In defense of miracles

Statue of Jesus Christ in Carrollton, Ga.

In modern America, we live in culture in which religious thought and beliefs are often ridiculed and discarded in favor of secular thought.  All religions are commonly derided as myths.  A new generation of atheists, such as Richard Dawkins, is not content to coexist with religious believers, but seems determined to drive all religious thought from the public forum.

Yet in reality, a belief solely in logic and reason is not logical or reasonable.  Atheists must realize that, given the immense amount of available information in the universe, we cannot know everything.  Yet if we cannot know everything, how can we even be sure that we can’t know everything.  We cannot know for sure what we can and cannot know.  What we don’t know may change or contradict something that we think we know.  This is why science books are constantly being rewritten.  It is foolish to arbitrarily rule out the existence of God if we cannot know that he actually does not exist.

As Rabbi Derek Leman of Stone Mountain’s Tikvat David Messianic Congregation discussed on his podcast, naturalists, people who reject the supernatural, have a self-defeating philosophy.  Drawing on C.S. Lewis’ book Miracles, Leman notes that reasoning refutes itself:  “If reasoning is nothing more than moving particles of matter or energy in my brain, then I have no basis to trust knowledge as a valid concept...  Reasoning used to not exist, at least in the naturalist worldview and the evolutionary creationist worldview.  So we should ask the question:  how did it come into existence?  There was no designer according to this theory, and indeed until there were thinkers, there was no such thing as truth or falsehood, so thinking must have evolved by natural selection.  But how could this happen when our thoughts and sensations were subrational?  What mechanism made them capable of knowing truth and making inferences that are fact?  This is a real problem and it imposes on the naturalist the very embarrassing task of trying to show how randomly evolved reasoning could also be a power of seeing truths.  In other words, if reason developed through random means, why should we believe that anything that comes to us through reason is actually what we would call truth?”

People who reject the supernatural constitute a minority of the world’s population.  According to Adherents.com, only 8 percent of the people in the world are atheists.  That number holds true for the United States.  A USA Today/Gallup poll from 2010 reports that 92 percent of Americans believe in God.  In Georgia, deep in the Bible belt, only 2 percent do not believe in God according to Pewforum.org.  Even political partisanship doesn’t make a very big difference in belief in God.  According to Gallup, eight percent of Democrats and independents do not believe in God.  This is consistent with the national average.  On the other hand, Republicans are more theistic than average with a rate of only one percent of nonbelievers. 

What these statistics demonstrate is that naturalists exhibit a superior attitude, deriding the majority for their belief in God, without any evidence that their atheistic beliefs are correct.  In effect a small part of the population, without any additional information or evidence that the majority lacks, is taking the position that they have special knowledge and enlightenment.  In fact, more and more of this minority is feeling the need to evangelize their faith, the belief that God is nothing more than a myth and can be replace by something as contrived as a “Flying Spaghetti Monster.”  There is both an arrogance and an irony to this position, especially in light of the lack of evidence against a deity.

Christ the Redeemer in Rio (Sean Vivek Crasto)

The belief in God by an overwhelming majority of the world’s population would seem to bear out the Bible’s contention that knowledge of God is “made plain by God” and that “since the creation of the world God’s invisible qualities—his eternal power and divine nature—have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that people are without excuse” (Romans 1:18-23).  The people of the world may not have seen or read Judeo-Christian scriptures, but they can see the evidence of God’s existence from his creation.  Those who reject this obvious truth “claimed to be wise, [but] they became fools” (v. 22). 

Further, as Christian apologist Chuck Colson points out, naturalism and logic cannot adequately explain the four major questions of life.  Colson points out that secular naturalists cannot explain how the universe originated.  Their only answers toward how to solve the world’s problems are utopian ideals that, when put into practice by less than perfect human beings, often result in piles of dead bodies.  They view the purpose of life as self-fulfillment, but cannot explain the evolutionary purpose of altruism.  In light of Darwin’s ideal of survival of the fittest, it makes no sense to help the poor and the weak at your own expense.

On the other hand, if God does exist, then it is both reasonable and logical to believe in miracles.  If God created the world, whether by speaking it into existence as it presently appears or through the process of evolution, then it follows that he has the power to intervene in nature.  It would be a simple matter for the God who created the world to part the sea or resurrect the dead.  It would be more difficult to believe that God would be unable to effect miracles.

