COVER • CONTENTS • ORDER Personal UPDATE | DECEMBER 2020
EXCERPT: THE CHRISTMAS STORY
Chuck Missler Founder, Koinonia House
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WHEN WAS JESUS BORN?
lmost everyone throughout the world celebrates Christmas. Christians celebrate Christmas as the birth of Jesus Christ, and we celebrate it on December 25. But is that really the birth date of Christ? Or was it on September 29, 2 B.C.? We are going on a genealogical treasure hunt and we will also explore a number of topics relevant to Christ’s birth. The first element we must consider is a genealogy—the genealogy of Christ. Genealogies are lists in the Bible that many of us skip over, and yet it is astonishing what they will reveal to the diligent student. There are important questions that need to be answered. When was Jesus born? Why a virgin birth? Why was He born in Bethlehem? What makes Bethlehem so special? These topics are all worth exploring. There is also a great amount of tradition attached to the birth of Christ. It is so entrenched that even textbooks are full of traditions rather than data.
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| VOLUME 30 | ISSUE 12