The True Story Of The Birth Of Jesus

     At one point during the busy Christmas season, we will listen to the story of Jesus’ birth.  Most likely, we have seen many animated productions, various pageants, and read many expressive stories on this subject.  We probably have even set up our own ceramic nativity scene.  All these work together to aid in the retelling of this beloved story... Or does it?

    Lately, I have begun to realize how many lies have been infiltrated into this simple story.  The flaws aren’t in the scripture, but in the retelling. 

      Probably the most common misconception is that Jesus was born in the month of December.  According to scripture, Luke 1: 35 and 36, “And the angel answered and said unto her, The Holy Ghost 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.  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.”

     In order to find the month of the birth of Jesus we must do some research.  Quoting, Brother William Marrion Branham in his message: " The Deity Of Jesus Christ" he says: "Now just as a background, till we get up to the part of it that I would use this morning. All of you just let yourself be in the Spirit of the Lord.  We are today all over the world is being celebrated of the birth of Jesus, which now is just traditional. Jesus was not born on no December the 5th or nothing like--or December the 25th. We know that's impossible. The hills of Judaea was full of snow at that time, so how could it be that? Jesus commonly by astrology and so forth, and by all of them was born, first, around first of April, so when it was springtime. But this is a day, which is all right, just set aside to worship in memorial of His coming to the world."

    Using this bit of information, we now know that Jesus was born during the month of Nissan and that he was conceived most likely in the month of Tammuz.  A common argument actually uses scripture.  In this I am referring to Luke 1:26 and 27, which states "And in the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent from God unto a city of Galilee, named Nazareth, To a virgin espoused to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David; and the virgin's name was Mary."

    People don't usually take the rest of what it says in Luke 1 and instead claim that the six month refers to the six month of the year, Elul, of the Jewish calendar.  But if we continue reading further, we find in 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."  So in fact, the Bible is not saying that Mary was visited in the sixth month of the year, but the six month of Elisabeth's pregnancy.

    Since we know that Jesus was probably born in the month of Nissan, we can go back nine months to the time of the angel Gabriel's visitation which would have been the month of Tammuz.  Going back six more months, we can find the time of the angel's visitation to Zacharias.  Which mean Elizabeth conceived in the month of Shevat.

    Some might still argue December to be the month of Jesus’s birth, but considering that the hills would be covered in snow at this time, Herod would not have called the people to be taxed, it would be impractical.  He wanted their money and dead subjects cannot be taxed.

    Furthermore, December 21^st was considered by pagans to be the sun god’s birthday (Winter Solstice).  During the time of the early Catholic Church, they began changing pagan relics, statues, and holidays to “Christian ones”,  which is why they changed the sun god’s birthday into the Son of God’s birthday.  Hence why December was considered the month of Jesus's birth.

    That all being said, the time of Jesus’s birth isn’t the only flaw in the modern world’s retelling.  I remember watching many animated videos on the birth of Jesus ("The Little Drummer Boy" for example) during the Christmas season.  I viewed different Christmas pageants retelling the Christmas Story.  And in the majority of the picture books I looked at, I recall seeing the wise men bowing down before the smiling baby Jesus as he laid in a manger.

    My parents knew, as I did not (being a small child) that these were lies, and they were creeping into the telling of Jesus's birth as truth.  Songs like “We Three Kings Of Orient Are” and the fact that most media portrays the three wise men as kings in their sparkling capes and crowns has induced many of us to believe it to be so.  However, the Bible clearly states these men as wise men or magus (magi), the above being defined as teachers, wise and religious men, teachers, or astrologers.  Nowhere does the definition include a king ruling a kingdom.

    Also, in many portrayed re-telling, the wise men have been seen visiting the baby Jesus in the stable.  This is also false.  Matthew 2: 11 states, “And when they were come into the house, they saw the young child with Mary his mother, and fell down, and worshipped him: and when they had opened their treasures, they presented unto him gifts; gold, and frankincense, and myrrh.”  Jesus was no longer in the stable but in the house.

    Furthermore, viewing Herod’s proclamation that all male children two years old and under to be murdered (Matthew 2:16), we know that the king knew Jesus was no longer an infant.  The scripture therefore, clearly states that Jesus was about two years old and living in a house.  

    Some may think that I am being too critical.  After all, what difference should it make what month Jesus was born or if the wise men were kings visiting Him in a stable.  My answer?  It makes all the difference in the world!  Some may think these small flaws to be harmless, but to me, they are dangerous… more than that they are destroying the foundation (scripture) that our faith should be based on.

    Some might say, “Destroys the foundation of our faith?  Isn’t that a bit extreme?”  Not at all!  The devil has long ago realized, that the most dangerous and most widely believed lie is 99% truth.  And the story of Christ's birth is not the only story to be retold with some falsehoods sprinkled in.  Doubtless you have either seen or read the review of the most recent Biblical story to hit theaters: Noah.  If you have, then you know for a fact that this modern media production is almost anything but truth.  Perhaps the only thing they got right in the retelling, in Noah’s name and the name of his three sons.

    What is to be accomplished by the faulty retelling of all these Biblical stories?  The modern world is trying to make The Truth, God’s Word, unbelievable and farfetched.  In reality, they are mocking God’s Holy Word by misconstruing it into something that will entertain their audiences and not something that will proclaim God's Truth!

     “The Book Of Esther” is another modern retelling of a Biblical story.  One of the characters strongly portrayed in the video was Haman’s daughter, though in truth she is not found throughout the whole telling of the Biblical story.  The Bible actually states that Haman’s entire house was destroyed, which would have applied to his daughter had she been in existence.  Of course, I knew this was a fictional character.  But not everyone did, I had a Christian friend actually tell me that she thought she could recall Haman’s daughter and her role in Esther’s story mentioned in the scripture!

    The point I wish to drive home, is that during this Christmas season, many false things are being lauded as truth.  Fictional things such as flying reindeer, Santa’s elves, a magical sleigh, and many things about Santa Clause himself, has captured the mind and faith of children all over the world.  As adults, of course we easily dismiss these things as false fairytales, just a game of pretend.

    It isn’t the magical fairytales that we have to be so much on guard for, such things are easily seen for what they are (lies)… but rather we should beware of the lie that is 99% truth.  It is important to me, to keep the telling of the Biblical stories as true and pure as possible.  I never want my children (in future tense J), siblings, or others to wonder what elements of the story they are hearing is truth or which parts are additives.  I want them to know that it is ALL truth.  I want them to KNOW where they stand, what they BELIEVE.   In conclusion, I never want them to believe a lie masquerading as Scripture, a lie disguised as truth by ungodly or misguided individuals.  It is my desire, that my readers take this same approach.  Do not mix scriptural truth with misguided lies.

    Let Christ's birth be retold as told in the Scripture.