and given the title “kings & priests” (Revelation 1:6; 5:10). The Temple priests, the Rabbis, and the Jewish Sages have long believed that Adam was created on The Feast of Trumpets, also called “The Day of Blowing” when YaHuWaH breathed (blew) into Adam “The breath of life.” Thus, it is fitting that Adam was also born on this feast day!
This is why the Jewish people refer to Yom Teruw’ah as “Rosh ha’Shanah,” the head of the year. It’s because it’s the birthday of humanity, when mankind was first created. In Exodus 12:2 & 13:4, (when YaHuWaH delivered Yisra’el out of Egypt), he established a spiritual New Year for us to remember his delivering us out of slavery. The New Year of our seven annual feasts would begin in the spring, fourteen days before Passover. Thus, there are two New Years:
1.) The first day of the seventh month of Ethaniym/Tishri (1st Kings 8:2), which is our physical birth as the human race.
2.) The second New Year is in the first month, of Abib/Nisan, when our spiritual birth was established as the nation of Yisra’el, when we were brought out of slavery to sin.
Our Messiah is called “The Last Adam” (1st Corinthians 15:45), and therefore, in keeping with the pattern, it is fitting that our Messiah was also born physically, (into humanity) on the Feast of Trumpets, (since he came to represent sinful man).
The bride of Messiah will also follow in this very same pattern of being born-again into her new resurrected body on the Feast of Trumpets.
Pictured below is what is called an “aperion,” which was used in Ancient Hebrew weddings, for the bride to be carried away to the bridegroom on his father’s estate. She would be escorted by seven trumpets of ram’s horns with fanfare, as the bridegroom waited for her arrival.
1st Thessalonians 4:16 For YHWH himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of Elohiym: and the dead in Messiah shall rise first:
1st Thessalonians 4:17 Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet YHWH in the air: and so shall we ever be with YHWH.
1st Corinthians 15:52 In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump: for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed.
Romans 6:5 tells us that followers of Messiah will be “Planted together in the likeness of his death, and resurrection.”
Yahuwshuwa, the Messiah was being trumpeted into the world as “The Righteous King,” and his head was “crowning” at that precise moment when the “last trumpet” sounded, and his mother, Miriyam gave one last shout on “The Day of Shouting!”
This last shout would’ve provided the impetus for her to give one last push, and this is when the king was born!
The Feast of Trumpets is also referred to as “The Day of Shouting.”
There are four trumpet blasts that are traditionally sounded on this day as follows:
1.) Tekiah.
2.) Shebariym.
3.) Teruw’ah.
4.) Tekiah Gedolah.
The first trumpet sound called the Tekiah, is a pure unbroken sound that calls man to search his heart, forsake his wrong ways, and seek forgiveness through repentance. This is the sound that is used to “usher in the king,” when he is about to be crowned or coronated.
This was the announcement from the Heavenly Father, as he was introducing his Son into the world. The next sound called the Shebariym is a broken staccato or trembling sound which is supposed to typify a man crying in repentance.
This would have been when Miryam (Mary) “Cried, travailing in birth, and pained to be delivered” according to Revelation 12:2.
The next trumpet sound is called the Teruw’ah, and it is a wave-like sound of alarm calling upon man to stand by the banner of Elohiym.
Let’s take a look at the Hebrew word for “blowing:”
#8643 truw`ah ter-oo-aw from 7321; clamor, i.e. acclamation of joy or a battle-cry; especially clangor of trumpets, as an alarm, blowing of the trumpets, joy, jubilee, loud noise, rejoicing, shouting, high, joyful sounding.
The root word is as follows:
#7321 ruwa` roo-ah a primitive root; to mar (especially by breaking); figuratively, to split the ears (with sound), i.e. shout (for alarm or joy):--blow an alarm, cry (alarm, aloud, out), destroy, make a joyful noise, smart, shout (for joy), sound an alarm, triumph.
Are you making the connection yet?
Let’s take a look at what the malakiym (angels) were doing on that same night when Messiah was born:
Luqas (Luke) 2:
9 And, lo, the angel of YHWH came upon them, and the glory of YHWH shone round about them: and they were sore afraid.
10 And the angel said unto them, Fear not: for, behold, I bring you GOOD TIDIINGS of GREAT JOY, which shall be to all people.
11 For unto you is born this day in the city of Dawiyd (David) a Saviour, which is Mashiyach (Messiah) YHWH.
12 And this shall be a sign unto you; You shall find the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger (sukkah).
13 And suddenly there was with the malak (angel) A MULTITUDE OF HEAVENLY HOST PRAISING Elohiym, and saying,
14 Glory to Elohiym in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men.
Do you see this yet?
The malakiym (angels) were shouting and rejoicing on the Feast of Trumpets, with the trumpet sound of the “Teruw’ah!”
The sign shown to the shepherds was a babe lying in a manger (animal stall) in swaddling clothes!
However, the final trumpet sound, (the fourth and last one), on the Feast of Trumpets is called the Tekiah Gedolah, which is a prolonged, unbroken sound, typifying a final appeal to sincere repentance and atonement.
This is when he would have actually been born---at the last trumpet!
Miryam (Mary) gave her last prolonged shout, as she pushed and the baby came out!
As with his first coming, our Messiah told us that his second coming would also be when “No man knows the day nor hour!” (Matthew 24:36-Mark 13:32). And so it follows that with any pregnancy, we are given a “due date,” but only the Heavenly Father knows when the baby will come. Hence, the baby comes at a time when no man knows!
Interestingly, for the past 2,000 years, nobody seemed to “know” when our Messiah was born, and this is primarily because the Roman Catholic Church has “Changed times and laws” (Daniel 7:23-25). Constantine, the Roman Emperor changed the birth of Messiah, causing it to fall on December 24th-25th (three days after the Winter Solstice). This change has caused the true identity of our Messiah to be hidden from the eyes of the Jewish people. Celebrating his birth at the Winter Solstice lumps him in with all the impostors who came before him.
However, in these last days, Yahuwshuwa ha’Mashiyach (known as Jesus Christ to the Gentiles) is revealing hidden things about himself, such as his true name, and his true date of birth!
Just like Joseph, the son of Jacob, “The suffering servant,” (who hid himself from his lost brothers until the appointed time), our Messiah is now revealing his true identity to those of us who were lost in paganism!
Our Messiah’s date of birth, and his true name is important in order to differentiate him from all the impostors who were supposedly reincarnated on December 25th.
A more thorough and detailed thesis on the birth of Messiah can be found in my other blog and ebook. See the blog entitled: “When Was the Real Messiah Born & Why Does it Matter?”
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