The whole world celebrates Christmas on 25th December as a date designated of the birth of our Savior Yahusha ha Mashiyach and those come out of Roman church and call themselves 'born again' have come out of Rome carrying all her abominable doctrines as trinity, false name jesus for our Savior, Christmas, Easter, New Year etc. and call themselves as separated for him but are a far from being set-apart unto Aluahym for they are disconnected from the Abary (Hebrew) roots.
There are yet those who have come to the Abary roots and condemn these pagan rituals adopted by the world but have no clue when Yahusha was born. This study is a proof to help all brethren in Mashiyach understand the timing of the birth of Yahusha from scripture and refute the falsehood and lies of men. Yes you heard me correct, the scriptures are not in vacuum and it can be shown from scripture the timing of his birth, not the exact date though.
Pro 25:2 It is the esteem of Elohim to hide a matter, And the esteem of sovereigns to search out a matter.
So let's begin....
Luk 1:5 There was in the days of Herodes, the sovereign of Yehuḏah, a certain priest named Zaḵaryah, of the division of Aḇiyah. And his wife was of the daughters of Aharon, and her name was Elisheḇa.
Luk 1:6 And they were both righteous before Elohim, blamelessly walking in all the commands and righteousnesses of יהוה.
Luk 1:7 And they had no child, because Elisheḇa was barren, and both were advanced in years.
Luk 1:8 And it came to be, that while he was serving as priest before Elohim in the order of his division,
Luk 1:9 according to the institute of the priesthood, he was chosen by lot to burn incense when he went into the Dwelling Place of יהוה.
Luk 1:10 And the entire crowd of people was praying outside at the hour of incense.
Luk 1:11 And a messenger of יהוה appeared to him, standing on the right side of the altar of incense.
There was a priest named Zakaryah of the division of Abiyah who stood in the order of his division AbiYah serving in the Dwelling place of Yahuah chosen by lot to burn incense, and the angel Gabriel is sent to him to announce the birth of Yahuchanan/John the Immerser/Baptist.
Luk 1:12 And when Zeḵaryah saw him, he was troubled, and fear fell upon him.
Luk 1:13 But the messenger said to him, “Do not be afraid, Zeḵaryah, for your prayer is heard. And your wife Elisheḇa shall bear you a son, and you shall call his name Yahuchanan (John).
Luk 1:14 “And you shall have joy and gladness, and many shall rejoice at his birth.
Luk 1:15 “For he shall be great before יהוה, and shall drink no wine and strong drink at all. And he shall be filled with the Set-apart Spirit, even from his mother’s womb.
Luk 1:16 “And he shall turn many of the children of Yisra’ĕl to יהוה their Elohim.
Luk 1:17 “And he shall go before Him in the spirit and power of Ěliyahu, ‘to turn the hearts of the fathers to the children,’ and the disobedient to the insight of the righteous, to make ready a people prepared for יהוה.”
Luk 1:18 And Zeḵaryah said to the messenger, “By what shall I know this? For I am old, and my wife advanced in years.”
The one to be born would be filled with the Set-apart Ruach (Spirit) even from his mother's womb and he would go before Yahuah preparing his way in the spirit of Alayahu/Eliyahu (Elijah) the prophet turning the hearts of the fathers to the children and the disobedient to the insight of the righteous, to make ready a people prepared for Yahuah.
To understand the timing of the birth of Yahuchanan/John and Yahusha we must focus on the Zakaryah of the division of Abiyah who stood in the order of his division serving in the Dwelling place of Yahuah.
Now let's turn to the Old Testament to understand the divisions alloted to the priests in serving in their course in the Dwelling place of Yahuah by king Daud/David.
1Ch 23:3 And the Lĕwites were numbered from the age of thirty years and above. And their number, head by head, was thirty-eight thousand males.
1Ch 23:4 Of these, twenty-four thousand were to oversee the work of the House of יהוה, and six thousand were officers and judges,
1Ch 24:3 And Dawiḏ, with Tsaḏoq of the sons of Elʽazar, and Aḥimeleḵ of the sons of Ithamar, divided them according to their offices in their service.
1Ch 24:4 And there were more leaders found of the sons of Elʽazar than of the sons of Ithamar. So they divided the sons of Elʽazar into sixteen heads of their fathers’ houses, and the sons of Ithamar into eight heads of their fathers’ houses.
1Ch 24:5 And they were divided by lot, one group as another, for there were officials of the set-apart place and officials of Elohim, from the sons of Elʽazar and from the sons of Ithamar.
1Ch 24:6 And the scribe, Shemayah son of Nethanĕ’l, one of the Lĕwites, wrote them down before the sovereign, and the rulers, and Tsaḏoq the priest, and Aḥimeleḵ son of Eḇyathar, and the heads of the fathers’ houses of the priests and Lĕwites, one father’s house taken for Elʽazar and one for Ithamar.
1Ch 24:7 And the first lot came forth to Yehoyariḇ, the second to Yeḏayah,
1Ch 24:8 the third to Ḥarim, the fourth to Seʽorim,
1Ch 24:9 the fifth to Malkiyah, the sixth to Miyamin,
1Ch 24:10 the seventh to Haqqots, the eighth to Aḇiyah,
1Ch 24:11 the ninth to Yĕshua, the tenth to Sheḵanyahu,
1Ch 24:12 the eleventh to Elyashiḇ, the twelfth to Yaqim,
1Ch 24:13 the thirteenth to Ḥuppah, the fourteenth to Yesheḇ’aḇ,
1Ch 24:14 the fifteenth to Bilgah, the sixteenth to Immĕr,
1Ch 24:15 the seventeenth to Ḥĕzir, the eighteenth to Happitstsĕts,
1Ch 24:16 the nineteenth to Pethaḥyah, the twentieth to Yeḥezqĕl,
1Ch 24:17 the twenty-first to Yaḵin, the twenty-second to Gamul,
1Ch 24:18 the twenty-third to Delayahu, the twenty-fourth to Maʽazyahu.
1Ch 24:19 These were their offices in their service for coming into the House of יהוה according to their right-ruling by the hand of Aharon their father, as יהוה Elohim of Yisra’ĕl had commanded him.
The 24,000 priests divided by lot of 1,000 per division x 24 can be seen in the spiritual & figurative picture of 24 elders seated around the throne. The priesthood would find its transition from Levitical to the MalchiTsedek priesthood in Mashiyach Yahusha.
1 Chronicles 24:4-5 tells us that the sons of Eleazar were more than Ithamar and 16 heads were chosen from Eleazar and 8 from Ithamar.
1Ch 24:4 And there were more leaders found of the sons of Elʽazar than of the sons of Ithamar. So they divided the sons of Elʽazar into sixteen heads of their fathers’ houses, and the sons of Ithamar into eight heads of their fathers’ houses.
1Ch 24:5 And they were divided by lot, one group as another, for there were officials of the set-apart place and officials of Elohim, from the sons of Elʽazar and from the sons of Ithamar.
Nadab and Abhihu were killed by Yahuah for offering strange incense and hence only Eleazar and Ithamar remained of the sons of Aaron from whom these 24 heads were chosen.
Rev 4:4 And round about the throne were four and twenty seats: and upon the seats I saw four and twenty elders sitting, clothed in white raiment; and they had on their heads crowns of gold.
The names of the divisions are given in 1 Chr 24:7-18 and each division had 1,000 priests. ZackarYah would have been the head of his division Abiyah as he was offering the incense which only head of the priests of valiant sons were chosen to offer.
Rev 5:6 And I looked and saw in the midst of the throne and of the four living creatures, and in the midst of the elders a Lamb standing, as having been slain, having seven horns and seven eyes, which are the seven Spirits of Elohim sent out into all the earth.
Rev 5:7 And He came and took the scroll out of the right hand of Him sitting on the throne.
Rev 5:8 And when He took the scroll, the four living creatures and the twenty-four elders fell down before the Lamb, each holding a harp, and golden bowls filled with incense, which are the prayers of the set-apart ones.
Rev 5:9 And they sang a renewed song, saying, “You are worthy to take the scroll, and to open its seals, because You were slain, and have redeemed us to Elohim by Your blood out of every tribe and tongue and people and nation,
Rev 5:10 and made us sovereigns and PRIESTS to our Elohim, and we shall reign upon the earth.”
Our focus would be on 24,000 priests from Leuites(Levites) were chosen in their courses/lots as stated in 1 Chron 24:7-19. Before we put them in a chart to see their divisions, how do we know who serves when in the 12 months in a Yahudi calendar?
We have scripture recording Yehoyada the high priest did not dismiss their divisions and the divisions are stated in the verse same verse of 2 Ch 23:8...each man (priest) took his men (priests) who were to come in on the Sabbath and with those going out on the Sabbath.
2Ch 23:8 And the Lĕwites and all Yehuḏah did according to all that Yehoyaḏa the priest commanded. And each man took his men who were to come in on the Sabbath, with those going out on the Sabbath, for Yehoyaḏa the priest did not dismiss the divisions.
This shows each division of the priests served from one Sabbath to another Shabbath (8 days) and the switch over of divisions happened on a Sabbath. The priest Yehoyada stood as a high priest in the court of Yoash the king i.e. 8 generations from king Daud/David. And he didn't break the courses/lots of the priests of Sabbath to Sabbath. Before we make a chart to show the divisions of the lots of the priests, we must also not forget that Torah stated that three times a year every male had to appear before Yahuah for the Festival of Unleavened Bread, Festival of Weeks/Pentecost and Festival of Booths/Tabernacles, since all Levites were males, they had to appear before Yahuah in their divisions for these three feasts.
