Can the date of Jesus' birth be biblically verified (part 7)

 

1.      The Ministry of Jesus Christ

It was known when Jesus Christ attained the age of thirty, for according to the law of the priesthood, “from thirty years old and above, even to fifty years old, all who enter the service to do the work in the tabernacle of meeting:” Now Jesus Himself began His ministry at about thirty years of age, being (as was supposed) the son of Joseph, the son of Heli” (Numbers 4:3; Luke 3:23).

Now, His ministry officially began with the Feast of Tabernacles for it is written; “Now the Jews' Feast of Tabernacles was at hand. His brothers therefore said to Him, "Depart from here and go into Judea, that Your disciples also may see the works that You are doing. For no one does anything in secret while he himself seeks to be known openly. If You do these things, show Yourself to the world." For even His brothers did not believe in Him. Then Jesus said to them, "My time has not yet come, but your time is always ready. The world cannot hate you, but it hates Me because I testify of it that its works are evil. You go up to this feast. I am not yet going up to this feast, for My time has not yet fully come” (John 7:2-8).

Now when His brothers had gone up, then He also went up to the feast, not openly, but as it were in secret and about the middle of the feast Jesus went up into the temple and taught. And the Jews marveled, saying, "How does this Man know letters, having never studied?" Jesus answered them and said, "My doctrine is not Mine, but His who sent Me.” (John 7:10, 1-16).

On that same last day of the Feast of Tabernacles whilst Jesus was teaching in the temple, some of them from Jerusalem said, "Is this not He whom they seek to kill? But look! He speaks boldly, and they say nothing to Him. Do the rulers know indeed that this is truly the Christ? However, we know where this Man is from; but when the Christ comes, no one knows where He is from" (John 7:25-27).

The question is, are we still holding on to the notion that no one knows when Jesus Christ was born! How long are we going to continue promulgating this lie and denying the Lord of His honor and glory? How long are we going to continue worshiping the creature and the creation instead of the Creator?

2.      Jesus’ trial before Pilate

When Jesus appeared before Pilate, he said to Him, "Are You a king then?" Jesus answered, "You say rightly that I am a king. For this cause I was born and for this cause I have come into the world, that I should bear witness to the truth. Everyone who is of the truth hears My voice." (John 18:37).

Here again we see as foretold by the prophet Isaiah, that the main objective for the Word becoming flesh is to be King  to reign over the kingdom of David from the time of His birth forever. And so we have been admonished saying; “And it shall come to pass that everyone who is left of all the nations which came against Jerusalem shall go up from year to year to worship the King, the LORD of hosts, and to keep the Feast of Tabernacles.

And it shall be that whichever of the families of the earth do not come up to Jerusalem to worship the King, the LORD of hosts, on them there will be no rain. If the family of Egypt will not come up and enter in, they shall have no rain; they shall receive the plague with which the LORD strikes the nations who do not come up to keep the Feast of Tabernacles” (Zachariah 14:16-18).

Here one can see clearly that the Feast of Tabernacles is affiliated with the worship of the King, a title that was bestowed on Jesus Christ from birth, and the Eighth day of the feast commemorates the circumcision of Jesus Christ.

Even the sugar coating and excuses find for celebrating Christmas calling it a time for family reunion is a theme and custom taken from the celebration of the Feast of Tabernacles as we have been instructed saying; “You shall observe the Feast of Tabernacles seven days, when you have gathered from your threshing floor and from your winepress. And you shall rejoice in your feast, you and your son and your daughter, your male servant and your female servant and the Levite, the stranger and the fatherless and the widow, who are within your gates. Seven days you shall keep a sacred feast to the LORD your God in the place which the LORD chooses, because the LORD your God will bless you in all your produce and in all the work of your hands, so that you surely rejoice” (Deuteronomy 16:13-15).

For someone to say that no one knows the date of Christ’s birth is a liar and a deceiver because the scriptures are replete with concrete evidence that Jesus Christ is the King of kings and Lord of lords and the Feast of Tabernacles with the Eighth day festival is to commemorate the birth and circumcision of Jesus Christ.

So then the root cause for the notion that no one knows the date of Jesus's birth is their refusal and denial to honor and glorify Him as the King of kings and Lord of lords  a title that was prophesied and bestowed upon Him from birth  and will be observed and celebrated in His honor forever.

 The date of Jesus Christ's birth has and could never be a secret because the angel who announced the birth of Jesus Christ said to the shepherds "Do not be afraid, for behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy which will be to all people. For there is born to you this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord.."

Therefore, if it was a secret or unknown, the question is who hid it? But truly, these times of ignorance God overlooked, but now commands all men everywhere to repent, the question is will you?

With brotherly love

Lucius Joseph

Can the date of Chrust's birth be verified (part 6)

 

1.  The presentation of Jesus Christ to the Father

If no one knows when Jesus Christ was born, how did they know when He was 33 days old and, when the days of Mary’s purification was completed since it is clearly stated; “Now when the days of her purification according to the law of Moses were completed, they brought Him to Jerusalem to present Him to the Lord (as it is written in the law of the Lord, "Every male who opens the womb shall be called holy to the LORD" ), and to offer a sacrifice according to what is said in the law of the Lord, "A pair of turtledoves or two young pigeons" (Luke 2:22-24).

