PROVING THE MAGI HAD NOTHING TO DO
WITH CHRISTMAS AND THE BIRTH OF JESUS
PROVING THE MAGI HAD
NOTHING TO DO WITH
CHRISTMAS AND THE BIRTH OF JESUS
JAN LILLEBY
These Magi’s came probably from the landscapes of Media-Persia, but even Babylon could have been the place.
I make reference to my article “According to the Signs Told of Jesus in the Stars, He Was Born 9-11-03 BC”.
I mentioned these things in a shortly form…but I shall here expand on the topic: The Magi (whether they were two, three or more…) did NOT know of any king of the Jews, according to the Virgo constellation as we learn from Rev. 12, until Jesus was born. So that they, could manage to get to Israel in time to visit Mary and Joseph right after the birth of Jesus. They simply do not belong in the Christmas-story. But the early church put them there, and so manipulated them into being a part of the birth of Jesus Christ.
But the Virgo-sign, which foretold of Jesus’ birth with exact dating and what time on the ‘clock’ it took place on 9-11-03 BC, triggered the serious interest of these Magi’s to follow up on the starry heavens, where there came other and newer signs to read. And they found the Leo-constellation having a series of peculiar moves.
These moves included Jupiter lining up with Regulus, which is the brightest star in Leo (it marks the fore paw of Leo, see image). The distance from earth to Regulus is over 77 light years! Regulus consists of more than one planet…thus making up the ‘Regulus’ we can observe on the night sky. But also Venus was into this Leo sign.
But here follows a list of what exactly happened within the Leo constellation. Leo is the star sign of Jesus as ‘Lion of Judah’ – the King of the Jews in the Messianic prophesies in Scripture.
Virgo told of a remarkable birth, Virgin Mary giving birth to Jesus. But Leo tells of His divine royal kingship…and that made the Magi really taking interest in finding out WHO this king might be, and where He now lived with His parents!
We readily understand that these Magi’s had gotten NO specific sign seen in the stars, giving them time to travel from Media-Persian landscapes to make it to Bethlehem in time for the birth. When they read the Virgo constellation, they knew that a birth had ALREADY TAKEN PLACE. So it was impossible for them to be present in the city and thus becoming part of the Christmas happenings.
The following list shows us what took place on the starry sky, AFTER the Virgo birth sign – with exception of point 1, which happened just a month before the Virgo sign of September 11.
The Magi or wise men did not come to see Jesus until he was about one and one half years old as they begin to track six astronomical events in Leo that captured their attention. These events are as follows:
1. Jupiter and Venus in conjunction in Leo: August 12, 3 B.C.
2. Jupiter and Regulus in conjunction in Leo: September 14, 3 B.C.
3. Jupiter and Regulus in conjunction in Leo: February 17, 2 B.C.
4. Jupiter and Regulus in conjunction in Leo: May 8, 2 B.C.
5. Jupiter and Venus in conjunction in Leo: June 17, 2 B.C.
6. Massing of planets Jupiter, Mars, Mercury, and Venus in Leo with Jupiter and Mars in conjunction: August 27th 2 B.C.
The final conjunction in Leo with its massing of planets convinced the Magi that a king had been born in Judea. They began to journey to find the king of the Judeans shortly after this last event. However, not at once…it would take some time still.
THE MAGI’S WENT ON A LONG RISKY
HORSE RIDE FROM PERSIA, OR EVENTUALLY
BABYLON, TO ISRAEL
By car in our time, the shortest route from Tehran-area is approximately 1,190 miles, or 1,913 km. It is estimated a time by car slightly over 23 hours. Tehran is nearly 180 km south of the Caspian Sea, when driving the infamous and dangerous Haraz Road, over a steep mountain range. Image to the right.
Had they come from Baghdad (Babylon), it would cut down the travelling time by 10 hours (by car), equaling 872 kilometers. Historians are unsure of where these Magi’s came from in 1 BC. So I willfully use two alternatives here, just to illustrate this matter.
Never the less, they would have to spend a considerable time ‘on the road’ in the summer of 1 BC.
The shortest route between Jerusalem and Baghdad is 647.25 mi or 1,041 km. The driving time is approx. 13 hours, by car.
But the Magi only had regular horses, plus an extra horse or two just in case, plus some luggage and for not to forget these costly gifts – Myrrh, Incense and gold jewels/coins. (And of course, food to last for the journey). Oh, I almost forgot: They had to have carried weapons such as swords and daggers, maybe even a spear or two. I am most certain of this, because it was several dangerous gangs of robbers along the main routes at that time. Same was the fact when Paul travelled the Empire in mission (he said so himself). ‘I was in danger among bandits’….2 Cor. 11:26.
From the list of the constellations in the Leo sign above, we learn that they must have left Persia, or eventually Babylon, after August 27, 2 BC. And not before.
THIS LONG RISKY JOURNEY NEEDED PLANNING!
So then we must ask: Are we sure they did not first go into planning and agreeing for a safe time of the year to make such a long journey?
Gathering expensive gifts to this new king of the Judeans…such as spices, incense and jewelry, even gold coins? Weaponry for defense against eventual road robbers? Etcetera.
