By Jon Nessle

"Look! Look", they cried, "up in the sky!" We looked and saw nothing. Yet they insisted it was out there. There in a portion of sky as small as a grain of sand held at arm's length it was, albeit, invisible to the naked eye. The proud Hubble Telescope Scientists unveiled to us that incredible picture of that small portion of sky magnified, full of galaxies, billions of light years away. There was that indisputable photograph standing in the press conference room with the label at the top, "Hubble Deep Field". But for us it had another label, a challenge, and a question: "How big is your God?

Long, long ago another group of astronomers stared, surprised, up into the sky at another amazing celestial light. These also were the respected scientists of their day and what they saw was significant enough to prompt them to make an 800 mile journey into enemy territory on a quest to honor a new-born king. The Bible contains the account of their journey.

Matthew 2:1,2
Now when Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judaea in the days of Herod the king, behold, there came wise men from the east to Jerusalem,
Saying, Where is he that is born King of the Jews? for we have seen his star in the east, and are come to worship him.

What did they see? Let's look at the evidence. It says that these wise men saw a star in the East. Later in Matthew 2:10 it says that the celestial phenomenon occurred again. What could it have been? Well it certainly was not what most traditional stories of the birth of Jesus Christ portray. Had it been a laser beam in the sky, a search-light beaming down on a manger in Bethlehem, no one would have come to witness the event. They all would have been scared out of their wits.

What was something that they'd call a star? Today we know of many celestial phenomena: stars, planets, nova, meteors, comets, etc. To the people of that time, they all were simply called "stars"; they were some kind of light in the sky. But what kind of "star" would prompt the wise men to make such a journey? If it were a meteor, how could it have repeated itself? If it were a nova, an exploding star, which would produce a spectacular light in the heavens, certainly the Chinese astronomers would have included it in their detailed astronomical annals that have survived to this day. What novas repeat themselves? What could it have been? There is a clue. The wise men said that they saw it in the east.

In the ancient texts, the word east is plural when it refers to the direction east, and literally means "risings". The word translated "east" in Mathew 2:1 is plural and is translated correctly as the direction east. The wise men were the Magi, learned astronomers who came from the Parthian Empire in Mesopotamia, located where Iraq or Iran is today. They had traveled into Roman territory around the Fertile Crescent and probably down the Kings Highway through Damascus to Jerusalem. However, in Matthew 2:2 the word "east" is not plural. It is singular. It should have been translated "We have seen his star in the rising, [the sunrise]. That is the clue we need to begin to identify what the star of Bethlehem was.

What kind of "stars" can appear in the sunrise? Let's do a thought experiment. If you are in a room right now as you are reading this, get up and move a chair into the center of the room and then go back and sit down where you were. Now imagine the entire universe of stars painted upon the walls, floor and ceiling of the room and you are the earth and the chair in the center of the room is the sun. The earth circles the sun and as it does so the earth also turns. So right now, look in another direction away from the chair in the center of the room and then slowly turn your head until the chair in the center of the room comes into view in the corner of your eye. You have just simulated a sunrise. Now, what's on the wall on the opposite side of the room directly in line with the chair that represents the sun? That would be a star that appears just before the sunrise and then is eclipsed by daylight. Now continue to turn to fully view the chair in the center of the room which represents the sun. You have now simulated it becoming day. The earth also goes around the sun. Move forward a bit in the room as if you are beginning to move in a circle around the center chair and look at the chair in the center of the room again. What's on the wall on the opposite side of the room directly in line with it now? Something different. If you were to circle the chair in the center of the room and repeat this process all the way around, all the objects on the opposite wall which lined up with the chair representing the sun each time you looked at it would be located on a plane that astronomers call the ecliptic. That's exactly what the wise men saw. They saw the "star" in the sunrise so the "star" had to be something on the plane of the ecliptic.

When a star appears on the ecliptic just before the sunrise it is called a "heliacal rising". It was thought in ancient times that this was a significant time for that star. What "stars" appear on the plane of the ecliptic? Well, there are a number of them in the various constellations which are on the ecliptic and they regularly appear in the sunrise once a year. But that is not unusual enough. What else is on the ecliptic? The constellations themselves are there too. These 12 constellations on the ecliptic make up what's called the Zodiac. But they are not unusual either. As the earth makes it's yearly orbit around the sun, each of the constellations in turn appears in the background behind the sun during sunrise. What else appears on the ecliptic? The planets. Back then the ancients beheld the heavens and wondered what these wandering "stars" were. There were five of them that were visible: Mercury, Venus, Mars, Jupiter and Saturn. They did not realize they were planets circling the sun like the earth was. As the earth circled the sun these "wanderers" as they were called, moved against the backdrop of stars and all followed the same course in the sky, the ecliptic. But was a planet unusual enough to cause a group of scientists to get so excited that they organized a trek into enemy territory in search of a newborn king? No, but maybe a conjunction of planets could.

