The Star of Bethlehem

Star of BethlehemThe first time I had the opportunity to watch this movie during the Christmas season of 2007. I was thumbing through the stations late night / early morning when I came across it on the Trinity Broadcast Network. Had I not caught this movie by channel surfing, I probably would not have watched it. Knowing that just seeing the title of the movie, during the Christmas season in which it was, could have easily been assumed to be just another children's show, animated at best, telling the story of Jesus Christ and His unusual miraculous birth. Shows in which I had viewed many times over the years as being a children's pastor at my local church. I was truly pulled in greatly into his well put together documentary of the Star of Bethlehem, not just any star but the one true star that signified the birth of our Lord and savior Jesus Christ.The movie begins as the narrator of this documentary opens up. First with his credentials, the reason he made the documentary, what set him upon its path and his research credits. Produced by Steven McEveety of the Passion of the Christ, and narrated / presented by an (at the time), unknown attorney, Rick Larson. Not knowing much of Steven and his works left little judgments from me on this piece of work with a few exceptions such as visuals and sound quality, which fall into his area as producer.As for Rick, I liked the fact that right up front he brought to light his credentials. None in astrology, of which he uses for his theorized basis of his presentation. Other than what he had learned in researching the star or stars as his theory unfolds. But an attorney none the less. Trained in the art of methodology, to assist in bringing in the facts and weighing all the evidence for its actual value.Even though he had mentioned the fact that he was a Christian still had not affected my initial judgment of him, being a Christian myself had made me more of a skeptic. Primarily because the term Christian can cause a person to thing things like: honest, good morals, non-lying, non-cheating and over all just a good person. None of which you would you would assign to the personality and live style of an attorney.He had started looking into this several years ago around Christmas time, while he and his daughter were setting up the outside traditional Christmas yard decorations. When they got to the star, it made him think: "what did it look like?" " Did it twinkle?" etc.. Not wanting to misrepresent himself or the reference of the star. So he researched it to get it right, thus beginning the thoughts behind his theory. Seemed kind of analytical, but then again I (we) have also been accused of the analytical parts of life too. As he went on with his presentation he backed it up with facts of evidence just an attorney would want to do to win his / her case. The better the evidence, the better chance of winning He laid out his groundwork foundation of his theory from a scientific astrologist point of view using the Bible to sort the value of the evidence as with other literary evidence of the time, such as the writings of Josephus and others. Using a scientific approach to see how the Bible lined up with the science. Gleaning from the mathematical proofs of people such as Galio, Kepler and Newton as his guide, he went from there, searching the skies for the Star of Bethlehem, using today's technology to the advantage and ease of work as it was intended. During his presentation he first formed the basis of the facts of astronomical science in which that all stars are like a large clock encompassing the earth, that they with the knowledge of Kepler and the refinements made by Newton, you can know precisely where each star will be at a certain point in time, as can be seen from any location on earth. In knowing the science, not only can you look forward to their placement in time but you can also look back in time. In this he did for his theory. He searched the Bible for its evidence of the star's location, time and description, primarily from the book of Matthew. Finding nine proofs from the Bible, that must be met to be valid evidence of the star. Then, using historical literature and documentation from others, outside the Bible, as tools to validate the Biblical documentation of his evidence. Compiling them to decipher the evidence, for its times, location and descriptions, he laid out his theory. What little music played throughout the presentation was composed by his wife and seemed to have a sound of royalty yet mysterious undertones. Her work fit in well with his presentation as He walked through evidence of his theory. With the use of PowerPoint slides and visuals of the computer animated program (A Starry Night) of the stars, placing them (the stars) in their place, according to the evidence gathered, at their precise locations in time according to the gathered evidence, he told his story. Continually building upon the evidence outlining his theory with more valid evidence.Not being an astrologist it left a lot of questions for me as he leapt from one piece of evidence to another. The movie also has a website that also shows much of the same slides as were shown in the presentation, to include much of the written script outlining his theory. The real neat part was that he not only showed the star but also connected some other cool revealing things present in stars in the heavens during the period from Christ's miraculous conception to obviously His birth, but also what was happening in the sky at the time of His death as well. As Rick put it, it was a very awesome celestial dance in sky, in which God had created from the beginning of time. Knowing that from the moment God flung the stars into the sky, during His creation week that he would have to send a savior at a set point in time as well as know the set time of the saviors' death.Concluding the movie with a powerful impacting statement of a question such as "My God, My God, what have you done?" The impact of the movie, as reality of the puzzled pieces were put in their place, left tears streaking down from the corners of my eyes, in a state of awe and wonder at Gods forethought and might, while disguising the history and future of His created universe in the stars, traveling throughout the heavens from the beginning of time as he created it. Recalling the final words of Jesus as he died upon the Cross, crying out to God, as Jesus looked into the heavens as well, "My god, My God, Why have your forsaken me?"In comparing the movie with other earth and scientific type documentaries, such as global warming flick, done by former vice president nominee Al Gore. The science was at least truthful and not something that the evidence was designed around the theory to make it seem plausible. Besides in all honesty the global warming hoopla is a real hard sell. For example this winter in the South East, Midwest and the upper northern territories in the US, not to mention the Canadian country being even further north and always cold in the winter. Even our summers in reality are no warmer than they truly had been over the course of keeping records and over a average period of time.It is not often a movie, especially a narrated one, can bring tears to my eyes. Not due to poor quality or quantity, but because it was allowed to come in and align thoughts in the back of your mind that were, until now, uncompleted thoughts of bewilderment. Giving complete meaning to what you didn't know.