Deu 16:16 “Three times a year all your males appear before יהוה your Elohim in the place which He chooses: at the Festival of Unleavened Bread, and at the Festival of Weeks, and at the Festival of Booths. And none should appear before יהוה empty-handed,
These three feasts called the Pilgrimage feasts were the most populated feasts as Yasharalites scattered all over the world would come to Yerushalam to appear before Yahuah. Hence the division of priests in each lot wouldn't be sufficient to cater to so many people coming in with their gifts to Yahuah as the Torah stated Deut 16:16....And none should appear before יהוה empty-handed, Hence during these 3 feasts all the divisions of the 24,000 priests served in the Dwelling place.
(Click on the image to enlarge it). Also please excuse me for using the Babylonian month's names corresponding to the months. The chart keeps changing year from year depending on when the new moon appears determining Abib/Nisan the beginning of months at vernal equinox which falls in March. I made up the chart considering year 5 B.C. as the year of conception of Yahuchanan the Immerser and Yahusha ha Mashiyach with their birth in 4 B.C.
To show consistency of the 24 divisions of the priests rotation I made a chart for 4 B.C. as well. Here it is:
There are many who say Yahusha was born in 1A.D. and the years are attributed to identifying his timeline as B.C. (before christ) and A.D. (anno domini) dividing his birth as a dividing point for world history. Firstly this kind of dating was much later and never existed back then. We take the year 4 B.C. as the year of birth of Yahusha because Herodes who tried to kill him when he was born died in that year.
Mat 2:13 And when they had left, see, a messenger of יהוה appeared to Yosĕph in a dream, saying, “Arise, take the Child and His mother, and flee to Mitsrayim, and remain there until I bring you word, for Herodes is about to seek the Child to destroy Him.”
Mat 2:14 And rising up, he took the Child and His mother by night and departed for Mitsrayim,
Mat 2:15 and remained there until the death of Herodes, to fill what was spoken by יהוה through the prophet, saying, “Out of Mitsrayim I have called My Son.
(Please note that though the chart would change depending on the new moon year by year after the vernal equinox determining the month of beginnings, the chart would be accurate in terms of determining when Yahuchanan Baptist was conceived and born and when Yahusha was conceived and was born. In 5 B.C. 1 Abib/Nisan fell on 5th April, the day after the new moon on 4th April. From there we count 14 days which brings us to around 18th April as the day of Passover which begins actually from 17th April in the evening, the full moon day. The priestly duty of the first lot would begin with the new moon each year.
From the chart above one can see each priestly division served at least twice a year when the year began each year at the vernal equinox plus the new moon visibility. The first division of priests would present themselves for the service of the Dwelling place during the new moon of Abib/Nisan each year. This would be the beginning of months and commemorates the exodus of Yasharal from the land of Egypt. In the chart above, I have listed the priestly division right until the Vernal Equinox and based on the sighting of the new moon the priestly division would recycle right from the first lot from Yehoyarib who would appear from new moon after vernal equinox each New year.
You may see the new moon & the Vernal Equinoxes right until 2400 BC
http://www.truebiblecode.com/BLCTable.html
Remember we are not developing a solar/lunar or a luni solar calendar. We are just looking at approximate times where these priestly divisions fit week by week in each year beginning from Abib/Nisan till the next year when they recycle back to the first lot. I have taken 5 B.C. as the year as Yahusha was born in 4 B.C.
So a previous year before both Elizabeth or Mary were concieved is considered to see the year in which Zackaryah in his Abiyah division in the temple stood during Shavuot.
The other challenge is that Zackaryah like any other division would appear twice in his division...one during Shavuot in the 3rd month Sivan and once in the 8th-9th month, so how do we determine the time the angel Gabriel was sent to him when he was serving in the Dwelling place?
Zechariah serves during the first week of Sivan and then is required to serve the following week for Shavuot. According to the Torah only the Aaron and his sons were allowed to burn incense on the altar of incense. (Exo 30:7-8) . Also once a year the high priest was to make Atonement for this altar of incense (Ex0 30:10)
Exo 30:7 “And Aharon shall burn on it sweet incense, morning by morning. As he tends the lamps, he shall burn incense on it.
Exo 30:8 “And when Aharon lights the lamps between the evenings, he shall burn incense on it – a continual incense before יהוה throughout your generations.
Exo 30:9 “Do not offer strange incense on it, or a burnt offering, or a grain offering, and do not pour a drink offering on it.
Exo 30:10 “And Aharon shall make atonement upon its horns once a year with the blood of the sin offering of atonement – once a year he makes atonement upon it throughout your generations. It is most set-apart to יהוה.”
Only about 80 priests along with the chief priest out of the 24,000 were chosen for this task as set-apart to burn incense as seen in the account of Uzziah who took it upon himself in pride to offer incense and became leprous on account of it.
2Ch 26:16 But when he/Uzziah became strong his heart was lifted up, to his destruction, for he trespassed against יהוה his Elohim by entering the Hĕḵal of יהוה to burn incense on the altar of incense.
2Ch 26:17 And Azaryahu the priest went in after him, and with him were eighty priests of יהוה, who were valiant/chayil sons/ban.
2Ch 26:18 And they stood up against Sovereign Uzziyahu, and said to him, “It is not for you, Uzziyahu, to burn incense to יהוה, but for the priests, the sons of Aharon, who are set-apart to burn incense. Get out of the set-apart place, for you have trespassed, and there is no esteem to you from יהוה Elohim.”
2Ch 26:19 And Uzziyahu was wroth. And he had a censer in his hand to burn incense. And while he was wroth with the priests, leprosy broke out on his forehead, before the priests in the House of יהוה, beside the incense altar.
2Ch 26:20 And Azaryahu the chief priest and all the priests (80) looked at him, and saw that he was leprous on his forehead. And they hurried him from there. And he also hurried to get out, because יהוה had struck him.
We see the 80 priests set-apart to burn incense stood against Uzziah (verse 18), these were valiant sons among priests who stood in the court of the king along with the chief priests. There is no mention of division of this special lot in scriptures in Torah but the fact that these may have been chosen among all priests as stated in 2 Chron 26:17 ...’who were vailant sons’ after the incident of Korah and the company being destoryed for offering incense as stated in Numbers 16:40
Num 16:39 And Elʽazar the priest took the bronze fire holders, which those who were burned up had brought, and they were beaten out as a covering on the altar –
Num 16:40 a remembrance to the children of Yisra’ĕl that no stranger who is not of the seed of Aharon, should come near to offer incense before יהוה, and not be like Qoraḥ and his company – as יהוה had said to him through Mosheh.
Zecharyah the priest of the division of Abiyah would have been one of these valiant sons among priests who would without fear being set-apart to Yahuah go in to offer the incense in the Dwelling Place.
Moreover Talmud states during Shavuot, the priests would draw lots to see who would get the honor of going into the Dwelling Place to burn incense on the altar. Only once during a priest's lifetime could his lot be drawn for this service. Zechariah's lot was drawn (Luke 1:9). We don’t know how far Talmud is true about the once in a lifetime a priest could offer incense but we must go by evidence from scripture and we see the evidence in 2 Chr 26:16-20.
Being among the valiant sons of the priests chosen by lot to offer incense made him more accountable and hence he was struck with being dumb until the day of Yahuchanan being circumcised because he found it difficult to believe the angel’s words.
Luk 1:18 And Zeḵaryah said to the messenger, “By what shall I know this? For I am old, and my wife advanced in years.”
Luk 1:19 And the messenger answering, said to him, “I am Gaḇri’ĕl, who stands in the presence of Elohim, and was sent to speak to you and announce to you this good news.
There is no other direct reference so we must see the prophecy of Eliyahu/Alayahu (Elijah) as Yahuchanan/John was to come in the ruach of Eliyahu. Before that we must see evidence of people waiting for Zacharyah outside the Dwelling Place which shows this was not a normal day of offering of incense but a feast day and this definitely shows he was there in the Dwelling Place by lot at Shavout.
Luk 1:10 And the entire crowd of people was praying outside at the hour of incense.
Luk 1:21 And the people waited for Zeḵaryah, and marvelled at his delay in the Dwelling Place.
Mal 4:5 “See, I am sending you Ěliyah the prophet before the coming of the great and awesome day of יהוה.
Mal 4:6 “And he shall turn the hearts of the fathers to the children, and the hearts of the children to their fathers, lest I come and smite the earth with utter destruction.
If you see the chart in his first division Zackaryah served in his 8th division just before Shavuot/Pentecost and continued to serve during Shavuot as all division of priests would have to serve an additional week for the three feasts Unleavened Bread, Shavuot & Booths/Tabernacles, hence the division of priests we distributed over 48 weeks + 3 = 51 weeks/357 days and in a year we have 52 weeks. The 52nd week would be at the vernal equinox and based on the full moon a New year would begin i.e. 1 Abib/Nisan.
With this background now focusing on the prophecy of Eliyahu coming before the great and awesome day was fulfilled with the announcement of the birth of Yahuchanan the Immerser to ZackarYah when he stood during Shavout in the temple. We also see Zackaryah being told that the child will be filled with the Ruach ha Qodesh right from his mothers womb, a sign of pouring of the Ruach on the day of Shavout.
Mat 11:7 And as these were going, יהושע began to say to the crowds concerning Yaḥuchanan, “What did you go out into the wilderness to see? A reed shaken by the wind?
