We are going to go into this concept a little deeper than usual, but it needs to be done because many people believe that Yeshua may have been born around the fall harvest festival of Sukkot, and not December 25th, but really can’t show why, and some will say that we cannot know when he was born. This study will help anyone who wants to have concrete reasons to discuss this issue.

People have been taught that you can’t know when he was born because the Scriptures don’t tell us. However, Christmas has roots in Mithraism and a combination of other pagan sources. There is a book called “The Dictionary of Deities and Demons” by Brill Publications. It is a good source to use when studying paganism. In the section on “Sol Invictus” (Invincible Sun) you will find information on Mithraism and Mithras, a Persian deity. This religion was added by the Romans and it spread throughout the Middle East. They celebrated the birthday of Mithras on December 25th, and by the time we get to Constantine, we have the first “Christmas” because he took the birthday of Mithras. That is the origin of Christmas. But that is another story.

There are many sources for the birth of Yeshua at Sukkot. One source is “Rosh ha Shannah and the Messianic Kingdom to Come” by Hatikva Ministries that we will use as a source for this study. Another source is the Internet and looking up the birth of Yeshua at Sukkot in many articles. It was also prophesied in the Tanak (Torah, Prophets, Writings). We should know this material because it will make the Scriptures come alive when it comes to the Messiah. Everything Yeshua said and did went exactly as it was prophesied in the Tanach, including his birth. We have to learn where these Scriptures are and how to see it. That is where the Temple comes in. Believe it or not, his birth is directly connected to the ceremonies in the Temple, not just at Sukkot, but even the daily Tamid service. The reason people say that you can’t know when Yeshua was born is because they don’t know the Scriptures or the Temple and its services. That is what we are trying to correct on this website.

Let’s start with Luke 1.5-25 where we read about the birth of Yochanon ha Matvil (John the Immerser). Zechariah and Elisheva were from the sons of Aaron, but only Zechariah could serve as a kohen in the Temple. However, priestly women served in the Temple in other capacities and her functions would have been different. For instance, if a woman was going through the cleansing of a leper ceremony, her body would have to be shaved completely, and that would have been done by another woman. A woman from the line of Aaron could also eat of the korbanot (Chata’at and Asham that only a kohen can eat). There are many other examples.

We also learn that Zechariah belonged to the mishmar (course or division) of Abijah (1 Chr 24.10). His name means “God Remembers” and Elisheva means “My God’s oath” so together, their names mean “My God remembers his oath.” His oath was to send the “messenger” before the Messiah. Zechariah, being from the mishmar Abijah, was the eighth (new beginning) course or mishmar listed in 2 Chr 24.10. This determined the order in which each priestly course would come and serve in the Temple, beginning on Nisan 1, the start of the religious calendar (Exo 12). But, all the priests had to serve at Passover and Shavuot, so you had to add two weeks in there, so the course of Abijah actually served about the tenth week of the religious year. This would be middle to late Sivan.

We learn that to burn incense, lots were chosen. The memunay (officer) in charge over the lots for the different jobs for the daily service called the Tamid. One of the jobs was burning the ketoret (incense) on the Altar in the Heichal (Holy Place). The burning of the ketoret could only be done one time in the life of a priest, except for the High Priest. Zechariah was old and he had never done it before. This was the high point in his life as a kohen.

The daily Tamid service is in two parts, the sacrificial service and the ketoret service. When Zechariah went in to the Heichal to burn the ketoret, he prayed a prayer called the Amidah (Standing Prayer) or the Shemoneh Esrai, also known as the 18 Benedictions. When he starts to pray this in the Heichal, there is a signal for the other people gathered in the Temple to start praying the same prayer. The kohen burning the ketoret and the people outside would finish praying the Amidah at the same time. The angel Gabriel appears to Zechariah standing on the right side (north) of the Altar of Incense (Mizbeach shell Zahav) when he got to prayer #15, which is a “Prayer for the Messiah.” This prayer can be seen in any Jewish prayer book. This prayer that Zechariah was praying mentions the “horn of salvation” and Zechariah mentions this again in his prayer in Luke 1.68. Because he doubted what Gabriel was saying, Zechariah became a deaf/mute (Luke 1.62..he “made signs”). When he writes “his name is Yochanon” he was immediately healed. We will touch on all of this in more detail later in this study.

Now, after Zechariah sees Gabriel, he leaves the Temple and Elisheva conceives. We have a one week variable in there because we don’t know what day Gabriel appeared to Zechariah. It may have been at the start of his week. Now, from Nisan 1 you go at least ten weeks ahead, plus one week possibly, and we come to the middle to late Sivan. When she is six months pregnant, Gabriel appears to Miriam (Luke 1.26,36). Miriam was an “almah” (Isa 7.14). This would mean that Gabriel appeared to Miriam in mid to late Kislev, the month of Chanukah. Chanukah is celebrated for eight days because it was called a “second Sukkot.” The Maccabee’s missed Sukkot, and when they got the Temple back and rededicated it, the festival that was instituted was called Chanukah (dedication) and they celebrated it like a second Sukkot. Most people think it is because of what is called the “Miracle of the Oil” that burned for eight days until they could make new oil for the Menorah, but that is a myth (see the article “The Truth about Chanukah” on this site). The story of the oil did not appear until after Yeshua.

Chanukah was called the “Festival of Lights.” Four posts were put in the Court of the Women during Sukkot (Mishnah, Sukkah 5.2).  On top of these posts there were four vats filled with oil, for a total of sixteen. Sukkot celebrated the time in the wilderness, when they lived in sukkot, or booths. A pillar of fire went with them during this time. These posts with the vats were a reminder of this pillar of fire at Sukkot. This is related to why Yeshua was born at Sukkot. Solomon dedicated the Temple at Sukkot, and the Maccabees “rededicated it” and that is why this festival is called Chanukah, which means “dedication.” However, there was no “liturgy” for Chanukah because it was a festival that remembered what happened with the Maccabean victory over Antiochus Epiphanes. So, they used the liturgy for Sukkot because they are so closely related, and they Sukkot. The liturgy today consists of a blessing when lighting the Chanukiah (a nine-branched candelabra) and the Shehechiyanu, which blesses the Lord for preserving the people for this time.

So, all of that has a bearing on what is happening in Luke 1.26-38. We know the appearance of Gabriel to Miriam happens around the time of Chanukah. What Miriam says in v 35 is part of the prayer that is said in a sukkah (p. 813, Hertz Siddur). We will get into more detail on all of this later. She is saying some of the liturgy for Sukkot at Chanukah, when Yeshua was conceived. In Luke 1.39 she leaves her home, just like you do at Sukkot, and she went to stay with her cousin Elisheva. She would stay there for three months (v 56), then she went back home.

Now, from Kislev, if you go ahead three months, it puts you in mid to late Nisan. Elisheva is nine months pregnant now and is ready to give birth around Passover. Now, Elijah is expected around Passover, and that is when Yochanon, who will come in the “spirit and power” of Elijah, is born.

What we are doing in this teaching is going over the basics in an “overview.” When that foundation is laid, we will get into all of this in more detail. We will get into what Zechariah prayed when Gabriel appeared, and what Miriam said that was related to the sukkah. We will give you the sources for when Herod was born. This birth scenario will be laid out for you to consider and to show you why we believe that Yeshua was born at the festival of Sukkot.

Now, we definitely believe in the Virgin Birth of Yeshua, but there is more going on here. To be a king sitting on David’s throne, you must be a descendant of David through Solomon. The genealogy of Joseph (Yeshua’s legal right to the throne) in Matthew 1 goes through Solomon. In Luke 3, this genealogy goes through Nathan, another son of David. This is Miriam’s genealogy (physical “seed of the woman” in Gen 3.15). The prophecies say the Messiah must be from David, with the right to the throne of David as king. But, we have a problem. The last king from David in Matthew is a man named Jeconiah (v 12). Another name for this king is Coniah (Jer 22.24) also Jehoichin. The last king of Judah was Zedekiah (not a descendant of Coniah), but all his son’s were killed by Nebuchadnezzar. Jer 22.24-30 says, “As I live,” declares the Lord, even though Coniah the son of Jehoikim king of Judah were a signet ring on my right hand, yet I would pull you off; and I shall give you over into the hand of those who are seeking your life, yes, into the hand of those you dread, even into the hand of Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon, and into the hand of the Chaldeans. I shall hurl you and your mother who bore you into another country where you were not born, and there you will die. But as for the land to which they desire to return, they will not return to it. Is this man Coniah a despised, shattered jar? Or is he an undesirable vessel? Why have he and his descendants been hurled out and cast into a land that they have not known? O land, land, land, hear the word of the Lord. Write this man down as (if) childless, a man who will not prosper in his days; for no man of his descendants will prosper sitting on the throne of David or ruling again in Judah.”

Coniah had children (Shealtiel) and his grandson was Zerubbabel, and Joseph was descended from him, but we have a curse on this line. Zedekiah, the last king of Judah, was not from Coniah. He was his uncle placed on the throne by Nebuchadnezzar. Messiah, to get the right to the throne, must come from Solomon, and Joseph had that right, but there was a curse on that line based on Jer 22.24-30. If Yeshua was born from Joseph, he cannot be the king of Israel.

Isa 7.14 says, “Therefore the Lord himself will give you (Ahaz) a sign. Behold, a virgin will be with child and bear a son, and she shall call his name Immanuel.” So, it says a “virgin” shall conceive. The word “virgin” there is the Hebrew word “almah” but it does not literally mean a virgin, but a “young woman” who could be a virgin but doesn’t have to be. When it says the virgin shall conceive, it will be a sign, but a sign of what? Here is the background to this verse. In Isa 7.1 we learn that King Ahaz is being attacked, and he is the father of Hezekiah. Isaiah tells him that the Lord will deliver him from his enemies, and tells Ahaz to ask the Lord for a sign to verify what Isaiah is telling him. Ahaz doesn’t want to “bother” the Lord with a request, so the Lord is going to give him one anyway (Isa 7.14). The “almah” (young woman who doesn’t necessarily have to be a virgin) shall conceive and bear a son. The context of this chapter and Chapter 8 tells us that Isa 7.14 was fulfilled in the 8th century BC. The “young woman” (almah) is Isaiah’s wife and the son is Maher shalal hash-baz (read Isa 8.1-10).

