'After Jesus had been born at Bethlehem in Judaea during the reign of King Herod, some wise men came to Jerusalem from the east. "Where is the infant king of the Jews?" they asked. "We saw his star in the east and have come to do him homage." When King Herod heard this he was perturbed, and so was the whole of Jerusalem. He called together all the chief priests and the scribes of the people, and inquired of them where the Christ was to be born. "At Bethlehem in Judaea," they told him, "for this is what the prophet wrote: The Three Wise Men in the Manger    And you, Bethlehem, in the land of Judah, you are by no means least among the leaders of Judah, for out of you will come a leader who will shepherd my people Israel.    Then Herod summoned the wise men to see him privately. He asked them the exact date on which the star had appeared, and sent them on to Bethlehem. "Go and find out all about the child," he said, "and when you have found him, let me know, so that I too may go and do him homage." Having listened to what the king had to say, they set out. And there in front of them was the star they had seen rising: it went forward and halted over the place where the child was. The sight of the star filled them with delight, and going into the house they saw the child with his mother Mary, and falling to their knees they did him homage.'    Matthew 2: 1-11    This passage out of the second chapter of the Book of Matthew is one of the most stunning, and often quoted, endorsements of astrology in the entire Bible. It's general sense is that a star in the East spoke to the astrologers, alerting and guiding them to the birthplace of a new King. Based upon this information, they travelled many miles to a distant land to pay homage to the child.    In our sequence on the 'End Times', outlined by the Book of Daniel, it naturally follows that after the end, there should be a new beginning. Astrologically speaking, after the end of the Age of Aries, the Age of Pisces began in earnest. With this new heavenly testament came a messiah, bringing the gospel of heaven's new celestial outline. Although the historical records have long been combed for some unusual stellar event in trying to find the Star of Bethlehem, whether supernova, comet, or other occurrence, it seems that none save the astrologers took note of this portent. This implies that this was no more than a natural, nightly configuration, involving the planets and heavens we all know, and are familiar with.    If Matthew had recorded the exact date which was given Herod by the wise men, we would not now have the confusion which has risen around the timing of the birth of Jesus. The larger framework of the 'Ages' set the stage for a new epoch to begin, so the sign of the fish could make its appearance, but some inner trigger was needed to set off the larger mechanism. This is just the series of events described in the opening work of the New Testament.    Next week we will offer some tantalizing evidence which will illustrate, in clear astronomical fashion, the timing of the original Star of Bethlehem. Join us as we look at the skies in the same way that the three wise men did, using precisely what is recorded in the second chapter of Matthew. The Three Wise Men Insight on the Scriptures    "The 'astrologers from eastern parts,' hence from the neighborhood of Babylon, whose visit to King Herod after the birth of Jesus resulted in the slaughter of all the male infants in Bethlehem, were obviously not servants or worshipers of the true God. As to the 'star' seen by them, many suggestions have been given as to its having been a comet, a meteor, a supernova, or, more popularly, a conjunction of planets. None of such bodies could logically have 'come to a stop above where the young child was,' thereby identifying the one house in the village of Bethlehem where the child was found. It is also notable that only these pagan astrologers 'saw' the star. Their condemned practice of astrology and the adverse results of their visit, placing in danger the life of the future Messiah, certainly allow for, and even make advisable, the consideration of their having been directed by a source adverse to God's purposes as relating to the promised Messiah." - from Watch Tower Bible, p. 1033 Translate to: Français | Deutsch | Italiano | Português | Español If you're on a Mac,  and you're NOT using Netscape,  you're missing the special font,  by way of TrueDoc Dynamic Fonts,  as seen in this CLIP: So if you like the font, and you've got the time, download