The Magi Visit the Messiah
After Jesus was born in Bethlehem in Judea, during the time of King Herod, Magi from the east came to Jerusalem and asked, “Where is the one who has been born king of the Jews? We saw his star when it rose and have come to worship him.”
When King Herod heard this he was disturbed, and all Jerusalem with him. When he had called together all the people’s chief priests and teachers of the law, he asked them where the Messiah was to be born. “In Bethlehem in Judea,” they replied, “for this is what the prophet has written:
“‘But you, Bethlehem, in the land of Judah, are by no means least among the rulers of Judah; for out of you will come a ruler who will shepherd my people Israel.’”
Then Herod called the Magi secretly and found out from them the exact time the star had appeared. He sent them to Bethlehem and said, “Go and search carefully for the child. As soon as you find him, report to me, so that I too may go and worship him.”
After they had heard the king, they went on their way, and the star they had seen when it rose went ahead of them until it stopped over the place where the child was. When they saw the star, they were overjoyed. On coming to the house, they saw the child with his mother Mary, and they bowed down and worshiped him. Then they opened their treasures and presented him with gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh. And having been warned in a dream not to go back to Herod, they returned to their country by another route.
The Escape to Egypt
When they had gone, an angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream. “Get up,” he
said, “take the child and his mother and escape to Egypt. Stay there until I tell you, for Herod is going to search for the child to kill him.”
So he got up, took the child and his mother during the night and left for Egypt, where he stayed until the death of Herod. And so was fulfilled what the Lord had said through the prophet: “Out of Egypt I called my son.” Matthew 2:1-15 (NIV)
FOUNDER’S MESSAGE:
Last week, since we had entered the Christmas and Hanukkah seasons, our focus shifted away from some little-known history revealing relationships between American Indians and European descendants who settled in North America. Last week we began to dig a bit deeper into the stories of Jesus’ birth – specifically the reality of the Magi. Indeed, we focused on who the Magi were as historical figures, but especially we focused on the faith of the Magi. And again today, we will focus on the faith of the Magi – to follow the star.
As mentioned last week, “when Heavenly Father sent His son upon the Earth, humanity was much worse off than it is today. It is the reason why He sent His son – to fix the problems His rebellious children created, to save us from ourselves. Of course, this is an oversimplification, but it is essentially the truth.” When the Magi traveled, they were following the holy scriptures available to them in hopes of assisting with the development of the kingdom of the prophesied King of Kings. However, because the government of America was not created as a monarchy, those seeking His Kingdom are a bit thrown off by the difference in the forms of a monarchy and a republic. The founders saw the evil that could be engendered all forms of government, but decided that a republic would be the best form of government they could come up with then.
But, what of God’s Kingdom Jesus spoke of at the time of his advent? The Magi had the faith to follow the star to the land of the Hebrews under the occupation of the Romans. Their mission was not just a religious endeavor, no matter how much people would prefer to believe it. Their mission was not completed after they delivered the royal gifts to the infant Jesus. But, that is lost in the cobwebs of history. We can mainly dig out what has been left covered over by those dusty cobwebs. The appearance of the star and the faith to follow it is an incredible reality in itself. So,
for contemporary Christians, there are questions to consider as we prepare for the holidays. I do ask some of these questions in my message today.
I offer an article entitled: “Christmas and Faith to Follow a Star to the Glory of Christ.” Again, I
offer a renewed older message I wrote about the Magi who followed the mysterious “star” to travel a great distance to worship the new king of kings.
The second message we offer is from Dr. Robert Owens, who is not a stranger to the Citizen Sentinels Network. His message is entitled: “Does God Speak to You?” It is an excerpt from one of his books. In addition to his book, Faith, from which this message is taken, Dr. Owens has a number of other books he has written. The question the article raises is very relevant – mainly with regard to the points I’ve raised in my message. We hope Christians and people of faith can take the questions to heart and consider them very carefully with the intent to not only increase faith, but to follow and to fulfill God’s Will.
We have mentioned in several past editions that the LightWing Messages have gone live, and we are happy that our Zoom calls are proceeding according to plan each Wednesday evening.
If readers are interested in receiving the Zoom link to the call, please send a brief email request to this address: d.jamzon@gmail.com We are leaving it up to you, if you would like to discuss today’s main message more fully and learn more readily how to apply the message to real life.
