The Wisemen brought the "child" Jesus three gifts. Let me give you the best gift of all. "JESUS"!!! To find out what the gift of Jesus is please choose any of the presents below and click:

You don't have to shake it or tear the wrapping paper.

What I want to give you is "Salvation". It is a FREE gift from God. "For by GRACE are you saved through faith, it is a gift of God not of works lest any man should boast" Ephesians 2:8-9. Here is a link to "The Four Spiritual Laws" part of Campus Crusade for Christ. This page and site will follow up on your decision if you become a Christian and they have wonderful resources. You can click here and read my personal testimony at "Annie's Testimony Page".

All the presents in the world won't matter if you spend eternity in hell. Don't put it off......you don't know what tomorrow may bring. Do you know what you would say if you tomorrow you died, you got to heaven and they asked you "Why should we let you in?" Believe me a long laundry list of all the good things you did isn't enough. Because nothing of your own merit will get you to heaven.....the only way is by accepting Jesus Christ as your Savior.

Astronomers Discover 2,000 Year-Old Star Of Bethlehem

Has the Mystery of the Star Over Bethlehem been Resolved?
Visit Jerusalem Christian Review and find out.

"They laid their offerings at his feet;
The gold was their tribute to a King,
The frankincense, with its odor sweet,
Was for the Priest, the Paraclete,
The myrrh for the body's burying."
~from Longfellow's "The Three Kings"~

Ok so aren't you wondering why I didn't say THREE wise men?

Take a look at what the scriptures say. I always just assumed there were three.....there are three gifts that they brought. But does it say there are 3 wise men. No it actually doesn't say how many wise men there were. This concept is really true with many different doctrines, and believes that we have. We just listen to what others tell us and don't check it out and search the scriptures for ourselves. I challenge you to see what God's word really says and base your believes on the Word and not others peoples opinions. Here are a few verses of scripture that deal with this:

~2 Timothy 2:15~ "Study to show thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth." KJV
"Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a workman who does not need to be ashamed and who correctly handles the word of truth." NIV

And:
Acts 17:11: "......in that they received the word with all readiness of mind, and searched the scriptures daily, whether those things were so."KJV

Here is the scripture story of the wisemen.................

Matthew 2:1 "After Jesus was born in Bethlehem in Judea, during the time of King Herod, Magi from the east came to Jerusalem and asked, 'Where is the one who has been born king of the Jews? We saw his star in the east and have come to worship him." When King Herod heard this he was disturbed, and all Jerusalem with him. When he had called together all the people's chief priests and teachers of the law, he asked them where the Christ was to be born. "In Bethlehem in Judea," they replied, "for this is what the prophet has written: `But you, Bethlehem, in the land of Judah, are by no means least among the rulers of Judah; for out of you will come a ruler who will be the shepherd of my people Israel.' " Then Herod called the Magi secretly and found out from them the exact time the star had appeared. He sent them to Bethlehem and said, "Go and make a careful search for the child. As soon as you find him, report to me, so that I too may go and worship him." After they had heard the king, they went on their way, and the star they had seen in the east went ahead of them until it stopped over the place where the child was. When they saw the star, they were overjoyed. On coming to the house, they saw the child with his mother Mary, and they bowed down and worshiped him. Then they opened their treasures and presented him with gifts of gold and of incense and of myrrh. And having been warned in a dream not to go back to Herod, they returned to their country by another route.

The Star they followed was in the East.......it must have been very large to have directed them to the home where Jesus lived as a child and not the manger like I always thought. Wouldn't it be nice if God could just put a star in the sky to direct us today.

Do you remember as a child seeing the creche or manager with three wise men and their camels? I always just thought that the star was over the manger and that the wisemen came to the manger also. He was a child when the wisemen came to see Him. If you look at the scriptures it says "child". Remember King Herod after the wisemen visited had all the baby boys two years of age and younger in Bethlehem killed. Now when you look at different mangers you will always check to see if the wisemen are there.

Kings of Orient Are
Rev. John H. Hopkins

We three Kings of Orient are;
Bearing gifts we treasure afar,
field and fountain, moor and mountain,
following yonder star.
O star of wonder, star of night,
Star with royal beauty bright
Westward leading, still proceeding
Guide us to thy perfect light.

In European Countries, the coming of the wisemen bearing gifts to the Christ Child is celebrated twelve days after Christmas. This celebration, called Epiphany, Little Christmas or the Twelfth Night, is a time of exchanging gifts and feasting.

The Wise men brought gifts for the King of Kings

Gold: is first mentioned in Gen 2:11,12. Several places are referred to in the Bible as abounding in gold, among which are Ophir, Job 28:16, Raamah and Sheba, Ezek 27:22, and Parvaim 2Chron 3:6, and it was much used by the Hebrews for the Temple and in other ways. It was very plentiful in the time of David and Solomon. It was not coined until after the reign of King David, but was an article of commerce and was sold by weight.