As John Leonard, Atlanta Creationism Examiner, recently wrote, “It makes perfect sense that a supernatural God could, and would employ explicable, reproducible natural world phenomena to confirm His awesome power by His ability to predict, control and manipulate nature.”  Because a miracle can be explained by the scientific method does not mean that it is devoid of the supernatural.  Even if we find a rational explanation, the supernatural should not necessarily be discounted.

As an example, Leonard cites scientific rationales for the plagues that God sent upon Egypt in the days of Moses (Exodus 7-12).  Each plague plus the parting of the sea (Exodus 14) can be explained and corroborated scientifically.  However, the timing of these miracles and the resulting freedom for the Israelites implies a divine hand at work for specific purpose.  The fact that God used natural phenomena to work his will does not make his control over nature any less thorough or the result any less miraculous. 

God’s greatest miracle was the sacrifice and resurrection of his son, Jesus Christ, but not because of the mere triumph over death.  If God is truly the creator of life then he would obviously have control over life and death.  The difference in the sacrifice and resurrection of Christ is that it granted the gift of eternal life to anyone who chooses to accept it. 

Without Christ we are all living under a sentence of death for our sins.  The miracle of Jesus is that God has offered us a free pardon, a get-out-of-jail free card.  By accepting God’s offer and Christ’s sacrifice, we all have the chance to escape eternal death (as a few have returned to speak of).  The miracle is that God freely offers love, redemption, and salvation to us in spite of our sins.  This is the miracle of Easter.

Belief in God and science are not mutually exclusive.  Many scientists and educated people are Christians and believers in God.  In Atlanta, those who are interested in science and God can attend the monthly meetings of the Atlanta chapter of Reasons to Believe.  The group meets on the last Thursday of each month at Johnson Ferry Baptist Church in Marietta.  The group is also on Facebook.

Readers not in the Atlanta area can find local chapters on the Reasons to Believe website.

http://www.examiner.com/conservative-in-atlanta/in-defense-of-miracles"> 

Santa Claus: Fact or fiction?

Santa Claus visits the author's home.

As Christmas approaches, I once again don my tinfoil hat to delve into the world of conspiracy theories.  In this edition, I examine what is reputed to be one of the world’s oldest and largest conspiracies.  If true, this conspiracy would dwarf the Kennedy assassination, the Roswell incident, and the cover-ups of the September 11 attacks.  This conspiracy would involve millions of people around the world over hundreds of years and reach all the way to the US military’s North American Air Defense Command (NORAD).  It permeates the film and publishing industries as well as retail stores throughout the Western world.  I speak, of course, of the Great Santa Claus Conspiracy.

For years, it has been alleged that Santa Claus is a myth.  Conspiracists point to the outlandish claims regarding the Red-Suited Elf:  That he purportedly operates an aerial sleigh pulled by eight flying reindeer (nine if Rudolph is included), that this sleigh is of sufficient cargo capacity to carry enough toys to satisfy the world’s population of children and, as Dave Barry might put it, “enough candy to meet the nation’s zit needs well into the next century.” 

The conspiracist’s claims have shown up in numerous popular culture references over past decades.  A Norman Rockwell painting called “The Discovery” shows a shocked boy finding a Santa suit in his parent’s dresser.  A popular Christmas song, “I Saw Mommy Kissing Santa Claus,” also alleges that Santa is really the child’s father in disguise.  Numerous television shows, movies, and comic strips make similar accusations.

One of the most significant objections is why elves toiling in the toy shops of the North Pole produce toys that are so similar to toys produced by conventional corporations that they can be readily exchanged at local retailers.  Don’t Santa’s elves respect copyrights and patents?  (Granted, this doesn’t seem to stop the Chinese either.)  Similarly, the financial burden of giving free toys to the children of the world would be staggering.  Charity is not cheap.

The conspiracists, however, ignore inconvenient facts that do not support their claims.  For example, the reality is that Santa Claus is a historical figure.  Originally known as St. Nicholas, Santa was a bishop of the Christian church in Myra, Turkey in the fourth century AD.  St. Nicholas was persecuted and imprisoned for his faith by the Roman Emperor Diocletian.  St. Nicholas took Jesus’ instruction to the rich, young ruler to “sell all your possessions and give to the poor.”  He was known for his generosity and for being a protector of children.

