Yes, this sounds absurd, but it forces the activation module to reload.
This is the most frequent culprit. If your Mac has been turned off for a long time or the PRAM/NVRAM battery died, your system clock may have reset to a default date (often 2001 or 1970). Modern SSL certificates have a validity window. If your Mac thinks it is 2001, it will refuse to connect to Apple's servers because the security certificates "don't exist yet." activate mac failed to create activation request