Mark Tabata’s Weekday Devotionals:
Tuesday September 9 2025
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Revelation 12:1-5-Now a great sign appeared in heaven: a woman clothed with the sun, with the moon under her feet, and on her head a garland of twelve stars. 2 Then being with child, she cried out in labor and in pain to give birth. 3 And another sign appeared in heaven: behold, a great, fiery red dragon having seven heads and ten horns, and seven diadems on his heads. 4 His tail drew a third of the stars of heaven and threw them to the earth. And the dragon stood before the woman who was ready to give birth, to devour her Child as soon as it was born. 5 She bore a male Child who was to rule all nations with a rod of iron. And her Child was caught up to God and His throne.
September 11 is a time of profound sorrow and grief in our country. And rightfully so! It was on this day in 2001 that our nation was brought to its’ knees by the terrible flag of Islam. Our citizens learned the terrible meaning of the Arabic word jihad (“holy war”) on that occasion. Thousands of Americans lost their lives, and the suffering of that day is still felt.
May we always remember those who died, and the lessons that we learned on that day.
But did you know that according to the Bible, September 11 is a very significant date?
In fact, there is a great deal of evidence that Jesus was born on this day!
Let’s study.
We start by remembering that Christ was not born in December. The declaration that the shepherds were out in the fields when Christ was born shows that it was not yet the winter months due to the cold weather of that time of year (Luke 2:1-12). Furthermore, Luke 1:5 actually pinpoints Jesus’ birth to the month of September. There the Scripture says that Zacharias (the father of John the Baptist) went into the Temple to perform his priestly duties according to “the division of Abidjah.” From what we are told in the Old Testament, the priests of the Temple were put into a regular schedule of ministry (1 Chronicles 24:3), and the division of Abidjah was listed as the eighth course (1 Chronicles 24:10). According to the Jewish Talmud and the historian Josephus, the Temple was destroyed on our calendar date of August 5, 70 A.D. Josephus says that the first order of the priests had just begun. Utilizing that knowledge and the words of Luke 1:5, we learn that John the Baptist would therefore have been conceived sometime in the month of July, and delivered in April. But John was six months older than Jesus (Luke 1:26, 36). Therefore, this would place Jesus’ conception sometime in December, and His birth in September.
But it is when we break down John’s words in Revelation 12 that we find more detailed information pointing to the specific date of September 11 as Jesus’ birth. The Apostle here describes the “sign” that he sees in the heavens. This word “sign” was a common one in his time to reference star constellations and planetary alignments:
“In this section the author skillfully introduces the protagonist and the antagonist of this mythological narrative in a parallel manner by presenting them as two astrological signs or constellations. The woman and the dragon are each introduced as a σημεῖον, “constellation,” that “appeared in heaven”; each is described using a rich and complex set of traditional symbols.” (Dr. David Aune, Revelation 6-16, Volume 52B (Word Biblical Commentary), 663 (Kindle Edition): Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan)
Heiser does an amazing job demonstrating how these stellar clues point to Jesus birth on September 11 (which I won’t go over here). What I do want to draw your attention to at this point, however, is the connection of this date with other events mentioned throughout the Old Testament.
“The astronomical context of John’s description of what he saw in the heavens in Revelation 12 puts the birth of Jesus on September 11, 3 B.C. As impressive as the correlation of astronomical events with the description of Revelation 12 is, there are even more points of correlation that bear directly on the astro-theology being communicated…. Incredibly, the astronomical reconstruction of the circumstances of Revelation 12:1–7 that produces a birth date for the Messiah of September 11, 3 B.C., was also the beginning of the Jewish New Year in 3 B.C. (Rosh ha-Shanah)—Tishri 1, the Day of Trumpets. The Feast of Trumpets/Tishri 1 was also the day that many of the ancient kings and rulers of Judah reckoned as their inauguration day of rule. This procedure was followed consistently in the time of Solomon, Jeremiah, and Ezra.[120] This is a powerful piece of evidence for the astronomical reading of Revelation 12:1–7 as celestial signs of the birth of the messianic king. Jewish tradition also held that the Day of Trumpets commemorated the beginning of the world—the very first “first day” of the human calendar…. Although it might sound odd, this tradition is part of a matrix of ideas that link Tishri 1 to the sin of the Watchers, the Flood of Noah, and the Nephilim…The math is transparent. Barely over a year after the Flood began, Noah and his family left the ark in the second month of the year. Noah had turned 601 by the time he left the ark. Why is this noteworthy? Because Jewish tradition took this chronology to mean that Noah’s birthday was Tishri 1. This is the same day as the birth of the Messiah, Jesus, if we take Revelation 12 as indicating the celestial signs present at his birth. A messiah born on Tishri 1 would inevitably have created mental and theological associations between Noah and Jesus.” (Michael S. Heiser, Reversing Hermon: Enoch, the Watchers, and the Forgotten Mission of Jesus Christ, 65-69 (Kindle Edition): Crane, MO: Defender Publishing)
So, the birth of Jesus coincided with the Jewish New Year, the Feast Of Trumpets (a very important Jewish holiday), and the birth of Noah. In addition, this was the date when many Jewish kings were inaugurated. It is also interesting to notice that this date was connected with the Judgement of Satan, the fallen angels, and rebellious humanity (in the Flood), and that this is what John showcases especially in Revelation 12.
And after everything is said and done, I suppose that is what matters the most, isn’t it? Regardless of the specific date when Jesus was born, through Him we have victory over Satan, sin, and Hell.
Revelation 12:9-12-So the great dragon was cast out, that serpent of old, called the Devil and Satan, who deceives the whole world; he was cast to the earth, and his angels were cast out with him. 10 Then I heard a loud voice saying in heaven, “Now salvation, and strength, and the kingdom of our God, and the power of His Christ have come, for the accuser of our brethren, who accused them before our God day and night, has been cast down. 11 And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony, and they did not love their lives to the death. 12 Therefore rejoice, O heavens, and you who dwell in them! Woe to the inhabitants of the earth and the sea! For the devil has come down to you, having great wrath, because he knows that he has a short time.”
As September 11 approaches, may we remember that terrible day for America. May we honor those who lost their lives. But let us also remember Jesus, and may we draw closer to Him.
The Gospel (Good News) that Jesus Christ died for us, was buried, and arose again on the third day is the hope of our salvation (1 Corinthians 15:1-8). Friend, if you haven’t obeyed God’s plan of salvation, then please repent and be baptized for the remission of your sins (Acts 2:38). If you are a baptized believer who has left the Lord, come back in repentance and prayer (Acts 8:22; 1 John 1:9). We stand ready to assist you.
Father, thank You for Your ever present reminders that You love us. Thank You for giving us Your Son. All of our righteous deeds are as filthy rags before You, yet You have chosen to show us such amazing grace. We praise You. Help us, and help our nation, to remember You in repentance as this date approaches. Its’ only through Jesus that we have hope and victory. In His Name we pray, Amen.
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