These words are being freely offered to you and are intended to shine light unto our paths, as it was written: “Where there is no vision, the people perish: but he that keepeth the law, happy is he.” Proverbs 29:18 - KJV
As always, we hope our readers would consider all the messages in this edition relevant or meaningful, and if readers know others who might value them as well, please consider being one of our official LightWing messengers and pass this newsletter on to those whom you feel would be able to welcome it. Or simply, please receive it yourselves. May God bless all of our readers and all of their loved ones. May God bless America!
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May we humble ourselves, seek His face, repent, and turn from wickedness - even if that may mean to truly seek the face of the Christ, to receive his words as if he were speaking them directly to each of us, to learn his heart from his guidance to us, and to transform our lives in the way he would want us to seek His Kingdom and His righteousness.
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Christmas and Faith to Follow a Star to the Glory of Christ
By Dennis Jamison
updated from 12/23/2018
And they were saying, “Where is The King of the Judaeans who has been born?” For we have seen his star in The East and we have come to worship him. Matthew 2:2
Each year at Christmas millions of Christians in America celebrate the birth of Jesus, the savior to the Hebrew people. However, to many Americans, material gifts have now seemingly become more important than paying respect or making an offering to Christ. It is almost as if the material gifts have taken the place of one’s faith in following Jesus’ guidance as an adult. In essence it is the inversion of the obsession with material objects over spiritual values. It is an astonishing reversal of the original intent or value of the holiday.
Yet, while many of the traditions surrounding the Christmas holiday have given way to more material aspects of the celebration, and many doubts about the historical Jesus have begun to taint the holiday for some Christians, Christmas remains a special time of year for millions of good Christians. Despite all the detractions, in this season it becomes much easier to believe. Many Christians still find this holiday time a miraculous time of the year regardless of the toxic world around them.
One of the miracles at the intersection of faith and reality is the “Christmas Star.” Many theories exist regarding the Star of Bethlehem, yet it still captivates the attention of many believers as well as non-believers. Moreover, despite the disbelief of the non-religious, astronomers have
calculated how such an event might have occurred. The possibilities provide a framework of logic to what many skeptics have debunked in recent times.
To Christians, the “Christmas Star,” or the Star of Bethlehem, is a most significant part of the events surrounding Jesus’ birth. The light from the star in the heavens provided the ancient navigational guidance system – a GPS – the Magi needed to complete their journey. The star guided these most prestigious guests to where they would meet the most prestigious infant. Without the star, would such a meeting have even been possible?
An Historical Heavenly Event
The book of Numbers in the Old Testament foretold the coming of a star that would precede the arrival of a great leader of the people of Israel. Balaam, an ancient prophet of Mesopotamia also spoke of the prophecy of Christ. The prophecy also appears in the Dead Sea Scrolls. However, it must be remembered that 2,000 years ago people on earth saw anything in the night sky as a star, except for the moon. There was no study of astronomy as we know it today - no telescopes existed in that time. Thus, there was no knowledge of planets. Nevertheless, history shows that stargazing and recording star movements existed as a form of study in many parts of the world.
Some accounts of the Magi’s journey credit them as studying celestial bodies from the ancient Institute of Astrology at Sippar near Babylonia. Many ancient peoples recorded the astronomical events of their day. The Chinese were adept at cataloging celestial phenomena. Such historical records of celestial events provide evidence that verifies current astronomical data. All of this provides a better understanding of the “Christmas Star.”
Scientific Possibilities of the Star
To follow that star, the Magi would have had to see it stand out from a background of stars in the night sky. It also would have to have been visible for at least the duration of the Magis’ journey or approximately six to eight weeks.
Astronomers have ruled out ordinary stars, as well as meteors and comets. While providing spectacular light shows, meteors are a brief flash, not the constant light of the Wise Men’s star. Comets emit a show as they move across the night sky. However, historical records reveal sightings of only two comets, both appearing many years before Jesus’ birth.
Also ruled out are novae (brightening stars) or supernovae because no historical records indicate such occurrences at the time. However, in considering the possibility of planets or groupings of planets called conjunctions, astronomers have come closer to identifying significant astronomical events that fit with the Bible story.
Conjunctions of Planets
Historical records and contemporary computer simulations like those of Australian astronomer,
Dave Reneke, have identified an unprecedented series of planetary conjunctions during the years of 3 B.C and 2 B.C. Reneke’s sky-mapping software program is able to simulate planetary movements from 2,000 years ago.
