Letter to the Editor: Luke: Chapter 1 and Chapter 2, verses 1-21

To the Editor:

The teaching of the churches is that Yahshua, or Jesus, was born December 25. This is a teaching started by the Catholic church hundreds of years ago. That and many other Catholic traditions are glibly being followed by the Protestant churches, apparently not checking out what they started from.

Such is the teaching of the present day of His birth. This celebration of His birth is not found anywhere in the Bible, and there is no record of Him ever celebrating His birthday because celebrating birthdays was of the Pagan Heathen nations. It is sun worship and was and is hated by our God, Yahweh.

It all started with the virgin Miriam (Mary) being visited by the angel Gabriel, who informed her that she was highly favored and even though she was a virgin, she would conceive a very special child, the only begotten Son of the Most High Living God Yahweh. She and her betrothed, Yoseph, were very concerned because not being married when pregnant would create intense problems socially and could bring on them the death penalty.

Now, let’s go back to Zaharias, who was serving his priestly duty before God. He was of the priestly division of Abijah, which is the 10th week of the biblical year. He was visited by the angel Gabriel, who informed him that his wife, although she was barren and both of them quite old, would bear them a son.

His name was to be Yahochanan (John), known as John the Baptizer.

Elisheva, or Elizabeth, was already six months pregnant when Miriam had conceived and went to visit her. When Elisheva heard Miriam’s greeting, her baby leaped in her womb and she was filled with the Holy Spirit and excitedly exclaimed, “Blessed are you among women and blessed is the fruit of your womb.”

The 10th week of the biblical year would be Iyar/Sivan or May/June. Miriam would have conceived about December. That would give the birthing of Yahshua in September or October, likely the first day of Succoth, which all of Yahweh’s feast days are floating holy days. The first day of Succoth is a holy day, as is the eighth day. No work is to be done those days, and it includes a holy convocation as commanded by Yahweh and is to be obeyed to this day.

The trip to Bethlehem had to be made to Jerusalem to pay taxes. What better time to tax than Succoth, when all Israelites were to go to Jerusalem. Leviticus 23. December is a cold, rainy time of year; it can snow there. It is many miles from Nazareth to Bethlehem, and there is no place for shelter in the desert.

Being in the last month of her pregnancy riding on a donkey, soaking wet in 35-degree weather would not be good for travel. They might have died because of pneumonia. They went to Bethlehem because of the huge crowd in Jerusalem. Also, giving birth to a baby in inclement weather with no heat - well, you decide.

Furthermore, the shepherds could not survive in that kind of weather either. There were no shepherds in any fields with any sheep. They would have been under cover also. It does snow occasionally in Israel. No, Yahshua was not born on a cold winter night in December in Bethlehem.

Nanferd and Judy Felke
Waukon