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The king went up to the house of the LORD and all the men of Judah, the inhabitants of Jerusalem, the priests, the Levites and all the people, from the greatest to the least; and he read in their hearing all the words of the book of the covenant which was found in the house of the LORD. (2 Chron. 34:30)

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Fact and Fiction Examined (part 2)

Issues surrounding Jesus’ birthThe wise menThe starJesus’ age when the wise men arrivedGifts of the wise menHerod’s massacre

Matthew 2:1-21 – Read the text!The wise men – magi of the Medes & Persians

Royal advisors (such as Daniel, Chief of the Magi)Magicians, pagan priestsKingmakersAstrologersNo one knows how many came to Jerusalem

The StarThey first saw it when Jesus was bornAstrological prediction of a royal Jewish birth

Possibly conjunction of the Sun, Moon, Jupiter, & Saturn in the Constellation Aries (sign of the Jews), on April 17, 6 BC

They began the journey to Jerusalem soon after they saw itCame to Jerusalem because it was the seat of Jewish powerThey did not know the exact town, Bethlehem

Apparently no one else noticed the star, or else Herod would not have needed to ask them for directionsPossibly alignment of Jupiter & Venus in Constellation VirgoOr some divinely appointed light in the skySo it wasn’t a comet (that would be a bad omen in paganism)Not a bright light in our atmosphere visible to all

Something about this “star” gave them directions, either by miracle or by astrological interpretation

The Star“Everything in the text points to a miraculous star

- a supernatural light designed to guide the wise men to the supernaturally-born Jesus.” (Bro. Irvin Himmel)

"Evidently we have here another of the many Bible miracles which modern science is unable to explain. Undoubtedly this miraculous appearance, which is called a star, aroused the curiosity of the wise men to such an extent that they followed it for many miles until finally it pointed out the exact place where they wished to go" (Zondervan Pictorial Bible Dictionary)

The Wise Men Visit HerodJourney from Persia 3-12 months, plus prep timePersians were enemies of Rome

Judea was a “buffer state” between two mighty empiresMagi were probably accompanied by an entourageHerod was threatened by this potential future king

Dubbed “King of the Jews” by Roman SenateHad murdered his own 3 sons & other family membersHighly paranoid about threats to his rule

Jewish experts were aware of the prophecyUsed input from the magi to determine Jesus’ ageSent the wise men with instructions to return

The Wise Men Find JesusIn a house (Mt. 2:11)Not laying in a manger!

Greek word for infant “brephos” used at the mangerGreek word for young child “paidion” used hereJesus was no infant when they arrived

Jesus was at least 80 days old (Bro. J.W. McGarvey)Wise men arrived after the 40 day purification ritualHerod spent last 40 days of his life at Jericho

Ordered massacre while still in Jerusalem

Wise men still seek him!

The Wise Men Visit JesusBrought gifts fit for a king, not

birthday giftsGold, Frankincense, & MyrrhKingship, Priesthood, DeathCould have been more than one of

each itemDoes not indicate how many wise men

there wereThen they returned home by different

routeAngel warned Joseph of Herod, so

they left for Egypt the same night

Herod’s massacreMagi didn’t return to Jerusalem…Herod

eventually realized they weren’t coming back Enraged, he remembered their words, knew how

long it took them to travel, estimated the age of the child Jesus, and ordered all males age 2 years & younger to be killed immediately in and around Bethlehem

Therefore, Jesus may have been up to 2 years oldBut Jesus & family had already left days or

maybe weeks beforeProbably a couple dozen at most killed

Summary of the Wise MenCame seeking the King of the JewsFollowed a divine guide (star)Found Jesus in a houseGave Him multiple kingly giftsReturned homeJoseph took the family to EgyptHerod slaughtered the toddler malesThe Wise Men were not present the day of

Jesus’ birthThe Wise Men don’t belong in Nativity scenes

Why was December 25th chosen?Miscalculation by Catholic priestAttempt to overtake Pagan traditions

Birthday of Mithras, Pagan god of lightWinter Solstice, a pagan celebration

“There was a tendency to mix with the pure religion of Christ the pagan superstitions and ceremonies. This was done, seemingly, in order to make the religion of Christ less offensive to the world in general, and to get them to accept Jesus as the Christ. When the mixing was done, however, the only result was a corrupted and perverted gospel. The church developing out of such a marriage of paganism and Christianity cannot be the one Jesus built. It is an apostate body.” (Bro. O.C. Birdwell)

When did it start?Historians tell us it was three centuries after the

death of Christ before a day was set aside for a special observance for his birth.

"Christmas was not among the earliest festivals of the church, and before the fifth century there was no general consensus of opinion as to when it should come in the calendar" (Encyclopedia Britannica).

“Liberius, Bishop of Rome (it should be remembered that the Catholics consider him as one of their early popes), in 354 A.D. ordered that December 25 be adopted. The choice of this date was probably influenced by the fact that this was the day on which the Romans celebrated the Mithraic feast of the Sungod.” (Collier’s Encyclopedia)

Real meaning of Jesus’ birthImmanuel means “God with us”Emptied Himself to be like usLived as a man in the flesh to be the perfect

exampleDied in the flesh to be the perfect sacrificeResurrected in the flesh as our perfect SaviorPraise God that He sent His Son to earthPraise God even more that Jesus died for our sinsNew Testament directs us to remember His

death, burial & resurrection, not His birthday

Wise men still seek Him! Do you?