This is the “peshat” of Isa 7.14. Isaiah’s wife was not a virgin, but a young woman. But, this verse was going to happen again. The book of Isaiah was translated into Greek in what is called the Septuagint (LXX) years before Yeshua was born. The Greek word used for almah in the Septuagint is “parthenos” and it can only mean virgin. In the case of Yeshua, in order to fulfill this verse, it means that it was necessary to have a virgin birth because Joseph had a curse on his line, so Yeshua could not descend physically through him. So, Yeshua was his “step-son” but he legally had the rights Joseph had, without the curse. That is why “almah” was used because that word will fulfill what happened to Isaiah, and it would fulfill what happened to Miriam because “almah” can mean “young woman” or a “virgin.”

Now, is there a way to prove that there was a virgin birth? Yes, there is a way to prove it. There was a Temple ceremony called the “Sotah” (the term used for a woman suspected of adultery) in Num 5.11-31 called the “Law of the Sotah.” What was Zechariah in Luke 1? He was a kohen and an elder of the mishmar Abijah. Miriam went to the house of Zechariah and Elisheva until she was three months pregnant (she was “showing”). It is possible that she submitted to the Sotah ceremony in the Temple to show that she was a virgin and was faithful to Joseph. She could have underwent the ordeal and the humiliation of the Sotah, and when nothing happened to her (died), it proved that she was a virgin and innocent, and this was a “sign.” This would have been recorded in the Temple archives, and anyone wanting to check to see if his birth was by a virgin would have found out that Miriam submitted to the Sotah and nothing happened to her after she submitted to the Sotah ceremony.  And not only that, she had six other children!  You will notice in the Scriptures, his virgin birth was not a point of contention among his critics. There had to be a “sign” of some sort that would immediately silence anyone who contended that Yeshua could not have been the Messiah because he wasn’t born of a virgin according to the Prophets. We are not saying that this is what happened, but we are saying that there was a way to prove she was a virgin, and have it witnessed before God, the kohanim in the Temple and have a record of it. This would avoid the “curse of Coniah” in Jer 22.

Now, if Yochanon is six months older than Yeshua, and Yochanon was born around Passover and Unleavened Bread, that puts Yeshua’s birth in Tishri, around Sukkot, and possibly on Tishri 15, a high Sabbath. Luke 2.1-7 says that Yeshua was born in Bethlehem, which means “house of bread.” It also means that he was from the “House of David” (2.4). When he was born, he was placed in a “manger” (2.7) which you would find in a stable. The word “stable” in Hebrew is “sukkah” and translated “booths” (sukkot) in Gen 33.17. Now, here is a prophetic picture of the fall festivals. Gen 31 is written in the language of Rosh ha Shannah. Jacob has been out of the land of Israel and with Laban 20 years (a picture of 2000 years). Laban’s sons basically accuse Jacob of stealing their wealth (31.1). This is like people today saying that the “Jews have all the money.” So, Jacob must “arise” and “return” and in Gen 31.42 we read that “judgment was rendered.” These are all Rosh ha Shannah terms, and Rosh ha Shannah is called a Yom ha Din, a “day of judgment.” This is a picture of Israel being regathered back to the land.

In Gen 32, we will find the language of Yom Kippur. Jacob is returning back to the land and he is in the eastern part of the Jordan River. He wrestles with the angel of the Lord. He says that he has “seen God face to face” so he named that place Penuel. The term “face to face” is an idiom for Yom Kippur, a day when Israel “wrestles” with God.

Gen 33 is written in the language of Sukkot. He journeyed to Sukkot (Gen 33.17) and he made “booths (sukkot) for his livestock. A “sukkah” is another name for a stable and we know that is where Yeshua was born. We know that there was no room in the inn at Bethlehem because people were coming up for the festival of Sukkot, so there would have been many “sukkah’s” all over the place. Now, these were made to live in for seven days, so it was like a little home away from home, and it was in a “sukkah” or stable that Yeshua would be born. Obviously, this was nine months after his conception at Chanukah, which would bring us to Tishri, the time of Sukkot. So we have Rosh ha Shannah, Yom Kippur and Sukkot alluded to in Gen 21 through 32. These terms will be important, especially the ones concerning Sukkot on Gen 32 in our study.

Luke 2.8-9 says, “And in the same region (Bethlehem) there were shepherds staying in the fields, and keeping watch over their flock by night. And an angel of the Lord suddenly stood before them, and the glory (kivod) of the Lord shone around them; and they were terribly frightened.” We are told where these shepherds were working in the Jewish writings. In the Mishnah, Shekalim 7.4 it says, “If cattle (includes sheep) are found between Jerusalem as far as Migdal Eder (“tower of the Flock” near Bethlehem), or within the like distance in any direction, males must be deemed to be Whole-offerings (Olah) and females Peace-offerings (Shelemim). R. Judah says:If fitted to be Passover-offerings, they must be deemed to be Passover-offerings (if they are found during thirty days before the feast.” In other words, if you drew a line from the Temple to Migdal Eder, then went in a circle around Jerusalem, the sheep for the Temple could be raised anywhere in that circumference. These shepherds worked the valley that comes to the edge of Bethlehem called Migdal Eder. If you go to Bethlehem today, they will show you the “Shepherd’s Field” but that is not the right place.

Migdal Eder means “tower of the flock” and that is because there were watch towers for the shepherds to watch over the flock. That is what our verse says in Luke. Micah 4.8 says, “And as for you, tower of the flock (Migdal Eder), hill of the daughters of Zion (in the vicinity of), to you (Migdal Eder) it (the Kingdom of God) will come-even the former dominion (that was in Eden) will come, the kingdom of the daughter of Jerusalem.” Matt 11.12-14 says, “And from the days of John the Baptist (Yochanon ha Matvil) until now the kingdom of heaven suffers violence (breaking forth because John is the breachmaker of Micah 2.12-13, opening the way for the sheep) and violent men take it by forth (literally means “every person in it is breaking forth”). For all the prophets (nevi’im) and in the Law (Torah) prophesied about (or concerning) John. And if you care to accept it (“it” is the kingdom that is breaking forth, it was being offered), he himself (John) is Elijah, who was to come (before the Messiah and the kingdom-see “Understanding the Difficult Words of Jesus” by Roy Blizzard and David Bivin, p 86).”

This site is where Jacob camped after he buried Rachel (Gen 36.16-22). These shepherds worked for the Temple and were probably Levites. All the sheep around a perimeter around Jerusalem were raised for the Temple by Levites. These sheep were dedicated to the Temple. Luke 2.10 says that the shepherds were told by the angels that they came to bring them “good news of great joy which shall be for all the people (nations)” and this is a major theme of Sukkot, as we have already seen in Isa 9 70 bulls are offered at Sukkot, symbolizing the nations over 7 days. The number 70 stands for the nations in biblical thought. The angels said that this was a sign for them, that the child would be wrapped in swaddling clothes (Luke 2.11-14). During Sukkot, there were four great lights in the Court of the Women called the “light of the world.” The wicks used for those lights are the discarded swaddling clothes of the priests. So Yeshua, the “light of the world” was wrapped in swaddling clothes at Sukkot, just like in the Temple. According to the angels in Luke 2.12, it says that they will find Yeshua lying in a manger, and the word for manger is “phatne” in Greek and it means a “stall” or stable. The Hebrew word is “sukkah” which is what the people made to live in during Sukkot.

So, after the angelic choir sang (2.13-14), the shepherds “made haste” (they ran) to where Yeshua was and then began to tell everyone about what happened (2.17-18). It was far from a “silent night.” Now the distance from Migdal Eder to Jerusalem is 4 miles. He was circumcised on the eighth day (possibly the eighth day of Sukkot called Shemini Atzeret), then at the end of 40 days Miriam went to the Temple for her purification after having a boy (restoring her ritual purity so she can enter the Temple) according to the Torah in Lev 12.1-8, and she offered korbanot. In Luke 2.25-38 we read that his birth was no secret. Simeon and Anna knew and they told others (2.38).

Now, King Herod was a ruthless man. There was a saying by Caesar Augustus (Octavian, the guy who took over after Julius Caesar and defeated Cleopatra and Marc Antony) that said “It was better to be a pig in the House of Herod than to be one of his children.” Herod would kill his own family members to maintain his power. Now, Herod had spies everywhere, and keep this in mind as we move forward.

In Matt 2.1, it says, “Now after Yeshua was born in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of Herod the king, behold magi from the east arrived in Jerusalem saying.” The “east” is Babylon and the word “magi” means “wise men” or in Hebrew, “chachamim.” This is what Jewish rabbi’s and scholars were called. Daniel is called a “chacham” in Dan 2.12-13. These were Jewish sages looking for the Messiah. In Matt 2.2-3 it says that Herod was troubled, and all Jerusalem with him after the inquiry of the chachamim (sages) as to where the “king of the Jews” was born. Herod didn’t know anything about it, and Jerusalem was troubled because they knew what he was like. We learn from Matt 2.4-12 that with all the spies Herod had, he doesn’t know what’s going on, even though the shepherds were running around telling everybody. The chief priests and the scribes (who were the authorized interpreters of Torah) were asked where the Messiah was to be born. The chachamim go and they find Yeshua, offer him gifts and later that night are warned in a dream not to return to Herod, so they go back to Babylon a different way. Joseph and Miriam are also warned in a dream that night to take the child to Egypt. Herod realizes that he had been tricked by the chachamim, and then orders that all children 2 years old and younger in Bethlehem should be killed.

In Israel, you were considered one year old on the eighth day after your birth, based on the age of korbanot, so he is meaning every child one year old and younger. You see, life began at conception and that is why they considered you one at birth. Now, we read about a “star” in Matt 2.2, but this was no ordinary star. This was a manifestation of the kivod of God, which is an idiom for Sukkot, a miracle. It is not a configuration of planets as some believe because this “star” moved and led the chachamim to Yeshua. Herod didn’t know anything about it because he had to ask (2.7). Matthew says that Yeshua was in a house when they came, and Luke says it was a sukkah. That is because he was obviously born in a sukkah and moved after he was born while the chachamim were still in Jerusalem and the shepherds were getting the revelation from the angels that he was born.

We are told in the footnotes in the Whiston edition of Josephus in Antiquities, Book 18, Chapter 4, Paragraph 6, that Herod died in September, 4 BC. It says, “This calculation is exactly right; for since Herod died about September, in the fourth year before the Christian era, and Tiberius began, as is well known, August 19 AD 14, it is evident that the 37th year of Phillip, reckoned from his fathers death, was the 20th of Tiberius, or near the end of AD 33” and it goes on. So, the chachamim leave, and Joseph and Miriam flee to Egypt the night he was born. They will remain in Egypt until they are told in a dream that Herod was dead. They will be going back to Nazareth, but stop in Jerusalem at the Temple for Miriam’s purification ceremony 40 days after his birth. Yeshua may have been born on the 15th day of Tishri, the first day of Sukkot. He then would have been circumcised on the eighth day of Sukkot called Shemini Atzeret.