This is a very well done presentation by Rick Larson which explains in detail a strong theory as to when Jesus was born and when He was crucified. There is a large amount of information that is given in just over one hour, but with some diligent investigation, you will be rewarded over and over.This is a two-part DVD, and as such, I will divide my review into two sections.PART 1: THE BIRTH OF JESUS CHRIST (THE START OF BETHLEHEM):I cannot underscore the resources that are available at Rick Larson's website enough. If you don't know the web address, simply search for, "BethlehemStar Rick Larson". There is a treasure trove of information for those who would like to go deeper into this.Mr. Larson is to some degree standing on the shoulders of giants. He undoubtedly used information from Ernest Martin's book, "The star that astonished the world", but he has added value to it and has presented it in a nicely done, visual presentation. One of his initial assertions that is hotly debated is that King Herod died in 1BC and not 4BC. This is a crucial point since it either puts Christ's death before 4BC or allows it to happen up until 1BC. Larson does a good job defending his 1BC position both in the video and on his website.The information flows quickly so this next part can easily be missed:He assigns dates to 3 major occurrences using A) The latest astronomical software, and B) The biblical text.These three are:1) The conception of Marry by the Holy Spirit. (Jupiter 'the king planet' circling Regulas 'the king star' in the constellation Leo the lion.2) The birth of Jesus. (Jupiter and Venus 'the mother planet' conjunction to create the brightest "star" of anyone's lifetime then.)3) The visit of the wise men. When Jupiter actually appeared to STOP above Bethlehem when viewing from Jerusalem.There is a foundational issue that you must personally come to peace with to fully accept these and other assertions put forward by Larson. This is the notion that God uses the stars, moon, sun, and planets as signs or signals to us. This is perfectly in line with the scriptures. Read Genesis 1:14-15. Also, much prophecy is described in terms of astronomical happenings such as "Blood Moons", "The sun turning to darkness", "The stars falling from the heavens", etc. In fact, if you're apprehensive about Larson's talk of the Zodiac, and you're so inclined to research the matter, conservative biblical scholar Dr. James Kennedy wrote a book in 1989 entitled, "The real meaning of the Zodiac" which investigates the history of this mostly misunderstood topic and how it relates to the bible.In my opinion, Larson's narrative is compelling, captivating, and well researched. I believe that we can now know the exact dates of all of these happenings due to what is recorded in Matthew and elsewhere in the bible.PART 2: THE CRUCIFIXION OF JESUS (THE DAY OF THE CROSS)In this 13 or so minute presentation, Larson lays out the theory for a June 3rd, 33AD crucifixion. It requires a belief that Jesus was crucified on a Friday (and not on a Wednesday). I will again refer you to his website for a wealth of information to unpack this section. Basically though, he gives 4 reasons why the 33AD date is valid for the crucifixion of Jesus. These are:1) The description of when the Passover and crucifixion took place according to the 4 gospels; (This actually only narrows it to either 30AD or 33AD)2) The geo-political conflicts that arose between Pilate, Tiberius Caesar, and Sajanus point to 33AD3) The "prophecy of weeks" spoken of in Daniel 9 point to the year 33AD (assuming that there was such a thing as an "Ascension Year" for Babylonian kings during Daniel's time.4) Astronomical events that took place on the day/night of crucifixion that were prophesied hundreds of years prior.This part is very well done, and you must, MUST, MUST watch the bonus track to get the full effect and understanding of what happened.My only disappointment with this part of the video is when Larson tries to describe the Joel chapter 2 prophecy. The prophecy not only says that there will be a blood moon "before the great and glorious day of the Lord", but is says that the sun will be turned to DARKNESS. Well, you can't have a lunar AND solar eclipse at the same time! What's going on with the darkness part? The reason this is important is that many bible prophecy scholars (such as 119 Ministries in their 'Last Days' videos) use this verse for the 2nd coming of Christ - not the crucifixion. I wish Larson would have possibly made mention to the letter - a copy of which is in the Library of Congress - between Pontius Pilate and Tiberius Caesar mentioning the day turning to night when Christ was crucified. This discrepancy or omission is my biggest quarrel with the video.IN CONCLUSION:Rick Larson has put together a fascinating look at the dates of Christ's birth and death using the biblical texts and the latest astronomical software to decode these records. Thank you so much, Mr. Larson! May God bless you!

