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. It's sometimes suggested that the wise men's star was an angel. That's a reasonable possibility. Angels are depicted as stars at Job 38:7, and when it's taken into consideration the amount of angelic activity relative to Christ's appearance-- e.g. Zacharias, Mary, Joseph, and the shepherds -...

. Most Christians will readily attest that Jesus Christ is fully God and fully Man; while in reality a number of them aren't quite sure that he wasn't some sort of divine hominid implanted in Mary's womb; i.e. they honestly believe Jesus' mom may have been his surrogate mother rather than his...

. Ironically, Jesus and his family pulled up stakes and migrated to Egypt before Herod's assassins began searching for him. Thus the death squads were like blind men in a dark room looking for a black cat that isn't there. (Matt 2:13-14) _

. • Matt 2:16 . . When Herod realized that he had been outwitted by the Magi, he was furious, and he gave orders to kill all the boys in Bethlehem and its vicinity who were two years old and under, in accordance with the time he had learned from the Magi. That's actually pretty good evidence...

. • Luke 16:26 . . Between us and you a great chasm has been fixed The barrier between Abraham's side of the netherworld and the rich man's is curious. The Greek word is located nowhere else in the entire New Testament so we can't compare it's application in other situations. Chasm isn't...

. The verse below is deliberately misquoted. Watch for the revision. • Matt 2:2 . . Where is he that is born King of the Jews? for we have followed his star from the east No, they didn't follow Jesus' star from the east; rather, they saw it in the east. Jerusalem was a logical destination...

. • Matt 2:1-2 . . 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, saying: Where is he that is born King of the Jews? (Their star often gets more publicity than Jesus.) I had never given so much as the...

. Jacob was the first among the people of Israel to practice adoption when he took Joseph's two sons Manasseh and Ephraim as his own (Gen 48:5-6) thus giving the two boys positions in Jacob's clan equal in rank and privilege to his two eldest biological sons. A number of modern Jews refuse to...

. • Luke 2:8-11 . . And in the same region there were some shepherds staying out in the fields, and keeping watch over their flock by night. And an angel of The Lord suddenly stood before them, and the glory of The Lord shone around them; and they were terribly frightened. . . . And the angel...

. • Rom 1:1-3 . . . Jesus Christ our Lord, which was made of the seed of David according to the flesh The Greek word translated "seed" in that passage is sperma (sper'-mah) which is a bit ambiguous because it can refer to spiritual posterity as well as to biological posterity; for example: •...

. Angels announced Jesus' birth up around the teensy community of Bethlehem, but they didn't go to Jerusalem; which seems to me would've been a far more sensible venue. Important news deserves an important audience, i.e. Jerusalem was Israel's religious center whereas Bethlehem was no-account...

. Mary and Joseph were pious Jews, but that isn't the primary reason they were chosen to be Jesus' parents. Jesus was on track to take David's throne (Luke 1:32-33). Men who take that position from God have to satisfy two mandatory requirements: they have to be biologically related to David...

. According to Ps 110:4, Jesus was on track to become a high priest. Well; according to Heb 2:16-18, priests have to be "merciful" which is translated from a Greek word relating to compassion. Someone who's lived a privileged life is likely not going to relate well to normal folks who suffer...

. The Greek word translated manger can also indicate a stall (Luke 13:15) which describes a cage where beasts not only have a place to lie down (usually on straw) but also easy access to their fodder via a box built on to one end, or side, of their accommodations. The box is situated outside...

. As it turned out, the shepherds were useful as heralds. • Luke 2:16-18 . . So they hurried off and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby, who was lying in the manger. When they had seen him, they spread the word concerning what had been told them about this child, and all who heard it were...

. • Luke 2:8-20 Not just why the shepherds; but why only the shepherds? _

. FAQ: What's different from when incest was legal and later when it became illegal? A: The human body's vitality has undergone quite a bit of deterioration over the years. For example; prior to the Flood, the body could get by on fruits, vegetables, and grains. After the Flood, its diet was...

. According to Deut 5:2-4, Rom 4:15, Rom 5:13, and Gal 3:17 the laws of God are not retroactive, viz: incest is not a violation where there is no rule against it. _

. David is a key player in Christ's biological genealogy. • Rev 22:16 . . I am the offspring of David The Greek word translated "offspring" is genos (ghen'-os) which basically refers to kin, viz: one's relatives. Christ's kinship with David is quite a bit more specific in Rom 1:1-3 where it...

. The "tree of life" is likely a species name rather than an indication of the number of trees. I suspect it was established in the garden as a grove rather than a solo specimen. Same with the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. It was likely established in the garden as a grove too. _