18 Consider now from this day and upward, from the four and twentieth day of the ninth month, even from the day that the foundation of the LORD’S temple was laid, consider it.
19 Is the seed yet in the barn? yea, as yet the vine, and the fig tree, and the pomegranate, and the olive tree, hath not brought forth: from this day will I bless you.
20 ¶ And again the word of the LORD came unto Haggai in the four and twentieth day of the month, saying,
21 Speak to Zerubbabel, governor of Judah, saying, I will shake the heavens and the earth;
22 And I will overthrow the throne of kingdoms, and I will destroy the strength of the kingdoms of the heathen; and I will overthrow the chariots, and those that ride in them; and the horses and their riders shall come down, every one by the sword of his brother.
23 In that day, saith the LORD of hosts, will I take thee, O Zerubbabel, my servant, the son of Shealtiel, saith the LORD, and will make thee as a signet: for I have chosen thee, saith the LORD of hosts.
This is a prophecy to encourage Zerubbabel, a decendent of Solomon and of Nathan, the two Davidic lines that would lead to Jesus. Two of his sons would continue these lines to Joseph and Mary! Here we have what may very well be a veiled prophecy of the CONCEPTION of Jesus. The annunciation would have fallen, then, on the eve of 25 Kislev, 3 BC. The fullness of time would have fallen exactly on 1 Tishri, the following year. This is a very possibly the birthday of Jesus. The seed (child) would be "in the barn" for 271 days! The rest of the prophecy certainly refers primarily to the establishing of the temple -- which was but a type of Christ and, by extention His Church. Jesus would be the "express image" of the Father, just as his ancestor was a "signet."
But why, 2 BC? A good question. I believe the answer is found in the "signs in the heavens." (Genesis 1:14)
From my old website:
Scholars have long pointed out that Herod the Great died in 4 BC. They have based this on a reference to a lunar eclipse shortly before his death during the Passover season. However, another eclipse was visible in Jerusalem in 1 BC -- and that one was TOTAL rather than partial. It would seem therefore that Dionysius was closer than many have thought. The graphic below is a composite screen shot (slightly altered) made with "Expert Astronomer," an inexpensive software I picked up a few years ago. I have inserted the word "Moon" because the software overlapped the words "Umbra" and "Moon." The time in Jerusalem was 12:52 am as the moon was practically overhead. (Note: Dates BC are advanced one year as the software uses a "year 0.")
That Jesus was crucified in AD 33, at Passover, is indicated by Passover falling on a Friday that year. Jesus and his disciples took Passover on Thursday evening (as Nissan 14, 3793, began) and died before sunset Friday. He was about thirty-three and a half years old. Projecting back to Tishri 1, 3760, we arrive at August 28, 2 BC. Interestingly enough, the planets were aligned at this particular time. In fact, Jupiter, Mercury, and Mars were aligned nearly as one "star" on August 26, 2 BC. This is illustrated in this screen shot (from an evaluation copy of software apparently no longer available) :
This is at 4:50 AM. The conjunction would have been brighter than the usual "Morning Star" of Venus seen to the right. These planets are rising in Leo, the lion, as the sun rises in Virgo, the virgin. This could very well have been a "sign" to the Magi in search of the child at Bethlehem.
Though the sites and software I used back when I composed this site (in 1998, I believe), I am sure that these results can be reproduced. The point is, IF the information is anywhere near correct today is Jesus' birthday. It has been exactly 2007 solar years since the birth of our Lord.
Happy Birthday, Yeshua HaMeshiach!!
Stay tuned, for this is just one calculation. The significance of the Feast of Tabernacles (15 Tishri) has lead me to believe that Mary being "great with child" may have been "over due." The solar date in the Julian calendar would have then been September 11. Either way, "Christmas" is upon us! :-)
I will post my calculations based on birth of John the Baptist in a few days.
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