Many stories and legends grew up around Nicholas.  In one, a poor man could not afford the dowries that were customarily required to entice men to marry his three daughters.  Since they could not find husbands, they were destined to be sold into slavery.  On three separate occasions, Nicholas supposedly tossed bags of gold into the window of their house to provide a dowry for the girls.  The bags reportedly landed in stockings or shoes by the fire, giving rise to the custom of children hanging up stockings to await Nicholas’ gifts.

1863 depiction of Santa Claus by Thomas Nast

St. Nicholas died on December 6, AD 343 and therefore cannot be the modern Santa.  Instead the example that St. Nicholas set for Christian charity and loving compassion for children inspired many other copycat Santas throughout the centuries.  The name “Santa Claus” may be a corruption of the Dutch (“Sinter Klaas”) and German (“Sankt Nicklaus”) names for St. Nicholas that appeared in New York City after the American Revolution.  The combination of Old World terms is appropriately American.

When Santa’s origins are taken account, the objections of the conspiricists can be explained.  For example, since Christmas is celebrated only by Christians, Santa is not required to visit all the children in the world.  Christians make up only about one third of the world’s population, which shortens Santa’s itinerary markedly.  Not even all Christian children celebrate Christmas with Santa.  A growing number of Christian parents do not teach their children about Santa.  In these cases, the parents clearly give the Christmas gifts.  Santa doesn’t go where he isn’t invited and his workload is further reduced.

Similarly, the fewer gifts required would also ease Santa’s financial burden.  Further, growing up in northeast Georgia, the author’s parents explained that although Santa provided and delivered the toys to good boys and girls, he did require a contribution from the parents.  Subsequent fact-checking with my classmates confirmed that the story was consistent.  My friend’s had heard the same thing.  This explains the reason that Santa’s gifts reflect socioeconomic level.  If the parents must help Santa defray the cost of gifts, not all parents can afford dirt bikes, ponies, solid-gold iPods, etc. 

A reasonable for explanation for the apparent copyright infringement by North Pole toy workers is that Santa likely works out licensing agreements with the major toy companies.  Licensing is a common practice in many industries in which the product’s developer gives other companies the legal right to produce their own version.  In Santa’s case, the licensed products are indistinguishable from toys made in conventional factories. 

With respect to the conspiracy claims of the various media, there are also numerous other conspiracy claims on various subjects.  There are a myriad of unproven theories about every subject under the sun, some plausible, most not.  In just the past few years, we have been subjected to claims of a “vast right wing conspiracy” against President Clinton, claims that President Bush was complicit in the 9/11 attacks, and claims that President Obama is a Kenyan-born Muslim.  Just because it’s in print, it doesn’t mean it’s true.

The conspiracy against Santa Claus has been going on for over one hundred years.  In 1897, eight-year-old Virginia O’Hanlon wrote a letter to the editor of the New York Sun asking for the truth about Santa.  The paper’s editorial response makes many excellent points about the Santa conspiracy.  First noting that the Santa skeptics are the product of a skeptical age who lack the ability to believe in anything that they cannot see.  It also points out the maxim of scientists that absence of evidence is not evidence of absence. 

Like many things in life, reality is not limited by what we can see.  We can’t see the wind, but we know it is there.  We can’t see an atom, but we take it on faith that its subatomic bonds will not allow a chair to fade into nothingness as we sit down.  We can’t see God, but we know He is there because He makes His presence known in the world through His creation (Romans 1:20).  

Similarly, we may not see Santa Claus flying through the sky on Christmas Eve, but we can see the effects of his annual journey.  We see Santa in the Christmas Spirit of hope through Christ, generosity to our fellow man, and childlike faith.  The colors of Santa’s suit (and Christmas in general) reflect the Christian origins of the holiday.  Red represents the blood of Christ that was shed on the cross to pay for humanity’s sins.  White represents the purity and holiness of Jesus.  The green of the holly and Christmas trees stands for the hope of eternal life.  Silver and gold are associated with the Christmas star as well as the treasures brought by the Magi.

Whether there is one Santa or a hundred thousand Santas around the world, there is ample of evidence of the Santa’s mark on the world.  The compassion and generosity of Santa Claus helps us to see the love and hope that Christ offers the world.  If Santa were nothing but the product of a vast, Christmas conspiracy, the world would be a colder and darker place indeed.

Why Is This Happening?

