What is The Nativity?
1.
The events surrounding the birth of Jesus Christ in Bethlehem. Jesus was born to the Virgin Mary in Bethlehem and placed in a manger in an act of humility. We are taught in Sunday School that Jesus was born in a manger and that three wisemen made a long journey to the manger. But Bible scholars, researchers and historians are finding, while these events were true, our understanding of the events is actually a bit different than what history dictates. Here are some myths surrounding the Nativity:
1. Jesus was not born on DEC 25. According to Messianic prophecy and the Jewish calendar, Jesus was born sometime during the spring. DEC 25 would have also been much too cold for the shepards to be out at night. DEC 25 is just the day chosen by the early church to celebrate the birth of Jesus. Historians have found the Roman Census mentioned in Matthew and Luke (which was the reason Joseph and Mary migrated to Bethlehem), took place in the spring around 5 BC. This would be a huge clue that Jesus was born around that time.
2. There were NOT three wisemen as we are led to believe. The Bible does not mention three--it only mentions that there were wismen bearing three gifts. We don’t know the real number of wisemen, but we give it as three because of the three gifts.
3. The wisemen were actually astrologers from Persia who made a long journey westward to Bethlehem, perhaps as long as a year before they saw the Christ child. The astrologers saw the “star” as a sign of the birth and followed it to Bethlehem. They knew this “star” was the divine sign.
4. The “star” the magi followed was actually the planets Jupiter, Saturn and the next closest star appearing extremely close together, appearing as a single bright star. Astronomers confirm this fact as happening around 4 BC (which also corresponds to the time of the Roman census around 4-5 BC).
5. The wisemen (majii) did NOT come to the manger as tradition says. Luke Chapter 2 specifically states they came to the HOUSE where Joseph and Mary were staying, just a few days after his birth. After their visit, they were warned in a dream not to return to King Herod for their safety.
The Nativity story is the greatest story ever told and is a humble story of God's love for the souls of mankind. The Nativity story IS Christmas.
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