Merry Christmas
Mary's relatives allow us to document December 25th was the conception date of Jesus, and we learn about it in Luke chapter 1.
Summary
In the first chapter of Luke he is telling them how to be certain Jesus was the one written about, and those details reveal the timing of his conception and birth... yet many churches argue and defend various positions. Some say conception, most say birth, and some say it isn't actually written. Everyone can't be right, and everyone isn't wrong.
Luke teaches us Elisabeth's husband, Zacharias, was performing his priest duties at the temple during the course of Abia. At that time he is visited by the angel of God (the angel of God is Gabriel himself). Gabriel tells him that they are going to have a baby, and to name him John. This is going to be John the Baptist. After Zacharias finished with his duties he returned home.
The course of Abia would have been from June 13th-19th. Between travel and the Sabbath he would have made it home on June 23rd or 24th. That gives us the conception of John at that time. Elisabeth was old so she was embarrassed, so she hid for five months. That takes us to November 24th. Elisabeth is five months pregnant on November 24th.
Then it's written in Elisabeth's sixth month Gabriel went to visit Mary. One month after November 24th takes us to December 24th. This is when Gabriel told Mary what was about to happen that night. All of this gives us the timing of Gabriel's visit, and Mary isn't pregnant yet.
The next day on the 25th Mary ran to share with Elisabeth, and when she got there John leaped in the womb. We know John was 6 months older than Jesus, so not only does this confirms the 25th as the conception date, but there's more meat to be had:
1) Zacharias was a Levitical priest, so his wife Elisabeth had to be a Levite as well. Mary's dad however was of the tribe of Judah. So how could Elisabeth and Mary be cousins? Because Mary's mom and Elisabeth's mom were sisters. Mary's mom married into Judah making her daughter half Judah, and half Levite. This is important because even though Joseph was not the dad of Jesus, Mary being half Levite half Judah means Jesus himself had blood from both sides, making him the King of Kings (Judah is the king line), and Lord of Lords (Levi is the priest line).
2) John leaped in the womb at six months at the presence of Christ (when Mary got there the next day). That tells us that both John and Jesus were in their respective wombs, meaning they were present since conception. That is when the soul enters the flesh. There is no period of waiting between conception and when "life" begins.
3) Priests were married, and had kids... whaaaat?
No speculation.
The Biblical relevance of December 25th is very important, because one simple truth exposes a thousand misunderstandings. We should never forget it was the religious leaders of the day that denied Christ, and in our day false prophets (false teachers of God's word) was Christ's biggest warning to us. I get it that nobody knows everything, but there are things written He would have us know. This is one of them.
Luke 1:4
That thou mightest know the certainty of those things, wherein thou hast been instructed.
He's saying this is how to be certain this is real, and you have been taught these things to know it's real. Remember, they were reconciling the Christ that has always been in prophesy, not like us looking back 2,000 years. They had to be very careful about pointing at someone and claiming that was God. Specially if the official church position was that he wasn't, and they killed him. Luke documented this timeline so they could be certain in recognizing Jesus, and the same logic applies to us today.
The priest line.
Luke 1:5
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.
To be a priest Zacharias had to be a Levite, as well as his wife. His wife Elizabeth was of the daughters of Aaron, also documenting she was a Levite. The tribe of Levi is the priest line. Zacharias' priest duties included serving the course of Abia. There are 24 courses in a year, each a week long done twice a year. This Abia is the 8th course, and took place June 13-19 (if you like Biblical numerics 24 is the priesthood, and 8 is new beginnings).
Luke 1:6
And they were both righteous before God, walking in all the commandments and ordinances of the Lord blameless.
This is confirming Zacharias and Elisabeth were both Levites in good standing.
Luke 1:7
And they had no child, because that Elisabeth was barren, and they both were now well stricken in years.
Elisabeth was past her child bearing years, and never had a child. To her, that window had closed.
Priest duties.
Luke 1:8
And it came to pass, that while he executed the priest's office before God in the order of his course,
Luke 1:9
According to the custom of the priest's office, his lot was to burn incense when he went into the temple of the Lord.
Luke 1:10
And the whole multitude of the people were praying without at the time of incense.
During the week of June 13-19 he would go into the temple and burn incense. People would see the smoke and send their prayers up to heaven.
Gabriel visits Zacharias.
Luke 1:11
And there appeared unto him an angel of the Lord standing on the right side of the altar of incense.
The angel of the Lord is Gabriel himself... appearing to Zacharias in the temple. Imagine how would you react at the sight of Gabriel in the temple?
Luke 1:12
And when Zacharias saw him, he was troubled, and fear fell upon him.
Luke 1:13
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.
Gabriel is telling him that even though they are way past childbearing years they are going to have a son. And they are specifically to name him John. This is going to be John the Baptist, who was six months older and a cousin to Jesus.
