December 25: PREPARATION AND TIMING

And it came to pass in those days that a decree went out from Caesar Augustus that all the world should be registered. This census first took place while Quirinius was governing Syria.  Luke 2:1-2

Scripture always stands up under the scrutiny of historical and archaeological research. Luke meticulously recorded details. As for the timing of the birth of Jesus, He was born at exactly the right time to enter into ministry at age 30 (see Numbers 4:3,30,47), one prophetic week before the close of the 70-weeks prophecy in Daniel 9. These 70 weeks are the first 490 years of the 2300-year prophecy of Daniel 8:12-14. The beginning year of the prophetic timeline given in Daniel is recognized as 457BC, when the command to restore and build Jerusalem (Daniel 9:25) is recorded in Ezra 7:13.

These first 490 years were especially designated by God for the Jews. Jesus knew this, of course, which explains these instructions to His disciples during His ministry:

These twelve Jesus sent out and commanded them, saying: “Do not go into the way of the Gentiles, and do not enter a city of the Samaritans. But go rather to the lost sheep of the house of Israel, and as you go, preach, saying ‘The kingdom of heaven is at hand.’” Matthew 10:5-7

The lost sheep of the house of Israel, the very people who were the guardians of the written Word; yet they were lost! This instruction by Jesus to the twelve Apostles is a fulfillment of God’s timetable as shown to Daniel. Those with knowledge of the written Word should comprehend God’s intended message most readily, and thus have an advantage in bringing the message to the rest of the world. This was the original assignment of the chosen people; a very practical strategy.

And it is also divine confirmation of the covenant with His chosen people, as foretold in Daniel 9:27. Jesus mentioned it again when He said, “I was not sent except to the lost sheep of the house of Israel.” (Matthew 15:24) Fortunately, there were at least some Jews who did indeed recognize Jesus as the long-anticipated Messiah! They became carriers of the Gospel to still others, both Jew and Gentile. Paul admonished his believing Hebrew brethren not to be lured away from the pure and simple message of salvation in Jesus, for there were unconverted Jews who worked feverishly to press the believing Jews to turn back to the sacrificial system, as if Christ’s sacrifice was meaningless.

Today there is a parallel with the hyper-commercialized celebration of Christ’s birth, driven by marketers who care nothing about the Savior. While many believers celebrate it out of love for Him, it should be noted that nowhere in the Bible are birthday celebrations commanded. Our enemy exploits the situation and would have us to be obsessed with yearly traditions diverting attention in every direction except ahead to the great Day of the Lord. In essence, His birth is meaningless to anyone who is not watching and preparing for His return. These are days of preparation! We must give the more earnest heed to the things we have heard, lest we drift away (Hebrews 2:1). Jesus said, “Therefore if you will not watch, I will come upon you as a thief…” (Revelation 3:3)

The day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night, in which the heavens will pass away with a great noise, and the elements will melt with fervent heat; both the earth and the works that are in it will be burned up. 2 Peter 3:10