Jim Caviezel as Jesus in the movie, “Passion of the Christ” by Meil Gibson

By God’s Kingdom Society

In the Explanatory Catechism of Christian Doctrine (Revised Edition of 1971) in answer to Questions 50 and 51, it is stated that our Saviour was born in a stable in Bethlehem on Christmas Day.

Therefore, the belief is rife (both among Christians and non-Christians the world over) that Christ was born on Christmas Day, a celebration which takes place on the 25th of December every year.  But how the Church leaders/clergymen of Christendom arrived at this date when there is no passage of the Scripture to support this claim, people do not care to ask because of the belief that Pastors, Reverends, Bishops, etc do not tell lies.

1 Thessalonians 5:21: It was St. Paul who said that Christians should prove all things and hold fast to that which is good.

Based on this scriptural premise, we of the GKS, therefore, after diligent research into the Holy Bible together with sacred and profane historical records have come to the conclusion that Christ was born in the month of October and not December. This we arrived at through Bible chronology/sequence of Ancient events as well as lucid (clearly expressed) timing of the conceptions and births of John the Baptist and Jesus Christ respectively.

BIBLE ACCOUNT

In those days, King David appointed 24 Jewish priests (The descendants of Aaron) to officiate in the temple in a year.  With 24 priests shared into the 12 months of the year; 2 priests served in a month, one would start from the beginning of the month and retire at the middle while the second priest would take over officiation from the middle to the end of the month. That ends their officiation for the year. 1 Chronicles 24:1-19.

It is worthy to state from the outset that the 12 months of the Jewish calendar do not run concurrently with that of the Gregorian Calendar we are using today, in that, the first month of the Jewish calendar known as Nisan/Abib corresponds to our latter March to early April, Zif/Iyaa corresponds to our latter April to early May, Sivan corresponds to our latter May to early June, Tammuz corresponds to our latter June to early July and so on. Look up Oxford Encyclopedia Concordance Page 197 and Universal Bible Dictionary by Buckland and Williams Page 475.

We are told in 1 Chronicles 24:10 that the Priest Abijah officiated in 8th course in the 4th month of the Jews called Tammuz which corresponds to our latter June to early July.

After Abijah died, other priests succeeded him until it came to the turn of Zechariah. Zachariah (being one of the successors of Abijah) also officiated in the 8th course (termed the course of Abia) which started from the middle to the end of the 4th month of the Jews called Tammuz which corresponds to our latter June to early July. Thus, Zachariah’s officiation was billed to terminate in early July.

The account of Luke 1:5-57 shows clearly that Elizabeth conceived in July after Zachariah’s officiation. Then, she hid herself for 5 months (i.e. from July to November).  In December (when Elizabeth was 6 months pregnant), the angel appeared to Mary, then Mary went and stayed with Elizabeth for 3 additional months (i.e. January, February, and March).

Thus, adding the 6 months of Elizabeth’s conception at the angel’s annunciation to Mary, to the 3 months that Mary stayed with her, gives 9 months of Elizabeths pregnancy. Then Elizabeths full time came that she should be delivered; and she brought forth a son obviously in the 10th month, April.

This account also shows that John the Baptist was 6 months older than Jesus Christ. If then John was born in the month of April, it is just a matter of adding 6 months to April to give us the month in which Christ was born, which is October.

Secondly, you will recall that in December (when Elizabeth was 6 months pregnant), the angel appeared to Mary and told her that she would conceive and bear a son, (then, Mary went and stayed with Elizabeth for 3 additional months (i.e. January, February and march).

As the story had it, when Mary entered the house of Zachariah and saluted Elizabeth, something dramatic happened which made Elizabeth (at the instance of the Holy Spirit) make proclamations which shows that in the month of January, Mary was pregnant. Luke 1:41-44.

This gives credence to the fact that Mary conceived in the month of January in which she visited Elizabeth.

