SNT 1138 The Magi and His Star
The Magi and His Star
September 5, 1982
SNT 1138
Format: audio
Publication Date: 09-05-1982
Victor Paul Wierwille was a Bible scholar and teacher for over four decades.
By means of Dr. Wierwille's dynamic teaching of the accuracy and integrity of God's Word, foundational class and advanced class graduates of Power for Abundant Living have learned that the one great requirement for every student of the Bible is to rightly divide the Word of Truth. Thus, his presentation of the Word of God was designed for students who desire the in-depth-accuracy of God’s Word.
In his many years of research, Dr. Wierwille studied with such men as Karl Barth, E. Stanley Jones, Glenn Clark, Bishop K.C. Pillai, and George M. Lamsa. His formal training included Bachelor of Arts and Bachelor of Theology degrees from Mission House (Lakeland) College and Seminary. He studied at the University of Chicago and at Princeton Theological Seminary from which he received a Master of Theology degree in Practical Theology. Later he completed his work for the Doctor of Theology degree.
Dr. Wierwille taught the first class on Power for Abundant Living in 1953.
Books by Dr. Wierwille include: Are the Dead Alive Now? published in 1971; Receiving the Holy Spirit Today published in 1972; five volumes of Studies in Abundant Living— The Bible Tells Me So (1971), The New, Dynamic Church (1971), The Word's Way (1971), God's Magnified Word (1977), Order My Steps in Thy Word (1985); Jesus Christ Is Not God (1975); Jesus Christ Our Passover (1980); and Jesus Christ Our Promised Seed (1982).
Dr. Wierwille researched God's Word, taught, wrote, and traveled worldwide, holding forth the accuracy of God's "wonderful, matchless" Word.
Opening; Prayer
Usage of the word "Jesus"
Mat 2:1
Gen 1:14; Psa 147:4; (Rev 12:1-5); Mat 2:2
Mat 2:17; Mic 5:2
Mat 2:7-11
Mat 2:11-23; Jer 31:15
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snt-1138_the-magi-and-his-star(vpw)-DRAFT
Well, bless your wonderful hearts on this Sunday night, September the 5th, 1982. We certainly welcome you all to this wonderful evening. We're blessed that a lot of The Way ministry is on a holiday, because Labor Day is the last they can labor away from here and then they got to come back and go back to work again.
Thank you, Father, for your loving kindness and tender mercy. Thank you for the joy and rejoicing in our hearts to be together again here at The Way International headquarters. Thank you for our children, our young people and our adults. Thank you for the outreach of your Word from here to the nations of the world. And thank your Father for allowing us to enjoy each other this night through Christ Jesus our Lord. Amen.
God bless. You may be seated.
This week, I got involved – you know, I had lots of time on my hands and couldn't go anyplace except sit. So I was working this word ‘Jesus’. There's a wonderful song the quartet does that that I like so much. I never liked the usage, the way they used the word ‘Jesus’ in it. We didn't write it. If we had, most likely we'd have corrected it, but I think I can say to you tonight that I'm absolutely convinced that devil spirits never used any other name than the name of Jesus. They never referred to him as Master or Lord. The usage of the word ‘Jesus’ from a devil spirit point of view is the highest they ever used.
So you can work that some time and you see, that's why in songs when you use the word ‘Jesus’ and you write them or when you use them, you better be pretty accurate. Because the word ‘Jesus’ only refers to his degradation, his humility, his earthiness. And that's why all the devil spirits when they, you know, refer to him, always said, Jesus. And remember that great one? Is it in Acts? Paul I know and… {Jesus I know.} Yeah, but who are you?
Acts 19:15:
And the evil spirit answered and said, Jesus I know, and Paul I know; but who are ye?
See, it's real neat. Well, I don't know why I'm teaching that, I had no idea doing that, but I just saw this song, “To Jesus every day I find my heart is closer drawn.” In one sense, yes. In another sense, my heart is always closer drawn to the Lord, because he’s our Lord.
This week also, again, I went through that whole book on… That one I think the greatest we ever did in research. “Are the dead alive now?” I want to tell you, that's a fantastic piece of work. And I went through it line by line, word by word, and I didn't find one error in it, from the biblical point of view. And that's just a fantastic piece of work.
So as he's singing that, these things all come to my mind because, people, nothing equals the greatness of the Word. And, outside of this ministry, most people just play with the Word. We go to the Word, let the Word speak. And boy, tonight again, by God's grace and mercy, I'll show you the greatness of the Word like I did last Sunday on the birth of Christ. This is the week. September the 11th, Saturday of this week is the birthday of the birth of the Lord Jesus Christ. So, you know, my mom and dad told me I was born a certain date, 31st December. I got it on a piece of paper in the courthouse in Sydney. Well, Jesus Christ had to be born. If they know for sure I was born on the 31st of December, why can we not know when Jesus Christ was born? But we can and we will if we believe God’s Word. Tonight we’re going to believe the Word.
Tonight, Matthew 2, please.
You know, I really feel sorry for you kids sitting up here in the front row, but it's only one night. Next Sunday you can sit way at the back. I know when I was their age, that was sinful having to sit up. So I imagine young people haven't changed too much. Don't admit to it, but just act real, like you like it like crazy tonight, you know. That’ll fool dad and mom and everybody else, you know. If you brought any paper or if you have a pencil or a pen, you may be wanting to make some notes tonight. This is a teaching ministry, and tonight I want to set some things before you that perhaps you've never heard before, the world hasn't heard for a good long time.