On that same day, which is thirty three days after the birth of Jesus, it is stated that, “And behold, there was a man in Jerusalem whose name was Simeon, and this man was just, and devout, waiting for the consolation of Israel, and the Holy Spirit was upon him. And it had been revealed to him by the Holy Spirit that he would not see death before he had seen the Lord’s Christ. So he came by the Spirit into the temple. And when the parents brought in the child Jesus, to do for him according to the custom of the law, Simeon took him up in his arms and blessed God and said: “Lord, now you are letting your servant depart in peace, according to your word; for my eyes have seen your salvation which you have prepared before the face of all peoples, a light to bring revelation to the Gentiles, and the glory of your people Israel” (Luke 2:25-32).

2.      The visit of the wise men from the East

The visit of the wise men from the east is another proof to confirm that the reign of Jesus Christ as King commenced with His birth, for it is written; “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, saying, "Where is He who has been born King of the Jews? For we have seen His star in the East and have come to worship Him" (Mathew 2:1-2)

And when they had come into the house, they saw the young Child with Mary His mother, and fell down and worshiped Him. And when they had opened their treasures, they presented gifts to Him: gold, frankincense, and myrrh.” The gold was to honor Him as King, the frankincense was to honor Him as God, and the myrrh was to honor Him as Man.

3.      Jesus at the age of twelve

The scriptures clearly state; “And when He was twelve years old, they went up to Jerusalem according to the custom of the feast. When they had finished the days, as they returned, the Boy Jesus lingered behind in Jerusalem. And Joseph and His mother did not know it; but supposing Him to have been in the company, they went a day's journey, and sought Him among their relatives and acquaintances. So when they did not find Him, they returned to Jerusalem, seeking Him. Now so it was that after three days they found Him in the temple, sitting in the midst of the teachers, both listening to them and asking them questions. And all who heard Him were astonished at His understanding and answers" (Luke 2:1-47).

So how could they know when Jesus was twelve years old if the date of His birth is unknown!  I hope that we have so far seen where the deception lies,; it is the refusal to give honor and glory to Jesus Christ as the King of kings and Lord of lords which is exemplified by observing the Feast of Tabernacles.

To be continued

With brotherly love

Lucius Joseph

Supposedly unknown date of Christ's birth (continued)

 

Unless one knows, understands and believes in the ultimate reason why the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, the date of Christ’s birth will always elude them. The Word became flesh in order that He could experience life like every human being, to conquered sin in the flesh so that sin can have no dominion over us, died to pay the price of sin in our stead so that we need not die, resurrected from the dead and gave us a new life in the spirit, sitting at the right hand of the Father to intercede and mediate on our behalf, then will return to rule the earth for one thousand years.

Then comes the end, when He delivers the kingdom to God the Father, when He puts an end to all rule and all authority and power, for  He must reign till He has put all enemies under His feet. The last enemy that will be destroyed is death: For "He has put all things under His feet." But when He says "all things are put under Him," it is evident that He who put all things under Him is excepted. Now when all things are made subject to Him, then the Son Himself will also be subject to Him who put all things under Him, that God may be all in all” (1Corinthians 15:2-28).

Therefore the ultimate purpose for Jesus Christ the Beloved and Begotten Son of God to take on flesh and dwelt among men is to restore everything back in harmony with the Father and the task of this restoration began with the date of His birth, so the birth of Jesus Christ has everything to do with Kingship,  rulership  which was literally announced by the arrival of the King of kings to the earth.

1.      2. The shepherds visit by an Angel

On the exact day on which Jesus Christ was born we are duly instructed saying that there were shepherds who were keeping watch over their flock by night and they were greeted by an angel who said to them, "Do not be afraid, for behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy which will be to all people. For there is born to you this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord.”

Later that same night, 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, goodwill toward men!", As soon as the angels had gone away from them into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, "Let us now go to Bethlehem and see this thing that has come to pass, which the Lord has made known to us." And they came with haste and found Mary and Joseph, and the Babe lying in a manger. Now when they had seen Him, they made widely known the saying which was told them concerning this Child. And all those who heard it marveled at those things which were told them by the shepherds. Then the shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all the things that they had heard and seen, as it was told them” (Luke 2:9-20).

This day as one can clearly see was not a secret, neither did the shepherds kept it as a secret, they made it widely known and all those who heard it marveled at those things which were told them by the shepherds and the shepherds themselves, returned to their fields glorifying and praising God for all the things they had heard and seen exactly how it was told to them. I therefore beg to ask the question, why are people assuming that the date of Christ's birth is unknown?

2.     3.  The circumcision of Jesus Christ

How would the people know when to circumcise Jesus if they did not know the date of His birth, when the scripture plainly states, “And when eight days were completed for the circumcision of the Child, His name was called JESUS, the name given by the angel before He was conceived in the womb” (Luke 2:21).

