Answer to my Question

(What do Mormons Believe:

We believe that through the Atonement of Christ, all mankind may be saved, by obedience to the laws and ordinances of the Gospel.

Articles of Faith
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints)

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First, I'm sure all my faithful readers (all 2 or 3 of you) are just dying to know the answer to my question in my previous posting. That being, when was Jesus born?

The hint I gave, plus the one Tristi added (she's on the same wavelength as I) should have led you to the idea that Jesus was not born in the winter (December 25th). Tristi's hint should have led you to thinking "Spring," when lambs are being born. Yes, I truly believe Jesus was born in the springtime, not the winter.

Let me give you some thoughts that should lead you to a similar conclusion.

I heard an interesting talk last Sunday in church given by our Bishop. In it, he spoke of astronomers who were asked to turn the astronomical clock back to the time of His birth. When they did this, they found Jupiter was the closest to the earth that it ever had been. So close, it was extremely bright. When asked what date it was the absolute brightest, they said early April. Could that have been the Star of Bethlehem? He also mentioned the thoughts of some astrologers, who were asked their thoughts. They said Jupiter was in the constellation Ares. That was a sign that s great king had been born. Interesting.

I was also talking to a good friend of mine (I just added his blog to my list of favorites, "Basically Speaking"). He is my daughter's father-in-law, and a very knowledgeable man when it comes to gospel issues. He said to think of the symbolism surrounding Christ's birth. God often uses symbolism, parallelisms, and types to emphasize the importance of special events. For example, Abraham being asked to sacrifice his “only” son, Isaac, was a parallel or type of God the Father having to sacrifice his “only begotten” son, Jesus. So, when Jesus was born, it would be fitting if he were born during some significant event. What is the most significant event in Jewry, especially in the springtime? The Passover. Jesus being born during Passover would be a symbol of His coming sacrifice which was also held during Passover, thirty-three years later. Was he crucified on his birthday? An interesting thought. I’ll explore that idea next.

However, I feel the most authoritative source for when Jesus was born is from the Word of God himself. Our Heavenly Father revealed to the prophet Joseph Smith that Jesus was indeed born in the early spring, even April 6. Looking back through biblical history, that date (also known as Abib 15 in the scriptures) is highly significant. It is believed that is the day Moses led the children of Israel out of Egypt. It’s the day Adam was expelled from the Garden of Eden. I think there are probably a few other parallel dates of significance but I can’t recall them at this time. If anyone of you can think of them, please feel free to add them. However, the most significant world events that happened on this date are Jesus’ birth, and His crucifixion. Yes, He was crucified on His birthday, another symbolism of his divinity.