A conjunction of planets is when two or more planets seem to come together in the sky from the perspective of a viewer from earth. Most conjunctions come only as close as the apparent space of your thumb held at arm's length against the backdrop of the sky. Conjunctions occur often in the night sky as the earth circles the sun. What could be significant enough about that to cause the scientists to budge? Well maybe it was a sequence of conjunctions or and unusual conjunction itself.

What would be significant enough to have caused them to decide to go to Jerusalem? If an unusual sequence of conjunctions occurred with the constellation Leo in the background, that could do the trick, because Leo was the lion and that was significant of the tribe of Judah in Israel. In fact, there was an unusual set of conjunctions in 3 and 2 BC which meet all the criteria. This set of conjunctions was begun in a spectacular way. On August 12th, 3BC, Jupiter and Venus, the second and third brightest objects in the night sky (next to the moon) came so close together in conjunction that from the viewpoint of someone on the earth, they merged into one star. Leo was in the background. This close of a conjunction is extremely, extremely rare. It is so unusual that the curator of the Adler Planetarium in Chicago, Illinois stated that "it has not happened since". That was enough to get the attention of the Magi and set them scurrying to make arrangements to go to Jerusalem. But there is more.

The earth circles the sun in a shorter period of time than the outer visible planets, Mars, Jupiter and Saturn. As the earth catches up with and passes one of these planets an optical phenomenon occurs, especially with Jupiter. It appears to move backwards for a while and then as the earth finishes passing by, it resumes it's normal forward movement through the sky. This is called retrograde motion. This occurs once a year as the earth catches up with and then passes Jupiter. Soon after that unusual conjunction between Jupiter and Venus that year, Jupiter went into retrograde motion. But this year that retrograde motion occurred with the constellation Leo the lion in the background and Jupiter had three conjunctions with the brightest star in Leo. This star is named Regulus. It is on the ecliptic and represents the heart of the lion. These conjunctions occurred September 14th, 3BC, February 17, 2BC and May 8th, 2 BC. Regulus was known as the king star and Jupiter was known as the king planet and Leo signified Judah.

After this, there were two more planetary conjunctions. On June 17th, 2BC, Jupiter and Venus had another conjunction in Leo and finally on August 27th, 2BC a multiple conjunction, or what's called a massing of planets, occurred with Jupiter, Mars, Mercury and Venus again in Leo. This unusual sequence of celestial events was enough to get the wise men to make the necessary arrangements with their government and get moving toward Judea.

The birth of Jesus Christ itself is recorded in the Gospel of Luke when Mary and Joseph had traveled to Bethlehem, the city of their fathers, to be enrolled for a census for taxation.

Luke 2:6,7
And so it was, that, while they were there, the days were accomplished that she should be delivered.
And she brought forth her firstborn son, and wrapped him in swaddling clothes, and laid him in a manger [stable]; because there was no room for them in the inn.

The word manger does not mean "feed trough" like we see in modern nativity scenes. The manger was a stable. The inns of that period are called caravanserai and were often rectangular with rooms around the perimeter, a gate in front and a stable around back where the animals were kept. Also we need to understand the significance of the swaddling clothes. How many of you have christening gowns that have been handed down in your family? The modern day christening gown is similar to the ancient swaddling clothes in that they were made of high quality fabric and were handed down in the family for a ceremonial purpose. Swaddling clothes were not rags because the parents of Jesus were poor. They were used in a short ceremony where the parents prayed and committed themselves to raise their child to be upright.

Verse eight contains information that also helps date the season of the birth of Jesus Christ. It says that the shepherds were watching their flocks by night. This is practiced in either the spring or fall, but it is not done during the winter because it gets too cold (below freezing) at night in Palestine. (Other information in Luke 1 regarding the time of the conception and birth of John the Baptist and the six month period between John's conception and that of Jesus fix the time of the birth of Jesus to be in the fall.)

Luke 2:8-14
And there were in the same country shepherds abiding in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night.
And, lo, the angel of the Lord came upon them, and the glory of the Lord shone round about them: and they were sore afraid.
And the angel said unto them, Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people.
For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord.
And this {shall be} a sign unto you; Ye shall find the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger [stable].
And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God, and saying,
Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men.