How could such a day like the day of His circumcision which is eight days after His birth be unknown! Since on that day, “God also highly exalted Him and gave Him the name which is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of those in heaven, and of those on earth, and of those under the earth, and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father?” (Philippians 2:9-11).

It was also on the eight day after the birth, of Jesus Christ through His circumcision that Gentiles became heirs to the promises the God made to Israel as it is written; “Therefore remember that you, once Gentiles in the flesh --- who are called Un-circumcision by what is called the Circumcision made in the flesh by hands ---that at that time you were without Christ, being aliens from the commonwealth of Israel and strangers from the covenants of promise, having no hope and without God in the world. But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far off have been brought near by the blood of Christ” (Ephesians 2:11-13).

I again beg to ask the question, how could this remarkable and memorable day of Christ's birth and also that of His circumcision be hidden and unknown to man?

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07XYGDD7M

With brotherly love

Lucius Joseph

Why is the birth date of Jesus Christ supposedly being unknown?

 

For fifty years I have not celebrated the festival of Christmas after proving that the ideology of shepherds living out in the fields, keeping watch over their flock by night is attributed to the 25^th of December in the middle of winter lacked veracity and denied every sense of logic.

During that same period of time I began observing a Jewish festival in the month of September and sometimes early October called the “Feast of Tabernacles” which is for seven days and the Eighth Day is also a day of Holy convocation called the last Great Day of the Feast.

I spent twenty five years in a religious organization celebrating this festival and the rationale for observing this festival was because it is one of the ordained festivals of the Lord as the scripture clearly states, “'These are the feasts of the LORD, holy convocations which you shall proclaim at their appointed times” (Leviticus 23:4).

But apart from being obedient to the word of God the rationale for observing this festival was as a foreshadow of the millennium when Jesus Christ will establish His kingdom on earth and the Eighth Day foreshadowed  eternity. No one associated this time as the time to commemorate the birth and circumcision of Jesus Christ, in fact, birthday celebrations were discouraged because it was said that, Jesus did not require us to celebrate His birthday, because if He did, he would have given us the date of His birth.

They also used the calamity of the sons of Job which states, “Your sons and daughters were eating and drinking wine in their oldest brother's house, and suddenly a great wind came from across the wilderness and struck the four corners of the house, and it fell on the young people, and they are dead; and I alone have escaped to tell you!"  As an excuse not to celebrate birthdays (Job 1:18-19).

It was only twenty five years ago when I disassociated myself with this religious organization and started an independent ministry that I came to have the understanding that I have today. What I encourage anyone reading this article to do is to be open-minded and allow the Holy Spirit to reveal this hidden truth to you because the truth about the date of Jesus’s birth has been hidden from man for two obvious reasons.

The first reason is that, Satan, the god of this age has blinded the minds of those who do not believe, lest the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine on them. He has deceived man that the date of Jesus’ birth is unknown so that the Lord’s honor and glory will be diverted to him

Secondly, the date of Jesus’ birth has been hidden from man so that it will not be commercialized as they have done with Christmas and New Year. For it is written; “He has done violence to His tabernacle, as if it were a garden; He has destroyed His place of assembly; The LORD has caused the appointed feasts and Sabbaths to be forgotten in Zion. In His burning indignation He has spurned the king and the priest. The Lord has spurned His altar, He has abandoned His sanctuary; He has given up the walls of her palaces into the hand of the enemy. They have made a noise in the house of the LORD as on the day of a set feast” (Lamentation 2:.6-7).

How could someone make such assumption as saying that the date of Jesus’ birth is not as significant as the date of His death! Bearing in mind the fact that, it is Jesus the Word who was in the beginning with God. and who Himself was God, by whom all things were created, and without Him was nothing made that was made, who became flesh and dwelt among us and we beheld His glory, as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth. How could this remarkable day not be recorded and continually be commemorated? How could such a memorable day with such significance be hidden from man?

Let me now prove without any shadow of doubt from the scriptures the exact date of Jesus’ birth. A date which is remarkable and memorable, that should and will never be forgotten since the ultimate objective for Christ coming in the flesh is eternal.

1.      Isaiah’s prophecy

The prophet Isaiah prophesied saying; “For unto us a Child is born, unto us a Son is given; and the government will be upon His shoulder. And His name will be called Wonderful, Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, and Prince of Peace. Of the increase of His government and peace there will be no end, upon the throne of David and over His kingdom, to order it and establish it with judgment and justice from that time forward, even forever. The zeal of the Lord of hosts will perform this” (Isaiah 9:6-7)

Please note carefully that, “from that time forward, even forever” relates to the kingship and ruler ship of Jesus Christ from the time of His birth and will continue forever.

To be continued

With brotherly love

Lucius Joseph

Can the date of Christ's birth be biblically proven (Part three)

 

Now, in the seventh month of the year according to the Jewish Calendar which coincides with the month of September or early October in the modern Gregorian/Roman calendar, there is a festival of the Lord called the Feast of Tabernacles which honors the King of kings and since Jesus Christ was born as King, obviously, this festival is to honor and celebrate the arrival of Jesus Christ as the King of kings.

