Let us examine the Bible to determine what time of year John was born! This is the key to determining the time of the birth of Jesus!  

In the book of Luke 1: 5 we read: “There was in the days of Herod, the king of Judaea, a certain priest named Zacharias, of the course of Abia: [Abijah – in Hebrew (1 Chronicles 24:10)] and his wife was of the daughters of Aaron, and her name was Elisabeth”. In Luke 1:8 - 9 we read: “And it came to pass, that while he [Zacharias] executed the priest’s office before God in the order of his course, according to the custom of the priest office, his lot (or duty) was to burn incense when he went into the temple of the Lord”. Then in verse 11 and 13 (Luke 1:11, 13.) we read: “And there appeared unto him (Zacharias) an angel of the Lord standing on the right side of the altar of incense”. Then in verse thirteen: “But the angel said unto him (Zacharias), fear not, Zacharias: for thy prayer is heard; and thy wife Elizabeth shall bear thee a son, and thou shall call his name John” (Luke 1:13). Notice that John’s father, Zacharias the priest, was serving in the temple of God, “in the order of his course, according to the custom of the priest’s office” (Luke 1:8, 9).  

In the service of the temple of the Lord was a system divided into lots and courses of duties, as instituted by king David and handed down to his son Solomon, in which the Levite priests were made to serve (1 Chronicles 23: 1 -6). Each course was for the duration of one month, totaling twelve courses a year, while the lots or period of duty time for each priest were two weeks in duration resulting in two lots per month or twenty-four lots per year. We see this system at work in 1 Chronicles 27: 1 – 15. So, naturally, if we can determine what course and lot John’s father – Zachariah - was serving, when the angel appeared unto him, then we can determine when John the Baptist was born. Yes! we can determine the course and lot that Zacharia served when the angel of the Lord appeared to him and for that we go to 1 Chronicles chapter twenty-four (1 Chron. 24:).  

In 1 Chron 24:1 - 3 we read: “Now these are the divisions of the sons of Aaron [the high priest]. The sons of Aaron; Nadab, and Abihu, Eleazer, and Ithamar. But Nadab and Abihu died before their father [Aaron] and had no children: therefore, Eliazar and Ithamar (Aaron’s two remaining sons) executed the priest office. And David (King David) distributed them, both Zadok of the sons of Eleazar, and Ahemilelech of the sons of Ithamar, according to their offices in the service”. Notice that two of Aaron’s sons [Nadab and Abihu] died before their father Aaron, and because they [Nadab and Abihu] had no children, Zadoc of the sons of Eleeazar, and Ahimelech of the sons of Ithamar were distributed by king David to serve in the offices of Nadab and Abihu - as we just read in verses two and three. In verse four of 1 Chronicles chapter 24 (1 Chronicles 24: 4) we see a very interesting fact. It reads: “and there were more chief men found of the sons of Eleazar than of the sons of Ithamar; and thus were they divided. Among the sons of Eleazar there were sixteen chief men of the house of their fathers, and eight among the sons of Ithamar according to the house of their fathers”. In the houses of Eleazar and Ithamar were found a total of twenty-four chief men [sixteen from the sons of Eleazar and eight among the sons of Ithamar]. These twenty-four men were to serve over the course of twelve-month or a year. And so, they were divided 24 men into twelve months, resulting in each man serving a lot (duty time) of two weeks (12 months, divided by 24 men). In 1 Chronicles 24:7 – 18 we see a lists of the number of lots, from lot number one all the way to lot number twenty-four, as well as the priests serving in each lot. For example: “Now the first lot came forth to Jehoiarib, and the second to Jedaiah…” (1 Chronicles 24:7).