The wise men discovered a new star in the sky and followed the star to find the child who was born to be “the King of the Jews”; that was Jesus. The wise men started on their long journey when the star first appeared, when Jesus was born. They traveled and followed the star for almost two years until they found Jesus!
Full Answer
Where did the wise men find Jesus when they arrived?
The birth of Jesus and the arrival of the shepherds are recorded by Luke (Luke 2), but the wise men arrived some time after Jesus’ birth, according to Matthew 2, and discovered him in a home in Bethlehem, according to Matthew 2.
Where did the wise men come from?
Matthew wrote that it was “after Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of Herod the king, behold, wise men from the east came to Jerusalem, saying, “Where is he who has been born king of the Jews? For we saw his star when it rose and have come to worship him.”
Who were the Wise Men in the Bible?
These wealthy travelers were on the opposite end of the social and economic scale as the shepherds who had visited Jesus right after his birth. Many characters in Scripture go unnamed. They all point to Jesus Christ, the manifestation of God's love for the human race. The Bible is a book about Jesus. There is a message in the title "Wise Men."
How did the wise men find the star of Bethlehem?
The wise men were guided to look for the King of the Jews by a miraculous stellar event, the “Star of Bethlehem,” which they called “His star” ( Matthew 2:2 ). They came to Jerusalem and asked concerning the birth of Christ, and they were directed to Bethlehem ( Matthew 2:4–8 ).
What would have created a remnant that we could observe today?
Who preferred the view that multiple planets do not look like a single light source?
Did Matthew know the difference between a comet and a star?
What star did the three wisemen follow? - Answers
It was not the The North Star. The Three wise men are from a place east if Jerusalem. Jesus was born in Bethlehem, 2 wise men arrived, and then Jesus traveled north to Nazareth. The Star (Also ...
What did the wise men follow to find Jesus? - Answers
One answerMatthew's Gospel says that the wise men followed a star to Bethlehem, although the author of Luke's Gospel seems unaware that there had been such a star. Ian Wilson, in Jesus: The ...
How Did the Wise Men Know the Star They Followed Led to Jesus?
“Where did the wise men come from, and how did they know that the star they were following would lead them to Jesus? And did they ride camels? I am 10 years old, and I've always wondered about them.”
Where is the prophecy of the star that the wise men followed?
I could not figure out on my phone how to add an answer but I recently looked up the Septuagint translation of Psalm 110:3 and here is what it says “with you is the sovereignty in the day of your power with the brightness of your holy ones from out of the womb before the morning star I begat you".
What does the Bible say about the wise men?
Immediately, the Bible says, “they bowed down and worshiped him” (Matthew 2:11). As Christmas approaches this year, I pray that you will be like those wise men—seeking Jesus with your whole heart, and then by faith committing your life to Him. He is the greatest gift you will ever receive.
Where did the camels come from in the Bible?
A: The Bible doesn’t tell us exactly where they came from; it only tells us that they were from a country to the east of Israel (where Jesus was born). Nor does it tell us if they rode camels—although they probably did, since they would have had to cross long sections of desert to reach their destination.
What does Isaiah 9:6 mean?
They may, for example, have known of the prophet Isaiah’s words: “For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be upon his shoulders” (Isaiah 9:6). What is certain, however, is that God revealed to them that the long-awaited Messiah had now been born, and they were determined to find Him and honor Him.
When did the “wise men” visit Jesus?
The astrologers may have visited Jesus a number of months after his birth. This is evident because King Herod, who wanted to have Jesus killed, ordered the slaughter of boys who were two years old and younger. He based that age range on information he had received from the astrologers.— Matthew 2:16.
How many wise men were there in the Bible?
How many “wise men” were there? The Bible does not say, and traditions about their number vary. According to the Encyclopedia Britannica, “Eastern tradition sets the number of Magi at 12, but Western tradition sets their number at three, probably based on the three gifts of ‘gold, frankincense, and myrrh’ ( Matthew 2:11) presented to the infant.”.
What were the names of the “wise men”?
The Bible does not reveal the names of the astrologers. According to The International Standard Bible Encyclopedia, “attempts to name them (e.g., Gaspar, Melchior, and Balthasar ) rest upon legends.”
What does the Bible say about the three wise men?
Contrary to popular Christmas tradition, the Bible does not use the terms “three wise men” or “three kings” to describe the travelers who went to see Jesus after his birth. ( Matthew 2:1) Instead, the Gospel writer Matthew used the Greek word ma’goi to describe those who visited Jesus.
