Celebrating the True Birth of Jesus Christ on September 25
The Crusaders of the Divine Church of Christ (CDCC) is a religion with its central office located in the Philippines. Overseas chapters are also established all over the world. It is a Christian Faith known for its peculiar doctrine of Celebrating Christmas during the 25th of September. The CDCC anchors its belief on biblical and historical evidence that supports September as Christmas contrary to the typical December celebration of most Christian sects. Additionally, the CDCC is deeply rooted in the teachings of its Supreme Pontiff and recognized incarnation of the Holy Spirit, Mons. Dr. Rufino S. Magliba, who is regarded to be the second-sent comforter of God the Father. The teachings of Mons. Dr. Rufino S. Magliba served as the scaffold for the deeply ingrained CDCC doctrines including the doctrine on Christmas.
This article will explain the logic behind the Paskong Crusado or Crusader’s Christmas during September 25.
I. Historical and Biblical proofs
The Crusaders of the Divine Church of Christ Philippines, Inc. (CDCCPI) celebrates Christmas in the month of September, not because of the want of differentiation from the religions that celebrate Christmas in December, but because of historical and biblical proofs that support the correct and true date of the birth of the Lord Jesus Christ.
A. Historical
All the pieces of information sprung in Rome. In 350 A.D., one of the Popes of the Roman Catholic Religion, Pope Julius I, declared December 25 as the official birthday of the Lord Jesus Christ. But, 14 years before that, Emperor Constantine was already celebrating Christmas on December 25.
B. Biblical
The Bible states no exact date of the birth of the Lord Jesus Christ. Conclusions have to be drawn from implications. This must be done by considering many factors so to discern the true date of Christmas.
a. Hebrew Calendar
The Hebrew Calendar is still used by the Jews in Israel up to date. Take into consideration that the nationality of the Lord Jesus Christ is Jewish. With this, it is only necessary to understand the Hebrew Calendar and relate it to its approximation in the Gregorian calendar. The Hebrew Calendar is very important to Israelites because this is the basis of their prayer and the days of celebration of their various Feasts such as the Feast of the Passover, Feast of the Tabernacles, and others.
Nowadays, scholars and even theologians who use the Hebrew Calendar, study the Bible to predict when the days of the Jewish feasts will be celebrated. In fact, the Jewish calendar is the basis why the celebration of Lent is on different days/dates. This is because Lent is celebrated consonant to the Feast of the Passover of the Israelites.
b. John the Baptist
The Bible presents biblical characters that are closest or related to Jesus. One of these is John the Baptist. John the Baptist is a cousin of Jesus. He is only six months older than Jesus. Using this information, we can approximate the exact day of the birth of the Lord Jesus. It is then necessary to ascertain when John the Baptist was born.
The primary step to this ascertainment is to first know who the parents of John the Baptist are. His father was Zechariah, a priest, and his mother, Elizabeth, is a cousin of the Virgin Mary. Zechariah would perform an offering of Abijah, the 8th division of the 24 divisions of offerings of the Priests, which were first established during the time of the rule of King David. This offering continues to this day in Israel. The ceremony of the offering of Abijah is usually held in the month of June (from June 13-16, based on historians’ calculations). There is an intricate connection between the offering of Abijah to the birth of Jesus. To lay the foundation, let us examine the story of the birth of John the Baptist.
We learned from the Bible in Luke 1:5-25, that Zechariah and Elizabeth were very old, that childing is almost an absolute impossibility. Because of their goodness and faithful service, however, God blessed them with a child. This happened while Zechariah was fulfilling his duty in the Temple, where the Archangel Gabriel appeared before him bringing the good news that he and his wife would have a son and they would name him John. He was stunned and he doubted that to his astonishment he was bereft of the ability to speak until the prophecy was realized. After all his duties in the temple, he went home. A few days after he performed the offering of Abijah, his wife Elizabeth conceived. We therefore can conclude that Elizabeth conceived in the month of June. Nine months of pregnancy would lead to the month of March as the birth of John the Baptist. Therefore, if he was born in March, and he is six months older than Jesus, Jesus would be in the month of September.
c. Exposé in the book of Luke
Luke 2: 8, “And there were in the same country shepherds abiding in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night.”
