"Know therefore and understand, that from the going forth of the command to restore and build Jerusalem until Messiah the Prince, there shall be seven weeks and sixty-two weeks; the street shall be built again, and the wall, even in troublesome times. And after the sixty-two weeks, Messiah shall be cut off, but not for Himself..."                                                                                                                                            -Daniel 9:25-26a, NKJV

Ever wonder how the wise men from the east knew when to be looking for a sign in the heavens? Ever wonder why they thought the time had come to search for the star that announced the birth of the Messiah of the Jews? Well, it wasn't just by chance! Daniel was the greatest of the Chaldean wise men of Babylon during the reign of three Babylonian kings. He continued in that position during the reigns of at least two of the rulers of the Medo-Persian Empire that followed the fall of Babylon.

Daniel 1:4 indicates that as a member of that society, Daniel had access to all of the available literature of the Chaldeans. Furthermore, he also had access to the sacred Scripture writings of some of the prophets included in our modern day Old Testament, because he refers to studying them in Daniel 9:1-2. No doubt, those of this priestly line of Chaldean sages continued studying the writings of Daniel, himself, long after his demise (sometime around the time King Cyrus of Persia declared freedom for the Jews, in 637 B.C).

The wise men would have recognized that it was another emperor of the Medo-Persian Empire who had declared the rebuilding of Jerusalem that Nehemiah was commissioned to carry out. (That happened sometime around 445 B.C.) Paying careful attention to such details, these, "wise men from the east," were determined to arrive and honor this Messiah's appearing, before the time He would be, "cut off, but not for Himself." They were wise men, indeed! They knew the time to look for Jesus was when He could be found. No doubt they, like Daniel in his time, also studied some of the other ancient Jewish writings.

One of those ancient writings may have been Psalm 2, which contains passages such as verses 1-2, which say: "Why do the nations rage, and the people plot a vain thing? The kings of the earth set themselves, and the rulers take counsel together, against the Lord and against His Anointed, saying, 'Let us break Their bonds in pieces and cast away Their cords from us.'" Verses 10-12 conclude the Psalm, by saying: "Now therefore, be wise, O kings; Be instructed, you judges of the earth. Serve the Lord with fear, and rejoice with trembling. Kiss the Son, lest He be angry, and you perish in the way, when His wrath is kindled but a little. Blessed are all those who put their trust in Him."

This Christmas, will you be wise? Will you seek the One who came as a humble infant, while He is near and can be found? Will you look for Him and choose to follow Him, now? Or, will you neglect to do so, before the time your pilgrimage through life is past and your chance is lost, forever? Don't miss the Christ in your rush through Christmas, this year. Next year may be too late!

Blessings, Brother Dan