From August 1st in 3 B.C., Jupiter rose in the eastern sky at sunrise; and, after twelve days, Venus and Jupiter stood together in the rays of the morning sun. On September 14th, and in 2 B.C., on February 17th and May 8th, Jupiter was very close to Regulus, one of the brightest stars in our solar system.
An Unusual “Star”
However, the most dramatic event was when the two brightest planets, Jupiter and Venus, appeared to collide on June 17th in 2 B.C. Coming so close together, they would appear as one spectacular light in the night sky.
Then, on August 27th, there was the grand conjunction of planets with Jupiter and Mars very close together and Venus and Mercury being very close in the eastern sky at dawn.
Later, Jupiter moved westward. The Magi followed. After six weeks, they would have seen Jupiter in the pre-dawn sky on the Meridian due south of Jerusalem appearing directly over Bethlehem just above the southern horizon.
Reaching its farthest western point in its orbit around the sun, it would have appeared to stop and stay above Bethlem in continuing its orbit around the other side of the sun.
Science today can be utilized to look into the past in many ways, and contemporary astronomers can view such dramatic events fitting the biblical account in Matthew.
The Faith to Follow the Star
It should be further noted, however, that 2,000 years ago, faith dominated science. There were religious people who utilized prophecies of their day, and these prophecies would increase their faith in a celestial event having great meaning. Thus, the faith of the Magi sparked their historic journey to seek out the newborn “King of Kings” and bring precious gifts to this infant born in a foreign land.
It should be noted that as incredible as the appearance of the Christmas Star was, the Magis’ journey of faith is no less significant. They had the faith and acted on that faith to travel across enemy territory into a foreign land to worship an unproclaimed and untested king.
The biblical account in Matthew, however, is not only a story of what was; it is also a story of what can be. It is a story to challenge the faith of Christians today. Do Christians today have faith, such as the Magi, that would be essential to follow God’s guidance to find Christ? Do we have such deep faith that the light we follow along our shadowed paths will lead us to Christ? Moreover, what then? If we encounter Christ on our journey, like Saul being blinded by the light of Christ, will our faith begin to ignite within us to do what Jesus asked of us? Or has the light of the star gone out for American Christians? And even if we encounter Christ on our journey, like Saul being blinded by the light of Christ, will our faith ignite enough to completely transform us?
If such strong faith is once ignited within us, will we seek His Kingdom and His righteousness more than we seek to remain in our comfort zones, or retain material well-being or prosperity? The same choice was offered to the people at the time of Jesus’ birth. It has always been the choice God has set before us. It has always been to choose to follow the Light and choose Life that we may Live, or to let the Light grow dim around us as it grows dim within us. It has always been our choice…
Faith isn’t doing only what we can do on our own. Faith is doing what God calls us to do even when we know we can’t. Let’s step out of the boat and feel the waves beneath our feet
Does God Speak to You?
By Dr. Robert R. Owens ——Bio and Archives--December 17, 2022
Whenever people ask me this question, “Do you mean God speaks to you?” I answer it with another, “Do you mean God doesn’t speak to you?”
You can officially mark me down as a crazy person or whatever you like. I don’t care. But I initially turned from the world to face God because I heard a voice answer my silent plea, the plea of a lost and lonely sinner about to give up on life, “I’ve got to try something.”
What I heard was a voice as real as any I’ve ever heard say right in my ear, “Why don’t you try God.”
As a militant atheist I turned to confront whoever it was that dared to say some invisible make-believe spirit might be the answer to my aching heart. There was no one there. At least there was no one there that I could see or find. After an exhaustive search that turned up no one I started searching for who might have been there that I couldn’t see. It was a search that eventually led me through the Gospels to Jesus. It was a search that led me from a dead-end life to a life filled with hope.
I said all that to say all this:
Have you ever felt God leading you to do something? It probably won’t be an audible voice. I am convinced that God only uses an audible voice for either the extremely hard-hearted/hard-headed or to comfort the extremely hard pressed. Instead, he leads us through our spirit which is linked to Him through His Spirit which lives in us as born-again believers.
If you aren’t one of those it’s easy. Just Jesus as Lord or leader of your life and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead…and that’s it. Done and done.