I do not know if they this week reprinted any of these, but for those of you who were not here last Sunday night, if these are available, ushers, and they'd like to have a copy, I wish you'd give it to them. Because this has the chronological events surrounding the birth of Christ that I handed out last Sunday night to everybody that was here. And this is accurately how it's put together.
Now, tonight, on this September the 5th of ’82, I thought I'd like to handle with you the Magi and his star. Jesus Christ, according to our calendar, was born on September the 11th, 3 B.C., which I handled in detail last week.
I gave you a general time last week, because I forgot to give you the specific time, and I said he was born between 6:15 and 7:45. I think that's what I gave you last week. Right? {Yes.} I will give you the exact time tonight, which I should have done last week and didn't. Technically and officially, he was born between 6:18, which was sunset and 7:39 p.m., which was moonset. Within that 81-minute period of time he was born; 6:18 and 7:39.
The whole… You see, the Hebrew day starts with sunset. Our day starts with midnight. Today, you start a new day with midnight. The 6th of September will start at midnight tonight. There's one book in the Bible that's written in Egyptian time, and they started the day with sunrise, and that's the Book of Esther. So when you're reading the Book of Esther and they mention time, you have to think in terms of sunrise to sunrise. But when you're thinking Hebrew time, biblical time, Judean time, you have to think sunset to sunset. So sunset was the first part of the next day. Understand? So that sunset occurred on September 11 at 6:18 p.m.. And the moonset on September the 11th was at 7:39. And that period of time in there is called night.
Now, the first Adam mentioned in Genesis breathed on September the 11th, at that first day of time of sunset on that day. And that corresponds to the second Adam, Jesus Christ, who breathed his first breath on September the 11th. And it had to be between the hours of 6:18 and 7:39 p.m. Palestinian time, not our time. Palestinian time.
And I believe that he was born at exactly that period of time of 6:18. Because he's the second Adam and he can't live until he takes a breath, the breath of life. That's when the first Adam became a living what? Soul. So the second Adam, Jesus Christ became a living soul when he took his first breath.
Also, I told you last week, and showed you, that he was born on Tishri. The name of the month is Tishri. T-I-S-H-R-I. Tishri 1, the first day of history. Then the first day of Tishri is New Year's Day – and it certainly was a new year and a new day when he was born. Furthermore, it was the Feast of Trumpets. The Great Day of Trumpets when all the trumpets blew in recognition of one God, Jehovah, being their Elohim, their one God. And on the day Jesus Christ was born, God's only begotten Son, the trumpets were blowing for that one God, indicating that it was His son.
In Matthew chapter 2 tonight, the Magi and his star.
Matthew 2:1:
Now [verse 1] when [the word ‘when’ is the word ‘after’. Now after] Jesus [Christ] was born [Not at the time of, but what? When. After. When. After he had been born] in [where?] Bethlehem of Judaea in the days of Herod the [what?] king,…
Now, I want you to note very carefully who was still king after Jesus Christ had been born? Who was it? {Herod.} And in order to be king, he still had to be living. Was that he’d been dead, they'd have had a new king. Right? After Jesus was born in Bethlehem…
Matthew 2:1:
… in the days of Herod the king, behold, there came wise men from the east to Jerusalem,
Wise men. That's a very, very poor translation, but that's what's in here. And when you work it down, maybe we'll get a good understanding or a better understanding of it. I can see why they called them wise men, because these men were at the top echelon of the academic realm, so to speak. They were really PhDs, PhDs, squared. They were astronomers of the highest degree, taking them to the nth degree. They were really wise men.
One of our children in the children's fellowship a couple of years ago wanted to know, she said, “Can you tell us any more…,” This was at the holidays time, happy household holiday. Can you tell us any more about those wise guys?
The Greek word is spelled M-A-G-O-I. That's the Greek word for a wise man here. And it's transliterated into the English word, Magi, M-A-G-I. They were Magi, and there were from the east. And they came when Herod the King was still king over Judea. And Herod the King was king over Judea from, I believe, it's 40 B.C. to approximately one B.C..
Now, who were these Magi, really? And how could these Magi have such a fantastic knowledge of the birth of Jesus Christ, God's only begotten Son, when Herod the king who lived in the area plus all the top religious echelon, all the Pharisees and scribes and all the temple leaders, had such little knowledge or no knowledge at all of the birth of a king. How could men, hundreds and hundreds and hundreds of miles away, who were not even so-called believers, how could they have such a fantastic knowledge of the birth of the king of the Judeans?
That's the question. And every question has a right to be answered. Well, they were, first of all, a religious cast spelled C-A-S-T. If you cannot spell that, spell it C-U-L-T. The Magi were a religious cast or a religious cult. And they lived in the empire of the Medes and the Persians, which today in media is the country of Iran. And long before, a man by the name of Zoroaster lived. And Zoroaster is… Can you spell Zoro, Z-O-R-O, then just put an A-S-T-E-R on the end of it and you have Zoroaster. And he lived in 600 B.C. And he is the founder of one of the so-called 12 major religions of the world, which is called Zoroastrianism. Zoroastrianism. Zoroastrianism.
Now, these magi were in existence before Zoroaster came along. Then when Zoroaster, who was just one fantastic teacher and had a fantastic influence on all the empires of the East and especially Media, the empire of the Medes, many of those Magi accepted Zoroastrianism, and they became the leading priests in Zoroastrianism in the Persian empire.