Luke 1:14
And thou shalt have joy and gladness; and many shall rejoice at his birth.
He is the forerunner, and would pave that path to prepare others to receive Christ.
Luke 1:15
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 Spirit, even from his mother's womb.
Don't read over that last part... John was filled with the Holy Spirit while in his mother's womb, and he will be a great man of God.
Luke 1:16
And many of the children of Israel shall he turn to the Lord their God.
This is a foreshadow of John at the river telling everyone of Christ's pending ministry. Remember, he was born within the Levitical priesthood, and great in the sight of the Lord, so his knowledge of the scriptures was outstanding! He was easily able to explain what was happening, and in doing so he brought many to the Lord. Sure there were some non-believers that it clicked for, but there were more from the church that wanted to hear what he was saying, because it differed from what the church was teaching. They were worshiping traditions they thought were correct, but John told them what's up.
Luke 1:17
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.
John's role was to get them ready to receive the Messiah. He gave them the information that would let them separate what they would see themselves from what the church would explain. It's no different today. John came in the spirit of Elias, which is Elijah. There's a much deeper study if you dig into what Elijah taught, and your hint is in the phrase "the hearts of the fathers" with fathers being plural. A different study for a different time, but it didn't say Father (singular with a capital).
Luke 1:18
And Zacharias said unto the angel, Whereby shall I know this? for I am an old man, and my wife well stricken in years.
Zacharias knew they were past their time, so he couldn't see how this could happen. He showed doubt and asked for a sign, even though Gabriel was right there in the room. Gabriel didn't like that very much.
Luke 1:19
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.
Gabriel's like "Dude! You're a priest... Don't you know who I am, and why I'm here? You want a sign? I'll give you a sign..."
Luke 1:20
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.
Not able to speak is a pretty heavy punishment for a teacher of the word, and not being able to explain to Elisabeth makes it even harder. But there's some meat there we need. Gabriel was mad because it was "the season" for Christ to come. This wasn't Gabriel's idea. This was God's plan, and there was a season for Christ's arrival. Don't miss that, because Jesus taught us no man knows the date of his return, but we are to know the season.
Luke 1:21
And the people waited for Zacharias, and marvelled that he tarried so long in the temple.
Zacharias freaked out a little trying to reconcile all he just heard, along with the fact he can't speak so he can't even tell others what happened. As a result he stayed much longer than usual.
Luke 1:22
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.
He tried to charade it out, but it was way too complicated. They knew something happened though.
Zacharias returned home.
Luke 1:23
And it came to pass, that, as soon as the days of his ministration were accomplished, he departed to his own house.
He finished his duties for the week, and on June 19 he left for home. It would take him until the 24th to get home, leading to a June 24 conception of John.
Luke 1:24
And after those days his wife Elisabeth conceived, and hid herself five months, saying,
Add the 5 months she was hiding to June 24 and that takes us to November 24th.
Luke 1:25
Thus hath the Lord dealt with me in the days wherein he looked on me, to take away my reproach among men.
She hid to avoid being stared at because it wasn't normal for a person of her age to be pregnant.
Luke 1:26
And in the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent from God unto a city of Galilee, named Nazareth,
The sixth month means a month later, which would be December 24. Here come's Gabriel again. He started it with Zacharias back in June, and now six months later in December.
Gabriel visits Mary.
Luke 1:27
To a virgin espoused to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David; and the virgin's name was Mary.
Luke 1:28
And the angel came in unto her, and said, Hail, thou that art highly favoured, the Lord is with thee: blessed art thou among women.
Luke 1:29
And when she saw him, she was troubled at his saying, and cast in her mind what manner of salutation this should be.
Luke 1:30
And the angel said unto her, Fear not, Mary: for thou hast found favour with God.
Luke 1:31
And, behold, thou shalt conceive in thy womb, and bring forth a son, and shalt call his name Jesus.
Right there on December 24th she's being told she will conceive to bring forth a son. Mary isn't pregnant yet, just being told what would happen that night. If you go ahead 9 months for the pregnancy you will end up at the feast of Tabernacles. Think about that.
Luke 1:32
He shall be great, and shall be called the Son of the Highest: and the Lord God shall give unto him the throne of his father David:
Luke 1:33
And he shall reign over the house of Jacob for ever; and of his kingdom there shall be no end.
That's the King of Kings, and Lord of Lords.
Luke 1:34
Then said Mary unto the angel, How shall this be, seeing I know not a man?
She was still a virgin, and she was already engaged to marry Joseph, so how could this happen?
Luke 1:35
And the angel answered and said unto her, The Holy Spirit shall come upon thee, and the power of the Highest shall overshadow thee: therefore also that holy thing which shall be born of thee shall be called the Son of God.
