"WHAT THE BIBLE SAYS ABOUT THE BIRTH OF JESUS"

The birth of Jesus was foretold in prophecy recorded in the Old Testament (Genesis 3:15; Deuteronomy 18:15-18; Psalm 2:7. Isaiah 7:14-16; 9:6; 49: 1, 5). The exact time of his birth was not revealed in prophecy. In Galatians 4:4-5, the Bible says, "But when the fullness of the time had come, God sent forth .His Son, born of a woman, horn under the law, " {5} "to redeem those who were under the law, that we might receive the adoption as sons. " The Bible says that when the time was right God became flesh.

In Luke 2:1-21 and Luke 3:1-2, the Bible gives its most specific evidence as to the time of Jesus' birth and to circumstances surrounding His earthly life. Also, in Matthew 2:1, the Bible says, "Now after Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of Herod the king, behold, wise men from the East came to Jerusalem. " Other than these references the ancient Jewish historian, Josephus, records that King Herod died in 4 B.C., and that the census recorded in Luke 2 happened somewhere between 749 B.C. and 1 A.D. Therefore, it is ASSUMED that Jesus was born sometime during the period before Herod's death.

The Bible does not record an exact day, month, or year of the birth of Christ. Knowing that the Bible does give us all that we need to know about the workings of God, we must conclude that we did not need to know WHEN Jesus was born (2 Timothy 3:16-17). In Acts 1:6-7, The Bible says, "Therefore, when they had come together, they asked Him, saying, "Lord, will You at this time restore the kingdom to Israel? " {7}"And He said to them, "It is not for you to know times or seasons which the Father has put in His own authority. " In this passage Jesus explains that chronology and preoccupation with God's timetable for accomplishing His goals are not the primary concern of christians.

Therefore, knowing what the Bible does and doesn't say regarding the birth of Jesus, we must conclude that for man to say more than this is improper and presumptuous. We cannot and should designate any day as the birth of Christ when we do not know when it was. Nor should we legislate a day for its observance. God has never instructed us to do any of these things.

David Decker              

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