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The Star Of Bethlehem

Submitted by jesuslover on Wed, 01/30/2008 - 01:17.
The Star of Bethlehem
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  • Two Ways to Find God
    • By His word
      • Objective writings
      • Can you trust the Bible?
    • By His Spirit
      • Subjective leading
      • How to follow?
  • The Story
    • Now after Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of Herod the king, magi from the east arrived in Jerusalem, saying, "Where is He who has been born King of the Jews? For we saw His star in the east (at its rising) and have come to worship Him."
    • (Matt.2:1-2)
    • When King Herod heard this he was disturbed, and all Jerusalem with him.
    • When he had called together all the people's chief priests and teachers of the law, he asked them where the Christ was to be born. "In Bethlehem in Judea," they replied, "for this is what the prophet has written: "'But you, Bethlehem, in the land of Judah, are by no means least among the rulers of Judah; for out of you will come a ruler who will be the shepherd of my people Israel.'"
      • (Matt 2:3-6)
    • Then Herod secretly called the magi and determined from them the exact time the star appeared.
    • And he sent them to Bethlehem and said, "Go and search carefully for the Child; and when you have found Him, report to me, so that I too may come and worship Him."
    • (Matt. 2:7-8)
    • After hearing the king, they went their way; and the star, which they had seen in the east, went on before them until it came and stood over the place where the Child was.
    • When they saw the star, they rejoiced exceedingly with great joy.
    • (Matt. 2:9-10)
    • After coming into the house they saw the Child with Mary His mother; and they fell to the ground and worshiped Him. Then, opening their treasures, they presented to Him gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh.
    • And having been warned by God in a dream not to return to Herod, the magi left for their own country by another way.
    • (Matt. 2:11-12)
    • Then when Herod saw that he had been tricked by the magi, he became very enraged, and sent and slew all the male children who were in Bethlehem and all its vicinity, from two years old and under, according to the time which he had determined from the magi. (v 16)
  • Who Were the Magi?
    • The ancient Magi were a hereditary priesthood of the Medes (known today as the Kurds) credited with profound and extraordinary religious knowledge. After some Magi, who had been attached to the Median court, proved to be expert in the interpretation of dreams, Darius the Great established them over the state religion of Persia. They became the teachers and instructors of the Persian kings. In Persia no sacrifice could be offered unless one of the Magi was present. They became men of holiness and wisdom.
  • Daniel—Chief Magi
    • Then the king promoted Daniel and gave him many great gifts, and he made him ruler over the whole province of Babylon and chief prefect over all the wise men of Babylon. (Dan. 2:48)
    • 'O Belteshazzar, chief of the magicians, since I know that a spirit of the holy gods is in you and no mystery baffles you, tell me the visions of my dream which I have seen, along with its interpretation. (Nebuchadnezzar )
    • I make a decree that in all the dominion of my kingdom men are to fear and tremble before the God of Daniel;
  • For He is the living God and enduring forever, And His kingdom is one which will not be destroyed, And His dominion will be forever. (Darius)
  • Daniel the Magi
    • Daniel was told the exact year when the Messiah, the King, would appear in Jerusalem, only to be crucified.
    • He may have imparted a heavenly revelation to the other magi about the appearance of a star to herald His birth
  • Ancient Persia
  • Persepolis Today
  • A Word About Astrology
    • Today it means the reading of the sky to find personal guidance
    • It has been thoroughly disproven by modern science
    • It is clearly forbidden by the Bible
    • But God created the stars as "signs" that are there to lead us into faith in God
    • The stars can lead us to Christ
  • Characteristics of the Star
    • It had an exact time of appearance
    • The duration of events was between 1 and 2 yrs
    • It was not very obvious
    • It was first seen in the east
    • It led them westward
    • It disappeared for a time
    • It stopped above Bethlehem as seen from Jerusalem
    • It was His star
  • Possibilities
    • Fiction
    • Miracle
    • Comet
    • Nova
    • Star
    • Planet
  • Possibilities
    • Fiction
    • Miracle
    • Comet
    • Nova
    • Star
    • Planet
  • Which Planet?
  • Jupiter
    • In Roman mythology, He was called Juppiter Optimus Maximus Soter (Jupiter Best, Greatest, Saviour) as the patron deity of the Roman state, in charge of laws and social order
    • Jupiter = Jov + Pater (God and Father)
    • Marduk, the great god of the Babylonians, was the planet Jupiter; so was Amon of the Egyptians; Zeus of the Greeks
  • Regulus
    • Regulus is Latin for "prince" or "little king," derived from "Rex", which in turn was derived from the Greek meaning "The Star of the King", and the much earlier Akkadians of Mesopotamia as the legendary "King of the Celestial Sphere" who ruled before the Great Flood. Babylonians called it "Sharu" meaning king.
