Therefore the Lord Himself will give you a sign: Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a Son, and shall call His name ‘Immanu El’ (God with us)! – Isaiah 7:14
There are seven feasts of the LORD, besides the Sabbath day. And on three of the seven feasts of the LORD [Passover, Shavuot/Pentecost and Sukkot/Feast of Tabernacles] all the Israelite men were commanded by God to come up yearly to Jerusalem bringing offerings for God. And of the three feasts, the two most important are Passover and Sukkot.
Yeshua died on Passover. But the greatest of all these feasts is Sukkot. There is so much biblical evidence proving that Yeshua was born on Sukkot.
However this article is written about Yeshua’s conception.
Most believers in Yeshua know that Yeshua was not born on Christmas day, the 25th of December. Many people believe that Yeshua’s real birthday was during the feast of Sukkot.
However, what is rarely focused on concerning our Lord’s coming to the earth is that nine months prior to His birth was His conception.
Was Yeshua’s conception prophesied in the Scriptures?
Was this around what we now call the Hanukkah and Christmas season, when these very special events happened that are recorded in the Bible, in the first chapter of Luke?
“Then an angel of the Lord appeared to him, standing on the right side of the Altar of Incense. And when Zechariah saw him, he was troubled, and fear fell upon him. But the angel Gabriel said to him, “Do not be afraid, Zechariah, for your prayer is heard; and your wife Elisheva will bear you a son, and you shall call his name ‘Yochanan’. And you shall have joy and gladness; and many will rejoice at his birth. For he will be great in the sight of the Lord, and shall drink neither wine nor strong drink. He will also be filled with the Holy Spirit, even from his mother’s womb.” – Luke 1:11-15
“Now after those days his wife Elisheva conceived; and she hid herself five months… Now in the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent by God to a city of Galilee named Nazareth, to a virgin betrothed to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David. The virgin’s name was Miriam. And having come in, the angel said to her, “Rejoice, highly favored one, the Lord is with you; blessed are you among women!”
“And when she saw him, she was troubled at his saying, and considered what manner of greeting this was. Then the angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Miriam, for you have found favor with God. And, behold, you will conceive in your womb, and bring forth a Son, and shall call His name Yeshua! He shall be Great, and will be called the Son of the Highest; and the LORD God will give Him the throne of His father David. And He will Reign over the house of Jacob forever; and of His Kingdom there will be no end.” Then Miriam said to the angel, “How can this be, since I do not know a man?” And the angel answered and said to her, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the Power of the Highest will overshadow you. Therefore, also that Holy One who is to be born will be called the Son of God. Now indeed, Elisheva (of Aaron) your close relative [‘karov’ in Hebrew], has also conceived a son in her old age; and this is now the sixth month for her who was called barren. For with God nothing will be impossible!” – Luke 1:24-37
“Now Miriam arose in those days and went into the hill country with haste, to a city of Judah. And entered into the house of Zechariah and greeted Elisheva. And it happened, when Elisheva heard the greeting of Miriam, that the babe leaped in her womb; and Elisheva was filled with the Holy Spirit. And she spoke out with a loud voice and said, “Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the Fruit of your womb. And why is this granted to me, that the mother of my Lord should come to me? For, indeed, as soon as the voice of your greeting sounded in my ears, the babe leaped in my womb for joy.” – Luke 1:39-44
The baby Yochanan was filled with the Holy Spirit, and he leaped for joy in the womb of his mother Elisheva, because the Son of God, Yeshua, had now come into the earth during this special season of His conception, and was fully Alive, living with God the Holy Spirit, within the womb of His mother Miriam.
For the human life of the Son of God began at His conception!
Was Yeshua’s conception prophesied in the Old Testament? Yes!
Where is this found and what does it say?
Could God have also revealed to us in His Word what time of year it was when this great event would happen, and could He also have revealed to us in His Word about a specific day? I believe that He did!
It is found in the book of Haggai (about 520 B.C.):
I believe this is the day of our Lord’s conception!
The 24th of the ninth month is the 24th of Kislev.
The feast of Hanukkah (164 B.C.) begins the 25th of Kislev, and lasts for eight days.
Also, can we find any possible evidence that this truth of Yeshua’s conception was inferred to by Yeshua Himself in any of the Gospel’s?
Yes, during Hanukkah!
Where? Let’s read about it in the book of John:
“Now it was the Feast of Dedication (Hanukkah, begins 25th Kislev) in Jerusalem, and it was winter. And Jesus walked in the temple, in Solomon’s porch. Then the Jews surrounded Him and said to Him, “How long do You keep us in doubt? If You are the Messiah, tell us plainly.” Jesus answered them, “I told you, and you do not believe. The works that I do in My Father’s name, they bear witness of Me. But you do not believe, because you are not of My sheep, as I said to you. My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me. And I give them Eternal Life, and they shall never perish; neither shall anyone snatch them out of My hand. My Father, who has given them to Me, is Greater than all; and no one is able to snatch them out of My Father’s hand. I and My Father are One!” Then the Jews took up stones again to stone Him. Jesus answered them, “Many good works I have shown you from My Father. For which of those works do you stone Me?” The Jews answered Him, saying, “For a good work we do not stone You, but for blasphemy, and because You, being a Man, make Yourself God.” Jesus answered them, “Is it not written in your Torah, ‘I said, “You are gods” ’? (Psalm 82:6) If He called them gods, to whom the Word of God came (and the Scripture cannot be broken), do you say of Him whom the Father sanctified and sent into the world, (verse 36) ‘You are blaspheming,’ because I said, ‘I Am the Son of God’? If I do not do the works of My Father, do not believe Me; but if I do, though you do not believe Me, believe the Works, that you may know and believe that the Father is in Me, and I in Him.” – John 16:28; 17:18
Do you see it?
Yeshua was telling them during this time of Hanukkah, maybe on the 25th of Kislev, that His Father had sent Him into the world. He spoke this the day after Kislev 24, His conception.
He was sent into the world by His Father at conception nine months before His birth on Sukkot.
Conception in the virgin Miriam was when the foundation of the LORD’s Temple was laid … on the 24th of Kislev.
And here, during Hanukkah, was one of three times in the Gospel’s where Yeshua spoke about His Father sending Him into the world. Was He telling His disciples His secret?
Hanukkah was when the Maccabees took back the Jerusalem Temple from the Greek invaders, and also cleaned the Temple.
What is not commonly taught is that this was also when the Maccabees took over the Temple priesthood, kicking out the Zadok high priest and the other Zadok priests, and corrupting the Temple priesthood for the next 160 years, all in violation of the Word of God found in Ezekiel 43:18, 19 and 44:15, 16, until the time of priest Zechariah, Yochanan’s father, when he went into the Temple to minister before God at the Altar of Incense (Luke 1:11).
God then sent angel Gabriel to Zechariah: the opening scene of the New Testament.
Why did God begin the opening scene of the whole New Testament with the Aaronic Priesthood?
And what was the mystery relationship between Miriam of Judah and her close relative (‘karov’ Hebrew) Elisheva of Aaron?
Why is the Hanukkah a most wonderful time of year?
Because this is when Love came into the earth! This is when God came into the earth! This is when Yeshua was conceived in the womb of His beloved mother, Miriam!
RIchard has served the Lord full-time from Jerusalem since 1998, having made Aliyah to Israel in 1995. He been a writer for the Lord Yeshua since 1982.