There is a great irony here. Why did God give this information to the shepherds only? He certainly would have liked to have revealed it to many more, but alas the country was rife with unbelief. Their reaction shows that they were faithful because they reacted with haste.

Luke 2:15,16
And it came to pass, as the angels were gone away from them into heaven, the shepherds said one to another, Let us now go even unto Bethlehem, and see this thing which is come to pass, which the Lord hath made known unto us.
And they came with haste, and found Mary, and Joseph, and the babe [newborn] lying in a manger [stable].

Here it says that Mary, Joseph and Jesus were in the manger. That's why that word cannot mean "feed trough", but must be translated "stable". Bethlehem was a small town. Many of the homes may have had a stable on their lower floor. But the largest stable at the local inn was probably the first place they'd check. Why was the swaddling clothes part of the sign? Almost every Judean Hebrew child was swaddled when they were born. The significance was that the swaddling clothes were only on for a short period of time while the parents prayed. There may have been a number of newborn infants in Bethlehem, maybe even some in stables because the town was filled with visitors for the taxation census, but Jesus was the only one in swaddling clothes in a stable when they arrived there.

Luke 2:17,18
And when they had seen {it}, they made known abroad the saying which was told them concerning this child.
And all they that heard {it} wondered at those things which were told them by the shepherds.

How would you like to have been one of those shepherds? Of all the people in the area that could have been told, they were the ones. Why didn't God appear to the high priest in Jerusalem and tell him? Because they were in a state of unbelief. Oh, they were filled with faith in their interpretations of the law, their ceremonies and their traditions but there was not much room for the truths of God's Word. Had they noticed the stellar announcements? No they were asleep, both physically and spiritually.

Imagine the turmoil in Jerusalem when the wise men appeared. They were highly regarded in the Parthian Empire and would have been received in Jerusalem like ambassadors. But then they asked the most wrong question that one could possibly ask, "Where is he who is born king of the Jews?" Herod was an extremely jealous and ruthless king. Every hint of any challenge to his rule had been dealt with severely. The Jews disliked him intensely for he represented the Roman dominion over them. In fact, this visit of the wise men probably happened a couple months before Herod's death. He probably was suffering from what finally caused his death. Josephus, the historian, chronicled the circumstances of Herod's death in great detail. This man was so ruthless that later just before he was to die, he ordered all the chief men of all the cities of his kingdom to be held in a stadium and all were to be killed when Herod finally died. Herod knew that there would be rejoicing in the streets upon news of his death and he wanted the country to be filled with mourning instead. Now, here stood the wise men who innocently asked about a new unknown king who was foretold by a sign in the heavens. This news shook Herod and all Jerusalem.

Matthew 2:3-6
When Herod the king had heard {these things}, he was troubled, and all Jerusalem with him.
And when he had gathered all the chief priests and scribes of the people together, he demanded of them where Christ should be born.
And they said unto him, In Bethlehem of Judaea: for thus it is written by the prophet,
And thou Bethlehem, {in} the land of Juda, art not the least among the princes of Juda: for out of thee shall come a Governor, that shall rule my people Israel.

The high priests and captains of the temple should have been looking for the messiah. They must have seen the first spectacular conjunction of Jupiter and Venus as well, but they were blind to its significance. Yet, they had access to the knowledge but were sitting on it. Their religious agendas were elsewhere. So was Herod's.

Luke 2:7,8
Then Herod, when he had privily called the wise men, inquired of them diligently what time the star appeared.
And he sent them to Bethlehem, and said, Go and search diligently for the young child; and when ye have found {him}, bring me word again, that I may come and worship him also.

This information breaks with the traditional view of the birth of Christ which puts the wise men there at the manger at the time of his birth with the star gleaming overhead. Verse seven in Matthew chapter two puts the first appearance of the star in the past tense. Verse eight describes him as a "young child" and not a "newborn" like in the Gospel of Luke. Those words are two entirely different words in the Greek text. A newborn infant is unmistakable from a toddler. The wise men actually arrived in Jerusalem fifteen months after Christ's birth, probably in late 2 BC, after the string of conjunctions had ended.

Luke 2:9,10
When they had heard the king, they departed; and, lo, the star, which they saw in the east, went before them, till it came and stood over where the young child was.
When they saw the star, they rejoiced with exceeding great joy.

Now as the wise men departed from Jerusalem going southward, up in the southern sky they beheld the common element to all the conjunctions, Jupiter the king-planet, on its upward arc through the evening sky. As the earth turns, the sky in the northern hemisphere revolves around the polar star and the stars rise from their place in the eastern sky and climb to their zenith and then fall towards the west. Jupiter was in the southern sky at that time in December of 2 BC and would be nearing its highest point in the sky when the Magi made their usual predawn observations. Bethlehem was due south of Jerusalem. But was that unusual enough to cause them to rejoice with exceeding joy? Well, maybe so if there were other significant celestial events going on simultaneously. According to Ernest Martin in the book "The Birth of Christ Recalculated", there were.

