Micah 5:2 “But you, O Bethlehem Ephrathah, so little to be among the thousands of Judah, from you there will come forth to Me He who is to be Ruler in Israel; And His goings forth are from ancient times, from the days of eternity.”
Matthew 2:1 “…Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of Herod the king…”
Bethlehem (Hebrew: בית לחם, meaning the House of Bread) is located about ten kilometers south of Jerusalem. It is the place where David was born and was anointed as King of Israel. It currently has a population of about 30,000. The majority is Muslims, but Bethlehem still has one of the largest Christian communities in Palestine.
Bethlehem is the birthplace of Jesus, and thus it has become a pilgrimage destination for many Christians. Tourism is the backbone of Bethlehem’s economy, especially during Christmas. However, the Bible never mentions the exact date of Jesus’ birth. Moreover, Bethlehem is very cold and rainy in late December, so shepherds would not keep sheep out in the field in this season. December 25th is the birthday of the Sol Invictus, a Roman god. When the Roman Empire accepted Christianity, they used the same date to be the date for Christmas, until this day. Christians should commemorate the birth, death, and resurrection of the Lord Jesus everyday.
彌迦書5:2『伯利恆以法他阿，你在猶大諸城中為小，將來必有一位從你那裏為我而出，在以色列中作掌權者；祂是從亙古，從太初而出。』
馬太福音2:1 『在希律王的日子，耶穌生在猶太的伯利恆。…』
伯利恆（Bethlehem, 希伯來語 בית לחם，意即糧食之家）位於耶路撒冷以南約十公里處。伯利恆有對猶太教有重要意義的拉結墓，它也是大衛的出生地和受膏為以色列王的地方。目前人口約三萬人，以穆斯林占多數，但仍然擁有巴勒斯坦最大的基督徒社區之一。
伯利恆是耶穌出生之處，因此成了世界各地基督徒的朝聖之地。旅遊業是伯利恆的經濟支柱，尤其在聖誕節期間。但其實聖經從未提及耶穌出生的確切日期，而且伯利恆十二月下旬寒冷多雨，牧羊人不會在這段時期將羊牧放在外。十二月二十五日這日子是羅馬人所信仰太陽神(Sol Invictus)的生日，當羅馬帝國接納基督教後，便將其與聖誕節合而為一，直至今日。基督徒其實可以週週天天時時刻刻，紀念主耶穌的降世、受死和復活。
Source: https://www.facebook.com/kokiahouse/posts/2435612846693208
