Prophetic Stars: Celestial Signs of the Messiah

When Herod heard Magi were approaching Jerusalem, Matthew’s account tells us that it threw him into a state of panic and frenzy.

While I go into more detail with Herod in my book, Christmas—The Rest of the Story, suffice to say that Herod never forgot an earlier rendezvous with the Magi in 39 BC when they supported an uprising to depose him, and he surely must have wondered, Why are Magi coming to Jerusalem? What is their agenda? What will they do to me when they get here?

Making this even more fearful for Herod was the fact that as the Magi entered the city, they could be heard announcing they had come to see a new King of the Jews. In Matthew 2:2, we read that as they entered the city, they were saying, “…Where is he that is born King of the Jews? for we have seen his star in the east, and are come to worship him.”

The word “saying” in the original text is important because the tense means that as they were carried through the streets of the city, the people in the crowds heard them saying, saying, and saying, “…Where is he that is born King of the Jews?” As the Magi rode into town with their huge caravan, soldiers, bodyguards, and animals carrying immense treasure, they prodded the mesmerized crowds, asking again, again, and again, “…Where is he that is born King of the Jews? for we have seen his star in the east, and are come to worship him.”

The Star

Notice Matthew 2:2 says that the Magi were saying, “…We have seen his star in the east….” As we have seen, Magi were experts at studying the constellations. And because of Daniel’s influential prophecies and the ability of this elite group to discover times and seasons based on Scripture that stayed with them from the time of the Jewish captivity in Babylon — the Magi believed the time for a long-awaited world leader to be born had finally come. When this amazing sign of “the star in the East” appeared in the heavens above, the Magi took it as the announcement that this event had indeed occurred.

This star has been immortalized in Christmas songs, poems, paintings, and other creative mediums over the centuries. Astronomers and historians have tried to determine exactly what star or what type of sign it was that the Magi saw in the heavens.

The German scientist, mathematician, astrologer, and natural philosopher Johannes Kepler was among the first to propose the star that the Magi saw was an alignment of Jupiter and Saturn.13 Such an alignment indeed occurred in 7 BC, and it would have produced a powerful sign in the sky.

History shows that when the alignment of Jupiter and Saturn occurred at that time, the light produced would have been so powerful that it would have been visible in far-flung parts of the Roman Empire.

Due to particular alignments of planets and stars, the Magi were able to read hidden meanings among the constellations. There was also an alignment of Jupiter, the moon, Saturn, and the sun in the constellation of Aries, which was also recorded about that time and would have also created a dazzling and magnificent sight in the heavens.

Jupiter’s display was of great significance because the planet Jupiter was associated with royalty. This alignment could well have been perceived as an announcement of the long-anticipated world leader.

Others suggest the “star” may have actually been a comet, but there is no known record of a comet at that time, so this is implausible. Others have suggested the Magi saw a stella nova, which is a star that suddenly increases in magnitude and brilliancy and then fades away. Others suggest a supernova, and although it’s possible to see the galaxy with the unaided eye, it wouldn’t have been possible to see a supernova — even with the help of a telescope.

But all of these possibilities — some more plausible than others — fall short of explaining the words in Matthew 2:9, which says the star “…went before them, till it came and stood over where the young child was.” No fixed star could have so maneuvered its way through the sky, nor is it likely that a fixed star or comet would have appeared, disappeared, reappeared, and then stood still, as is recorded in this verse. It seems, ultimately, that only a miraculous phenomenon could be the answer for the star that appeared in the East.

Perhaps it was like the miraculous pillar of fire which stood in the camp by night during the Exodus (see Exodus 13:21). Or per- haps it was like the brightness of God’s glory that shone round about the shepherds (see Luke 2:9). Or maybe it was like the “light from Heaven” that shone on and around Saul (Paul) at the moment of his conversion (see Acts 9:3).

Whatever it was, the appearance of this heavenly sign was the confirmation the Magi needed that the long-awaited world leader Daniel and others had prophesied about had finally been born.

There were early Christian writers who suggested the miraculous star was a fulfilment of a prophecy in Numbers 24:17 that says, “…a Star out of Jacob, and a Sceptre shall rise out of Israel….”

Because of the Jewish captivity in Babylon and Daniel’s influential role among the Magi, this elite group of king-makers would have been familiar with those Messianic prophecies. But perhaps God simply gave them divine revelation to know the sign they saw in the heavens was given to signal the birth of the long-awaited King.

Whatever the Magi saw in the heavens was so impressive that they knew it was a magnificent heavenly sign that the powerful world leader they’d anticipated had finally been born.

King of the Jews

Notice what else the Magi declared as they rode so regally into Jerusalem with their massive caravan. Matthew 2:2 says they were saying, “...Where is he that is born King of the Jews? for we have seen his star in the east, and are come to worship him.”

They were looking for the “King” of the Jews. In the Greek original text, the word “King” is capitalized and it means they were not looking for just any king, but for the greatest Jewish King ever to be born. They stated that their intention was to “worship” Him.

The word “worship” depicts one who falls prostrate on the ground in humble adoration, as before a superior to give reverence and worship. Once they discovered His location, these powerful leaders were coming to bow prostrate on the ground before this King.

The verse also says that they had “seen” His star in the East. The word “seen” means to see, to behold, to delightfully view, to scrutinizingly inspect, to behold with the intent to examine, or even to know from personal observation.

Remember, Magi were experts at studying the constellations, and Matthew tells us that they had “seen” this magnificent sign in the constellation. The original word in the verse means they studied it before making a final conclusion.

Thus, when this star appeared, they beheld it with wonder; delightfully viewed it; scrutinizingly studied every aspect of it; and examined it to ascertain what its appearance meant.

From their personal observation of the star, the Magi concluded it was the heavenly declaration that the One for whom the whole world was waiting so long had finally been born.