➖How can we be for certain Yeshua/Jesus birthday was on Sukkot? First off we can track when Elizabeth was pregnant with John as he went forth in the spirit of Elijah, John was conceived in mid Sivan on the Hebrew Calendar which is May/June and born 40 weeks later around Nissan 15 Which is Passover. (April) ➖We know that Zechariah was a temple priest and when the angel appeared he was on temple
duty for Aviyah the 8th course of the year (Luke 1:5, 1 Chr 24:10) ➖Yeshua was conceived 6 months after John (Luke 1:24-27, 36) which is later Kislev and during that year was Chanukah festival of lights (December) as Yeshua was called the light to the world. From the 15th day of Nisan (April) we add 6 months later to Tishri and we come to Sukkot (October) ➖Notice that all the inns were full? Why? During Sukkot Jews and Gentiles from many nations would gather around Jerusalem and the surrounding cities like Bethlehem. They went into a stable (or what many build a Sukkah) The law said "you are to dwell in booths for 7 days" As we see Sukkot lasts 7 days! He was wrapped in swaddling clothes, which would have been priestly clothes from Zechariah the priest! On the 8th day many fulfil Atzeret/Simchat Torah Leviticus 23:39 which they begin reading from Genesis all over again. So how did he fulfil that?➖ The word became flesh and he came to properly teach it! Beautiful right? On the 8th day Yeshua received his circumcision Luke 2:21-27 or purification and consecration according to the law of Moses. His parents were poor, so according to the law they bought 2 pigeons to sacrifice (which the poor bought) instead of a much more expensive animal ➖King Herod used the Census during the time of Sukkot. Not December. Shepherds would not be in the field in December. It's too cold. We can also track Herod's slaughtering of babies and when Mary and Joseph went to Egypt. ➖Also when was the first physical temple dedicated and the ark of the covenant (presence of God placed within it?) SUKKOT! He said "I will pour out my spirit on ALL FLESH!) Zechariah 14:16 gives us a visual of how the marriage supper of the lamb will likely be on Sukkot a time of joy and feasting!
Historically we can research documents and writings and even Clement of Alexandria never mentioned December 25th as the birth of Messiah nor any other historian.
There is a spring and winter solstice which pagans celebrated many pagan god's were worshipped on December 25th and April 12th (Easter). Constantine an Anti-Christ and Roman leader with a hunger for power knew his power against the believers of Yeshua was becoming threatened by their uprising. So just like Titus who destroyed the temple in Jerusalem and used the money from the temple items to build the Roman Coliseum, also put a idol of himself and made himself like a god. He brought in Christianity and all the pagan worship and gods from all the nations, claimed he had a vision of Jesus and forced it upon all to follow his form of Christianity and implemented Christmas with pagan worship on December 25th 336A.D. and Easter on 325A.D. In fact it wasn't mentioned to celebrate his brith until Constantine. He mentions in writing to prove that the Roman Christian church is more powerful than god, they will now worship on the days implemented by the ruling roman empire. He also changed the Sabbath from Saturday to Sunday as another tactic to rule over the Jewish traditions of God's commandments. Anyone who was found worshipping Hanukkah, Passover, or keeping Saturday sabbath was to be put to death. Even later in 1223A.D. the nativity scene was created from Catholicism. Ever heard the story 3 wise men shown up when Jesus as born? The Bible never mentions 3 wise men, and it wasn't until Jesus was a small child that the wise men would have brought gifts.
December 25 was made most popular by Pope Liberius in 354 and became the rule in the West in 435 when the first "Christ mass" was officiated by Pope Sixtus III. This coincided with the date of a celebration by the Romans to their primary god, the Sun, and to Mithras, a popular Persian sun god supposedly born on the same day.
Constantine just like Antiochus, set up idols in the temple, sacrificed pig flesh, murdered thousands who kept God's commandments, implemented new days of worship, and did away with the Holy Days and Sabbath of God! Daniel from a vision of God warned about the Anti-Christ and a ruler who would fight against the holy ways of God. History often repeats itself and we see that many follow the traditions which Paul as a warning from Yeshua spoke to be careful not to follow in the traditions of man but to keep the traditions you have learned from us which was learned from childhood. What were these traditions? God's holy ways! Unfortunately rulers after Constantine and the council of Nicaea accepted the traditions and beliefs that all paganism was brought out of it and that we worship the birth of Christ. What the danger of this is, most of these churches also celebrate fall festivals mixing in pagan worship of Halloween and other false doctrine and theology which they deem as holy. God teaches us to be set apart from what is unclean and even in the 1800's Christians and Jews fought against Christmas, wreaths, mistletoe, Christmas trees, and many more decorations for all had pagan origins and banned all forms of easter and Christmas while jailing and fining anyone caught celebrating it! How did it become accepted again? In our research we find that just as the lukewarm churches accept many false doctrine and theology rebellious toward God's holy ways and wanted to worship their form of God in a new way. So we see with churches today, the great falling away and apostasy also brought in with a watered down half truth message that is self appeasing without self denial. It's intertwined with idolatry, love of money, lust, entertainment, and fun games. The very type of church the true church of Yeshua sought to make sure doesn't rise up. On Passover when Yeshua said "do this in remembrance of me, wasn't to have Easter as Constantine said was his rising, nor about pagan eggs and bunnies. But about the a Jewish Passover feast which was God's Just as Sukkot is his birth and tabernacling amongst us. We must not be so conceded in our hearts that one desires to burn their family Christmas tree, but we must be a set apart nation in love and humility desiring and committing our actions to what is true and right in the sight of Adonai (The Lord) Sukkot is a wonderful time to praise God and worship what he has done in our lives. During Sukkot we acknowledge that we are in our temporary dwellings (sukkah) or bodies yielding our bodies to the power of the Ruach Hakodesh (Holy Spirit) and until Yeshua's coming and return where he will take his faithful and patient bride back to the wedding ceremony in the biggest Sukkah of all time where will will rule and reign with him for eternal life. Be careful not to become a foolish bride, but a faithful one patiently waiting for the day Yeshua tabernacles amongst us for all eternity!
Shalom to all!
Happy Sukkot!
Ocean Wave Ministries