    • It is further known as Qalb Al Asad, from Arabic قلب الأسد qalb(u) al-´asad, meaning "the heart of the lion."
    • It is 77 light years from earth
    • It is a "triune" star, a triple star system
  • Looking For the Star
    • When was Jesus born?
    • Luke, the Historian
  • Luke
    • Now in the fifteenth year of the reign of Tiberius Caesar, when Pontius Pilate was governor of Judea, ....the word of God came to John, the son of Zacharias, in the wilderness.
    • And he came into all the district around the Jordan, preaching a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins
    • Now when all the people were baptized, Jesus was also baptized, and while He was praying, heaven was opened, When He began His ministry, Jesus Himself was about thirty years of age. (Luke 3)
  • Tiberius Caesar
    • Began to reign on Aug 19, 14 AD
    • His 15th year would be from Aug of 29 AD to Aug of 30 AD
    • Thus Jesus was born sometime around 1 or 2 BC
    • And He was crucified in 33 AD, at age 33
  • There is no year zero
  • 70 Weeks
    • "Seventy weeks (70 sevens) have been decreed for your people and your holy city, to finish the transgression, to make an end of sin, to make atonement for iniquity, to bring in everlasting righteousness, to seal up vision and prophecy and to anoint the most holy place.
    • So you are to know and discern that from the issuing of a decree to restore and rebuild Jerusalem until Messiah the Prince there will be seven weeks and sixty-two weeks (69 weeks); it will be built again, with plaza and moat, even in times of distress.
    • Then after the sixty-two weeks the Messiah will be cut off and have nothing, and the people of the prince who is to come will destroy the city and the sanctuary And its end will come with a flood; even to the end there will be war; desolations are determined. (Dan 9:24-26)
  • 490 Years of Jewish History
  • 444 BC
    • And it came about in the month Nisan, in the twentieth year of King Artaxerxes, that wine was before him, and I took up the wine and gave it to the king. Now I had not been sad in his presence. ...
    • Then the king said to me, "What would you request?" So I prayed to the God of heaven.
    • I said to the king, "If it please the king, and if your servant has found favor before you, send me to Judah, to the city of my fathers' tombs, that I may rebuild it."
    • And I said to the king, "If it please the king, let letters be given me ...And the king granted them to me because the good hand of my God was on me. (Neh 2:1-8)
  • Heavenly Math
    • 7 + 62 =69 weeks
    • 69 x 7 = 483 years
    • Decree by Artaxerxes went out in 444 BC, in Nisan. (Neh 2:1-8)
    • 483 years later would be 40 AD (too late!)
    • But, the ancient Jewish year was 360 days. To modify we must multiply 483 x 360 = 173,880 days
    • 173,880 divided by 365.24 days/year = 476 years
    • 476 years after 444 BC would be 33 AD, in Nisan
    • Jesus was crucified on Friday, of Passover
  • Pilate Ruled 26-36 AD
    • Passover of 29 AD fell on a Sunday (April 17th)
  • Passover of 30 AD fell on a Thursday (April 6th)
  • Passover of 31 AD fell on a Tuesday (March 27th)
  • Passover of 32 AD fell on a Monday (April 14th)
  • Passover of 33 AD fell on a Friday (April 3rd)
  • Passover of 34 AD fell on a Tuesday (March 23rd)
  • Passover of 35 AD fell on a Monday (April 11th)
  • Passover of 36 AD fell on a Friday (March 30th)
  • Passover of 37 AD fell on a Thursday (April 18th)
  • Pilate Ruled 26-36 AD
    • Passover of 29 AD fell on a Sunday (April 17th)
  • Passover of 30 AD fell on a Thursday (April 6th)
  • Passover of 31 AD fell on a Tuesday (March 27th)
  • Passover of 32 AD fell on a Monday (April 14th)
  • Passover of 33 AD fell on a Friday (April 3rd)
  • Passover of 34 AD fell on a Tuesday (March 23rd)
  • Passover of 35 AD fell on a Monday (April 11th)
  • Passover of 36 AD fell on a Friday (March 30th)
  • Passover of 37 AD fell on a Thursday (April 18th)
  • Let's Go!
    • Persepolis
    • September 8, 3 BC
    • Jewish New Year
  • Three Kinds of Responses
    • Herod
    • The Scribes
    • The Magi
  • Following the Star Today
    • "And we have the prophetic word (objective) made more firm, to which you do well to give heed as to a lamp shining in a dark place, until the day dawns and the morning star rises in your hearts (subjective) " (2 Peter 1:19)
    • "I am the bright morning star" (Jesus-Rev. 22:16)
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