Undoubtedly, December is the winter season in Israel, specifically in Bethlehem, where the temperature ranges from 6-10 degree centigrade. At times, it may drop to zero resulting in snow, which makes it boldly impossible for shepherds to tend to the herd and feed their flocks. Thus, through this explicated scenario, the belief that the Lord Jesus Christ was born in December is believed.
d. Immaculate Conception
Immaculate Conception is a teaching from the doctrines of the Catholic Religion, which explains that the Virgin Mary has no stain of the Original Sin since she was conceived by her mother. This concept brought extravagant controversy in the mid-18th century and resurfaced in the 19th century, and Pope Pius IX, “Ineffabilis Deus”, declared this as a Church Dogma in 1854. The doctrine was supported by the entire church leadership, although, some disagreed such as one of the Archbishops of Paris, Marie-Dominique-Auguste Sibour (4 August 1792 – 3 January 1857) was the French Catholic Archbishop of Paris from 1848 to 1857) because it was not written in the New Testament. Protestants also strongly opposed it as a means of using the Pope’s Ineffabilis power and exclaimed that it had no basis or foundation in the teachings in the Holy Bible. Although Eastern Orthodoxy recognizes Mary, it still appeals to the Catholic Church to follow the same teachings followed for centuries. The Orthodox Church is not in favor of this either and it opposes the Doctrine of Immaculate Conception because it believes that Adam’s sin was passed on to all men.
Contrary to what has been written, the teaching mentioned is not accepted by the CDCC, the Immaculate Conception; is that December 8 is the date of the conception of the Lord Jesus Christ and not of the Virgin Mary because, this event is only a fulfillment of the Prophecy revealed in Isaiah 7:14, Therefore the LORD shall give you a sign; behold, a virgin shall conceive, and bear a son ”.
Following this, it will be revealed that the Virgin Mary conceived the Lord Jesus Christ in the month of December. And, if we count the normal nine (9) months of pregnancy, the Virgin Mary shall give birth in September.
II. Contemporary proof of September 25 as the true birth of our Lord Jesus Christ vis-à-vis Biblical Implications
The strongest basis of the Crusaders of the Divine Church of Christ Philippines, Inc. (CDCC) to have high confidence that September 25 is the true birth of the Lord Jesus Christ is the direct Revelation of God, the Holy Spirit. The CDCC believes that the Holy Spirit is the manifestation of the Supreme Pontiff and CDCCPI Founder, MONS. DR. RUFINO S. MAGLIBA (AMA RSM).
AMA RSM is recognized by the Crusaders as the second-sent Comforter of God the Father and the existing God of this era, similar to the concept of the dispensation of the Lord Jesus Christ, as the fulfillment of the prophecy written in Isaiah 7:14, “Therefore the Lord himself shall give you a sign; Behold, a virgin shall conceive, and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel.” This prophecy was fulfilled as recorded in Matthew 1: 18-25 narrating the account when the Virgin Mary would conceive the Lord Jesus Christ. A note has to be made on the concept of Immaculate Conception. While most Christian religions regard the Feast of Immaculate Conception as freeing the Virgin Mary from original sin from the moment of her conception, thus referring to the “conception” as the conception of Virgin Mary by her mother, CDCC believes that the “conception” refers to conception of Mary to the Lord Jesus Christ. Clearly, the Biblical account points out that what was conceived is a man not a woman. While respecting and honoring the Virgin Mary is part of every Christian’s religious pursuit, to interpret otherwise is tantamount to deception that destroys the spirit and meaning of the celebration.
The coming of the manifestation of the Holy Spirit is the fulfillment of the prophecy of the Lord Jesus Christ about the sending a Comforter as written in John 14:16, “And I will pray for the Father, and he shall give you another Comforter, that he may abide with you forever. ” This means that there is another Comforter who is prayed by the Lord Jesus Christ who will be with everyone forever. We know that the Lord Jesus Christ was also a Comforter in his era.