Now, the ancient world, historically – and this is all documented from historians, what I'm saying now – is that the ancient world had the greatest of respect for these Magi, for they were considered to be the most learned, the most knowledgeable, the greatest intellects in all the empires of the world.
A lot of Zoroastrianism is built on the integrity of the Word. There's a lot of truth in Zoroastrianism. He believed in one God, he believed in the devil, he believed in devil spirits, he believed in the dead being resurrected, all of that stuff.
But what happened, as the years rolled by, is that the Magi, the cast of the Magi, split into two groups? One group remains so-called faithful to Zoroastrianism – and that's called the Eastern Magi. The other group split from them and they went west, and they joined in the Roman Empire. Those are the Magi of the western empire of the Roman Empire. It is the Magi of the West, according to history, who developed astrology, which is the false science. Astronomy is a true science. The Eastern Magi kept the true science. The Western Magi developed a false science, which is called astrology. We still, I believe, have it among us today. They were sun worshipers and they settled in the Roman Empire. It is from those men that settled in the Roman Empire, those Magi who settled there, who promulgated astrology, sun worship, sorceries, that we get the word magic. Magi, we get the word magic and the word magician from. That's where it came from historically, out of the western empires of Rome.
Remember, isn't it in the Book of Acts it talks about Simon, the who? {Sorcerer.} He was of that group.
The Eastern Magi were Gentiles. And, according to the Book of Daniel, these Magi were in the courts, in the courts of Nebuchadnezzar and in the courts of King Belshazzar. They were top men in the courts of both of those great kings of the Babylonian empire.
Now, the children of Israel had been taken captive and brought to Babylon, and among those was a man by the name of Daniel. And it is Daniel who met with the leaders of the Magi, under the reign of Nebuchadnezzar, and showed them the witness of the stars about the messiah. That's how the Magi got the knowledge of the king written into the stars. Daniel taught them. Before the Word of God was put into writing, before it was put into scrolls, class, the Word of God was written in the stars. It's written in the stars. It's still there. The only thing that's not written in the stars is the mystery, which is God in Christ in you, the hope of glory. Everything else written in the stars; his first coming, his second coming, it's all written in the stars.
Now, Daniel, being taken with the children of Israel to Babylon could have instructed the Magi. And that's what I believe happened. He instructed them. And because those Magi of the East kept the purity of astronomy working within their lives, they are the men who knew of the birth of the Jesus Christ when Herod and all the religious leaders in Jerusalem knew nothing about it.
Now, take it a step further. In Genesis chapter 1, Genesis chapter 1, God’s Word says in verse 14… Everybody have it?
Genesis 1:14:
… Let there be lights in the firmament… [that’s in] the heaven to divide the day from the night; and let them [the lights] be for [what?] signs, and [what?] {for seasons,}…
That’s right. Signs is the signs of the zodiac. The seasons include ages, periods of time. The Word of God says that those in the heavens would be for its signs and for seasons, for days and for what? {Years.} That watch you have on your arm or in your pocket, it's going to confuse you sometime. But it's remarkable that the heavens, after all of these centuries, continue to work with a mathematical exactness and a scientific astronomical precision. Year after year and day after day. They are never one second early or one second late. They're always right on. That's how God designed.
And I should say to you tonight that, in antiquity, all the bodies of heaven were referred to as stars. What we refer to in today called planets, constellations, all of that; to the ancients, the heavens were referred to as the stars. The stars of heaven. Everything was stars. Now, these stars, these things in the heavens, they’re for signs and they're for seasons to tell you things if you have ears to hear.
Now, there is a record in Psalms 147. Psalms 147 – 147, verse 4.
Psalms 147:4:
He telleth the number of the stars; [and] he [God] calleth them all by [what?] {their names.}
Now, most of that has been lost because of unbelief, devil spirits confusing people and everything else. There is very little accurate knowledge today of the significance of the stars and their meanings according to what God designed, honey. But tonight, I'm going to give you their original meaning from the Word, and the truth of the Word.
You see, astrology sort of took over all this stuff. And they'd say, well, astrology is built on astronomy. That's a bunch of baloney. Astrology has nothing to do with astronomy. Astronomy is a science; astrology is the counterfeit. You see, people, tradition has sure screwed us up and caused us to believe a lot of things which we cannot validate from the integrity and accuracy of God’s Word.
I was taught, like you were, that the night Jesus Christ was born there was one big blazing star up there. And it showed right down into that little cradle in which Jesus was. And there was, you know, Noah the donkey, Abraham the sheep. They were all around there. And there was a big blazing star. And then the angels were tripping out there. I saw... And that boy, right after that, three guys marched in and they presented unto him gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh. That all this occurred on December the 25th, the night Jesus Christ was born. Nothing's true about the whole thing. It's all religion, it's all counterfeit, it is all totally wrong.
Now, if I was a traditionalist, and believing it was truth, I'd be angry at The Way ministry too. I would label them anything I could think about, because I don't want to change. But isn't it remarkable that there are some of us who are much more interested in truth than in tradition, because we stand approved before God as we rightly divide the Word.
So here, on this particular occasion tonight, there was no blazing star over the manger or over the top of where Jesus Christ was born on September the 11th at 3 B.C. But everything that occurred that night of September the 11th I talked to you last week, from Revelation chapter 12 verse 1-5. That is exactly what occurred on September the 11th.
But there was no big blazing star that just “OWWWW” [onomatopoeia of star flying] by. Had there been, Herod would have known about it, so would have everybody else. But there wasn’t. Nobody turned the spotlight on that night.