Much has been written over the past several months about the causes of the financial crisis. Estimates of blame have ranged from government interference with mortgage markets to lack of oversight by federal regulators to old-fashioned greed run amok. Fewer have looked deeper, however, to explore just why the financial crisis struck when it did, as our nation faced an external threat from a loose alliance of Islamic radicals who aim to spread their religion around the world as well as an election in which the country was asked to choose between a traditional moderate and a charismatic newcomer who aimed to remake America in the image of the European social democracies.

A key to understanding the full significance of the challenge before us is to look beyond the economic and geopolitical realities that are all that most people ever see. Author Joel Rosenberg refers to this as looking through a “third lens,” one that allows us to see the world in terms of scriptural and prophetic realities. The fact that these realities are not as readily apparent as economic and political concerns does not make them any less real.

Without full awareness of the fact, I have been looking through the third lens for most of my life. I was raised in a Christian family where discussions of faith were neither pressured nor discouraged. As I grew older, I did question the validity of the Bible and was able to confirm its authenticity to my satisfaction through books such as Lee Strobel’s The Case for Christ and Werner Keller’s The Bible As History among others. The fundamental truths of the Bible, such as the fact that there is an unseen war between good and evil that rages around us, are not in doubt for me.

My study of the Bible included a look at Biblical prophecies, since, if the prophecies were inaccurate, I reasoned, the Bible’s validity would be suspect. In the course of reading the prophetic books of the Bible, I read the Revelation, the last book of the Bible. To me, it seemed that the book was nearly incomprehensible as it was filled with apocryphal (symbolic) language. In effect, much of the Revelation was written in code. As I read other books on the subject, I learned that much of the code could be broken by reading other parts of the Bible. Along the way, I prayed for enlightenment.

Over the past few years, I have incorporated much of what I have learned into my blog articles. As I studied, it seemed that many of the prophecies of Revelation, as well as other books of the Bible, seemed to be on the cusp of being fulfilled. A key prophecy was given by Jesus Himself in Matthew 24:34 when seemed to say that the generation that saw the rebirth of the nation of Israel would see the end of the age (http://captainkudzu.blogspot.com/2007/12/signs-of-times.html). I also noticed that many of the Bible’s prophecies of the end-times seemed to point toward a prominent Muslim role in the latter days (http://captainkudzu.blogspot.com/2007/10/islam-and-revelation.html).

About the same time, I became aware of Joel Rosenberg. Rosenberg wrote a series of novels, beginning with The Last Jihad that contained remarkably accurate predictions of events that happened in the real world almost simultaneously with the publication of his books. His predictions had included a terrorist attack on the US using hijacked airplanes, the death of Yasir Arafat, and a second war with Iraq. Rosenberg soon published a nonfiction book, Epicenter: How the Rumblings in the Middle East Affect Your Future that detailed where he got the inspiration for his fictional works (http://captainkudzu.blogspot.com/2007/10/joel-c.html).

It turned out that Rosenberg’s inspiration was a little known prophecy from the book of Ezekiel. In chapters 38-39 of Ezekiel, the Bible foretells a future war against Israel by a coalition led by Magog and Persia. While the identity of Persia is certainly Iran, most theologians believe that Magog is Russia (http://captainkudzu.blogspot.com/2008/11/who-is-gog-of-magog.html).

Over the past few years, we have seen the pieces for the Magog war fall into place. A few years ago, Russia was written off as a second-rate power. Now it is resurgent as military and economic power. Vladimir Putin has strengthened his control over the country and is now a de facto dictator, if not a latter day tsar, ruling from the behind the scenes. Russia’s desire for imperial expansion can be seen in its recent dealings with the Ukraine and its 2008 invasion of Georgia.

Iran has been in the news as well. Iran’s nuclear ambitions have been a source of international concern for years now. In February 2009, the UN acknowledged that Iran probably has enough uranium to create a nuclear weapon. Additionally, Iran has tested rockets capable of boosting satellites, or nuclear warheads, into orbit. Iran’s rulers have left little doubt that, if they acquire a nuclear weapon, their goal would be to eliminate Israel and the United States. Their belief in the Twelfth Imam calls for them to create chaos in order to have the Mahdi appear to usher in a worldwide Islamic caliphate.

The two nations have already begun forging ties. Russia is supplying reactors for Iran’s nuclear program as well as sophisticated air defense systems to protect them from Israeli or American attack. Russia has also used its position on the UN Security Council to prevent meaningful UN action against Iran.