Here are some biblical proofs to prove that this festival commemorates the arrival of Jesus Christ into this world.

a.       Jesus Christ our tabernacle

Before the advent of Jesus Christ this festival was to remind the children of Israel that they were temporary dwellers, for they were admonished saying; “You shall dwell in booths for seven days. All who are native Israelites shall dwell in booths, that your generations may know that I made the children of Israel dwell in booths when I brought them out of the land of Egypt: I am the LORD your God” (Leviticus 23:2-3).

But with the advent of Jesus Christ who became flesh and dwelt (tabernacle) among us, believers now have their permanent dwelling in Jesus Christ, for in Him we live, in Him we move and have  our existence.

b.      Jesus Christ was herald King from birth

When the wise men from the East came to Jerusalem they asked; "Where is He who has been born King of the Jews? For we have seen His star in the East and have come to worship Him" (Matthew 2:1-2).

So we see definitely that Jesus Christ received the title as King from birth and He confirmed this during His trial before Pilate who asked Him, “Are You a King then?" Jesus answered him and said, “You say rightly that I am a king. For this cause I was born and for this cause I have come into the world, that I should bear witness to the truth. Everyone who is of the truth hears My voice" (John 18:37).

There is therefore, no ambiguity that the festival of Tabernacles which is to honor the King of kings also commemorates the birth of Jesus Christ as clearly stated¸ “And it shall come to pass that everyone who is left of all the nations which came against Jerusalem shall go up from year to year to worship the King, the LORD of hosts, and to keep the Feast of Tabernacles. And it shall be that whichever of the families of the earth do not come up to Jerusalem to worship the King, the LORD of hosts, on them there will be no rain. If the family of Egypt will not come up and enter in, they shall have no rain; they shall receive the plague with which the LORD strikes the nations who do not come up to keep the Feast of Tabernacles (Zechariah 14:16-18).

As one can clearly see, the spirit, the rationale and the main objective for observing the Feast of Tabernacles is to worship and honor the King, the Lord of hosts a title that was assigned to Jesus Christ from birth.

c.       The date of Jesus Christ`s death

The date of Jesus Christ´s death also points to the date of His birth. It is stated quite explicitly that, “Jesus Himself began His ministry at about thirty years of age, being (as was supposed) the son of Joseph, the son of Heli” (Luke 3:23).

Now most biblical scholars know that the ministry of Jesus Christ lasted for 3 ½ years which officially began during the Feast of Tabernacles when His brothers who did not believe Him said to Him, “Depart from here and go into Judea, that Your disciples also may see the works that You are doing. For no one does anything in secret while he himself seeks to be known openly. If You do these things, show Yourself to the world." For even His brothers did not believe in Him. Then Jesus said to them, "My time has not yet come, but your time is always ready. The world cannot hate you, but it hates Me because I testify of it that its works are evil. You go up to this feast. I am not yet going up to this feast, for My time has not yet fully come” (John7:3-8).

But later we are told that, “when His brothers had gone up, then He also went up to the feast, not openly, but as it were in secret: Now, about the middle of the feast Jesus went up into the temple and taught. And the Jews marveled, saying, "How does this Man know letters, having never studied?" Jesus answered them and said, "My doctrine is not Mine, but His who sent Me” (John 7:10, 1-16).

So then, the 3 ½ years ministry of Jesus Christ began during the Feast of Tabernacles which is held from the 15^th day of the seventh month of the year for seven days which also includes an Eighth day known as the last day, that great day of the feast, when Jesus stood and cried out, saying, "If anyone thirsts, let him come to Me and drink. He who believes in Me, as the Scripture has said, out of his heart will flow rivers of living water." But this He spoke concerning the Spirit, whom those believing in Him would receive; for the Holy Spirit was not yet given, because Jesus was not yet glorified” (John 7:37-39).

This Eighth day commemorates the circumcision of Jesus Christ, who according to the gospel states that, “when eight days (after His birth) were completed for the circumcision of the Child, His name was called JESUS, the name given by the angel before He was conceived in the womb” (Luke 2:21).

Have you ever wondered why the deceptive Christmas day conspiracy as the date of Christ´s birth has an eighth day holiday following it with a so called new year? What a deception!

So then, how does the death of Jesus Christ leads us to the date of His birth? The date of His death was on the 14th day of the first month, 3 ½ years of ministry prior to this date will lead us to the 15^th day of the seventh month which coincides with the feast of Tabernacles.

It is so sad that people choose to close their minds to this massive deception that is hovering the earth choosing to give honor and glory to Satan by honoring Saturn, their harvest god, and Mithras, the god of light instead of giving their honor and glory to the One and only true God who says plainly, “I am the LORD, that is My name; And My glory I will not give to another, Nor My praise to carved images” (Isaiah 42:8).

People do not seem to understand how idolatrous and disrespectful it is to associate the name of God with vain worship an the worship of false gods, but God has overlooked these times of ignorance and commanded all men everywhere to repent.