What does the Bible say about Herod?
The Bible says: “Herod, seeing that he had been outwitted by the astrologers, flew into a great rage, and he sent out and had all the boys in Bethlehem and in all its districts killed, from two years of age and under, according to the time that he had carefully ascertained from the astrologers.”.
What does Matthew 2:9 mean?
Matthew 2:9. The appearance of the “star” set in motion events that threatened the life of Jesus and resulted in the murder of innocent children. When the astrologers left Bethlehem, God warned them not to return to Herod.—. Matthew 2:12.
Where did the Astrologers go?
Only then did the astrologers go to Bethlehem. The Bible says: “After they had heard the king, they went their way, and look! the star they had seen when they were in the East went ahead of them until it came to a stop above where the young child was.”—. Matthew 2:9.
How many wise men were there in the Bible?
Few details are given about these men in the Bible, and most of our ideas about them actually come from tradition or speculation. Scripture does not say how many wise men there were, but it is generally assumed there were three since they brought three gifts: gold, frankincense, and myrrh .
Why did God honor the wise men?
God honored the wise men by warning them in a dream to go home by another route and not to report back to King Herod. Some Bible scholars think Joseph and Mary sold the wise men's gifts to pay for their trip to Egypt to escape Herod’s persecution . The Three Kings With Herod. SuperStock / Getty Images.
Why is the name Magi used in the Gospel of Matthew?
The designation "Magi" refers to a Persian religious caste, but when this Gospel was written, the term was loosely used for astrologers, seers, and fortunetellers. Matthew does not call them kings; that title was used later, in legends. About 200 AD, nonbiblical sources started calling them kings, perhaps because of a prophecy in Psalm 72:11: “May all kings bow down to him and all nations serve him.” (NIV) Because they followed a star, they may have been royal astronomers, advisers to kings.
What did the 3 kings do to prove Jesus was the Messiah?
As real men, the three kings confirmed ancient prophecies about Jesus being the Messiah, and as symbols, they showed that he came to save all people, rich and poor, learned or unschooled, from anywhere in the world. These wealthy travelers were on the opposite end of the social and economic scale as the shepherds who had visited Jesus right ...
What are the gifts of the Three Kings?
Three Gifts From Three Kings. The gifts of the Three Kings symbolize Christ's identity and mission: gold for a king, incense for God, and myrrh used to anoint the dead. Ironically, the Gospel of John states that Nicodemus brought a mixture of 75 pounds of aloe and myrrh to anoint Jesus’ body after the crucifixion .
What is the Bible about?
The Bible is a book about Jesus. There is a message in the title "Wise Men.". Wise people acknowledge their need for a Savior and seek to find him. Foolish people, like Herod the Great, reject Jesus and even seek to destroy him.
What is the name of the Persian sound in Matthew?
Matthew reveals nothing of these visitors' ancestry. Over the centuries, legend has assigned them names: Gaspar, or Casper; Melchior, and Balthasar. Balthasar has a Persian sound. If indeed these men were scholars from Persia, they would have been familiar with Daniel's prophecy about the Messiah or "Anointed One.".
How many wise men are there in the Bible?
It should be noted that the Bible doesn’t say there were three wise men or magi. It says there were three kinds of gifts; gold, kings/royalty; frankincense (prayers): the myrrh was used as an embalming oil). There may have been more kings or wise men (likely), and this must have required a caravan of up to 60 camels or more (soldiers, servants, ...
Why did Joseph and Mary escape to Egypt?
In God’s sovereignty, these gifts probably proved useful in Joseph and Mary’s flight to Egypt, paying for their expenses, and this escape was made necessary because Herod ordered the execution of all male children, two and under in or near Bethlehem.
Why were the magi monotheistic?
They were monotheistic, believing in the existence of only one god. Because of Daniel’s great wisdom, and because he had successfully pleaded for the lives of the wise men who had failed to interpret the king’s dream (Dan. 2:24), Daniel came to be highly regarded among the magi (saving many of their lives!), so we’d certainly expect ...
What did Gabriel tell Daniel?
We know from Scripture that Daniel was a man of prayer, and he naturally wanted to know when things would be restored, so Gabriel answered Daniel’s prayer (2 weeks later) and told Daniel not only where and when the Messiah would come, but when He would be killed (Dan. 9:25-26). The magi or wise men recognized the fact that Daniel’s point ...
What does Daniel chapter 9 mean?