The list of nations that Ezekiel tells us will join the coalition against Israel is long, but there are two notable absences: Iraq and Egypt. Both nations have taken part in the other major wars against Israel, but both have legitimate reasons for opting out of this future conflict. Egypt and Israel have been at peace since Egypt’s President Anwar Sadat and Israeli Prime Minister Menachem Begin signed the Camp David Accords in 1979. On the other hand, Iraq is still hostile to Israel, but its military was destroyed in the 2003 US invasion. It is currently more concerned with internal security than with liberating Jerusalem. Incidentally, Babylon, mentioned in Revelation as the seat of power of a demonic world ruler, is in Iraq and is currently being rebuilt.

Other factors that may point toward a prophetic event include a spiritual awakening occurring in Muslim countries in which people who have never heard of Jesus experience supernatural dreams and visions that convince them that Isa, the Arabic name for Jesus, is the Son of God (http://captainkudzu.blogspot.com/2008/10/visions-of-isa-muslim-converts-to.html). Although missionaries have preached the Gospel to Muslims for hundreds of years, it is only in the last twenty to thirty years that Christianity has seen explosive growth in these countries.

More circumstantial is the fact that the Magog prophecy is sandwiched between prophecies of the rebirth of Israel (Ezekiel 37) and the construction of a new Jewish temple (Ezekiel 40-48). There is currently no Jewish temple because its traditional site is located on the same spot as the Dome of the Rock mosque in Jerusalem. To dismantle this mosque would touch off a holy war of worldwide proportions. If, however, the mosque faced divine destruction, the path would open for the Jews to rebuild their temple. Though Israel has controlled Jerusalem since 1967, the Temple Mount remains in Arab hands. A group of Israeli Jews, the Temple Mount Faithful, believes this will change one day soon and is prepared to start construction on a new temple in short order.

As I watched Rosenberg’s books come true in the pages of the newspaper, I made a few predictions of my own. Well before the Democratic primary was settled, I predicted that Barack Obama would become president, that the US economy would soon be in severe trouble, and that Iraq would become relatively peaceful and stable with the help of US troops, which would remain well into Obama’s presidency (http://captainkudzu.blogspot.com/2008/03/speculating-on-end-of-world-as-we-know.html). The basis for these predictions was a spiritual worldview that seemed to indicate that the stage was being set for a fulfillment of Ezekiel’s prophecy. (To be fair, I also believed that either Israel or the US would attack Iran before Obama took office. I based this prediction on an assessment of George W. Bush’s character, rather than scripture, however) (http://captainkudzu.blogspot.com/2008/08/coming-war-with-iran.html).

My predictions were based on the belief that it was possible that God was preparing for fulfillment of Ezekiel’s prophecy. Ezekiel indicates that Israel will stand alone against the coalition in order to show His power to the world (Ezekiel 38:22). The question then became one of what would prevent the United States, Israel’s most trusted ally, from either taking action in the United Nations to halt the attack or from providing military aid. The most likely answers were a shift in the US position to one that was less favorable to Israel or the possibility that the US was pre-occupied with some other problem.

In recent years, the public mood of the US has started to shift away from Israel, especially on the left. For example, news reports focus on the accidental deaths of Arab civilians while all but ignoring the terror bombings and a steady stream of rocket attacks that kill and maim Israelis, both Jewish and Muslim. This shift culminated in the election of Barack Obama, who claimed during the campaign to support Israel’s right to defend herself, but who nevertheless is rumored to have strongly pro-Arab sympathies and who is unlikely to commit more US troops to defend Israel in another Middle East war.

Additionally, the current deteriorating state of the financial system of the US and the world makes it likely that the US would be too inwardly focused to respond to a rapidly escalating crisis in Israel. The situation is similar to how the US focus on the Great Depression distracted us from the rise of Nazi Germany and Imperial Japan. With federal deficit ballooning under emergency stimulus spending, cuts in the defense budget are likely under Democratic rule. When the crisis comes, the US may have little support left to give.