He told her what would happen that night, and this fulfilled the prophesy written in Isaiah.
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.
Immanuel means God with us.
Elisabeth is Mary's cousin.
Luke 1:36
And, behold, thy cousin Elisabeth, she hath also conceived a son in her old age: and this is the sixth month with her, who was called barren.
Gabriel told Mary that Elizabeth was 6 months pregnant, confirming this is December 24th. That's our timing, but here's a side golden nugget... Gabriel said Elisabeth was Mary's cousin, but Elisabeth was a Levite. Mary was engaged to Joseph who was of the tribe of Judah, and Mary's father was also of the tribe of Judah. So how could Mary and Elisabeth be cousins? Mary's mom and Elisabeth's mom were sisters, making them cousins. Mary's dad married a Levitical woman, making Mary's DNA part Judah, and part Levite. We all know Joseph didn't father Jesus, but God made sure Mary contained the tribe of Judah (the King line) with the tribe of Levi (the Priest line). That's how we get the King of Kings and Lord of Lords. That's the meaning right there.
In chapter 3 Luke confirms that Jesus was adopted into to Joseph's line, not born of Joseph himself.
Luke 3:23
And Jesus himself began to be about thirty years of age, being (as was supposed) the son of Joseph, which was the son of Heli,
"As was supposed" means by law, that's either marriage or adoption. There are no begats here. Heli was of Judah and his son was Joseph, but Jesus was Joseph's son-in-law. The king line did not come through Joseph, it came through Mary along with the priest line.
Luke 1:37
For with God nothing shall be impossible.
This was his Devine intervention, and the plan from the beginning. That's why we dig this deep to see how emphatically these pieces fit together.
Luke 1:38
And Mary said, Behold the handmaid of the Lord; be it unto me according to thy word. And the angel departed from her.
She accepted it, knowing she also put herself in danger because getting pregnant before marriage was a stonable offense.
Mary visits Elisabeth.
Luke 1:39
And Mary arose in those days, and went into the hill country with haste, into a city of Juda;
Luke 1:40
And entered into the house of Zacharias, and saluted Elisabeth.
She got up on the 25th and ran to Elisabeth to share what happened that night.
Luke 1:41
And it came to pass, that, when Elisabeth heard the salutation of Mary, the babe leaped in her womb; and Elisabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit:
Luke 1:42
And she spake out with a loud voice, and said, Blessed art thou among women, and blessed is the fruit of thy womb.
Luke 1:43
And whence is this to me, that the mother of my Lord should come to me?
Elisabeth knew the scriptures. Zacharias may not be speaking, but as a Levite she can put these pieces together. She didn't say congratulations on being a mom before getting married... she called her the mother of her Lord. She knew.
Luke 1:44
For, lo, as soon as the voice of thy salutation sounded in mine ears, the babe leaped in my womb for joy.
Life begins at conception.
John was six months in the womb when Elisabeth visited and he leaped, and it was Christ's presence that made John leap, so that tells us that life begins at conception. December 25th was the day God left heaven and entered the flesh, just as he asks each of us to do. You have to be born from above (or call it born again) to participate in the plan of Salvation, including God who indeed came. The fallen angels were never born, but they do exist... they are souls like us that refused to be born into the flesh. They are cheaters trying to disrupt what was written.
How's your church?
Back in verse 4 it said you mightest know the certainty of those things, wherein thou hast been instructed. That means we are supposed to know, but nobody is teaching this... your church isn't teaching this. They think they're doing great works because they point to Jesus instead of Santa, but they totally miss the conception. This is why Christ flipped tables. This is why I won't go in today's church. It's stuck on milk, and serves no meat.
There's a darker truth why this isn't taught, and that is the number of businesses making money from the abortion industry. Wait, what? The use of baby parts is as complicit as the doctor doing the deed. We just covered when life begins. The reason abortion is murder is because God sent a soul to live and be tested like all of us, and we send them back before they even take their first breath. Currently that's at a rate of 73 million souls each year. If this "truth" got out the weight would be too heavy for most to bare.
We should celebrate Christmas with all our hearts, but we should also know what it is we are celebrating. It is the conception of Jesus, which fulfilled the lineage starting in the garden when God said that Eve would be the mother of all living. He didn't say all humanity would come from Eve, but all living. Her heritage would lead to Christ's arrival (Adam to Jesus is the heritage), and through the Savior of the world is all life found. He is the only way to eternal life, that's why it says "all living". Now you know why the fallen angels were giving and taking in marriage! They were trying to disrupt the heritage, which would make the word void. Satan doesn't have to beat God, he just has to prove the scriptures aren't true. The fallen angels are his core officers in charge of those efforts.