Having been equipped with the knowledge that Mary conceived in January, it is just a matter of counting the 9 months of Marys conception from January which are January to September, then anytime in the 10th month October our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ was born.

But the actual date in October, whether October 1, October 10 or October 25 etc, no one knows because the Bible is silent about the particular day Christ was born. We (of the GKS) say what we know as Christ enjoined us in John 3:11.

Again, it is a fact of the Holy Bible that Christ was killed in the month of April. Also, it is common knowledge (based on the Holy Bible) that Christ lived for 33 ½ years before he was killed. Therefore, for the Churches to celebrate his death (which is termed Good Friday) in April goes to show that Christ was not born in December. If we say that Christ was born in December, it therefore means that his 33rd birth anniversary fell in December. Then, 6 months later, that is in June, he was killed.  Thus, going by the celebration of Christ birth in December, then Good Friday should not have been in April but in June.

The plain truth based on the Holy Bible is that Christ was born in the month of OCTOBER.  Thus, his 33rd birth anniversary fell in October. Then, adding ½ a year (which is 6 months) we arrive at April, the month he was killed according to the Bible.

From the foregoing, it is clear that those who changed/altered the month Christ was born (because it was not written chapter and verse in the Bible) could not change the month he was killed which is clearly stated in the Bible.

Hence, the month he was killed together with the number of years he lived (here on earth) is now being used to prove the month he was born.

Viewing the Gospel story of the birth of Christ in Luke 2:1-14 against the climatic conditions of Palestine in the month of December, it leads to the conclusion that December could not have been the month of Christ’s birth. According to the gospel story, at the time of Christ’s birth, there was mass movement of people from one place to another as people traveled back to their land of nativity to be taxed (or counted) in accordance with the decree from Caesar Augustus that the world should be taxed. Also, there were shepherds in the open field keeping watch over their flocks by night. All these could not have been possible in the month of December, (being the 9th month of the Jews called Chisleu  Zechariah 7:1). This is because December in Palestine was so cold that a King of Judah called Jehoiakim left his throne to sit in front of a fireplace for warmth. Jeremiah 36:22 (Living Bible). 

Also, December in those days in Palestine was a time of great rain.  Ezra 10:9,13.

Thus, it becomes very unthinkable/contrary to reason for shepherds to keep watch over their flock at the open field at night in such an extreme condition, or for people (including pregnant women and women with children) to travel in.

But October (which is the Jewish 7th month called Tishri/Ethanim) was a time of normal weather that permitted outdoor activities. 1 Kings 8:2.

Notable historians have attested to the fact that December 25 is very unlikely for the birth of Jesus Christ

Earl W. Count in his book 4000 years of Christmas said that December 25 is no more the historic date of Christ’s birth than is any other. On how December 25 came to be associated with Christ’s birth, he said that Christians chose it to be his birthday only several centuries after he had lived and died. Page 34.

Rev. Alexander Hislop in his book, The Two Babylons, Pages 91-92 he said: “There is not a word in the scriptures about the precise day of his birth or the time of the year when he was born. What is recorded there, implies that at what time soever his birth took place, it could not have been on the 25th of December.  Though the heat of the day be considerable, the cold of the night, from December to February, is very piercing, and it was not the custom of the shepherds of Judae to watch over their flocks in the open field later than about the end of October.  It is in the last degree incredible, then, that the birth of Christ could have taken place at the end of December.”  

He then went further to quote another author called Gill who mentioned the most-likely month Christ would have been born based on the account of his birth in Luke 2:8 viz a viz the climatic features in Palestine when he said: “The first rain falls in the month Machesvan which answers to the latter part of our October and the former part of November from whence it appears that Christ must have been born before the middle of October, since the first rain was not yet come.”

From all said, it is clear that Christ was born in the month of October and not December 25. By Gods grace, we (of the GKS) have searched it, so it is; hear it, and know thou it for thy good. Job 5:27.