We have already seen in previous teachings that Isa 9.2-7 is set at Sukkot. We have the terms “light’ and “joy” used, and Sukkot is the Festival of Lights. The Kidron Valley near Jerusalem will see this light, and the nation will be multiplied and their gladness (joy) will be increased and the joy of harvest is mentioned, all Sukkot terms and themes. It goes on to say how the rod of their oppressor will be broken. The “rod” is Assyria who was attacking in Isa 9.4 (Micah 4.6; Micah 5.1) and there is a massive teaching associated with this. Isa 9.6-7 goes on to say how a “child will be born to us.” The redemption started with Yeshua, where the “program” really got going and the end result will be that Israel will turn to the Messiah and the Torah when Gog and Magog are defeated on Yom Kippur, right before Sukkot (Ezek 39.22; Isa 10.12,20).

The redemption started with Yeshua and the “program” got started, and the end result will be that Israel will turn to the Torah and to Yeshua when Gog and Magog invade and are defeated (Ezek 39.22). To establish the birth of Yeshua at Sukkot, there are three main passages. They are Isa 9, Num 24 and Micah 4-5. All of these passages are key passages about Gog and Magog also. So, what we have is this. Yeshua is born and we go all the way to the defeat of Gog and Magog in the third year of the Birth-pains. As a result, we have the birth of Yeshua and the invasion of Gog and Magog connected to Sukkot.

In Ezek 38.17 it says, “Thus says the Lord God, ‘Are you the one of whom I spoke in the former days through my servants the prophets of Israel, who prophesied in those days for years that I would bring you against them?’” Now, where did the Lord speak about Gog and Magog before Ezekiel? Ancient sages asked this question. The Talmud has much to say about it in Sanhedrin 97a, 97b, 98a, 98b. There is a book called “The Everyman’s Talmud” by A. Cohen, chapter 11, where he talks about the Messiah. It says that Messiah was Hezekiah, based on Isa 9.7. In Isa 9.6 it says that a “child will be born to us” and Isa 9 has been a Sukkot passage since v 2. In Isa 9.7, the word “increase” is ‘l’marbeh” and it is written in Hebrew with a closed, or final letter mem (has “m” sound), at the beginning of the word. The final form of a Hebrew letter means it should be at the end of the word. The letter mem can be written “open” or it can be written “closed.” For a more detailed look at this concept, go to the article “The Mystery of the Closed Mem” by Daniel Botkin on the Internet. The closed mem relates to the virgin birth. You cannot place a final form of a Hebrew letter at the beginning of a word, it goes on the end, but the Lord did with the word “l’marbeh.” Now, the Talmud’s answer for this was “The Holy One, blessed be he, wanted to make Hezekiah Messiah and Sennacherib Gog and Magog.” This tells us that if Sennacherib was the king of Assyria, and God wanted to make him Gog and Magog, then Assyria in the prophecies is alluding to Gog and Magog, and the Lord had plenty to say about Assyria through the prophets. In the Talmudic passages, Gog and Magog was represented by Assyria. Is the Lord saying that when he talks about Assyria he is alluding to Gog and Magog? Is the invasion of Israel by Assyria a picture of the coming invasion by Gog and Magog? And who is Gog and Magog today and how do they relate to Assyria? All of these questions will be answered.

The passage in Isa 9.2-7 relates to Assyria and they are destroyed by Sukkot, and there would be great rejoicing. It also says that the Messiah will be born at Sukkot. Even the weapons in Isa 9.5 are burned as fuel and that is what Ezek 39.9-10 says. In the Artscroll commentary on Ezekiel, p, 850, which we have quoted before, says that Ezek 37.18 through 39.16 is the haftorah (reading from the prophets) for the intermediate Sabbath of Sukkot (the Sabbath that occurs during the week of Sukkot). This passage deals with Gog and Magog and their defeat at Sukkot. Isa 9 is a Sukkot passage and it also deals with the birth of Yeshua, both physically and spiritually. The haftorah for the first day of Sukkot (Tishri 15) is Zechariah 12. Zech 12.10 says, “And I will pour out on the house of David and on the inhabitants of Jerusalem, the Spirit grace and of supplication, so that they will look on me (it has the Aleph-Tav in Hebrew here, alluding to the Messiah-Rev 1.8) whom they have pierced, and they will mourn for him as one mourns for an only son, and they will weep bitterly over him like the bitter weeping over a first-born.” Rabbi Dosa said this was the Messiah Ben Joseph who was slain. This “weeping” is in Sukkot Passage and it relates to Ezek 39.22 and Isa 9.6. The Ezekiel commentary goes on to say that the victory over Gog and Magog will take place in the month of Tishri, the same month in which Sukkot occurs.

In Num 24.17 says, “I see him, but not now; I behold him, but not near; a star shall come forth from Jacob and a scepter shall arise out of Israel, and he shall crush through the forehead of Moab, and tear down all the sons of Sheth.” This is one of the prophecies the Chachamim had in mind when they saw “his star in the east.” They followed it to Judah, and “I see him.” The scepter will arise from Israel, meaning a king, and that is why they came to Jerusalem, the city of the king, to find him. So, this verse relates to the birth of Yeshua. We have already discussed Isa 9 and Num 24, but Micah 4-5 relate to the birth of Messiah also. Micah 4.10 says that the kingdom of God was going to come to Migdal Eder, the place where the shepherds were watching the sheep destined for the Temple. Yeshua was born among them. Micah 5.2 says, “But as for you, Bethlehem Ephratah, too little among the clans of Judah, from you one will go forth for me to be ruler in Israel, his goings forth are from long ago (Olam) from the days of eternity.” Then the chapter goes on to talk about the defeat of “the Assyrian” and we know that was in Tishri, around Sukkot

Num 24.22-24 speaks about the defeat of Asshur (Assyria/Gog and Magog/Russia), where it says. “Nevertheless, Kain (Canaan) shall be consumed, how long shall Asshur (Assyria/Gog and Magog/Russia) keep you captive (they came in and won the battles)?” And he took up his discourse and said, “Alas, who can live except God has ordained it? But ships shall come from the coasts of Kittim (identified in Dan 11.30 as Rome, and therefore Europe and the false messiah in prophecy) and they shall afflict Asshur (Assyria/Gog and Magog/Russia) and shall afflict Heber (Hebrews/Israel), so he (the false messiah) shall come to destruction.” So, what, we have is the birth of Yeshua and then a prophecy about the defeat of Gog and Magog, and we know that happens in Tishri, right before Sukkot. This coincides with the passage in Micah about the birth of Yeshua, and then it goes on to talk about the defeat of the Assyrian in Micah 5.4-6.

Now we are going to get into passages that have been read over and over again by people who suffer from what Rabbi David Fohrman calls the “lullaby affect.” But, we are going to look at these passages and draw out missed “nuggets” concerning Yeshua’s birth. We are going to go a little deeper with more details.

As we have mentioned before, in this study we are going to take a more detailed look at the birth of Yeshua at Sukkot. The passages concerning his birth have been read many times by people who just read the passages without knowing what they mean. We are going to look at the same passages in more detail and glean the missed “fruit” concerning his birth. We are spending so much time on this subject because we want you to know the truth about his birth and to give you more insight into these Scriptures. We are going to get into details, but before that we need to talk about the Jewish expectations of the Messiah.

There are 13 Principles of the Faith in Judaism. Number 12 says “I believe with perfect faith in the coming of the Messiah; and though he may tarry, I will wait daily for his coming (Hertz Daily Prayer Book, p. 255).” What are these “expectations?” The Messiah must be a descendant of David (2 Sam 2.4-16). He must descend through Solomon (1 Chr 22.9-10, 28.6-7). He must be from Judah (Gen 49.9-10). There are prophecies that the Messiah will be from different tribes (Gen 49.22-24=Joseph). In the prophecies where he is from Judah he is the conquering king, whereas those from Joseph describe him as a suffering servant. We also have Scriptures that say the Messiah will come from a priestly line (Zech 6.12-13). The “tzemach” or branch is a term for the Messiah. It says a “king” sits on his throne with the crown of a priest.

In the Jewish Encyclopedia, there is an article called “The Messiah” and it says, “Messiah Ben Joseph-Finally, there must be mentioned a Messianic figure peculiar to the Rabbinical apocalyptic literature, that of Messiah Ben Joseph. The earliest mention of him is in the Talmud, Sukkah 52a,b, where their statements occur in regard to him, for the first of which R. Dosa (250 AD) is given authority, but the first two speak of the fate which he is to meet, namely, fall in battle (as if alluding to a well-known tradition).” This concept is important because it is an old tradition already established (that Messiah Ben Joseph will die). The article goes on, “according to these, Messiah Ben Joseph will appear prior to the coming of Messiah Ben David, he will gather the children of Israel around him, march to Jerusalem, and there, after overcoming the hostile powers, reestablish the Temple worship and set up his own dominion. There upon, Armilius (a term for Rome and a term for the false messiah) according to one group of sources, or Gog and Magog, according to another, will appear with their hosts before Jerusalem, wage war against Messiah Ben Joseph and slay him.” The article continues, “His corpse will lie unburied, according to one group, in the streets of Jerusalem, according to another, it will be hidden by the angels with the bodies of the Patriarchs, until Messiah Ben David comes and resurrects him.”

In another article in the Jewish Encyclopedia on “Eschatology” it says, “The Messiah from the tribe of Joseph-The origin and character of the Messiah of the tribe of Joseph, or Ephraim, are rather obscure. It seems that the assumed super-human character of the Messiah appeared to be in conflict with the tradition that spoke of his death and therefore the figure of a Messiah who would come from the tribe of Joseph, or Ephraim, instead of Judah and who would willingly undergo suffering for his nation and falls victim in the Gog/Magog war was created by the Haggadists.”

The common stand in Orthodox Judaism “anti-missionaries” is that they say there never was a concept that there was going to be a suffering Messiah or that Messiah would die. They say this to counter the teaching that Yeshua was the Messiah, because he suffered and died according to the Scriptures. These anti-missionaries say that the Tanach doesn’t teach that concept. What we are trying to establish is that these were the beliefs 2000 years ago. We will look at why they switched this belief later. The average Orthodox Jew will not know all the details. We are looking into documents that were the norm in the time of Yeshua.