One such writing may have been Daniel chapter 9 where Daniel refers to the appearance of the Messiah, and goes into very specific detail about the timing of the Anointed One’s appearance (Dan 9:21-26). We know from Scripture that Daniel was a man of prayer, and he naturally wanted to know when things would be restored, ...
Where did the magi come from?
Many historians consider them to have been Semites and that the Jews and Arabs are both descendants of Noah’s son Shem. The origins of the magi are also the origins of Abram (Later, Abraham), who was called by God from Ur in Chaldea. Later, the name magi became associated with the hereditary priesthood. Because of their combined knowledge of science, agriculture, mathematics, history, their political influence continued to grow until they became the most prominent and powerful group of advisors in the Medo-Persian and subsequently the Babylonian empire. They became skilled in astronomy and astrology, but there are strong similarities between them and the Jews who would come later:
How many wise men were there in the Bible?
However, the Bible does not say there were only three wise men. There could have been many more. Tradition says that there were three and that their names were Gaspar/Caspar, Melchior, and Balthasar/Balthazar, but since the Bible does not say, we have no way of knowing whether the tradition is accurate. It is a common misconception that the wise ...
How far did the wise men travel to see the Christ child?
This means the wise men traveled 800 to 900 miles to see the Christ child. Most likely, the magi knew of the writings of the prophet Daniel, who in time past had been the chief of the court seers in Persia. Daniel 9:24-27 includes a prophecy which gives a timeline for the birth of the Messiah.
What prophecy mentions a star coming out of Jacob?
Balaam’ s prophecy specifically mentions a “star coming out of Jacob.”. The wise men were guided to look for the King of the Jews by a miraculous stellar event, the “Star of Bethlehem,” which they called “His star” ( Matthew 2:2 ). They came to Jerusalem and asked concerning the birth of Christ, and they were directed to Bethlehem ( Matthew 2:4–8 ).
Where did the wise men come from?
In fact, the wise men came days, months, or possibly even years later. That is why Matthew 2:11 says the wise men visited and worshiped Jesus in a house, not at the stable. We know that the magi were wise men from "the East," most likely Persia, or modern-day Iran. This means the wise men traveled 800 to 900 miles to see the Christ child.
Where did the disciples go to pray concerning the birth of Christ?
They followed God’s guidance joyfully ( Matthew 2:10 ). When they arrived in Bethlehem, they gave costly gifts to Jesus and worshiped Him.
What did the Magi do?
So, the magi were men who 1) read and believed God’s Word, 2) sought Jesus, 3) recognized the worth of Christ, 4) humbled themselves to worship Jesus, and 5) obeyed God rather than man. They were truly wise men!
What would have created a remnant that we could observe today?
A genuinely bright nova or supernova, such as the one observed by Tycho Brahe in 1572, would have created a remnant that we could observe today. It’s possible that there could have been a supernova in the Andromeda galaxy or the Magellanic Clouds, but there is no astronomical record of such an event.
Who preferred the view that multiple planets do not look like a single light source?
Johannes Kepler (1571-1630) preferred this view. However, multiple planets do not look like a single light source, as described in Scripture. In any case, the star Matthew portrayed caught the attention of the wise men. A planet alignment would not have seemed out of the ordinary.
Did Matthew know the difference between a comet and a star?
At any rate, Matthew would likely have known the difference between a comet and a star. He correctly noted the event as a star. Furthermore, comets were often seen as bad omens. Matthew wanted to mark the occasion as good news.
A Comet Overhead?
A Gathering of Planets?
- Astronomers believe that the Star of Bethlehem was a conjunction, or gathering of planets in the night sky. In 6 B.C. ancient texts describe a conjunction of Jupiter and Saturn. Since planets orbit the sun at different speeds and distances, they occasionally seem to approach each other closely. Johannes Kepler (1571-1630) preferred this view. However, multiple planets do not look like a si…
A Heliacal Rising
- Astrology of the time didn’t focus on the stars themselves. Ancient astronomers knew that stars remained fix in the night sky. Instead, astrology focused on astronomical events, such as the last appearance of a particular star before sunrise. In addition, it looked for the conjunctions of stars and planets. One clue is buried in the verse itself, where “in the east” could also be interpreted a…
A Supernova?
- What if they saw a Supernova? These appear in the sky as “new stars” and are sometimes brighter than even Venus or Jupiter in the night sky. This would match the Biblical description, and might have been interpreted as a good omen. Chinese and Korean astronomers noted the appearance of a nova in 5 BC, which would be around the right time frame. On the other hand, this Nova wasn’t …