Well, but you know something, the Magi. They had noticed, and they had studied, and they had logged some tremendous things in the heavens about a star that we call a planet called Jupiter, and other things that they had studied and logged. And after they had studied and logged all of these things, they finally decided, well, boys, we better make a trip to Jerusalem and find out exactly what the king knows and everybody else. When they got to Jerusalem, they found out the king didn't know too much, nor anybody else.
The star which is referred to in the scriptures as his star in verse 2 of Matthew 2, is basically the star Jupiter – the planet Jupiter. Jupiter is the largest planet in our solar system. Jupiter, from antiquity, has always been known as the king star or the star of a king. I prefer to call it the King Star Planet. It's the planet of the king.
And they observed this star, or this planet, as it appeared so uniquely and so significantly over a period of time regarding a land known as Judea. In verse 2 of Matthew, when they get to Jerusalem, they say,
Matthew 2:2:
… we have seen his star in the [what? In the] east,…
“We have seen.” Past tense. They saw his star in the east. Those words, ‘in the east’ should be translated, ‘in the rising’. In the rising. And that is astronomically called ‘in the helaical rising’. And the helaical rising is the rising of a star just before sunrise. Just before sunrise. I'm not going to give you all of these Greek or Aramaic words, but the Greek word here is the word meaning ‘in the rising’.
The first time that these Magi observed this star in the rising here, here it's translated ‘in the east’, we have seen his star in the east, in the rising, when they get to Jerusalem they tell the King the first time they noticed it. And the first time they noticed it was on August the 1st, 3 B.C. That was the first time it was visible in the rising in Iran, our Media. That's the first time they could have seen it.
Then, it's remarkable that on August the 12th, this same planet, same star that they had seen in the rising on August the 1st had a rendezvous – which we refer to many times as a conjunction. And a conjunction is simply when two… Better explain this. When two heavenly bodies are lined up with the North Star. This one, that one are in proximity with the North Star. When they are lined up like that, that's called a conjunction.
Now, on August the 12th of 3 B.C., Jupiter, the king star and Venus had a rendezvous. I know what you know about Venus, I know what you think, but biblically and from the ancient, from God's point of view, Venus is known as the bright and morning star. Jesus Christ is the what? {Morning star.}
Imagine these Magi, on August the 12th, when Jupiter, the king star, has a rendezvous with Venus, the bright and morning star, and it happens in the constellation of Leo. Leo is the lion, and Jesus Christ is the lion of the tribe of what? {Judah.} You got it. Man, if I’d had been those Magi, I’d have got hotter than Little Red Hen. That happened on August the 11th, 3 B.C. Jupiter, Venus in the constellation Leo of the tribe of Judah.
Not only did that happen on August 11th, but on that particular time, the sun and the moon and the planet Mercury were also in the constellation of Leo. Oh, my gosh. They must have stayed up all night and talked about it all next week. Mercury is the star of the messenger. Gabriel is the messenger. Gabriel is the messenger. And on this August the 12th, the sun, the moon and the messenger star were all joined with Jupiter and Venus in the constellation of Leo.
Now, September 14th, 3 B.C. Now, what I'm saying to you tonight is all documented astronomically, and when we come out with the new book, Jesus Christ Our Promised Seed, we have all of those astronomical details set forth in the maps. Anybody that knows anything about astronomy, or wants to know anything, can look at it. Then they can go to their planetarium and check it out. We've been at ours.
September the 14th, 3 B.C., Jupiter had a rendezvous with a star called Regulus, R-E-G-U-L-U-S. Regulus. Regulus is the biggest star in the constellation of Leo, and Regulus represents the heart of the constellation of Leo. And on that date, September the 14th, 3 B.C., Jupiter meeting with Regulus indicated to the Magi that something was really happening, because Regulus represents rulership, dominion. That star that's the heart of the constellation of Leo represents dominion, rulership. Just like we talk about, if you confess with your mouth and believe in your what, {heart,} you're all that you are. So Regulus represents all that he was.
Now. February the 17th, 2 B.C., 2 B.C., Jupiter and Regulus had another rendezvous, a close approximation, in the constellation of Leo. Then on May the 8th, 2 B.C., Jupiter and Regulus did it again in Leo. Man, I tell you, those Magi must have… Their mouth must have been watering, they must have been standing there in absolute awe.
But then something occurred on June the 17th that just shook the socks off of them. On June the 17th, 2 B.C., Jupiter and Venus got into a conjunction where they were so on top of each other, so close, that the astronomers just even today stand with utter amazement. And not only that, but it occurred in the constellation of Leo, the tribe of Judah – the lion of Judah.
And as I've heard John Crouch say, when they saw that they packed their bags. They packed their bags and they called in their camels; half pack or full pack, and they packed them and they started out. Because these things had occurred so frequently, having been taught years ago and that knowledge sort of carried over here all at once. In this period of time, they see all of this happening by Jupiter, by Venus, by Regulus, by Neptune. All of these things happening all within the constellation of Leo. Man, they just said, something's got to have happened. So they started packing.
But it's interesting that, on August the 27th, 2 B.C., Jupiter and Mars had a rendezvous. And Mars, in pagan literature, is always referred to as a god of war. But in biblical literature, he represents Michael, the angel who fights for God's people. So they had Gabriel, they had Michael, they had all the rest of this that they had seen astronomically. And that's why this Matthew chapter is so accurate.
