Why Did the Wisemen Recognize the Bethlehem Star?

Daniel Was the Leader of the Babylonian Wisemen...

One of the most inspiring Bible heroes is Daniel. A young prince of Israel, he was taken into Babylonian captivity in what was likely his teenage years. But no matter the pressure, no matter the pagan environment, Daniel was faithful to Yahweh. Babylon didn't transform him. Rather God used him to transform Babylon! 

But one thing that typically goes unnoticed about the amazing story of Daniel is that he also must have been a skilled Biblical Astronomer. How can I prove this? Well, let's look at his story in the Bible...

According to Daniel chapter 2, the king of Babylon - Nebuchadnezzar - dreamed a prophetic dream of a great image. But when he awoke, sensing the importance of the dream and the urgency of rightly interpreting it, the king was frustrated. He couldn't even remember the dream! 

Not to worry, the king had wisemen and astrologers to call upon who he believed could interpret dreams...  But it didn't go according to the king's plan. In fact, he became very disenchanted with his wisemen when he found that they couldn't help him after all. They promised to help him by interpreting the dream, if only the king would tell them what he had dreamed. 

Daniel 2:7 "Let the king tell his servants the dream, and we will shew the interpretation of it." 

Annoyed, and increasingly convinced that his supposed "wisemen" weren't very wise at all, the king ordered them to prove they could rightly interpret his dream by first telling him what he had dreamed. 

Daniel 2:9  "But if ye will not make known unto me the dream, there is but one decree for you: for ye have prepared lying and corrupt words to speak before me, till the time be changed: therefore tell me the dream, and I shall know that ye can shew me the interpretation thereof."

Sensing the king's darkening mood and fearing for their lives, the "wisemen" justified their inability to tell the king what he had dreamed by saying that it was humanly impossible to do so. How could a reasonable king expect such a thing of them? They suggested that the king had no right to ask them to both tell him what he had dreamed and interpret the dream.

Daniel 2:10-11  "The Chaldeans answered before the king, and said, There is not a man upon the earth that can shew the king's matter: therefore there is no king, lord, nor ruler, that asked such things at any magician, or astrologer, or Chaldean. And it is a rare thing that the king requireth, and there is none other that can shew it before the king, except the gods, whose dwelling is not with flesh.  

In a rage and believing that he had been duped by wisemen who obviously... weren't, the king ordered that all the wisemen in Babylon were to be slain (Daniel 2:12-13). 

Scripture doesn't tell us where Daniel was at this point in the story. We know that he was counted among the wisemen of Babylon, because when the king's guards came to slay the wisemen, Daniel and his friends were on the list for execution. Somehow, Daniel had not been called to interpret the king's dream with the other wisemen. In fact, he didn't even know anything about it, until the king's guards came to kill him, but kindly filled him in first! 

Quickly Daniel sought audience with king Nebuchadnezzar. He must have been praying and Yahweh must have been with him, for when he asked for more time from the king, Nebuchadnezzar granted Daniel a short stay of execution. Now Daniel could pray for God to show him what the king had dreamed.

That night, God gave Daniel the same dream He had first given to Nebuchadnezzar. Daniel not only the saw the great image, but God showed him that each section of the statue represented a different kingdom which would rule the world from Babylon to the end of the world. 

The next day, Daniel went before Nebuchadnezzar, and humbly - rightfully giving  Yahweh all the glory and credit - Daniel told the king his dream and gave the interpretation of it.

Daniel's interpretation of the dream resonated in Nebuchadnezzar's being. He remembered his disturbing and forgotten dream. And he knew that the interpretation was absolutely right. The king was so impressed, and so certain that Daniel's God was the Almighty, that he made Daniel the head of all of Babylon's wisemen.

Daniel 2:46-48  "Then the king Nebuchadnezzar fell upon his face, and worshipped Daniel, and commanded that they should offer an oblation and sweet odours unto him. The king answered unto Daniel, and said, Of a truth it is, that your God is a God of gods, and a Lord of kings, and a revealer of secrets, seeing thou couldest reveal this secret. Then the king 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."

At this point, Daniel was no longer just a wiseman, he was the leader of all the wisemen. Historical information tells us that this position meant that it was Daniel's job to educate and instruct the wisemen. It was his duty to impart wisdom to them - not just for the day - but the wisdom of the ages. And it was because Daniel had the wisdom given from God that he was able to amply succeed in this important role. 

Now, at the time of Daniel, only some parts of the Bible existed. He would have had access to the writings of Moses (Genesis-Deuteronomy). And within the Torah (writings of Moses) was a star-prophecy - the "Bethlehem star" prophecy. And from the following evidence, we can find that Daniel not only knew this star prophecy, but he imparted that astronomy knowledge to the Babylonian order of wisemen some 500 years before it would appear in the sky - along with the meaning of the future star event!

As we will see, along with Joseph, Moses, Adam, Seth, Job, and Enoch... (and as was standard for the people of God) Daniel was a Biblical Astronomer, who schooled his underling magi (wisemen) in discerning God's sky-speech in the Mazzaroth! 

