Back to Matthew would this be the only reference these eastern,
pagan astrologers and magicians would have? The Parthian empire, also called
the Arsacid empire, ruled the area of Persia and present day Iran from the
mid-200s BC to the mid-200s AD. The Parthians would have practiced a
hodge-podge of polytheistic faiths and would have been well-versed in prophecy
and historical events. When I attended the University of Georgia Hal Lindsey
presented his Late, Great Planet Earth tour discussing his
interpretation of end-times prophecy and, believe me, a lot of heathens
attended out of curiosity if not morbid fascination and uncertainty.
Astrologers and historians have been trying to pinpoint which star
the wise men would have followed, first seen in the east, but leading them.
This was not a typical star that we know of today. The star led them to Christ
is one they saw in the east. This star was unique and they knew that it was
unusual in the heavens representing this prophecy.
First, there is an error of disregarding what the Bible says about
a phenomenon and trying to make things up as you go along. Then there is the
reading modern words and definitions back into the Bible. As an example, the “great fish” of Jonah, the “whale” of Matthew
12:40 was a specially prepared fish, as whale was not used for the order of Cetacea
until after this Bible was translated. It is foolish to try to find a species
of whale that can swallow a man to justify your faith when this fish was unique
specially prepared by God.
Jonah 1:17 Now the LORD had
prepared a great fish to swallow up Jonah. And Jonah was in the belly of the
fish three days and three nights.
So, this star should be understood in the context of the
translators in English and the original authors and translators of manuscripts
in the original languages. A star in 1611 or AD100 could refer to the morning
and evening star, the brightest object, Venus, a planet, or even a comet or a
star like we only speak of today, similar in aspects to our sun, and we will
see that this star moves. This star is there to reveal something in prophecy to
these wise men, something they had been foretold of.
To repeat something important here, these pagan wise men want to
worship Him, this King of the Jews. This is politically terrifying to Herod, a
puppet of Roman domination. This underscores the political fear the Jewish
authorities and the Gentile had of Jesus being declared a king by the mob. This
prophecy, fulfilled in the future but mocked by Pontius Pilate in his act of
having a sign placed on the cross, will be a constant thread in the gospels.
Luke 23:38 And a
superscription also was written over him in letters of Greek, and Latin, and
Hebrew, THIS IS THE KING OF THE JEWS.
3 When Herod the king had
heard these things, he was troubled, and all Jerusalem with him. 4 And when he had gathered all the chief
priests and scribes of the people together, he demanded of them where Christ
should be born.
This stirred up all of Jerusalem and the contingent with these
traveling wise men could have been very great and there would be no way to keep
the city from hearing of these things. Perhaps this event was included in the
memories of Simeon and the prophetess Anna in Luke, chapter 2.
The chief priests and the scribes make known to Herod the prophecy
concerning this in the Old Testament.
Micah 5:2 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.
In verses 7 & 8 we see Herod lie and tell the wise men to
inform him of the whereabouts of the child, so that he may worship him when we
know he wants this infant king of the Jews dead. Christ is a threat to
established authority here as He will be later.
John 11:48 If we let him
thus alone, all men will believe on him: and the Romans shall come and take
away both our place and nation.
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