Three Wise Men are depicted presenting gifts to the baby Jesus the night he was born in Bethlehem in the 2006 film, "The Nativity Story." (New Line Cinema)Â |
"The greatest of kings born in the most humble of places," proclaims one of the "Three Wise Men" in the 2006 movie, "The Nativity Story," as he showed up at the manger the night Jesus was born in Bethlehem.
It was truly a beautiful and majestic scene, and it's depicted in countless artwork and on millions of Christmas cards.
The only problem is, that's not how the story is told in the Bible.
When the Scriptures of the New Testament are examined carefully, there's not a single mention of "Three Wise Men." That's correct. No mention at all.
TRENDING: Greatest Show on Earth: The Hur report hearing
For that matter, not a single wise man is ever shown to be present at a Bethlehem manger the night God Himself left heaven to dwell with us.
"If people would just crack open their own Bibles and see the words on the page, they'd be stunned to find out the truth of the matter," declares Joe Kovacs, author of "Shocked by the Bible: The Most Astonishing Facts You've Never Been Told."
"Here's what the Bible actually says. Yes, there were some wise men, but the Bible never specifies three of them. There may have been 50 for all we know. And when these wise men met Jesus for the first time, they came to present their gifts to a young child in a house, not a babe in a manger."
"The Nativity Story" of 2006 wrongly portrays Three Wise Men showing up the night Jesus was born and laid in a manger. The Bible says they met Jesus as a young child in a house. |
Need proof?
Here's the actual verse from the New Testament:
"And when they were come into the house, they saw the young child with Mary his mother, and fell down, and worshipped him ... ." (Matthew 2:11)
"In the Gospel of Matthew, which is the gospel that mentions the wise men, Jesus is always referred to as a young child, never a babe. And there's no mention of any manger, only a house," said Kovacs. "Many people mistakenly blend two different events into one. It's the Gospel of Luke which mentions shepherds going into Bethlehem to see their newborn king the night of his birth after being told to by an angel. The wise men simply did not show up that night, at least not according to the Bible. They saw Jesus for the first time in a house, and it may have been more than a year after Jesus was born."
It's possible the legend of "Three Wise Men" has become so popular over the centuries because the rest of the same verse from Matthew does specify three gifts:
" ... and when they had opened their treasures, they presented unto him gifts; gold, and frankincense, and myrrh."
"Personally, I believe the Bible is the truth," says Kovacs. "It really is the Word of God. Jesus even calls Himself 'the way, the truth, and the life.' (John 14:6) If we're going to honor the truth, shouldn't we at least get the simplest of facts correct?"
The revelations about the wise men are just a few of hundreds of pieces of startling information Kovacs discloses in "Shocked by the Bible."
For instance, did you know ...
- The Bible seems to go out of its way to hide the precise time Jesus was born, never mentioning the day, date, month, year or even season
- There's not a single mention of a Christmas tree, or any tree for that matter, in the story of His birth
- The practice of decorating a tree with silver and gold is actually condemned by God in the Bible
"People today should just be aware of why they do what they do," Kovacs said. "Many people never bother to look into the Scriptures to see what God has to say."
"The Real Christmas Story" is merely Chapter One of 27 chapters in "Shocked by the Bible." There's plenty of other startling issues explored, including:
- The Bible doesn't say Jesus died on a Friday or rose at sunrise Sunday morning
- God sought to kill Moses
- "Easter" has vanished from modern translations of the Bible
- Jesus said no one has gone to heaven except Himself
- The Bible does not say Eve bit into an apple
- There were not just two of each animal aboard Noah's Ark
- The Bible doesn't say Noah's Ark landed on "Mount Ararat"
- Jesus did not come to make everyone understand His message
The book even delves into "lighter" facts that just never seem to be brought up in church.
Did you know ...
- God ran lotteries
- Nagging wives are mentioned in Scripture
- Women's breasts are celebrated in the Bible
- There's a character in the Bible called a "dumb ass"
- Underwear didn't disintegrate despite 40 years of heavy use
- The worst case of hemorrhoids in history is recorded
While this eye-opening blockbuster is now on sale everywhere, WND is the only place
that has copies personally autographed by the author.
"Shocked by the
Bible" has become an instant smash, twice hitting No. 1 in three
Bible-related categories on Amazon.com with readers giving it
high praise.
"Shocked by the Bible" skyrocketed to three No.1 spots on Amazon.com before and after its official release |
It's still
ranked near the top of Amazon's Most Wished For List for all Bible-related
books. It also soared to No. 1 on the WND
Best-Seller list.
"If you think you really know the Bible, better think again," warns Fox News'
Bill O'Reilly. "Your parents never told you this stuff was in the
Bible," adds radio talker and author Melanie Morgan. WND founder Joseph Farah
simply says, "'Shocked by the Bible' is nothing short of genius."
Kovacs has
written countless reports in his 25-year news career. Many have focused on
biblical issues such as chariot wheels
said to be found in the Red Sea, searches for Noah's Ark and
the Ark of the
Covenant, and controversies over Christmas and
Easter holidays as well as the Saturday-vs.-Sunday
Sabbath.
Kovacs has received many awards for news excellence from the
Associated Press and United Press International. He's run television, radio and
print newsrooms in the U.S., as well as Budapest, Hungary. Kovacs is also
regarded as one of the premier creative headline writers in the news business
today.
Media wishing to interview the author of "Shocked by the Bible," please
contact us.