Mat 11:8 “But what did you go out to see? A man dressed in soft garments? Look, those wearing soft garments are in the houses of sovereigns.
Mat 11:9 “But what did you go out to see? A prophet? Yea, I say to you, and more than a prophet.
Mat 11:10 “For this is he of whom it was written, ‘See, I send My messenger before Your face, who shall prepare Your way before You.’
Mat 11:11 “Truly, I say to you, among those born of women there has not risen one greater than Yahuchanan the Immerser, yet the least one in the reign of the heavens is greater than he.
Mat 11:12 “And from the days of Yahuchanan the Immerser till now the reign of the heavens is violated, and the violent seize it.
Mat 11:13 “For all the prophets and the Torah prophesied till Yahuchanan
Mat 11:14 “And if you wish to accept it, he/Yahuchanan is Ěliyahu who was about to come.
Mat 11:15 “He who has ears to hear, let him hear!
Luk 1:15 “For he/Yahuchanan shall be great before יהוה, and shall drink no wine and strong drink at all. And he shall be filled with the Set-apart Spirit, even from his mother’s womb.
Hence the prophecy fits perfectly relating to ZackarYah when he stood during Shavout in his first division. According to the chart Zackaryah could only go back home after he finished serving his division + the feast of Shavuot.
Luk 1:23 And it came to be, as soon as the days of his service were completed, he went away to his house.
Luk 1:24 And after those days his wife Elisheḇa conceived. And she hid herself five months, saying,
Luk 1:25 “יהוה has done this for me, in the days when He looked upon me, to take away my reproach among men.”
Elizabeth hid herself five months and in the sixth month of her pregnancy the angel Gabriel was sent to Miryam, a virgin espoused to Yoseph.
Luk 1:26 And in the sixth month the messenger Gaḇri’ĕl was sent by Elohim to a city of Galil named Natsareth,
Luk 1:27 to a maiden engaged to a man whose name was Yosĕph, of the house of Dawiḏ. And the maiden’s name was Miryam.
Zackaryah went back home completing his division in third week of Sivan and considering Elizabeth conceived late in Sivan the third month, we count six months from there we arrive at Kislev i.e., the month November in our Solar calendar when the angel Gabriel was sent to Miryam to announce the birth of the Son of the Most high Aluahym.
Luk 1:36 “And see, Elizabeth your relative, she has also conceived a son in her old age. And this is now the sixth month to her who was called barren,
Now it's easy to determine the birth of Yahuchanan as well as Yahusha ha Mashiyach. Counting 9 months from late Sivan we arrive at 1 Abib/Nisan the month when Yahuchanan was born around Passover and counting 9th months from Tevet i.e., December we come to the birth of Yahusha ha Mashiyach during Sukkot in the month Tisheri which corresponds to September/October.
The fact that Yahuchanan the Immerser had to be a Natsari (Nazarene) from his birth ties up to being born during the feast of Passover & Unleavened Bread where all leaven is removed from the houses. And Yahusha was accused of eating and drinking
Matt
11:19 The Son of Man came eating and drinking, and they say, ‘Here is a glutton and a drunkard, a friend of tax collectors and sinners.’ But wisdom is proved right by her deeds.”
Sukkot is a feast of rejoicing, eating and drinking. See how this all ties up.
Luk 1:15 “For he shall be great before יהוה, and shall drink no wine and strong drink at all. And he shall be filled with the Set-apart Spirit, even from his mother’s womb.
While scripture records the food of Yahuchanan the Baptist in the wilderness to be locusts and wild honey, the scripture is silent on the types of food he ate at home before his public appearance to Yasharal in the wilderness. Moreover Luke 1:80 in our bibles gives us an impression that he was in the wilderness right from his childhood which is absurd. See the translation
Luke 1:80 And the child grew and became strong in spirit, and was in/(uyahay) the deserts until/ad the day of his public appearance to Yisrael.
'Uyahay' is a phrase used throughout Gen 1 in the creation account example :Gen 1:5 And Elohim called the light day, and the darkness He called night. And came to be/uyahay evening and there was morning, one day.
Also the word 'ad' is translated as 'witness, ever, everlasting, end, evermore, old, perpetually, by, as, when, how, yet, till, until, unto, for, to, but, on, within, filthy| {str: 1157, 5703, 5704, 5705, 5707, 5708}'. The translators picked up 'until' rather than 'for' because they mistranslated 'uyahay'.
Luke 1:80 And the child grew and became strong in spirit, and came to be (uyahay) in the deserts for/ad the day of his public appearance to Yisrael
So while he grew as a child in the care of his father Zackaryah and Elizabeth, he held on to strict Natsari/Nazarene dietary laws by not eating anything which had leaven in it, his adherence to the dietary laws were perpetual unlike anyone among Yasharal who would take a Natsari vow for a season. So the phrase that Yahuchanan the Baptist didn't eat bread doesn't mean he didn't eat bread at all, what it means is he didn't eat leavened bread but Unleavened only, just like he didn't have wine which has leaven in it.
Luk 7:31 And the Master said, “To what then shall I compare the men of this generation, and what are they like?
Luk 7:32 “They are like children sitting in the market-place and calling to each other, saying, ‘We played the flute for you and you did not dance, we lamented for you and you did not weep.’
Luk 7:33 “For Yoḥanan the Immerser came neither eating bread nor drinking wine, and you say, ‘He has a demon.’
Luk 7:34 “The Son of Aḏam has come eating and drinking, and you say, ‘Look, a man, a glutton and a winedrinker, a friend of tax collectors and sinners!’
Luk 7:35 “And wisdom is declared right by all her children.”
These verses further shed light on two Natsari's, the one i.e. Yahuchanan who came not eating leaven and not drinking wine and the other i.e. eating both and wisdom is declared right by all her children in Luke 7:35 is unique to understand
Deu 16:13 “Perform the Festival of Booths for seven days after the ingathering from your threshing-floor and from your winepress,
Deu 16:14 and you shall rejoice in your festival, you and your son and your daughter, and your male servant and your female servant, and the Lĕwite, and the stranger and the fatherless and the widow who are within your gates.
Deu 16:15 “For seven days you shall observe a festival to יהוה your Elohim in the place which יהוה chooses, because יהוה your Elohim does bless you in all your increase and in all the work of your hands, and you shall be only rejoicing!
The feast of Booths/Tabernacles was meant to be a festival of joy, when an Yasharali brings the fruit of his labor from his threshing-floor and from his winepress and had to rejoice before Yahuah for those seven days eating and drinking.
Scripture records Ezra read the Turah on the first day of the seventh month i.e. the day of Festival of Trumpets. When Ezra read the Turah, the people wept. They were told not to weep but to rejoice by eating and drinking before Yahuah and they celebrated the Feast of Booths with great rejoicing.
Neh 8:1 And when the seventh month came, the children of Yisra’ĕl were in their cities. And all the people gathered together as one man in the open space that was in front of the Water Gate. And they spoke to Ezra the scribe to bring the Book of the Torah of Mosheh, which יהוה had commanded Yisra’ĕl.
Neh 8:2 And Ezra the priest brought the Torah before the assembly of both men and women and all who could hear with understanding, on the first day of the seventh month.
Neh 8:9 And Neḥemyah, who was the governor, and Ezra the priest, the scribe, and the Lĕwites who taught the people said to all the people, “This day is set-apart to יהוה your Elohim. Do not mourn or weep.” For all the people wept when they heard the words of the Torah.
Neh 8:10 Then he said to them, “Go, eat the fat, drink the sweet, and send portions to those for whom none is prepared. For this day is set-apart to our יהוה. Do not be sad, for the joy of יהוה is your strength.”
Neh 8:11 And the Lĕwites were silencing all the people, saying, “Hush, for the day is set-apart, do not be sad.”
Neh 8:12 And all the people went to eat and to drink, and to send portions and make a great rejoicing, because they understood the words that were made known to them.
Neh 8:13 And on the second day the heads of the fathers’ houses of all the people, with the priests and Lĕwites, were gathered to Ezra the scribe, in order to study the words of the Torah.
Neh 8:14 And they found written in the Torah, which יהוה had commanded by Mosheh, that the children of Yisra’ĕl should dwell in booths in the festival of the seventh month,
Neh 8:15 and that they should announce and proclaim in all their cities and in Yerushalayim, saying, “Go out to the mountain, and bring olive branches, branches of oil trees, and myrtle branches, and palm branches, and branches of leafy trees, to make booths, as it is written.”
Neh 8:16 So the people went out and brought them and made themselves booths, each one on the roof of his house, and in their courtyards and in the courtyards of the House of Elohim, and in the open space of the Water Gate and in the open space of the Gate of Ephrayim.
Neh 8:17 And the entire assembly of those who had come back from the captivity made booths and sat under the booths, for since the days of Yeshua son of Nun until that day the children of Yisra’ĕl had not done so. And there was very great rejoicing.
Neh 8:18 And day by day, from the first day until the last day, he read from the Book of the Torah of Elohim. And they performed the festival seven days. And on the eighth day there was an assembly, according to the right-ruling.
What shall we say of king Shelemoh? During the completion of the Dwelling Place for Yahuah he too made a great feast of rejoicing celebrating the Feast of Tabernacles. We don't have time to look at all the examples as enough evidence is provided already. Coming back to Luke 7, Yahusha says ''To what shall I compare the men of this generation, and what are they like? They are like children sitting in the market place and calling each other saying 'We played the flute for you and you did not dance' ...referring to his visitation in rejoicing as he himself was the Bridegroom. He then goes on to say ''we lamented for you and you did not weep'' referring to Yahuchanan the Baptist who lived a life of abstinence from delicacy and leaven
Luk 7:35 “And wisdom is declared right by all her children.”