Remember Jupiter's retrograde motion earlier in 3 BC? It was starting it again in late December of 2 BC. When Jupiter starts its retrograde motion, there is a period of six days when it apparently comes to a standstill! Guess what constellation was in the background? Virgo, the virgin. And even more significant, Jupiter came to a standstill in the portion of Virgo that was her womb!

Now this simultaneous set of celestial events concerning Jupiter would have more than raised their eyebrows! Their early morning arrival in Bethlehem coincided with both Jupiter's arrival at its highest point in the sky that night and when it stood still beginning its retrograde motion with Virgo's womb in the background! This day also could also have coincided further with the winter solstice. Jupiter reached this high point every night, but what made it significant to the wise men was that this early morning in December of 2 BC this high point coincided with so many other things! In ancient astronomy, the term "to stand" is used for this arrival at the highest point in the sky. It also clearly describes the state of Jupiter when it began its retrograde motion and began to be stationary in the heavens just when they arrived in Bethlehem! That would have filled them with exceeding joy.

Matthew 2:11
And when they were come into the house, they saw the young child with Mary his mother, and fell down, and worshipped him: and when they had opened their treasures, they presented unto him gifts; gold, and frankincense, and myrrh.

Did they find him in a manger? Did they find a newborn? Does it mention that Joseph was present? No. It was morning. He'd already left for his carpentry job that day. The wise men arrived in town and inquired about a young child not a newborn. The first place they probably went was the inn because it was the only place that could house their caravan. Now, because the shepherds had spread the word months earlier, the wise men were able to find Mary and Jesus residing in the house of one of their relatives. The innkeeper or the elders at the gate very well could have been the first persons in Bethlehem they asked. Either surely would have remembered the shepherd's reports. This is what convinced the wise men that they had found the right family.

What an exciting time it must have been for everyone! The wise men were thrilled because everything fit what they had seen declared in the heavens. They'd followed the dawn-star Jupiter through its remarkable set of significant celestial movements to bring them into the presence of the king of kings! For Mary, this was yet another confirmation that Jesus truly was the messiah. God had moved heaven and earth to bring these men there!

Right here is the greatest scientific evidence for the truth of birth and existence of Jesus Christ, as well as the truth of the rest of the Bible and the existence of God. Go ahead and turn back your planetariums or celestial computer programs and see for yourself. It was written across the sky! This is the greatest scientific proof I know of. For most, faith and the constant proofs that come when one believes the scriptures and walks by them is enough. But this is even more. Our faith is confirmed even more when we realize that way back in the beginning God spun the planets so that they'd line up like this to announce the birth of His Son! Can you have any more doubts? Now take it further. Do you have any needs? The God who moved heaven and earth to bring the Magi into the presence of the lord is no respecter of persons. If you have a need and believe for God to supply it, and base your expectation upon the promises of His Word that your need will be met, God will meet your need even if He has to move heaven and earth to do so!

This is our God, creator of the heavens and the earth, Hubble Deep Field and all!

Psalms 19:1-6
The heavens declare the glory of God; and the firmament sheweth [sets forth the greatness of] his handywork.
Day unto [after] day uttereth speech, and night unto [after] night sheweth knowledge (the story of redemption written in the skies as the common world-wide ancient ancestor of the Zodiac).
{There is} no speech nor language, {where} their voice is not heard.
Their line [surveyor's line through the sky] is gone out through all the earth, and their words [teachings] to the end of the world. In them (the heavens) hath he set a tabernacle [house i.e. the original Zodiac houses] for [of] the sun,
Which {is} as (full of life, joy and song as) a bridegroom coming out of his chamber, {and} rejoiceth as (brashly and virulently as) a strong man to run a race.
His going forth {is} from the end of the heaven, and his circuit (as in the ecliptic) unto the ends of it: and there is nothing hid from the heat thereof.

Tradition says that there were three wise men, inferring that from the fact that three gifts were presented. This could not have been the case. The Magi never would have safely arrived, had there only been three of them. They would have been robbed and killed by the highwaymen who lurked in the no-man's-land between the Roman and Parthian Empire's borders. No, an ambassadorial level contact between the Parthian and Roman Empires such as this would have required an entire caravan! There had to be more than three Magi both for them to make the trip and for them to be given audience by Herod. There were not three gifts, there were three kinds of gifts. What color clothing would you bring to a baby shower where a son was expected? Blue. What color for a daughter? Pink. What if you did not know the gender? Green or yellow. Why? Because that is our culture. In some far eastern countries they bring pink for a boy. In the Biblical culture when a newborn king was to be honored, culture dictated three kinds of gifts, gold frankincense and myrrh. They probably brought a lot of each.