Matthew 2:1-2:
… Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judaea in the days of Herod the king, behold, there came… [Magi, Magi] from the east to Jerusalem,
[And when they got to Jerusalem, they said,]… Where is he that… [has been] born King of the… [Judeans?, is the text. King of the Judeans. Where is he that’s born King of the Judeans] for we have seen his star [his star. His star. His star. They saw his star] in the east, [in the rising]…
They had seen it back on September the 11th . September whatever that… What was that date I gave you? I wrote it out here. It's August the 1st. August the 1st, 3 B.C., was the first time they saw it. And then they watched it. Watched it over all this period of time until they got here. And they said, we have seen his star, because they knew it had to relate to a king being born and they knew he would have to be born in the Judean area, in Judah – Judaea.
We have seen his star in the east, in the rising, that told you I was in the heliacal rising just at sunrise in the morning. And they said,
Matthew 2:2:
… [we have] come to worship him.
To worship him did not mean that he was God, but they knew he was a what? King. He was a king. They knew that from what? Being astronomers. And so they came to worship this king. And this was just not an ordinary king, this was a king among kings because they had followed him from that helaical rising back in that August business I talked about, all the way through those years, couple of years. And everything dovetailed, and they knew it had to be fantastic.
So they came to Jerusalem. Why Jerusalem? Because it’s the capital city. You go to the capital city. And if you're going to go to Jerusalem, to the capital city, the top man to see is the king. Because if anybody knows about a new king being born, the old king ought to. So they came to Jerusalem to King whom? Herod. And they said to him, where is this king that has been born of Judea? We have seen his star in the rising and we're over here to worship him. To worship means to pay your respects. Your respects. Your love. Your Thanksgiving. Your concern, what it means.
Now, verse 3 says,
Matthew 2:3:
When Herod the king had heard… [after he had listened them out, he was shook], he was troubled,…
He was troubled. He was troubled. Oh. But the next phrase,
Matthew 2:3:
… all [what?] {Jerusalem} with him
You don't get the top brass in the Senate and House of Representatives all disturbed five minutes after the king knows about it, right? So if all Jerusalem is going to be disturbed about this – and it’ s a figure of speech, it doesn't mean everybody but all the top brass is really shook. That’s what it means.
They came to King Herod. And then Herod, he got trouble and all Jerusalem got troubled what? {With him.} That took a little bit of time, right? How much? I don't know, the Word doesn't say. But, knowing human nature, it just doesn't happen overnight. Maybe two, three days at the most if the lifeline is as good as The Way Corps. Two, three days it could happen.
Now, verse 4. Bless your heart. Verse 4.
Matthew 2:4:
And when he [Herod] had gathered all the [what?] chief priests [all the chief priests, all the top priests of Judaism] and [the] scribes… [the secretaries, those who were responsible for keeping the scrolls] he demanded of them…
And do you know what the word ‘demanded’ means? Demanded. It really means, baby, you better get it or else I chop your head off. That's what it means. He demanded of them. He said, look, dang it, find it. Find it. How’s come I, the king, didn't know about this? You're supposed to be the religious brass. You're supposed to know this stuff. How’s come I don't know? Now… Well, I almost said, damn it, if you don't find it, we're going to have a lot of funerals.
I want to tell you, those chief priests, they motivated themselves. That’s right.
Matthew 2:4:
… he demanded of them where Christ should be [what?] born.
Now, they went back and they went to work, finally, looking up in the scrolls that they should have studied all along instead of their Talmuds and everything else, and their tradition, should have studied the Word. And you know what they came up with? Verse 5 from Micah, chapter 5, verse 2.[1] It says,
Matthew 2:5-6:
And they said [unto Herod] unto him, [why] In Bethlehem of Judaea: [Bethlehem of Judaea] for thus it is written by the prophet,
[verse 6] 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 [or who] shall rule my people Israel.
That's what they finally reported. Well, they were right. It’s recorded in Micah chapter 5, verse 2.[2] It was in there all the time. Was in there all the time, but somehow or other, those top religious leaders never got to really digging it out until Herod put their head on the block and said, you either get it or lose it. They've got it. Reported in.
Now, verse 7. Then… , And this is great, watch it carefully.
Matthew 2:7:
Then Herod, when he had [privately or] privily…
Or secretly, is what the word is. Not a privy. Then Herod, when he had secretly… Herod had secretly. Wait a minute. Secretly. You know what that means? Herod just got the wise men together, the Magi. He didn't let the priests in on it, nor anybody else. He got… He brought them, you know, into the governor's office, turned off all the tape recorders, everything else, and he called them, he…
Matthew 2:7:
… called the… [Magi], enquired of them diligently…
And the Word diligently means, fellas, I want to know exactly, minutely, with detail,
Matthew 2:7:
… what time… [did that] star appeared.
That's when they told him that date that I originally gave you, where they first saw it in the rising on August, what was it? 11th? The 1st. August the 1st, 3 B.C. But now it's 2 B.C. when they're talking to him. He inquired of them diligently, minutely, in detail, when did you see it? He wanted to know exactly because this was quite disturbing. I'm king of Judea, I'm Herod the king of Judea. Another king born, I better find out exactly so I can get rid of him. Because, you know, he was sort of used to killing anybody that had any idea of ever taking over his throne, including his own brother. He had taken care of him and a few others, see. So here he's digging these boys. You see it? Really minutely, detail wise.
Verse 8.
Matthew 2:8:
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.