Again, we will pick up in the article on “Eschatology” in the Jewish Encyclopedia where it says, “To him was referred the passage ‘They shall look unto him whom they have pierced and mourn for him (Zech 12.10; Sukkah 52a)’ as well as the 53rd chapter of Isaiah (compare Sanhedrin 98b). The Messiah’s name is “The Leper (compare Isa 53.4, Bereshit Rabbah, 1888, p. 26).” Again, the anti-missionaries will claim that Isa 53 has nothing to do with the Messiah, but we are reading out of the Jewish Encyclopedia that quotes the Talmud.

An older Haggadah referred to the “wild ox” who with his horns “will push the people to the ends of the earth (Deut 33.17) to the Ephramite Messiah (Genesis Rabbah, LXXV, Num R XIV). The Messiah from the tribe of Ephraim falls in the battle with Gog/Magog. Whereas the Messiah from the House of David kills the super-human hostile leader (Angro-Mainyush) with the breath of his mouth. Then he is universally recognized as king (Sukkah 52a, compare Targum to Exo XL 9,11, Targum to Isa 11.4, Ecc 4.5, Sefer Zerubbabel, “BH” 2.56, where he is introduced with the name of Nehemiah Ben Hushiel, compare 1.c 60 ct seq, III, 80 et Seq). Great will be the suffering of the Messiah of the tribe of Ephraim has to undergo for several years at the hands of the nations, who will lay iron beams upon him to crush him so that his cries reach heaven. But, he willingly submits for the sake of his people, not only those living, but also the dead, for all those who died since Adam and God places the four beasts of the heavenly throne-the chariot at his disposal to bring about the great work of resurrection and regeneration against all the celestial antagonists. The Patriarchs will rise from their graves in Nisan and pay homage to his greatness as the suffering Messiah, and then the nations (104 kingdoms) put him in shackles in the prison house and make sport of him, as is described in Psa 22.8-16.”

Now, we have the “wild ox” mentioned and other things that those who have not read the Jewish writings before will not be familiar with. This is called “Haggadah” and “Midrash” which are legends and tales, like the parables. They are not to be taken literally but present ideas and concepts. Continuing on, “God will address him with the words, ‘Ephraim, my dear son, child of my comfort. I have great compassion on you (Jer 31.20)’ assuring him that ‘with the breath of his mouth he shall slay the wicked one (Isa 11.4).’ The Haggadists, however, did not always discriminate between the Ephraimite Messiah, who falls victim, and the Son of David, who is glorified as a victor and receives the tributes of the nations (Midrash Tehillim 18.5). Where the former is meant as being the one “insulted” according to Psa LXXXIX.51  and Midrash Tehillim LXXXVII.6, where the two Messiahs are mentioned together.”

We know from the gospels that Yochanon Ha Matvil (John the Immerser) is in prison and he sends some talmidim (students) to ask Yeshua if he was the “coming one” or shall we look for another (Matt 11.2-3). We have heard ministers say John was going through a hard time, or he was doubting. That is not the case at all. What he was asking is “Will you fulfill all the prophecies about the Messiah, the suffering servant who will be slain and then resurrected and be the conquering king (Messiah Ben Joseph and Messiah Ben David) or will there be another after you?” He knew Yeshua was the suffering servant Messiah Ben Joseph because God told him to prepare the way for him. What he was asking was an eschatological question based on all the teachings about the two messiahs in the first century.

We are going to continue with the article on “Eschatology” from the Jewish Encyclopedia where it says, “While the fall of the wicked kingdom (Rome) was taken to be the beginning of the rise of the Kingdom of God, the belief was that between the fall of the empire of Edom (Rome, and later a name for Christianity because it came out of Rome) and the defeat of Gog and Magog army there would be a long interval.” The following quote is from the Encyclopedia Judaica article called “Three Messianic Figures” where it says, “In the time of the Second Temple there was a greater variety of Messianic figures than later. The Old Testament book of Zechariah already makes mention of two messianic figures, the High Priest and the Messianic King.” Now, the Jewish Encyclopedia was done in the early 1900’s and the Encyclopedia Judaica was done in the 1960’s and 70’s, after the Holocaust and after the 6-day war in 1967, and after Jerusalem had been united back to the people. That is why we look at both encyclopedias. The Encyclopedia Judaica can add to what we already know from the Jewish Encyclopedia. The article goes on to say, “This idea did not disappear from the rabbinic literature where the Priest of Righteousness (Kohen Zedek) is sometimes mentioned together with the Davidic king Messiah.”

So, again we see the concept of a king who sits on a throne and a Messiah who is a priest are joined together. “These two figures, the Priest and the King, are important for the eschatology of the Dead Sea sect, the eschatological High Priest being more important than the scion of David. The third figure occurring in the Dead Sea Scrolls with the two messiah’s is the prophet of the last days.” This is why what is being said in the Encyclopedia Judaica here is important because the Dead Sea Scrolls had not been discovered when the Jewish Encyclopedia was written. The article goes on, “Thus in the Dead Sea Scrolls there are three messianic figures which correspond to the three main functions of the ideal Jewish state, in which kingdom, priesthood and prophecy shall exist (see 1 Macc 14.41).” Why is a reference in Maccabee’s important? Because Maccabee’s was written well before Yeshua, so they were looking for a Messiah to come that would be priest, king and prophet or three Messianic figures. It goes on to say, “The three eschatological figures of the Dead Sea Scrolls are therefore based upon a broader ideological concept. These three figures are reflected later in the theological concept of the ancient Jewish sect of the Ebionites (see Jewish Christian Sects) according to which Jesus united in himself the function of king, priest and prophet. The importance of the David Messiah in Judaism, who weakened or caused the disappearance of the other messianic figures, was the outcome especially of the Old testament heritage because the eschatological king is united in the Hebrew Bible.”

What this is saying is that right before, at the time and right after the time of Yeshua, there was a high messianic expectation (Luke 3.15). There were different views on how all the different messianic prophecies could be fulfilled. There were different roles and characters but many times there were those who said there would be one Messiah that would fill all these roles. That is why Yochanon ha Matvil (John the Immerser) sent the question to Yeshua while he was in prison in Matt 11.1-3. He wanted a clarification on these eschatological characters. He knew Yeshua was the Messiah Ben Joseph, the suffering servant, but he wanted to be clear about everything else. As time went on in the Jewish world, the Davidic Messiah, who was a conquering king, took precedence over the others and pushed them out of what the people expected. As a result, most Jews don’t recognize the Messiah Ben Joseph (or Ephraimite Messiah) or the Kohen Zedek (Righteous Priest). However, these roles are all over the Jewish literature.

What we have been doing is laying the ground work of the Jewish expectations concerning the Messiah. The Messiah must descend from David, through Solomon. So, we are going to discuss the birth of Yeshua in greater detail. We will begin by talking about the birth of Yochanon ha Matvil (John the Immerser) who would come in the spirit of Elijah.

There is a song that is called “Eliahu ha Navi” (Elijah the Prophet) that is sung at the end of a festival that is about his coming. At Passover, an extra plate is set and a cup, and the children are sent to the door to see if he is coming. Elijah must come before the Messiah (Mal 3.1, 4.5-6). Now, in Luke 1.5-8 we see Zechariah in the Temple. He is a kohen, and so was his wife Elisheva, but she didn’t serve as a kohen in the Temple. However, she had a right to eat the food that was reserved only for a kohen. They were both “tzeddakim” or “righteous.” We know he was from the course of Abijah (v 5) and that is the eighth course of priests that were assigned and rotated to serve in the Temple. The priests were divided into 24 courses (1 Chr 24.1-18), and so were the Levites. Each course served two weeks a year, the first in the first half of the year and the second week in the second half of the year. All the courses had to be present at the festivals.

This schedule began in Nisan and went to Adar of the religious calendar. The months according to this religious calendar looked like this:
* Nisan
* Zif (Iyar)
* Sivan
* Tammuz
* Av
* Elul
* Tishri (Ethanim)
* Bul (Chesvan)
* Kislev
* Tevet
* Shevat
* Adar

The first course would come the first week of Nisan, that is why the new moon of Nisan is so important. It set the months for the year for the religious calendar. They all had to be there for Hag ha Matzah, Shavuot and Sukkot, or the Three Pilgrim festivals called the Shelosh Regalim. So, the course of Abijah was there the 10th week of the year, because it was the eighth course, and you had to add the weeks of Hag ha Matzah and Shavuot. This would have put Zechariah’s course about the second week of Sivan, or “in the order of his division” (Luke 1.8).

We read in Luke 1.9 that he was chosen by lot to enter into the Temple and burn incense, but what does it mean “by lot?”. This is how “lots” were chosen. The priests lived in the Temple for their week of service. They stayed in the northwest chamber called the Beit ha Moked. Early in the morning, we have the first lot of the day, and these kohanim would go out of the Beit ha Moked into the Azarah, and stand in a circle. The memunay (officer in charge of the lots) would take the mitre off the head of a random priest. They would have a small kipa on underneath the mitre to make sure their heads were always covered in case the mitre came off. The memunay thinks of a number, which he believes the Lord placed in his mind. The kohanim in the circle put out one or two fingers. Beginning with the kohen without the mitre, the memunay begins to count fingers until he reaches the number in his head, and when he comes to that kohen, he is the one chosen for a particular job. He does this four times for all the jobs for the Temple service. Then they move to the southeastern chamber of the Azarah called the Beit Avtinas, and the lot for the incense (the second lot of the day) is done with only the priests who have never done it before. A third lot is done there also to see who would take part in the sacrificial service. To burn the incense, only a priest who has never done it before is eligible. So, we know Zechariah has never burned incense before, and he is an older kohen.

Each service had two parts, the Sacrificial service and the Ketoret Incense) service. The kohen who burned incense also began the prayers called the Shemonah Esrai, or the 18 Benedictions. These prayers are still said today, so we know exactly what Zechariah was praying after he burned the incense. Along with the priestly course, there was a Levitical course and what was called the Ma’amad, or “standing men.” These two groups also had a rotation along with the kohanim every week. Each of the 24 districts sent a delegation representing their district each week to the Temple. The Ma’amad stood in the Court of Israel within the Azarah. They are included with “the whole multitude of people” praying outside in Luke 1.10, and mentioned again in v 21. When Zechariah goes into the Heicahl (Holy Place), he prays the Shemoneh Esrai, and it has an order to it. He was alone next to the incense altar because everyone else has departed.

Now, when you are praying these prayers, you don’t add personal prayers, nor could he ask for a child. As Zechariah is praying those prayers, the Levites and the Ma’amad outside are praying right along with him, the same thing, word for word. Everyone in the Temple, in the outer courts and all of Israel pray the same thing at the same time.