These texts show a spiritual tying up of the birth of Yahuchanan during Passover when all leaven is removed from the house and the birth of Yahusha during Succoth when there is great rejoicing when people live in booths and eat and drink before Yahuah.
The language of great rejoicing can be seen with the announcement of Yahusha's birth by the Angel to the Shepherds followed by the angelic host praising Aluahym '' “Esteem to Elohim in the highest, and on earth peace among men with whom He is pleased!”
Luk 2:8 And in the same country there were shepherds living out in the fields, keeping watch over their flock by night.
Luk 2:9 And look, a messenger of יהוה stood before them, and the esteem of יהוה shone around them, and they were greatly afraid.
Luk 2:10 And the messenger said to them, “Do not be afraid, for look, I bring you good news of great joy which shall be to all people.
Luk 2:11 “Because there was born to you today in the city of Dawiḏ a Saviour, who is Messiah, the Master.
Luk 2:12 “And this is the sign to you: You shall find a baby wrapped up, lying in a feeding trough.”
Luk 2:13 And suddenly there was with the messenger a crowd of the heavenly host praising Elohim and saying,
Luk 2:14 “Esteem to Elohim in the highest, and on earth peace among men with whom He is pleased!”
And this is the sign to you: You shall find a baby wrapped up, lying in a feeding trough/manger/stall:
We see a connection between the manger/stall/feeding trough to the ones Yitshaq made
Gen 33:17 Ya’aqob journeyed to Sukkoth, and built for himself a house and made booths/sukkah H5521 for his livestock; therefore he calls the name of the place Succoth H5523.
There was no place in the lodging/malun H4411 shows that it was a feast time where people came in large numbers as there was no place for Yoseph and Miryam. Many dispute stating that there was no place because the Yahudi's all over the world came to register themselves
Luk 2:1 And it came to be in those days that a decree went out from Caesar Augustus for all the world to be registered.
Luk 2:2 This took place as a first registration while Quirinius was governing Syria.
Luk 2:3 And all were going to be registered, each one to his own city.
Luk 2:4 And Yosĕph also went up from Galil, out of the city of Natsareth to Yehuḏah, to the city of Dawiḏ, which is called Bĕyth Leḥem, because he was of the house and lineage of Dawiḏ,
A closer look shows it was only registration of the Yahudites (residents of Yahudah). History also proves this as Quirinius was an appointed governor of Syria who governed the census of the province of Yahudah:
Below is the source from Wikipedia:
Publius Sulpicius Quirinius (c. 51 BC – AD 21) was a Roman aristocrat. After the banishment of the ethnarch Herod Archelaus from the tetrarchy of Judea in AD 6, Quirinius was appointed legate governor of Syria, to which the province of Judaea had been added for the purpose of a census.
Joh 1:14 And the Word became flesh and pitched His tabernacle/sukkah among us, and we saw His esteem, esteem as of an only brought-forth of a father, complete in favour and truth.
Rev 21:3 And I heard a loud voice from the throne, saying, Behold, the tabernacle/sukkah of the Elohim is among men, and He shall dwell among them, and they shall be His people, and the Elohim Himself shall be among them (His El).
'And wisdom is declared right by her children' can also be seen when Yahusha came on a foal into Yarushalam just before his death at Passover, the people brought goodly branches, palm branches and laid their clothes for him crying ''Hoshanna!'' which means ''Do save now, we beseech you '', it's a cry of both joy and lament. This further confirms that Yahuah brought his first feast Passover and the last feast feast of Tabernacles and made them one in Yahusha ha Mashiyach.
Joh 12:12 On the next day a great crowd who had come to the festival, when they heard that יהושע was coming to Yerushalayim,
Joh 12:13 took the branches of palm trees and went out to meet Him, and were crying out, “Hoshia-na! Blessed is He who is coming in the Name of יהוה, the Sovereign of Yisra’ĕl!”
Ps 118:25 O Yahuah do save now/Hoshiahna, we beseech You/ana; O Yahuah, we beseech You, make prosper now
Ps118:26 Blessed is the one who comes in the name of Yahuah; we have blessed you from the house of Yahuah.
Lastly lets read Gen 18:10, 14
Gen 18:10 And He said, “I shall certainly turn/shub and return/ashub to you according to the time/ath of life/chayah, and see, Sarah your wife is to have a son!” And Sarah was listening in the tent door which was behind him.
Gen 18:14 Is dabar too hard for Yahuah? At the appointed time/ muaed I shall return/ashub to you, at the time/ath of life/chayah, and Sarah shall have a son
The promised one was Yitshaq in whose place the ram caught with its horns in the thickets was sacrificed and the place where Abraham sacrificed the ram was Mount Moriah, that was the very place Shelemoh built the temple and Golgotha was outside the temple on that same mount where Yahusha was impaled on the stake. The word for appointed time is 'muaed' relating to Yahuah's feast and in Rabbanic tradition, they have a special wine on the night of Passover in remembrance of the promise of sending Eliyahu before the great and dreadful day of Yahuah. They do not know that Yahuchanan came in the Ruach of Eliyahu and they also failed to see the timing of his birth during Passover & Unleavened Bread which shows the preparing the way of Yahuah (by removing all leaven ) who is the true Natsari who is become our Yahusha. Yahuah brought both the feasts together to show that we as Yitshaq are the promised ones (at the appointed tim/muaed, the time of life I will return to you) and the least in the reign of the heavens being made one with Yahusha in both lamentation when the bridegroom is taken away and the great rejoicing when the bridegroom will come back to take us. All the sorrow of living in abstinence as Yahuchanan the Immerser in the wilderness will be forgotten by the greatness of being one with the rejoicing with the Master himself symbolized by the eating and drinking and making merry before Him.
Mat 11:11 “Truly, I say to you, among those born of women there has not risen one greater than Yahuchanan the Immerser, yet the least one in the reign of the heavens is greater than he.
There are yet those who have come to the Abary roots and condemn these pagan rituals adopted by the world but have no clue when Yahusha was born. This study is a proof to help all brethren in Mashiyach understand the timing of the birth of Yahusha from scripture and refute the falsehood and lies of men. Yes you heard me correct, the scriptures are not in vacuum and it can be shown from scripture the timing of his birth, not the exact date though.
Pro 25:2 It is the esteem of Elohim to hide a matter, And the esteem of sovereigns to search out a matter.
So let's begin....
Luk 1:5 There was in the days of Herodes, the sovereign of Yehuḏah, a certain priest named Zaḵaryah, of the division of Aḇiyah. And his wife was of the daughters of Aharon, and her name was Elisheḇa.
Luk 1:6 And they were both righteous before Elohim, blamelessly walking in all the commands and righteousnesses of יהוה.
Luk 1:7 And they had no child, because Elisheḇa was barren, and both were advanced in years.
Luk 1:8 And it came to be, that while he was serving as priest before Elohim in the order of his division,
Luk 1:9 according to the institute of the priesthood, he was chosen by lot to burn incense when he went into the Dwelling Place of יהוה.
Luk 1:10 And the entire crowd of people was praying outside at the hour of incense.
Luk 1:11 And a messenger of יהוה appeared to him, standing on the right side of the altar of incense.
There was a priest named Zakaryah of the division of Abiyah who stood in the order of his division AbiYah serving in the Dwelling place of Yahuah chosen by lot to burn incense, and the angel Gabriel is sent to him to announce the birth of Yahuchanan/John the Immerser/Baptist.
Luk 1:12 And when Zeḵaryah saw him, he was troubled, and fear fell upon him.
Luk 1:13 But the messenger said to him, “Do not be afraid, Zeḵaryah, for your prayer is heard. And your wife Elisheḇa shall bear you a son, and you shall call his name Yahuchanan (John).
Luk 1:14 “And you shall have joy and gladness, and many shall rejoice at his birth.
Luk 1:15 “For he shall be great before יהוה, and shall drink no wine and strong drink at all. And he shall be filled with the Set-apart Spirit, even from his mother’s womb.
Luk 1:16 “And he shall turn many of the children of Yisra’ĕl to יהוה their Elohim.
Luk 1:17 “And he shall go before Him in the spirit and power of Ěliyahu, ‘to turn the hearts of the fathers to the children,’ and the disobedient to the insight of the righteous, to make ready a people prepared for יהוה.”
Luk 1:18 And Zeḵaryah said to the messenger, “By what shall I know this? For I am old, and my wife advanced in years.”
The one to be born would be filled with the Set-apart Ruach (Spirit) even from his mother's womb and he would go before Yahuah preparing his way in the spirit of Alayahu/Eliyahu (Elijah) the prophet turning the hearts of the fathers to the children and the disobedient to the insight of the righteous, to make ready a people prepared for Yahuah.
To understand the timing of the birth of Yahuchanan/John and Yahusha we must focus on the Zakaryah of the division of Abiyah who stood in the order of his division serving in the Dwelling place of Yahuah.
Now let's turn to the Old Testament to understand the divisions alloted to the priests in serving in their course in the Dwelling place of Yahuah by king Daud/David.
1Ch 23:3 And the Lĕwites were numbered from the age of thirty years and above. And their number, head by head, was thirty-eight thousand males.
