The Star of Bethlehem

Matthew 2: 1 – 9: 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. 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. Then Herod, when he had privily called the wise men, enquired 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. 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.

The star that led the wise men to Jesus was a combination of both natural phenomena and supernatural phenomena. In Space, specific celestial bodies came into a conjunction with each other, whilst on the earth, the Shekinah Glory of God as a fiery Ball of Light led the wise men to the specific place where Jesus was. The wise men or magi were astronomers and astrologers whose trained eye could spot and interpret the significance of celestial portents moving into a conjunction with each other. We know this to be true because the star indicated a birth, kingship and the Jewish people (“Where is He that is born King of the Jews?”). Herod himself was surprised to learn of this phenomenon in the heavens, again establishing the fact that it was not obvious, except to the trained eye.

It took approximately two years for the magi to arrive at the house where Jesus was. Jesus was not a baby at this time, but was a young child (Matthew 2: 9), for when Herod set about to kill the young Jewish boys, it was those under two years of age who were targeted. As the magi travelled, they were no longer watching the heavens, but were now following the Shekinah. This special Star had the ability to move, disappear, reappear, and then hover over the exact spot where Jesus was.

The prophet of God in this age experienced a very similar thing at the time of his birth. When the prophet attended a carnival one night at the age of about eighteen, it was a gypsy fortuneteller that told him he was born under a certain sign, that he had a Divine call, and that he would only be successful in the west; then she went on to tell him the precise date and time of his birth: April 6, 1909 at 5am. Again, we see that celestial portents happened in the heavens at the time of the prophet’s birth, and the gypsy woman was able to discern that even years later. Furthermore, a Light or Star came through the window of the little log cabin when the prophet was born, so both natural and supernatural phenomena happened concurrently when the prophet came into this world.

And lastly, to cement and close our little thought… The supernatural Star which firstly appeared in the East and led the magi to the house where Jesus was, was the same supernatural Star which appeared above the prophet in the West whilst he was baptizing in the Ohio River in the year of 1933, and the Voice spoke, saying that as John the Baptist was sent to forerun the first coming of Jesus Christ, so the prophet was sent to forerun Christ’s second coming.