The official church Christmas Devotional always takes place in early December. (D&C 107:82-84). Talmage is hardly alone in this. We have the freedom as believers to celebrate, or not to celebrate, the birth of our Lord and Savior on any day of our choosing (Romans 14:1-12). Both those fixed events fit together to confirm Herod's death. But not every member of the LDS Church agreed with Elder Talmage's interpretation of Doctrine and Covenants 20. LDS CHANGED THE ORDINANCES & PRIESTHOOD AS FORETOLD BY JOSEPH SMITH. Dr. Luke tells us that Zacharias was serving in the 2nd Jewish Temple in Jerusalem when he was chosen to enter the holy place to burn incense outside the Holy of Holies. That would be in the fall of the year, in either late September or early October. 2) In the 6th month (Kislev-Tevet, December) of Elizabeth’s pregnancy, Gabriel visited Miryam (Mary) in Nazareth to announce: “You will become pregnant, you will give birth to a son, and you are to name Him Yeshua (Jesus, meaning “God’s salvation”)” (Luke 1:31, CJB). “Joseph F. Smith,” Wikipedia.com, retrieved 7/11/2018, including illustration. At each of the meetings thus far held for this purpose, all members of the First Presidency and all of the Twelve who are not absent from the city on appointed duties were present. Elder Talmage didn't just randomly make up this date. According to Luke 1:24-26, Mary conceived Jesus in the sixth month of Elizabeth’s pregnancy with John the Baptist. It’s ‘Stranger Things’ day. 3) When Mary arrived, Elizabeth greeted her: “How blessed is the child in your womb!” (Luke 1:42). (D&C 95:5-6) LDS are Walking in Darkness at Noon-day... LDS Church Changed The President of the Church to Prophet in 1955. Mormons Believe Jesus Was Born on April 6. It was decided by the First Presidency that the work be completed of the same scope and plan as here-to-fore followed, … In connection with the matter of the book, it may be well to record here that since my beginning on the writing September 14th last, I have devoted every spare hour to that labor and have at present in written form though not all in revised condition, twenty chapters. "Since John was born on Passover, the 15th day of Nisan (the 1st Jewish month), Jesus would have been born six months later on the 15th day of Tishri (the 7th Jewish month). These multiple ancient calendars such as the Nephite, Hebrew and Venus calendars provide interlocking supporting evidence for the 1 BC to 33 AD hypothesis for these all important dates in the life of the Savior and in the history of the world.”. as well as alternative dates in 4 B.C. Section 138 of the Doctrine and Covenants contains Joseph F. Smith’s Vision of the Redemption of the Dead, received in 1918. 5) Mary returned to Nazareth, where an angel (probably Gabriel again) reassured her betrothed husband: “Yosef (Joseph), son of David, do not be afraid to take Miryam (Mary) home with you as your wife; for what has been conceived in her is from the Ruach HaKodesh (Holy Spirit). ", The manuscript, published as part of the Joseph Smith Papers, also shows that the revelation was given on April 10 — not April 6. Although Mormons believe April 6 to be the actual birthday of Christ, they celebrate His birth on December 25, with events throughout December. But behold, Jesus Christ hath shown you unto me, and I know your doing... O ye pollutions, ye hypocrites, ye teachers, who sell yourselves for that which will canker, why have ye polluted the holy church of God? But, in another way, it IS important to consider the evidence God gave us and to place it in a proper Jewish context so that we can better understand the foundation of our faith. Here is how it reads in the Complete Jewish Bible:1 “In the days of Herod, King of Y’hudah (Judea), there was a cohen (Jewish priest) named Z’kharyah (Zacharias) who belonged to the Aviyah (Abijah) division.” The service of the Abijah division of priests was scheduled for the last two weeks of the fourth month of the Jewish religious calendar (15-29 Tammuz, June-July), according to the Talmud (rabbinic commentaries) and Qumran sources.2. One of the long-held Jewish traditions is that the prophet Elijah will return at Passover (Malachi 3:1; 4:5-6). Dr. Hugg earned his doctorate in nuclear physics from Stanford University. Have patience. Let’s look for that overlooked evidence in the historical account of the birth of Jesus recorded by Dr. Luke. Here’s everything we know about the new season. Please also read our Privacy Notice and Terms of Use, which became effective December 20, 2019. It is also possible that the Magi visited Bethlehem around the 25th of December in 5 BC, when Jesus would have been almost 3 months old. President Joseph F. Smith, the First Presidency and Quorum of the Twelve were intimately involved in the review, approval and publication of Jesus the Christ. “The Book of Mormon gives exact calendar dates for the birth and the death of Jesus Christ which correspond to the length of His life being 12,048 days, exactly 33 years from Passover to Passover. (late in the Jewish month of Kislev) for the date of Jesus' birth.". Why is the cross continuing to be a stumbling block to the […], Amir, one of the many fascinating things about you is that […]. I think it is fair and not overly critical for us to admit that the date chosen by Constantine and Pope Julius I to celebrate the birth of Jesus was not based on good historical or biblical evidence. Jesus, then, had to be born before Herod died, which would put Jesus' birth year at 5 or 6 BC. Talks with an Easter theme usually mention both the birth and death date of Jesus Christ. He began writing the book Jesus the Christ in a room he was assigned in the Salt Lake Temple.