One final posting (I think) before we move forward. There are still a number of folks trying to justify using Christmas as a weapon against others. It is one thing to speak, it is quite another to enslave a person with your words. Here is an excerpt from the page on celebrating Christmas and Easter: There is one thing that must be addressed with regards to the actual day of the birth of Christ. There have been many attempts to pinpoint the specific day that Jesus was born, and to tie His birth to the Feast Days of either Passover or Sukkot. Most of these efforts center around three pieces of information – the conception and birth of John the Baptist, the course of priests at the Temple, and the time of the conception of Christ in relationship to John. Without exception, nearly every such effort I have seen centers on the work of men attempting to gain Godly insights under their own power. This is how false doctrine is born. I will not rehash these same arguments, as every last one I have ever seen misses two undeniable points in scripture: First, though it appears otherwise, the Bible does not say exactly when Jesus was conceived in relation to John the Baptist. Rather, the Bible tells us when the conversation occurs between Mary and Elizabeth – not that this was the time of the conception of Christ, or that Christ had already been conceived. Likewise, this same conversation does not declare that Mary is already pregnant. It simply acknowledges the fact that Mary is the mother. “Doesn’t that mean that she is already pregnant?” No, it does not. It means only that her coming fate is known and accepted. She was considered the mother of the Savior from the moment the angel of God revealed the same to Mary, Joseph and Elizabeth. Go back through and reread the text. Ask yourself what is actually being spoken. Look to the original Greek as well for greater clarity. Second, Jesus could not have been born on either Passover or Sukkot. The reason is simple – these were pilgrimage feasts in the Law of Moses. In other words, the Messiah could not have been born in Bethlehem on either day, or His birth would have been a violation of God’s own law. Jesus would have been born in Jerusalem had His birth occurred on the Feast Days. On the pilgrimage feasts, every male Jew was required to go to Jerusalem for the feast day. Joseph could not have returned to Bethlehem for the Roman census on the feast days. Nor could he have ignored the census in favor of the feast. He would not have needed to do so. You see, this was the birth of Messiah prophesied by the Most High God. The exact timing and location was in the hands of the Father in Heaven. Sadly, this is something that cannot go without saying, as many would instantly desire to argue about the possibility of accidents and unplanned episodes during the birth, and even the conception period. In other words, Jesus was going to be born in the exact location determined by God, at the exact time determined by God – and in perfect fulfillment of the Law of God. Nothing else is even possible. If Jesus is born in Jerusalem He could not have been the Messiah. If Jesus was born on the Feast Days he could not have been Messiah. As I just said, the Lord and Savior Jesus Christ is the perfect fulfillment of the Law of Moses, and the exact details of His birth were prophesied. Just as His death was foretold in the Law of Moses as the Passover Lamb, His birth would likewise be foretold as a fulfillment of the feast days if it were in fact so. Now, this dos not mean that He was not born near the feast days, nor does it mean that He was born on December 25th. However, it does not preclude the possibility of a birth on December 25th either. It simply means that we do not know when Jesus was conceived or born. Just as the Law of Moses has no timing requirement for the birth of the Passover Lamb, there is no requirement for the birth of the fulfillment of the Passover Lamb. There are only requirements to the age, condition, keeping, etc. at the time of its death. There is something else that must be addressed. There are many that turn to a defense of “celebrating the birth of Christ is not in the Bible” as a defense. However, this is no defense, as the same can be said of not celebrating the birth of Christ. The next time that somebody declares that the Bible does not command us to celebrate the birth of the Savior, ask them this question – and follow it with this reasoning: “Then you can show me where the Bible specifically forbids celebrating the birth of Christ? Surely, with 613 specific commands and declarations of what not to do, I assume you can clearly point out that the birth of Messiah is expressly forbidden in the Bible. I assume that you can also point me to where the Bible says that deciding in my heart to celebrate the birth of the salvation of mankind is truly a sin. After all, I would expect the Bible to specifically address the hearts of men, and the intent behind why we do the things we do. Besides, it’s not like the Bible requires that we go forth and spread the Gospel, or that the birth of the Lord and Savior Jesus Christ is not found in the Gospel. Luke 2:10-14 KJV – And the angel said unto them, Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people. For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord. And this shall be a sign unto you; Ye shall find the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger. And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God, and saying, Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men. Mark 16:15 KJV – And he said unto them, Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature. Matthew 28:19 KJV – Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: Matthew 24:14 KJV – And this gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in all the world for a witness unto all nations; and then shall the end come. Surely, you can show me where the virgin birth of the Lord and Savior Jesus Christ – you know, the event that was used to allow God to come into the world as a perfect, sinless man – is not relevant, nor worth celebrating. Never mind that it has become a day where many come to understand the Gospel for the very first time. You can show me these things in the Bible, and not your personal interpretation?” tribulationrisingcom.fatcow/542-2/
Posted on: Sun, 28 Dec 2014 18:09:28 +0000
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