Wise Men: Written in the Stars

As the days grow shorter and the nights grow colder, it is not a difficult thing to find oneself looking up at the stars... especially since the sun is setting here by 4:47pm. Most of us are now driving home from a day's work in the dark of night. However, instead of being led by the app on your phone, or the familiar route etched in your mind, imagine being led by a star.

The Wise Men, or the Magi, that came to give gifts to Jesus, were led entirely by a star.

As Magi, they were masters in the knowledge of reading the constellations, and were known for it. The Magi used the stars to know and understand the times and seasons of significant events. Through the stars, they could discern when a person of prominence- a ruler or a king- would be born. The birth of Jesus was quite literally, written in the stars. These Magi, these Kingmakers, came from miles and miles away - prompted by sacred knowledge passed down by one of God's own prophets hundreds of years prior - in order to recognize and witness the King of the world, led by nothing but a star. Now this might sound ridiculous at first glance, but when you gain wisdom, knowledge, and understanding on the matter, you come to realize that what has been taught as a fairytale, is actually quite profound.

If you've ever studied the stars, then you've heard of the zodiac. Let me make it clear that the zodiac is a counterfeit of a system that God initially created. God's plan for reading the stars was for men to learn HIS-story through a biblical lens, not through the demonic mystical counterfeit that is going around in the world today.

"The heavens declare the glory of God and the firmament showeth His handywork."

Psalm 19:1 (KJV)

"And God said, 'Let there be lights in the vault of the sky to separate the day from the night, and let them serve as signs to mark sacred times, and days and years.'" Genesis 1:14 (NIV, emphasis mine)

"Lift up your eyes on high: Who created all these? He leads forth the starry host by number; He calls each one by name. Because of His great power and mighty strength, not one of them is missing."

Isaiah 40:26 (Berean Standard Bible)

"He made the moon to mark the seasons, the sun knows when to set."

Psalm 104:19 (Berean Standard Bible)

"He alone stretches out the heavens and treads on the waves of the sea. He is the Maker of the Bear and Orion, of the Pleiades and the constellations of the south."

Job 9:9 (NIV)

Because people lack the knowledge that it is God who ordered the sun, the moon, and the stars in place for His purposes and to glorify His Son Jesus, many have abandoned God's way for the counterfeit: the zodiac. In doing so, they base their lives around readings of the constellations that are not God's way, but the way of the kingdom of darkness. For instead of looking upon the great constellations and worshiping God, they trade the truth for a lie, and they worship the stars and the universe themselves.

"And when you look up to the sky and see the sun, the moon and the stars- all the heavenly array- do not be enticed into bowing down to them and worshiping things the LORD your God has apportioned to all the nations under heaven."

Deuteronomy 4:19 (NIV)

"They traded the truth about God for a lie. So they worshiped and served the things God created instead of the Creator Himself, who is worthy of eternal praise! Amen." Romans 1:25

The Magi, however, understood the purpose of the constellations. They did not follow the star that they might worship it, but they followed the star knowing that it would lead them to the One Whom they might worship: the King of the world, Jesus Christ.

Most know the story of the Christmas star to begin here with these Wise Men, but it actually began hundreds of years earlier with the prophet Daniel. Around 540 years before Christ's birth, Daniel was a young Israelite who was one of the many young men taken into captivity in Babylon after King Nebuchadnezzar besieged Jerusalem. The King ordered that all the best and brightest young men of Israel be brought under Babylon influence in order to learn the language of the Chaldeans.

"Then the king commanded Ashpenaz, his chief eunuch, to bring some of the people of Israel, both of the royal family and of the nobility, youths without blemish, of good appearance and skillful in all wisdom, endowed with knowledge, understanding learning, and competent to stand in the king’s palace, and to teach them the literature and language of the Chaldeans."

Daniel 1:3-4

(ESV, emphasis mine)

Daniel and his friends specifically displayed great wisdom and ability:

"And in every matter of wisdom and understanding about which the king inquired of them, he found them ten times better than all the magicians and enchanters that were in all his kingdom."

Daniel 1:20

In Matthew 2:1, it says that the Magi came "from the East" when they came to see Jesus.

"Now when Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judaea in the days of Herod the king, behold, there came wise men from the east to Jerusalem," (Matt. 2:1)

To better understand the connection between Daniel, the Chaldeans, and the Magi, the following excerpt is taken from Rick Renner's book, Christmas: The rest of the Story:

"The original biblical text says they came from the place of the rising of the sun, and in ancient history, this could refer to ancient Media, Persia, Assyria, or Babylonia. Each of these exotic lands at the time of the birth of Christ had a Magi priesthood like the one we're discussing in this chapter.

By studying ancient commentators, we find there are various opinions about the exact place the Magi came from. For example, St. Maximus and Theodotus of Ancyra suggested that the Magi came from Babylon. Clement of Alexandria and Herodotus wrote that the Magi came from Persia. St. Justin, Tertullian, and St. Epiphanius suggested that the Magi came from Arabia." (Renner, p.182-183)

Now how do these wise men relate to Daniel? The Chaldean Empire was located in Babylon, which today is the same area as Iraq. The Magi that came "from the east" came from the exact area of Babylon, which was also a part of the Persian Empire. It was around 600 B.C. when the prophet Daniel was taken to Babylon, and it is believed by most scholars that he actually became the head of all the Magi. In Daniel 2, we see the evidence of this.

