By Augusto Perez The Appearance Ministries
Friends,
Trust this finds you well. Today December 25 is being celebrated by Christians all over the world as the day when our beloved LORD and SAVIOR Jesus Christ Yahushua was born. It behooves us to meditate and ponder upon on this important Truth today as multitudes of Christians (and people in general) forget and neglect the true meaning of Christmas, as they indulge themselves in eating, drinking and the exchange of gifts. Those of us who have taken the time to research and study the origins of Christmas have found out that Jesus Christ was not born on this date. We have also discovered that this Holiday is totally immersed in heathen paganism, with some occult overtones. Some believers at the risk of throwing the baby out with the bathwater, have discarded Christmas altogether, to the point where they don't even dare to say Merry Christmas for fear of being rebuked by those who know the truth regarding the birth of our Messiah. However, in doing this these believers are missing out on the incredible opportunity they could have to share the good news of the gospel and the birth of our Messiah with a dying world who is oblivious to this Truth, and running headlong into hell. There is another interesting piece of information that I have found out while researching the subject of the true birth date of our LORD and SAVIOR Jesus Christ which I would like to share with you. The fact that He was born in a stable is a clue to the time of His birth, for in the Hebrew language a stable is called a "Sukkah" Genesis 33:17 "And Jacob journeyed to Succoth, and built him a house, and made booths for his cattle: therefore the name of the place is called Succoth." Sukkot is the name of one of the LORD's Holy Feasts in the Fall. Joseph and Mary went to Jerusalem for the festival of Sukkot (September/October) and probably planned to stay nearby in Bethlehem in order to register for the census. Right before the birth of Messiah, they were not able to find room in an inn and had to seek cover in a stable "Sukkah". This was one of the pilgrim festivals when thousands of people would go to Jerusalem for the festival, and Bethlehem (as well as other surrounding towns) would overflow with people from all over Israel. Luke 2:7 "And she brought forth her firstborn son, and wrapped him in swaddling clothes, and laid him in a manger; because there was no room for them in the inn." At the time when Mary is giving birth to Messiah, the wise men of the East arrive in Jerusalem and speak with Herod. At that same time, a heavenly host of angels appear to the shepherds proclaiming to them that the Messiah has been born. As they left and went to pay homage to the new born King, the wise men of the East went on their way to Bethlehem. Matthew 2:1-2 "Now when Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of Herod the king, behold, there came wise men from the east to Jerusalem, Saying, Where is he that is born King of the Jews? for we have seen his star in the east, and are come to worship him." In the Bible the expression "land of the East" is always referring to the land of Babylon (Genesis 29:1; Judges 6:3). From the above scripture, if you connect the dots you will come to the understanding that the "wise men" of the East are Jewish; probably descendants from those who were captured during the reign of Babylonian King Nebuchadnezzar. The rabbis were known as "chakamim" which means "wise men". Daniel the prophet was referred by this same title in Egypt. It can be easily concluded that these Jewish Rabbis, sages or wise men from Babylon, knowing about an ancient prophecy found in scripture, traveled to Jerusalem to pay homage to the new born King. The prophecy related to the birth of Messiah and a star was one that only theJewish people were familiar with. Numbers 24:17 "I shall see him, but not now: I shall behold him, but not near: there shall come a Star out of Jacob, and a Scepter shall rise out of Israel, and shall crush the forehead of Moab, and destroy all the children of Sheth." Trust this revelation will bring you joy as you celebrate Christmas with your family. Shalom.