I have plotted in a time-schedule and calendar dates, just to show that it would be very risky for the Magi’s to start this trip too late in the year. If they went on the trip to Israel as late as for instance 30 August, 2 BC, it would be arrival in Israel around 38 days later, - if from Tehran 1,913 kilometers away:
The time by car in our time is 23 hours. The time they used – say if they left on August 30, - they would at least have to travel for 37-38 days (from Tehran area), since they would need to set up camp every 50 km or so. They had to sleep each night, and also they had to make several stops to rest within the daily stretch of 50 km. They would arrive in Israel around 8 October, 2 BC if they came from Tehran area, - or 17-18 days if from Babylon, arriving around 20 September 2 BC. Very close to the coming winter season, especially on their way back home again!
This makes me doubt that they took this trip in 2 BC. They must have waited until 1 BC – for instance early July. Thus arriving Israel around 8 August if coming from Tehran. Or around 20 July, if coming from Babylon.
This will be my final theory, and most probable scenario regarding these Magi’s travel. They aimed to travel in the best time of the summer season, avoiding bad weathers and freezing cold.
This would leave us with the Magi’s seeing the boy child Jesus almost two years after His birth in September 3 BC. 23 months to be more accurate.
Herod’s estimate when sending his soldiers to kill all male children from the age of 2 and under, was not at all so remote from real time calculation.
Mat. 2:16, NASB, is quite a sinister quotation,
“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.”
WE CANNOT OBSERVE THE STARS BY SIGHT
IN THE BRIGHT SUNNY DAY, NEITHER COULD
THE MAGI IN THEIR TIME.
This tells us an important story which makes it much easier to understand the reported phenomena of the bright ‘star’ which went ahead of the Magi as they kept looking for the house of Maria and Joseph! It simply tells us: The Magi did NOT see this as a star on the sky…like we can observe the Moon or Venus even in daytime. It was in the brightest summer-time, and in a time when the sun shone on the land. They could not possibly have read the regular stars of the heaven above. That can only be observed at night! There existed no telescopes then.
A side remark may come handy: If the star-sign was visible on the sky, and people in Bethlehem area saw it also (which they must have seen!) – then many of the citizens in town would follow these Magi, to see where they were heading. A multitude of curious people would have ‘disturbed’ this jolly scenario, don’t you think? And worse yet: What if people in town saw this ‘light-phenomena’ hovering right over the roof tops before the Magi? So, I think that Satan may have made it so that ONLY the Magi could see that ‘light-phenomena’, and not just anyone in town. Think about it.
So, this ‘light-phenomena’ which led the Magi to the house was something that was here, on earth, hovering off the ground and made them follow it. As I said in my article referred to, - this light was an occult thing performed by Satan, to have the Magi give away the young boy Jesus so he could have Him killed, by his servant, the evil king Herod.
Satan used these Magi (who were unsuspecting) to try and kill Jesus. It was an evil plot.
Mat. 2:9-12, NIV, the Magi in Bethlehem searching,
9 After they had heard the king, they went on their way, and the star they had seen when it rose went ahead of them until it stopped over the place where the child was.
“10 When they saw the star, they were overjoyed.
11 On coming to the house, they saw the child with his mother Mary, and they bowed down and worshiped him. Then they opened their treasures and presented him with gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh.
12 And having been warned in a dream not to go back to Herod, they returned to their country by another route.” (My emphasize)
They could NOT have seen a regular star up in the sky. It was daytime and summer-sunshine as bright as it comes.
A star up in heaven, cannot go – like – ‘went ahead of them’ and STOPPED (!) over the place where Jesus lived. This happened here on earth, and not up in the sky. It’s a fact.
It was a super-natural trick played by Satan, not God, which was used to try to give away Jesus’ whereabouts so the mad king Herod could kill Him.
Luckily we find that God warned these unsuspecting Magi, so that they took another route to return to their homeland without Herod knowing.
Mat. 2:13-15 say of this,
13 Now when they had gone, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream and said, "Get up! Take the Child and His mother and flee to Egypt, and remain there until I tell you; for Herod is going to search for the Child to destroy Him."
14 So Joseph got up and took the Child and His mother while it was still night, and left for Egypt.
15 He remained there until the death of Herod. This was to fulfill what had been spoken by the Lord through the prophet: "OUT OF EGYPT I CALLED MY SON."
It is held for true that their escape was by ship from Caesarea to Alexandria. And the costly gifts from the Magi supported them financially the entire exile in Egypt. The angel coming to Joseph in a dream must have come the following night, and so we will know that they took off for Egypt right after breakfast the day after Magi’s visiting.
Mat. 2:19-23 tells the rest of the story,
19 But when Herod died, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared in a dream to Joseph in Egypt, and said,
20 "Get up, take the Child and His mother, and go into the land of Israel; for those who sought the Child's life are dead."
21 So Joseph got up, took the Child and His mother, and came into the land of Israel.
22 But when he heard that Archelaus was reigning over Judea in place of his father Herod, he was afraid to go there. Then after being warned by God in a dream, he left for the regions of Galilee,
23 and came and lived in a city called Nazareth. This was to fulfill what was spoken through the prophets: "He shall be called a Nazarene."
In the district where Nazareth was, it was the youngest son of Herod who reigned, Philip, known to be a mild and peaceful tetrarch. The territory had five settlements-areas, which were Iturea, Trachonitis, Gaulanitis, Batanea and Auranitis. The capitol city was named Caesarea Philippi. From that city Philip could look north and view Mt. Hermon with its peak at 2800 meters – in the distance (Iturea).
Merry Christmas everybody!
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