Then what he did, he sent them to Bethlehem. He didn't go, he said, now, fellas, you go to Bethlehem and you go and you search out diligently, minutely, find out exactly where he is, what motel he's holed up in, you know. Holiday Inn or something. Where is he exactly? Tell me exactly. Go search diligently exactly for the young baby. Oh no. No, no, no. The young what?{Child.} He was no longer considered a baby. The night he was born, he was a baby. But Herod says he is now, by the time the wise men, the Magi get there, he is a young what? {Child.} That's right. And when you have found him, when you know exactly where he is, bring me word again that I, King Herod, may come and what? {Worship him.}
Wow. That is political maneuvering. It is great. He wanted to know exactly where he was. Had he ever found out exactly where he was, then he could have exactly gone to that place and done what to him? {Killed him.} Executed. Right. That's why he wanted to know exactly; house number, street number, everything else. Exactly where he is.
Well, verse 9.
Matthew 2:9:
When they had heard the king, they departed;…
They departed after they had heard the king.
Now let's take it back a little bit, things I've forgotten but just flip up in my mind. Nobody walks in to King Herod unless he has credentials. I can't even get in to see the Governor of the State of Ohio, and I do live in the state and I do pay taxes. If I called up the governor or walked into Columbus and walked in the governor's office tomorrow morning, I couldn't see the governor. He wouldn't see me. I've tried it on senators in Washington. They don't see me either.
Hey, these Magi must have had an entry card to be able to see King Herod. And don't you ever forget it, you just don't walk in on King Herod and say, “Look, Herod, I'd like to have tea with you.” They must have been men of great renown and ability. They had the respect that goes with position. They were the top brass to the servant of the king of the country that they came from. And so they brought their credentials with them and said, hey, King Herod, King so-and-so from our territory, we’re the Magi boys coming in. Where’s is this king that was born over here? You tell us about it. That's how they got in to seeing King Herod. You don’t walk in on King Herod with torn overalls on and no shirt on and barefooted. That’s right.
After they heard the king, they departed. They departed. They just left the king and then went back and they started getting ready. The saddled up their camels and whatever they had, and they headed east. I mean, south from Jerusalem, turning south because they had the information that this king had been born where? In Bethlehem. And Bethlehem is south of Jerusalem. So they headed south out of Jerusalem.
Matthew 2:9:
… and, lo, the star, which they saw in the east, went before them, till it came and stood over where the young child was.
And it says, lo. And the word ‘lo’ is behold. Behold. Now, this never hits us Americans because it doesn't shake you. Behold shakes your teeth, when you understand the word. Behold. Behold. That's what it is.
Herod died shortly after the eclipse of the moon on January the 9th 1 B.C. So this record in verse 9 of Matthew 2 had to occur before January the 9th. Josephus says he died shortly thereafter – which means he was sicker than a dog at this time. But we know that Josephus also says that he was dead, Herod the Great was dead, before Passover. Before the Passover. And the Passover that year, the Passover that year of 1 B.C. occurred on April the 8th, on April the 8th. That was the Passover in 1 B.C.
So here in verse 9 of Matthew 2,
Matthew 2:9:
… and, lo, the star, [the star] which they saw in the… [the rising. The one they had seen way back there in August the 1st of 3 B.C.,] went before them, till it came and stood over where [here’s another time] the young [what?] {child}[not a baby, but a young what? Child] was.
It went before them. To ‘went before them’ means that it was continuing to rise. And whenever that particular star reaches that moment when it's right down at the center, then it starts setting like the sun, people. The sun comes up in the east and it, all at once it reaches that center point, and from there on it does what? Goes down, sets in the west.
This verse says that this star that they had seen in the rising went before them and then all that once it came and at that one moment it stood over, stood over, stood over where the young child was. Not, you know… Not the manger, not the exact building, but it stood over that area. Understand? Astronomically this is true. It doesn't pick out just one house or one, you know, outreach services center building. But if it stood over tonight, it will cover, you know, our territory, the neighbors over here. That's the standing over. That's this verse of scripture.
Now, verse 10 says,
Matthew 2:10:
When they saw the star, [which formerly they had called his star,] they rejoiced [how?] with exceeding great joy.
And that's joy raised to the nth degree. They just got happier and crazy. They rejoiced with exceeding great joy, and these were the top notch astronomers.
Now, let me give you some truth regarding astronomy here that’s just fantastic. The Magi had to arrive in Jerusalem after December the 4th, 2 B.C., because that's when Jupiter was starting to rise up. That was the earliest.
Now, it's interesting to me that, historically, December the 22nd through the 29th was a feast time in Jerusalem and Bethlehem? And it's called Hanukkah. The Jews still have a Hanukkah celebration corresponding much to our pagan Christian celebration. And this is the date that that celebration that year occurred in Jerusalem and Bethlehem.
Well, let me do some counting with you, which very few have ever done. Born September the 11th, 3 B.C. To October the 11th, 3 B.C. you have what? One month. Now follow. So from October to November, you have the second month, right? November-December, you have what month? {Third.} Right. December-January. Right. January the 11th to February the 11th would be how many months? February the 11th to March the 11th would be how many months? March, the 11th to April the 11th ? Seven. April-May. Eight. April the 11th to May would be eight. I wrote it out so you wouldn't screw me up. May the 11th to June the 11th is the ninth month. June the 11th, July is 10. July to August is 11. August to September is 12.
