Christ The LAMB Of God When Christ Was Baptized, The Spirit Of God Came Upon Him Like A Dove.

[Walter and Deborah]

Saturday 12-23-23 7th. Day Of The Weekly Cycle, Tevet 9 5784, 3rd. Winter Day

Christ the LAMB of God When Christ was baptized, the Spirit of God came upon Him like a dove. We read of His baptism in the book of Matthew: "Then cometh Jesus from Galilee to Jordan unto John, to be baptized of him. But John forbad him, saying, I have need to be baptized of thee, and comest thou to me? And Jesus answering said unto him, Suffer it to be so now: for thus it becometh us to fulfill all righteousness.

Then he suffered him. And Jesus, when he was baptized, went up straighway out of the water: and lo, the heavens were opened unto him, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove, and lighting upon him: And lo, a voice from heaven, saying, This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased" (Matt.3:13-17). John's gospel gives us more information about this event. John records: "The next day John seeth Jesus coming unto him, and saith, Behold, the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world. . . . And John bare record, saying, I saw the Spirit descending from heaven like a dove, and it abode upon him.

And I knew him not; but he that sent me to baptize with water, the same said unto me, Upon whom thou shalt see the Spirit descending, and remaining on him, the same is he which baptizeth with the Holy Spirit. And I saw, and bare record, that this is the Son of God. Again, the next day after John stood, and two of his disciples; and looking upon Jesus as he walked, he saith, Behold, the Lamb of God! (John 1: 29-36). Notice that twice John refers to Christ as the "Lamb of God" (John 1:29, 36). The apostle Paul refers to Christ as our "Passover lamb" in I Corinthians 5:7.

In the book of Revelation, Christ is also referred to as the "Lamb of God" (see Rev.5;5-6; 13:8; 14:1-4; 17:14). Peter tells us that we were redeemed by "the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot" (I Peter 1:19).

Now, since Jesus Christ is the "lamb" of God, the question naturally arises, when are lambs born? That is, when do ewes bear lambs in the Middle East? What time of year? Do they bear lambs on December 25, Christmas day? Not at all! Do they bear lambs in the fall -- around September or October? The answer is, No.

When do sheep bear their lambs? The fact is, lambs in the Northern Hemisphere -- including Palestine -- are born beginning in the month of February, and into the springtime! Thus this fact also strongly supports a FEBRUARY birth for Christ, not long before Passover -- and NOT the fall of the year, or Rosh Hashanah or the Feast of Tabernacles, as so many seem to think!

If Zacharias received his angelic message during his first rotation, then, after serving a week in the Temple, Zacharias would have remained another week in Jerusalem, because of the Feast of Shavuot. Then, he would have returned home shortly after this, and his wife then would have conceived. This would have been about June. If we add nine months to this date, the normal time for the gestation of a human baby in the womb, John the Baptist would have been born about March, in the spring, shortly before the Passover. But if Zacharias had been serving during his SECOND rotation, in Cheshvan-Kislev, he would have returned home immediately after the service, in early Kislev. Then John the Baptist's birth would have been around August. Jesus was conceived about six months after John (Luke 1:24-31, especially verse 26).

This would suggest that Jesus Christ was conceived either about Kishlev in the winter, or Sivan in the spring. Nine months from Kislev (approximately December) would place His birth about the middle of September. Nine months from Sivan would place His birth in SHEVAT (corresponding to February!). The first course began serving the first week in Nisan. After six months, the order of courses would be repeated, beginning the first week in Tishri. Thus Zacharias served approximately the first week in June, and six months later, the first week in December. Shortly after he served his assigned duties, his wife conceived (Luke 1:5-13, 23-24).

Nine months later John was born. So if we add 9 months to these dates, we find that John was either born in around February, or August-September. Jesus Christ was born six months after John (Luke 1:26, 36). Thus Christ could have been born either around August-September, or around February! -- just the opposite from John! Was Christ born around February, or September? How can we know? Crucial Events Surrounding Christ's Birth We know that when Christ was born, He was born in a manger in Bethlehem. Shepherds, told by an angel of His birth, visited Him and found Him "wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger" (Luke 2:12-17).

Eight days later Mary and Joseph had Him circumcised, according to the commandment (Luke 2:21). Mary then fulfilled the days of her purification -- which culminated 40 days after His birth (Luke 2:22-24; compare Lev.12:2-8). Joseph and Mary were obviously poor, for the offering they offered at this time was a pair of turtledoves or two young pigeons (Luke 2:24; Lev.12:8). Sometime not too long after His birth, the wise men visited Him, and gave Him gifts (Matt.2:1-11). When they arrived, they found him as a "young child" (Matt.2:9, 11). He was no longer a swaddling baby, but now a "young child." The Greek word translated "young child" is paidiske and means "an infant or by extension, a half grown boy or girl."

Thayer's GreekEnglish Lexicon shows it can refer to a young infant recently born, a more advanced child, or even a mature child or partly grown children. The chronology of Christ's birth, however, shows the family of Joseph was no longer in a manger when the wise men visited them --for we read, "when they were come into the house, they saw the young child" (Matt.2:11). Their visit could have been around 30 days after His birth, or sometime before the time of 6 His being taken to the Temple, 40 days after His birth! Immediately after this visit, and the Temple visit, Joseph was warned to take the child and Mary, and to "flee into Egypt, and be thou there until I bring thee word: for Herod will seek the young child, to destroy him" (Matt.2:13).

"When he arose, he took the young child and his mother by night, and departed into Egypt: and was there until the death of Herod: that it might be fulfilled which was spoken of the Lord by the prophet, saying, Out of Egypt have I called my son" (Matt.2:13-15). Meanwhile, sickly, old Herod, seeing the wise men had ignored his command to return to him after they found the child, became enraged, and had every child in Bethlehem killed up to two years of age, "according to the time which he had diligently inquired of the wise men" (v.16).

Twenty-Four Divisions of Priests 1 Chronicles 24

Love, Walter And Debbie

Edited December 25, 2023 by Walter and Deborah
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