What do we Celebrate at Christmas?

Christmas is not a celebration of the Birth of Christ, but rather the coming of Christ.  They are different things.

Why don't we know when Jesus was born?  Because Jews didn't celebrate birthdays... that was a pagan thing, commonly done by those who worshipped fertility gods like Ashtoreth.  So for the first 300 years, nobody cared when Jesus was born. 

But the Bible gives us some clues as to when He was born, and if we understand our Old Testament, we can narrow it down to a single week.    You see, John 1:14 says "The word became flesh, and made his dwelling among us."  The Greek word here translated as "made his dwelling" is also used in the Greek Septuagint version of the Old Testament as "Tabernacled," and is related to the "Feast of Tabernacles."  That is, the feast prefigures the coming of the Messiah.  Paul makes reference to this in Colossians 2:16-17 when He says

"16 Therefore let no one pass judgment on you in questions of food and drink, or with regard to a festival or a new moon or a Sabbath. 17 These are a shadow of the things to come, but the substance belongs to Christ."

That is, the feasts and the festivals, the Jewish holidays, are prophetic about the ministry of Jesus. 

So Jesus was likely born during the Feast of Tabernacles, which is roughly in late September or early October. 

This conforms very well to what the Bible says regarding Jesus birth.  "There were shepherds keeping watch over their flocks by night," it says, which is something that does happen in the late fall but absolutely does not happen in late December when it's too cold.  Further, the Bible tells us that Mary and Joseph were traveling as a response to a census.  This makes sense in the late fall, but by early winter, most of the roads of ancient Judea would be completely impassable, and no governor worth his office would demand everyone in his nation travel at a time when the roads were impassible. 

When was Jesus born?  given this and other clues, we can track it to about September 29th of 4 BC. 

Christmas, then, isn't about the Birth of Christ.  That's a confusion.  Christmas is about the coming of the Messiah... that is, Christmas is about the idea that God was willing to come and die for us.  It's easy, then, to see why we get it confused with His birth, but the facts point elsewhere.  Further, most educated Christians know that Jesus was not born on December 25th.  It's possible, though, that Jesus was CONCEIVED in late December, since that is roughly 9 months before September 29th.  The Catholic Church will disagree with this, and that's OK.  It's not an important issue. 

My Understanding of Hebrews 6:4-8

Hebrews 6:4 For it is impossible, in the case of those who have once been enlightened, who have tasted the heavenly gift, and have shared in the Holy Spirit, 5 and have tasted the goodness of the word of God and the powers of the age to come, 6 and then have fallen away, to restore them again to repentance, since they are crucifying once again the Son of God to their own harm and holding him up to contempt. 7 For land that has drunk the rain that often falls on it, and produces a crop useful to those for whose sake it is cultivated, receives a blessing from God. 8 But if it bears thorns and thistles, it is worthless and near to being cursed, and its end is to be burned. (ESV)

First off, I found this in a commentary:
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The “heavenly gift” is a euphemism for salvation, which the readers have “tasted.” The Greek word for “tasted” is the same here and in v. 5 and is used metaphorically indicating “to eat or drink,” thus experiencing something fully, not merely a superficial participation in something. There is no connotation in the word itself of tasting but not swallowing. This can be seen from the usage in Heb 2:9 [same Greek word in 2:9 as here] where Jesus “tasted” death for everyone, meaning he experienced the full force of physical death. This metaphorical rather than literal usage also precludes a reference here to the Lord’s Supper, although Ellingworth thinks the meaning cannot be entirely excluded. The third participial phrase describes those “who have shared in the Holy Spirit.” The NIV translation renders the noun metochous, “partakers, sharers” with the verbal idea “shared.” The author used this word previously in 3:1 and 3:14 to describe the close relationship that his readers share in the heavenly calling and in Christ. To become a “partaker” of the Holy Spirit indicates primarily “participation in” and denotes a close association with the Holy Spirit, implying reception of the Holy Spirit into one’s life. It is very unlikely the phrase refers to the reception of spiritual gifts of the Holy Spirit, as Hughes suggested.

Allen, David L. Hebrews. Nashville, TN: B & H Publishing Group, 2010. Print. The New American Commentary.
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This means that this passage ONLY applies to someone who has FULLY EXPERIENCED the salvation that comes through Christ.  That this experience is complete and total, someone who does not lack in any way any bit of understanding.  Someone who has "tasted" the Goodness of God in the same way that Christ "tasted" death... not a passing association with it, but a complete understanding.  And who among us has such an understanding?

Secondly, there is the Holy Spirit.  That is, it is the job of the Holy Spirit to call you to repentance, to bring you back into relationship with the Father through the Son.  If you feel, in any way, a desire to be restored to the Father through the Son... that is, if ANYTHING at all inside you makes you desire to pray, or desire to repent, or desire to be in relationship with Christ, then it is the Holy Spirit which is fueling that desire.  Since the Holy Spirit does not act in vain... that is.... if it were impossible for you to come to repentance, the Holy Spirit would not waste His time with you... if you have ANY desire at all within you to be in relationship with Christ, then this verse does not apply to you.    Again, if it were impossible for you to be restored to salvation, the Holy Spirit would not be calling you to repentance. 

What is the mission of the Holy Spirit?  The Spirit's job is to comfort, to console, and to woo.  The Spirit brings us into relationship with Christ, and sustains us in that relationship.  That's why the only unforgivable sin is not blasphemy against the SON or the FATHER, but against the SPIRIT.  What is Blasphemy against the Spirit?  It is to go your entire life and reject the calling of the Spirit.  To go your whole life without responding to the Spirit's call is the highest form of blasphemy.  Thus, if the Spirit is calling you, you have NOT committed the unforgivable sin, and you CAN be restored to The Father through The Son. 

I hope that helps.

The First Syllable of The NAME of God

The Divine NAME is pronounced "Yehovah."  It comes from three Hebrew words, "hayah," "hoveh," and "ye-hee-yeh," meaning "was," "is," and "will be."  This is even made clear in the New Testament, written in Greek, when God, speaking to John in Revelation 1:8 says “I am the Alpha and the Omega,” says the Lord God, “who is and who was and who is to come, the Almighty.”

People who insist that it's "Yahuwah" or "Yahovah" all make the same mistake...they know the word "HalleluYAH," and they assume that the Hebrews shortened names like the English speakers do.

When English speakers

shorten a name, we take "Michael" and we make it "Mike." We take "Donald" and we make it "Don." We take "William" and we make it "Will." That is, almost always, we take the initial syllable of the name and drop the rest.

The Hebrews didn't do that. They would drop letters from the middle of the word. Jesus' name is an example of this. In the pre-2nd temple period, the name was "Yehoshua" (Joshua). That's the name of the sixth book of the Bible. But by the 2nd temple period, the second syllable had dropped out of the word and it simply became "Yeshua," losing that "ho" sound. Similarly, "Yehovah" becomes "Y----ah."

The "Yeho" is actually preserved in several places, however. Hebrew names are often short sentences... Daniel, for example, comes from "Dan" meaning "Judge," and "El," meaning "God." Daniel means "God is my Judge." Where do we find the "Yeho" preserved? In the name "Yehoshua..." Joshua. Jesus' name, "Yehoshua," is a contraction of The NAME of God, "Yehovah," and the word for Salvation, "Yeshuat." Thus, Jesus, or "Yehoshua," means "The Salvation of the LORD," or "Yehovah's Salvation," or possibly "Yehovah saves."


For more information on this topic, see the amazing work of my friend Nehemia Gordon at

www.nehemiaswall.com