An additional reason to believe that the United States has a difficult future is that we, as a nation, have been courting God’s judgment for years. The Bible says to flee from sexual immorality (I Corinthians 6:18), but in America we have embraced almost every sexual perversion imaginable from pornography to infidelity to homosexuality. Jesus said that the kingdom of heaven belongs to the little children (Matthew 19:14), yet in America we kill hundreds of thousands of unborn babies each year. In many ways, modern abortion is akin to the ancient practice of sacrificing children in the fires of pagan gods. Finally, even though statistics show that a majority of Americans believe in some sort of God, we allow a vocal minority to force the removal of nearly all aspects of Christianity and God from public life. This is tantamount to a national rejection of God.

Throughout our history, Americans have typically believed that God was instrumental in our founding and that God had a special plan for the United States. From our nation’s inception, we saw ourselves as the possessors of a manifest destiny to spread the gospels of Christ and democracy around the world. Because of our special national relationship with God, many fail to believe that God will punish our nation. Such beliefs fly in the face of history. The ancient Jews of Israel and Judah believed that since they were God’s chosen people, the nation that watched over His temple, that they were immune from God’s judgment. In the end, however, both nations were annihilated by pagan powers, Israel by the Assyrians in 720 BC and Judah by the Babylonians in 586 BC. Israel then ceased to exist as a nation until AD 1947. The Bible repeats that God is slow to anger, but also states that He is unable to ignore sin and rebellion indefinitely (Numbers 14:18). As someone once said, if God fails to judge America, He owes Sodom and Gomorra an apology.

While it is by no means certain that my theories about God’s judgment on America and the fulfillment of the Magog prophecy are accurate, many of the details seem to fit together extremely well. Coincidences do happen, but at some point, it takes more faith to believe in coincidence than in God’s divine plan coming to fruition. With prophecies and signs from all three of the world’s major religions pointing toward a worldwide upheaval, the notion of a string of coincidences becomes harder to accept. If the theory of prophetic judgment is correct, what action should we take?

First, I do believe that God is forgiving. A passage of scripture that has become popular in recent years is 2 Chronicles 7:14 which states that “if My people who are called by My name will humble themselves, and pray and seek My face, and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin and heal their land.”

This belief is supported by the story of Josiah, one of the last godly kings of Judah. During Josiah’s reign, a lost copy of the scriptures was discovered in the temple (2 Kings 22-23). When Josiah read the scripture, he learned that much of what he thought he knew was wrong. He inquired of the Lord through a prophetess and learned that destruction of his country was imminent. Josiah went about removing the pagan cults from Judah and returning his people to worship of God. In the end, Josiah was successful in staving off God’s judgment temporarily. Tragically, after Josiah’s death, Judah returned to its idolatrous and evil ways.

On an individual basis, the most important thing is to entrust your life to Jesus Christ. Whether judgment comes tonight or a thousand years from now, we all must answer for our sins. My life has not been bad by human standards. I don’t have a history of crime, drug abuse, or some other sordid past like many who testify to how Christ changed their lives. However, in God’s eyes, even little sins are punishable by death if we do not choose to accept His forgiveness.

Additionally, another change that I have made as I realized the possibility of dramatic changes to come, is to move to a church that is more interested in evangelical outreach than my former church. (Incidentally, I don’t believe that I’ve heard my pastor preach on end-time prophecies at all. Hear his sermons on your Ipod at http://peachtreecc.org/). Regardless of whether we are living in the last days or not, people in this country and around the world can benefit from a relationship with Jesus Christ. The fact is that one of the few commandments that Christians face is the Great Commission to “go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit,” given by Jesus Himself (Matthew 28:19-20). This doesn’t mean to go out and beat people over the head with a Bible. It does mean to share the Gospel and what it means to us so that they can make their own decision.

If fulfillment of Ezekiel’s prophecy does come to pass, the Russian-Iranian coalition will be destroyed as God intervenes to save Israel from certain destruction (Ezekiel 38:19-23). Following a great earthquake, fire and hailstones from heaven will destroy the attacking army. It will be apparent to the entire world that God not only exists, but is in total control. I hope that people reading this who choose not to accept Christ will remember reading this and remember that the entire event was written down almost three thousand years ago by a prophet of God.

2/27/09
Scottsdale AZ

The Star of Bethlehem

Some two thousand years ago, a group of wise men from an eastern land journeyed to the Roman province of Palestine. The men followed a star that led them to Bethlehem where they found a young child who was to be King of the Jews.

In the years since the journey of the wise men, readers of the Bible have wondered what kind of star would have led them east to Jerusalem and then stopped over the home of the young Jesus. Now, thanks to modern technology, a law professor from Texas A&M University may have found the answer.