So September the 11th, 3 B.C. to September the 11th 2 B.C., Jesus Christ was one year old. Oh, 12 months. One year. Now, September the 11th to October the 11th is 13 months. October the 11th to November the 11th is how many months? November the 11th, November the 11th to December is how many months? 15. So Jesus Christ was at least one year and three months old when the Magi came and they found that same star stood over the city of Bethlehem. That’s the truth of the Word. Wow.
Now, verse 11.
Matthew 2:11:
And when they were come into the house,…
Into the house. When the Magi came to the city of Bethlehem and found this king, was no difficulty finding it. I taught you last week and read it to you from the Word, when the shepherds left they did what? They told everybody about this birth. So when these Magi come to the city to find out whether a king’s been born, that's no problem. And remember, again, they were top men. They were not some bunch of nincompoops. They had the credentials and they had the tenderness of heart. They were Gentiles.
And so they found out by asking. And then they came. They came into the house. Not a manger, not a stable, but into a what? {House.} one.
Matthew 2:11:
… [And] they saw the young child… [not the baby, because he had to be at least one year and three months or more of age when they got there. And they] fell down, and worshipped him:… [Fell down means they fell on their faces, they prostrated themselves before him, and they worshiped him – not because he was God, but because of respect. To worship is to humbly present herself. And they] opened their treasures, [and] they presented unto him gifts; [that had to be given to a king. Whenever you gave a king a gift, it had to be] gold, and frankincense, and myrrh.
And it's from those three gifts that people have erroneously traditionally concluded there were only three wise men. There were many, many more Magi that came to Jerusalem, because you do not travel in small caravans of two or three people. They traveled in larger groups. But what they brought to Jesus Christ that time to worship him was the gifts that were commensurate with gifts to a king; gold, frankincense and myrrh.
Now, these would be valuable gifts. You don't walk into the king’s parlor and bring him a torn up washrag. These were gifts of gold, what? {Frankincense.} And what? {Myrrh.} Right. So Jesus Christ was not poor from a material point of view. His daddy and mommy – you know, he adopted, Joseph adopted – they had money to travel with. They had money to work with. Jesus Christ, God's only begotten Son had gold, frankincense and myrrh.
Well, who do you think his daddy and mommy spend it on? Themselves and their son - the only son they had at that time because he was their first son.
Now, verse 12.
Matthew 2:12:
And being warned of God in a dream that they should not return to Herod, they departed into their own country another way.
But… Verse 12, first word should be ‘but’. But being warned of God… Being warned of whom? {God} In a dream. And the word ‘dream’ is the word vision by revelation. By revelation. If the spirit of God was on them, God gave it to that spirit. If not, it had to be one other word in the Bible, what would it be? {Phenomenon.} That's right.
And God is still God. Whatever method He used, I don't know, but it says God told them in a vision that they should what? Not return where? {To Herod.} Did they know where the child was? Oh, they could have gone right back and said, he's at Holiday Inn, room 346, 2nd floor. All that. But God said, hey, boys, don't go back to see Herod.
So you know what they did? They went back to Herod {no} and said, “Look, Herod, we’ll tell you where it is. Just give us a little money under the table.” They were honest astronomers. They were men of prestige. They were men of dignity. They were men of their word.
They were not like King Herod or like the priests, the religious leaders. These were men who said what they meant and who meant what they said, and they were honest. They were still Gentile. That those people in Jerusalem would have said, oh, you dogs. God didn't say that.
So when God told them they should not return to Herod, you know what they did? They departed, they headed for their own country another what? {Way.} And I want to tell you, they turned those camels loose. They kicked them in the ribs and headed them another way, because they knew the king.
But, why did not the king send out, Herod, his FBI to get them? Why didn't he send his speediest camels out to get them? I’ll tell you why. Because these were men of renown who served the king from the east, and if Herod had attacked them and hurt them, the king of the East would come down and there would have been a nice little old war going on. That's why King Herod just sat back in his coffee house and brewed some more rotten tea.
Verse 13 says,
Matthew 2:13:
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.
And when they were departed, when they had left, when they had left… They saw it in the rising. Right? That same star that got there early in the morning, they saw it. They went to see that child, paid their respects – gold, frankincense and myrrh – then God said, hey, boys head that out another way that evening. That evening.
When they were departed, behold the angel. The angel. The angel of the Lord, who is the angel that brought the message originally to Mary? {Gabriel.} Same Angel. Old Gabriel, angel of the Lord, appeared to Joseph in a vision. That evening, that same evening after the Magi had gone home another way, the angel appeared to Joseph in a vision saying, get up, man, arise and take the young child and his what? {Wife.} And flee into what? [Egypt.}
Matthew 2:13:
… and be thou there until I bring thee word: for Herod [Herod] will seek the young child to [do what?] {destroy him.}
Verse 14.
Matthew 2:14:
… [Wherefore is the word] he arose, [he arose and] he took the young child and his mother [what?] {by night,}…
What a tremendous thing. Why did he not say, look, God, thanks for the info, but gosh I'm tired. Let's sleep tonight, let the baby sleep. We'll have breakfast and tomorrow morning we'll get packed up and head for Egypt? Boy, oh boy, oh boy. Look at the Word, people. Man, you screw around on the Word. You don't believe the Word. People don't believe the Word. They call themselves Christian, don't believe the Word.