1Ch 23:4 Of these, twenty-four thousand were to oversee the work of the House of יהוה, and six thousand were officers and judges,
1Ch 24:3 And Dawiḏ, with Tsaḏoq of the sons of Elʽazar, and Aḥimeleḵ of the sons of Ithamar, divided them according to their offices in their service.
1Ch 24:4 And there were more leaders found of the sons of Elʽazar than of the sons of Ithamar. So they divided the sons of Elʽazar into sixteen heads of their fathers’ houses, and the sons of Ithamar into eight heads of their fathers’ houses.
1Ch 24:5 And they were divided by lot, one group as another, for there were officials of the set-apart place and officials of Elohim, from the sons of Elʽazar and from the sons of Ithamar.
1Ch 24:6 And the scribe, Shemayah son of Nethanĕ’l, one of the Lĕwites, wrote them down before the sovereign, and the rulers, and Tsaḏoq the priest, and Aḥimeleḵ son of Eḇyathar, and the heads of the fathers’ houses of the priests and Lĕwites, one father’s house taken for Elʽazar and one for Ithamar.
1Ch 24:7 And the first lot came forth to Yehoyariḇ, the second to Yeḏayah,
1Ch 24:8 the third to Ḥarim, the fourth to Seʽorim,
1Ch 24:9 the fifth to Malkiyah, the sixth to Miyamin,
1Ch 24:10 the seventh to Haqqots, the eighth to Aḇiyah,
1Ch 24:11 the ninth to Yĕshua, the tenth to Sheḵanyahu,
1Ch 24:12 the eleventh to Elyashiḇ, the twelfth to Yaqim,
1Ch 24:13 the thirteenth to Ḥuppah, the fourteenth to Yesheḇ’aḇ,
1Ch 24:14 the fifteenth to Bilgah, the sixteenth to Immĕr,
1Ch 24:15 the seventeenth to Ḥĕzir, the eighteenth to Happitstsĕts,
1Ch 24:16 the nineteenth to Pethaḥyah, the twentieth to Yeḥezqĕl,
1Ch 24:17 the twenty-first to Yaḵin, the twenty-second to Gamul,
1Ch 24:18 the twenty-third to Delayahu, the twenty-fourth to Maʽazyahu.
1Ch 24:19 These were their offices in their service for coming into the House of יהוה according to their right-ruling by the hand of Aharon their father, as יהוה Elohim of Yisra’ĕl had commanded him.
The 24,000 priests divided by lot of 1,000 per division x 24 can be seen in the spiritual & figurative picture of 24 elders seated around the throne. The priesthood would find its transition from Levitical to the MalchiTsedek priesthood in Mashiyach Yahusha.
1 Chronicles 24:4-5 tells us that the sons of Eleazar were more than Ithamar and 16 heads were chosen from Eleazar and 8 from Ithamar.
1Ch 24:4 And there were more leaders found of the sons of Elʽazar than of the sons of Ithamar. So they divided the sons of Elʽazar into sixteen heads of their fathers’ houses, and the sons of Ithamar into eight heads of their fathers’ houses.
1Ch 24:5 And they were divided by lot, one group as another, for there were officials of the set-apart place and officials of Elohim, from the sons of Elʽazar and from the sons of Ithamar.
Nadab and Abhihu were killed by Yahuah for offering strange incense and hence only Eleazar and Ithamar remained of the sons of Aaron from whom these 24 heads were chosen.
Rev 4:4 And round about the throne were four and twenty seats: and upon the seats I saw four and twenty elders sitting, clothed in white raiment; and they had on their heads crowns of gold.
The names of the divisions are given in 1 Chr 24:7-18 and each division had 1,000 priests. ZackarYah would have been the head of his division Abiyah as he was offering the incense which only head of the priests of valiant sons were chosen to offer.
Rev 5:6 And I looked and saw in the midst of the throne and of the four living creatures, and in the midst of the elders a Lamb standing, as having been slain, having seven horns and seven eyes, which are the seven Spirits of Elohim sent out into all the earth.
Rev 5:7 And He came and took the scroll out of the right hand of Him sitting on the throne.
Rev 5:8 And when He took the scroll, the four living creatures and the twenty-four elders fell down before the Lamb, each holding a harp, and golden bowls filled with incense, which are the prayers of the set-apart ones.
Rev 5:9 And they sang a renewed song, saying, “You are worthy to take the scroll, and to open its seals, because You were slain, and have redeemed us to Elohim by Your blood out of every tribe and tongue and people and nation,
Rev 5:10 and made us sovereigns and PRIESTS to our Elohim, and we shall reign upon the earth.”
Our focus would be on 24,000 priests from Leuites(Levites) were chosen in their courses/lots as stated in 1 Chron 24:7-19. Before we put them in a chart to see their divisions, how do we know who serves when in the 12 months in a Yahudi calendar?
We have scripture recording Yehoyada the high priest did not dismiss their divisions and the divisions are stated in the verse same verse of 2 Ch 23:8...each man (priest) took his men (priests) who were to come in on the Sabbath and with those going out on the Sabbath.
2Ch 23:8 And the Lĕwites and all Yehuḏah did according to all that Yehoyaḏa the priest commanded. And each man took his men who were to come in on the Sabbath, with those going out on the Sabbath, for Yehoyaḏa the priest did not dismiss the divisions.
This shows each division of the priests served from one Sabbath to another Shabbath (8 days) and the switch over of divisions happened on a Sabbath. The priest Yehoyada stood as a high priest in the court of Yoash the king i.e. 8 generations from king Daud/David. And he didn't break the courses/lots of the priests of Sabbath to Sabbath. Before we make a chart to show the divisions of the lots of the priests, we must also not forget that Torah stated that three times a year every male had to appear before Yahuah for the Festival of Unleavened Bread, Festival of Weeks/Pentecost and Festival of Booths/Tabernacles, since all Levites were males, they had to appear before Yahuah in their divisions for these three feasts.
Deu 16:16 “Three times a year all your males appear before יהוה your Elohim in the place which He chooses: at the Festival of Unleavened Bread, and at the Festival of Weeks, and at the Festival of Booths. And none should appear before יהוה empty-handed,
These three feasts called the Pilgrimage feasts were the most populated feasts as Yasharalites scattered all over the world would come to Yerushalam to appear before Yahuah. Hence the division of priests in each lot wouldn't be sufficient to cater to so many people coming in with their gifts to Yahuah as the Torah stated Deut 16:16....And none should appear before יהוה empty-handed, Hence during these 3 feasts all the divisions of the 24,000 priests served in the Dwelling place.
To show consistency of the 24 divisions of the priests rotation I made a chart for 4 B.C. as well. Here it is:
There are many who say Yahusha was born in 1A.D. and the years are attributed to identifying his timeline as B.C. (before christ) and A.D. (anno domini) dividing his birth as a dividing point for world history. Firstly this kind of dating was much later and never existed back then. We take the year 4 B.C. as the year of birth of Yahusha because Herodes who tried to kill him when he was born died in that year.
Mat 2:13 And when they had left, see, a messenger of יהוה appeared to Yosĕph in a dream, saying, “Arise, take the Child and His mother, and flee to Mitsrayim, and remain there until I bring you word, for Herodes is about to seek the Child to destroy Him.”
Mat 2:14 And rising up, he took the Child and His mother by night and departed for Mitsrayim,
Mat 2:15 and remained there until the death of Herodes, to fill what was spoken by יהוה through the prophet, saying, “Out of Mitsrayim I have called My Son.
(Please note that though the chart would change depending on the new moon year by year after the vernal equinox determining the month of beginnings, the chart would be accurate in terms of determining when Yahuchanan Baptist was conceived and born and when Yahusha was conceived and was born. In 5 B.C. 1 Abib/Nisan fell on 5th April, the day after the new moon on 4th April. From there we count 14 days which brings us to around 18th April as the day of Passover which begins actually from 17th April in the evening, the full moon day. The priestly duty of the first lot would begin with the new moon each year.
From the chart above one can see each priestly division served at least twice a year when the year began each year at the vernal equinox plus the new moon visibility. The first division of priests would present themselves for the service of the Dwelling place during the new moon of Abib/Nisan each year. This would be the beginning of months and commemorates the exodus of Yasharal from the land of Egypt. In the chart above, I have listed the priestly division right until the Vernal Equinox and based on the sighting of the new moon the priestly division would recycle right from the first lot from Yehoyarib who would appear from new moon after vernal equinox each New year.
You may see the new moon & the Vernal Equinoxes right until 2400 BC
http://www.truebiblecode.com/BLCTable.html
Remember we are not developing a solar/lunar or a luni solar calendar. We are just looking at approximate times where these priestly divisions fit week by week in each year beginning from Abib/Nisan till the next year when they recycle back to the first lot. I have taken 5 B.C. as the year as Yahusha was born in 4 B.C.
So a previous year before both Elizabeth or Mary were concieved is considered to see the year in which Zackaryah in his Abiyah division in the temple stood during Shavuot.
The other challenge is that Zackaryah like any other division would appear twice in his division...one during Shavuot in the 3rd month Sivan and once in the 8th-9th month, so how do we determine the time the angel Gabriel was sent to him when he was serving in the Dwelling place?
Zechariah serves during the first week of Sivan and then is required to serve the following week for Shavuot. According to the Torah only the Aaron and his sons were allowed to burn incense on the altar of incense. (Exo 30:7-8) . Also once a year the high priest was to make Atonement for this altar of incense (Ex0 30:10)
Exo 30:7 “And Aharon shall burn on it sweet incense, morning by morning. As he tends the lamps, he shall burn incense on it.
