Why Bethlehem | Back to the Bible Canada with Dr. John Neufeld

[@radioflyer9490]

Thank you John Neufeld and Back to The Bible for your clear explanation of God’s Word!

[@cbak1819]

Thanks John for wrapping up in a beautiful bow the reason for Jesus birth in Bethlehem ❤

[@roystongaynor1453]

Thanks for the meaning of 'Bethlehem' and 'threshing floor' among other things.

[@cbak1819]

Just like I asked God when I first begun to believe.

[@cbak1819]

My husband of 6 years doesn't want to celebrate Christmas, he thinks Jesus didn't say to so I'm not going to. Also he says Christmas is every day.. so I decided to stop all the bells snd whistles. He sure likes the cookies and food😂 GOD BLESS and have a Merry Christ celebration.

[@StallionFernando]

No offense to your husband but that's a really dumb reason....

[@jenna2431]

No census required people to return to their "ancient" city. NONE. The disruption of the area would be catastrophic. To SAY NOTHING of enemies getting wind that everybody's leaving their homes and lands and STUFF. Do you Christians ever pose any common sense to the b bible account at all? If you were one of Israel many, many enemies, and you heard that millions of people were going to be shifting around and that homes and property would be left unguarded, what would YOU DO? Rome would not have insisted on such a move that would ONLY result in chaos. You folks are easily lied to.

[@r.crompton2286]

There was no "Israel" at the time of the Luke 2:1,2 censuses. The area we commonly refer to as the "Levant" was then comprised of many nations -- all of which were under the control of Rome. The Jews had NO ACTIVE enemies at this time, the Romans working hard to establish what would later be referred to as the Pax Romana. While crime did not cease, it was more rigidly controlled by Rome because the punishment for caught offenders was severe -- often death by crucifixion. The idea of the whole Roman sphere in the "Levant" provinces of Abilene, Ituraea, Decapolis, Peraea, Galilee and Judaea caught up in a crime wave because a relatively small number of citizens were returning to their hometown for registration seems rather silly. The vast majority of people had no reason to travel because they were domiciled just where their ancestors had settled. So much for your assessment of "millions of people...shifting around." Please note the census referred to in Luke 2:1 is recorded by Josephus and several other commentators, noting that the census (enrolment) occurred twice -- the first before Cyrenius was governor of Syria. The second census occurred about ten years later while Cyrenius was governor. and the actual taxing took place a year later, referred to in Acts 5:37 (commentator Hales).

[@LarryAKuhn]

Historian Josephus wrote of the census and the requirements thereof.