On his website, www.bethlehemstar.net, and in a companion video, Frederick Larson details his search to find the meaning of the Christmas star. Using computer software that incorporates the mathematic equations representing Johannes Kepler’s laws of planetary motion. This software can rewind the motion of the stars and planets so that we can view the same night sky that the ancients saw.

From a close reading of Matthew chapter 2, Larson lists nine points that must be satisfied by any legitimate candidate for the Christmas star. The star signified both birth and kingship. The star symbolized the Jewish nation. The star rose in the east and appeared at a precise time, yet Herod did not know about it. The star also endured over a period long enough for the wise men to travel to Bethlehem. Finally, it was ahead of the wise men when they traveled from Jerusalem, Herod’s capitol, south to Bethlehem, and then stopped. Most theories about the Christmas star fall short in one or more of these categories.

One candidate for the star would be the planet Jupiter, which represented kings to the ancients. When Larson looked more closely at Jupiter, he found that in 3-2 BC, the King Planet began to exhibit the characteristics of the Christmas star. At that time, an earthly observer would have seen another heavenly object move so close to Jupiter that they appear as one. To astronomers, this is known as a “conjunction.”

In September 3 BC, Jupiter moved close to the star Regulus, which is known as the star of kings. The Babylonians called the star “Sharu” and the Romans called it “Rex.” Both words mean “king.” Jupiter and Regulus normally come into conjunction every twelve years, but the one in 3 BC was unusually close. This, in itself, was not unusual enough to warrant an expedition to Jerusalem.

Additionally, in the 3 BC conjunction, Jupiter exhibited what astronomers refer to as retrograde motion. This means that, because of the earth’s motion through space, Jupiter appeared to move backward in the night sky. According to Larson’s observations, Jupiter entered a conjunction with Regulus, and then went into retrograde. At this point, it reversed course again for another conjunction. Jupiter then went into retrograde again for a third conjunction with Regulus. Larson refers to this as having the “Planet of the Kings dance out a halo above the Star of Kings. A coronation.”

The symbolism of Jupiter and Regulus goes even further. In Revelation 12:1-5, John describes the birth of Jesus. The mother is clothed in the sun with the moon at her feet. In September 3 BC, the constellation that rose behind Leo was Virgo, the virgin, representing, in this case, the Virgin Mary, mother of Jesus. At the time of the first conjunction, Virgo rose, clothed in the sun. A new moon was at her feet. These symbols indicate a birth. Taken together with Regulus and Jupiter, they indicate the birth of a king.

Jupiter’s conjunction with Regulus also provided a link to the Jews. Larson discovered that Jupiter’s triple conjunction occurred within the constellation Leo, the lion. The lion is the symbol of the Jewish tribe of Judah. Judah is also the tribe that from which the Messiah was prophesied to come (Genesis 49:9-10).

Larson takes his stargazing a step further. He reasons that if conception is the true beginning of life, then maybe there would be additional signs in the sky nine months later. To find out, he looked at the night sky of June 2 BC.

In June 2 BC, Jupiter and Venus, the Mother Planet, formed a conjunction. The two planets passed so closely to each other that they appeared as one, although in reality one sat atop the other forming an eight. The two planets formed the most brilliant “star” that man had ever seen in the night sky. A wise man from the east, such as Babylon, would have viewed this spectacle while facing Jerusalem to the east. The two planets then moved apart, as if one had given birth to the other.

Larson believes that the wise men started their journey after viewing this Jupiter – Venus conjunction. The journey from Babylon to Jerusalem would have taken several months in ancient times. If Jupiter and its consorts were truly the Christmas star, then, several months later, it would have to be in the southern sky when viewed from Jerusalem. As Larson “fast forwarded” the celestial motion, he found that in December 2 BC, if you looked south from Jerusalem, the star was there.

By this point, most of Matthew’s requirements for the star had been met. It signified birth and kingship. It was linked with the Jews through the constellation Leo. Jupiter rises in the east and the conjunctions were identifiable at precise times. Herod was unaware of these signs in the sky because they would have been noticed only by expert astronomers. The time period of the events allowed the wise men to travel to Jerusalem, and the star would have been before them as they traveled to Bethlehem.