Exo 30:8 “And when Aharon lights the lamps between the evenings, he shall burn incense on it – a continual incense before יהוה throughout your generations.
Exo 30:9 “Do not offer strange incense on it, or a burnt offering, or a grain offering, and do not pour a drink offering on it.
Exo 30:10 “And Aharon shall make atonement upon its horns once a year with the blood of the sin offering of atonement – once a year he makes atonement upon it throughout your generations. It is most set-apart to יהוה.”
Only about 80 priests along with the chief priest out of the 24,000 were chosen for this task as set-apart to burn incense as seen in the account of Uzziah who took it upon himself in pride to offer incense and became leprous on account of it.
2Ch 26:16 But when he/Uzziah became strong his heart was lifted up, to his destruction, for he trespassed against יהוה his Elohim by entering the Hĕḵal of יהוה to burn incense on the altar of incense.
2Ch 26:17 And Azaryahu the priest went in after him, and with him were eighty priests of יהוה, who were valiant/chayil sons/ban.
2Ch 26:18 And they stood up against Sovereign Uzziyahu, and said to him, “It is not for you, Uzziyahu, to burn incense to יהוה, but for the priests, the sons of Aharon, who are set-apart to burn incense. Get out of the set-apart place, for you have trespassed, and there is no esteem to you from יהוה Elohim.”
2Ch 26:19 And Uzziyahu was wroth. And he had a censer in his hand to burn incense. And while he was wroth with the priests, leprosy broke out on his forehead, before the priests in the House of יהוה, beside the incense altar.
2Ch 26:20 And Azaryahu the chief priest and all the priests (80) looked at him, and saw that he was leprous on his forehead. And they hurried him from there. And he also hurried to get out, because יהוה had struck him.
We see the 80 priests set-apart to burn incense stood against Uzziah (verse 18), these were valiant sons among priests who stood in the court of the king along with the chief priests. There is no mention of division of this special lot in scriptures in Torah but the fact that these may have been chosen among all priests as stated in 2 Chron 26:17 ...’who were vailant sons’ after the incident of Korah and the company being destoryed for offering incense as stated in Numbers 16:40
Num 16:39 And Elʽazar the priest took the bronze fire holders, which those who were burned up had brought, and they were beaten out as a covering on the altar –
Num 16:40 a remembrance to the children of Yisra’ĕl that no stranger who is not of the seed of Aharon, should come near to offer incense before יהוה, and not be like Qoraḥ and his company – as יהוה had said to him through Mosheh.
Zecharyah the priest of the division of Abiyah would have been one of these valiant sons among priests who would without fear being set-apart to Yahuah go in to offer the incense in the Dwelling Place.
Moreover Talmud states during Shavuot, the priests would draw lots to see who would get the honor of going into the Dwelling Place to burn incense on the altar. Only once during a priest's lifetime could his lot be drawn for this service. Zechariah's lot was drawn (Luke 1:9). We don’t know how far Talmud is true about the once in a lifetime a priest could offer incense but we must go by evidence from scripture and we see the evidence in 2 Chr 26:16-20.
Being among the valiant sons of the priests chosen by lot to offer incense made him more accountable and hence he was struck with being dumb until the day of Yahuchanan being circumcised because he found it difficult to believe the angel’s words.
Luk 1:18 And Zeḵaryah said to the messenger, “By what shall I know this? For I am old, and my wife advanced in years.”
Luk 1:19 And the messenger answering, said to him, “I am Gaḇri’ĕl, who stands in the presence of Elohim, and was sent to speak to you and announce to you this good news.
Luk 1:20 “But see, you shall be silent and unable to speak until the day this takes place, because you did not believe my words which shall be filled in their appointed time.”
There is no other direct reference so we must see the prophecy of Eliyahu/Alayahu (Elijah) as Yahuchanan/John was to come in the ruach of Eliyahu. Before that we must see evidence of people waiting for Zacharyah outside the Dwelling Place which shows this was not a normal day of offering of incense but a feast day and this definitely shows he was there in the Dwelling Place by lot at Shavout.
Luk 1:10 And the entire crowd of people was praying outside at the hour of incense.
Luk 1:21 And the people waited for Zeḵaryah, and marvelled at his delay in the Dwelling Place.
Mal 4:5 “See, I am sending you Ěliyah the prophet before the coming of the great and awesome day of יהוה.
Mal 4:6 “And he shall turn the hearts of the fathers to the children, and the hearts of the children to their fathers, lest I come and smite the earth with utter destruction.
If you see the chart in his first division Zackaryah served in his 8th division just before Shavuot/Pentecost and continued to serve during Shavuot as all division of priests would have to serve an additional week for the three feasts Unleavened Bread, Shavuot & Booths/Tabernacles, hence the division of priests we distributed over 48 weeks + 3 = 51 weeks/357 days and in a year we have 52 weeks. The 52nd week would be at the vernal equinox and based on the full moon a New year would begin i.e. 1 Abib/Nisan.
With this background now focusing on the prophecy of Eliyahu coming before the great and awesome day was fulfilled with the announcement of the birth of Yahuchanan the Immerser to ZackarYah when he stood during Shavout in the temple. We also see Zackaryah being told that the child will be filled with the Ruach ha Qodesh right from his mothers womb, a sign of pouring of the Ruach on the day of Shavout.
Mat 11:7 And as these were going, יהושע began to say to the crowds concerning Yaḥuchanan, “What did you go out into the wilderness to see? A reed shaken by the wind?
Mat 11:8 “But what did you go out to see? A man dressed in soft garments? Look, those wearing soft garments are in the houses of sovereigns.
Mat 11:9 “But what did you go out to see? A prophet? Yea, I say to you, and more than a prophet.
Mat 11:10 “For this is he of whom it was written, ‘See, I send My messenger before Your face, who shall prepare Your way before You.’
Mat 11:11 “Truly, I say to you, among those born of women there has not risen one greater than Yahuchanan the Immerser, yet the least one in the reign of the heavens is greater than he.
Mat 11:12 “And from the days of Yahuchanan the Immerser till now the reign of the heavens is violated, and the violent seize it.
Mat 11:13 “For all the prophets and the Torah prophesied till Yahuchanan
Mat 11:14 “And if you wish to accept it, he/Yahuchanan is Ěliyahu who was about to come.
Mat 11:15 “He who has ears to hear, let him hear!
Luk 1:15 “For he/Yahuchanan shall be great before יהוה, and shall drink no wine and strong drink at all. And he shall be filled with the Set-apart Spirit, even from his mother’s womb.
Hence the prophecy fits perfectly relating to ZackarYah when he stood during Shavout in his first division. According to the chart Zackaryah could only go back home after he finished serving his division + the feast of Shavuot.
Luk 1:23 And it came to be, as soon as the days of his service were completed, he went away to his house.
Luk 1:24 And after those days his wife Elisheḇa conceived. And she hid herself five months, saying,
Luk 1:25 “יהוה has done this for me, in the days when He looked upon me, to take away my reproach among men.”
Elizabeth hid herself five months and in the sixth month of her pregnancy the angel Gabriel was sent to Miryam, a virgin espoused to Yoseph.
Luk 1:26 And in the sixth month the messenger Gaḇri’ĕl was sent by Elohim to a city of Galil named Natsareth,
Luk 1:27 to a maiden engaged to a man whose name was Yosĕph, of the house of Dawiḏ. And the maiden’s name was Miryam.
Zackaryah went back home completing his division in third week of Sivan and considering Elizabeth conceived late in Sivan the third month, we count six months from there we arrive at Kislev i.e., the month November in our Solar calendar when the angel Gabriel was sent to Miryam to announce the birth of the Son of the Most high Aluahym.
Luk 1:36 “And see, Elizabeth your relative, she has also conceived a son in her old age. And this is now the sixth month to her who was called barren,
I've seen a brother teach that Yahusha was born in the 3rd month and 15th day based on Luke 1:26 taken in isolation which says 'And it came to pass in the sixth month'. He interprets the 6th month to mean 6th month from Abib and hence says Yahusha was born during Shavout/Pentecost as the 9th month falls exactly during Shavout, and that's when Yahuah gave Torah to Yasharal at Mt. Sinai.
Luke1:26 And it came to pass in the sixth month
Elohim sent the messenger Gabri’El to the Galil, to a certain city named Netsareth,
While Yahuah did gave the Torah in the 3rd month at Shavout/Pentecost (when the feast was actually not started), taking the verse out of context when it pertains to birth of Yahusha is incorrect exegesis. We need to read the entire passages.
Luke1:24 And it came to pass after these days Elisheba his wife conceived
and she kept herself hidden for five months and she said,
Luke1:25 “Thus Yahuah has dealt with me in the days that He took note of me,
to gather up my disgrace from the sons of men.”
Luke1:26 And it came to pass in the sixth month
Elohim sent the messenger Gabri’El to the Galil, to a certain city named Netsareth,
Luke 1:36 “And behold, your relative Elisheba, whom she was called barren,
she is also conceived to give a son in her old age. This is the sixth month with her.”
We saw that ZacharYah's AbiYah division ended with the feast of Shavout/Pentecost. Hence, Elizabeth hid herself 5 months i.e., until November which is Kislev and the angel Gabriel was sent to Miriam in the 6th month of Elizabeth's pregnancy and not the 6th month from Abib. He was sent in Tevet i.e., December.
Miriam went in haste it says which shows, her visit to Elizabeth was imminent. Moreover, the angel told her that this was the sixth month of Elizabeth's pregnancy. Hence, the sixth month has to be understood from Elizabeth's pregnancy and not from Abib the first month.