Matthew 2:12-15
And being warned of God in a dream that they should not return to Herod, they departed into their own country another way.
And when they were departed, behold, the angel of the Lord appeareth to Joseph in a dream, saying, Arise, and take the young child and his mother, and flee into Egypt, and be thou there until I bring thee word: for Herod will seek the young child to destroy him.
When he arose, he took the young child and his mother by night, and departed into Egypt:
And was there until the death of Herod: that it might be fulfilled which was spoken of the Lord by the prophet, saying, Out of Egypt have I called my son.

Herod's wrath was a grave threat. He would not have permitted even the rumor of a future king other than one from his own lineage, how much less would he have allowed someone with that reputation to live. God always warns of impending danger and he did so for both the Magi and the family of Jesus. The Magi already had their means of transportation and took their caravan home by an alternate route. However, how was Mary, Joseph and Jesus going to get out of town? There was no Avis Rent-a-Camel in downtown Bethlehem. But Joseph now had something valuable, gold, frankincense and myrrh. He could have easily traded some for a camel or two and by morning they were far from Bethlehem. How could he and his family survived as strangers in the foreign land of Egypt? He couldn't have built much of a carpentry business for few would have done business with him because he was an outsider and besides that he probably left many of his tools behind. But they had gold, frankincense and myrrh which were valuable commodities in those times. That is probably how they lived in Egypt. God's blessings are profitable, both immediately and ultimately.

It is also worthy of note to realize that Joseph was probably 16 to 18 years old and Mary 15 to 17 years old. That was the usual ages for young women and men to be betrothed in that culture. How would you like to lay the responsibility of raising the Messiah at the feet of your teenagers? Mary and Joseph were wonderful, mature, young adults. They also were filled with the holy spirit. Look at the fortitude of Joseph who obeyed the revelation and moved his family out in the middle of the night and traveled into a strange land. How many teenagers would get up in the middle of the night without argument and do that? It surely raises our respect for them and what teenagers can do if they obey God's Word and are filled with the spirit!

Matthew 2:16-18
Then Herod, when he saw that he was mocked of the wise men, was exceeding wroth, and sent forth, and slew all the children that were in Bethlehem, and in all the coasts thereof, from two years old and under, according to the time which he had diligently inquired of the wise men.
Then was fulfilled that which was spoken by Jeremy the prophet, saying,
In Rama was there a voice heard, lamentation, and weeping, and great mourning, Rachel weeping {for} her children, and would not be comforted, because they are not.

This terrible deed fits with Herod's temperament shortly before his death as documented by the first century Palestinian historian, Josephus. It also supports the fact that the wise men arrived in Bethlehem months after the birthdate of Jesus. Had he been a newborn, why kill those two years old and under? A newborn is easily discerned from a toddler. He had diligently inquired the Magi of the time of the celestial events.

Matthew 2:19-21
But when Herod was dead, behold, an angel of the Lord appeareth in a dream to Joseph in Egypt,
Saying, Arise, and take the young child and his mother, and go into the land of Israel: for they are dead which sought the young child's life.
And he arose, and took the young child and his mother, and came into the land of Israel.

Jesus and his family were safe. This information also dispels the theory that Jesus and his family were poor. No, he and his family were in the lower middle class. Carpentry was a respected profession in that time and after Joseph returned to Galilee and set up shop again, he made a good living at the trade and were able to provide for Jesus and the rest of the family adequately. Joseph in his godly wisdom probably utilized the gifts of the Magi for the sake of Jesus and his family for a long time.

This has been a lesson in tradition versus truth. How shallow our understanding was before we came to God's Word to find out what it actually says. The question remains, how much else that we believe could be supercharged by returning to the Bible as our sole source of truth? So now at the time of this writing we are preparing to celebrate the millennium. But we're doing so two years late! We're actually celebrating 2002! Jesus was born in 3 BC. Some monk monkeyed with the date and that's why were we're all late. And we're late for the birthdate of Jesus as well because he was born in the fall of the year when shepherds do watch their flocks by night out in the fields of Palestine. But regardless, we're thankful for the time we can set aside in his honor. And we're thankful for mankind's response during this time of year, for any time is a wonderful time to declare "Peace on earth and good will toward men"!