To ascertain who this second-sent comforter is, the book of John is instructional. In John 14:26 it is also written, “But the Comforter, which is the Holy Ghost, whom the Father will send in my name, he shall teach you all things, and bring all things to your remembrance, whatsoever I have said unto you.” This means the Lord Jesus Christ is saying that the next Comforter is the Holy Spirit. Consequently, the role of the Holy Spirit is laid in John 16:13 “Howbeit when he, the Spirit of truth, is come, he will guide you into all truth: for he shall not speak of himself; but whatsoever he shall hear, that shall he speak: and he will shew you things to come.” From this, we can conclude that the Holy Spirit is the one who is referred to as the one destined to teach all things, remind all that the Lord Jesus Christ had said, and above all. He will guide everyone for the ultimate truth. Additionally, the Holy Spirit will bear witness to the Lord Jesus Christ as it is written in John 15:26, “But when the Comforter is come, whom I will send unto you from the Father, even the Spirit of truth, which proceedeth from the Father, will testify to me.
The CDCCPI believes that through AMA RSM, the prophecy of the Lord Jesus Christ has been fulfilled because only the Holy Spirit can teach all truth, especially things about the Lord Jesus Christ. And, one of the truths taught by APO MONS. DR. RUFINO S. MAGLIBA about the Lord Jesus Christ is the true date of his birth.
As to why MONS DR. RUFINO S. MAGLIBA knows these things, the answer can be found in the words of the Lord Jesus Christ in Matthew 11:27, “All things are delivered unto me of my Father: and no man knoweth the Son, but the Father; neither knoweth any man the Father, save the Son, and he to whomsoever the Son will reveal him. ” This is a strong evidence that no one knows the Father and the Son, but Him alone, and whoever the Son will reveal himself to. The Crusaders believed that the Son had not been revealed to anyone but to the representative of God, and the Holy Spirit, APO MONS. DR. RUFINO S. MAGLIBA.
The revelation of the truth about the birth of our Lord Jesus Christ is one of the many revelations of God and the Holy Spirit. It is true that no religion has revealed and exposed the truth about the exact day of the birth of our Lord Jesus Christ but the religion founded by the Holy Spirit, the CRUSADERS OF THE DIVINE CHURCH OF CHRIST PHILIPPINES, INC.
III. Mons. Dr. Rufino S. Magliba
Many claim to be the representative of God but only one proves by evidence. The question now is how can one ascertain who.
It is noteworthy to revisit the scriptures to find the answer. As written in the Holy Bible, the Lord Jesus Christ, when He was on earth, performed works and wonders, to be identified as the Messiah and Son of God. An analogy to this would give a strong basis to identify who is really telling the truth among the emerging prophets. Apart from the Lord Jesus Christ, Mons. Dr. Rufino S. Magliba performs analogous instances to the circumstances of the Lord Jesus Christ. He has performed and shown various miracles in this time. Can we identify or recognize who this is? The miracles that he performed are now documented in the “RSM Works and Wonders”. This boks explicates a plethora of works and wonders that he performed.
This is the basis that the prophecy written in the Bible is the proof that Mons. Dr. Rufino S. Magliba and none other is the Holy Spirit, the Second One sent by God the Father, the one referred to by the Lord Jesus Christ as the Comforter who will also help to guide the people of today. Mons. Dr. Rufino S. Magliba is the one who continued God’s plans for his chosen children, as seen through the works, wonders, and revelations of AMA RSM, written and revealed in the book “Testament of the Holy Spirit”.
IV. Paskong Crusado, Paskong Totoo Movement
The CDCC was able to obtain local and international recognition for its celebration of Christmas. In fact, a number of towns and municipalities declare this a Crusaders Holiday. The religious organization pushes to obtain a national recognition to declare September 25 as a holiday for the entire country.