[ii]. LDS members feel a special significance to April 6. The Devotional features Christmas music by the Mormon Tabernacle Choir, Christmas decorations, and talks commemorating Jesus' birth. Elder James E. Talmage’s and President Joseph F. Smith’s judgment and discernment will be validated. "(H)is birth occurred within those December weeks that we now commonly refer to as the Christmas season.". They worshipped Him and gave Him gifts, then obeyed an angelic warning (probably Gabriel) to avoid revealing to King Herod the location of Jesus (Matthew 2:1-12). By choosing I Accept, you consent to our use of cookies and other tracking technologies. The head cohanim (Jewish priests) admitted that Messiah must be born in Bethlehem, so the Magi went there (three miles from Jerusalem) and found Joseph, Mary, and Jesus living in a house. We know by revelation that today is the actual and accurate date of the Savior’s birth.". Questions and Answers about Bible Prophecy, Presented by Dr. David Reagan, Tim Moore and Nathan Jones, “And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, full of grace and truth.”, “In the days of Herod, King of Y’hudah (Judea), there was a cohen (Jewish priest) named Z’kharyah (Zacharias) who belonged to the Aviyah (Abijah) division.”, “You will become pregnant, you will give birth to a son, and you are to name Him Yeshua (Jesus, meaning “God’s salvation”)”, “in the spirit and power of Eliyahu (Elijah)”, “Yosef (Joseph), son of David, do not be afraid to take Miryam (Mary) home with you as your wife; for what has been conceived in her is from the Ruach HaKodesh (Holy Spirit). The modern LDS belief that Jesus was born on April 6 comes largely from D&C 20:1. Independent of everything else regarding Herod’s death date, the views of other General Authorities and other proposed dating matters, this question of faith in Elder James E. Talmage and President Joseph F. Smith as true prophets, seers and revelators is why I think we ought to learn more about April 6, 1 BC. That is done for all 3,000,000 dates in history before the calendar is determined to be ready to use. The Last 14 Years of the Daniel 9 Prophecy, The Mystery of Easter Island: Idols Carved in the Image of Man, The Real Reason Why Adam & Eve Were Not Allowed To Touch the Tree of Life. 19th, 1915—Finished the actual writing on the book, “Jesus The Christ” to which I have devoted every spare hour since settling down to the work of composition on September 14th, last. Note that in this entry with President Smith now going to Hawaii, Elder Talmage refers to the “counselors of the First Presidency” instead of just the “First Presidency” emphasizing President Smith’s departure and the change it made to their meetings.]. (JD 15:261 Orson Pratt December 29, 1872 SLC). He said: “I was surprised, and I think all of the Brethren were surprised, at how casually that announcement of two additions to the standard works was received by the Church. Elder Talmage noted in his journal: “May 4th, 1915—At meeting of the First Presidency and Twelve in the Temple, I read three chapters of the book. If anyone has the right to revelation on the subject, or to detect a false revelation, it would be President Joseph F. Smith, the First Presidency and Elder James E. Talmage reviewing an official publication on the life of Jesus Christ copyrighted by the President of the Church. So the title of my article “It’s about Time” has a double meaning: I want to write about topics related to questions of time, and the expression “it’s about time” reminds us that our Lord and Savior will soon return to conclude this phase of world history and to establish His Millennial Kingdom on earth. Shmuel Safrai, “A Priest of the Division of Abijah,” www.jerusalemperspective.org/%5Cdefault.aspx?tabid=27&ArticleID=1847. April 6 also is the day on which The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints was organized. An eventual concession is necessary for the republic, whose needs are far greater than any candidate’s, and for the safety and welfare of all Americans. Our secular Christmas has some pagan roots and traditions, in addition to the religious ones revolving around Christ's birth. [ii] Ronald P. Millett, “Why So Bold a Statement? This date was first observed in 336 AD, some 24 years after the Roman emperor Constantine established Christianity as the state religion. Thus, until the historians find a way to re-calibrate and align ALL historical events back to 0 AD, (refocusing ALL of history around Jesus... which would be a massive accomplishment and very upsetting to the historians in general), then 7 BC remains true for now. Chadwick's article in BYU Studies goes on for pages, using fixed dates to extrapolate other dates. Another time he wrote, "It is now June the twelfth, one thousand eight hundred and thirty one years, since the coming of our Lord and Savior in the flesh.". Elder James E. Talmage’s Resolution of the Confusion, Jesus the Christ is the definitive work on the life of Christ written by a modern Apostle commissioned by the First Presidency under the Prophet Joseph F. Smith. This value supports His birth date of April 6, 1 BC and His death date of April 1, 33 AD, with the resurrection date on April 3, 33 AD. Elder James E. Talmage and April 6,” Meridian Magazine, November 12, 2012. Jesus was born on the 1st day of the Feast of Tabernacles! To learn more or opt-out, read our Cookie Policy. It was likely added by early church historian and scribe, John Whitmer, at a later date. 1." In other words, this type of language was merely a fancy 19th-century way of saying the date. But not so fast. A Confusing List of Opinions on Christ’s Birthday. In some ways, no, it doesn’t matter — after all, if it was critically important to know precisely when Jesus was born, God would have told us He was born on a particular day and month and year. "The interpretation that has been most popular over time is very much subject to question; that's all I'm saying. In addition to his Ph.D in Astronomy from the University of Arizona in Tuscon, he also has university degrees in physics and mathematics from the University of Utah (Honors in Physics) and is able to calculate the probabilities of several calendars all agreeing on a holy day just happening by chance. Three living prophets have declared April 6 to be His exact birth date: These declarations are joined by the unequivocal statement from Elder David A. Bednar, an Apostle, in his April 2014 General Conference address: "Today is April 6.