Must see this to the very end! Talk about God knowing, planning and completing everything!!!! He wrote in the stars the future from the very beginning of his creations! At the beginning when he created the heavens he gave prophecy in the stars concerning Christ and of course now part of that prophecy is history we know of. You must watch this to the very end, it will blow your mind.

Sometimes, it seems as if we may be tempted to treat the incidental details within the Gospel narratives as just a bit of window-dressing to lend significance to the message. I suspect that the elements in the 'Christmas Story' may be a bit like that. This film is a useful reminder that the incidentals do actually provide us with a great deal of explanatory detail which may be used for verification purposes. In fact, such was the care applied to the treatment of Matthew's text (chapter 2), I was shocked to discover just how much verifiable data was actually there.The makers of this film open up the subject in a wholly convincing way. My only reservations are the slightly unctuous tone used at times (but that's perfectly understandable, given the real significance of the discoveries) and the rapidity with which Rick Larson fixes on the Planet Jupiter as the solution to the conundrum. That doesn't stop him being right, however, and the presentation puts forth an extremely robust case for the dating of Christ's birth, as well as the identification of the astronomical configuration which applied at the time.A very good piece of work, and a helpful reminder for Christians that the detail we are given is there for a reason.Overall, the film is beautifully-produced, and I would recommend it anyone with an enquiring mind, prepared to have their assumptions about the 'Christmas Story' radically shaken.

This is by far the best film ever which explains the phenomena of the Star of Bethlehem. The film is of a small group gathered to hear Rick explain his findings after several years of research into this extraordinary event. Using software similar to that which NASA uses Rick has traced the movement of the starts and planets through the skies and through time. He shows, on screen, very clearly the movements of these heavenly bodies and how they would have been seen at the time of Jesus birth. He also shows how it could be that the "Star" seemed to stop and stand still. There is more, much more but let me not spoil it. Buy the film and be amazed.

I bought this because I wanted a sensible account which matched what Scripture says. The account given by Mr Larson is indeed very convincing. But, he is an American and he speaks very quickly and I find that I do not always pick up what he is saying. This I find a disadvantage. He also tends to jump from one idea to another abruptly. The account he gives is very convincing but it has taken me several play throughs to get more out of it. There are several things which could be done to improve this exposition.

Wow! This qualifies as another example divine evidence of divinity itself. God's creation of the universe included the marking of His entering earth in the flesh and His exit on the cross. Marked in the stars in the 2nd Heaven before the events occurred. He is who He says He is. He is the definitive "I AM".Mr Larson cuts through the confusion of times being changed and points to the evidence that reveals the truth of God's word.This DVD is an American production, and as such it is in NTSC format. Many U.K DVD players will play a NTSC disc, and P.Cs usually take it in their stride.

A layman (who is no slouch!) does the research and shares his documented conclusions about the nature of "the star of Bethlehem". Cinematically (is that a word?) GLORIOUS, musically, visually GLORIOUS... It provides facts that are compelling as it deals with not only the birth but also the death of the Babe laid in a manger. Weaves old and new testaments together as the Feasts of Israel are fulfilled in stunning declarations in heaven and on earth.I watch it over and over and am gripped each time by new insights gained. DON'T MISS the 'Bonus Feature': "Revealing the Ram".Scientifically astute minds will have plenty to chew on.