Frankincense: An exceedingly aromatic gum used in the sacred incense for the Temple service. It is distilled from a tree in Arabia. The substance generally used in modern times as frankincense is produced from the Norway pine.

Myrrh, mer, a precious gum from a low thorny tree found chiefly in Arabia. It was one of the ingredients of the holy ointment, Exodus 30:23, and of the embalming substance. John19:39. It is also used in medicine and as a perfume.
~This info was taken from "The Pocket Bible Dictionary" by Jubilee Publishers~
Related Site: What are frankincense and myrrh?

Three Gifts: Their significance and symbolic meaning

The wise men brought gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh.
Frankincense was a perfumed resin, burned in honor of God.
Myrrh was a scented gum used to prepare the body for burial.
The gifts had symbolic meanings.
Gold honored Jesus as a king, frankincense honored Jesus as God, and myrrh was a sign that Jesus was a man and would die.
~This information was quoted from "The Birth of Jesus -
And other Bible stories" Retold by Selina Hastings.~

Why were the gifts of Frankincense and Myrrh Oils similar in value to the Gold, given to Christ Jesus by the Three Wise Men traveling from distant lands?

"An interesting question for our modern times.
Frankincense had many healing powers, was mind elevating and an expectorant. Myrrh was an extremely powerful anti-infectious and immune builder, plus improved many skin conditions, asthma, bronchitis, diarrhea and prostate to name a few. Good health was as important then as now! God gave mankind the power of excellent health and a long life by extracting pure plant oils from many different plants around the world. We now know plant oils give instant absorption by carrying nutrients through thickened cell walls to the nucleus, often restoring cells to normal in 7 seconds."
~Info quoted by Health First from their web page~

MAGI: The same as Wise Men. Defined as men of understanding and skill in ordinary affairs.(Proverbs 1:5, Job 15:2, Psalms 49:10) Oriental priests and learned men. A Median and Persian caste of royal advisors, Jeremiah 39:3; Matthew 2:1-11. Came to be recognized as a distinct class, listed with priests and prophets in Jeremiah 18:18 and also found outside Palestine (Genesis 41:8, Exodus 7:11, Daniel 2:12-5:15). The magi (Matthew 2:1) astrologers; came from East; number and names are legendary.
~From "The New Compact Bible Dictionary" by Zondervan and "the Practical Bible Dictionary & Concordance by Barbour Books~

In the latter half of the 4th century, the Eastern and Western churches adopted each other's festival, thus establishing the modern Christian 12-day celebration from Christmas to Epiphany. In some places the 12th day is called the festival of the three kings because it is believed that the three wise men, or magi, visited the baby Jesus on that day, bringing him gifts.
~Excerpted from Compton's Interactive Encyclopedia. Copyright (c) 1994, 1995, 1996 SoftKey Multimedia Inc. All Rights Reserved~

Here is what the Compton's Encyclopedia says about the Magi:
"Magi (plural of magus), from Persian magu, meaning magician; members of a priestly caste of ancient Medes and Persians; name is applied also to the wise men in the Bible (Matthew ii) who followed a star to Bethlehem; the Bible story does not name them nor give their number, but Christian tradition from about the 7th century names the three Melchior, Gaspar, and Balthazar; their bodies are said to have been brought to Constantinople by Empress Helen, mother of Constantine, thence taken to Milan, and finally to Cologne in 1162 by Frederick Barbarossa; since that time they have often been called the Three Kings of Cologne."
~Excerpted from Compton's Encyclopedia. All Rights Reserved~

Star of Bethlehem
& Christmas and astronomy

Star of Wonder - (CBN News) -- Was the Star of Bethlehem truly a star? Was it a comet? Or was it an amazing miracle?

Urban Legends Page: Three Wise Men Page - Is it True?

Star of Bethlehem 'found' outside Bible

Was Christmas star a double eclipse of Jupiter? (CNN)

Wise Men Still Seek Him

Modern Magi Visit Bethlehem

Wise Men

Gifts for the King from House2House Ministries

Bethlehem star was two meteors says Patrick Moore

News Item: Star of Bethlehem- Going Back in Time to Examine Its Origins

Journey of the Magi ---T.S. Eliot

When Magi Camped In Bethlehem: Christmas message from by Dr. Ralph F. Wilson of WilsonWeb.

My Gift for the King Don't miss this page!

The Heavens Declare

Early Christians hid the origins of the Bethlehem star (The New Scientist)

Related Pages by Annie:
Annie's Twelfth Night Page
Annie's Epiphany Page
Annie's Christmas History Page

To see other Christmas Pages
By Annie Visit:
Annie's Christmas Welcome Page

Annie's Home Page

Annie's Featured Holiday Page

Annie's Holiday Page

Annie's Featured Page

Annie's "Featured Page" Page

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