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To be continued

With brotherly love

Lucius Joseph

Can the date of Jesus' birth be biblically proven (part 2)

 

1.      Elizabeth´s conception

Another biblical proof of the date of Jesus is the birth date of John Baptist who is said to be six months older that Jesus Christ. So if the birth date of John Baptist can be determined, it will not be that difficult to determine the birth date of Jesus Christ, now concerning this matter we are told that, Zacharias the father of John Baptist was serving in the temple according to the custom of the priesthood, his lot fell to burn incense when he went into the temple of the Lord.”

And the whole multitude of the people was praying outside at the hour of incense. Then an angel of the Lord appeared to him, standing on the right side of the altar of incense. And when Zacharias saw him, he was troubled, and fear fell upon him. But the angel said to him, "Do not be afraid, Zacharias, for your prayer is heard; and your wife Elizabeth will bear you a son, and you shall call his name John. And you will have joy and gladness, and many will rejoice at his birth.” (Luke 1:8-14).

The rest of the story is that Zacharias doubted, for he said to the angel, "How shall I know this? For I am an old man, and my wife is well advanced in years." And the angel answered and said to him, "I am Gabriel, who stands in the presence of God, and was sent to speak to you and bring you these glad tidings. But behold, you will be mute and not able to speak until the day these things take place, because you did not believe my words which will be fulfilled in their own time” (Luke 1:18-20).

But as soon as the days of Zacharias'  service were completed, that he departed to his own house. Now after those days (of his service in the temple) his wife Elizabeth conceived; and she hid herself five months, saying, "Thus the Lord has dealt with me, in the days when He looked on me, to take away my reproach among people" (Luke 1:23-25).

The logical question now is, when was Zacharias days of service? According to the scriptures; “There was in the days of Herod, the king of Judea, a certain priest named Zacharias, of the division of Abijah. His wife was of the daughters of Aaron, and her name was Elizabeth.” It is further stated in scripture that Abijah from whom Zacharias the father of John Baptist descended was of the eighth division (Luke 1:5, 1Chronicles 24:10).

The priesthood was made up of twenty-four divisions which means that the period of service for each division would be 14.75 (approximately 15 days) per year, and therefore, the eighth division would be during the last two weeks of the fourth month of the year. Therefore, Zacharias, the father of John Baptist tour of duty in the temple was during the last two weeks of the fourth month, and after the fourth month he departed to his house and after those days, which takes us to the fifth month of the year his wife Elizabeth was conceived.

Therefore, if Elizabeth was conceived during the fifth month of the year, the birth of John Baptiste was during the first month of the following year, and since he was six months older than Jesus Christ, this means that Jesus Christ was born during the seventh month of the year based on the Jewish Lunar calendar which falls between September and October in the Roman calendar.

To be continued

With brotherly love

Lucius Joseph

Can the date of Christ´s birth be biblically proven.

 

Can the date of Christ´s birth be biblically proven

The majority of people grew up with the notion that no one knows the exact date of Jesus’ birth and therefore, regard and observe the pagan festival of Christmas as a substitute to commemorate the birth of our Savior despite the fact that worshiping God according to the customs and traditions of men is both vain and idolatrous.

According to the encyclopedia, “The first mention of the celebration of Christmas occurred in AD 336 in an early Roman calendar which indicates December 25th as the day of observance. This celebration was probably influenced by pagan [unchristian] festivals held at that time. The ancient Romans held year end celebrations to honor Saturn, their harvest god, and Mithras, the god of light. Various peoples in northern Europe held festivals in mid-December to celebrate the end of the harvest season”

Therefore, the objective, the rationale, the spirit for celebrating Christmas is to honor Saturn, the harvest god, and Mithras the god of light which according to the word of God is forbidden, for thus says the Lord; “And take heed, lest you lift your eyes to heaven, and when you see the sun, the moon, and the stars, all the host of heaven, you feel driven to worship them and serve them, which the LORD your God has given to all the peoples under the whole heaven as a heritage” (Deuteronomy 4:19).

Furthermore, when it comes to the worship of God two things are paramount which are, the worship of God in spirit and truth as we have been duly instructed saying; “But the hour is coming, and now is, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth; for the Father is seeking such to worship Him. God is Spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth” (John 4:2-25).

On this basis alone I see no logical reason why those of us who profess to be believers in Jesus Christ should associate the birth of Jesus Christ with a pagan festival. Some people try to sugarcoat it by saying that it is a time for family reunion which again is a camouflage to substitute this festival with the true festival which commemorates the birth of Jesus Christ.

So then, with all the lies and deceptions that surrounds this very important event and leading so many sincere, honest people astray and having them to commit idolatry and worshiping God in vain is there any possibility of verifying the exact date of Christ´s birth? There are enough biblical proof to prove the date of Jesus ‘birth which are:

1.      The conception of Mary

Mary we are told was visited by an angel who said to her, “Rejoice, highly favored one, the Lord is with you; blessed are you among women!" But when she saw him, she was troubled at his saying, and considered what manner of greeting this was. Then the angel said to her, "Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God. And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bring forth a Son, and shall call His name JESUS. He will be great, and will be called the Son of the Highest; and the Lord God will give Him the throne of His father David” (Luke 1:28-32).