Luke1:39 And Miryam stood up in these days
and went with haste to the hill country, to a city of Yahudah.
Luke1:40 and she entered the house of ZakarYah and blessed Elisheba.
Luke1:41 And it came to pass when Elisheba heard Miryam’s blessing,
the baby leaped in her womb and Elisheba was filled with the Holy Spirit.
Now it's easy to determine the birth of Yahuchanan as well as Yahusha ha Mashiyach. Counting 9 months from late Sivan we arrive at 1 Abib/Nisan the month when Yahuchanan was born around Passover and counting 9th months from Tevet i.e., December we come to the birth of Yahusha ha Mashiyach during Sukkot in the month Tisheri which corresponds to September/October.
The fact that Yahuchanan the Immerser had to be a Natsari (Nazarene) from his birth ties up to being born during the feast of Passover & Unleavened Bread where all leaven is removed from the houses. And Yahusha was accused of eating and drinking
Matt
11:19 The Son of Man came eating and drinking, and they say, ‘Here is a glutton and a drunkard, a friend of tax collectors and sinners.’ But wisdom is proved right by her deeds.”
Sukkot is a feast of rejoicing, eating and drinking. See how this all ties up.
Luk 1:15 “For he shall be great before יהוה, and shall drink no wine and strong drink at all. And he shall be filled with the Set-apart Spirit, even from his mother’s womb.
While scripture records the food of Yahuchanan the Baptist in the wilderness to be locusts and wild honey, the scripture is silent on the types of food he ate at home before his public appearance to Yasharal in the wilderness. Moreover Luke 1:80 in our bibles gives us an impression that he was in the wilderness right from his childhood which is absurd. See the translation
Luke 1:80 And the child grew and became strong in spirit, and was in/(uyahay) the deserts until/ad the day of his public appearance to Yisrael.
'Uyahay' is a phrase used throughout Gen 1 in the creation account example :Gen 1:5 And Elohim called the light day, and the darkness He called night. And came to be/uyahay evening and there was morning, one day.
Also the word 'ad' is translated as 'witness, ever, everlasting, end, evermore, old, perpetually, by, as, when, how, yet, till, until, unto, for, to, but, on, within, filthy| {str: 1157, 5703, 5704, 5705, 5707, 5708}'. The translators picked up 'until' rather than 'for' because they mistranslated 'uyahay'.
Luke 1:80 And the child grew and became strong in spirit, and came to be (uyahay) in the deserts for/ad the day of his public appearance to Yisrael
So while he grew as a child in the care of his father Zackaryah and Elizabeth, he held on to strict Natsari/Nazarene dietary laws by not eating anything which had leaven in it, his adherence to the dietary laws were perpetual unlike anyone among Yasharal who would take a Natsari vow for a season. So the phrase that Yahuchanan the Baptist didn't eat bread doesn't mean he didn't eat bread at all, what it means is he didn't eat leavened bread but Unleavened only, just like he didn't have wine which has leaven in it.
Luk 7:31 And the Master said, “To what then shall I compare the men of this generation, and what are they like?
Luk 7:32 “They are like children sitting in the market-place and calling to each other, saying, ‘We played the flute for you and you did not dance, we lamented for you and you did not weep.’
Luk 7:33 “For Yoḥanan the Immerser came neither eating bread nor drinking wine, and you say, ‘He has a demon.’
Luk 7:34 “The Son of Aḏam has come eating and drinking, and you say, ‘Look, a man, a glutton and a winedrinker, a friend of tax collectors and sinners!’
Luk 7:35 “And wisdom is declared right by all her children.”
These verses further shed light on two Natsari's, the one i.e. Yahuchanan who came not eating leaven and not drinking wine and the other i.e. eating both and wisdom is declared right by all her children in Luke 7:35 is unique to understand
Deu 16:13 “Perform the Festival of Booths for seven days after the ingathering from your threshing-floor and from your winepress,
Deu 16:14 and you shall rejoice in your festival, you and your son and your daughter, and your male servant and your female servant, and the Lĕwite, and the stranger and the fatherless and the widow who are within your gates.
Deu 16:15 “For seven days you shall observe a festival to יהוה your Elohim in the place which יהוה chooses, because יהוה your Elohim does bless you in all your increase and in all the work of your hands, and you shall be only rejoicing!
The feast of Booths/Tabernacles was meant to be a festival of joy, when an Yasharali brings the fruit of his labor from his threshing-floor and from his winepress and had to rejoice before Yahuah for those seven days eating and drinking.
Scripture records Ezra read the Turah on the first day of the seventh month i.e. the day of Festival of Trumpets. When Ezra read the Turah, the people wept. They were told not to weep but to rejoice by eating and drinking before Yahuah and they celebrated the Feast of Booths with great rejoicing.
Neh 8:1 And when the seventh month came, the children of Yisra’ĕl were in their cities. And all the people gathered together as one man in the open space that was in front of the Water Gate. And they spoke to Ezra the scribe to bring the Book of the Torah of Mosheh, which יהוה had commanded Yisra’ĕl.
Neh 8:2 And Ezra the priest brought the Torah before the assembly of both men and women and all who could hear with understanding, on the first day of the seventh month.
Neh 8:9 And Neḥemyah, who was the governor, and Ezra the priest, the scribe, and the Lĕwites who taught the people said to all the people, “This day is set-apart to יהוה your Elohim. Do not mourn or weep.” For all the people wept when they heard the words of the Torah.
Neh 8:10 Then he said to them, “Go, eat the fat, drink the sweet, and send portions to those for whom none is prepared. For this day is set-apart to our יהוה. Do not be sad, for the joy of יהוה is your strength.”
Neh 8:11 And the Lĕwites were silencing all the people, saying, “Hush, for the day is set-apart, do not be sad.”
Neh 8:12 And all the people went to eat and to drink, and to send portions and make a great rejoicing, because they understood the words that were made known to them.
Neh 8:13 And on the second day the heads of the fathers’ houses of all the people, with the priests and Lĕwites, were gathered to Ezra the scribe, in order to study the words of the Torah.
Neh 8:14 And they found written in the Torah, which יהוה had commanded by Mosheh, that the children of Yisra’ĕl should dwell in booths in the festival of the seventh month,
Neh 8:15 and that they should announce and proclaim in all their cities and in Yerushalayim, saying, “Go out to the mountain, and bring olive branches, branches of oil trees, and myrtle branches, and palm branches, and branches of leafy trees, to make booths, as it is written.”
Neh 8:16 So the people went out and brought them and made themselves booths, each one on the roof of his house, and in their courtyards and in the courtyards of the House of Elohim, and in the open space of the Water Gate and in the open space of the Gate of Ephrayim.
Neh 8:17 And the entire assembly of those who had come back from the captivity made booths and sat under the booths, for since the days of Yeshua son of Nun until that day the children of Yisra’ĕl had not done so. And there was very great rejoicing.
Neh 8:18 And day by day, from the first day until the last day, he read from the Book of the Torah of Elohim. And they performed the festival seven days. And on the eighth day there was an assembly, according to the right-ruling.
Luk 7:35 “And wisdom is declared right by all her children.”
These texts show a spiritual tying up of the birth of Yahuchanan during Passover when all leaven is removed from the house and the birth of Yahusha during Succoth when there is great rejoicing when people live in booths and eat and drink before Yahuah.
The language of great rejoicing can be seen with the announcement of Yahusha's birth by the Angel to the Shepherds followed by the angelic host praising Aluahym '' “Esteem to Elohim in the highest, and on earth peace among men with whom He is pleased!”
Luk 2:8 And in the same country there were shepherds living out in the fields, keeping watch over their flock by night.
Luk 2:9 And look, a messenger of יהוה stood before them, and the esteem of יהוה shone around them, and they were greatly afraid.
Luk 2:10 And the messenger said to them, “Do not be afraid, for look, I bring you good news of great joy which shall be to all people.
Luk 2:11 “Because there was born to you today in the city of Dawiḏ a Saviour, who is Messiah, the Master.
Luk 2:12 “And this is the sign to you: You shall find a baby wrapped up, lying in a feeding trough.”
Luk 2:13 And suddenly there was with the messenger a crowd of the heavenly host praising Elohim and saying,
Luk 2:14 “Esteem to Elohim in the highest, and on earth peace among men with whom He is pleased!”
And this is the sign to you: You shall find a baby wrapped up, lying in a feeding trough/manger/stall:
We see a connection between the manger/stall/feeding trough to the ones Yitshaq made
Gen 33:17 Ya’aqob journeyed to Sukkoth, and built for himself a house and made booths/sukkah H5521 for his livestock; therefore he calls the name of the place Succoth H5523.
There was no place in the lodging/malun H4411 shows that it was a feast time where people came in large numbers as there was no place for Yoseph and Miryam. Many dispute stating that there was no place because the Yahudi's all over the world came to register themselves
Luk 2:1 And it came to be in those days that a decree went out from Caesar Augustus for all the world to be registered.
Luk 2:2 This took place as a first registration while Quirinius was governing Syria.
Luk 2:3 And all were going to be registered, each one to his own city.
Luk 2:4 And Yosĕph also went up from Galil, out of the city of Natsareth to Yehuḏah, to the city of Dawiḏ, which is called Bĕyth Leḥem, because he was of the house and lineage of Dawiḏ,
A closer look shows it was only registration of the Yahudites (residents of Yahudah). History also proves this as Quirinius was an appointed governor of Syria who governed the census of the province of Yahudah:
Below is the source from Wikipedia:
Publius Sulpicius Quirinius (c. 51 BC – AD 21) was a Roman aristocrat. After the banishment of the ethnarch Herod Archelaus from the tetrarchy of Judea in AD 6, Quirinius was appointed legate governor of Syria, to which the province of Judaea had been added for the purpose of a census.
