The emotional power of Christmas is extraordinary. Most people are aware that December 25 is most likely NOT the date of Christ’s birth, but that isn’t supposed to matter. Christmas–right or wrong–is the time of year we celebrate the birth of Christ and even if we were to discover the true date of his birth, to change Christmas is unthinkable. 

I agree, to a degree. 

I agree in that it doesn’t matter in the overall meaning of God becoming a man to serve humanity and to be the way of salvation for all of mankind. No need to know the exact date to believe that. However, from another perspective, it does matter in that the true date reveals God’s sovereignty and his power over all of creation and human history. It does matter! And I hope to persuade you as to why it does. 

500 Year Journey: How the Magi Knew When Christ Would Be Born is the product of countless hours of research. I dug deeply into Roman, Greek, Persian, and Hebrew history in order to discover if Luke and Matthew were right (yes, I was skeptical): Was Jesus born during a census while king Herod was alive and did the magi arrive months later after Christ was born? And when did that happen? Did Romans organize taxations like this, where provincial subjects had to travel to their ancestral lands to register? Did Herod die in the spring of 4 BC just a week or so before Passover as scholars claim? (I prove in my book that he did). And I also explore the lives of Daniel, Augustus, Herod, and the guild of the magi who showed up on Herod’s doorstep. It’s fascinating and it is unparalleled in its thorough treatment of the controversies which have plagued the traditional narration of the historical event of Christ’s birth. 

But why does all of that matter? So what? Why care? Even if I’m right, what difference does it make as to the meaning of Christmas? We who believe and know with certainty that he was born, served, died, resurrected, and then ascended to be with the Father until his return, why would the date matter? 

And yet the date does matter, but in a way that has been missed in the traditions taught at Christmas. The true date doesn’t negate those traditions nor does it contradict any of them–it enhances them in a beautiful way. I am in no way attempting to change Christmas, but I am trying to show people that the actual date of Christ’s birth is stunning! It was foretold in Scripture and attested to in the heavens. God told us exactly when the Messiah would be born and he used the motions of the stars and planets to blow our minds! I think every believer will be awed by what God did and I want everyone to know.

I realize there are skeptics out there and you’re probably thinking of all the ways you can mock and ridicule such an absurd idea as God having sent his Son to redeem the world from sin. But all of your laugh emojis cannot change the truth. Christ’s birth is confirmable in the historical record–the census during which he was born–and the magi did see “his star” and the context tells us exactly what they saw and it is perfectly reasonable and also miraculous. Matthew’s account is historically accurate and what he tells us is that they saw two different celestial events. The first time confirmed their calculations of when the Messiah would be born based upon Daniel’s visions; the second time surprised even them and it caused them to “rejoice with exceedingly great joy!” 

God’s inexorable movement through time, history, and the heavens to arrange all things to proclaim the birth of his Son is magnificent beyond anything we have ever imagined, and it could not have been devised by the wisdom or intellect of man. Nobody made this up and the day God reached down to us and became a man is exquisitely true. My prayer is that you will see it.

Oh sure, you may be able to deny it, mock it, reject it, rewrite it, or pass it by without a second glance, but I hope God’s spirit pursues you like the ghosts of Christmas past, present, and future pursued Scrooge. God’s love is persistent and he wants to restore your heart. I hope you will listen, not just hear; I hope you will perceive, not just see. I pray God will reach into your heart so that you understand the truth and so that true joy will enter your soul in the fullness of enlightened wonder when you finally comprehend the unlimited and overwhelming forgiveness and love of our Creator. His compassion was poured out on us on his Day of Grace: the day when Christ was born–even if we celebrate it on December 25.

See it and believe!

Order Now!

You can find instructions to get your free eBook on my website at www.500yearjourney.com. If you like, you can also order a signed softcover book.

However, I also believe in supporting local bookstores. Both Eighth Day Books and Watermark Books here in Wichita, KS have copies that can be ordered online, so please check them out! It would also be cool if you were to ask your favorite local bookstore to make copies available. 

Otherwise, you can order copies on Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Book Shop, Sandman Books, Walmart, and Books-A-Million. If you are in the UK you can order from Eden. 

I also have books available for GROUP STUDIES at churches or community groups. If your church library would like to carry copies, please contact me directly at contact@coreypiper.com. We’ll work out the cost and details together. Thank you!

Rejoice in the Lord!