Now, we will pick up with Zechariah in the Heichal, praying the Shemonah Esrai, and what happens to him next when he sees the angel Gabriel standing right in front of him next to the Altar of Incense. What happens is very important concerning the birth of Yeshua at Sukkot.

We will begin in Luke 1.10 where it says, “And the whole multitude (The Ma’amad) of the people were in prayer (the Shemoneh Esrai, or 18 Benedictions) outside (in the courts of the Temple) at the hour of of the incense offering.” As Zechariah is praying, he see’s an angel of the Lord standing on the right side (north side) of the Altar of Incense and Zechariah is standing east of it. The angel says in v 13, “Do not be afraid, Zechariah, for your petition has been heard, and your wife Elisheva will bear you a son, and you shall give him the name Yochanon (John).” Zechariah has been praying the Shemoneh Esrai. He didn’t ask for a child through Elisheva and there isn’t a prayer in the Shemoneh Esrai for a woman to have a child. So, what was this prayer?

The angel goes on to say in Luke 1.15-17 that this child that was to be born was going to be great in the sight of the Lord and he will not drink wine or strong drink, and he will be filled with the Ruach ha Kodesh (Holy Spirit). He is going to be the forerunner of the Messiah and he will go forth in the “spirit and power of Elijah” and turn the hearts of the fathers back to their children and the disobedient to the attitude of the righteous, and make ready a people prepared for the Lord. In other words, he will fulfill the role of Elijah before the Messiah.

Zechariah asks how this can be, since he is an old man and his wife is advanced in years. The angel responds by saying that he is Gabriel, who stands in the presence of God and he has been sent to Zechariah to bring “good news” or the Basar. As a result of his unbelief, Zechariah will be deaf and mute (they had to make signs to him in Luke 1.62 to communicate, so that means he was deaf also). While this is going on, the people outside were wondering why it was taking so long for Zechariah to come out. They were praying the same prayers he was and they knew how long this took. Zechariah has been talking to Gabriel.

What was the prayer he was praying? In Isa 4.2 it says, “In that day, the Branch (Hebrew “tzemach”, a term for the Messiah) of the Lord will be beautiful and glorious and the fruit of the earth will be the pride and the adornment of the survivors of Israel.” Jer 23.5-6 says, “Behold, the days are coming, declares the Lord, when I will raise up for David a righteous Branch (tzemach) and he will reign as king and act wisely and do justice and righteousness in the land. In his days (the tzemach/Messiah) Judah will be saved and Israel will dwell securely; and this is his name by which he (the tzemach/Messiah) will be called, ‘The Lord our righteousness’ (Yehovah Tzekaynu).” Jer 33. 15-16 says in a similar passage, “In those days and that time I will cause a righteous Branch (tzemach/Messiah) of David to spring forth; and he shall execute justice and righteousness on the earth. In those days Judah shall be saved and this is the name by which she (not “he” as in Jer 23) shall be called; the Lord is our righteousness (Yehovah Tzekaynu).” The “she” in this verse refers to the “bride of the Messiah” and there has been a marriage to the “Branch”, resulting in her new name. Zech 3.8 says, “Now listen Joshua the High Priest, you and your friends (other priests) who are sitting in front of you-indeed they are men who are a symbol, for behold, I am going to bring in My Servant the Branch (tzemach/Messiah).” Then we have in Zech 6.12-13, “Then say to him, ‘Thus says the Lord of Hosts (armies), Behold, a man whose name is Branch (tzemach), for he will branch out from where he is; and he will build the temple of the Lord (Ezekiel’s temple). Yes, it is he who will build the temple of the Lord, and he who will bear the honor and sit and rule on his throne (as king). Thus he will be a priest on his throne, and the counsel of peace will be between the two offices (of king and priest).’”

So, what we have is Zechariah in the Heichal praying the Shemoneh Esrai. During one prayer, Gabriel shows up and says, “your petition has been heard.” Zechariah listens to what Gabriel has to say and then wonders how all of this is possible. The people are waiting outside, and wondering what is taking so long. Zechariah comes out and he can’t speak, and the people realize something has happened (v 22). It then goes on to say in Luke 1.23-25 that Zechariah finishes his week and goes home, and after all of this Elisheva becomes pregnant.

Six months later (Luke 1.26) Gabriel is sent to Miriam in Nazareth. The name Miriam means “rebel” and she is not the sinless virgin as in some parts of Christianity. She needs a savior, too (Luke 1.47). Now, we know that Yochanon was conceived in mid-Sivan, the third month of the religious year, so this is about mid-Kislev (the ninth month). Elisheva is in her sixth month of pregnancy (v 36). When Gabriel appears to Miriam, it is around the time of Chanukah. Remember, the ceremonies at Chanukah were the same as Sukkot in the first century (2 Macc 10.1-7). The story about the “miracle of the oil” at Chanukah is a myth. The real story behind Chanukah is the story of how a bunch of rag-tag religious people stood up against the assimilation and the paganism of Antiochus Epiphanes who was trying to bring in Hellenistic (Greek) idolatry. They fought a war over religious freedom to follow the Torah, and won. In the first century, that was the last thing the religious authorities wanted to be taught about Chanukah, for fear of a Roman reprisal, so the story of the miracle of the oil was invented to “disarm” any thought of rebelling against Rome in the same way the Maccabees did. Chanukah had the same liturgy and even some of the same names as Sukkot, like “The feast of Dedication (Chanukah means “dedication”) and the “feast of Lights.”

So, lets go ahead to Luke 1.57-64. Yochanon is born around Passover, nine months after Sivan. He is circumcised on the eighth day, and Zechariah names him Yochanon, but has to write the name because he can’t speak. This fulfills what Gabriel has told him in Luke 1.13-20, and he has been unable to speak until all these things take place. Zechariah can now speak, and Luke 1.67-79 records what he said. Now, we want to zero in on v 69, where Zechariah says, “And he has raised up a horn of salvation for us, in the house of David his servant.” Zechariah was unable to finish the Shemoneh Esrai in the Temple while he burned incense because he became mute, and they had to be said out loud. The last prayer that he prayed was the 15th benediction called “For the Messianic King.” This prayer can still be found in any Jewish prayer book. The benediction he prayed says, “Speedily cause the offspring (“tzemach”) of David, thy servant, to flourish (“ta’tzemach”), and lift up his glory (“kivod”) by thy divine help because we wait for thy salvation (Hebrew “l’yeshuatecha”-see the name Yeshua there?) all the day. Blessed art thou, O Lord, who causes the strength (Hebrew “keren” meaning “horn”) of salvation (Hebrew “Yeshua”) to flourish (matzemach).” Now you know why we went into the passages about the “tzemach” in Isa 4.2; Jer 23.5-6, 33.15-16; Zech 3.8. 6.12-13. His prayer here in Luke 1.69 was based on the prayer he prayed in the Temple right before Gabriel appeared.

Zechariah was on THIS prayer when Gabriel appeared to him. His wife would have a child and would go before this “offspring of David” or the “tzemach” (Messiah) and prepare his way in the spirit and power of Elijah. Luke 1.79 uses the term “shadow of death” and this alludes to the passage about the birth of Yeshua at Sukkot found in Isa 9.2, where the same term is used.

With all this as a backround, we will begin in Part 45 to look at the birth of Yeshua, and this will, take some time to develop in detail because of the “lullaby effect.” We have been so affected by the movies, books, songs and false teachings about his birth that we have been “lulled asleep.” We are not seeing what is in the Scriptures about his birth, and those Scriptures will tell a totally different story than what we have been taught. We are going to see that Yeshua was born at Sukkot, and we are going to look at the Virgin Birth and the “technicalities” involved. We will look at a certain factor in the book of Jeremiah that will play a huge role in his birth, and that factor is called the “Curse of Coniah.”

We are going to look at the birth of Yeshua and this will take some time to develop in detail because of what is called the “Lullaby Effect.” We have been so affected by movies, books, songs and false teachings that it has lulled us to sleep. We are not seeing what is in the Scriptures and it will tell a totally different story than what we have seen before. We are going to emphasize the fact that Yeshua was born at Sukkot and the Virgin Birth, with all the “technical” issues associated with it. There is a factor in the book of Jeremiah that will play a significant role in what happens and this is called the curse of Coniah.

Coniah was a king of Judah and he goes by several names, Jehoichin and Jeconiah. The last great king of Judah was Josiah, and he is killed at Megiddo by Pharaoh Neco. Jehoahaz is placed on the throne, and he is displaced after 3 months by Jehoikim, his half brother. He reigns 11 years, and the king of Babylon comes along and displaces him with Jehoikim’s son Jehoichin, and he reigns 3 months. The king of Babylon carries Jehoichin into captivity, and places his uncle (a full son of Josiah) Zedekiah on the throne, and he reigns 11 years. The king of Babylon comes back and destroys Jerusalem and the Temple, and Zedekiah tries to get away. He is caught by Nebuchadnezzar, and kills Zedekiah’s sons right in front of him, then puts out his eyes. There are no heirs and nobody to reign after him. So, the last king with sons is Jehoichin, but there is a problem. In Jer 22.28-30 it says, “Is this man Coniah a despised shattered jar? Or is he an undesirable vessel? Why have he and his descendants been hurled out and cast into a land that they have not known? O land, land, land, hear the word of the Lord, ‘Write this man down as childless (or just as if he was childless), a man who will not prosper in his days; for no man of his descendants will prosper (as a king) sitting on the throne of David or ruling again in Judah.’”

Judaism says God rescinded this curse, but we will see that he didn’t. We will see how this plays out in the birth of Yeshua later. So, let’s go back to Luke 1.26-33. This is important because when you read these verses she is saying that her son is going to be the Messiah. She asks a question in v 34 that is similar to Zechariah’s question because she is a virgin. The angel Gabriel, the same angel who dealt with Zechariah, says the Ruach ha Kodesh (the Holy Spirit) will overshadow her, and her son will be called “the Son of God” (v 35).
Remember, Gabriel was sent to Miriam in the sixth month of Elisheva’s pregnancy, around the time of Chanukah. Chanukah was called the “second Sukkot” and it was celebrated in the month of Kislev. We read that Miriam said in v 38 that “Behold, the bondslave of the Lord; be it done to me according to your word.” And the angel departed from her. The angel already has told her how this was going to happen in v 35 and how she will be overshadowed by the power of the Most High. What Miriam said is exactly what she would have said when putting up a “sukkah” at Sukkot. On p. 813 of the Hertz Authorized Daily Prayer book we have the prayer that is said in the sukkah on the first night of Sukkot. It says, “May it be thy will, O Lord my God and God of my fathers, to let thy divine presence abide among us. Spread over us (“overshadow” like Gabriel said) the canopy (sukkat) of thy peace in recognition of the precept of the sukkah which we are now fulfilling, and whereby we establish in fear and love the unity of thy holy and blessed name. O surround us with the pure and holy radiance of the glory, that is spread over our heads as the eagle over the nest he stirreth up; AND THENCE BID THE STREAM OF LIFE FLOW IN UPON THY SERVANT (THY HANDMAID). And seeing that I have gone from my house abroad (Miriam left home-Luke 1.39), and am speeding the way of thy commandments, may it be accounted unto me as though I had wandered far in they cause” and then it goes on. As you can see, there is a similarity to what Miriam says and what is said the first night in a sukkah.