Then Mary replied to the angel and said, “How can this be, since I do not know a man?" Then the angel answered her and said to her, "The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Highest will overshadow you; therefore, also, that Holy One who is to be born will be called the Son of God. Now indeed, Elizabeth your relative has also conceived a son in her old age; and this is now the sixth month for her who was called barren: For with God nothing will be impossible" (Luke 1:35-37).

It is therefore conclusive that John Baptiste was six months older than Jesus Christ, because as soon as the angel departed, Mary arose in those days and went into the hill country with haste, to a city of Judah, and entered the house of Zacharias and greeted Elizabeth. And it happened, when Elizabeth heard the greeting of Mary that the babe leaped in her womb; and Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit.

Then she spoke out with a loud voice and said, "Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb! But why is this granted to me, that the mother of my Lord should come to me? For indeed, as soon as the voice of your greeting sounded in my ears, the babe leaped in my womb for joy” (Luke 1:39-44).

Signifying that, Mary became conceived at the moment she believed the announcement of the angel and said to him, "Behold the maidservant of the Lord! Let it be to me according to your word." And the angel departed from her” (Luke 1:38).

So then, the next thing one needs to prove is when was John Baptist conceived, and when was he born  in order to arrive at the date of Christ´s birth since he was six months older that Jesus Christ.

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07XYGDD7M

To be continued

With brotherly love

Lucius Joseph

The State of Righteousness

 The state of righteousness is another area where innocent sincere people have been misled, deceived and led astray by the workers of darkness and children of the devil. Righteousness as one can clearly see in combination with holiness forms the nature of the new man that was created n Jesus Christ as clearly stated saying; “if indeed you have heard Him and have been taught by Him, as the truth is in Jesus that you put off, concerning your former conduct, the old man which grows corrupt according to the deceitful lusts, and be renewed in the spirit of your mind, and that you put on the new man which was created according to God, in true righteousness and holiness” (Ephesians (4:21-24).

What therefore is true righteousness? According to King David righteousness is the act of saying and performing what is right, as he wrote saying; “My tongue shall speak of Your word, for all Your commandments are righteousness.” He who speaks truth declares righteousness,” In the way of righteousness is life, and in its pathway there is no death.” Righteousness therefore, is the act of saying and performing what is true which is the word of God (Psalms 119:172. Proverbs 12:17, 28).

Righteousness therefore comes first and foremost from a renewed spirit of the mind. Originally, as children of the devil, living under the dominion of the kingdom of darkness the mind was carnal and was and could not be subject to the laws of God, for we have been duly instructed saying, “For those who live according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who live according to the Spirit, the things of the Spirit: For to be carnally minded is death, but to be spiritually minded is life and peace. Because the carnal mind is enmity against God; for it is not subject to the law of God, nor indeed can be. So then, those who are in the flesh cannot please God” (Romans 8:5-8).

It is important to note that, once the transformation from carnal to spiritual and the transfer from the kingdom of darkness to the kingdom of light, the mind is no longer in enmity against God but is now in subjection to the law of God as we have been duly admonished saying; “Do you not know that to whom you present yourselves slaves to obey, you are that one's slaves whom you obey, whether of sin leading to death, or of obedience leading to righteousness? But God be thanked that though you were slaves of sin, yet you obeyed from the heart that form of doctrine to which you were delivered. And having been set free from sin, you became slaves of righteousness (Romans 6: 16-18).

Righteousness therefore, comes as the result of obedience. Human beings are not independent creatures; they are either a slave to sin, which is to habitually transgress the laws of God, or a slave to being obedient to the laws of God, which leads to righteousness. Therefore man has to denounce one master and be loyal to the other, as Jesus clearly says; "No servant can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or else he will be loyal to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and mammon" (Luke 16:13).

So the question us, why have we become slaves of righteousness? The answer is clear it is because we were once darkness dead in trespasses and sins, in which we once walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit who now works in the sons of disobedience, among whom also we all once conducted ourselves in the lusts of our flesh, fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, just as the others .but now we are light in the Lord, we therefore, are to walk as children of light.

The verification of this new way of life is demonstrated by exhibiting the fruit of the Spirit which is in all goodness, righteousness, and truth, finding out what is acceptable to the Lord” (Ephesians 2:1-3: 4:7-10)

What is good and acceptable to the Lord are all contained in His law as alluded to by the apostle Paul who wrote; “What shall we say then? Is the law sin? Certainly not! On the contrary, I would not have known sin except through the law. For I would not have known covetousness unless the law had said, "You shall not covet" (Romans 7:7).

Therefore, it is not that difficult or judgmental to make a clear distinction between a child of God and a child of the devil, for we have been instructed saying; ‘Little children, let no one deceive you. He who practices righteousness is righteous, just as He is righteous.” It is further stated that; “In this the children of God and the children of the devil are manifest: Whoever does not practice righteousness is not of God, nor is he who does not love his brother” (1John 3:7, 10).

