The Star Of Bethlehem: Christmas Series Part 6 of 7.

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For two millennia, great thinkers — astronomers, theologians, believers, even skeptics–have pondered the mystery of the Star of Bethlehem.  They speculated, “Was it a comet; a supernova; or some special celestial event orchestrated by God?”  No one really had a definitive answer. 🤔

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Then, in December of 1603, a young scientist named, “Johannes Kepler,” became intrigued by the planetary conjunction of Jupiter and Saturn.  He is believed to be the first to identify the so-called, “Christmas Star” that guided the Magi to where Jesus was born, and with the most precise date of this historic date ever.

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The “Star of Bethlehem” wasn’t actually a star at all but a planetary conjunction of Jupiter and Saturn in the evening sky, meaning a close approach of planets.  Kepler began computing the positions of these two planets at the time of the birth of Jesus. His calculations showed that there was a TRIPLE CONJUNCTION of Jupiter and Saturn in the presence of a full moon in 7 BC on May 27th, October 5th, and December 1st.

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This “Conjunction of Kepler,” as it has come to be known, is THE GREATEST CONJUNCTION OF THESE PLANETS IN HISTORY!  In fact, it is often called “The greatest conjunction.”  His calculations have been confirmed by the highest authorities.

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Favorable To Israel.

This alignment of Jupiter and Saturn, according to ancient Jewish authorities {Josephus among them} has special reference to Israel.  It is a sign that is favorable to that tiny nation which meant that God is about to cause great things to happen that favor Israel.

It is also a favorable sign to the Church.  Israel’s blessing would come first, then, when Jesus’ Church was born, blessing would come upon the Church.

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These three conjunctions occurring in the presence of a full moon made it a very bright night.  It is of great significance that they were aligned in the constellation of Pisces.  Pisces, The Fish, is a symbol of the Church and of believers!

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This is no mere coincidence but orchestrated by God Himself.  Remember, it was He Who created the stars, called them all by name, and set them in motion in the heavens. Astrology was the devil’s vain attempt to pervert the Real story in the stars which tells of Jesus and His work of redemption. Though we no longer need to refer to them to tell the story because we have the written Word, it is still there for all to see.

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(For more on the REAL Story, follow the link below, but I warn you, it is a 44-part series 😮:

https://emmausroadministries.international/2016/08/30/the-real-story-in-the-stars-christmas-series-part-1/)

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This conjunction appeared after Jesus was already born.  As most of you know, the wise men were not present at Jesus’ birth, only the shepherds.  They were from a country in the East we know today as the country of Iraq.

These wise men arrived some two years after He was born, give or take. While many believe there were only three, probably because of the three gifts mentioned, we have no idea how many there actually were. I assure you, however, that if it were of great importance, the Holy Spirit would have made it a point to tell us.

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Matthew 2:11 says, “And when they had come into the HOUSE, they saw the YOUNG CHILD {not a baby} with Mary His mother, and fell down and worshiped Him. And when they had opened their treasures, they presented gifts to Him: Gold, frankincense, and myrrh.”

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Sign Of Great Events.
Whenever Jupiter and Saturn have appeared together down through history it has always marked some great event favorable to natural Israel.  Calculating back, Kepler noted that the first appearance of this conjunction was the revelation to Adam. Astronomers can trace this because of the predictable, measurable movements of the stars.

The second appearance was at the birth of Enoch, a righteous man who walked with God and with whom He was so pleased that one day, he just walked right into heaven, instantly translated.  He did not see death.

Enoch is a typology of the rapture generation.  When Jesus comes and calls His Church home, there will be an entire generation that, like Enoch, also will not see death.  Many of you reading this are part of that Enoch generation.

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The third appearance was the revelation of the Covenant of the Rainbow to Noah.  Then, at the birth of Moses, the great Deliverer of Israel from Egypt, it appeared again.

It made an appearance at the birth of Cyrus.  Remember him?  He was the good king of the Medo-Persians who helped the returning Jewish exiles rebuild the temple in Jerusalem.  Many believe him to be the son of Ahasuarus and Queen Esther.

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BUT THE GREATEST APPEARANCE OF ALL WAS AT THE BIRTH OF CHRIST!  

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Down through Church history, it appeared at the birth of Charlemagne, the good emperor who was favorable to Christians.  Last of all, it appeared at the birth of Martin Luther who tacked his 95 theses to the Church door, restoring the truth of salvation by grace.

All these are good signs that favor both Israel and the Church!

The most accurate records of celestial events in the world are found in the nation of China.  They both observed and recorded the occurrences of these celestial conjunctions.  They even have on record the three hours of darkness which covered the whole earth in April, the year Jesus died, corroborating the Biblical account.  Though they had no idea what caused the total eclipse at a time of year when they do not normally occur, they faithfully recorded it nonetheless.

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Isn’t God good?  We have questions, He inspires us in ways that help us find the answers.  What a beautiful account we have of the birth of our dear Savior, Jesus, told to us through signs in the night sky and by THE STAR OF BETHLEHEM.

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You may follow the link below to the 7th and final part of this series:

https://emmausroadministries.international/2020/12/24/the-light-of-the-world-christmas-series-part-7-of-7/