Why is the angel pointing out that this is the sixth month (Kislev) of Elisheva’s pregnancy? The angel is giving us information relating to the time of his visitation to Miriam and Miriam was to go to Elisheva. But why? We will find out later. It says in Luke 1.38-39 that Miriam went to Elisheva “in haste.” Matt 1.18-23 says that she was betrothed to Joseph, and betrothal is the first stage of marriage, and then Matthew quotes Isa 7.14 saying this was going to fulfill that verse. But we have a problem. Many don’t believe in the Virgin Birth who are believers because they say it can be found in paganism. But we don’t see that as a problem because there are “counterfeit” stories of the truth. The enemy always tries to confuse the truth. The Virgin Birth is essential because of the curse of Coniah. No descendant of his will ever sit on the throne of David, and he is in the kingly line. So, let’s go back to Isa 7.14 and the word for “virgin” which is “almah” in Hebrew. In the Gesenius Hebrew-Chaldee Lexicon of the Old Testament, p. 634, it says that “almah means a youthful spouse recently married. The notion of unspotted virginity is not that which this word conveys, for which the proper word is betulah.”

In other words, “almah” does not necessarily mean “virgin” but “young woman, ripe sexually, maid, newly married” and “betulah” means virgin. So, why was almah used? It had to be used because this passage has numerous fulfillment’s. In the peshat (literal), it was fulfilled in the time of Ahaz with Isaiah and his wife (Isa 7.10). Why did Ahaz need a sign? Because an alliance of kings from Ephraim and Aram (Syria) have allied against him (Judah). The Lord says, “Ask of me for a sign” and Ahaz refuses to test the Lord, so the Lord says it is one thing to test the patience of men, but don’t test the Lord (v 13). So, the Lord will give Ahaz a sign (7.14), and then this famous verse goes on. But, what we fail to notice is that there will be three fulfillment’s of this verse. The first fulfillment will be in the days of Ahaz, the eighth century BC. The second fulfillment will be with Yeshua, and the third fulfillment will be in the Day of the Lord because we see the term “in that day” used in v 18, 20, 21 and 23, and “in that day” is referring to the “day of the Lord” or the last 1000 years of the 7000 year plan of God. This time period is also called the Atid Lavo, Messianic Kingdom or Millenium. In the case of Yeshua, it will be a virgin birth. The only way we can get three fulfillment’s out of Isa 7.14 is by using the generic word “almah” which can mean “young woman” or “virgin” who is a young woman.

Now, this concept was fulfilled in the time of Isaiah and Ahaz, and we will discuss what the sign was, how the curse of Coniah fits into this verse, and then how this relates to the birth of Yeshua at Sukkot.

In Isa 7.15-25, we find out that before the boy is old enough to know to refuse evil and choose good, the two kingdoms coming against Ahaz will be defeated. The Lord will call for Assyria to come against them. In Isa 8.1-4 it says that Isaiah “approached” the prophetess (his young wife) and she conceives and gives birth to a son they call Maher-shalal-hash-baz, which means “swift the booty, speedy the prey” and he was also known as Immanuel. Isa 8.5-8 then goes on to describe how the Assyrians will come in and defeat the enemies of Ahaz. So, what we have is this. According to Isa 7.14, a child will be born, a son. Isaiah will be the father and his wife is the mother and the son will be Maher-shalal-hash-baz. Before he is old enough to talk, the problem with Ephraim and Syria would be handled by Assyria (Isa 8.1-8).

Was the wife of Isaiah a virgin? No, but she was a young maiden, the first fulfillment of Isa 7.14. English translations use “virgin” to promote the idea of the virgin. In the LXX (Septuagint) it does the same thing and uses the Greek word “parthenos” meaning virgin, and then English translations use it from there. Now, the LXX was written hundreds of years before Yeshua, so we know that “virgin” is a valid translation. But “almah” can mean virgin or young woman, and that is what is used in Isa 7.14. The second fulfillment will be through a virgin, and that will be the birth of Yeshua. In other words, Isa 7.14 uses the word “almah” in Hebrew. Almah can mean “virgin” or “young woman” and in the case of Isaiah and the prophecy of his son, almah refers to his wife, a young woman. In the case of Yeshua, it will refer to Miriam being a virgin. That is why the Hebrew word for “virgin only” was not used because this verse will have numerous fulfillment’s. It is essential that we have a virgin birth with Yeshua if we are to deal with the curse of Coniah in Jer 22. So, the Tanach used the proper word “almah” in Isa 7.14.

If the curse of Coniah is in effect, there can’t be a king, hence the Messiah, produced from the line of the king’s descended through Solomon to Coniah. Now, that brings us to the two genealogies in the gospels. There is one in Matthew and another in Luke. The genealogy in Matthew is that of the kings and the genealogy of Yeshua’s step-father Joseph, the legal father of Yeshua. The genealogy in Luke is the genealogy of his mother Miriam. Matt 1.1-17 gives us the genealogy of Joseph and the genealogy of the kings. It also tells us that Jeconiah, even though he was written down as childless, had children and grandchildren. So, what does it mean in Jer 22.30 by “childless?” It doesn’t mean he wasn’t going to have children, but it will be as though he didn’t have children because none of them would reign as king.

So, let’s look at the genealogy of Miriam. First of all, look at the names in her genealogy. Many of the names there are priestly names, like Eli, Mattat, Mattathias and Eliezar for instance (Luke 3.23-29). In Luke 3.31 we see “Nathan, the son of David” not Solomon. This genealogy is the same as the one in Matthew from Abraham to David, but from there in Luke it stems from Nathan to Miriam. In the first century, a woman’s genealogy can be represented by the name of her husband. It is obvious that Miriam descended from David through Nathan. It is also obvious that Miriam is also descended from Aaron and is tied to the priesthood because of the names in her genealogy, and remember, Miriam was a relative of Elisheva, a descendant of Aaron (Luke 1.36). Why is there a need to give us the genealogy of Miriam unless the curse of Coniah was still a factor? The curse of Coniah would make it an impossible situation without the virgin birth. The Messiah must have the right to the throne through Solomon and he must come from the flesh of David. Judaism says that the curse of Coniah was lifted, but if that is true, why do we need a virgin birth?

Earlier we made a point about why Gabriel apparently sent Miriam to the house of Zechariah. There may have been a very good reason. We know the prophecy in Isa 7.14 says that an “almah” will give birth to a son. In Miriam’s case, it means a “virgin.” But how can a young woman establish the fact that she is virgin? Secondly, who does she need to prove this to? Well, in the Torah there is a way to prove that she is is virgin, and that is found in Num 5.11-31 in a ceremony called the Sotah (jealousy). We know that immediately after she is told by the angel she will conceive, she goes to her relative Elisheva, but why? Is it possible that she will submit herself to the ceremony of the Sotah? We know that Joseph thought she was unfaithful (Matt 1.18-19) and didn’t believe her story at first. The Sotah ceremony is very humiliating, but if she went through it in the Temple it would prove she was a virgin, yet pregnant.

There are a set of writings called the Pseudo-pigrapha. These are books with the names of biblical characters but not really written by them. In the “Book of James” it says that Miriam went to Zechariah’s house to do the Sotah in the Temple. This story has inaccuracies, but this idea of Miriam submitting to the Sotah ceremony was known.

Who would she go through this ceremony in the Temple for? It wouldn’t be for Joseph. He doubted at first, but he had a dream and was told not to worry (Matt 1.20). She went through the Sotah for us. It would have been recorded in the Temple and there would have been plenty of witnesses to attest to the fact that she did not suffer any of the calamities that would have befallen a women who stood before the Lord and denied her unfaithfulness when she was actually guilty. In the time of Yeshua, everyone would have assumed that the child was Joseph’s. This would mean that Yeshua had a birthright to the throne if there was no curse of Coniah. Joseph was the rightful heir to the throne. However, there is the curse of Coniah, so Yeshua was not directly from the line of Solomon to Joseph, he was through Nathan to Miriam. So, the ceremony of the Sotah found in Num 5.11-31 could have established the fact that she was a virgin, yet pregnant.

Now, we want to establish the time of Yeshua’s birth. From the time of creation to the birth of Yeshua, there was approximately 4000 years, within the overall 7000 year plan of God in Jewish eschatology. Creation week in Gen 1 is the blueprint (Psa 90.4; 2 Pet 2.8-10). The seventh day of this 7000 years is called the “Day of the Lord” like the seventh day weekly Sabbath. We will also be able to establish when during the calendar year he was born. Luke 2.1-3 says that there was a census taken by Caesar Augustus, and in the Greek it says that this census was “before” the census taken while Quirinius was governor of Syria.

In John 1.19 through 2.1 we have a picture of the 7000 years. John 1.19-28 is the first day. John 1.29-34 is the second day. John 1.35-42 is the third day and John 1.43-51 is the fourth day. Yeshua wanted to go to Galilee, and Galilee is an idiom for heaven. It means “circle” (eternal) and so what we have is this. Yeshua comes after 4000 years, and here in John it is the fourth day. Phillip says “We have found him…Yeshua of Nazareth, the son of Joseph” and he uses a messianic title for the Messiah (Messiah Ben Joseph has been discussed earlier). He was not referring to his step-father Joseph but to the Messiah Ben Joseph that was to come, followed by Messiah Ben David. Phillip didn’t know who Yeshua’s earthly father was anyway, he just met him. In v 48 Yeshua says Nathanael had “no guile” which means he was a righteous man by faith who would someday be resurrected. When Yeshua says he saw him “under the fig tree” he was using an idiom for the Messianic Kingdom (Mic 4.1-4; 1 Kings 4.25). He was saying “I see you in the future.” Nathanael then says to Yeshua that he was the “Son of God and you are the King of Israel.” These are merging titles for the Messiah and a Hebrew parallelism.