True children of God have denounced their former slave master, sin, which is the transgression of the laws of God and have become loyal and obedient to Righteousness their new master and have been admonished saying; “And now, little children, abide in Him, that when He appears, we may have confidence and not be ashamed before Him at His coming. If you know that He is righteous, you know that everyone who practices righteousness is born of Him” (1John 2:28-29).

To understand why we are to become slaves of righteousness, it is imperative that we first understand righteousness in its true perspective. There is imputed righteousness and there is practical righteousness. Now, just as there are three.-fold aspects of sin, which are, the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, similarly, there are three-fold aspect of true righteousness which is actually God´s righteousness.

Unfortunately, the majority of us who profess to believe in Jesus Christ are completely ignorant of God´s righteousness as alluded to by the apostle Paul who wrote: “For I bear them witness that they have a zeal for God, but not according to knowledge. For they being ignorant of God's righteousness, and seeking to establish their own righteousness, have not submitted to the righteousness of God. For Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to everyone who believes” (Romans 10:2-4):

So then, how is Christ the end of the law for righteousness? And how can this state of righteousness be attained..

to be continued

With brotherly love

Lucius Joseph

 

 

Children of God

The logical question therefore is, when does a person becomes a child of God?  Remember, Jesus said plainly, “You are of your father the devil, and the desires of your father you want to do.” He also said, “He who is of God hears God's words; therefore you do not hear, because you are not of God." Therefore, there is a clear distinction between a child of God and a child of the devil as confirmed by the apostle John who wrote; “In this the children of God and the children of the devil are manifest: Whoever does not practice righteousness is not of God, nor is he who does not love his brother.” (1 John 3:10).

So when is a person a child of God! One becomes a child of God when he/she believes in Jesus Christ and surrenders to Him as Lord and Savior as we have been instructed saying; “But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, to those who believe in His name: who were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God.” (John1:12-13).

It is at this juncture that the individual is transferred from the kingdom of darkness into the kingdom of light giving thanks to the Father who has qualified us to be partakers of the inheritance of the saints in the light. He has delivered us from the power of darkness and conveyed us into the kingdom of the Son of His love, in whom we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins” (Colossians 1:12-14).

From this point on it is the believer´s responsibility to live and walk in the light as we have been duly admonished saying; “This is the message which we have heard from Him and declare to you, that God is light and in Him is no darkness at all. If we say that we have fellowship with Him, and walk in darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth. But if we walk in the light as He is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanses us from all sin” (1John 1:5-7).

Remember, light and truth are synonymous, therefore, the way we can distinguish a child of God from that of the devil is by teaching and practicing the truth and so we have been admonished saying; “Little children, let no one deceive you. He who practices righteousness is righteous, just as He is righteous. He who sins is of the devil, for the devil has sinned from the beginning. For this purpose the Son of God was manifested, that He might destroy the works of the devil. Whoever has been born of God does not sin, for His seed remains in him; and he cannot sin, because he has been born of God” (1John 3:7-9).

There is a test to prove whether or not we are the children of God for thus it is written; “Now by this we know that we know Him, if we keep His commandments. He who says, "I know Him," and does not keep His commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him. But whoever keeps His word, truly the love of God is perfected in him. By this we know that we are in Him: He who says he abides in Him ought himself also to walk just as He walked” (1John 2:3-6).

Being human does not qualify anyone to be a child of God; our physical body is simply a vehicle or a body that embodies the soul and spirit. One becomes a child of God through faith in Christ Jesus and when the individual’s spirit is joined to the Spirit of God. And so Jesus said, "Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born of water (flesh) and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God. That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit. Do not marvel that I said to you, 'You must be born again” (Galatians 3:26; Romans 8:1; John 3:5-7).

One is born again and becomes a child of God when his spirit is joined to the Spirit of God, before that, man`s spirit is drawn to the spirit of the prince of the power of the air which works in the sons of disobedience as we have been instructed saying; “And you He made alive, who were dead in trespasses and sins, in which you once walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit who now works in the sons of disobedience, among whom also we all once conducted ourselves in the lusts of our flesh, fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, just as the others” (Ephesians 2:1-3).

Anyone who habitually sins, transgresses the law of God is not a child of God, they are those whose minds the god of this age has blinded, who do not believe, lest the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine on them. Because, the word says clearly, “He who sins is of the devil, for the devil has sinned from the beginning. For this purpose the Son of God was manifested, that He might destroy the works of the devil. Whoever has been born of God does not sin, for His seed remains in him; and he cannot sin, because he has been born of God” (2 Corinthians: 4; 4; 1John 3:8-9).