Hence while a decree went out from Caesar Augustus for all the world to be registered and all were going to their own city to be registered, Yosef and Miryam went up from Natsareth to Yahudah to be registered in Bethlehem because Yoseph was a Yahudite and went up to his city of birth to be registered. Going upto one own's city doesn't draw a huge crowd for no place to lodge because only the Yahudites would be registered in their own cities. It definitely was the feast of Tabernacles.
Luk 2:39 And when they had accomplished all matters according to the Torah of יהוה, they returned to Galil, to their city Natsareth.
Luke 2:39 further confirms that when they had accomplished all matters according to the Turah of Yahuah (not as people would want us to believe that Yoseph and Miryam only came for the census) they returned to Galil to their city Natsareth. The all things accomplishment included the every male to be presented before Yahuah three times a year, circumcision of Yahusha on the 8th day (probably referring to the high Shabbath of the Feast of Tabernacles or the weekly Sabbath falling in that week and the priests remain blameless for circumcising on Sabbath), Miryam's purification & Yahusha's dedication (Luke 2:22-24),
Mat 12:5 “Or did you not read in the Torah that on the Sabbath the priests in the Set-apart Place profane the Sabbath, and are blameless?
Mat 12:6 “But I say to you that in this place there is One greater than the Set-apart Place.
Joh 7:22 “Because of this Mosheh has given you the circumcision – though it is not from Mosheh, but from the fathers – and you circumcise a man on the Sabbath.
Joh 7:23 “If a man receives circumcision on the Sabbath, so that the Torah of Mosheh should not be broken, are you wroth with Me because I made a man entirely well on the Sabbath?
Lev 12:2 “Speak to the children of Yisra’ĕl, saying, ‘When a woman has conceived, and has given birth to a male child, then she shall be unclean seven days, as in the days of her monthly separation she is unclean.
Lev 12:3 ‘And on the eighth day the flesh of his foreskin is circumcised.
Lev 12:4 ‘And she remains in the blood of her cleansing thirty-three days. She does not touch whatever is set-apart, and she does not come into the set-apart place until the days of her cleansing are completed.
A woman would be unclean after the birth of a male child for 40 days and she was not allowed to enter the Dwelling place. So Miryam came to purify herself and present Yahusha along with Yoseph only after her days of purification which means only Yoseph would have gone up to circumcise him on the 8th day as required by Turah and the requirement of every male appearing before Yahuah during the feast of Tabernacles.
Luk 2:21 And when eight days were completed for Him to be circumcised, His Name was called יהושע, the Name given by the messenger before He was conceived in the womb.
There is so much evidence of the timing of the birth of Yahusha ha Mashiyach, so who was born during Christmas and what is Christmas is for you to search out because our Savior was not born in December. I do not condemn the reader for observance of Christmas as its not my job to condemn anyone but with the facts presented in this study my prayer is that the reader himself discern and forsake all pagan practices.
The LXX Greek word (Septuagint OT) for sukkah in Gen 33:17 is 'skenas' G4637 meaning “habitation, dwelling or tabernacle” and is the same word used in John 1:14 and Rev 21:3 in reference to Yahusha tabernacling with his people. The pen of the scribes changed the word from 'sukkah' to 'abus/mishkan' to mean a manger/crib/stall/tent
Luk 2:39 And when they had accomplished all matters according to the Torah of יהוה, they returned to Galil, to their city Natsareth.
Luke 2:39 further confirms that when they had accomplished all matters according to the Turah of Yahuah (not as people would want us to believe that Yoseph and Miryam only came for the census) they returned to Galil to their city Natsareth. The all things accomplishment included the every male to be presented before Yahuah three times a year, circumcision of Yahusha on the 8th day (probably referring to the high Shabbath of the Feast of Tabernacles or the weekly Sabbath falling in that week and the priests remain blameless for circumcising on Sabbath), Miryam's purification & Yahusha's dedication (Luke 2:22-24),
Mat 12:5 “Or did you not read in the Torah that on the Sabbath the priests in the Set-apart Place profane the Sabbath, and are blameless?
Mat 12:6 “But I say to you that in this place there is One greater than the Set-apart Place.
Joh 7:22 “Because of this Mosheh has given you the circumcision – though it is not from Mosheh, but from the fathers – and you circumcise a man on the Sabbath.
Joh 7:23 “If a man receives circumcision on the Sabbath, so that the Torah of Mosheh should not be broken, are you wroth with Me because I made a man entirely well on the Sabbath?
Lev 12:2 “Speak to the children of Yisra’ĕl, saying, ‘When a woman has conceived, and has given birth to a male child, then she shall be unclean seven days, as in the days of her monthly separation she is unclean.
Lev 12:3 ‘And on the eighth day the flesh of his foreskin is circumcised.
Lev 12:4 ‘And she remains in the blood of her cleansing thirty-three days. She does not touch whatever is set-apart, and she does not come into the set-apart place until the days of her cleansing are completed.
A woman would be unclean after the birth of a male child for 40 days and she was not allowed to enter the Dwelling place. So Miryam came to purify herself and present Yahusha along with Yoseph only after her days of purification which means only Yoseph would have gone up to circumcise him on the 8th day as required by Turah and the requirement of every male appearing before Yahuah during the feast of Tabernacles.
Luk 2:21 And when eight days were completed for Him to be circumcised, His Name was called יהושע, the Name given by the messenger before He was conceived in the womb.
There is so much evidence of the timing of the birth of Yahusha ha Mashiyach, so who was born during Christmas and what is Christmas is for you to search out because our Savior was not born in December. I do not condemn the reader for observance of Christmas as its not my job to condemn anyone but with the facts presented in this study my prayer is that the reader himself discern and forsake all pagan practices.
The LXX Greek word (Septuagint OT) for sukkah in Gen 33:17 is 'skenas' G4637 meaning “habitation, dwelling or tabernacle” and is the same word used in John 1:14 and Rev 21:3 in reference to Yahusha tabernacling with his people. The pen of the scribes changed the word from 'sukkah' to 'abus/mishkan' to mean a manger/crib/stall/tent
Joh 1:14 And the Word became flesh and pitched His tabernacle/sukkah among us, and we saw His esteem, esteem as of an only brought-forth of a father, complete in favour and truth.
Rev 21:3 And I heard a loud voice from the throne, saying, Behold, the tabernacle/sukkah of the Elohim is among men, and He shall dwell among them, and they shall be His people, and the Elohim Himself shall be among them (His El).
'And wisdom is declared right by her children' can also be seen when Yahusha came on a foal into Yarushalam just before his death at Passover, the people brought goodly branches, palm branches and laid their clothes for him crying ''Hoshanna!'' which means ''Do save now, we beseech you '', it's a cry of both joy and lament. This further confirms that Yahuah brought his first feast Passover and the last feast feast of Tabernacles and made them one in Yahusha ha Mashiyach.
Joh 12:12 On the next day a great crowd who had come to the festival, when they heard that יהושע was coming to Yerushalayim,
Joh 12:13 took the branches of palm trees and went out to meet Him, and were crying out, “Hoshia-na! Blessed is He who is coming in the Name of יהוה, the Sovereign of Yisra’ĕl!”
Ps 118:25 O Yahuah do save now/Hoshiahna, we beseech You/ana; O Yahuah, we beseech You, make prosper now
Ps118:26 Blessed is the one who comes in the name of Yahuah; we have blessed you from the house of Yahuah.
Lastly lets read Gen 18:10, 14
Gen 18:10 And He said, “I shall certainly turn/shub and return/ashub to you according to the time/ath of life/chayah, and see, Sarah your wife is to have a son!” And Sarah was listening in the tent door which was behind him.
Gen 18:14 Is dabar too hard for Yahuah? At the appointed time/ muaed I shall return/ashub to you, at the time/ath of life/chayah, and Sarah shall have a son
The promised one was Yitshaq in whose place the ram caught with its horns in the thickets was sacrificed and the place where Abraham sacrificed the ram was Mount Moriah, that was the very place Shelemoh built the temple and Golgotha was outside the temple on that same mount where Yahusha was impaled on the stake. The word for appointed time is 'muaed' relating to Yahuah's feast and in Rabbanic tradition, they have a special wine on the night of Passover in remembrance of the promise of sending Eliyahu before the great and dreadful day of Yahuah. They do not know that Yahuchanan came in the Ruach of Eliyahu and they also failed to see the timing of his birth during Passover & Unleavened Bread which shows the preparing the way of Yahuah (by removing all leaven ) who is the true Natsari who is become our Yahusha. Yahuah brought both the feasts together to show that we as Yitshaq are the promised ones (at the appointed tim/muaed, the time of life I will return to you) and the least in the reign of the heavens being made one with Yahusha in both lamentation when the bridegroom is taken away and the great rejoicing when the bridegroom will come back to take us. All the sorrow of living in abstinence as Yahuchanan the Immerser in the wilderness will be forgotten by the greatness of being one with the rejoicing with the Master himself symbolized by the eating and drinking and making merry before Him.
Mat 11:11 “Truly, I say to you, among those born of women there has not risen one greater than Yahuchanan the Immerser, yet the least one in the reign of the heavens is greater than he.