We don’t have another day mentioned until John 2.1-3 where we find out it was the “third day” after the previous four just mentioned. Yeshua turns the water into wine at a wedding and then in verse 11 it says that this was the beginning of signs. Now, we have a picture from John 1.19 to John 2.11. We have four days (4000 years) and Yeshua comes as the Messiah. He goes away for two days (2000 years-Hos 6.1-3) and then on the third day (which is the seventh day or 7000th year) there is a wedding, in Galilee, a type of heaven.

Now, at the beginning of his ministry it is recorded in most English Bibles that Yeshua was called “the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world (John 1.29).” But, this statement does not make sense. During Yom Kippur there is a ceremony where a goat carried the sins of the people, but that is the Azazel goat which is clearly a picture of Satan and the false messiah. Yochanon said this during the season of Yom Kippur because Yeshua’s ministry was 3 and a half years, so it had to begin around Yom Kippur. If Yochanon’s statement was referencing this Yom Kippur ceremony of the Azazel it should have been “Goat of God that takes away the sins of the world.” People would have told John he made a mistake if he said “Lamb of God” because “Lamb” is not used in this context.

Hebrew was the spoken language in the first century, however, there are many “loan” words from Aramaic ever since the time of Daniel. This concept is not unusual in any language. English has many loan words from another language. A classic example of this is our passages from John 1.29-36. The explanation for this verse can be found in the works of C.F. Burney in a work called “The Aramaic Origin of the Fourth Gospel”, 1922, p 107f and another work by Oscar Cullman called “The Christology of the New Testament” by Westminster Press, 1959, p 71. Both have shown that the Aramaic phrase “telay de’alahah” means both “lamb of God and servant of God” and this lies behind the Greek expression “lamb of God.” Remember, the Scriptures, including the New Testament, was written in Hebrew, There are Aramaic loan words and phrases and when these are translated into Greek some of the original meanings get lost. Then, when you take Greek and put it into the languages of the nations, including English, you can have problems

This is significant because this shows Yeshua as coming to fulfill the “Servant” passages found in Isaiah chapters 40 through 55 and supports Yeshua’s ministry as he turns 30 years old at the time of fall festivals. The Messiah Ben Joseph was identified with these same servant passages in Isaiah. The passages in Isaiah of the Suffering Servant applies to the concept of the Messiah Ben Joseph. We know that Yeshua’s time of ministry was three and a half years. We know that it ends in Nisan, at Passover. So, we know he was “about thirty years of age” when he began his ministry (Luke 3.23), so that means it would have had to begin in Tishri, at the time of the fall festivals of Rosh ha Shannah, Yom Kippur and Sukkot (when he turned 30).

So, let’s begin to look at more evidence that shows us that Yeshua was born at the festival of Sukkot.

Let’s go back to Isa 9 and we are going to review a few things. First of all, Isa 9.1 should be in Chapter 8 because Chapter 9 is about the festival of Sukkot. We have mentioned before that the word “light” in 9.2 is associated with Sukkot and those that see this light are in the “shadow of death” which is another name for the Kidron Valley. There is only one festival during the year where the Kidron Valley is lit up with “light” and that is at the festival of Sukkot. In the Mishnah, Sukkah 5.2-3, it says, “At the close of the festival day of the Feast they went down to the Court of the Women where they made a great amendment. There were golden candlesticks there with four golden bowls on the top of them and four ladders to each candlestick, and four youths of the priestly stock had in their hands jars of oil holding a hundred and twenty logs, which they poured into all the bowls. They made wicks from the worn out drawers and girdles (swaddling clothes) of the priests and with them they set the candlesticks alight, and there was not a courtyard in Jerusalem that was not illuminated by the light of the House of the Water Pouring (Beit ha Shoevah).”

In Isa 9.3 we have some key words associated with Sukkot. We have the words “gladness”, “glad” and “harvest.” Now, when you go to Deut 16.13-14 and Exo 23.16 we see these same terms and concepts which are associated with the festival of Sukkot. During Sukkot, the haftorah readings (readings from the Prophets) are Zech 14.1-21 which is read on the first day of Sukkot (Tishri 15) and Ezek 38.18 through 39.16, which is read on the Sabbath that falls during Sukkot week. So, during Sukkot they study the War of Gog and Magog. This custom dates back to the first century and the time of Yeshua (Talmud Megillah 31a). Part of the Sukkot “rejoicing” was the fact that in the future Gog/Magog will be defeated by that festival.

Ezek 38.17 says that the Lord has prophesied through his prophets about Gog and Magog, but where are the prophecies? Where are the prophecies of Gog and Magog found? The ancient sages determined that these prophecies are found in the invasion of the Assyrians. In Isa 9.7 we have discussed the closed or final Hebrew letter Mem (has an “m” sound) in the word “l’marbeh” where it is translated “increase” in English. The final form of a Hebrew letter can only be used at the end of a Hebrew word, not at the beginning. The letter mem in Hebrew thought is associated with the womb or virgin. The sages said that God did this to show that he wanted to make Hezekiah the Messiah and Sennacherib Gog (Talmud Sanhedrin 94a). For more information on the closed mem, see the article “The Mystery of the Closed Mem” by Daniel Botkin. Now, we know that was not the case, but we do find the association of Gog with the Assyrians.

Isa 9.4-5 deals with the defeat of the Assyrians in the time of Isaiah, but it is also a picture of the defeat of Gog and Magog at Sukkot during at the end of the third year of the Birthpains. So, starting in Isa 9.2, every verse is about Sukkot. Then we come to Isa 9.6, which we have dealt with, and we see that a “child will be born to us, a son will be given” which is clearly a prophecy about the birth of Yeshua in a prophecy about Sukkot. Then we have Isa 9.7 and an allusion to the virgin birth in the Hebrew word “l’marbeh” and the closed mem.

Now, let’s go back to Luke 2.1-7. The men have to go to their ancestral town to register, so Joseph goes to Bethlehem because that was where his ancestor David was from. The Romans do a census so they can tax the people, but they gave the people time to do this. The people need to bring in their harvest, sell it and so on. The men were coming for the Shelosh Regalim anyway, so they could go by their ancestral towns at the festivals and take care of their Roman business and the taxes. So, Bethlehem would have been very crowded due to the people coming for the festivals. We have already showed that Yeshua was to be born around the festival of Sukkot from the Scriptures and the Mishmar of Abijah and the birth of Yochanon from Luke 1. Elisheva conceives and nine months after Zechariah comes back after the prophecy by Gabriel, and she gives birth to Yochanon around the time of Passover. Six months after the birth of Yochanon, Miriam gives birth in the month of Tishri after being conceived at Chanukah. Yeshua is born and put into a “manger” in a stable, which is the Hebrew word “sukkah” (Gen 33.17) and because there was no room in the inn. There was a “swell” of people coming up for the festival of Sukkot so they could not find a room, but there were “sukkot” everywhere to stay in because that was what they were designed for, so Yeshua was born in a sukkah, at the festival of Sukkot.

In Luke 2.8-9 we read about the shepherds in the field. They were at a place called Migdal Eder which means “Tower of the Flock.” This place is located at the northern end near a bluff very near where Rachel is buried (Gen 35.19-21). Micah 4.8 says, “And as for you, tower of the flock (Migdal Eder) hill of the daughter of Zion, to you it (the Kingdom of God) will come-even the former dominion (that was in Eden) will come, the kingdom of the daughter (an idiom meaning “a small town”) of Jerusalem.” The Mishnah says that Temple animals were raised there (Shekalim 7.4). What they did was measured the distance from the Temple to Migdal Eder (four miles), then drew a circle around Jerusalem. Any animal within that circumference was eligible for the Temple. The shepherds in the field were Levites shepherds working for the Temple. They were in the valley of Migdal Eder, not in Bethlehem but right on the edge of it.

In Luke 2.15-16, after hearing from the angels that the Messiah was born, ran “in haste” to find Joseph, Miriam and the child that was going to be the Messiah. In Luke 2.17-20, these same shepherds told everyone they could find what happened. Matt 2.1-2 says that at the same time “magi” from the “east” had arrived in Jerusalem looking for the “king” that was born. Jerusalem, being the logical place to find a king, was not where Yeshua was, however. These “magi” were actually “Chachamim” or “wise men” otherwise known as “rabbi’s, scholars or sages.” The “east” was the land of Babylon, where the largest Jewish population in the world lived. Remember, most of the Jews did not come back after the Babylonian dispersion but stayed there. They saw “his star” while in the Babylon (Num 24.17). There was a messianic figure during the third Jewish revolt called “Bar Kochba” which means “son of the star” but he turned out to be a false messiah obviously.

The expectation was that a “star” would come meaning that the Messiah had come. The Aramaic paraphrase of Num 24.17 in the Targum Onkelos says, “I see him, but not now, I behold him, but not near. When a king shall arise out of Jacob, and the Messiah be anointed from Israel, he will slay the Princes of Moab, and reign over all the children of men.”

So, what do we have so far? Yeshua was born during Sukkot. Joseph has come down from Nazareth to Bethlehem to keep Sukkot, but to also take part in the census. Miriam is nine months pregnant and finding no room in the only inn in Bethlehem, she goes into contractions and they find shelter in a sukkah. Yeshua is born, and Levite shepherds come from Migdal Eder, find Yeshua and begin to tell everyone they can find that the Messiah has been born. Contrary to the Christian “Christmas Story” it was not a ‘Silent Night” but a very noisy night (Luke 2.17-18). In Part 49 we will pick up here because the story switches here and the Christian version is a myth.

The Christian version of the birth of Yeshua is in many parts a myth. It does not match what we are told in the Scriptures, yet everyone accepts it as the way it was. The Chachamim (“magi”) were rabbi’s and sages, scholars of the Torah. They have come to Herod looking for “the king” because they have seen his “star in the east.” Anciently, the Jewish people associated a star with the coming of the Messiah (Num 24.17). They have come to do homage to the new king. In Christianity, they believe the “three kings” came two years after Yeshua was born. recent movies have shown this very thing.

The next question we may ask is “Where is the east?” Gen 29.1 says, “Then Jacob went on his journey and came to the land of the sons of the east.” Padan-Aram is Mesopotamia and is known as the “land of the east.” Later, this region was called Babylon and had the greatest concentration of Jews in the world in the first century. The Jewish community was carried into Babylon by Nebuchadnezzar. The second largest Jewish population was in Alexandria, Egypt and the third was in Judea and Galilee. Our story is different than in Christianity. We have Jewish rabbi’s coming from Babylon who knew the “star” prophecy out of Num 24.17 and are coming to Judea because they have seen this star in Babylon (“in the east”). The question is, when did they arrive? Was it two years after Yeshua was born as many teach or was it the night he was born.