But to show this, let's look at the astronomy event which announced Christ's birth, commonly called "the Bethlehem star". Much mythology has come to be tacked on to the story of Messiah's birth. And the idea that the star which announced His Advent was a band of shining angels is part of the myth. Yes, the angels sang to announce Yahshua's Birth...  But the star was an astronomy event - something which only a trained astronomy eye would observe. This is evident from the fact that king Herod didn't notice the star event until the wisemen told him about it and explained its meaning to him. 

Had the star been created by shining angels or any other extraordinary thing, outside the sphere of astronomy, even a sky-novice like king Herod would have noticed it on his own.

Matthew 2:1 tells us that the Bethlehem Star appeared around the time Yahshua was born in Bethlehem in Judea, during the time of King Herod.

Herod died in 1 BC, as the best evidence indicates, so we should look at the years 2 and 3 BC.

The Backstory of the Magi, who sighted His Star from the east... 

Matthew 2:1 also tells us that Magi from the east saw it and came to Jerusalem.

According to historical records, at the time of Christ's Birth, there were magi (wisemen) of various schools from many locations, and some were more respected than others.  But from Herod’s reaction to these Magi (in granting them immediate audience and taking their words seriously) we can see they were respected.

Actually, the wisemen who came to worship the Christ Child were from the same school of magi to which Daniel had once belonged. These Magi were well-respected, king-makers. When they traveled, historical records show that they usually had a whole camel train of servants and valuables. They also typically had warriors with them to protect them and their valuables in their travels. It is more likely that the wisemen who came to see Messiah were traveling with a large caravan. They got attention, not because they were proud and haughty, but because they were well-known, deeply respected, and especially known for their understanding of prophecy and astronomy. 

Ancient historian Philo Judaeus wrote of this group of magi as follows:

"Among the Persians there is a body of the Magi, who, investigating the works of nature (including Biblical astronomy - which is not to be confused with pagan astrology) for the purpose of becoming acquainted with the truth, do… initiate others in the divine virtues by very clear explanations."

How did the wisemen from the East know so much about the heavens - correlating them with Bible prophecy? Remember, that Daniel was a magi and it was through Him that they came to understand the Messianic star-prophecy of Jacob and to watch for the Saviour's arrival.

Daniel 2:13 "And the decree went forth that the wise men should be slain; and they sought Daniel and his fellows to be slain. 

"The Magi were... priests, descendants of the priesthood the prophet Daniel had organized in Persia some 500 years earlier. Knowing the time was at hand (for the Messiah to come) these priests had been searching the heavens for the promised Sign of His coming..." (Grace Through Faith, The Christmas Story, part 2). 

“Parthia was a powerful kingdom north and east of Israel, a remnant of the Persian Empire that had recently defeated the Roman Legions… The Magi were among Parthia's most powerful leaders. No Parthian ruler could ascend to the throne without their blessing and indeed their political influence was felt through out the Middle East.” 

“…Because of his lifetime of service at the highest levels of Babylonian and Persian governments, Daniel had become a wealthy man. Since he was most likely castrated by Nebuchadnezzar he had no heirs, and so after he formed the Magi, he left his fortune in their care to be given to the Messiah upon His birth… The Magi's gifts of Gold, Frankincense and Myrrh were Daniel's fortune, delivered to Him just in time to fund His escape from Herod's soldiers.” (ibid)

When we understand the Magi's connection with Daniel, it makes perfect sense why they were able to recognize the celestial event, which Jacob had foretold, which heralded Christ's Birth. It also makes sense why they brought such informed gifts to the Saviour. Gold is the gift to give a king (and He was King of kings). Frankincense was the gift to give to God (and He was). Myrrh was the gift to give to someone important who would die. These gifts were not only valuable, they were prescient, making it clear that the wisemen understood Messiah's Identity and Purpose.

Regulus means "the scepter". So, in Jacob's prophecy from Genesis 49, we find the lion constellation described. The star between the lion's feet is Regulus - the scepter. And this star appeared to depart from between the lion's paws when Jupiter (Tsedek) conjuncted with it. As Jupiter was in front of Regulus, the scepter star disappeared from view, exactly as Jacob foretold. This disappearance was the sign that "Shiloh" had come. And Shiloh is a Name for Christ - meaning Prince of "Peace".

Having witnessed the sky-event that Daniel had foretold, the Magi set out on their journey to find the newborn Messiah. In other words, that they not only saw the sky-event, but they understood what it signified. This information was given them through Daniel.

Yes, Daniel was another in the long line of God's people who knew and understood the Mazzaroth. Isn't it exciting to be studying and prayerfully reclaiming the long-lost heavenly knowledge that the great men of the Bible all possessed? I find it comforting, exciting, and connecting...  It connects us with the "old ways" of righteousness. And the long lost light of the heavenly sky-messages shines upon God's people today just as it did back in the time of the patriarchs and prophets.

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For more information about the Mazzaroth (God's constellation tapestry) and His Messages in the 48 original constellations, request your own copy of Shauna Manfredine's book, God's Amazing Star Secret (book trailer).

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