God simply said to Joseph, Joseph, Herod’s going to try to get the child. And He said it to him at night, in the evening, when he went to bed. And he, Joseph, got up from bed that night, took the mother and Jesus, and that very night he started out for what? {Egypt.}
Boy, and he's lucky that he did. Lucky? No. God-fearing man. Because before sunrise the next morning, Herod's in town. Phew. That's right. Before… During the course of that night, when it was dark, Herod's top FBI, CIA, “AF-a-bel”, CIO, whatever it is, they all surrounded and moved around the town. That, with the first crack at dawn, they were in town.
But God had told Joseph, hey, Joseph, take Mary and Jesus and head for Egypt. And he took them by night. Had he waited till the next morning, Jesus Christ would have been killed. Detail. Walk on God’s Word, people.
Look at that. That's Matthew, the record.
Matthew 2:15:
And… [they were] 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.
Now, verse 16.
Matthew 2:16:
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 enquired of the wise men.
Then Herod, when he saw that he was mocked by the Magi… Mocked means that they didn't obey what the great King Herod said. He said, oh, go diligently, when you find him bring me word again that I may go and worship him. Ha, ha, ha. They didn't do it. And when old Herod found out that those boys had screwed him, didn't do it, old Herod really got teed off. Because they said he was exceeding what? {Wroth.} Exceeding wroth. And I know what kind of vocabulary he used, according to Josephus. But even I am too dignified to use it among you.
That old King Herod was a raving maniac. Boy, he was something else. And that he said he sent forth and slew all the children, all the children. And the word ‘children’ means here male children, not female. All the male children that were in Bethlehem and all the coats thereof, from two years old and what? {Under.} Hey, according to our work, Jesus Christ at least had to be how old? One year and what? {Three months.} Right. So if he would kill everybody according to the time – look at verse 16, kids – according to the time which he, Herod, had diligently inquired of what? {The wise men.}
Right. That's why he figured he'd take them from approximately two years on down. I believe he generally just took them from two until one year old, because that allowed him room for error. Plenty of room for error. Two years down below, he knew he was… Except that August 1st day in the rising could have only been the first they had really noticed all of this in Leo and all that other stuff. Therefore, they knew. He knew. Herod knew that Jesus Christ had been born. He perhaps did not know September the 11th like you and I know from the record in Revelation, but he knew that he had him in that period of time. And since they didn't return to tell him exactly where he was, you know what he did? He surrounded the city of Bethlehem. He didn't kill everybody in Jerusalem, everything else. That's why “in all the coasts thereof”. It says that in here someplace. Where does it say that? What verse? {16.} Is it? Oh, yeah,
Matthew 2:16:
… in all the coasts thereof, …
In all the coasts thereof simply means that he killed everybody in the city of Bethlehem and the outlying area. Like here, it would include New Knoxville… Let's say Bethlehem was New Knoxville, then he'd go outside of the city limits, maybe past Hoge Lumber Company. And in that area, that he would kill all of them. That’s this verse. All the coasts thereof. That's where he killed them, which was in that immediate vicinity.
Matthew 2:17:
Then was fulfilled that which was spoken by Jeremy the prophet,…
And this record is in Jeremiah 31:15.
Matthew 2:18:
In Rama was there a voice…
There were other cities in Jerusalem called Rama, but this particular application here is very unique regarding prophesy.
Matthew 2:18:
…a voice heard, lamentation, and weeping, and great mourning, Rachel weeping for her… [sons.]
[Inaudible: Ariai 01:18:47] is the text. Sons. Rachel weeping for her sons. And I wonder why this is in here, and it's very simple. Rachel was the grandmother of Ephraim. Ephraim was the main tribe of the northern ten tribes of Israel when they split. She was also the mother of Benjamin. And Benjamin and Judah were the two tribes of the southern kingdom making up the 12, and that is why God had it put in here, all the children of Israel. Because Jesus Christ came to Israel. He came to save God's people, Israel. But they didn't accept him, they crucified him. So on and so forth.
Matthew 2:18-23:
… weeping for her children, and would not be comforted, because they are not.
[verse 19] But when Herod was [what?] {dead,} behold, an angel of the Lord appeareth in a… [vision] to Joseph in Egypt,
… [And said,] Arise,… take the young child [and he’s still a young child] and his mother, and go into the land of Israel: for they are dead which sought the young child's life. [That means Herod.]
And he arose, and took the young child and his mother, and [they] came into the land of Israel.
But when… [they] heard that Archelaus [Herod’s son] did reign in Judaea in the room of his father… [they were] afraid to go thither: [to go back to Bethlehem] notwithstanding, being warned of God in a… [vision], he turned aside [and they went] into… [where?] {Galilee:} [up north.
And he came and dwelt in a city called Nazareth: that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the prophets, He shall be called a [what?] Nazarene.
So the great star of the birth of Christ is Jupiter. The birthday of the Son of God was September the 11th, 3 B.C. But it’s over a year and three months later when the Magi came, and they brought him gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh.
And this, in our calendar of this time in which you and I live, brings September the 11th, 1982, into this week. And that's the day of the birth of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.
And remember what the angels declared to the shepherds on the Judean Hills?
Luke 2:11:
For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour,… [who] is [what?] {Christ the Lord.}
And I'd like to say to the people of The Way ministry tonight, for unto you has been born on this day of September the 11th, 3 B.C. your Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ. Amen? {Amen.}
God bless. I love you. You're the best.
[end: 01:22:21]
[1] Referenced Micah but read from Matthew 2.
[2] Micah 5:2 - But thou, Beth-lehem Ephratah, Though thou be little among the thousands of Judah, Yet out of thee shall he come forth unto me that is to be ruler in Israel; Whose goings forth have been from of old, from everlasting.