The Mystery of the Magi still baffles us today

Christian author and scholar Hal Lindsey https://www.hallindsey.com is a well known and trusted name in the prophecy teaching circuit since the 1960s. Best know for his 1976 book https://archive.org/details/TheLateGreatPlanetEarthByHalLindsey/mode/2up and movie https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-d13lRVuEDE “The Late, Great Planet Earth” narrated by Orson Wells, he is sought after for his instruction in helping people understand the future. In a recent episode of his weekly show https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kB_TlmzPeSY, he discusses the Magi and who they may have been. The Magi, first revealed in the Book of Daniel (2:2) as Chaldeans were mystical, noble astronomers outside of the Jewish faith. They understood the prophet Micah’s (5:2) foretelling of the birth of Jesus in Bethlehem via a star as it was written by Moses in the Book of Numbers 24:17. 

The Israelites were captured by King Nebuchadnezzar II in 605 BC and stayed in Babylon until released by King Cyrus around 539 BC. During that time, Judaic prophet Daniel was appointed the Chief Magician and Prime Minister of Babylon under 5 different monarchies. He oversaw the magicians, astrologers, sorcerers, Chaldeans and learned a great deal about their culture. Similarly, the Babylonians discovered much about the Jewish teachings and were able to preserve this well before the Hebrews returned home. Daniel never went back with his people and died in Babylon, but his legacy lasted right up to the time of Jesus’s birth.

It’s somewhat amazing that the pagan Magi were the ones who used this knowledge to show the world where the messiah would be born. Then ruler Herod, King of the Jews, did not know where this would happen. However, even up to this day, we have no names or faces as to who exactly or how many of Magi were involved. Many heroes in history are nameless and faceless yet the impact they had in the past irreversibly changed the future forever. 

At 92 years old, Lindsey is busier than ever, and his predictive messages of the Scriptures have been consistent all his career. While millions know who he is, he has a lot in common with the Magi regarding making a difference in the future. Studying the prophecies has changed billions of lives on Earth throughout history regardless of one’s background. Is it your turn to learn like the Chaldeans did 2,500 years ago? Remember, God doesn’t call the qualified but rather qualifies the called. The future just doesn’t happen, but it “meant” to happen. May you and your family be richly blessed this Christmas, for 2022 and beyond——THE BEST IS YET TO COME!

Sky watch for the next month:  Download this month’s sky free chart at http://whatsouttonight.com/Resources/2021DecSkyWOT.pdf 

1. Bright Venus conjunction with thin crescent Moon- Monday, December 06th at dusk look SSW before 16:30 and watch these set into the horizon after sunset.

2. Crescent Moon between Jupiter & Saturn- Wednesday, December 08th at dusk look South at sunset and watch this trio set into the night sky.

3. Geminid & Ursid Meteor Shower– We have two mild meteor showers this month, the Geminid peaks Tuesday, December 13-14th just after midnight on near full Moon night in the constellation of Gemini. The Ursid shower peaks Wednesday, December 21-22nd morning before sunrise when earth moves through the center of the dust trail left behind by comet 8P/Tuttle on a 4-day old waxing Moon. For more on all meteor showers next year check out the International Meteor Organization at http://www.imo.net/calendar/2022.

4. Winter Solstice Arrives- Tuesday, December 21st is officially the shortest day of the year at 08:59 am with 8 hours, 07 minutes, and 16 seconds of daylight. This occurs when the sun reaches its most southerly declination of -23.5 degrees and likewise the North Pole is tilted 23.5 degrees away from the sun. Depending on the Gregorian calendar, the December solstice occurs annually on a day between December 20 and December 23. On this date, all places above a latitude of 66.5 degrees north are now in darkness, while locations below a latitude of 66.5 degrees south receive 24 hours of daylight.

Merry Christmas and Thanks for Tuning in all Year!

Neel Roberts is a local astronomer in Southern Alberta and welcomes your comment at Neel_Roberts@ptccanada.com, Tel: (403) 560-6574. Check out his work at http://www.ptccanada.com. 

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