"Then the king [Nebuchadnezzar] made Daniel a great man, and gave him many great gifts, and made him ruler over the whole province of Babylon, and chief of the governors over all the wise men of Babylon."

Daniel 2:48 (KJV, emphasis mine)

As head of the Magi, not only were Daniel's writings and prophecies well-known by them, but they held his wisdom with great honor and considered what he taught them to be sacred for hundreds of years.

The Magi studied Daniel's prophecies and his teachings regarding the constellations for years as they awaited the birth of the King of the world.

As ruler over the entire province of Babylon, head of the Magi, highly proficient in interpreting dreams and visions, and greatly renowned for hearing from God, Daniel left a lasting influence in Babylon for centuries. And due to his influence, the magi believed and looked for his prophecy of the coming world leader- the Messiah- that would be born. Daniel's writings and prophecies were treasured and studied by this elite group of kingmakers. And because of Daniel's prominence, mastery, and guidance to the Magi's, they held to the belief that a world leader would one day be born who would dramatically change human history!

The Wisdom of God: Written in the Stars

Just as the zodiac became the counterfeit of God's initial intention of the stars and their constellations, so too there are many other counterfeits in the world today. They disguise themselves as light, but in fact they are of darkness. Jesus warned us of that artificial light when He said,

"Be careful, then, that the light within you is not darkness."

Luke 11:35 (BSB)

This world appeals to the carnal appetite- what we can feel and what we can see- in order to draw us towards what is natural, and lure us away from what is spiritual truth. Just as many have chosen to worship the creation instead of the Creator, choosing the carnal over the spiritual, they trade the truth in for a lie. And the things of God cannot even be seen or heard or known, apart from the Spirit of God.

In this life, we may think we have all the wisdom this world can offer, but just as the Magi needed the wisdom of God from Daniel, so too do all people need the wisdom of God today. Spiritual wisdom, is true wisdom. And this wisdom is found in the Word of God.

"Among the mature, however, we speak a message of wisdom—but not the wisdom of this age or of the rulers of this age, who are coming to nothing. No, we speak of the mysterious and hidden wisdom of God, which He destined for our glory before time began. None of the rulers of this age understood it. For if they had, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory. Rather, as it is written:

“No eye has seen,

no ear has heard,

no heart has imagined,

what God has prepared for those who love Him.”

But God has revealed it to us by the Spirit.

The Spirit searches all things, even the deep things of God. For who among men knows the thoughts of man except his own spirit within him? So too, no one knows the thoughts of God except the Spirit of God. We have not received the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God, that we may understand what God has freely given us. And this is what we speak, not in words taught us by human wisdom, but in words taught by the Spirit, expressing spiritual truths in spiritual words.

The natural man does not accept the things that come from the Spirit of God. For they are foolishness to him, and he cannot understand them, because they are spiritually discerned. The spiritual man judges all things, but he himself is not subject to anyone’s judgment. “For who has known the mind of the Lord, so as to instruct Him?” But we have the mind of Christ."

1 Corinthians 2:6-16 (BSB, emphasis mine)

Everything in life stems from wisdom- financial prosperity, abundant health, whole relationships, successful parenting, and so on. But the only way to know whether the light of wisdom that you walk in is truly light, or darkness, is to know what truth truly is.

"Sanctify them through thy truth: thy Word is truth."

John 17:17 (KJV)

Jesus saith unto him, I AM the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.

John 14:6 (KJV)

The Word of God, is the Truth. Jesus Christ, is the truth.

It is why ancient Magi, who had all the wisdom that this world could offer, followed the stars, traveling hundreds of miles, to present gifts to Jesus after he was born. It is why the most elite group of kingmakers in the entire world held to the prophecies and writings of a prophet of God. They found the truth in Daniel's writings, and they found the Truth of the Word made flesh in Bethlehem.

"And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth."

John 1:14

(KJV, emphasis mine)

There is no other avenue to truth. Any wisdom apart from the WORD, is a counterfeit. Any light apart from the light of this world that is Christ Jesus, is a counterfeit. What light do you have to lead you in this life? What wisdom do you stand upon to uphold the choices you make? Is it light, or dark? Natural, or spiritual? The natural wisdom of this world cannot discern the true wisdom of God that is spiritually discerned. And satan masquerades himself as an angel of light, calling what is truly good to be evil, and what is truly evil to be good in this world.

"And no wonder, for Satan himself masquerades as an angel of light."

2 Corinthians 11:14

"Woe unto them that call evil good, and good evil; that put darkness for light, and light for darkness; that put bitter for sweet, and sweet for bitter!"

Isaiah 5:20

Even the Wise Men, men who were not brought up under the LORD, men of renowned in the wisdom of the world, with gifts and knowledge passed down for centuries, understood that the Truth was written in the stars, leading them straight to Jesus Christ. These men of wisdom and wealth, with power to make kings and take down kings, believed that Jesus was the Way, the Truth, the Life, and the King of the world.

What do you believe?

Is your wisdom carnal, or spiritual?

Do you walk in the light, or in the darkness?

Make sure that the light you think you have, is not actually darkness.