So here we are children of God through adoption, made right with Him, spiritually standing in Daddy’s throne room, minding our own business and His Spirit leads us to do something: something that doesn’t seem like something we would want to do on your own……. say He leads us to spend everything we have to buy Bibles to give to homeless people.
What should we do?
I’m talking about spending way more money than our natural head says we can afford. It just doesn’t make sense when we look at our budget through natural eyes. And the wisdom of the world tells us, “Come on most of the homeless you give a Bible will either lose it or throw it away.” Or, “Come on they’ll only listen to you witness about what Christ has done for you and accept the Bible so they can get a handout or something.”
But there it is again, an urging, a leading to do this thing that makes no sense. It itches at our hearts. It won’t leave. We feel our spirit saying, “If I don’t do this, I’ll miss an opportunity to do what I’m supposed to do,” while our head says, “Are you crazy you can’t afford to do that!”
Over and over our heads, filled with natural sense knowledge, keep shouting, “If I spend all that money just to give it away, I won’t have it for what I need.” Or the ever ready, “Can’t someone else, do it? Like someone who has more money.”
God isn’t looking for ability He’s looking for availability. If He can make donkeys speak and use murderers to being people back to life, turn water into wine, and save sinners like us He can surely provide for all our needs. When we say we can’t do what God calls us to do we are saying that our inability is greater than God’s ability.
If we want to see the miracles of God, we need to follow Him into uncharted water. We need to do what He calls us to do because where God guides God provides. Walking in faith always sensitive to what He calls us to do and then following Him in the doing … that’s the way to see the miracles of God.
Faith isn’t doing only what we can do on our own. Faith is doing what God calls us to do even when we know we can’t. Let’s step out of the boat and feel the waves beneath our feet.
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(This is an excerpt from the book Faith by Dr. Robert Owens. This and all his books are available from Amazon in paperback or kindle at Amazon.)
Dr. Owens has taught History, Political Science, Global Studies, and Religion. He is the Historian of the Future @
http://drrobertowens.com
© 2020 Contact Dr. Owens drrobertowens@hotmail.com Follow Dr. Robert Owens on
https://drrobertowens.com/
/ Edited by Dr. Rosalie Owens.
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Onward and Upward!
From Enya: O Come, O Come, Emmanuel (Lyric Video) - 11/27/2020 (winter theme)
From Jonathan Cahn:The Radical Descent Of Heaven (Holiday Message) | Jonathan Cahn Sermon – 12/14/2022
From Elevation Ballantyne - Elevation Worship: The Blessing with Kari Jobe & Cody Carnes - Live - 3/6/20
From Mario Murillo Prophetic Word: IT'S TIME FOR GOD'S POWER TO BE RESTORED ⚡– 12/16/2022
From Michael W. Smith: Way Maker by Michael W. Smith - 11/29/19
From World Outreach Church: Time for a Break Through | Pastor Allen Jackson – 12/14/2022
From CMA Awards 2020: Thomas Rhett, Reba McEntire & Chris Tomlin - "Be a Light" - 11/12/20
From Elijah Streams: Prophets and Patriots - Episode 47 with Gen. Flynn, Clay Clark, Johnny Enlow and Steve Shultz - 12/15/22
From Steeljaw Scribe - YouTube: “Once to Every Man and Nation” - 5/24/2008
From World Is Dangerous: A snow storm buried South Dakota! Footage of today's heavy snowfall and blizzard - 12/15/22
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From The American Minute with Bill Federer: "Hark! the Herald Angels Sing"-Charles Wesley; and Classic Carols:
"Joy to the World," "Messiah," "O Come, All Ye Faithful" – 12/16/2022
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Podcast - From Dutch Sheets Ministries: The Frog in the Kettle | Give Him 15 Daily Prayer with Dutch | December 15, 2022 – 12/10/2022
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Podcast - From The Lance Wallnau Show: Exposing The Radical Left’s Plan For America – 12/15/2022
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Podcast - From The Glenn Beck Show: Was Glenn’s dream actually a VISION for our future? - 11/29/22
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ICYMI > From Dinesh D’Souza: Dinesh D'Souza Lays Out The Impressive Case For God's Existence From Modern Science – 12/10/2022
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Recommended Reading…
From Kingdom Winds: The Government of Jesus Christ - Kingdom Winds - 12/4/22
From The Christian Post: Christianity: The foundation and first principles (part 1) - 12/16/22