What your church isn't teaching you gets lost in that word Adam. It means mankind. Mankind was "created" on the sixth day. God created both male and female (each race in their areas around earth). Then God rested on the seventh day. It was after that rest we have another Adam. It's different because this one is Eth Ha Adam, which means "this very man". Adam by itself represents mankind (all of God's races) created on the sixth day, and Eth Ha Adam identifies "this very man" on the eighth day.
Additionally, this very man was "formed". He was not created, because mankind was already created back on the sixth day. That means this flesh age had 2,000 years of the earth repopulating and setting the table so to speak. As such they were influenced by the fallen angels to form their gods and religions (on days six and seven). God rested, not mankind. This very man marked the heritage that would be used to prove the scriptures.
When someone says "God's chosen people" it doesn't mean God likes one group above the rest... It identifies the lineage that would document and prove the scriptures as true. Think of chosen as identified. Eth Ha Adam identified a heritage that would be traceable and lead to God coming here himself. He was formed to join the gameboard already in progress.
To help reconcile this concept, consider God created the animals before mankind, yet with Eth Ha Adam we see them creating animals together, even letting Adam name them. Adam was a farmer because he tended the garden and tilled the soil. So these are the farming animals they made (there's your answer to the chicken or egg). That didn't happen with the sixth day man.
Another consideration is on the sixth day God created man and woman at the same time, but here we have Adam tilling the soil (that's seasons), naming and raising livestock, all before Eve. It was later when God formed her from Adam's curve. That curve is not a rib. Men and women have the same number of ribs or we would use that as a modern gender identifier. We all have the same number of bones. The curve is Adam's DNA. It's his helix curve. God formed Adam a woman of his own race. That helix curve is what traces from Eve to Jesus. Again, this has nothing to do with levels or hierarchy, and everything to do with proving the scriptures are true. That's the objective, and the evidence. God loves each and every race equally... He created all of us, in our own image.
Your Bible doesn't say he created mankind in God's image. That's a twist of scripture as evident by us all looking different. God was speaking to the angels and said let's make mankind in our own image. Meaning you like you and me like me.
Genesis 1:26
And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness: and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth.
We would like like we do, and we will rule the earth.
Genesis 1:27
So God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them.
Our image and our likeness is plural, and that impacts the context in verse 27 when he says "make man in his own image". That means each angel in his own image, not God's image. The angels in heaven for this flesh age are male in nature (every angel recorded has been). God is saying he made each of the angels in his (that angel's) own image, but in the flesh some will be male, and some will be female. When we return to heaven we won't be making babies. That's a flesh thing. Everyone black here is going to be black there, and from every inch of earth every race will be represented in their glory. That's in Revelation too.
How does your church explain the differences in the races? This has nothing to do with what different cultures believe, because if you had even one hour with a fallen angel you would believe everything they say (hour of temptation, what?)... and the population of earth had 2,000 years with the fallen and their technologies. So set that aside. I'm saying how does your church explain the races? Did they all come from Adam and Eve? Were some cursed? These are lies that establish the traditions (denominations). It was Noah who cursed his son for sleeping with his wife. God didn't. Noah said it, but human's don't have that authority.
If you still in doubt, tell me how did Cain (who was still a teenager when he got booted from the garden) was able to get married in the land of Nod? To find a girl means she had parents. Getting married implies more people. How did he build cities? Cities require a lot more people. If Adam and Eve were the very first in the flesh, then where did these other people come from in just 15 years or so? Adam's heritage is well recorded, and these other people aren't in it. It doesn't add up unless you unlock your Bible, go back to day six when God created man and woman. The table was set, rest for a day to let it simmer, then start the process of documenting the word to earth.
There's more to Christmas than just some God wanting to intermingle with his creation, or even to say become his creation... All scripture rests on God participating in the exact same plan we are asked to participate. Meaning that each of us will face a test that is fair to our souls, and He trusts it so much that he did it himself. When he left heaven to enter Mary's womb he got on the gameboard as prophesied throughout scripture, and when he rose from the tomb he fulfilled compliance without blemish, and in doing so defeated the power of death that flesh has. He won for all of us that believe upon him.
Now we've had 2,000 years since the first advent to examine it all. So many traditions and denominations. So many options that people comfortably wander from the path we're supposed to be on. The warning of the end times is false teachers. Not Satanists, not other cultures, or their religions... it's false teachers of God's word. We are in the twilight of the parable of the fig tree, and looking for the two witnesses of Revelation 11. When they get here we will kick off the hour of temptation. Does your church tell you this? How can you be armored up for that hour? That hour is driven by the fallen angels. These are basic things, and each point is a reason for you dig a little deeper, and maybe you're one of the ones he's calling out of confusion.
Like we started with this study so shall we end.
Luke 1:4
That thou mightest know the certainty of those things, wherein thou hast been instructed.