One becomes a child of God through the connection of our spirit with the Spirit of God, “For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, these are sons of God: For you did not receive the spirit of bondage again to fear, but you received the Spirit of adoption by whom we cry out, "Abba, Father." The Spirit Himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God, and if children, then heirs --- heirs of God and joint heirs with Christ, if indeed we suffer with Him, that we may also be glorified together” (Romans 8:1-17)

Therefore, living a sinful, licentious life, walking after the imaginations of one´s own evil heart and doing what seems right in one´s own eyes and still claiming to be a child of God is both erroneous and deceitful because, the outward sign of a child of God is righteousness. For we have been admonished saying: “And now, little children, abide in Him, that when He appears, we may have confidence and not be ashamed before Him at His coming. If you know that He is righteous, you know that everyone who practices righteousness is born of Him” (1John 2:28-29).

Righteousness, which according to David pertains to all the commandments of God is clearly the test or the outward sign of a child of God, for by this we know that we know Him, if we keep His commandments. He who says, "I know Him," and does not keep His commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him. We therefore, should not allow anyone to deceive us for, it is he who practices righteousness that is righteous, just as Jesus Christ is righteous thereby, allowing His nature to be formed in us.

Why is humanity so divided?

 

Why is humanity so divided?

Humanity as everyone can clearly see is grossly divided, whether it is racial, ethnical, political, religious, and denominational or whatever the case may be, but the logical question we all should be asking ourselves is why! Why all this divisions when it is clearly stated that, “God has made from one blood every nation of men to dwell on all the face of the earth, and has determined their pre-appointed times and the boundaries of their dwellings,”

Now, not only has He pre-appointed the boundaries of their dwellings but has also given them the identical purpose for their existence which is, “ so that they should seek the Lord, in the hope that they might grope for Him and find Him, though He is not far from each one of us; for in Him we live and move and have our being, as also some of your own poets have said, 'For we are also His offspring” (Acts 17:26-28).

In order to resolve this global issue one has to find the root cause of the problem and deal with it from the roots and not merely dealing with the effects. Now the root cause of this global situation that is causing so much contentions and divisions among human beings is Satan who has deceived the whole world.

For we have been admonished saying, “And war broke out in heaven: Michael and his angels fought with the dragon; and the dragon and his angels fought, but they did not prevail, nor was a place found for them in heaven any longer. So the great dragon was cast out, that serpent of old, called the Devil and Satan, who deceives the whole world; he was cast to the earth, and his angels were cast out with him” (Revelation 12:7-9).

Let us note carefully the manner by which we are to seek the Lord in order to find Him, the way we will find the Lord is by groping for Him although He is not far from anyone one of us; for in Him we live and move and have our existence, He is the vine and we are the branches, nevertheless, in order to find Him we are to grope for Him, the question is why?

The fact that we are to grope for the Lord in order to find Him signifies that we are blind or we are walking in darkness or both and there is no light in us. Therefore, our first duty is to seek for the light and find it. This light as proclaimed and witnessed by John the Baptist is Jesus Christ and His kingdom, for it is written; “There was a man sent from God, whose name was John. This man came for a witness, to bear witness of the Light that all through him might believe. He was not that Light, but was sent to bear witness of that Light. That was thetrue Light which gives light to every man coming into the world” (John 1:6-9).

Thus signifying that, before the arrival of Jesus Christ the world was in darkness and was under the control and dominion of the kingdom of darkness, as eluded to by Jesus Christ who said, “And this is the condemnation that the light has come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil. For everyone practicing evil hates the light and does not come to the light, lest his deeds should be exposed. But he who does the truth comes to the light, that his deeds may be clearly seen, that they have been done in God" (John 3:19-21).

Light and truth are synonymous and therefore, signifies that before the advent of Jesus Christ the whole world was living in lies and in complete darkness under the sway of the devil and humanity were by nature children of the devil as we have been admonished saying; “You are of your father the devil, and the desires of your father you want to do. He was a murderer from the beginning, and does not stand in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaks a lie, he speaks from his own resources, for he is a liar and the father of it. But because I tell the truth, you do not believe Me” (John 8:44-45).

The sad reality is, from the time Adam surrendered his authority and dominion to Satan in the Garden of Eden by partaking of the tree of knowledge of good and evil and was sent out from the garden, Satan has been the god of this world and mankind has been living under his dominion.

 Hence the reason why Satan was able to take Jesus to a high mountain and, showed Him all the kingdoms of the world in a moment of time and said to Him, "All this authority I will give You, and their glory; for this has been delivered to me, and I give it to whomever I wish. Therefore, if You will worship before me, all will be Yours" (Luke: 5-7).

Jesus Christ Himself in consoling His disciples said to them; “You have heard Me say to you, 'I am going away and coming back to you.' If you loved Me, you would rejoice because I said, 'I am going to the Father,' for My Father is greater than I. And now I have told you before it comes, that when it does come to pass, you may believe. I will no longer talk much with you, for the ruler of this world is coming, and he has nothing in Me.” (John 14:28-30).

Therefore, the worse cloud of deception that is hovering over planet earth which is causing much chaos and confusions is the false belief and perception that we are all children of God when in truth and in fact we were all citizens of the kingdom of darkness and were by nature children of wrath.

To be continued

With brotherly love 

Lucius Joseph