We know that Joseph was coming to keep the festival of Sukkot and for the census at the same time. What do you do when it is over? You go home, but Joseph didn’t hang around Bethlehem for two years after Yeshua was born according to the Christian tradition. Why would they wait around, they didn’t live there. Herod was a notorious king and known for his brutality. He killed his brother-in-law because the people liked him as high priest, he was a Hasmonean. He also killed his wife Mariamne and he killed one child after another because he was jealous of them.

Matt 2.3 says that when Herod heard from the Chachamim that the king of Jews has been born, he was troubled and all of Jerusalem with him. According to Josephus, Herod slaughtered not only killed his brother-in-law, wife and his own children, but he killed his mother-in-law and was known to have spies throughout the land. When Herod was “troubled” so was everyone else. Augustus Caesar once said, “It is better to be a pig in the house of Herod than one of his children.” Herod kept kosher and wouldn’t kill a pig, but he thought nothing of murdering his own children. So, he had this massive “spy network” to let him know of anything or anyone who might be a threat to his throne. But we have a problem. The Levite shepherds are telling everyone about the birth of the Messiah in Migdal Eder. We have angelic choirs singing and other things going on. They are only four miles away from Jerusalem, yet Herod doesn’t even know what is going on when the Chachamim arrive.

Now, we know that Joseph and Miriam were in the Temple with Yeshua 40 days after he was born because she had a purification to perform according to the Torah (Lev 12.1-8; Luke 2.22-24). A man named Simeon was also there in the Temple (Luke 2.25-35). In addition, a woman named Anna, a prophetess, was there (Luke 2.26-38). Anna worked in the Temple for years. Everyone knew who she was and where to find her when you came to the Temple. So, the Temple and the ceremonies are a common thread here. If there was any place where anyone knew that Yeshua was the Messiah, it was the Temple. There is no way that this fact could not be known. Anna told everyone about Yeshua (Luke 2.38). If you have a child that is two years old, why hasn’t anyone heard of him in Matt 2.4-5? Herod, the Chief Priests and the Scribes haven’t heard anything about it?

What we have is this. At the time that the Chachamim arrive in Herod’s palace in Jerusalem, it was obvious that no one from the Temple or the surrounding area at Jerusalem had heard the report of the Levite shepherds from Migdal Eder, or from Simeon or Anna in the Temple. Therefore, the Chachamim must have been with Herod about the time the shepherds were visited by the angels and were viewing Yeshua. Why do people think he was two years old when they came? Matt 2.6-9 says that the Chachamim left Herod and followed the “star” to where Yeshua was because the prophecies say Messiah was to be born in Bethlehem. Now, the “star” was not a comet or some configuration of the stars. Trying to find out when the birth of Yeshua was by looking back to find some line up of planets is a waste of time. This “star” was a miracle of God. The star “moved” and stood over where the child was. So, how old was Yeshua when they arrived?

In the Mishnah, Tractate Parah 1.4, it says that some offerings offered on the eighth day after they were born are valid. A Red Heifer (Parah Adumah) is considered a heifer up to three years old, and they start counting this on the eighth day after the heifer is born and is considered 1 year old on the eighth day. One year after that is is considered two years old, and on the second birthday it is considered three years old. It is considered one year old on the eighth day after it was born. This also applied to a person because the Jews believed that life began at conception. So, with that in mind, Matt 2.16 says that Herod tried to kill Yeshua and ordered all children two years old and younger to be killed., but they were actually one year old and younger according to the Jewish reckoning. That is where people get the idea that Yeshua was two years old when the Chachamim came. Yeshua was not a toddler at two years old when they came, he was younger than one year old.

In the Whiston edition footnotes of Josephus, Book 18, Chapter 4, Paragraph 6, it says that Herod died in September, 4 BC. This is important to remember. His sons took over then. How does this apply? Herod must have been dead before Joseph and Miriam appear in the Temple 40 days after Yeshua’s birth for the purification ceremony found in Lev 12.1-8. In Matt 2.13-15 we learn that Joseph took his family to Egypt because Herod was going to try and kill the Yeshua. They are to stay in Egypt till Herod dies. How could Joseph and Miriam come to the Temple 40 days after Yeshua’s birth with Herod still alive? The news of his birth through the Levite shepherds would have reached the Temple very shortly, and to Herod very soon after that.

Sukkot starts on Tishri 15 and ends on Tishri 21. Then we have Shemini Atzeret, the “eighth” day. Is it possible that Yeshua was born on the 15th and circumcised on Shemini Atzeret, the “eighth” day? Joseph and Miriam take the child and leave for Egypt on Tishri 15, the night he was born. Joseph was warned in a dream to do so. That Chachamim had already arrived earlier that night, right after he was born and they have moved Miriam and Yeshua into a house from the sukkah. The Chachamim leave, everyone goes to bed as the news filters back to Herod. The Chachamim have a dream to not return to Herod, but go home a different way, and Joseph has a dream to take the child to Egypt. They leave and arrive in Egypt in about a week. The eighth day comes and Yeshua is circumcised on Tishri 22, a special day, a Yom Tov (Lev 23.36). Now they are in Egypt, the children in Bethlehem have been killed that were one year old and younger. They receive word from the Lord that Herod is dead, and they come back. All of this is within 40 days of Yeshua’s birth. When the fortieth day arrives, they are already back in the land and at the Temple for Miriam’s purification ceremony. If Yeshua was born on Tishri 14, this would have been Chesvan 25. Archelaus, the son of Herod, is tied up with the funeral of his father for about a month so they can come to the Temple, but they can’t stay in Judea (Luke 2.22). So, after the purification ceremony, they return back to Nazareth (Matt 2.23). In Part 50, we will pick up here.

After the purification ceremony of Miriam in Luke 2.39, they returned to Nazareth. The Christian model is they stayed in Bethlehem for two years, but the biblical model says that were in the Temple at 40 days after his birth, then went to Galilee. When we say the Christian model, we are not saying that every Christian believes this, but many do and it is prevalent in certain movies, even a recent one, concerning his birth. Now, we are told in Matt 2.23 that they returned to Nazareth so that what the prophets spoke could be fulfilled, “He shall be called a Nazarene.” However, we have a problem. Nazareth is never mentioned in the Tanach or the Talmud. There is no Scripture that says this. People have criticized the New Testament and said that it is untrue, and they use this verse to try and prove it, but that is because they have a lack of understanding. John Chapter 1 has been looked at before and how the seven days from John 1.19 to John 2.1 and the wedding at Cana are a picture of the 7000 years. We saw that these verses take lace during the fall High Holy days of Rosh ha Shannah, Yom Kippur and Sukkot. Now, we are going to go back to something else.

In John 1.43 we have the fourth day of the sequence of days in this story, so that day is like the year 4000. Nathanael is told by Phillip that they have found the Messiah, Yeshua of Nazareth, and in John 1.46, Nathanael says, “Can anything good come out of Galilee?” The reputation of Nazareth was that of a “despised” city. Yeshua lived there, and the Messiah is called “despised” in a passage from what is called the “Servant Passages” of Isaiah chapters 40 through 55. In Isa 49.5-8 it says, “And now says the Lord who formed me from the womb to be his servant, to bring Jacob back to him in order that Israel might be gathered to him. For I am honored in the sight of the Lord, and my God is my strength, He says, ‘It is too small of a thing that you should be my servant to raise up the tribes of Jacob and to restore the preserved ones of Israel; I will also make you a light of the nations (Sukkot term) so that my salvation may reach to the end of the earth.’ Thus says the Lord, the Redeemer of Israel, its Holy One, to the despised one (Messiah), to the one abhorred by the nation (Israel), to the servant of rulers, ‘Kings shall see and arise, Princes shall bow down because of the Lord who is faithful, the Holy One of Israel who has chosen you.’” Also, Isa 53.3 (also a part of the Servant passages) says, “He was despised and forsaken of men, a man of sorrows and acquainted with grief; and like one from whom men hide their face, he was despised, and we did not esteem him.”

So it was with Nazareth in Galilee. Galilee itself was seen as remote and away from the center of the “Judaisms” in Jerusalem, not known for great knowledge, civilization or scholarship. Within Galilee itself, Nazareth barely registers, receiving no mention from Jewish sources before the third century AD. This led some skeptics to doubt whether Nazareth even existed at all in the first century. However, archeology does show that the city was inhabited. It is now believed that Nazareth was a village of no more than 500 people in the days of Yeshua when he grew up there.

Nazareth is about 16 miles southwest of the Sea of Galilee and it is near the Mediterranean Sea and would not be on a lot of trade routes. Nazareth is near Sephoris, a Roman garrison on high ground. Just like many places today, there were “Nazareth jokes.” Everybody saw Nazareth as a “despised place” because it was in Galilee. John 7.52 says, “They answered and said to him (Nicodemus), ‘You are not also from Galilee are you (meaning “stupid”)? Search, and see that no prophet arises out of Galilee.’”  Nazareth was seen as backwards, out in the “sticks” and away from any real schools and scholarship. It was seen as an”ignorant place” and the people from there were “simple-minded sinners.”

So, let’s go back to Matt 2.19-23 where it says, “But when Herod was dead, behold, and angel of the Lord appeared in a dream to Joseph (who was in Egypt), saying, ‘Arise and take the child and his mother, and go into the land of Israel; for those who sought the child’s life are dead.’ And he arose and took the child and his mother, and came into the land of Israel. But when he heard that Archelaus was reigning over Judea (just as evil as his father Herod) in the place of his father (Herod), he was afraid to go there. And being warned in a dream, he departed for the regions of Galilee (he stopped at the Temple first for Miriam’s purification ceremony) and came and resided in a city called Nazareth, that what was spoken through the prophets might be fulfilled, ‘He shall be called a Nazarene (or despised).’”

Joseph and Miriam returned to their own city of Nazareth, the despised city (Luke 2.39). Gen 3.15 says, “And I will put enmity between you and the woman and between your seed and her seed and he shall bruise you on the head and you shall bruise him on the heel.” Her seed indicates that the Messiah will have a virgin birth. From the beginning, we are being told about the birth of the Messiah so that is why we have spent so much time detailing what really happened so that you don’t fall prey to all the pagan myths and untruths that are in the world concerning this event. Just about everything associated with the world’s celebration of Christmas is untrue, from the date, to certain events, to interpretations. Hopefully these teachings concerning his birth will help you see that there may be a whole other story to be told about what may have really happened, and to study it can also bring out the richness of the Scriptures.