“…behold, there came wise men from the east to Jerusalem” are the words of Matthew 2:1. ‘Wise men’, the Bible says, not ‘three wise men’ (as taught by the Romish Church). The word, ‘behold’, idou (id-oo’): Second person singular imperative middle voice of (eidō [i’-do] ‘an experiencial knowledge’) is used as imperative ‘lo!, see,’ This verbal word tells you to see and come to understanding or remain in abject ignorance! The next word, ‘wise men’, in Greek, is: magos (mag’-os): Of foreign origin; ‘a Magian, that is, Oriental scientist; by implication a magician’. They were, by this definition, Gentile idol worshippers.

‘East’ typifies the direction of sunlight, hence, knowledge. Jerusalem means ‘foundation of peace’. What understanding are we being led to acquire? What is the significance of the long, arduous journey embarked by the Magi? Is their oriental location a prognostication? Jerusalem got its name from the dual hills of it; what does its involvement in the birth signify?

Long before Jesus was born had the Magi seen the sign in the spiritual realm, of a One to be the King of the Jews. How were they able to apprehend this fact? God put it there. They chose to believe what they saw, becoming the first Gentile believers. They came from a journey quite likely to take a whole two years of travelling. Wise people, only the wise, seek Jesus. They sought, that they might find. The tribe that produced the Incarnation went into a deep spiritual sleep of ignorance (quite so unimaginable)! Was it not they, Jews, who told the Gentiles where to find the Baby Messiah and later delivered Him up to be sentenced to the crucifixion: the crime of which He was guiltless?

The east is of the rising of the sun. The sun shines its rays only on the part of the earth that faces it (salvation of Jesus is only for its seekers). The effulgence of the sun’s rays issues life, and with life comes knowledge. The Book of Isaiah, chapter 14 verse 12 reads, “How art thou fallen from heaven, O Lucifer, son of the morning! how art thou cut down to the ground, which didst weaken the nations!” The word of God contradicts Theosophical teaching which says that Christ and Lucifer were brothers. Lucifer, in Isaiah is described as ‘son’ which in Hebrew is ben (bane): ‘a son (as a builder of the family name), in the widest sense (of literal and figurative relationship.’ If he is a son: of the morning, then who is the morning?

The answer is in Revelation 22:16, “I Jesus have sent mine angel to testify unto you these things in the churches. I am the root and the offspring of David, and the bright and morning star”. Lucifer is a son of God, being a created angel. Jesus, as the Morning Star, is the true Light and Creator (Father) of Lucifer. Lucifer, the first intelligent created being, sinned and contaminated God’s creation, living us with little wonder why another first born, Cain, will disobey the Creator. Jesus is the original Giver of light, life and knowledge.

By the time of His incarnation, Satan had lived to the expected heinous theft (contamination) of human souls; wanton carnage of human life and an absolute hellish bound ruination of humanity (John 10:10). To Jerusalem they went in search of the Prince of peace. At Jerusalem, then a replica of humanly acquired knowledge, was the Lord not found for His peace passeth all understanding. The Book, His Word and communication to mankind must be consulted, and never that of the shenanigan calculation of cultic sorcery, lest their grave quest should fail.

The Book was opened, for it must be opened for any meaningful development, and in Matthew 2:5, “…they said unto him, In Bethlehem of Judaea: for thus it is written by the prophet”, as the 6th verse concludes with, “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”. God’s mouthpiece of this verse is Micah. “But thou, Bethlehem Ephratah, though thou be little among the thousands of Judah, yet out of thee shall he come forth unto me that is to be ruler in Israel; whose goings forth have been from of old, from everlasting” [Micah 5:2].

Bethlehem is made of two words: bayith (bah’-yith): ‘a house’ and lechem (lekh’-em): ‘food i.e. bread or meat’. At Christmas, God’s gift, Jesus Christ, contained the blood and, of course, the bread. The blood is an absolutory element of divine amnesty [Matthew 26:28, “For this is my blood of the new testament, which is shed for many for the remission of sins” (confer Acts 2:38, 10:43; Romans 3:25; Hebrews 9:22 & 10:18)] and the bread which is the life changing word of God, the meat we are fed to spiritual maturity and specifically, His flesh, torn apart to effect our access to the thrice holy Father, “By a new and living way, which he hath consecrated for us, through the veil, that is to say, his flesh” [Hebrews 10:20] confer Romans 5:2; Ephesians 2:18 & 3:12.

And on the day of His birth, when in Matthew 2:11 they saw the Babe of Bethlehem, and they reasoned without any shred of doubt, the wise men agreed, “It’s Christmas” and “…they saw the young child……fell down, and worshipped him”. ‘Worshipped’ in Greek is proskuneō (pros-koo-neh’-o): ‘to fawn or crouch to, that is, (literally or figuratively) prostrate oneself in homage (do reverence to, adore)’. ‘Proskuneō’, as it is seen of the wise men was not a civil homage, it is a religious adoration.

At Christmas, in acknowledgement of the holy Babe, in Matthew 2:11, “when they had opened their treasures, they presented unto him gifts; gold, and frankincense, and myrrh.” Gold: signifying that He is the soon coming King. Frankincense adumbrates His Priestly office while the myrrh foretells His burial (the interment of our sins).

Christmas tells me that Jesus is the Governor of the nations, the King of all kings, the last Adam who came to quicken the lives of the redeemed. He will remove the enslavement of mankind by the evil rule of the Antichrist. His eternal Priesthood ensures our perpetual guiltless stand before the throne of God. The same priesthood makes us holy priests forever before Him who was, is and is to come. At Christmas I am reminded that the Ancient of days who became the Baby of days did die and that His burial took all my sins into the grave, exonerating me from eternal damnation. It is for this reason we read, “When they saw the star, they rejoiced with exceeding great joy” of Matthew 2:10. The wise men needed not journey any further. They had not only heard, they had seen the truth. Rest. The Bible says that, “they departed into their own country another way” because Christmas had solved the knottiest of all problematical issues: the sin question. Amen!

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