The biggest question that remained was how Jupiter, a planet in constant motion, could stop over Bethlehem. What Larson found as he looked further astounded him. On December 25, 2 BC, Jupiter again entered retrograde. To an earthly observer in Jerusalem, it appeared to stop in the sky above Bethlehem. In a shocking coincidence, the wise men may have viewed the Christmas star over Bethlehem on the exact date of the modern Christmas celebration.

That is not the end of the story, however. Larson examined clues in the Bible to determine the exact date of Jesus’ crucifixion. All four Gospels tell that Jesus was executed on a Friday, the preparation day before the Jewish Sabbath (Matt. 27:62, Mark 15:42, Luke 23:54, John 19:14). John also tells us that it was the day before the Passover (John 13:1). The Passover begins at dark on Nisan 14. Larson looked at the Jewish calendar to see in which years during the reign of Pontius Pilate (AD 26-36) Nisan 14 fell on a Friday. It happened twice: April 7, AD 30 and April 3, AD 33.

Larson believes that the key lies with a Roman official named Aelius Sejanus. Sejanus was a regent under Tiberius Caesar. Sejanus ruled much of the Roman Empire and made many political appointments, including that of Pontius Pilate as Procurator of Judea. When Caesar discovered that Sejanus was plotting against him, Sejanus was executed on October 18, AD 31.

Larson notes that early in Pilate’s career, he had dealt harshly with the Jews. Historians of the day write that he placed images of Caesar in the Jewish Temple as well as killing Jewish worshipers (Luke 13:1). Something happened to change his attitude to one of conciliation with Jewish leaders who wanted him to have Jesus killed. Larson believes that after Sejanus’ death, Pilate began to fear for his life as Caesar ordered the execution of many of Sejanus’ appointees. At the same time, Caesar also issued a directive countermanding Sejanus’ anti-Semitic orders. The statement of the Jews in John 19:12 that sparing Jesus’ life would mean that Pilate was “no friend of Caesar” is life-threatening in this context.

In Daniel 9:25, an angel told Daniel that the Messiah would be cut off after “seven weeks and sixty-two sevens.” The “sevens” are seven-year periods, which render a total of 483 years. The timeline begins with the command to rebuild Jerusalem. Nehemiah received this order in the twentieth year of Artaxerxes, 444 BC on the modern calendar. When we apply conversions to account for differences in old and new calendars, the year the Messiah is cut off is revealed to be AD 33. Thus, Larson believes that Jesus’ crucifixion can be conclusively dated to April 3, AD 33.

Larson then goes to Pentecost, shortly after Jesus’ death and resurrection. First Peter quotes the prophet Joel (Acts 2:17-21) speaking of “wonders in heaven… blood and fire and billows of smoke” and the moon turning to “blood.” Then Peter says that the people present know themselves of these things, as if they have already come to pass.

When Larson looked at the sky of April 3, AD 33, he found a blood moon. The term “blood moon’ means a lunar eclipse. The moon is in the shadow of the Earth and receives no direct sunlight, causing it to appear a dull red. According to Larson’s research, the only lunar eclipse viewed from Jerusalem on a Passover during Pilate’s reign occurred on April 3, AD 33.

Mark wrote that Jesus was crucified at the third hour (Mark 15:25). At that time, the clock started at 6 am. The third hour would have been 9 am on our clock. Matthew 27:46 tells us that Jesus died at the ninth hour, 3 pm. During the six hours that He suffered on the cross, the sky turned black for three hours, there was an earthquake, the Temple veil was torn, tombs were opened and people rose from the dead (Matt. 27:45-54). As the moon rose, it turned to blood around 3 pm (below the horizon and invisible to people in Jerusalem), the precise time that Jesus died. Larson says, “the moon had returned to the foot of the virgin. But now it was a full moon. A life fully lived, blotted out in blood.”

Larson’s discovery shows the intricate detail of God’s handiwork. He set the stars and planets in motion in the very first verse of the Bible. These celestial bodies moved with mathematic precision for thousands of years. Their appointed journeys through the sky record the celebration of the heavens at the conception and birth of Jesus, then weep at His death on the cross. As you celebrate the birth of Christ this year, remember that the God who set the stars in motion, the same God who sent Jesus to take our place, still sits on the throne of Heaven. The God who is capable of such a masterpiece is certainly deserving of our trust and worship.

For a limited time, copies of the DVD version of The Star of Bethlehem are available without charge at http://atlaspiers.com/dvd/index.html
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Merry Christmas!

Source:
www.bethlehemstar.net