IT IS NOT MY INTENTION TO RAIN ON ANYBODY’S PARADE, HOWEVER, THE DATE OF DECEMBER 25TH HAS NOTHING TO DO WITH THE BIRTH OF JESUS. DECEMBER 25TH ON THE OLD ROMAN CALANDER WAS THE WINTER SOLSTICE. THE WINTER SOLSTICE IS THE SHORTEST DAY OF THE YEAR AND A DATE THAT THE ROMANS CELEBRATED LIKE IT WAS 1999 ! THEY CELEBRATED BECAUSE THE DAYS WOULD START GETTING LONGER. = MORE DAY LIGHT TIME ! IT WAS A DATE WHEN CHRISTIANS COULD GATHER IN NUMBERS WITHOUT BEING IDENTIFED AS CHRISTIANS. IT WAS A ROMAN HOLIDAY. IT WAS A GOOD SAFE COVER THAT ALLOWED CHRISTIANS TO AVOID BECOMING PURINA LION CHOW.

ALSO ISRAEL AT THIS TIME OF YEAR IS VERY COLD ! IT IS HIGHLY DOUBTFUL THAT SHEPHERDS WERE OUT WITH THEIR FLOCKS DURING THE WINTER TIME IN ISRAEL. IT SEEMS MORE LIKELY THAT JESUS WAS BORN SOMETIME DURING THE SPRING.

I DID READ ABOUT THIS IN A BOOK ONCE WRITTEN BY HERBERT W. ARMSTRONG. HE WAS THE HEAD OF THE “WORLDWIDE CHURCH OF G-D” THAT IS LOCATED IN PASADENA , CALIFORNIA. I ONCE WAS IN PASADENA, CALIFORNIA TAKING MY CONTRACTORS LICENSE TEST AND IT HAPPENED TO BE ACROSS THE STREET FROM THAT CHURCH. WHEN I FINISHED MY EXAMINATION, I WALKED ACROSS THE STREET WEARING SOME BEAT UP OLD 501 LEVI’S AND A WORKSHIRT AND BOOTS. I ASKED AT THE CHURCH OFFICE WHEN I MIGHT BE ABLE TO HEAR HERBERT W. ARMSTRONG SPEAK IN PERSON ? I HAD ONLY OBSERVED HIM A FEW TIMES ON A WEEKLY TELEVISION SHOW. I WAS ASKED TO WAIT. A MAN SHOWED UP IMPECABLY DRESSED AND LOOKED ME UP ONE SIDE AND DOWN THE OTHER. IT WAS CLEAR HE DID NOT APPROVE OF MY 501 LEVI STRAUSS BLUE JEANS, or my BOOTS or my glue smattered SHIRT. HE THEN TOLD ME THAT TO HEAR MR. ARMSTRONG SPEAK IN PERSON, I WOULD NEED TO BE A TITHING MEMBER OF THE CONGREGATION. HE SNUBBED ME. I GUESS HE MISSED THE PART ABOUT “NOT JUDGING A MAN BY HIS CLOTHES”. MY GREATEST MENTOR DRESSED LIKE A BUM ! HE WAS WORTH MILLIONS ! HE WAS WISE AND I TRIED TO SOAK UP AS MUCH OF HIS KNOWLEDGE AS I COULD. I WAS WITH HIM ONCE IN A STORE AND SOMEONE TREATED HIM THE SAME WAY.

THE SALESPERSON SAID TO MY MENTOR THAT HE PROBABLY COULD NOT AFFORD ANYTHING IN THE STORE. MY MENTOR LOOKED THE GUY “SQUARELY” IN THE EYES AND SAID: HOW ABOUT I JUST BUY THIS STORE SO I CAN FIRE YOU ? AND HE MEANT IT ! THE MAN APOLOGIZED.

HE WAS THE WISEST MAN I HAVE EVER KNOWN.

I ALSO SAW A PRESENTATION AT THE GRIFFITH OBSERVATORY IN GRIFFITH PARK, CALIFORNIA. THEY HAVE THE TECHNOLOGY TO RUN THE ORBITS OF PLANETS IN REVERSE. THEY SPECULATED THAT THERE WAS A “CONVERGENCE” OF THREE PLANETS AT THREE DIFFERENT TIMES, IN THE SAME YEAR, “NEAR” THAT SPECULATIVE BIRTH DATE. SO PERHAPS THAT WAS WHAT THE SHEPHERDS SAW WHEN THEY SAW A “SIGN” IN THE HEAVENS. WHEN AN ASTRONOMER SAYS “NEAR”….

IT COULD MEAN MONTHS OR EVEN YEARS .

NOBODY KNOWS WHEN JESUS WAS BORN. QUESTION…WHY IS IT EVEN IMPORTANT ? I DO NOT KNOW. I DO NOT THINK IT IS RELEVENT TO THE TEACHINGS OF JESUS. THE DATE OF CHRISTMAS IS PHONEY. THE TEACHINGS OF JESUS ARE NOT PHONEY.

marc